Mu Fang was momentarily speechless, and though he wished to argue, he found himself unable to utter a word. He truly could not blame Zong Shou for this particular visit.

Yet, he was a man of acumen, recognizing that regret at this juncture was futile. His gaze flickered, and then he laughed, "Forget it!

Since matters have come to this, I would very much like to hear what the Sovereign Lord has to say. I do not believe the Sovereign Lord lured me here merely for a meeting." "Indeed!" Zong Shou nodded, his expression serious.

"Among the several powers in the Yuan Lian Realm, Brother Hong is unquestionably the strongest. I genuinely cannot fathom it—are you all truly willing to let him completely swallow the southwestern territories?

To stand by while this Yuan Lian Realm falls into the hands of the Jiu Du Immortal Court? Even if you are granted some small benefits, some division of land, how long can that truly sustain you?

Once the affliction in the southwest is resolved, and there is no need to fight on all fronts, I fear the might of this Brother Hong will become irreversible—" Mu Fang listened quietly, but his features remained cold, showing no sign of yielding whatsoever. "If it truly comes to that, our Xuan Ling Cult will simply yield this entire Yuan Lian Realm to him.

Losses here can be recouped elsewhere; it is merely an exchange." "That sentiment is not wrong, but it only benefits the Xuan Ling Cult. Brother Mu, your hundreds of years of effort managing things in the Yuan Lian Realm—it will all flow away like water!" Zong Shou’s brow arched slightly, laced with a faint mockery.

"Let me ask you plainly: is this truly what you, Mu Fang, desire?" "If not this, then what?" Mu Fang scoffed coldly. "It would have been better had the Sovereign Lord never agreed to Tan Jing in the first place.

Once agreed, you shackled your own hands and feet. Now, you have but three hundred thousand soldiers and sixteen Spirit Realm experts.

This meager strength could perish in an instant. Are you expecting me to join forces with you only to end up with nothing?

Today, even with the silver tongue of the Sovereign Lord, it will be difficult to move Mu Fang to feel any desire." "When did I ever say that I expect you, Mu Fang, to join me in fighting the enemy right now?" Seeing Mu Fang pause in surprise, Zong Shou smiled slightly. "Without sufficient strength, it is difficult to put Brother Mu at ease.

What I wish to discuss with you is this: after Brother Hong Jiuchen suffers a setback this time, are you not tempted by the central plains?" Only then did Mu Fang show a reaction. Did this Great Qian Sovereign Lord possess such confidence?

Could it be that he truly held some other trump card? Looking closely at Zong Shou’s expression, he still could discern nothing.

However, during these recent days, he had made careful inquiries about this person. In the Cloud Realm, Zong Shou was rumored to have repeatedly pulled off the unexpected, causing even great sects like the Dao Sect—sects that the Xuan Ling Cult itself feared—to suffer repeated crushing defeats.

Perhaps this time, he genuinely possessed some assurance; it was certainly possible. His gaze immediately flickered, uncertain, showing hesitation.

To concede the Yuan Lian Realm to Hong Jiuchen was something he was reluctant to do. Yet, the person before him now was even more perilous than Hong Jiuchen.

After thinking it over, contemplating repeatedly, Mu Fang still shook his head, a sneer lingering at the corner of his lips. "I think the Sovereign Lord has lost his mind.

At this juncture, instead of thinking how to preserve your strength and withdraw safely from the Yuan Lian Realm, you run a thousand miles to persuade me. I truly do not know whether to call the Sovereign Lord exceptionally bold or excessively arrogant—" This Outer Domain was far from the long-peaceful Cloud Realm.

Even if this man had created storms in the Cloud Realm, he was still a newcomer in the Outer Domain. How many battles had men like them endured?

How many death struggles had they crawled through? With such limited strength, still unstable, what ripples could he possibly create?

"If I were the Sovereign Lord, I would never have agreed to abide by the rules of the Outer Domain! It is the height of foolishness—" "But what if there is a chance?

What if Hong Jiuchen is defeated by my hand, would your combined forces truly overcome me?" Zong Shou narrowed his eyes, choosing not to comment on the latter part of Mu Fang's statement. Being persuaded by Tan Jing was only because he himself faced considerable trouble.

"Consider this carefully. If that Daoist Friend Hong prevails, you will have no chance at all.

But if this matter turns out less favorably for him, and you manage to secure the central plains, gaining the opportunity to unify the Yuan Lian Realm—why would the Xuan Ling Cult then refuse to offer staunch assistance?" Seeing Mu Fang’s face turn ashen without speaking, Zong Shou smiled and did not press further. He knew that Mu Fang was already moved.

Pushing harder now would only be counterproductive. Without exchanging farewells, he simply stepped into the void and departed.

This was the very essence of vertical and horizontal alliances. This time, although the various factions of the Yuan Lian Realm were joining forces, they were not necessarily all wholehearted; hidden conflicts surely existed among them.

There were always opportunities to exploit. When things were smooth, everything could be concealed.

But if a setback occurred, contradictions were likely to erupt. His visit today was simply to maximize that potential opportunity.

He sighed internally; he lacked competent strategists. Such matters involving envoys and rhetoricians had to be handled by himself.

The standard was far too low, and he felt a secret shame. Just as he was traveling through the void, having departed less than three thousand li, he suddenly felt a gaze fix upon him from a great distance.

It was cold, indifferent, yet held a hint of mockery. "Excellent!

I shall watch you struggle—" A cold, sharp intent shot back, and the telepathic message vanished. Zong Shou’s brow arched slightly, and he paused his movement in mid-air.

"That must be Hong Jiuchen? His strength is indeed formidable, significantly greater than the last time.

And there seems to be another person, Tan Fang? Indeed, have these two allied?" Zong Shou smiled faintly.

The strength of the Tian Fang Cult was never sufficient to contend for the Yuan Lian World alone; they could only align with one side to gain some advantage. Did these two truly believe he had already fallen into their trap?

Subsequently, Zong Shou did not travel to any other region. He merely sent a few talisman notices in various directions before heading directly back toward the Yuan Jing Palace.

Methods like this were best used sparingly; deploying them too often diminished their effect. The fact that he returned after seeing only Mu Fang allowed for multiple interpretations.

Perhaps his persuasion failed, leading him to abandon trying to convince others. Or perhaps an agreement had been reached between the two, which is why he stopped after only one meeting.

Conceal the real with the false, and the false with the real. The Jiu Du Immortal Court must be racking their brains trying to confirm whether Mu Fang and the Xuan Ling Society harbored any ill intentions.

Upon returning to the Yuan Jing Court, Zong Shou immediately entered seclusion. He ignored all outside matters, focusing solely on the martial path and refining his sword array.

He truly entrusted the management of all military affairs to Zhuang Fan for deployment and command. Only the elite force of three hundred thousand was positioned personally by him, securing several strategic choke points.

If Zhuang Fan won, these locations would allow for convenient pursuit at any time. If Zhuang Fan lost, they could also prevent the situation from sliding into the worst possible scenario.

At the very least, they could defend a corner to plot for the future. In truth, his current inaction regarding external affairs was unavoidable.

What needed to be done, and what could be done, he had already accomplished. Any further action would be pointless.

Now, everything depended on whether the methods of that Zhuang Yu would disappoint him. It was, after all, the first time he had been forced into such a passive position.

(To be continued)RQ