Chapter 260 - 223: The Way to Break the Deadlock

The eight great warlords launched a joint operation, while the Neon Influence schemed in the shadows.

Overt conflicts and secret plots converged on Jinmen—a storm was brewing!

Not since the Warlords’ joint campaign to suppress the National Salvation Association had the official powers of the Divine Land launched an operation of this magnitude.

The civilian Martial Arts Realm was a force not to be underestimated. In fact, it had played a critical role in helping the eight great warlords rise to power. As a result, the Martial Arts Realm wielded immense influence for a considerable time. Martial Arts Halls sprang up across the land, holding significant local power. The three great Martial Arts Halls of Celestial Sea Prefecture were a perfect example.

The Warlords had always intended to fully absorb the power of the civilian Martial Arts Realm to strengthen themselves. They certainly couldn’t let it grow powerful enough to escape their control.

Therefore, the Jinmen Martial Arts Association had to concede, had to compromise. The only alternative was annihilation!

And the National Salvation Association was a thorn in the side of every Warlord.

With both problems converging, the Warlords were finally getting serious. Even with a great enemy at their borders, they were willing to take significant risks to resolve the situation in Jinmen.

Meanwhile, the common folk of Jinmen remained oblivious to these struggles among the Divine Land’s elite, immersed in a celebratory atmosphere.

They were celebrating their victory in the World Martial Tournament, the defeat of the Neon invaders, and the opening of the World Hall by the Jinmen Martial Arts Association. Martial Arts Experts from across the Divine Land had flocked to the city for cultural exchange and to leave their names in the World Hall, and the World Martial Banquet was just around the corner.

For the people of Jinmen, who deeply revered martial arts, this was a source of great pride.

Now, as the date of the World Martial Banquet approached, countless experts from the civilian Martial Arts Realm arrived, drawn by the city’s fame. Jinmen was bustling with activity. The local Martial Arts Arenas had been booming, hosting a stream of formidable fighters, and the caliber of the matches was getting higher every day.

However, the mood among the high command of the Jinmen Martial Arts Association was grim. They had just received a detailed intelligence report from the National Salvation Association.

Inside the conference room at the Martial Arts Association Headquarters.

The Three Elders, Zhao Xuanqi, Zhao Yuan, Xiang Ji, the strongest masters from the Five Great Sects, and the other top experts of the Martial Arts Association were gathered.

"We just received intelligence from the National Salvation Association. The Giant Spirit, Celestial Mansion, Brahma Palace, and Shenxiao armies have all launched joint military operations. They began near-simultaneous offensives in regions where the National Salvation Association is active, pinning down their forces. Because of this, one of their three great generals, Red Blood Wei Yun, must remain to defend their headquarters. He can’t leave. That means we’ve lost a powerful ally, and a large number of the National Salvation Association’s experts will be tied down and unable to help."

"Meanwhile, the Beidou, Vermilion Bird, Shenxiao, and Yun Ling armies have all dispatched special forces and top experts to secure the Northern Territory. The strongest of the Sixteen Generals, Zhang Hu, ’The Unique,’ is said to be personally overseeing the front line. All eight Warlords have sent experts and special units to reinforce the northern border, preventing the Neon Nation from taking advantage of the situation to invade. This is what allows them to free up their main forces to deal with us."

"The National Salvation Association’s Intelligence Department managed to steal accurate, top-secret intelligence from deep within the Beidou Military Headquarters. It’s highly likely that five of the Sixteen Generals will come to Jinmen in person for this joint operation. In addition to them, there will probably be Harmony-realm masters from the Phoenix, Beidou, and Shenxiao forces accompanying them. The total number of Harmony masters could reach a terrifying level."

The Heavenly Elder, one of the Three Elders, spoke to the assembled group, his voice grave.

Zhao Xuanqi’s expression remained calm and unchanged upon hearing this, but the faces of the masters from the Five Great Sects grew grim.

It wasn’t just five of the Sixteen Generals; there would likely be an unknown number of other Harmony masters. This was a force that would strike fear into the heart of any faction.

The sheer ferocity and determination of the Warlords’ joint operation had exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The Eight Great Army Commanders were worthy of their title as the Eight Kings. They were formidable tyrants of their era—despotic and absolute. When they acted, it was with the force of a thunderbolt, an overwhelming pressure like Mount Tai crashing down, leaving no room to breathe.

"This operation isn’t just targeting the Martial Arts Association; it’s also aimed at the generals of the National Salvation Association. If their generals back down, the Jinmen Martial Arts Association will immediately fall under new leadership. Then, the Warlords can move against the entire civilian Martial Arts Realm, either under the guise of ’coordinating’ with the Association or by accusing the realm of collaborating with the National Salvation Association."

"But if the National Salvation Association’s generals stay to fight, it becomes an opportunity to eliminate them for good, removing a grave threat. In short, it seems the Warlords are dead set on this. Even with our prestige at its peak, they’re willing to risk public condemnation to launch an all-out assault on us. We truly underestimated their resolve," Yu Huang of the Great Wilderness Sect said with a sigh.

The others also had complex expressions. They had believed that the prestige gained from the Jinmen Martial Arts Association’s recent victory in the World Martial Tournament would make the Warlords wary, buying them precious time to grow. They never imagined their opponents would give them no such opportunity.

In a way, they felt they had lost their gamble. They couldn’t imagine how victory was possible under such immense pressure.

Even if the two remaining generals from the National Salvation Association were to arrive, our side—including the Three Elders and Zhao Xuanqi—would still only have four Harmony-realm masters. And while there are plenty of us at the Half-Step Harmony realm, like myself and Zhao Yuan, two or three of us together might only be able to stall an ordinary Harmony master. We would stand little chance against long-renowned experts like the Sixteen Generals.

What’s more, if they have that many Harmony masters, the number of Half-Step Harmony experts they bring will likely be just as daunting.