Chapter 47: Alliance

With injuries of this magnitude, even a practitioner at the Other Shore realm would need to spend several years recovering in bed. Even with the expenditure of immense resources for treatment, a period of at least several months would still be required.

Li Tianqi lay limp like a heap of mud, his bones thoroughly shattered. The excruciating pain left him entirely unable to move, rendering even speech an impossible luxury.

His eyes were dead and desolate, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light.

In this battle, he had been utterly crushed by someone of a lower realm than himself. For someone who considered himself exceptionally talented, such a blow was heavy beyond words.

"We are all disciples of the same sect; was there any need to act so ruthlessly?" Yang Tianfeng gazed at Li Tianqi, whose bones were pulverized throughout his body, and then cast a gaze filled with killing intent toward Li Ya.

"Since we are all fellow disciples, why did you all attempt to seize my immortal metal?" Li Ya met Yang Tianfeng's gaze without showing the slightest weakness.

Zhang Chong and Yun Shang stepped forward, positioning themselves in front of Li Ya. They said nothing, but their intentions were expressed with absolute clarity.

"It seems the Sun Rising Divine Island and Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain have joined forces." Seeing that Yun Shang was still standing alongside Zhang Chong at this moment, Yang Tianfeng could not fail to understand that Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain had also entered the fray.

"Senior Brother jokes. We are all members of the Sacred Land; properly speaking, we are all fellow apprentices," Yun Shang said with a light chuckle.

"Hmph!" Yang Tianfeng sneered coldly. "It appears Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain is truly placing its bets on this kid. Are you so certain that he can make it all the way to stand before the Sacred Son?"

"Why ever not?" Zhang Chong replied.

"Then I shall wait and see." Yang Tianfeng reached out, grabbed Li Tianqi—who had collapsed into a puddle of mud—and transformed his figure into a streak of light that shot into the sky.

"What did his words just mean? What betting?" Li Ya asked with curiosity.

In truth, Yun Shang's attitude had also left Li Ya somewhat perplexed. Knowing full well that the Rising Sun Peak stood behind the Supreme Saint lineage, Yun Shang had nevertheless chosen to stand with the Rising Sun Island side.

For a Supreme Elder to act in such a manner could, to a large extent, represent the entire lineage of Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain.

"Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain lacks any exceptionally brilliant disciples in this generation, and Rising Sun Island is no match for the Supreme Saint lineage on its own. Therefore, we have joined forces to jointly back you," Yun Shang said with a smile.

Li Ya nodded in realization. This was a case of mutual need. The Rising Sun Divine Island required allies to resist the Supreme Saint lineage, while Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain needed a future, placing its bets ahead of time on what was to come.

Naturally, this was also because Li Ya had demonstrated the kind of potential that allowed Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain to see hope in his contention for the position of Sacred Son.

*I suppose this battle was also a test set by Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain,* Li Ya thought to himself.

Had Li Ya failed to defeat Li Tianqi today, Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain would not have intervened so decisively and cleanly.

The strength of the Supreme Saint lineage was such that even if Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain and Rising Sun Island formed an alliance, a gap between them still remained. Furthermore, the Supreme Saint lineage had its own allies, much like Rising Sun Peak today.

If Li Ya lacked the potential to contend for the Sacred Son, Descending Rosy Clouds Mountain naturally would not have chosen a side.

"Work hard. From this day onward, your reputation will spread throughout the Flawless Sacred Land. If the opportunity arises, others will not let go of the thought of stepping on you to elevate themselves," Zhang Chong said earnestly.

Hearing this, Li Ya was slightly stunned. "I beat Li Tianqi into such a miserable state; would others still dare to come looking for trouble with me?"

Li Tianqi's condition could hardly be described as anything less than wretched. Without rare heavenly treasures, he would likely be bedridden for several years at the very least. With things having come to this, could it be that it wasn't enough to deter the others?

Yun Shang and Zhang Chong remained silent for a moment before Yun Shang spoke up, "It will deter a portion of them, but there is no shortage of confident individuals who will still choose to challenge you."

Li Ya felt a slight ache in his teeth. Call it what one would, these were cultivators of the Shifting Heavens world—their stubbornness was truly in a league of its own, utterly devoid of fear. Whether one could defeat an opponent or not could only be known after fighting.

Besides, he was indeed drawing envious eyes right now. His realm was not high, yet he possessed immortal metal. One could easily imagine that many people within the Sacred Land were already eager to try their hand at this point.

"Hoo..." Li Ya let out a long breath, casting aside his chaotic thoughts, his tone resonant and resolute: "Then let them come. Just as well, I also need continuous major battles to temper myself."

Seeing Li Ya brimming with fighting spirit, Zhang Chong and Yun Shang exchanged glances, both revealing looks of satisfaction.

A cultivator ought to forge ever onward. Without such a mindset, even the greatest innate talent would be utterly wasted.

With the challenges concerning Rising Sun Peak concluded, Zhang Chong was also preparing to take his leave. Having been away from the Sacred Land for several months, he needed to return for a time.

Li Ya did not travel with him. Given his current prominence, it was unwise for him to return to the Sacred Land just yet; remaining in the Sacred City would spare him a great deal of trouble. As for safety, with Yun Shang present, there would be no problems to speak of.

Before leaving, Zhang Chong even imparted the Dao Palace chapter of the Flawless Scripture to Li Ya.

...

Inside the cultivation chamber, the very first thing Li Ya did upon his return was to input the Dao Palace chapter into the Heavenly Scripture, which promptly began absorbing Source at a frantic pace.

The consumption was staggering. The assets on Li Ya's person instantly shrank by more than half; his fortune of over one hundred thousand jin of Source was reduced to a mere few tens of thousands of jin in the blink of an eye.

The light of enlightenment suddenly flared, and the scriptures of the Dao Palace chapter of the Flawless Emperor Scripture appeared within his mind.

"Phew, the consumption is truly terrifying. I'll have to pay a visit to the stone-gambling dens after a while," Li Ya muttered with a touch of helplessness.

The Heavenly Scripture's consumption when deducing scriptures was simply exorbitant. If his Source techniques weren't proficient enough for him to extract Source through stone gambling, he simply wouldn't have been able to sustain the Heavenly Scripture at all.

"Sharpening the axe does not delay the work of woodcutting; let us advance the Source techniques to an even more profound level as well."

Although his current Source technique was already extraordinary—presumably no inferior to the techniques of those prominent Source-master families—Li Ya felt it was still not enough.

Since he currently had Source—and though the consumption was exorbitant—as long as his Source techniques improved, extracting Source through stone gambling would become all the more effortless.

Another ten thousand jin of Source was poured in. The light of enlightenment flared brightly once more, and following the second deduction of the Source techniques, their grade was elevated to the Saint level.

Within the newly refined Source techniques, a divine eye secret technique had also emerged. It was exceedingly profound, and when paired with the communion with heaven and earth, stone gambling in the future would truly be an ever-victorious enterprise.

"A Saint-level Source technique paired with the Source divine eye technique is more than sufficient."

Li Ya came to a halt, pouring no further Source into it. Saint-level Source techniques were already completely adequate for his needs.

Having indulged in a bout of spending, Li Ya began his cultivation with a satisfied mind.

...

Time flew like an arrow, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cultivation chamber, Li Ya was wreathed in a powerful aura, his entire body radiating a blazing light while his bitter sea churned and divine energy surged.

Before Li Ya lay a pile of Source, visually estimated to be around fifty jin in weight. At this moment, surging primal essence rolled like a tide, pouring continuously into his body.

After a long while, when the essence within the Source had been completely absorbed, Li Ya's aura gradually calmed and settled.

"Swish!"

Li Ya opened his eyes. His gaze was unfathomably deep and exceptionally bright, as though endless star rivers were contained within them.

A month of cultivation had brought vast improvements to his cultivation base once more. The heavenly vein traversing above his bitter sea was brilliantly radiant, extending deeper by a stretch and nearly spanning the entire bitter sea; reaching the Other Shore realm was no longer far away.

Although he had not broken through, his battle prowess was definitely a notch stronger than it had been half a month ago. His divine energy was even more boundless, and every punch and kick could erupt with formidable might.

Such a speed of cultivation was truly too exaggerated.

This was his ninth month of cultivation—not even a full year had passed—yet his realm was already approaching the peak of the Divine Bridge, and it would not take much longer before he broke through to the Other Shore.

Li Ya stood up and walked out of the cultivation chamber. For the past month, he had been in closed-door seclusion and bitter cultivation, leaving his mind slightly fatigued.

Although he could continue cultivating, he felt that an appropriate rest was in order at this juncture.

Properly balancing work and rest could enhance the efficiency of cultivation.

Just as he stepped out of the cultivation chamber and prepared to head to the stone-gambling dens to have a look, a disciple came looking for him.

"Senior Brother, Supreme Elder Yun wishes to see you," that disciple said respectfully.

Li Ya was slightly taken aback and asked with curiosity, "Supreme Elder Yun is looking for me? Is there something the matter?"

The disciple shook his head, "This junior brother does not know either. Supreme Elder Yun merely instructed this disciple to wait here for Senior Brother to emerge from seclusion and lead you to him."

Yun Shang's invitation was naturally something Li Ya would not refuse. Moreover, judging by the disciple's appearance, he had likely been waiting outside the cultivation chamber for at least several days. Li Ya was also somewhat curious as to why Yun Shang wanted to see him.

"Take me there," Li Ya said.

The guiding disciple did not lead him to the front courtyards, but instead brought him among a cluster of peaks.

Here, the mountains were picturesque and the scenery beautiful. Wisps of thin mist curled like smoke around the summits, while clear streams rippled at the base of the mountains, accompanied by ancient trees and aged vines—an atmosphere of profound serenity.

Ahead stood a small pavilion, and Yun Shang was currently standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, admiring the flowers and plants before him with an appreciative gaze.

"Ah, you've arrived." Seeing Li Ya approach, Yun Shang shifted his gaze away from the flora and walked toward him.

The environment here was natural and tranquil, and Yun Shang, dressed in pristine white robes and possessing handsome features, truly resembled an immortal descending into the mortal world.

"Supreme Elder Yun," Li Ya greeted with a cupped-fist salute.

"Ah, very well, very well. There is no need for such excessive courtesy in the future." Yun Shang waved a hand, and a gentle force sustained Li Ya, preventing him from bowing all the way down.

"I called you here this time because there is an important matter that concerns you," Yun Shang said with a smile, his happiness visibly apparent on his face.

"Is someone else coming to challenge me?" The corners of Li Ya's mouth twitched slightly. It seemed as though every time he emerged from seclusion, someone would show up at his doorstep to challenge him.

Could it be that this time was no exception?

Hearing this, Yun Shang chuckled and shook his head. "There are indeed those who wish to challenge you, but I turned them away. However, the reason I called you here today is truly not for such trivial matters."

Li Ya felt a stir of curiosity. If it wasn't a challenge, what other matter could possibly concern him?

It wasn't that he was being overly modest, but he possessed self-awareness: at present, anything that concerned him would likely involve disciples of his own tier.

Among his peers, aside from those wishing to challenge him to step upon his reputation for their own elevation, Li Ya truly could not think of any other possibility.

"As for that matter with Jiang Yi, since you were personally involved, I won't dwell on it. Let me tell you about the aftermath instead," Yun Shang began without waiting for Li Ya to ask.

...

It turned out that after Jiang Yi raided the Source-producing territory of the Flawless Sacred Land, experts from the Sacred Land had traveled to the Northern Domain to settle accounts with him.

However, the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Domain were elusive, and after searching the barren regions of the Northern Domain for a while, the Flawless Sacred Land's Mighty Experts returned completely empty-handed.

Naturally, the Flawless Sacred Land was unwilling to swallow this insult in silence. Since they could not find Jiang Yi, they simply decided to direct their trouble at the Jiang family.

However, two factions possessing Imperial Weapons would certainly never start a war over such a trivial matter. Yet, at this juncture, Li Ya—who possessed extraordinary attainments in Source techniques—had stepped into the public eye.

Consequently, the Flawless Sacred Land came up with a plan.

*Since the rebellious scion of your Jiang family raided my Source territory, I will send a disciple with extraordinary mastery of Source techniques to gamble at your stone-gambling dens. However much I have lost, I will make your stone-gambling dens lose just as much.*

This was an overt plot. If a grandmaster of Source techniques truly set out to plague a particular faction, very few organizations could withstand it.

Yet, open for business as they were, they could not simply block him out; they were even forced to greet him with a smiling face. One could only imagine how infuriating such a tactic was.