Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Cyan Yuan Sect.

Inside the Council Pavilion, all the members of the Cyan Yuan Sect's upper echelon listened as Gu An laid out his plans. No one spoke.

No one objected, and no one volunteered.

Traveling to a border region like Yu City to investigate the Alien Race was, naturally, an extremely dangerous task.

It was common knowledge that the Alien Race was cruel. And according to Gu An, there was no shortage of experts among them—in their presence, even Inner Masters like themselves were nothing.

Under these circumstances, volunteering was an obvious risk. Anyone who went to the border might never return.

There was another point: few knew of the Alien Race's methods. The Cyan Yuan Sect, at least, was largely in the dark. If they were to investigate the border near Yu City and were discovered by some special alien technique, the investigators would almost certainly die there.

There were too many unknown perils involved.

"The border near Yu City is extremely dangerous, I am aware of this. Those who undertake this mission will, of course, be rewarded accordingly."

"This border situation is something we must face, but the Cyan Yuan Sect won't be facing it alone."

"I have already been in contact with other Sects within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, and we will be cooperating with them. So even if any of you go, you won't be going alone."

Gu An's gaze swept over these experts of the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level.

Sending just one or two people would be extremely dangerous, but working together would be another matter entirely.

The threat from the Alien Race wasn't a problem for the Cyan Yuan Sect alone. No power within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty could afford to ignore it, especially those factions located nearer to the border.

In fact, the same was true for the Celestial Wind Imperial Dynasty. The Alien Race had conquered one of their cities, so the factions within that Imperial Dynasty now had to confront the same reality.

However, the two dynasties were not on good terms, nor were their respective major Sects. Furthermore, the vast distance between them made any joint effort difficult.

Especially now, with the Alien Race occupying the borderlands between the two nations, establishing contact had become even more challenging.

"Sect Leader, we all understand the gravity of the situation with the Alien Race. You need only give the order."

"Faced with such a crisis, it is our undeniable duty."

The Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall, catching Gu An's subtle cue, was the first to speak up.

He had escaped from the Purple Void Secret Realm with Gu An, so he knew firsthand just how dire the border situation was. The aliens were not only savage, but their individual Combat Power was also extraordinarily high. If they were to reach Qing State, the Cyan Yuan Sect wouldn't last long at all.

At that point, the only option for the Cyan Yuan Sect would be to flee—to abandon the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty entirely.

The major Sects within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had a pact with the Great Zhou Imperial Family. If they were to flee, their claim to Qing State would be forfeit, meaning the Cyan Yuan Sect would lose its status as the overlord of Qing State.

Of course, if things came to that, no one would care about such titles anymore.

Even with a foundation built over centuries, if everyone was dead, what use would it be?

"The Artifact Refining Hall Master is right. It is our undeniable duty!"

Another Inner Refining Elder chimed in, prompted by a cue from Gu An.

Since becoming Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect, Gu An had not been idle; he had won over many people to his side.

His powerful Cultivation was one factor, but so was his control over the distribution of Cultivation Resources. In addition, he offered coveted spots for joining the Merak Sacred Land—all things the people of the Cyan Yuan Sect desperately wanted.

This was nothing like the cannon fodder Lü Zhenghai had previously taken away. Though those people were told they were joining the Merak Sacred Land, in reality their status was no better than that of the Cyan Yuan Sect's Servant Disciples. They weren't considered members of the Holy Land at all, merely expendable assets.

Only by proving their value later could they truly become members of the Merak Sacred Land, but the price to reach that point was steep.

Joining the Merak Sacred Land through Gu An, however, was another matter entirely.

It meant becoming a true member of the Merak Sacred Land from the start, joining Chiyu Peak with a recognized status and the potential for further advancement. The difference between the two paths was like night and day.

Most people in the Cyan Yuan Sect were unaware of these intricacies, but the sect's upper echelon understood them perfectly.

Thus, with Gu An actively trying to win them over, more people gravitated toward him. Moreover, Gu An delivered his promised benefits upfront—he didn't make empty promises, which made him far more trustworthy.

Seeing this, the others also voiced their support.

Gu An had already made his decision, so any objections would be futile. Besides, this was for the good of the Cyan Yuan Sect, not born of his personal ambition, making it impossible to argue against.

Yang Chan sat off to the side, silently observing Gu An's arrangements.

'These arrangements seem reasonable, but they also indirectly prove that Gu An has no better options. This is all he can do.'

'The disparity in strength is too great to overcome easily.'

'Besides, Gu An and the others are weaker than I am. If even I don't have a better solution, they certainly won't either.'

'All they can do is prepare, and these are the only preparations they can make.'

'Still, cooperating with the other Sects within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty is good news.'

'Going it alone is never a good choice.'

...

「Yuanqing Courtyard.」

Yang Chan returned from the Council Pavilion.

He was now aware of the Cyan Yuan Sect's plans, and through Gu An, he had also learned what had transpired in the Purple Void Secret Realm.

The emergence of the Alien Race was both an accident and the result of the major powers' greed.