Chapter Ninety-Seven: Storm Brewing, the Alliance Formed

When Chen Mu emerged, the crowd fell silent, none daring to speak. He paid them no heed, merely gesturing with his hand. A surge of intent shot forth, and in front of their astonished eyes, the Immortal Dwelling, that legendary treasure of the Seven Stars Pavilion, swiftly shrank and landed in his palm, vanishing without a trace.

For a moment, deathly silence reigned, then an uproar broke out as everyone began discussing how Chen Mu had taken away the Seven Stars Pavilion’s treasured building. It was hardly unexpected: for countless ages, all of Great Xia had agreed that no one could control this artifact. Otherwise, many would have tried to seize it by force long ago. The Seven Stars Pavilion had openly declared that anyone capable of mastering it would receive the Immortal Dwelling as their reward, yet all who had attempted to refine it had failed. This boast was made precisely because they knew it was impossible to subdue; people had stopped paying much attention once its true purpose and effects remained unclear. But today, Chen Mu shattered their assumptions, taking away the very heart of the Pavilion—the Immortal Dwelling. Clearly, this treasure was extraordinary.

Just as the crowd’s greed and curiosity grew, Chen Mu’s cold gaze swept over them. Only then did they realize the artifact belonged to him now. Fearing his wrath, all fell silent, turning away and not daring to meet his eyes.

Having stowed away the Immortal Dwelling, Chen Mu led the demon beasts outside the city, dispelled the trapping formation, and left the city as if nothing had happened.

A few days later, news spread throughout Great Xia that the Seven Stars Pavilion had been annihilated. Yet it was not the only headline: Blood Sky had destroyed two other minor sects in the same period. Those sects that had resisted joining the Dao Alliance were now terrified by Chen Mu and Blood Sky’s ruthless methods, eager to pledge allegiance at once.

Their actions hastened the formation of the Dao Alliance, though Chen Mu cared little—so long as Zhong Tianyao no longer blocked his path, nothing could hinder his quest for vengeance. For now, he could do nothing against them, but that would not always be the case.

Blood Sky feared even less; his power surpassed Chen Mu’s, and he welcomed challengers from every sect, for the more enemies he faced, the more blood and energy he could absorb. Why refuse such easy prey?

A few days later, all sects and factions within Great Xia officially formed the Dao Alliance, with even the royal family forced to acquiesce. Chen Mu and Blood Sky’s rampant exterminations had terrified all, making this perhaps the darkest era in Great Xia’s history.

Though Chen Mu and Blood Sky acted separately, driven by different motives and principles, their reputation for wiping out entire sects bound them together in the public mind. Blood Sky himself was curious; he had met Chen Mu once and even tried to seize his body, but never expected Chen Mu would also be annihilating sects across Great Xia. He did not know Chen Mu’s true purpose, but found him to his liking—so ruthless and decisive that, if unleashed upon a broader world, he would surely become a figure of great significance.

Now, only two targets remained for Chen Mu’s revenge: the Azurefall Dao Sect and the royal family of Great Xia. Both were formidable foes. Azurefall Dao Sect was guarded by Zhong Tianyao, who, though injured, was still beyond Chen Mu’s power to confront directly. The royal family reportedly possessed a bloodline formation capable of temporarily elevating the emperor’s strength to the pseudo Nascent Soul realm—a force not to be underestimated.

However, the royal family had not directly participated in the massacre of Starwatch Valley. Thus, Chen Mu did not intend to annihilate them, only to demand justice: all those involved must be executed. If they refused, then exterminating the entire royal family would not be too late.

Moreover, the emperor’s strength could only be maintained within the imperial capital. Once he left, even Chen Mu could defeat him, so Chen Mu gradually ceased to worry about him.

Azurefall Dao Sect, on the other hand, was troublesome. Chen Mu had no idea how badly Zhong Tianyao was injured. If he rushed in and Zhong Tianyao was not severely wounded, he would be walking into a trap.

Furthermore, Azurefall Dao Sect’s formation of the Dao Alliance had bolstered their strength. Ignoring the numerous Core Formation cultivators, the alliance now boasted nine Nascent Soul experts. Azurefall Dao Sect itself, due to the destruction of Gu Daozhen’s physical body and his ongoing adaptation to a new one, had its affairs managed by his younger brother Gu Daoyan, so the sect accounted for only one of the nine.

Great Xia’s power was split between the royal family and the military. The military was guarded by a Nascent Soul general. The royal family had an elder, a patriarch, and the emperor himself, making up four of the nine Nascent Soul cultivators—one of whom Chen Mu recognized as the elder who had tried to kill him at the Heroes’ Assembly, only to be stopped by Rou’er.

The remaining four included the leader of Greencloud Mountain Sect and three others unknown to Chen Mu, likely heads of other factions.

With the Dao Alliance organized by Azurefall Dao Sect, Chen Mu found himself unable to act against them for now. Since there was nothing he could do, he decided to focus on rebuilding Starwatch Valley, curious about its current state after his absence.

Upon returning, Chen Mu saw the valley had been cleared of debris, and both the trapping and defensive arrays had been restored. Unfortunately, the houses required reconstruction, and the population was sparse. Every time they left the valley to procure supplies, merchants refused to deal with them, avoiding Starwatch Valley altogether.

It was unsurprising. Starwatch Valley had been destroyed by Azurefall Dao Sect, and its master, Gu Xingyuan, was wanted by both the royal family and Azurefall Dao Sect. With such notoriety, no one dared trade with them, fearing implication and possible annihilation should the authorities discover their involvement.

Chen Mu’s face darkened upon hearing this. Gu Xingyuan, seeing the murderous intent in Chen Mu’s eyes, patted his shoulder and urged him to restrain himself, not to vent his anger on ordinary merchants.

Since Gu Xingyuan advised him, Chen Mu accepted it. Yet, having grown accustomed to violence and pillage in recent months, he had developed a bandit’s temperament—any slight was met with ruthless reprisal. The change in him was profound.

Though he could not rob them, rules had to be established. Chen Mu went to the old Starwatch Valley territory and informed the merchants and towns: to remain, they must pay tribute to the valley as before.

Not only tribute—they must also engage in trade with Starwatch Valley. Otherwise, they would be driven out by force.

The nearby towns protested, but Chen Mu’s iron-fisted suppression quickly silenced them, and all who resisted were mercilessly slain.

His infamy was well known. Yet trading with Starwatch Valley would surely offend Great Xia and Azurefall Dao Sect. Especially for the town lords, who were part of the empire—acknowledging Starwatch Valley would be tantamount to betrayal.

Still, fearing Chen Mu, the town lords kept silent, but reported the matter to the empire. Soon, news spread that Starwatch Valley had been reestablished.

Upon learning this, Azurefall Dao Sect announced a coalition to punish Starwatch Valley, citing Chen Mu as the valley’s offspring and accusing them of harboring evil, thus meriting destruction.

Such lofty rhetoric was merely a pretext to vent their anger. Having destroyed Starwatch Valley, they now sought to justify it by blaming Chen Mu, making their actions seem prescient and righteous.

They were certain that if they attacked Starwatch Valley, Chen Mu would appear. If they could kill him, one threat would be eliminated.

But their assumptions were naive. Chen Mu eagerly awaited their attack, and they underestimated his power. They had only heard rumors of his deeds, so the sect leaders took him lightly.

Azurefall Dao Sect, however, did not underestimate him. Gu Daozhen had lost his body to Chen Mu, and they knew his strength well. Thus, they gathered all Nascent Soul cultivators in Great Xia to deal with Starwatch Valley and lure Chen Mu out. Even with the demon beasts at his side, they believed their nine Nascent Soul cultivators could hold them at bay and kill Chen Mu, relying on superior numbers.

What they did not know was that Chen Mu had grown stronger, and Starwatch Valley’s formation could even trap mid-tier Divine Soul cultivators. Their hopes of killing him were pure fantasy.

Thus, the empire dispatched part of its army, combining forces with the sects to encircle Starwatch Valley. Great Xia, with its four Nascent Soul cultivators, remained the strongest faction—all four unharmed.

Though the empire had four Nascent Soul experts, only Emperor Xiahou Longchen was at the peak, with the others at early stages. The emperor, occupied with state affairs, could not leave the capital, and the patriarch, aged, was not fit for travel. Thus, only two could be deployed: Elder Xiahou Gongyan and General Li Huai.

With Zhong Tianyao wounded, the royal family felt emboldened and did not send all their Nascent Soul cultivators. If the emperor himself joined, it would signal he was merely a pawn in the alliance. Thus, only seven Nascent Soul cultivators joined the campaign against Starwatch Valley. Still, they considered this a formidable force.