"Pfft!"
A table shattered with a loud crack, turning to dust and vanishing from the world. The one who smashed it was a young man in blue, his cultivation at late-stage Profound Immortal. Right now, his face was twisted with rage as he practically roared, "How dare they? How could they do this!"
That's right.
This Profound Immortal was exactly the one who had previously proposed continuing the executions of ascended Immortals, and then threatened that if the Ascender Alliance dared kill another native Immortal, he would kill two ascenders in return.
For five days, the Ascender Alliance made no move, and he thought they'd chickened out, not daring to kill any more native Immortals. He was smug about it, convinced it proved he was right.
But he never expected that, on the sixth evening, the other side would suddenly display forty thousand severed heads atop a city wall.
It was a provocation, and also a counterattack.
Especially that line—"You dare double it, I'll quadruple it"—which made his cheeks burn with humiliation.
"Ascender Alliance, I, Shawn Shang, swear I won't return to the Immortal Domain until I've wiped you out!" he roared in his heart.
Shawn Shang hailed from the Divine Fish Immortal Domain, one of the Eight Immortal Domains. The Shang Clan was one of the nine great families there, and Shawn was a Secondary Holy Heir—a top candidate for Ancestral Immortal, receiving elite training.
"Young Master, Young Master Yang requests your presence for a council meeting!"
A young maid, dressed in servant attire, nervously stepped in to report, fear flickering in her eyes.
"A council meeting? More like a chance to laugh at me!"
Shawn Shang snarled and struck the maid with his palm, sending her flying. Before she even hit the ground, her body exploded in midair, scattering blood like rain.
Half a quarter-hour later.
In Greenvine City, inside a temporary council hall, over three hundred patrol squad captains had gathered again.
"Brother Shang, it was you who proposed executing those ascended Immortals last time, and even threatened them. Now they've killed a full forty thousand native Immortals—how do you suggest we handle this?"
A young man in red sneered as he asked. He too hailed from the Divine Fish Immortal Domain, and was Mason Meng, a Secondary Holy Heir of the Meng Clan, one of the nine great families.
He and Shawn Shang were bitter rivals. With Shawn's policy blunder leading to forty thousand native Immortals slaughtered, Mason naturally seized the chance to kick him while he was down.
Even though, as Secondary Holy Heirs of great families in the Divine Fish Immortal Domain, they could easily ignore those weaker Immortals, they couldn't show it openly. With forty thousand native Immortals dead, if they handled things poorly, their reputations would take a huge hit.
Shawn Shang's eyes went cold, killing intent radiating from him. "What else can we do? The only way to stop killing is with more killing. They killed forty thousand of our native Immortals, so we'll kill three hundred and twenty thousand!"
"And what if they keep targeting native Immortals? Can you stop them?" Mason Meng retorted with a sneer.
"They're each sneakier than rats—how am I supposed to stop them?"
Shawn Shang snapped back, clearly annoyed.
Mason Meng mocked, "Since you have no way to deal with them, continuing to kill ascended Immortals will just get more innocent native Immortals killed. When the blame falls, will the Shang Clan take responsibility?"
"Why should my Shang Clan take the blame!"
"Alright, Brother Shang, Brother Meng, enough arguing. Let's focus on how to wipe out the Ascender Alliance!" someone interjected.
But after a round of discussion, no one could come up with a workable plan.
"I do have an idea!"
Mason Meng spoke up with a smile.
"Oh? Brother Meng, let's hear your idea!"
At this, Shawn Shang's expression darkened slightly—he clearly wasn't happy about it.
After a brief pause, Mason Meng announced loudly, "We can issue a bounty targeting ascended Immortals. No matter who it is—if they kill a member of the Ascender Alliance, we'll let them join our families, grant them advanced cultivation methods, and reward them with ten million immortal stones!"
"Let those lowlifes join us?"
Shawn Shang sneered, "Mason Meng, you're dreaming. What qualifications do those lowlifes have to join us?"
Mason Meng wasn't angry at all. He went on, "The reason we can't find any trace of the Ascender Alliance is probably because ascended Immortals are hiding them or tipping them off.
But once we announce the bounty, they'll have a shot at turning from mountain pheasant to phoenix."
At that point, we can set up a few examples. I don't believe other ascended Immortals won't be tempted. As soon as they are, the Ascender Alliance won't dare trust them anymore, and we'll have successfully sown discord.
Then we'll buy off a group of ascended Immortals and have them spread the word that it was the Ascender Alliance who got those twenty thousand ascended Immortals killed. If that accusation sticks, the Alliance will have nowhere to hide in the three thousand Barbarian Cities—they'll become rats everyone wants to beat!"
"Brilliant! Brother Meng, your scheme is genius!"
As soon as Mason Meng finished, someone praised him. Shawn Shang, though annoyed that Mason was stealing the spotlight, had to admit the plan was very feasible.
On the seventh day, no more ascended Immortals were executed.
But a bounty began circulating through the three thousand Barbarian Cities: anyone who killed a member of the Ascender Alliance—whether they were an ascended Immortal or a native—could join one of the Eight Immortal Domains, Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens, or Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and would be rewarded with advanced cultivation methods and ten million immortal stones.
The moment the bounty appeared, it caused a huge sensation.
For the Immortals in the three thousand Barbarian Cities, the Eight Immortal Domains, Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens, and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands were considered sacred lands.
And joining a faction with Profound Immortals? Honestly, not just the native Immortals, but even some Earth Immortals and Golden Immortals among the ascended were tempted.
Three days later.
Word spread that an ascended Immortal had successfully hunted down an Earth Immortal from the Ascender Alliance, earning a spot in the Meng Clan of the Divine Fish Immortal Domain, and becoming one of Mason Meng's personal guards.
As for the advanced techniques and ten million immortal stones he received, people barely paid attention.
A mountain pheasant really could turn into a phoenix.
Those ascended Immortals who'd already been itching for action began scouring everywhere for news about the Ascender Alliance, hoping they'd be among the lucky ones.
Two days later.
Another report spread: a Golden Immortal among the ascended and a Golden Immortal from the natives both killed a member of the Ascender Alliance, earning entry into the Shang Clan of the Divine Fish Immortal Domain, and becoming personal guards to the clan's Secondary Holy Heir.
After that, more and more stories emerged of people successfully hunting down Ascender Alliance members and joining the Eight Immortal Domains, Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens, or Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
Of course, there were also tales of people searching for Alliance members only to be brutally killed themselves.
Soon, a rumor swept through the three thousand Barbarian Cities: supposedly, those twenty thousand ascended didn't have to die—the Ascender Alliance had kidnapped native Immortals to use as leverage.
In their fury, they killed those twenty thousand ascended Immortals.
And they promised that if the Ascender Alliance was wiped out, they'd leave and never harm another ascended Immortal again.