Chapter 296: The One Who Dies First

Ye Guan led Nalan Jia out, and they saw tens of thousands of people outside.

Incredibly, these people were from the Immortal Treasures Pavilion, and Qin Feng stood at the helm of them.

Upon seeing Ye Guan, Qin Feng smiled and then walked up to Ye Guan and Nalan Jia.

"Brother Qin," Ye Guan asked, “Who are they?”

Qin Feng chuckled. “You don't know?”

Ye Guan was puzzled.

Qin Feng smiled and added, “You had no idea? You're apparently going to get married here.”

I'm going to get married here? In the Ye Clan? Ye Guan was stunned.

Qin Feng continued. “Pavilion Master Qin has already ordered the expansion of the Ye Clan—no, the entire Ancient Desolate City.”

The expansion of the entire Ancient Desolate City?! Ye Guan was shocked. He hesitated briefly before asking, “Do we have enough time?”

Qin Feng laughed heartily. “Of course!”

Ye Guan smiled and asked, “Where is my mother?”

Qin Feng replied, “Pavilion Master Qin is busy at the moment, but she has a big surprise for you and Pavilion Master Nalan!”

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia smiled at each other.

"Now that I've given you the message, please continue with your conversation, Qin Feng said with a smile. “I still have something to do, so please excuse me.”

“Sure," Ye Guan responded with a smile.

Qin Feng left, while Ye Guan also led Nalan Jia away.

Ye Guan and Nalan Jia quickly realized that millions of people in the Ancient Desolate City had been mobilized for the expansion of the city, and the people of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion could be seen everywhere.

The appearance of so many powerful cultivators shocked the denizens of the Ancient Desolate City. Initially, there was some dissatisfaction with the demolition, but the dissatisfied denizens were quelled by the exceedingly generous compensation.

What was there for them to complain about when the Immortal Treasures Pavilion wanted to pay them to build their houses from the ground up? Thanks to the denizens' unanimous agreement, work went swimmingly, and the denizens were thrilled to see their city being expanded and reconstructed in real-time.

After leaving the Ye Clan, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia decided to head to the Guanxuan Academy. However, the two chose to fly on a sword rather than use a teleportation array.

Nalan Jia stood in front of Ye Guan as the two streaked across the clouds on a sword. Ye Guan's hands were placed gently on Nalan Jia's waist as they disappeared into the horizon.

Nalan Jia gazed at the distant sea of clouds and muttered, "It's been a long time since I saw Master…"

"I remember she said that she'll be a witness to our wedding," Ye Guan said with a smile.

Nalan Jia shook her head, and her grip on Ye Guan's hand grew tighter as she muttered, "The True Universe and the Heaven Seizing Universe…”

Ye Guan reassured her by saying, "It's okay. Father and Mother are with us!"

Nalan Jia nodded and went silent. Ye Guan was right.

There was no need for them to worry with those two overseeing their wedding.

…

The powerhouses of the True Universe were gathered in the True God Hall for a meeting. The leaders of the meeting were Left Councilor Feng Qi and Martial Chancellor Wu Qi. They were here to discuss Ye Guan's wedding.

"Speak up, everyone," Left Councilor Feng Qi said, "I want to hear your thoughts."

"I don’t think we should interfere," said a Great Sovereign.

Left Councilor Feng Qi asked, "Why do you say so?"

The Great Sovereign sounded solemn as they said, "The Guanxuan Universe is our archenemy, but I find it distasteful and shameless to launch a surprise attack during their king's wedding."

The rest of the Divine Spirits nodded in agreement. If they were to launch an ambush during the King of the Guanxuan Universe's wedding, it would appear as though they couldn't handle the Guanxuan Universe in a head-on confrontation.

The Yin Spirit suddenly said, "We have to change our stance on the Guanxuan Universe."

The other Divine Spirits turned to the Yin Spirit.

The Yin Spirit sounded serious as she continued. "We've never really thought of the Guanxuan Universe as a threat, so we've suffered heavy losses in the conflict against them."

The Divine Spirits nodded. They had to admit that after the Yang Family members from the Guanxuan Universe interfered in the battle, the True Universe was quickly overwhelmed by their prowess.

Left Councilor Feng Qi suddenly spoke, "It's my fault."

The Divine Spirits turned to Left Councilor Feng Qi.

Left Councilor Feng Qi explained, "We've underestimated the elites of the Guanxuan Universe, and most importantly, we've underestimated Ye Guan."

Ye Guan! The Yin Spirit’s expression turned cold, while the Divine Spirits wore solemn expressions. They still hadn't forgotten the incident when Ye Guan and Ye An infiltrated the True God Hall. At the time, the younger generation of the True Universe suffered heavy losses, and even Hao Xuan perished in battle.

"I'm sure the incident at the time was just the beginning," Left Councilor Feng Qi said before declaring, "Effective today, the True Universe will enter a state of comprehensive war preparation. The first step is cultivating the younger generation.

"The secret realms of the True Universe will be opened to the younger generation for the sake of providing them with opportunities."

The Divine Spirits nodded at once.

Left Councilor Feng Qi continued. "In addition to this, we will implement a reward system. Those below twenty years of age and whose cultivation base is at the Time Immortal Realm will receive ten million spiritual cores as a reward for their hard work.

"As for Divine Sovereigns of age twenty and below, they'll receive fifty million spiritual cores. If a member of the younger generation reaches the Great Sovereign Realm before they are twenty years of age, they will be rewarded with a billion spiritual cores and a million true core crystals. In addition, they'll be guaranteed a position in any of the True Universe's three armed forces."

The Divine Spirits were stupefied by the declaration.

A guarantee of a position in any of the True Universe's armed forces!

The three armed forces of the True Universe were the Jin Guards, the Divine Dusk Guards, and the Expedition Army. The dream of every Divine Spirit out there was to somehow become a part of any of these three armed forces.

The Divine Spirits exchanged glances. It seemed that Left Councilor Feng Qi wanted to attract talents from outside the True God Hall.

It had to be known that while unified, the True Universe's waters were as murky as the Guanxuan Universe. There were many factions in the True Universe with their own vested interests, and those factions had many extraordinary talents.

Left Councilor Feng Qi's move of attempting to entice those talents was tantamount to provoking the aristocratic families and great clan factions of the True Universe.

The Divine Spirits present were aware of that, and they were visibly uneasy.

The Yin Spirit pointed out. “Those factions will surely resist!”

"Resistance means elimination," Left Councilor Feng Qi said, “We'll eliminate them.”

The Divine Spirits were at a loss for words.

Left Councilor Feng Qi continued. “Those aristocratic and great clan factions have been enjoying benefits from the True God Hall. It's about time they contribute for the greater good, and they are not allowed to run from their responsibilities.”

The Divine Spirits fell into deep contemplation.

After a while, Left Councilor Feng Qi said, "In the name of the True God, pass down my commands. The talents of any family or clan do not just belong to their respective clans and families. They also belong to the True Universe. If they're willing to serve the True Universe—the True God Hall will nurture them and treat them fairly.”

"I have another suggestion," Left Councilor Feng Qi slowly stood up and said, "Let's attempt to recruit talents from the All Worlds!"

The Divine Spirits were stunned.

The All Worlds had already submitted to the True Universe, so they couldn't quite understand how Left Councilor Feng Qi was going to go about doing that.

"Talents from the All Worlds willing to work with our True Universe will not only receive resources from us, but their clans are also exempt from paying tributes. If they meet certain requirements and our standards, they can bring their clan to the True Universe and settle here. Of course, they'll also enjoy special privileges."

A deafening silence enveloped the True God Hall as the Divine Spirits pondered.

Left Councilor Feng Qi swept her gaze across the Divine Spirits before explaining, "If we don't do this, the Guanxuan Universe will do it. No, they're already doing it. If we want to make sure that the entire All Worlds won't stand on the Guanxuan Universe's side, we also have to make a move. We have to show our goodwill toward them, and we can definitely exceed the Guanxuan Universe's offer to them.

"I'm sure the All Worlds will accept our offer so long as we reach out to them first."

Martial Chancellor Wu Qi exclaimed, "I agree!"

The Yin Spirit exclaimed, "Doing that means destabilizing the aristocratic families and the great clans, which means they'll start leaning toward the True God Hall. It is hitting three birds with one stone!

Left Councilor Feng Qi nodded and said, "Correct."

The Yin Spirit nodded lightly and said, "I agree to the suggestion, then."

The other Divine Spirits nodded one after another. Frankly, they didn't think much of the All Worlds, and they believed that even if the All Worlds worked together, they would still fail to hold a candle to the True Universe.

However, these Divine Spirits were also aware that the True Universe would eventually have to make a move. Otherwise, the Guanxuan Universe would inevitably win the hearts of the All Worlds.

The True Universe could afford to ignore the All Worlds, but the True Universe had to stop the Guanxuan Universe from becoming even stronger. Hence, the True Universe had to make a move sooner rather than later.

Left Councilor Feng Qi added, "In addition to the younger generation of the All Worlds, we can also recruit the older generation. Of course, we're only going to recruit those who are truly talented. As long as they're willing to join our True Universe, we'll help exceed their limits!"

The expressions of the Divine Spirits changed. The All Worlds was massive, so it was bound to contain a myriad of incredibly talented members of the younger and older generations.

An example of them was the Eternal Sword Master, and the Unyielding Sovereign.

If they had been born in the True Universe, they could have reached greater heights. Unfortunately, their growth was restricted by the amount and quality of resources available to them.

However, The True Universe's declaration about helping people exceed their limits would change everything so long as they were on the former's side would change everything. It was a great move that would inevitably attract countless heaven-defying talents to the True Universe.

The Yin Spirit and the other Divine Spirits glanced at Left Councilor Feng Qi with complex expressions. They finally understood why the True God had entrusted Left Councilor Feng Qi with full authority over the affairs of the True Universe.

Left Councilor Feng Qi turned to the Martial Chancellor and said, "Martial Chancellor, you'll be in charge of this matter. It is the top priority, and if anyone is daring enough to oppose it, I want you to eliminate them without hesitation."

Martial Chancellor Wu Qi nodded and said, "Understood."

With that, Martial Chancellor Wu Qi got up and left.

Left Councilor Feng Qi looked at the Yin Spirit, "Yin Spirit, there's another matter I need you to handle."

The Yin Spirit asked, "What is it?"

Left Councilor Feng Qi calmly explained, "We're not going to make a move during Ye Guan's wedding, but the Heaven Seizing Clan may not necessarily follow our actions.

"Sovereign Heaven Seizing Dao is an incredibly formidable cultivator, but he is exceedingly arrogant. He has just reincarnated, so I'm sure he's not fully aware of the extent of the Guanxuan Universe's prowess. Given his personality, he's not going to bother investigating. In other words, he's definitely going to do something."

Left Councilor Feng Qi paused before continuing. "I want you to lead a group of powerful creatures to the Xuzhen Battlefield. I want you to stir up some commotion there and intimidate everyone.

"However, I want you to keep in mind that you must not engage in combat. Your role is to assuage Sovereign Heaven Seizing Dao's vigilance and worry so that he'll decisively attack the Guanxuan Universe during Ye Guan's wedding."

"Understood." The Yin Spirit nodded and left.

Left Councilor Feng Qi closed her eyes and muttered, "In a three-way war, the one who dies first is the most foolish among the participants."