NOVPUB
Chapter 147: 144 Chapter Xin Tianqi
Gu Jinlai listened with a somewhat strange expression on his face.
Could this be a proposal for a marriage alliance?
"Although Star State has appeared calm and peaceful recently, a closer look reveals that this is surely the calm before the storm. And once the storm arrives, we, the forces not affiliated with the Demon Sects, will bear the brunt of it,"
Nie Shisan said with a sigh, "After all, we are different from the other Demon Sects. They have Divinity Transformation Cultivators and even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs from their sects to come to their aid, but we... can only rely on ourselves."
The calm before the storm.
Although Gu Jinlai knew more than Nie Shisan and understood that this was because the Three Great Demon Sects had turned their attention to the Divine Sword Convention soon to be held in Canglang Mountain and had halted all other activities,
But...
Once the Divine Sword Convention is over, it’s a foregone conclusion that the Three Great Demon Sects will make their move against Star State.
By then, to decide the true Lord of Star State, it’s highly likely that Primordial Spirit True Monarchs will personally enter the fray.
An Upper State with a population of fifty or sixty million is a temptation too great for many to resist.
Consider that the Purgatory Sect controls Red State, which has a population of just over thirty million.
Star Sky Alliance has to face pressure from the Star State Capital, Dragon Sparrow Manor, Purgatory Sect, Netherworld Sect; among these, aside from Dragon Sparrow Manor, the other three share the same enemies as Lingxiao City.
In such circumstances, mutual cooperation and forming an alliance for self-preservation is indeed the best option.
With this thought, Gu Jinlai asked, "How do we form this alliance?"
"Mutual support and vigilance,"
Nie Shisan said, "In fact, our side has no fewer people than those large sects; what we lack are top-notch masters. As long as we can withstand the enemy’s decapitating strikes, the Three Great Demon Sects and the Two Immortal Sects, including the Star State Capital, might not necessarily pose a threat to us."
"Decapitating strikes?"
Gu Jinlai chuckled, "That issue is not difficult for us in Lingxiao City to resolve. Unless a Primordial Spirit True Monarch arrives personally, I am confident that even if two or three Divinity Transformation Cultivators join forces, we can send them back without return."
"We naturally trust in the capabilities of Heavenly Monarch Gu. However... Lingxiao City has one major weakness compared to other forces, and we at Star Sky Alliance can help Heavenly Monarch Gu overcome this shortfall,"
Nie Shisan confidently stated.
"Is that so,"
Gu Jinlai responded calmly, "What weakness? I wasn’t aware of any."
"Intelligence."
Nie Shisan spoke frankly, "Lingxiao City’s rise was too rapid, and the Gu family’s foundation was previously located in Purgatory Sect’s Red Wind City, hardly giving it time to set up a comprehensive intelligence network. Should any number of Qi Refinement, Gang Condensation, or even Hugging Pill Masters from other sects attempt to infiltrate day and night, Lingxiao City would not detect anything unusual. But our Star Sky Alliance can compensate for this deficiency for Lingxiao City."
Nie Shisan’s remarks were indeed worth Gu Jinlai’s consideration.
Lingxiao City...
Its foundation really isn’t worth mentioning.
Even though he possessed the identity of Silver Sword Master from Xuzhen Tower and could obtain a substantial amount of free intelligence from there, it was limited.
He could only use this privilege at critical moments.
Much of the regular needed intelligence naturally had to be compensated for through other channels.
Furthermore, allying with Star Sky Alliance, although requiring mutual support in offense and defense, undoubtedly bolstered their side’s presence. Whether it’s Cold Moon Sect, Purgatory Sect, Netherworld Sect, or the State Lord Mansion, they would have to muster more resources and think thrice before targeting him again.
"I agree,"
Gu Jinlai said, "We can form an alliance. As for the marriage alliance, I am not in a hurry. Alliance Leader Nie might want to give further thought to the young talents of the Gu family."
"Haha, Heavenly Monarch Gu is straightforward,"
Nie Shisan showed joy.
Although Lingxiao City lacked several prominent Refining God experts, with Gu Jinlai alone equating to three or four Divinity Transformation Cultivators,
To encircle and kill such a formidable presence...
It would probably necessitate the force needed to kill a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, deploying ten or eight Divinity Transformation Cultivators might have the hope of ensuring absolute security.
Such a powerful figure is naturally worth Star Sky Alliance’s effort to befriend wholeheartedly.
As for people besides Gu Jinlai...
He really didn’t hold them in high regard.
"As for the marriage alliance, there’s no need for Heavenly Monarch Gu to hurry to decline. I will send Qingqing over to spend some time with the Heavenly Monarch. If Heavenly Monarch truly is unwilling, I can understand. After all, compared to a dragon among men like Heavenly Monarch Gu, my younger sister falls far short,"
Nie Shisan said.
"Alliance Leader Nie is too modest,"
Having heard Nie Shisan say this, Gu Jinlai found it difficult to refuse.
He agreed on the spot.
Subsequently, both parties discussed the specific details of their cooperation.
And under what circumstances they needed to provide aid, even deploying troops for help and the extent of said assistance.
After finishing the negotiations, Gu Jinlai requested to hire craftsmen from Star Sky Alliance.
Nie Shisan readily agreed to this request.
The next day, Nie Shisan returned, and leaving with him was Gu Xiangyang, the disciple of Gu Jinlai.
He would be bringing back Nie Qingqing, Nie Shisan’s sworn sister, as well as craftsmen from three cities and forty-six counties under the jurisdiction of Star Sky Alliance to Lingxiao City,
With these craftsmen, the production capacity of the Military Workshop would increase once more.
Additionally, with the assistance of the Heavenly Masters from Great Sun Heavenly Sect, it wouldn’t take long for the "Thunder" Gatling Guns for the infantry and the artillery used for fire coverage to be rapidly produced.
Once the Divine Sword Convention ends, if Lingxiao City has accumulated sufficient power, it could take advantage of the chaos in Star State to conquer the entire Star State.
If they could take over Star State with a population of fifty or sixty million...
Gu Jinlai had declared himself king of his domain without difficulty.
...
"Refining God, Divinity Transformation, Primordial Spirit."
In the study, Gu Jinlai was organizing the cultivation system of the Qiantian World.
These three realms, collectively known as the Third-Rank God Realm, correspond to Qi Refining and God Returning.
Above them lay the Fourth Rank Void Realm, which was further divided into Devas, Saints, and Earthly True Immortals.
Before the Holy Sanctuary Divine Weapons appeared, Devas were rare in the Daqian World, and Saints had vanished.
It was only a few hundred years ago, with the emergence of the six supreme treasures—the Sky Extreme Sword, Light, Star Heart, World Sword, Xu Wu, and Abyss Realm—that the era of True Immortal rivalry began.
A hundred years ago, at the height of its prosperity, the Daqian World boasted five Earthly True Immortals.
It was because of such a prosperous era that Daqian could intimidate neighboring lands, conquering those who resisted, with a population of a billion, proclaiming itself Qiantian.
Unfortunately, after that, Emperor Tianji sought to contend for supremacy in the world and unite the lands, provoking the other four continents’ True Immortals to attack, which severely weakened Qiantian’s foundational strength.
To this day, let alone Saints, the Qiantian World scarcely has any Devas.
Otherwise, how could a Primordial Spirit True Monarch like the Venerable Daoist Lu Zhanxian from the Purgatory Sect be touted as one of the top ten masters of the Demon Path?
Gu Jinlai’s gaze lingered on the Primordial Spirit True Monarch for a moment before he turned to read the next section.
Mental Realm, Tendency Realm, Transformation Realm.
These three Martial Arts Realms correspond to Refining God, Divinity Transformation, and Devas, respectively.
A Primordial Spirit True Monarch only needs to comprehend the mysteries of the "Tendency" Realm to be on par with the Devas.
"Recently, Jiang Chongshan has transferred all the valuable books on the Mental Realm to me, providing me with new insights. It won’t be long before I truly comprehend the mysteries of the Mental Realm. When that time comes, I should advance toward the Tendency Realm; however, I know little about it besides that it involves leveraging the momentum of heaven and earth with one’s Divine Thought, and I don’t know where to start."
Gu Jinlai pondered.
The Purgatory Sect should have some records of it.
However, given his relationship with the Purgatory Sect, they’d be unlikely to share such secrets with him.
Such knowledge could be likened to a comprehensive manual detailing the full production process of nuclear weapons on Blue Star, from inception to burial.
"Cultivation, Realm, Martial Arts, Secret Techniques, and Divine Weapons—considering these aspects, my cultivation is comparable to that of a Lower Demon, at most reaching the peak of Refining God. Yet with the Great Sun True Demon Body, derived from the Great Sun Demon God Body Refining Method, my physique is on par with Middle Level Demons. And with the comprehension of the Mental Realm..."
Gu Jinlai assessed his current capabilities: "The flying swords of ordinary Divinity Transformation Cultivators can scarcely injure me, and even if I were to engage in direct combat, relying on the perfected All Swords Return to One technique would leave me unfazed..."
Of course, Divinity Transformation Cultivators seldom engage in head-on fights with Devils or those in the Refining God Realm.
Similar to a sniper, if you can’t kill your opponent with a gunshot, would you choose to close in for hand-to-hand combat?
"In these aspects, I have hardly any weaknesses, and concerning the last point—Divine Weapons—I even have a considerable advantage."
The War Armor and War Sword he possessed, strictly speaking, could each be considered a Spiritual Artifact.
Not to mention the formidable lethality of the Short Range Defense Cannon...
When it came to comparing weapons, he feared no Divinity Transformation.
This was also why he was able to defeat Tan Qingquan and Ye Yiren, the two Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators.
"Few Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators could kill me, and even if besieged by several of them, I could withdraw at ease. And with the Short Range Defense Cannon at hand, should the enemy actually deploy ten or eight Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators, I could anticipate and defeat them one by one," reasoned Gu Jinlai.
Upon summarizing his thoughts, Gu Jinlai concluded...
Now, with the exception of the mysterious Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, there was little left for him to fear.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside.
The voice of Nian Buwang soon followed, "Patriarch, a person named Chi Ying is seeking an audience outside."
"Oh?"
Gu Jinlai was somewhat surprised.
Chi Ying?
This Silver Sword Master from Xuzhen Tower who usually sneaked in uninvited had now actively requested to meet him?
It appeared that the Silver Sword Master had been frightened by the strength Gu Jinlai displayed in the Champsosaurus Swamp and had learned to respect protocols.
"Let him in," Gu Jinlai commanded.
Shortly after, Chi Ying entered the study, guided by Nian Buwang.
"It shouldn’t be time for my mandatory annual task yet. So, Silver Sword Master Chi Ying, have you come to bring me some good news?"
Gu Jinlai inquired.
"Well..."
Chi Ying appeared somewhat embarrassed but said, "I am afraid it might not be good news."
"Hmm?"
"Heavenly Monarch Gu, do you know that a great disaster is imminent?"
"A great disaster is imminent?"
Gu Jinlai’s mind raced, but he couldn’t immediately guess who was targeting him.
Not daring to keep Gu Jinlai in suspense, Chi Ying immediately said, "The culprit behind the disruption of the grand event at Ten Miles Slope, ostentatiously organized by the State Lord Mansion of Starlight City, has been identified by the State Governor’s office—it’s you, Heavenly Monarch Gu!"
Gu Jinlai’s expression changed.
This matter was uncovered by the State Lord Mansion’s investigation?
"After learning about this, the Meteor Star Lord, Xin Tianqi, vanished from Starlight City three days ago. If our suspicions are correct... he’s heading towards Lingxiao City."
