Chapter 74: The 8 Founding Elders

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The 8 Founding Elders

"...Don’t any of you want to experience the greatness of standing above it all, toying with the fates of others as you please, and changing the very course of the world?"

Li Ye’s gaze swept across each of their faces in turn, observing their expressions.

At this moment, he was as wicked as a demon luring people to their fall. "In the Cyan Sun Sect, what does it matter how hard you cultivate? At the end of the day, you’ll become an Elder in the sect, teach disciples, and step up when enemies attack. You’ll either die in battle or distinguish yourself and receive some rewards from the sect.

Your futures stretch for hundreds, even thousands of years. Are you really willing to make do with limited resources, cultivate by the book, and live a life so predictable you can see the end from the very beginning?"

’Hand of the Celestial God?’

’Freely manipulating the fates of others, changing the course of the world?’

GULP!

Several of them gulped in unison. They were clearly tempted, but only just. What Li Ye had said wasn’t enough to persuade them. After all, the risks of the Wenda Alliance were too high.

Watching his eloquent junior brother, Shen Weifeng felt as if he hardly knew him at this moment.

"Can the Wenda Alliance really manipulate the fates of others?" Yin Feihuai asked.

"Manipulate the fates of others without them ever knowing," Li Ye said with a nod. "Rigging competition rankings to win sect rewards is already an indirect way of changing someone’s destiny. But once the Wenda Alliance grows stronger, a member could become a sect Elder. During major decisions, a single casual proposal from them could decide the life or death of many people.

In fact, the moment all of you learned of the Wenda Alliance’s existence, your own fates had already changed.

Search your hearts. Now that you understand how the Wenda Alliance operates, are you truly content to go back to cultivating by the book?

The Wenda Alliance will be a thorn in your hearts. Can you really go back to your previously peaceful lives? Or one day, when the Wenda Alliance has truly grown powerful, won’t you be filled with regret?"

The expressions on Yin Feihuai and the others changed drastically.

Shen Weifeng and the others’ faces changed as well. They suddenly realized that ever since their junior brother had brought up the Wenda Alliance, they had been acting as if possessed, thinking only of how to establish it.

Before this, they had never cared about difficult problems like Ascension. Every one of them had thought that was a matter for the Upper Three Sects to worry about.

Cultivators valued their state of mind above all else, but now, theirs were in turmoil.

"What’s the use of saying all this? We’re not geniuses," said Mu Xue. She had been the most resolute, but now even she was hesitating.

"No one is born great, but as long as you act, you have a chance to become great," Li Ye said. "A person’s life is full of opportunities to change their destiny, and right now, one such opportunity is right in front of you all.

Seize it, and you might die for it, or you might achieve greatness. Give it up, and you will drift along with the current for the rest of your lives, returning to the paths you were on.

This is a one-time opportunity to join the Wenda Alliance. The alliance needs people with firm conviction, not those who hesitate and waver.

Whether you seize it or give it up depends on a single thought.

Since Eldest Senior Brother brought you here, it proves he trusts you.

If you choose to pass, I still hope you won’t reveal anything about the Wenda Alliance. After all, it won’t harm your interests. In fact, one day in the future, you may even enjoy the fruits of its labor."

A moment of silence passed.

"Fine, I’m in." Yin Feihuai, who had been frowning in deep thought, was the first to speak, a bitter look on his face. "Junior Brother Li is right. Now that I know the Wenda Alliance exists, I won’t be able to cultivate in peace after this. Damn it all!"

"I’m in, too," Ji Tianwen from the Main Peak sighed. "I also want to be someone who changes the fates of others, not someone who just drifts with the current."

"Why do the actions of the Wenda Alliance sound so evil, almost like the Demon Sect!" Mu Xue was still holding out.

"Senior Sister Mu, you overestimate the Demon Sect and underestimate the Wenda Alliance." Li Ye looked at Mu Xue and said proudly, "Uncontrolled evil is true evil. When evil can be controlled, then the Demon Sect, the Demon Realm—they all become our tools.

Once the Wenda Alliance is established, if we want the Demon Sect to exist, it will exist. If we don’t, we can find some Evil Sect or Blood Sect to replace it at any time.

You want to know what it means to manipulate fate? *This* is what it means to manipulate fate."

"Junior Brother Li, you are too arrogant," Jiang Yishan said.

"Senior Brother Jiang, it’s not that I’m arrogant. In my world, the Wenda Sect was always like this." Li Ye frowned slightly and continued, "Senior Brother, joining the Wenda Alliance early does carry great risks, but the future rewards are equally high.

Cultivation itself is an act of defying the heavens. Are none of you truly willing to take a gamble, for yourselves and for all living beings?

Besides, what you see as risks are not risks at all in my eyes. The Wenda Alliance didn’t appear out of thin air. There are already successful examples in my world. We just need to walk the path they’ve already tread."

"Senior Brother Shen, how do you plan to operate?" Jiang Yishan asked.

Shen Weifeng took out the strategy he and Li Ye had agreed upon. This plan involved not only the world of cultivation, but also the Mortal Realm.

"You’re even going to interfere in the Mortal Realm?" Jiang Yishan’s eyes went wide as he asked.

"If we’re going to take control, we have to control everything," Shen Weifeng said. "The Mortal Realm has plenty of geniuses, too. And with our abilities, controlling the Mortal Realm is far easier than the cultivation world. Those common mortals will never even discover who we are."

"A single spark can start a prairie fire," Li Ye added. "The Mortal Realm is the cradle of the cultivation world. By controlling the Mortal Realm, we control the talent base and can secure a reserve of future talent for the Wenda Alliance."

"What’s this?" Mu Xue asked, looking at the oath at the end.

"The initiation oath," Li Ye said. "We must maintain the loyalty and unity of the Wenda Alliance, so an oath is essential. If any of you wish to join, you must also go through this process."

"I swear upon my Dao Heart that I join the Wenda Alliance of my own free will. I guarantee that from the moment I join, I will never reveal the Wenda Alliance’s existence to anyone, I will strictly protect my identity and position, and I will not disclose to anyone the benefits I receive from the alliance..." Mu Xue read the oath in her hand aloud softly.

"Senior Sister Mu, if you don’t intend to join the Wenda Alliance, please do not recite our oath." Li Ye took the document back from Mu Xue’s hand and said with a serious expression, "Every member of the Wenda Alliance is a person worthy of respect.

In my world, they have always fought for their beliefs, secretly maintaining world peace and driving the progress of civilization.

I am different from you all. You may have already adapted to this world, content to live out your lives this way.

But I am different. This world is not my final destination. I am going to truly achieve Ascension and become an Immortal, and the Wenda Alliance is my hope.

You can laugh at me for overestimating my own abilities, but I will not have you desecrate this oath..."

"Alright, I’ll join." Mu Xue looked at Li Ye’s determined gaze, took a deep breath, and said.

"I’ll join too." Jiang Yishan let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I must be fucking crazy to actually believe you all will succeed, but I really can’t resist the temptation! Junior Brother, you’re kind of terrifying."

"Senior Brother Jiang, I’m not terrifying. Everyone’s heart secretly yearns for the truth, but the path to that truth is filled with fog and thorns and requires a guide," Li Ye said with a small smile. "I was just fortunate enough to become your guide, just as my master once guided me into the Wenda Alliance. I hope that in the future, you too will become guides for others."

"We will," said Yin Feihuai.

"Mm," Mu Xue nodded, her mind elsewhere.

Li Ye knew.

’It’s practically impossible to get a diverse group of people to change their way of thinking just by running your mouth.

In a situation like this today, where every topic revolved around benefits and beliefs, they might have been temporarily swayed, joining on impulse.

Once they leave this place and have time to cool down, it’s highly likely they’ll have second thoughts...

But that was enough. As long as they were on board, Li Ye had a thousand, no, ten thousand ways to make sure they could never get off.

Once they did their first task for the Wenda Alliance, they wouldn’t be able to escape, no matter how much they might want to.

Just like Eldest Senior Brother, whom he had pushed into the leadership position, or Ge Rui and Sixth Senior Brother, who had helped him draft the oath and create the recruitment presentation. Every one of them was invested. And once they invested their efforts, they wouldn’t let their hard work go to waste...

Once they’ve tasted enough of the benefits, they won’t leave even if you ask them to.’

Li Ye thought of it as a subtle process of taming.

He had completely forgotten about the Derived Skill he’d dismissed as useless: Pulling People Down.

Otherwise, how could it have been so easy to influence several people with different personalities, who had been cultivating for decades or even centuries?

"My fellow disciples, who would ever have thought that the Wenda Alliance, which may one day influence the entire world, would be founded by just a few of us on this small Changding Peak."

Li Ye broke into a smile, bestowing one final honor upon them. "In my world, the Wenda Alliance was established by five people: Kong Qiu, Meng Ke, Li Dan, Zhuang Zhou, and Sun Wu. They were known as the Five Founding Sages, and their fame has lasted through the ages.

Here, we have no Five Founding Sages, but we do have our Eight Founding Elders. In the future, when the Wenda Alliance grows strong, every generation that follows will remember our names."