Chapter 1002
Southwest Alliance
The reason Song Changsheng set the alliance meeting for the first day of the first lunar month three years later was not only because he had some things he hadn't finished, but also to give the major forces of the Southwest Nine Realms a buffer period so that they could have time to discuss and weigh the options.
Three years is neither a short nor a long time. In the eyes of the major powers in the Nine Realms of the Southwest, these three years are like the blink of an eye.
As the deadline approached, the cultivation world began to stir, and the leaders of various forces started exchanging information frequently, a practice that was unprecedented in history.
Perhaps a consensus was reached, because at first most forces neither refused nor agreed to Song Changsheng's invitation to the alliance, clearly wanting to see which way the wind was blowing first.
Most people in the world follow the crowd, and even Golden Core cultivators are no exception.
Song Changsheng had anticipated this, which was the main reason he sought support from the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce beforehand.
Seeing that they were observing, he instructed the Five Poisons Sect, Rakshasa Hall, and Tianxiao Sect, which had already joined the Demon Extermination Alliance, to spread the word that they would participate in the alliance meeting.
He then sent a message to Peng Siying, instructing her to release the news that the Bandung Chamber of Commerce was participating in the alliance meeting.
With the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce making its move, the Xuanling Sect and the Ancient God Pavilion, which had previously been dealt with, naturally could not be absent. The Qingyang Palace of the Great Yu cultivation world had always been of one mind with them, so it naturally decided to participate as well. Even the Medicine King, who was cultivating in the Medicine King Valley, gave Song Changsheng face.
In this way, Song Changsheng wiped out all the Golden Core cultivators from the cultivation worlds of Daqi, Gusu, Lu, and Dayu, nearly half of the nine southwestern realms were gone.
With more people involved, the momentum naturally increased, especially with the Bandung Chamber of Commerce leading the way, causing those forces that had initially chosen to wait and see to waver.
The Nine Mysteries Sect of the Jade Dragon Cultivation Realm, the Dragon Tiger Hall and Imperial Sword Sect of the Great Famous Cultivation Realm, the Xiao Clan Royal Family of the Great Xiao Immortal Dynasty, Tianxu Mountain and Lingxiao Pavilion, the Heavenly Soldier Manor and Tianjue City of the Cangyuan Cultivation Realm, and the Sun Sect and Fine Rain Pavilion of the Jade Flower Cultivation Realm—a total of ten Golden Core forces from the five realms—have decided to participate in the alliance.
However, there were exceptions. The Broken Heart Valley of the Jade Flower Cultivation Realm was the only force in the Southwest Nine Realms that did not respond after receiving the invitation.
As the number one sect in the Jade Flower cultivation world, the alliance meeting would be incomplete without the participation of the Broken Heart Valley.
Everyone was watching to see how the Song family would handle the matter.
"Clan leader, there are less than three months left before the alliance meeting officially begins, and there has still been no official response from Broken Heart Valley. What do you think?"
"The Valley of Heartbreak? The cultivators of the Heartless Path have never been easy to deal with, which is not unexpected," Song Changsheng said, shaking his head slightly.
"You mean, whatever?"
Song Changsheng chuckled and said, "How can we ignore it? The entire Southwest Nine Realms and even the entire border region are paying attention to this matter. If we do not, it will damage the prestige of our family."
"The position of Southwest Alliance Leader is not easy to hold. One must be assertive when necessary; only by instilling respect can one cultivate virtue. I will personally make this trip. You must ensure the guests attending the alliance meeting are well received within your clans and not treated with disrespect."
……
Among the Nine Realms of the Southwest, the Golden Core sect with the lowest profile is the Heartbreak Valley, because they are one of the few sects where all members cultivate the Path of Heartlessness.
Having severed their seven emotions, they naturally had less communication and contact with the outside world, almost living in seclusion. Not to mention the exchange meetings in the southwest, they had never even attended a single exchange meeting at the Wanxiang Palace. It was only natural that they would not give Song Changsheng face.
However, the Valley of Broken Hearts is quite powerful, ranking among the top in the Southwest Nine Realms. It has four Golden Core cultivators in charge, firmly holding the top position in the Jade Flower Cultivation World.
Logically, he shouldn't force others to do things against their will, but with a major battle imminent, he didn't want to abandon any of his remaining forces!
Speaking of the Jade Flower Cultivation World, this is Song Changsheng's first time here. Over the years, his footsteps in the borderlands have been basically "linear," that is, from the Great Qi Cultivation World to the Great Qian Cultivation World.
The Yuhua Cultivation Realm is located in the northern border region, bordering the Canglan River to the west, the Tianshan Mountains to the east, the Hengduan Mountains to the north, and the Lu Kingdom Cultivation Realm to the south.
This geographical environment is so bad that it's no exaggeration to say it's surrounded by enemies on all sides; there's no easy way out.
However, the harsh environment also brought abundant cultivation resources. The Canglan River is home to aquatic creatures, and the Hengduan Mountains are rich in demonic beasts, spiritual plants, and mineral resources. The three old-established Golden Core forces in the region stood in a tripartite balance. In the past, it was the cultivation world in the Southwest Nine Realms, second only to the Gusu cultivation world and the Great Xiao Immortal Dynasty.
The three major sects together have nine Golden Core cultivators in charge, in addition to one rogue Golden Core cultivator, for a total of ten Golden Core cultivators.
However, after Song Qingxing broke through to the Golden Core stage, the cultivation world of the Great Qi Dynasty surpassed him in both quantity and strength.
Looking down from the air at the entire Yuhua cultivation world, the side closer to the Lu Kingdom cultivation world is lush and vibrant, while the side closer to the Tianshan Mountains is covered in ice and snow, presenting a scene of utter desolation.
The entrance to Broken Heart Valley is located amidst the vast snow-capped mountains.
Although it is a ruthless sect, the Heartbreak Valley recruits outer disciples year-round. After all, cultivation requires resources, and even the best talent cannot be fully utilized without a sufficient number of cultivators to support it.
However, this only applies to the outer sect. Every inner sect disciple is carefully selected by the sect's envoys from various places to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, just like Song Qingxing, who was born with cold-heartedness.
Therefore, although there are not many inner disciples in the Broken Heart Valley, the success rate is very high.
Song Changsheng's vast divine sense swept across the boundless mountains and quickly located the entrance to the Broken Heart Valley. He descended in a flash, his sleeves filled with snow, and said with a sigh, "Song Changsheng of the Wangyue Song Clan has come to pay his respects. I humbly request Fellow Daoist Tianjue to show himself."
His booming voice echoed among the mountains, drowning out the howling wind and snow, but no one answered; all he faced was a cold defensive array.
"This matter concerns the safety of the Southwest, so I humbly request your presence, fellow Daoist."
I knocked on the door three times, but no one showed up.
"Since you fellow Daoists insist on not seeing me, then please don't blame me for being rude."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng's gaze gradually turned cold and sharp. He didn't make any special movements, but simply reached out and placed his hand on the protective layer formed by the defensive array.
The moment he made contact, the protective shield began to tremble violently. Before the people from Broken Heart Valley who were secretly watching could react, a crack had already appeared, allowing him to swagger in.
Even if he hadn't found a flaw, with Song Changsheng's current cultivation level, a mere fourth-order top-grade array wouldn't be able to stop him at all.
He was relatively restrained; he didn't resort to violence directly, after all, he didn't come here to wipe out a family or to make enemies.
As soon as they stepped into the protective array, four figures of varying heights descended from the spiritual peaks on both sides. They were the four Golden Core cultivators from Broken Heart Valley: one at the Great Perfection of Golden Core, two at the Mid-Stage of Golden Core, and one at the Early Stage of Golden Core.
They must have cultivated some kind of combined attack technique, their magical power flowing like waves, endless and continuous. Even the weakest of them could unleash power far exceeding their own level.
With Song Changsheng's strong spiritual sense, their little actions naturally could not escape his notice. He had already sensed the ambush before breaking the formation. Faced with the sudden attack of the four, he did not panic at all, but simply watched them quietly.
The four people occupied the four cardinal directions, and their magical powers intertwined in the air, eventually forming a large, golden net.
Despite having the initial advantage, everyone's expression was unusually solemn. They lived a secluded life, and although they had heard of Song Changsheng's reputation and deeds more than once, they had never seen him in person and still felt that some of the claims were exaggerated. Therefore, they did not initially take the seemingly threatening words in the invitation to heart.
In their view, no matter how strong Song Changsheng was, he was still just a Golden Core cultivator. Even if he really came to their door, the four of them, together with the mountain-protecting formation, would be invincible.
To their utter surprise, the mountain-protecting formation was broken in just one exchange.
It was only at this moment that they truly realized how terrifying this opponent was.
Tianjue himself was a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator, and he knew all too well how difficult it was to achieve this.
"break!"
Song Changsheng uttered a single word, and an invisible force suddenly burst forth, sweeping across all directions. The law net that was about to fall from the sky shattered instantly. The four people felt as if a wild bull had crashed into them. Three of them were sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the spiritual peaks on either side.
Even the most powerful cultivator, Tianjue Zhenren, was forced back dozens of feet, his blood surging within him, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
The cultivators from Broken Heart Valley watching the battle were shocked. Four Golden Core cultivators from the sect attacked at the same time, yet they were defeated in just one move.
"I sincerely invite you all, so why bother?" Song Changsheng walked steadily to Tianjue Zhenren and sighed softly.
"Hmph, my Broken Heart Valley is focused on pursuing the Dao and has no time to get involved in your struggles, much less any interest in being anyone's dog. You should just give up on that idea."
"Fellow Daoist, perhaps you have misunderstood something. I, Song, held this alliance meeting without any selfish motives. Everything I did was for the sake of the overall situation in the Southwest."
A catastrophe is imminent, and various alien races and evil sects are stirring. Not only the southwest, but the entire border region is at risk of collapse. The demon kingdoms along the Canglan River have already united.
If we continue to be a disorganized mess, fighting our own battles, we will eventually be defeated one by one. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; you, my fellow Daoist, surely understand the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."
Indeed, the Jade Flower Cultivation World has a special geographical location. The Hengduan Mountains and the Tianshan Mountains are good places to avoid disaster. But that is only temporary. Once the ancient covenant is broken and all races rise again, even if the world is vast, there will be no place for your Broken Heart Valley to stand.
Frankly speaking, if it weren't for my deep attachment to my homeland and my reluctance to give up this land where my ancestors have lived for generations, I wouldn't have needed to hold this so-called alliance meeting.
The Song family has many choices. We have a small world with perfect rules, and a spatial passage that leads directly to the East China Sea.
Believe it or not, the Song family will only prosper if they move to the East China Sea.
We invited you to join the alliance not to be anyone's lackeys, but to work together to protect each other.
At this moment, no one can remain uninvolved.
This alliance meeting is of paramount importance and cannot be disrupted by anyone. Now that I am here, I must get a definite result.
Before this incense stick burns out, I hope to receive your answer, fellow Daoist.
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng reached out and took out a stick of incense, lit it, and placed it in front of Tianjue Zhenren.
Looking at the wisp of smoke rising, after a moment of contemplation, Master Tianjue's tone softened: "What you said... is it true?"
"What I just said is rather conservative. If you want to know more, then come and join the alliance meeting. I will reveal everything I know then. If you don't come, it will be a great loss."
Master Tianjue closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he had made a decision in his heart. He said in a deep voice, "Duanqing Valley will attend the meeting on time."
"In that case, I, Song, will await your arrival at Cangmang Peak."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng's figure turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the surrounding space without a trace.
Tianjue looked around but found no trace of it.
"Cough cough cough, Grandmaster Uncle, did you just agree to that madman like that?" A Golden Core cultivator struggled to his feet and asked.
Master Tianjue's face was ashen: "I won't agree. He's not so easy to deal with."
It's just an alliance meeting anyway. Let's see what intelligence he has before making a decision.
Upon hearing this, everyone had no choice but to accept the outcome.
Regardless of whether you follow a ruthless or compassionate path, might makes right is the only eternal truth.
……
From the moment Song Changsheng made his move to the end, it took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to subdue the long-established power of Duanqing Valley. The speed of his actions left all the cultivators who were watching the matter speechless, especially the Yaori Sect and Xiyu Tower, who had originally planned to watch a good show but never expected such an outcome.
After this incident, people gained a new understanding of Song Changsheng's strength, and they were no longer negligent about the upcoming alliance meeting. The strongest people from all forces arrived at Cangmang Peak ahead of time.
"Ninth Grandmaster, all the Golden Core cultivators from various factions have arrived," Song Youfu reported, taking a moment to come and say.
"Have Sword Heart Immortal and the others arrived yet?" Song Changsheng was still quite concerned about his old friends.
"No guests have arrived at the Palace of Myriad Phenomena yet, but the three clan leaders of Twilight Cloud City and the Ghost King senior from Ghost King Valley have already arrived."
Upon hearing him mention Ghost King Hua Wujiang, Song Changsheng couldn't help but think of Chi Li and Hua Yan, who were far away in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty.
Decades have passed in the blink of an eye, and I don't know how things have progressed.
Without looking up, Song Changsheng said, "The alliance meeting will officially begin in seven days. Tell the clansmen to be alert. I don't want any accidents to happen."
"Don't worry, everything has been arranged and there won't be any problems."
"Hmm." Song Changsheng nodded, and was about to explain some more details when he heard a voice from outside the door: "Clan leader, the distinguished guests from Wanxiang Palace have arrived."
...(End of this chapter)