Chapter 73: Hand of the Celestial God

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Hand of the Celestial God

Yin Feihuai of Evergreen Peak, Jiang Yishan of Changbai Peak, Mu Xue of Changle Peak, and Ji Tianwen of the Main Peak.

These four were old friends of Shen Weifeng, and they were the first members he had recruited. He knew he could trust their character.

Most importantly, the weakest among the four of them was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

In comparison, Ge Rui’s friends’ cultivation levels were rather unimpressive. After the members he proposed were rejected by Li Ye, he suddenly had a realization. ’Maybe the reason Junior Brother rejected me over and over was that he never thought I was good enough!’

...

"Old Shen, what did you call us all here for?" Yin Feihuai asked with a smile. "Don’t tell me you want to place in the Five Sects Grand Competition and want us to be your sparring partners!"

"Everyone, can I trust you?" Shen Weifeng ignored his question, instead looking at them with a grave expression.

The group was taken aback.

"Shen Weifeng, what are you playing at?" Jiang Yishan asked. "Is there a traitor in the Sect?"

"What I’m about to say is of the utmost importance. Can I trust you?" Shen Weifeng glanced at him and asked again.

"Old Shen, how many years have we known each other? Just spit it out," Yin Feihuai said casually. "Even if you’ve made a mistake, we’ll have your back."

"If you have something to say, say it," Mu Xue said, her gaze sweeping over Li Ye and the others. "I haven’t even finished my Sect mission yet. You called me over in such a rush; if this isn’t important, I’m heading back."

"This is Changding Peak’s new junior brother, Li Hao," Shen Weifeng said with a small smile, pushing Li Ye forward.

"You didn’t call us all here just to get introductory gifts for your junior brother, did you?" Yin Feihuai said with a laugh, looking Li Ye up and down.

"He is not from this world," Shen Weifeng said.

A moment of silence.

"Shen Weifeng, what nonsense are you spouting!" Ji Tianwen said, annoyed. "I’m at a critical juncture in my cultivation. I don’t have time for your games."

"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister Mu, it’s true," Yang Tianrui said. "Five days ago, I found our junior brother in the marketplace. The Sect Leader and several Peak Masters have all verified it..."

Taking turns, Yang Tianrui and Shen Weifeng explained Li Ye’s origins in perfect detail.

"There’s really another world?" Ji Tianwen mused, cupping his chin and studying Li Ye with curiosity. "One nose, two eyes... he doesn’t look any different from us!"

"For real? We even speak the same language. The two worlds must be connected somehow!" Yin Feihuai said. "Could Li Hao’s world be one of the Three Thousand Worlds the Buddhist Sect talks about?"

"It’s possible," said Jiang Yishan.

"Shen Weifeng, why are you telling us all this?" Mu Xue, much calmer than the others, asked with a frown. "Li Hao crossing over from another world is clearly a top sect secret. Aren’t you afraid of bringing him danger by publicizing it like this?"

"Junior Sister Mu is right. If this was something that could be spoken of, Junior Brother Li’s identity would have been made public long ago. Old Shen, what are you trying to do?" Recalling Shen Weifeng’s initial attitude, Yin Feihuai finally realized something was amiss.

"My master gave me an order: to learn about the other world from our junior brother," Shen Weifeng said. "Today, I learned from him about a mysterious organization—the Wenda Alliance. I think it’s something we can learn from."

This was all part of their agreed-upon plan.

As a newcomer, Li Ye inevitably lacked the prestige to act as the Wenda Alliance’s spokesperson. The heavy lifting naturally fell to Shen Weifeng.

This was also to protect Li Ye.

After all, what they planned to do was too risky. If anything went wrong, it would be a fatal disaster.

With Shen Weifeng taking the lead, they could perfectly conceal the core figure, Li Ye, ensuring the flame would not be extinguished.

Li Ye had only given him a little push, and for the sake of a great cause and belief, Shen Weifeng willingly shouldered the burden.

"What’s this Wenda Alliance?" Yin Feihuai asked.

"This is something you should be telling Elder Xu. Why come to us?" Mu Xue asked.

"Don’t be hasty, Junior Sister Mu. Why don’t we let our junior brother explain what the Wenda Alliance is before you decide?" Shen Weifeng said with a smile.

"Li Hao greets you, Senior Brothers and Senior Sister Mu." Li Ye bowed to them and slowly began to recount the origin and structure of the Wenda Alliance...

At first, Yin Feihuai and the others were nonchalant, but they gradually became drawn in, interjecting with a question or two from time to time.

Li Ye answered every question flawlessly, providing a wealth of examples for each.

Initially, when Shen Weifeng had said Li Ye was from another world, Yin Feihuai and the others had been skeptical. Now, they were thoroughly convinced.

In their world, they had never heard such heretical theories. Yet, these theories somehow sounded perfectly reasonable, and deep down, they even felt a faint yearning for the Wenda Alliance.

"Junior Brothers, Junior Sister, even a world less advanced than ours has a group of ambitious sages. Do we not have the courage to seek a breakthrough?" Shen Weifeng said. "I’ve brought you here today to invite you to join the Wenda Alliance."

"Join the Wenda Alliance?" Yin Feihuai asked in surprise.

"That’s right. My fourth junior brother, sixth junior brother, our youngest junior brother, and I plan to form a new Wenda Alliance in this world," Shen Weifeng declared. "To gather the greatest talents under heaven, comprehend the origin of the world, and unravel the mystery of Ascension..."

"Shen Weifeng, are you insane? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?" Mu Xue’s eyes went wide. She waved a hand dismissively and turned to leave. "This sort of thing is fine to listen to, but you’re actually planning to do it? I’m not getting involved in this madness."

"Junior Sister Mu, ’the person involved is confused, but the onlooker sees clearly.’ Our junior brother said something today that deeply moved me," Shen Weifeng said. "What’s the point of continuing down a path when you know it’s a dead end?

It’s been ten thousand years. If this path was viable, with so many geniuses over the millennia, someone would have ascended by now."

"Old Shen, you said it yourself. For ten thousand years, all those geniuses have failed to ascend. What makes you think that by creating a Wenda Alliance, you’ll be the one to solve the mystery of Ascension?" Mu Xue countered, turning back and shaking her head.

"The Wenda Alliance from our junior brother’s world is a living example. The Alliance was founded merely a thousand years ago, and now our junior brother has arrived in our world. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence," Shen Weifeng said. "In their world, there is no path of cultivation; they are all Mortals with lifespans of only sixty or seventy years. Yet, countless sages still threw themselves into the pursuit of truth, one after another.

As long as we cultivate to the Divinity Transformation realm, we gain a lifespan of over a thousand years.

Even a group of people with no guarantee of success are risking their lives. Why can’t we at least try? We might not succeed if we try, but we will definitely fail if we don’t. But if we try, at least we won’t have any regrets. Junior Brothers, Junior Sister, are you really unwilling to take this gamble?"

"Senior Brother Shen, if we fail, the light punishment is expulsion from the Sect. The heavy one... I’m afraid we’ll lose our lives," Yin Feihuai said, shaking his head.

"Besides, how could geniuses from other Sects possibly agree to join such a heretical organization? Why should they trust you? You’re just dreaming..."

Jiang Wenji added, "We’re all from the same Sect, so it doesn’t matter that you’ve told us. But what about people from other Sects? Even if they join, can you trust them? If even one person lets it slip, it will be a cataclysmic disaster for everyone in the Wenda Alliance."

"Appeal to emotion, entice with benefits." Li Ye sighed inwardly and took over the conversation. "Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, once the alliance is formed, the resources it can leverage will be immense. Let’s not talk about the distant future; let’s talk about the immediate term.

As long as three ’seed’ contestants like Senior Brother Shen join the Wenda Alliance, we can manipulate the rankings of the Five Sects Grand Competition in a few months."

Manipulate the rankings?

At these words, not only was Mu Xue stunned, but even Shen Weifeng and his friends were dumbfounded.

’So much for the pure-hearted, passionate junior brother persona!’

Li Ye sighed to himself.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. ’Eldest Senior Brother’s brain has gotten slow from all this cultivation; it’s up to me to step in.’ These people had to be won over, especially Mu Xue, who specialized in Artifact Refining. She was crucial for the promotion of the watches.

"Eldest Senior Brother only told you about the bright side. He didn’t mention the dark side of the Wenda Alliance. To operate successfully, you must prioritize your own interests. An alliance supported by faith alone will never last long."

Li Ye looked at them and continued, "In our world, there are massive political clans and merchant families that have been passed down for a thousand years. Why have they endured for so long? Because they have alliances backing them.

Manipulating a minor Sect competition is nothing. Sometimes, the Wenda Alliance might start a war, and the underlying motive could very well be to dump commercial goods and earn enough money for the alliance..."

He scanned the faces of the group.

Li Ye continued, "Right now, we are still weak. We might only be able to control the ranking of a single competition. In the future, when the alliance has more geniuses from different Sects, there will be far more we can control.

For example, if Senior Sister is carrying out a difficult Sect mission, members of the alliance who are nearby can secretly assist, guaranteeing a one hundred percent completion rate for her missions.

Eldest Senior Brother specializes in Alchemy. When he’s out traveling, alliance members can provide him with special Pill Formulas or help him exchange them for merit points;

When the Righteous Dao and the Demon Sect are at odds, as long as there are alliance members in Sects on both sides, they can exchange intelligence. Any one of these things can easily push alliance members into high-ranking positions.

This is resource exchange.

And the higher the positions our members hold, the more resources they can provide for the alliance, which in turn helps more people within it. The two are mutually reinforcing.

Over time, once this great web has been successfully woven and the members of the Wenda Alliance occupy increasingly high positions in every sect and school, we can use them to secretly control the direction of the world.

In our world, the Wenda Alliance has another name: the Hand of the Celestial God.

The Hand of the Celestial God can pluck the strings of fate at will and change anyone’s destiny."