After greeting the various major powers, Chen Junting led Ning Tian and the others to their seats. The senior elders of Shrek Academy, who had previously been too annoyed by the disturbances, also came downstairs one after another to attend the meeting.
Seated at the head of the room, Elder Song's gaze swept across the entire venue. Pressing her hands down to quiet the room, she said slowly, "Everyone, the reason we've gathered you all here today is to jointly discuss how to deal with the current situation on the continent. We must find a way to resolve this Evil Soul Master issue; otherwise, with these fellows hiding in the shadows, striking time and time again, we will never know peace. What's more, they will only grow stronger."
Elder Song's words won the unanimous agreement of everyone present.
This was because this group of Evil Soul Masters was completely untethered and unrestricted—or at least, that was how they appeared to everyone so far.
Just think about it! A group of powerful Evil Soul Masters with no ties or scruples, once completely unconstrained, would be a massively destructive time bomb. Furthermore, this was the kind of time bomb that could be detonated over and over again—it was simply impossible to guard against.
Moreover, as long as it went off even once—which meant slaughtering a single city—they would acquire the cultivation resources of at least a hundred thousand people.
Once those resources were funneled into a single Evil Soul Master...
Good lord!
As long as their talent was even slightly passable, it would take less than a year to produce an Evil Soul Master with a cultivation base of Soul Saint or above. That was truly lethal!
Of course, this might have been an exaggeration, but it was absolutely something that had to be taken seriously.
Especially with three Limit Douluo-level experts among them!
Three!
The known experts of the original three Douluo Empires—not counting those in seclusion—only added up to roughly this number when combined. Hmm...
The major neutral powers glanced at the representatives of the Tian Hun Empire and the Dou Ling Empire—mostly looking toward the Dou Ling Empire side—before suddenly falling silent, inevitably feeling a sense of lament in their hearts.
Perhaps it isn't just three, but four.
After all, the Dou Ling Empire had stumbled upon some incredible dumb luck.
However, whether there were three or four Limit Douluo-level experts, the main issue was that these experts did not belong to the same faction. They were scattered across the continent, and some had even formed enmities with one another.
If these Evil Soul Masters were to do as they did this time, with two Limit Douluos joining forces to attack a single location, no one else could withstand them. The only exception was the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, whose Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's augmentations could securely provide them with the combat power of two Limit Douluos. Otherwise, it would be just like what happened to Du Bushi this time; had the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect not arrived in time with their life-saving methods, he would have likely lost his life.
Seeing that most of the room had fallen silent, Elder Song stopped speaking and shifted her gaze to Yan Shaozhe, signaling him to take the floor.
Noticing the cue, Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat. "Ahem—"
The sound drew everyone's attention over to him.
"I'm sure you are all already aware that during our last meeting, I proposed that we need to jointly formulate an alliance plan to enhance the cohesion of the various factions on the continent and unite against the Evil Soul Masters."
But before he could even finish, someone showed him no courtesy.
"Heh—I'd say that's difficult!"
A heavy, cold laugh came from the Tian Hun Empire's representatives. Everyone, including Chen Junting, looked with great interest at the Body Sect elder who had spoken. However, everyone knew full well that his target wasn't Shrek, but rather the Dou Ling Empire.
The stares of the crowd did not make him stop.
He continued, "Previously, the three great empires were allies. Yet, the moment the war ended and the Tian Hun and Star Luo royal families suffered their calamities, certain fellows immediately looted them while they were down. How can they be trusted?!"
Bang—
As soon as he finished speaking, the Body Sect elder slammed his arms onto the table. His palms struck the surface, making the table jolt; he glared fiercely at the Dou Ling Empire representative, looking as if he wanted to swallow him alive.
Unexpectedly, the Dou Ling Empire representative simply raised a palm, blocking the Body Sect elder's glare with the back of his hand, and spoke unhurriedly, "The alliance was solely for the purpose of dividing up and defending against the Sun Moon Empire. Since that was accomplished, it means the pact automatically came to an end."
With that, the Dou Ling Empire representative slammed his hand down.
He met the Body Sect elder's glare, their eyes clashing.
"As for looting them while they were down... if you were in our position and the Star Luo Empire suffered the same situation, wouldn't you have been tempted?"
"Of course not!"
Without a hint of hesitation, the Body Sect elder declared brazenly. Regardless of what they would actually do in reality, even if they had such thoughts, he absolutely could not admit to it. For matters like this, one had to be thick-skinned!
He even brought out evidence to prove his point.
"The Tian Hun Empire and the Star Luo Empire share an everlasting friendship. If you don't believe me, ask Her Highness Xu Jiujiu. Our Tian Hun Empire even fitted her brother's head onto a golden-thread nanmu wood body, placed it in a soul tool coffin that prevents decay, and returned it to its rightful owner."
Rightful owner?!
What a "rightful owner"!
Hearing this, even the normally stoic Chen Junting almost burst out laughing, let alone Wu Feng, who was standing behind him and struggling to hold it in.
Of course, Wu Feng wasn't the only one holding back laughter; among the delegates from the various major powers, there were always one or two doing the same.
Chen Junting's gaze inadvertently swept over Xu Jiujiu...
Hmm, her face is pale, and though her smile is proper, it's incredibly forced.
Clearly, the blow had been too devastating for her.
Especially when the Body Sect elder's words were practically rubbing salt in the wound.
"Enough."
Seeing the conversation veering off-topic, and the representatives of the Dou Ling and Tian Hun Empires on the verge of another argument—even dragging the Star Luo Empire into it again—Yan Shaozhe spoke up once more as a reminder.
His words managed to quiet the hall a little.
"Everyone, please hear me out."
Yan Shaozhe no longer remained seated but stood up.
"Regardless of whatever grievances we may hold against one another, the existence of Evil Soul Masters is a threat none of us can avoid. Therefore, on this point alone, I ask that you all set aside your enmities and form an alliance. All factions will participate, and we will elect an Alliance Leader to unify our command against the Evil Soul Masters. Of course, this authority would be strictly limited to matters concerning Evil Soul Masters."
"Set aside our enmities? Hmph—"
The Body Sect elder scoffed coldly, "Easier said than done."
"Ahem, we can't exactly put it that way."
At this moment, Old Tianlong (Heavenly Dragon) suddenly spoke up. "Let me say a fair word. Didn't Shrek and your Body Sect also have grudges in the past? Take your previous Sect Master, Du Bisi—in a sense, he died at the hands of their previous Pavilion Master, Elder Mu En."
After saying this, Old Tianlong apologized to the Shrek delegation.
"I had no choice but to use Elder Mu as an example; please don't take offense."
"No offense taken, none at all."
Elder Song waved her hand dismissively, then turned to look at the Body Sect elder.
Clearly, she was waiting for his stance.
After all, the implication behind Old Tianlong's words was obvious: the grudge between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect was far deeper than this already "reconciled" war between the Dou Ling and Tian Hun Empires. If Shrek Academy and the Body Sect could reconcile for the sake of greater interests, then why couldn't the Tian Hun and Dou Ling Empires do the same?
Upon hearing this, the Body Sect elder immediately fell silent.
After a long while, he said, "Don't say 'your Body Sect.' I am purely representing the Tian Hun Empire right now. But then again, while our Tian Hun Empire indeed didn't suffer much of a loss, what about the Star Luo Empire?"
It seemed he found this reasonable and had no rebuttal, so after saving face, he pivoted the topic back to the Star Luo Empire.
Once again, everyone's gaze shifted to Xu Jiujiu.
At this moment, Xu Jiujiu was clenching her jaw tightly.
To be honest, she was filled with hatred!
The loss of one-fifth of the original Star Luo Empire's territory was an unfathomable humiliation. But she knew that this alliance had to be formed, because she needed it the most!
Because the Star Luo Empire was a nation with vast territories.
If the Evil Soul Masters targeted cities across the three great empires, roughly a third of the targets would be within the Star Luo Empire. Yet, compared to the Tian Hun Empire—which had the Limit Douluo Du Bushi standing guard and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect within its borders—and even the Dou Ling Empire, which now boasted a Limit Douluo capable of rivaling Du Bushi, what did the Star Luo Empire have?
Not a single one!
Without the aid of other factions, if the Evil Soul Masters decided to strike again, they would target the Star Luo Empire far more frequently.
The Star Luo Empire could not afford the kind of losses that would bring.
And she, Xu Jiujiu, could afford it even less!
"I... agree to this proposal."
The moment these words left her mouth, Xu Jiujiu's body seemed to slump in exhaustion.
Seeing her like this pained the few remaining Imperial Advisors of the Star Luo Empire. But they knew this was a burden she had to bear.
"It's really hard on Jiujiu."
Seeing this, Ning Tian used her soul power to transmit her voice directly into Chen Junting's ear.
Chen Junting, however, didn't show much emotional fluctuation, replying through the same method, "If she wants to bear the heavy responsibility of the Star Luo Empire, this humiliation is the least of her burdens. Unless she returns the throne to the Dai family and becomes a carefree lady herself."
Ning Tian fell silent upon hearing his response.
With Xu Jiujiu raising no further objections, the Tian Hun Empire's representative also stopped their "protests," and the proposal to form an alliance was opened up for discussion among the crowd. For a time, the hall buzzed with debate.
Representatives from all factions weighed the pros and cons, considering the implications.
However, this deliberation did not last very long.
Because the establishment of the alliance was genuinely beneficial to them.
As for Chen Junting and his group, they didn't have much of a reaction; after all, the establishment of the alliance was of little consequence to them. For the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, joining or not wasn't important. But to the other factions, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's participation was extremely important.
This was because only the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possessed two Limit Douluo-level combatants—and if they counted the foreign aid they could call upon, that number could be even higher.
Thus... "Junting, Xiao Tian."
"Hmm?"
Chen Junting and Ning Tian acted as if they had just woken up from a dream, playing dumb.
"Dean Yan, what did you call us for?"
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe asked in a gentle tone,
"Would your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect like to join the alliance?"
"We will join."
Seeing that everyone else had the intention to join, Chen Junting and Ning Tian naturally saw no need to stand out from the crowd. For the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, being the odd one out in this kind of situation was a major taboo.
However...
"Dean Yan, how should the Alliance Leader of this so-called alliance be decided? And where should the headquarters of this alliance be established?"
As soon as these two questions were raised, Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth to answer.
"Of course, it would be—"
"Your Shrek Academy?"
The Body Sect elder questioned without hesitation, cutting him off.
If the Alliance Leader was from Shrek, and the headquarters was established at Shrek Academy or Shrek City, wouldn't that mean the vast majority of power would fall into Shrek Academy's hands?
If that happened, Shrek Academy would no longer just be the number one academy in the world; it would ascend to become the number one organization on the continent.
This was absolutely something they could not tolerate.
At this moment, Elder Song looked at Yan Shaozhe and secretly shook her head.
This proposal had been agreed upon by them beforehand, clearly aiming to expand Shrek's voice and influence—and only to that extent.
But obviously, Yan Shaozhe was too impatient.
His words made it easy for the other factions to misunderstand that Shrek Academy wanted total control. And if they truly did seize control, Shrek Academy would expand drastically in influence, including its ambitions—and by then, it would spell their doom.
Such a notion would inevitably be met with resistance.
So the moment the word "Of course" left his lips, Elder Song knew things were about to go south. Sure enough, it drew the objection from the Body Sec—
No, it should be said, the questioning from the Tian Hun Empire's representative.
Thus, Elder Song immediately interjected, "No."
"This alliance belongs to everyone, so the Alliance Leader would naturally be elected from the various major factions and supervised by all. Therefore, Shrek proposes that the three great empires each select a few sects and academies to send representatives. Shrek Academy will also send representatives, and together we will form the Alliance's Council of Elders. All future decisions made by the organization will be processed uniformly by the Council. As for the rules of the Council, we will invite the seniors present and the high-ranking officials of the three great empires to formulate them jointly. As for the selection of personnel, we can use our Shrek Supervisory Group as a reference."
"As for the headquarters of the alliance, I'm not just advocating for Shrek Academy's benefit. Shrek City is situated right in the center of the three great empires of the Douluo Continent, making it undoubtedly the most suitable location."
"What do you all think?"
This was much more reasonable.
Elder Song's proposal caused the majority to nod in agreement.
"In that case, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has no objections."
While stating his stance, Chen Junting also offered his own suggestion. "Furthermore, our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect believes that the position of Alliance Leader should follow a rotating system, with a new term every year. Each term should be held by a representative from a different faction; this ensures that all parties feel involved and balances the interests of everyone."
"Every year?"
Someone raised an objection, "Wouldn't that be too short a term?"
This comment immediately sparked a variety of viewpoints.
"Actually, it's about right."
Chen Junting tapped the table, signaling for silence.
"A one-year rotation ensures that the Alliance Leader won't have the time to establish too many hidden ploys within the alliance or consolidate too much of a power base. Moreover, the alliance exists solely to combat Evil Soul Masters; there won't be any major institutional overhauls. So, one year is actually quite sufficient."
After some further discussion, everyone agreed to this arrangement.
The next topic of discussion was the selection of the first Alliance Leader.
Naturally, the Alliance Leader didn't necessarily need to be a Limit Douluo; otherwise, they would only be able to choose from two or three factions.
For the Tian Hun Empire, it went without saying that the candidate was Du Bushi.
The Star Luo Empire leaned toward one of Shrek Academy's senior elders. Since Elder Xuan was currently in seclusion, Elder Song was also an acceptable candidate. The Dou Ling Empire proposed Tianyang (Heavenly Sun) Douluo for the position, while the other factions also put forward a few Super Douluos.
As for anyone below the cultivation of a Super Douluo...
There was basically no need for them to even join the conversation.
In the end, only Chen Junting and his group hadn't spoken up.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)