I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 251 - 246: Star Alliance

The Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor staggered back, crashing into a table and sending the disciples from the small sects there scrambling to get away.

"You... Who are you? Who? Who are you???"

The Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor had never suffered such a major loss. He scrambled to his feet and roared.

"BEGONE~~~"

A thunderous roar echoed in the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor’s mind.

BEGONE, BEGONE, BEGONE, BEGONE~~~~~

He immediately spat out another mouthful of blood. No one knew what had just happened.

"Which bastard ambushed me?! If you have any guts, leave your name!"

The Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor looked around frantically, his face a mask of terror.

The entire venue fell silent. Everyone just stared at the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor.

The Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor was horrified to find that his Six Paths Soul Devouring Technique had actually dropped by a full layer. He spread his Heart Spirit out but detected nothing. ’My opponent’s Enchantment Technique is far superior to my own, at least at the Ancestral Level. Damn it, I’ve picked a fight with someone I can’t beat.’

Seeing no response from his opponent, the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor didn’t dare linger. "You’ll regret this, kid!"

The Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor stomped his foot furiously and shot into the sky, vanishing from sight.

Even long after the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor had disappeared, no one in the hall had recovered from the shock.

The Celestial Heart Ancestor spread his Heart Spirit out but was stunned to find not even a shadow. ’Who could possibly make the Soul Refining Ancestor suffer such a huge loss so silently? This...’

All eyes fell on Wang Meng. Just who was this kid, that so many people would come to his defense?

Lingdu Mountain, Kuigang, and Zhou Feng were drenched in sweat. That Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor was simply terrifying.

Lingdu Mountain and Kuigang exchanged a look, knowing full well who had just intervened. They were secretly overjoyed. ’That move was completely worth it. Otherwise, how could we ever show our faces again?’

Wang Meng took Yang Ying’s hand and said gently, "From this day forward, you’re with me. You’ve cast your lot with me now, and you have nothing more to do with Celestial Heart Castle."

Yang Ying looked at Wang Meng’s pale face, but she felt no worry in her heart.

Yang Ying nodded firmly.

"Ahem, Little Ying," Yang Molong said, breaking the stalemate. "Why don’t you introduce us? Why didn’t you tell us you had a sweetheart? A matter this important should be discussed with family." He was thinking that whoever had just intervened was clearly connected to this Wang Meng. To make the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor suffer such a loss without even showing their face, they had to be an absolute expert.

"Great Castle Lord Yang, you seem to have misunderstood. I said it before: Yang Ying is with me now. She has nothing to do with you. If you’re looking to build a relationship, you can go have a nice long chat with the Soul Refining Old Ghost."

Wang Meng said with a smile. ’In this world, where interests collide, it’s often hard to distinguish good from evil. But there was one type of person, the petty scoundrel, that Wang Meng despised above all others.’

’No matter what, Celestial Heart Castle was Yang Ying’s home. Wang Meng had originally planned to endure whatever unreasonable demands they made, to at least try to meet their requirements for her sake. But now? He’d have to be a complete idiot to even consider it.’

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP...

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! They say the Holy Hall is full of heroes, and seeing this today, I can tell it’s true. I wonder, could I become a Holy Hall Disciple?"

The speaker was Lin Jinghao, and his words left the crowd dumbfounded. The representative of the Demon Heart Sect Leader... wanted to join the Holy Hall? What was with this guy?

"Ahem, everyone, don’t look at me like that. I just want to learn how to be a good person."

"Elder Yang, Castle Lord Yang, a person must have principles. Since Celestial Heart Castle has already thrown its lot in with the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, whether you are our friends or our enemies will be decided in this very moment. If you insist on making things difficult for Junior Sister Yang, then don’t blame my Heaven-Dominating Hall for being merciless!"

Coming from anyone else, such words would hold little weight. But Yan Yuyue was different. Everyone knew the influence she held over the Evil Lord, Jiny Tiannan.

Even with his thick skin, the Celestial Heart Ancestor couldn’t bear it any longer—first being put in his place by the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor, and now being openly mocked by his juniors. But since he was in the wrong, he couldn’t lash out. With a flicker, he vanished.

The Celestial Heart Ancestor’s birthday banquet ended in chaos, but news of what happened began to spread rapidly throughout the entire Small Thousand World.

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect had declared war on the leaders of all Three Sects and Four Schools...

The Celestial Heart Ancestor’s birthday banquet should have been a relatively minor affair, but this time, it sent massive shockwaves through the Small Thousand World.

The Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Celestial Demon, had advanced to the Great Perfection realm, plunging the already turbulent Small Thousand World, where a storm was clearly brewing, into an even more unstable period.

The arrogance of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had grown especially severe in recent years. They recruited disciples far and wide, but unlike the Holy Hall, they cared nothing for a recruit’s character. Even outcasts from other sects or criminals on death row were welcome, so long as they were powerful. In return, they received the sect’s protection.

It had to be said that the stalemate between the Three Sects had given the Ten Thousand Demons Sect the perfect opportunity to grow stronger.

And with the rise of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, the three-way balance of power was completely shattered. The Small Thousand World was facing a major reshuffling, and everyone—from the Three Sects, the other Four Schools, and the Eight Great Castles, down to the smallest sects—would have to choose a side.

Choose the right side, and boundless glory awaited. Choose the wrong side, and you would be doomed for eternity.

The goal of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was clear. In truth, Celestial Demon’s arrogance was not born from recklessness. None of the great powers—the Evil Lord, the Demon Venerable, or the Sword God—were willing to provoke the Ten Thousand Demons Sect without good reason.

It would be a Pyrrhic victory, costing eight hundred of their own to take down one thousand of the enemy. And now that Celestial Demon had reached the Great Perfection realm, no one could defeat him unscathed. Celestial Demon was a mad dog; when a dog bites a man, the man doesn’t bite it back.

If two powers were to wound each other in a fight, the other two would inevitably seize the advantage. The three-way stalemate would be broken regardless.

The rise of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had already guaranteed the end of the three-way stalemate. The only question was, who would be the one to fall?

This was the question on everyone’s mind.

Because of this incident, Wang Meng’s name also began to appear on the radar of the other sects.

However, he was not the protagonist of this incident. No one believed he was the one who had forced the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor to retreat. Most people suspected it was Li Xiuwen, or possibly even the Sword God.

Meanwhile, upon hearing that Celestial Demon had reached the Great Perfection realm, the dregs of the Small Thousand World flocked to him like flies. With the Ten Thousand Demons Sect as their backer, their lives would surely become much easier.

And as the Celestial Demon Sect absorbed these scoundrels, its power swelled. After all, in the Cultivation World, one needed a certain amount of capital to be a proper villain.

Yang Ying and Celestial Heart Castle had a complete falling out. Wang Meng, Yang Ying, Yang Qingzi, and Zhou Feng left Celestial Heart Castle that very day and took up residence in Immortal Spring City.

The fact that her own precious daughter had nearly been offered up to the Soul Refining Ghost Ancestor as a Furnace Cauldron had thoroughly enraged Yang Qingzi.

That evening, while Yang Ying was busy consoling her mother, Wang Meng was pulled into a room by Zhou Feng. It was clearly for something important.

"Wang Meng, I came to tell you to return at once. Something important has come up."

Zhou Feng’s expression was grave.

Wang Meng knew Zhou Feng. He was usually all smiles and jokes, but he was never one to jest when he was serious.

"Old Zhou," Wang Meng said, "go on. Is it something to do with the Sect?"

Zhou Feng nodded. "What I’m about to tell you is the greatest secret of our Small Thousand World—the Great Yuan Realm!"

"The Great Yuan Realm? Isn’t that where Ning Zhiyuan was going? I remember Elder Xu went there too."

Zhou Feng nodded. "In the boundless Cultivation World, our Small Thousand World is not unique. The Great Yuan Realm is a place that connects all the Small Thousand Worlds."

Even with his experience of possessing a Godhood, Wang Meng was stunned by this sudden revelation. ’There are many Small Thousand Worlds?’

He had received no such information from the Godhood’s legacy. ’This complicates things...’

"The Great Yuan Realm is the main point of contention for the top sects from all the Small Thousand Worlds. The Elemental Qi there is much purer than in our Small Thousand Realm, incomparably so. Most importantly, only by entering the Great Yuan Realm and becoming a member of the Star Alliance can a world be truly recognized and prove its right to exist."

"The Star Alliance? What’s that?" Wang Meng was completely in the dark.

"Whenever a Small Thousand Realm’s overall cultivation level reaches the Star Alliance’s standard, the Alliance opens a passage for them to the Great Yuan Realm. The top sects of that Small Thousand Realm can then enter, but they must abide by the Star Alliance’s rules."

"They could just choose not to go."

Zhou Feng gave a wry smile. "Do you really think that’s possible?"

Whether driven by a cultivator’s innate thirst for adventure, the allure of the Great Yuan Realm’s superior cultivation environment, or simply a healthy fear of an unknown, immense power, they had no choice. And in reality, that was just how it was.

"Only Star Alliance members receive the Alliance’s protection. We have no other choice. I don’t know who founded the Star Alliance, but here in our world, the Three Sects and Five Schools are all members. That’s why, no matter how much noise the Ten Thousand Demons Sect makes, a true war won’t break out—not unless they receive permission from the Star Alliance for a War of Annihilation."

"The Ten Thousand Demons Sect... are they really that strong?"

Wang Meng had always thought the Three Sects were the strongest.

"In the Great Yuan Realm, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect ranks higher than our Holy Hall," Zhou Feng said helplessly. "The Three Sects’ power relies heavily on the Sword God and their long history, but the Great Yuan Realm has its own rules."

"Old Zhou, what do you need me to do?"

"The struggle in the Great Yuan Realm is handled by the Sect Leader and the Ancestral Masters. The place you’re going is the same as where Ning Zhiyuan went. It’s the Great Yuan Realm’s Cultivation Academy, founded by the Star Alliance. It only accepts Cultivators recommended by Star Alliance members who are between the Tenth and Fifty Layers. The performance of a sect’s disciples there directly affects the sect’s official ranking. In truth, it’s difficult to survive in the Cultivation Academy if your Elemental Power level is too low, but it’s also hard if it’s too high. The easiest level to make a name for yourself is between the Twenty-Fifth and Thirtieth Layer. That’s where Ning Zhiyuan went, but..." Zhou Feng trailed off.

"Old Zhou, we’re brothers. Cut the official crap and tell me what’s really going on."

"Sigh... Our Holy Hall is ranked 186th. It’s an extremely dangerous position. If we fall out of the Star Alliance’s required rankings, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, the Demon Heart Sect, and the Heaven-Dominating Hall could all launch a War of Annihilation against us. If our Small Thousand Realm falls below the Star Alliance’s standards... we will be destroyed."

Wang Meng thought to himself, ’Can’t anyone fight back?’ But it was a fleeting thought. ’If resistance were possible, the situation would have never gotten this bad.’

"Your trip to the Cultivation Academy is part of the Sect Leader’s plan to save us."

"Is that where Elder Xu Huang went too?" Wang Meng asked.

Zhou Feng shook his head. "Xu Huang went to the Great Yuan Realm, but not to the Cultivation Academy. When the day comes that you can leave the Academy, or your strength reaches a level that grants you the authority, you’ll find out everything you want to know."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)