Ian Song smiled and took out the brocade box he had just retrieved, handing it to the eager Venerable Dragon Sword.
Venerable Dragon Sword accepted the box and immediately opened it. Seeing the eighteen supreme-grade spirit crystals inside, he couldn’t help but grin.
The other four also opened their brocade boxes one after another. Sure enough, each box contained eighteen supreme-grade spirit crystals.
Don’t be fooled by their high status—while they lacked nothing in terms of money, they really didn’t have many supreme-grade spirit crystals.
Ian found it rather strange too—why were supreme-grade spirit crystals so scarce in this world?
He had no idea that the hundreds of thousands of supreme-grade spirit crystals he’d gotten from the Apocalypse World altar were actually the result of a civilization’s years of accumulation.
Although the world was rich in elemental energy, supreme-grade spirit crystals were still hard to form. And with so many martial artists around, the supply was spread thin, making them extremely precious.
“Leon, with such a heavy gift, what you want to discuss with us can’t be simple, right?” Xander Xuanyuan closed his brocade box, put it away in his storage ring, and asked with a smile.
“Definitely not simple.” Ian nodded.
“Oh? Then what is it? Go ahead, let’s hear it.” Venerable Dragon Sword asked curiously.
Ian’s expression turned serious. He said in a deep voice, “I want to ask you all to coordinate with the East Domain and South Domain to take joint action against the Military Council!”
As soon as he said this, the faces of all six deans changed drastically.
After a moment, Xander Xuanyuan sighed, “This really is no ordinary matter! No wonder the gift was so generous!”
Ian just smiled and didn’t elaborate.
“Leon, you have some connection with Heavenly Melody Sect, right?” Adrian Zhuge’s eyes flashed with wisdom.
“That’s right!” Ian nodded. “The East Domain Martial Alliance was pushed by me alone, and Heavenly Melody Sect’s master Grace Gao now follows my orders!”
“So, you’re the hidden ruler of the East Domain?” Melody Empress looked at Ian in shock.
“Leon, you’re playing a game way bigger than any of us expected!” Adrian Zhuge sighed in admiration.
“That’s not all. At most, one month, and the South Domain will be unified too!”
Ian dropped another bombshell.
At this, the six deans were left speechless.
"If that’s the case, you and the Military Council are locked in a life-and-death struggle!" Harvey Huangpu said in a deep voice.
Ian replied coldly, "The Military Council may have been founded for the Human Race, but now its elders have been corrupted by power. I intend to create a new force to replace the Council, then lead humanity to completely defeat the Demon and Devil Races!"
"Your ambition is enormous! But success isn’t guaranteed," Xander Xuanyuan shook his head. "Even defeating the Demon Race alone is no easy task for humanity."
Ian smiled, "Whether I succeed or not, at least I’ll strive toward that goal!"
"Good!" Venerable Dragon Sword praised loudly. "Kid, I almost worship you now!"
"Senior Dragon, you flatter me!" Ian said, growing modest again.
Suddenly, Xander Xuanyuan’s expression turned firm and his aura surged. He declared, "Since Leon has such ambition, as elders we must not hold him back. I, Xander Xuanyuan, pledge on behalf of the High Heaven Alliance to fully support him!"
"Heavenly Dragon Sect will not fall behind—we’ll fully support Leon!" Tanner Nangong announced.
"Just for your ambition, Heavenly Tiger Sect is willing to go crazy with you!" Harvey Huangpu laughed.
"The Three Heavenly Sects advance and retreat together. If the other two support Leon, Heavenly Elephant Sect can’t lag behind!" Adrian Zhuge said calmly.
Venerable Dragon Sword followed, "I don’t have a giant sect behind me, but I do have some pull among scattered cultivators. As soon as Leon makes his move, I’ll call on them to rally to his banner!"
"Count me in as well!" Melody Empress smiled.
Seeing all six deans pledge strong support, Ian was deeply moved. He stood and bowed to them. "Rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I’ll strive to completely defeat the Demon and Devil Races!"
Half a day later, Ian returned to Pristine Way Sect with Harriet Gu, Howard Gu, and the Meng twins.
After the six deans agreed to support Ian, they discussed strategy.
The result: the High Heaven Alliance and the Three Heavenly Sects would first secretly support Ian in taking control of the South Domain. Once unified, they’d publicly raise a banner, coordinate with the East Domain, and jointly oppose the Military Council.
Back at Pristine Way Sect, Ian convened the upper echelon of the sect and the Martial Alliance leadership.
Ian gathered the upper echelon of Pristine Way Sect and the leaders of the Martial Alliance.
He had already learned that in seven days, the Military Council would officially launch an attack on the East Domain, with Heavenly Melody Sect as the main target.
Ian nodded in satisfaction, reached out and grabbed at the air, and a map appeared in his hand—a map of the South Domain, marked with all the major and minor sects.
Normally, the most stable way to unify the South Domain would be to proceed step by step, but we don’t have that much time. So, we’ll go against the usual order and take down Rift-Heaven Sword Sect, Suncrest Sect, Soaring Heaven Sect, and Heavenly Sword Sect first.
Thanks to a massive supply of pills, Pristine Way's Grandmasters have grown like a crop of leeks—cut one batch and another sprouts. Now, the sect has over ten thousand Grandmasters.
As for Great Grandmasters,
There are now several dozen among our ranks.
Regarding Martial Saints, my master seems to have sensed the key to a breakthrough, but it will likely take some time to fully step into that realm.
As for the Martial Alliance, since Ian increased each sect’s pill quota, their overall strength hasn’t grown as fast as Pristine Way, but it’s still impressive—a large batch of Grandmasters and a handful of Great Grandmasters have emerged.
Besides that, the Alliance Army has taken shape. After several months of training, they can now be considered a reasonably elite force.
The Alliance Chamber of Commerce has expanded rapidly; now, pill shops aren’t just spread throughout the South Domain—after the East Domain’s unification, they’ve entered the East Domain as well.
This has earned Ian and the Martial Alliance staggering wealth and medicinal resources.
"I plan to unify the South Domain!"
Ian swept his gaze across both groups of leaders and stated the purpose for calling everyone together.
"Alliance Leader, isn’t this a bit too rushed?" Jason Chen asked with concern.
Ian nodded, "It is a bit rushed!"
Then he changed tone: "But the situation in the East Domain doesn’t allow us to drag our feet. Think about it—if the East Domain falls, we’ll become the Military Council’s next target. So, we have to unify the South Domain as quickly as possible and help the East Domain defeat the Military Council!"
Hearing that Ian’s real target was the Military Council, everyone present felt both anxious and fired up.
"Alliance Leader, whatever you say, I’ll follow!" Jason Chen was the first to declare his support.
"I support the Sect Master as well!" Cole Chong Duan added.
With both vice alliance leaders voicing support, the rest naturally followed suit, one after another.
In no time, everyone’s opinion was united.
Ian nodded in satisfaction, reached out and grabbed at the air, and a map appeared in his hand—a map of the South Domain, marked with all the major and minor sects.
"Normally, the safest way to unify the South Domain would be to advance step by step, but we don’t have that luxury. So, we’ll go against the usual order and strike directly at Rift-Heaven Sword Sect, Suncrest Sect, Soaring Heaven Sect, and Heavenly Sword Sect!" Ian pointed to several sects on the map, his tone deep and resolute.