NOVEL WEB Chapter 389: Desperation
Chapter 389: Desperation
Prince Rui had returned. Although he had only been gone for half an hour, his weary and haggard appearance spoke volumes about the urgency of the situation. The pressure of pleading for help from multiple sources clearly weighed heavily on him.
“How did it go?”
The new Emperor, First Prince, inquired immediately.
The nobles and ministers also fixed their anxious gazes on Prince Rui, their eyes filled with hope, much like a secluded maiden awaiting her husband’s return.
Prince Rui reported to the Emperor, “I was unable to meet with Time Supreme. However, one of their Supremes, Bai Luohe, received me. To secure the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands’ aid, I immediately offered two Supreme-exclusive Cultivation Resource Zones as compensation and stated that we could increase the offer if they were unsatisfied.
“Bai Luohe said that prior to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands’ campaign against the Divine Thunder Sect Faction, they might have been interested in aiding us for the sake of acquiring Supreme-exclusive cultivation resource zones.
However, after plundering the Divine Thunder Sect faction and the Sacred Land of Heaven’s Treasury faction, they now possess an abundance of such zones and haven’t even had time to fully utilize them. They’ve lost interest in acquiring more. However, if our Qian Dynasty can provide a Heavenly Technique, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands would be willing to assist us.”
Once again, the Great Qian Hall fell into a deep silence.
“A Heavenly Technique?”
First Prince turned to the five Quasi-Supremes and asked, “Does our Qian Dynasty possess any Heavenly Techniques?”
Xu Lian’s heart stirred. He did possess one – a Heavenly Technique called the Sacred Spirit Record , which he had obtained from the Thirteen Clans. Moreover, he had added a progression point to it, requiring another Heavenly Technique to advance further. If the Qian Dynasty possessed a Celestial Method, Xu Lian would stop at nothing to obtain it, even if it meant exposing himself. This was the value of his infiltration.
The five Quasi-Supremes exchanged glances. One of them finally spoke up, saying, “I don’t believe so. At least, I’ve never heard that our Qian Dynasty has a Heavenly Method.
“If we did that, the combat strength of our two Supremes would undoubtedly be far greater. Decades ago, they wouldn’t have needed to rely on high-grade healing pills while battling the two Supremes of the Liang Dynasty-they could have repelled them through sheer strength alone.
“And if we had a Heavenly Method, our two Supremes wouldn’t be trapped now.”
This gave Xu Lian a deeper understanding of the importance of the Sacred Spirit Record. Most of the top tier powers didn’t have Heavenly Methods. The reason why the Thirteen Clans had one was because their ancestors were extraordinary figures who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation and ascended to legendary status. These thirteen ancestors had once ventured beyond the heavens in their prime and obtained fragments of Heavenly Methods.
In their later years, they combined their life’s knowledge to reconstruct and complete these fragments into full-fledged Heavenly Methods. This demonstrated just how rare and difficult it was to acquire such methods. Not every ancestor of a high level power achieved such a glorious feat, and not every ancestor was lucky enough to stumble upon a Heavenly Method.
Even the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands-he had never heard of them possessing a Heavenly Method. This showed how rare these methods were, comparable to the rarity of Law Powers. Throughout history, there had been no more than twenty known Law Powers, and the number of Heavenly Methods might not even reach twenty.
Of course, it was possible that superpowers like the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands possessed Heavenly Methods but kept them hidden and unused. After all, the top-tier forces concealed themselves deeply, and until the fog was completely lifted, no one could say for certain what treasures they held.
“If we cannot move the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, are there other top-tier powers that still need Supreme-exclusive cultivation resources, aren’t afraid of the Vast Domain faction, and are capable of lending a hand?”
With a somber expression, Crown Prince Da asked, “My lords, do you have any other suitable targets in mind?”
Marquis Qin responded bitterly, “The major top-tier forces conceal themselves deeply. The world is vast and boundless, and there are certainly many powerful factions that don’t fear the Vast Domain faction. However, they have not yet revealed themselves, so we cannot determine which factions are both unafraid of the Vast Domain and capable of helping us.”
The nobles and ministers began to murmur among themselves.
“Although the world is currently rife with conflict, most of it is minor skirmishing. The true strength of the major powers has yet to be revealed. In fact, it’s impossible to know which faction has the ability to lend a hand.”
“Looking across the world, only the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands have revealed a significant portion of their strength. Unfortunately, they recently plundered four Supreme-exclusive cultivation resource zones from the Divine Thunder Sect faction and the Sacred Land of Heaven’s Treasury faction, so they have little interest in acquiring more such zones.”
First Prince, the new emperor, roared angrily, “If there are no suitable targets, then all of you will serve as envoys! Visit each major power one by one. The longer we delay, the more danger our two Supremes face!”
Prince Rui added, “This is the only option left. All nobles and ministers at or above the Origin Tracing Realm must serve as envoys and head to the various top-tier forces.”
The new emperor immediately pulled out a map showing the locations of the major powers and began assigning tasks.
“Marquis Qin, go to the Blood Sea.”
“Marquis Ning, go to the Shui Family.”
“Marquis Zhao, go deep into the Skyfall Forest.”
Marquis Zhao’s face turned pale, and he quickly protested, “The depths of the Skyfall Forest are a forbidden zone. If I were to intrude there, it would be highly inappropriate. If I fail to secure aid and instead provoke the Skyfall Forest, it could lead to disastrous consequences.”
The new emperor barked angrily, “Just do as you’re told! Stop making excuses! What time is this for hesitation? When it came to enjoying the dynasty’s cultivation resources, I didn’t see you lagging behind anyone. Now that the dynasty needs your efforts, you suddenly have excuses?”
With no choice, Marquis Zhao reluctantly agreed, forcing himself to accept the mission despite his reservations.
In the end, all the nobles and ministers at or above the Origin Tracing Realm were dispatched to seek aid from the various top-tier forces.
The Great Qian Hall became eerily empty, leaving only the five Quasi-Supremes, the new Emperor, Imperial Preceptor Xu Lian, Zhao Ming, Ning Meixue, and Huangpu Shuyi – those who had not yet reached the Origin Tracing Realm.
No one spoke. The atmosphere was unbearably oppressive.
Time passed slowly.
One by one, the nobles and ministers began to return. Those with cultivation levels at or above the Origin Tracing Realm could quickly traverse vast distances, thanks to their ability to cross space.
Marquis Qin sighed deeply as he reported, “The Blood Sea has refused us.”
Lord Ning lamented, “The Shui Family has also refused.”
Marquis Zhao staggered back, his face ashen and his clothes stained with blood, clearly having suffered severe injuries. He stammered, “I was struck down with a single flick of a finger the moment I stepped into the depths of the Skyfall Forest.”
Pfft… Xu Lian couldn’t help but chuckle, even though he tried to suppress it. Marquis Zhao’s luck was truly abysmal – he had been assigned the task of visiting the depths of the Skyfall Forest, which paid no attention to the conflicts between the major powers. They treated his intrusion as a violation of their forbidden zone and dealt with him accordingly. That they didn’t kill him outright could even be considered a small mercy.
Two hours passed, and all the nobles and ministers had returned. Without exception, every single one of them had been rejected by the various forces. It was clear that the other factions either scoffed at the Qian Dynasty’s plight, looked on indifferently, or simply did not want to provoke the Vast Domain faction. This left the entire imperial court with a feeling of utter hopelessness.
Panic began to spread in the capital. Some smaller families and commoners began to flee with their families, preparing to leave the capital – a place now filled with danger. It was obvious that without the Supremes, the dynasty would soon become fish on the chopping block for the top-tier forces. The fires of war between the great powers would inevitably reach the capital, and neither the smaller families nor the commoners were foolish enough to stay and risk being caught in the crossfire.
Even Xu Lian, the infiltrator, felt a sense of unease. He had spent so much time cultivating his alternate identity, Qin Feng, and reaping immense rewards from it. But now, the situation of the Qian Dynasty was dire, on the verge of collapse. As the saying went, when the nest falls, no egg remains unbroken. Although he had already plundered all of the dynasty’s Metamorphosis Elixir materials – a tremendous haul – and Qin Feng’s role had far exceeded his expectations, Xu Lian still craved more. He hoped that the dynasty’s hidden strength would prove sufficient to deter the major powers and prevent its division.
If the Qian Dynasty were to be carved up by the various forces, then Qin Feng’s value as an undercover operative would be entirely lost. Such a simple truth was not lost on him.