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"You are different from others," Jiang Linglong said with a faint smile in her eyes, her tone calm.
"You have the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat. At critical moments, you can assemble an elite force to provide support wherever it's needed while retreating safely. Staying outside Tianxu Mountain might allow you to be more effective."
Elian fell silent as he listened. He knew Jiang Linglong wasn't telling him everything.
The Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat would undoubtedly be a significant asset even within Tianxu Mountain. However, Tianxu Mountain was destined to face the main force of the demon beasts, possibly including Golden Core-level demon kings. The pressure they would endure would be unimaginable.
If Tianxu Mountain held firm, all would be well. But if it fell, the vast majority of the cultivators defending it would likely perish under the tide of hundreds of thousands of demon beasts, with only a few survivors escaping.
Jiang Linglong wanted Elian to remain in Yu County because, with the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat, he was among the few most likely to survive if the worst came to pass.
"You don't need to overthink it," Jiang Linglong said.
"With me here, even if the Sky Python Demon King comes in person, I won't fear him."
She handed him a white jade bracelet, her expression solemn.
"This is the Frostheart White Jade Bracelet, imbued with a trace of my sword intent. If you ever face a life-or-death situation, use this to carve a path forward. It can kill any opponent below the level of a Golden Core demon king."
Elian accepted the bracelet, his heart trembling slightly. The ability to kill a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator with a single strike was clearly achieved at great personal cost to Jiang Linglong.
The bracelet, crafted from Frostheart White Jade—a third-tier heavenly material worth tens of thousands of spirit stones—had been made into a single-use artifact. Its value was unmistakable.
Elian hesitated and then said, "This is far too precious. You should keep it as a trump card for yourself."
"With my strength, I don't need such external aids," Jiang Linglong replied, shaking her head with quiet confidence.
She didn't voice her deeper thoughts, but in her heart, she knew: as long as Elian survived, she would have no regrets.
Elian finally took the bracelet and noticed that it fit his wrist perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for him. His lips parted slightly, but he swallowed the words he wanted to say, instead speaking calmly.
"Without the Qingyang Sect's help this time, the beast chaos will likely be more difficult than ever. Tianxu Mountain will face immense pressure defending Sky Python Lake. Please, take care of yourself."
In truth, Elian had countless things he wanted to say, but he lacked the strength to voice them. He wasn't strong enough to shoulder her burdens or protect her. All he could do was silently hope for her safety.
The two walked together atop Tianxu Mountain for a long time before Elian finally bid her farewell.
As he left, he turned to look back and saw her standing silently on the mountain peak, her graceful figure like that of a celestial maiden in a painting, otherworldly and unattainable.
"This is the last time," Elian thought to himself, silently vowing.
"The last time I let you face such powerful enemies alone."
Little did he know, this fleeting meeting might well be the final goodbye.
With that, he activated the Fiery Void Sword and flew down from Tianxu Mountain.
Back at Tianxu Mountain Market, Elian continued to consolidate his cultivation, using the Fiery Void Sword to temper his spiritual energy.
Now at the late Foundation Establishment stage, the energy required to progress further was far greater than in earlier stages. Even with the help of Spirit Peaches, Elian estimated it would take eight or nine years to break through to the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.
With just over three years left until the beast chaos, there was no time for another breakthrough. However, his natal sword's ability to nourish and refine his energy would enhance his spiritual energy by 30%.
Refined spiritual energy would increase the power of his divine abilities and third-tier immortal sword, further boosting his overall strength.
This period of seclusion, however, lasted only seven days before it was interrupted—the day to sign the Tianxu Mountain Blood Pact had arrived.
Nineteen Foundation Establishment clans from the three counties of the border regions and two Purple Mansion clans sent important representatives to Tianxu Mountain for the alliance.
When Elian and Chen Qinghao arrived at the training grounds of Tianxu Mountain, they found over a hundred cultivators already assembled.
All of them were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, including Tianxu Mountain's Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, the three counties' independent cultivators, the clans' Foundation Establishment representatives, and delegates from the Xu and Yang Purple Mansion clans.
Even Yang Yuanhe of the Yang Clan and Xu Daoyuan of the Xu Clan, two Purple Mansion ancestors, had personally attended, their expressions solemn.
Before long, Jiang Linglong and Lin Qianshu, the two Purple Mansion ancestors of Tianxu Mountain, flew to the center of the grounds.
Lin Qianshu scanned the crowd and spoke with a grave expression.
"Fellow cultivators, a century ago, the beast chaos inflicted severe damage on the cultivation world of Chu Kingdom."
"Though we've spent the last century recovering, the Qingyang Sect can no longer spare resources to assist us. This time, they won't send troops to support the border regions."
"Therefore, we must form a new alliance here at Tianxu Mountain to resist the invasion of the demon beasts together."
…
After Lin Qianshu finished speaking, she presented a written pact for the attendees to review.
Elian examined it and found no discrepancies from what had been previously discussed.
Over the past few years, the three counties of the border regions and Tianxu Mountain had revised the agreement many times, so this final meeting was more of a formality.
The new pact was similar to the previous Qingyang Alliance but differed significantly in its details.
Under this agreement, during the beast chaos, all the immortal clans would follow Tianxu Mountain's commands, coordinating their forces. Any clan that defied orders and delayed battle would be subject to retribution from the allied forces of the border regions.
Tianxu Mountain, bearing the brunt of the attacks from Sky Python Lake, would face the largest share of the demon forces.
The other immortal clans were required to contribute both manpower and resources to support Tianxu Mountain.
For example, the hundred or so clans of Yu County had to pool together 50,000 spirit stones to fund Tianxu Mountain's defensive formations when its spiritual springs were depleted.
Beyond financial contributions, each county was also required to allocate 30% of its cultivators to form armies supporting Tianxu Mountain.
After a century of recovery, the border regions had regained their population of mortals and cultivators to pre-catastrophe levels. Yu County alone now had over 10,000 cultivators, including more than 30 Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Together, the three counties could send approximately 40 Foundation Establishment cultivators and 10,000 Qi Refining cultivators to support Tianxu Mountain.
The remaining forces would be divided between guarding individual clan spiritual veins and defending key spiritual veins shared by the three counties. These forces could also provide mutual support in emergencies.
Yu County, being closest to the 100,000-mile wasteland, faced the greatest pressure of the three counties but lacked a resident Purple Mansion clan.
To address this, the Xu and Yang Clans would each send a Purple Mansion ancestor to station in Yu County, while Feng County would dispatch 1,000 Qi Refining cultivators to provide additional support.
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