The twin suns burning fiercely in the distance cast a magnificent orange-red hue upon the clouds as their light filtered down to the land below.

Across this world lived the 'Yan Ya' race, beings with green skin. The Yan Ya were flesh-and-blood creatures possessing the lower body of a four-legged beast, a torso similar to a human's upper body, yet they were endowed with four arms. Naturally inclined toward peace, when angered, they transformed into ferociously zealous warriors. Peace! Tranquility! Joy! This was the dominant theme of the planet inhabited by the Yan Ya.

Before an elegant wooden pavilion, a female Yan Ya knelt on her four legs, leisurely surveying her surroundings. "Boom!" A streak of light suddenly plummeted from the sky, crashing directly before the resting Yan Ya female, coalescing into a towering figure. Clad in purple armor that seemed forged from metal, his icy eyes fixed upon the kneeling female, he spoke: "Lord of the Yan Ya!"

The Yan Ya female smiled faintly. "Heng Xian of the Mechanical Race, my friend. What brings you to my domain? This is a rare occasion."

"This matter concerns the destiny of your Yan Ya race, their very existence," Heng Xian replied, settling down without preamble. "We shared life-and-death experiences in the Sea of Chaos; how could I not come to inform you?"

"The destiny of my race?" the Yan Ya female looked at Lord Heng Xian.

"You should be aware of the recent engagement between the allied forces of our Mechanical, Insectoid, and Demon races, and the Human Faction," Lord Heng Xian stated.

The Yan Ya female chuckled. "Of course I know. News of that has spread throughout the Original Universe; it would be rare for a Universe Master not to have heard. The Three-Race Alliance clashed with the Human Faction, only for the Alliance to retreat... truly astonishing and unbelievable to all parties. Come, sample the Jade Fruit Wine brewed by my people."

With a wave of her hand, two wine goblets floated before them. The cups were tall and deep, filled with a pale green liquid emitting waves of fragrance. Beside them, resting on the ground, sat an exquisitely designed, deep-gray wine jug.

Lord Heng Xian raised his goblet solemnly. "The Humans have obtained the inheritance of an ancient civilization. They have just acquired it, and already they are this powerful. Given time... they will certainly become more terrifying than the God Eye Race during the First Reincarnation Era. If they can defeat the Three-Race Alliance now, what about the future? I fear even a union of the major powers of the Original Universe would be no match for them. Once the Humans become that strong, how could they avoid aggressive expansion? You know well that humans are an extremely invasive species."

The Yan Ya female paused slightly. Indeed. Invasiveness. In truth, the six supreme races—Insectoid, Demon, Mechanical, Human, Prison, and Crystal—were all intensely aggressive and invasive. The very nature of racial propagation dictated that a powerful race would inevitably seek to seize more territory.

"In the Original Universe, which race controls the most domain?" Lord Heng Xian continued. "It is not us major supreme races, but your billions of scattered minor races. Individually weak, each occupying small territories, but aggregated, your domain is vast. If the Humans become truly invincible, how could they spare you? This war is not merely a struggle over the ancient inheritance; it is a war for the survival of many races, including yours and mine!"

"The Humans have the Undying Universe; they cannot be eradicated no matter what," the Yan Ya female stared at Lord Heng Xian.

"True, they cannot be wiped out, as any race with a Universe Supreme Being cannot be annihilated. But... if they cannot be destroyed, they can be suppressed," Heng Xian countered. "We can capture their Universe Masters; if not, we can seize their territories, or force them to retreat entirely into that Undying Universe."

"Hiding in a tiny universe, suppressed by the major powers of the Original Universe. The forces in the Sea of Chaos would also covet that inheritance and threaten the Humans to surrender it!"

"In this scenario, the Human race would be unable to advance an inch."

"They would dare not send their weaker members out for trials of life and death, because those would not be trials... they would be certain death! The moment a Human appears in the Original Universe, or the Sea of Chaos, they would be besieged and captured! Used as bargaining chips in negotiations between the major powers and the Humans."

"If this happens, no Human could truly rise to prominence, perhaps only a handful like Luo Feng and the City Lord of Chaos managing to escape with their lives during their flight. But just those few, even with a few more supreme beings, what difference would they make among the major powers? Trapped in one location, unable to breed enough citizens and geniuses, their racial potential would be inherently limited... they would cease to be a threat!" ...

Lord Heng Xian fixed his gaze on the Yan Ya Lord. "Therefore, for those of us who hold territory, we must fight the Humans—either make them surrender the inheritance or suppress them so they cannot develop!"

"As for the lone supreme beings, they do not fear the Humans' future strength. But the opportunity to force the Humans to yield their inheritance may never come again; thus, they must seize this chance to pursue transcendence beyond reincarnation!"

"In summary,"

"Whether the lone supreme beings or the numerous territorial races among us, everyone will converge on the Humans. My Mechanical Race, the Insectoids, the Demons, the Prison Race, the Crystal Race, the Northern Border Alliance, and numerous scattered factions have all joined; you need only investigate to confirm." Lord Heng Xian spoke with gravity. "If you do not join us, you will be ostracized! Those who join now will naturally form a massive interest bloc... You know what must be done."

The Yan Ya Lord frowned. "The Human Race has also sent envoys to speak with me."

"Human envoys?" Lord Heng Xian started in surprise. So fast!

"They promised that as long as we do not interfere, they will never invade our territory in the future," the Yan Ya Lord stated. She actually held back the next part—that if she sided with the Humans, they would share the ancient civilization's cultivation knowledge for becoming a Universe Master.

"You believe that?" Lord Heng Xian scoffed. "This war encompasses the entire Original Universe. As you are my friend, I will tell you plainly: if you join neither side, your fate after the war ends will likely be tragic."

"And without a doubt, the allied camp of the major powers will be victorious," Lord Heng Xian downed his Jade Fruit Wine. "Whether you join the winning side or the losing side rests entirely upon you, Lord of the Yan Ya."

He then tilted his head back and finished the wine in one gulp. Gurgle~~

"The Jade Fruit Wine truly lives up to its fame throughout the universe," Lord Heng Xian murmured, looking at the empty cup. "But if this decision proves wrong, perhaps we will never taste this fine wine again."

Boom!

Lord Heng Xian dissolved instantly into a streak of light and vanished into the high clouds. The Yan Ya Lord... was a Universe Master with considerable influence within the 'Three Mountains Alliance,' a secondary power; this was precisely why Heng Xian had been dispatched to persuade her. Convincing the Yan Ya Lord could potentially influence the entire Three Mountains Alliance.

"The possibility of the allied forces winning this war is indeed extremely high. But the number of factions joining the Alliance is vast. Even if I and the experts of the Three Mountains Alliance join, we would merely be adding icing to the cake, gaining negligible benefits. The rewards might be entirely overlooked!" the Yan Ya Lord sighed inwardly. Even if they managed to extract some inheritance from the Humans with great difficulty, the supreme races and the top experts would never share it fully with minor powers like them, would they?

"But if we join the Human Faction, we will certainly receive guidance. However, they are almost certainly doomed to lose and retreat into the Undying Universe... At that point, the races siding with the Humans will likely face trouble. They will then need to unite, the numerous scattered races within the Human Faction banding together to fend off attacks... that will be disastrous too."

Universe Masters were not foolish. They all understood the pros and cons of aligning with either camp. The Alliance Camp: Almost certain victory, yet little reward, and they risk their lives—after all, several Universe Masters had already fallen. The Human Camp: Almost certain defeat, yet the allure of ancient civilization guidance and benefits. But after the war, trouble would surely follow.

How to choose? While the Alliance was actively persuading various scattered races, lone supreme beings, the Ancestral God Sect, and the Star Beast Alliance throughout the Original Universe... the Human Faction was also trying to win allies, though their methods were gentler. They promised any neutral party that they would never invade their territory in the future. This promise was specifically designed to counter the Alliance's primary argument: that a powerful Human Race would encroach upon their domains. ...

The two factions exerted themselves in every way possible. Yet, the experts of countless scattered races—whose decisions impacted the fate of their entire lineage—could not afford to be rash. Consequently, both the Human Faction and the Alliance initially garnered meager results. Clearly, these scattered races were beginning to communicate and confer among themselves, discussing how to respond to the 'two-faction dilemma,' and there was even another voice emerging—the option of joining neither faction at all! In short, utter chaos!

The overt and covert methods of the two major factions were all deployed, such as bribing a Universe Master with significant benefits first, enabling that individual to exert influence within their own faction... In short, every possible tactic was employed! Desperately gathering strength! If our side gains ten more Universe Masters, the opposition loses ten. A net swing of twenty Universe Master equivalents in combat strength. How could they afford to be soft-handed in such a critical struggle?

In the boundless Desolate Star Field, a region incapable of sustaining life, this vast expanse of desolation was the domain of Sitting Mountain Guest.

"Teacher, Teacher." Luo Feng arrived directly at Sitting Mountain Guest’s abode to pay his respects.

"Coming to see me personally? Your Human Faction is terribly busy right now, and you are a key figure. Why travel all the way here yourself? It seems you require a favor from me again," Sitting Mountain Guest emerged, holding a crystal stone, walking down the steps. "If you don't need a favor, you never visit."

"Disciple is ashamed. I promise to visit more often in the future, Teacher," Luo Feng managed, feeling a flush of embarrassment.

Sitting Mountain Guest settled down leisurely. "Let me guess. You are here to ask me to forge another one of those willpower-impact treasures. And you have likely killed a Universe Master yourself, with video proof, correct?"

Luo Feng could only nod obediently. "Teacher is perceptive."

"In the future, whether you kill a Universe Master or not, no video evidence is needed; just tell me. I trust you wouldn't lie," Sitting Mountain Guest waved a hand dismissively. "Reforging another one is simple enough. Wait here for three days. Oh, and the Old Beast God from the Star Beast Alliance asked me to contact you. Since you are here, I will inform him; he will arrive shortly. Meet with him and discuss matters... whether the talk succeeds or fails, don't worry about my reputation. I have no interest in interfering with your so-called factional war."

"The Old Beast God?" Luo Feng was startled.