Chapter 306: Unexpected Connections

Chapter 306 -304: Unexpected Connections

With the sudden intervention of Jianghai Alliance Leader Chen Longbi, the situation instantly changed.

It was only then that everyone realized the situation had, seemingly without anyone noticing, shifted from various parties wanting to corner Chen Yuan for their own reasons to a standoff between the Seven Alliances of the World and the other Sects and Families.

Chen Yuan hailed from Zhenwu Hall. Standing with him were the Mist Rain Alliance, the Sun-Swapping Alliance, and the Jianghai Alliance—all four of which were among the Seven Alliances of the World.

The defining trait of the Seven Alliances of the World was their humble origins. Their foundations weren’t particularly deep, but their leaders were all valiant overlords and heroes who had risen from the common folk.

In contrast, the opposing Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins, along with the Noble Sects, each possessed a heritage stretching back at least a thousand years.

One side comprised heroes from humble origins, while the other consisted of Jianghu forces with long-standing legacies. In truth, the two factions had never really seen eye to eye.

Today, however, was a rare exception. Four of the Seven Alliances of the World were actually standing together for the same person, jointly confronting these Noble Sects with their ancient legacies.

On the surface, Chen Yuan’s side was still outnumbered, with only Song Yanluo, Chen Longbi, and Wang Xuangan present.

However, their opponents Jiang Ziping and Shangguan Yuan—the latter sent by the Shangguan Family to look after Shangguan Moyuan—were only at the Divine Platform Realm and posed little threat.

On the side of the Seven Alliances, only Song Yanluo was slightly weaker, ranked forty-first on the Lingxiao Rankings.

Chen Longbi’s combat prowess, however, was notoriously formidable, placing him thirtieth on the Lingxiao Rankings.

Because the Sun-Swapping Alliance was a recent addition to the Jianghu Wind and Cloud Rankings, Wang Xuangan himself did not have an extensive combat record and was thus not on the Lingxiao Rankings.

After all, only renowned experts or regional overlords who dominated the Jianghu were eligible for the Lingxiao Rankings. The rankings had to be carefully considered and couldn’t be as simple as the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

Therefore, the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower required a sufficient combat record as a reference before they would alter the Lingxiao Rankings.

But by popular estimation, if Wang Xuangan were to be listed on the Lingxiao Rankings, he would qualify for the top twenty at a minimum, perhaps even higher!

As for the side of the Noble Sects, only Shen Wuhen was currently on the Lingxiao Rankings, at thirty-ninth place.

Zuo Mubai was the Vice Sect Leader of the Shenxiao Sect. He spent his years in arduous cultivation and had a sparse combat record, so he was not on the Lingxiao Rankings.

Kong Xing was the previous head of the Vajra Hall. He had been on the Lingxiao Rankings in his prime, but he had been retired for a century now. His Qi Blood had surely declined, and his current strength was unknown.

Thus, if a real fight broke out, the side of the Sects and Families would not necessarily hold the advantage.

Zuo Mubai lightly stroked his beard, his brow furrowed in thought.

‘I never expected things to come to this.’

With six Ninth Realm Celestial Profound experts facing off, the devastation from a potential battle would be immense.

‘Most importantly, the Heaven-Reaching Tower is about to open. We all came here so the younger generation of Martial Artists from our sects could make some gains. What’s the point of us fighting to the death here?’

But they couldn’t just retreat now.

‘Our juniors couldn’t gain any ground against that Chen Jiutian; he defeated them one by one.

If we back down from Wang Xuangan’s group and retreat with our tails between our legs, what would that make us? Would it mean both the old and the young are useless trash?

If we choose to concede today, who knows what rumors will be spreading through the Jianghu tomorrow!’

“Everyone, the Heaven-Reaching Tower is opening. This isn’t the time for settling personal grudges. Why make things so tense?”

A middle-aged man in a white scholar’s robe, possessing a gentle and refined air, walked over, smiling as he played the peacemaker.

Following behind him was Cui Xuanye of the Celestial Official City’s Cui Family.

Although this refined middle-aged man was only at the Eighth Realm Divine Platform of cultivation, the expressions of Zuo Mubai, Kong Xing, and the others softened slightly upon hearing his words.

This man was Cui Li, the Stargazer Envoy of Celestial Official City. He understood the movements of the stars, excelled at Stellar Divination, and was also a rare Array Dao Grandmaster. As such, he was an honored guest of every major power in the Jianghu.

Whenever a faction’s Array had issues that needed repairing, or when they required his divination services, they had to pay a hefty price and often incur a significant favor just to persuade him to leave Celestial Official City.

With such a figure stepping forward to mediate, everyone present had to give him face.

“It is not that we insist on making things so tense,” Zuo Mubai said grimly. “It is that this junior, Chen Jiutian, is arrogant and audacious, and he has karmic blood feuds with all of our forces!”

Before Cui Li could speak, another man stepped out from the crowd. He was a middle-aged man in a golden brocade robe, with a fair, beardless face. Portly and plump, he looked like a wealthy country gentleman.

“Everyone, let the younger generation resolve their own affairs. If they can’t settle the grudges and blood feuds of their own generation, and still need the older generation to step in and handle things… well, forgive my bluntness, but that would make your generation seem rather pathetic.

Jianghu grudges should be settled within the Jianghu. The conflicts of one generation should be resolved by that same generation. If we old geezers have to step in for everything, how are the junior Martial Artists from your families ever going to make their way in the Jianghu? Wouldn’t the very rules of the Jianghu be thrown into chaos?”

This fair and portly middle-aged man, who seemed to possess no intimidating presence whatsoever, was Huangfu Song of the Ming God City’s Huangfu Family. Though he was only at the Eighth Realm Divine Platform of cultivation, he possessed the ‘Divine Revelation’ Divine Mask.

It was impossible to judge a member of the Huangfu Family’s true combat power by their cultivation alone. Although Huangfu Song was only at the Eighth Realm Divine Platform, everyone estimated that once he donned his Divine Mask, no one present—save for Wang Xuangan, who had mastered the Karma Flame Heaven-Burning—would dare claim they could defeat him with absolute certainty.

At that moment, the way everyone looked at Chen Yuan changed.

‘Though this Chen Jiutian had offended many in the Jianghu and accumulated numerous karmic blood feuds, his network of connections is also unbelievably strong—so much so that we can’t even make sense of some of them.

Mist Rain Alliance Leader Song Yanluo has always been a loner. We’ve never heard of her being on good terms with any faction, so why was she the first to step up and help this Chen Jiutian?

Wang Xuangan’s support made some sense; he had saved Chen Jiutian back in Qin Province and even killed someone from the Vajra Prajna Temple in the process.

Chen Longbi likely stepped in because his disciple, Lu Chuanshan, is good friends with Chen Jiutian and was saved by him at the Furnace Opening Assembly.

Similarly, Cui Li acting as a mediator was, in effect, a way of speaking up for Chen Jiutian, likely because Cui Xuanye is on good terms with him.

But the Huangfu Family of Ming God City has always been independent and unconventional. For Huangfu Song to also come forward and speak for Chen Jiutian, even going so far as to accuse Zuo Mubai and the others of breaking the rules, was completely baffling.’

It wasn’t just the crowd who was baffled; even Chen Yuan himself couldn’t quite understand it.

Before Huangfu Song had stepped forward, Chen Yuan had been observing his surroundings.

He had seen with his own eyes that Huangfu Yi had said something to Huangfu Song, which prompted the older man to speak up on his behalf.

‘But why would Huangfu Yi ask his elder to help me?’

‘My relationship with Huangfu Yi is… complicated. Under my identity as Chen Jiutian, we aren’t really friends. We’re more like nodding acquaintances from the Furnace Opening Assembly.

The kind of acquaintance where he might give a shy smile, and I’d go over to say hello and exchange a few pleasantries.

On the other hand, my other identity, ‘Chen Yuan,’ fought alongside Huangfu Yi in the Myriad Phenomena Ninefold Tower. We could be considered good friends.

The problem is, I’m appearing as Chen Jiutian right now. Don’t tell me he’s recognized me?

But that’s unlikely. I don’t think I’ve made any slip-ups in front of him.

Besides, if he really did recognize me, that would mean the Huangfu Family knows my true identity. Wouldn’t that make the situation even more chaotic? Why would Huangfu Song step forward to speak for me then?

In any case, I can’t figure out what’s going on right now. I’ll just have to wait until I see Huangfu Yi inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower and ask him about it in detail.’

With both Huangfu Song and Cui Li subtly siding with Chen Yuan, Zuo Mubai was given a chance to back down gracefully. He had no choice but to say coldly, “Fine. The opening of the Heaven-Reaching Tower is, after all, no place for us old-timers to settle scores.

However, the Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts of my Shenxiao Sect will, sooner or later, be reclaimed by a disciple of my Shenxiao Sect!”

Once Zuo Mubai backed down, the others retreated with their disciples as well.

Some, like Ming Chong, were still indignant. ‘If this were a true life-and-death battle, the outcome would still be uncertain,’ he thought.

‘I was only a single move behind that Chen Jiutian. That doesn’t mean I truly lost to him.’

But Kong Xing couldn’t allow him to act so recklessly right outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, so he pulled him back.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Yuan bowed to each of the remaining experts in turn.

“This junior thanks all you seniors for your aid and protection!”

‘If not for Alliance Leader Wang and the others today, even if my life wasn’t in danger, I would have had to play all my trump cards and expose my identity just to get away.’

‘This is the best possible outcome.’

‘As for those grudges and karmic debts, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to settle them once I’m inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower!’

Huangfu Song waved his hand with a smile. “No need for thanks. I was merely speaking a word of justice.”

With that, Huangfu Song departed.

‘It was Huangfu Yi who asked me to help this Chen Jiutian,’ he thought. ‘That boy has rarely asked me for anything over the years. Since he finally spoke up, of course I would help.’

‘Of course, my help was limited to words alone. If Zuo Mubai and his group hadn’t backed down, I wouldn’t have actually used the Divine Mask to fight them for real.’

Cui Li chuckled from the side. “There are indeed some people in the Jianghu these days who don’t respect the rules. They don’t seem to realize that if the rules of the Jianghu are thrown into chaos, it’ll just become a free-for-all, and life will be difficult for everyone.”

“If those bastards followed the rules, the Jianghu wouldn’t be in its current state,” Wang Xuangan snorted. “These Major Sects at the top are constantly trying to suppress newcomers like us who are carving out a piece of their pie.”

He held no fondness for these Sects and Families, just as he held no fondness for the Court.

“Young Friend Chen,” Wang Xuangan said, “I never would have guessed. Every time we meet, you’ve managed to provoke a whole new batch of opponents. This scene is far grander than the last.”

Chen Yuan gave a wry smile and cupped his fists. “I didn’t expect to trouble you again, Alliance Leader Wang.”

“It’s nothing. I was never fond of these Noble Sects to begin with. Even if it had been someone else in your position today, I would still have spoken a word of justice.”

Wang Xuangan waved his hand dismissively.