"So you're the current head of Chang Chun Temple? Somewhat capable, but still not enough,"

Wu Yue God glanced at Tian Jizi who was flying toward them. His voice was neither hurried nor slow as he slowly stepped forward, as if ascending an invisible staircase, step by step, heading up above everyone's heads.

Meanwhile, "Ancestor Ming Quan" and "Liu Hanyu," who were originally by his side, had disappeared without a trace at some point.

At the same time, the group of Nascent Soul cultivators below finally reacted. They hurriedly suppressed the horrid shock in their hearts, raised their hands to form incantations, and attempted to attack Wu Yue God.

"I came here as a guest today, is this how you treat your guests?" Wu Yue God sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, the people were horrified to discover that they couldn't muster any desire to make a move against him. Even though they knew Wu Yue God was an enemy, and knew they couldn't listen to his words, they still felt in their hearts that he was right and that they should do as he said.

Among them all, only Luo Zhu and Wan Tianren showed signs of struggle, as if trying to forcibly break free of their restraints, but no matter how hard they tried, it was of no use.

Next to Luo Zhu, Xi Ying showed no intention of struggling. Having overcome her initial horror, her emotions gradually settled, and she was able to focus more on observing Wu Yue God and guessing his real purpose for being here.

Finally, Wu Yue God had ascended to a position directly above the crowd. He truly resembled a god, superior to all living beings, looking down upon the people below.

"In my eyes, you are but ants. I came here today merely to give you the chance to look up to a true god," Wu Yue God looked down at everyone, his voice spreading throughout Yuhua City.

"What exactly do you want to say!" Wan Tianren shouted.

"When I speak, you should listen quietly."

Wu Yue God slightly raised his hand, and in the next instant, Wan Tianren's eyes widened in shock as he found he could no longer open his mouth no matter how hard he tried.

"The death of an ant is of no interest to me. If you submit to me and worship me as your god, I will surely protect you. Those with sincere hearts may even have the chance to become Divine Envoys, receive my divine grace, and aspire to the great Dao. If you attempt to resist me and trample on the future territory of my Divine Country, be prepared to face death," Wu Yue God said indifferently.

"Wu Yue's false god, don't even think about it!" Luo Zhu burst out shouting.

"How dare you come here alone with your crooked practices! Let's gang up on him!"

"Let's fight him!"

The rest of the Nascent Soul cultivators, originally shocked by Wu Yue God's aura and slow to react, now spurred on by Luo Zhu, a late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator's call to arms, began to openly scold in protest.

"Good advice is wasted on the damned, the gods and Buddhas do not ferry the self-doomed. It is pitiful, lamentable, and regrettable that you are all so stubbornly unenlightened," Wu Yue God seemed unfazed and, after finishing his words, his figure gradually faded, as if he was about to disappear from that place.

"Chang Chun Temple is not a place where you can come and go as you please!"

Just at that moment, Tian Jizi had already appeared above Wu Yue God and suddenly shouted loudly. He formed incantations with his hands, bowed toward the gate of Chang Chun Temple and then countless blue water lights fell from the sky, like rivers reversing and seas pouring out. Endless blue spirit light converged into tens of thousands of water dragons roaring towards Wu Yue God.

"Canghai Xuan Water Pearl? It must have been fully restored by now, but that's still not enough."

Wu Yue God spoke lightly and shook his head, making no move to resist as the water dragons tore at his body, shredding it to pieces.

But the next instant, before the water dragons had dispersed, the figure of Wu Yue God reappeared in the sky, unharmed.

"The Moon Sect intelligence I've just revealed is a meeting gift for you all. I hope it can arouse a bit of interest in you..."

Wu Yue God said, his figure fading once again, and this time, no matter how the water dragons tore and scratched, it was as if they were separated by a transparent screen, completely unable to touch him.

Soon, he disappeared completely into the sky, leaving behind only the water dragons filling the entire sky and Tian Jizi with a livid expression.

With the departure of Wu Yue God, the original platform also vanished, and the starry night turned back to daylight, the previously disappeared grand hall reappeared as well.

The crowd looked at each other, feeling as if what had just happened was all a dream, yet no one was willing to speak first.

Tian Jizi had now taken the seat at the top inside the hall, with Ancestor Ming Quan and Liu Hanyu standing to the left and right.

Everyone, both on and off the platform, looked exceedingly upset.

Wu Yue God's appearance had turned this assembly into a complete farce. All present were fooled and humiliated by him, yet none could even touch the hem of his garment, leaving these lofty Nascent Soul cultivators feeling utterly defeated and ashamed.

Tian Jizi looked at the silent crowd, and couldn't help but sigh.

After this ordeal, he wondered how many of those present had entertained the thought of defecting to the Wu Yue Sect?

The Cloud Desolate Alliance had just been established for one day, and perhaps it was about to disband.

It was laughable that the alliance was even announced by their enemies.

In the deathly silence, Xi Ying suddenly stood up and scanned the crowd.

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to be so pessimistic. The fact that the Wu Yue God came here just proves that he hasn't fully recovered yet and isn't truly revived," she stated confidently.

Upon hearing this, everyone lifted their heads, and Tian Jizi, seeing this, quickly followed Xi Ying's lead.

"Your sect must have more understanding of the Wu Yue God than most of us here. Did the Shadow God Envoy notice anything?" he asked, eager to lift their spirits, even bringing up the Moon Sect. The full series lives on * (*).

Strictly speaking, soul cultivation was taboo on the Yunhuang Continent, partly because of the terrifying reputation of the Wu Yue God from the past, and because of the fame the Moon Sect and the Nether Moon God gained in the battle of the East Sea, which made Chang Chun Temple also cautious. However, now with the threat of the Wu Yue Sect, there was no time to deal with anything else.

"It's a simple logic, if the Wu Yue God had completely revived, with his Spoken Witch power, coming here to deal with us would mean death or release at a single thought. Why would he need to resort to grandstanding and declare war?" Xi Ying guessed Tian Jizi's thoughts and said as much.

Hearing this, many people's eyes lit up slightly.

"Besides, he implied that he wanted us to face his subordinates, doesn't that indirectly show that he can't easily take action now? Plus, I heard that after the Wu Yue Sect conquered Black Wind Desert, they assigned a large number of forces to slaughter mortals and low-level cultivators to collect Divine Souls, probably all for the Wu Yue God to hasten his recovery," Xi Ying pressed on, seizing the opportunity to speak.

"According to the information we've obtained, the Wu Yue God is currently in seclusion refining the collected Divine Souls every day, but how did the Shadow God Envoy acquire this intelligence?" Tian Jizi inquired, with some doubts.

"Chang Chun Temple has its spies, and our Moon Sect naturally has its own channels," Xi Ying laughed noncommittally.

Tian Jizi nodded and didn't ask further.

The others, hearing their conversation, gradually regained their spirits and began to discuss amongst themselves.

And the more they discussed, the more they felt that Xi Ying made sense.

Xi Ying watched the people with a smile, yet deep down, she hid a trace of concern.

Indeed, the Wu Yue God's arrival had a deterrent intention, but perhaps, just as he had said, he didn't want to rule over ruins in the future.

"Alright, Fellow Daoists, regardless of the intentions of the Wu Yue God, what we need to do now remains the same. The Wu Yue Sect's army is currently advancing on the Central Plains from the Black Wind Desert, and we must organize our forces to resist. We can't allow them to take over any more territory," Tian Jizi interrupted the discussions.

"Indeed, but we still need to trouble Fellow Daoist Tian Jizi to elaborate on the current situation," Xi Ying also nodded.

Seeing both of them say this, everyone else felt like they had found their backbone, steadied their hearts, remembered the purpose of this alliance meeting, and resumed discussing matters.

"Previously the Wu Yue Sect was repelled at the East Sea, and now it seems they plan to invade the Central Plains directly. Among the five countries in the Central Plains, only Qin Country and Zhao Country border Black Wind Desert. Qin is far away and closer to the Western Region; thus, the main advance of the Wu Yue Sect has been fixed towards Zhao Country. However, the Wu Yue Sect had previously dispatched forces to stir up trouble between the sects in the Western Region, leading to the Vajra Sect being heavily besieged. We can't ignore this; if the Western Region falls, we will have an additional enemy to contend with," Tian Jizi explained to everyone.

At the same time, Gu Yali from the Vajra Sect of the Western Region also stood up.

"Fellow Daoists, my Vajra Sect is now almost down to only its base, and my ancestor had to stay at the sect, sending only me to seek help. There is an old saying in the Central Plains, 'When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' I implore you all to lend a hand, and my sect will surely repay the favor immensely, never going back on its word," Gu Yali pleaded with a distressed and extremely humble attitude.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, rest assured, we will not sit idly by and watch the Vajra Sect fall," Tian Jizi consoled him.

"That's easy to say, but with the Wu Yue Sect's main force pressing in, wouldn't it be difficult to divide our troops?" Luo Zhu worriedly remarked.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yali's face grew even more distressed, but he could only turn to Tian Jizi with a pleading look, pinning his hopes on him.

Tian Jizi was about to speak when Xi Ying unexpectedly beat him to it.

"I don't think that's necessarily the case. Although the Wu Yue Sect has always been accumulating power in the shadows, the number of low-level cultivators under their command is lower than ours. Even with the absorption of many sects, they won't have too many people. In this respect, we should still have the advantage," Xi Ying analyzed.

"Exactly, that was also my point. For this reason, I was planning to attack on four fronts. Three main forces would enter Zhao Country from different directions to attack the Wu Yue Sect's army, focusing on harassment tactics to wear down their living forces as much as possible, while the remaining force would enter from Qin Country and rush to aid the Western Region. We must resolve the siege of Vajra Sect as quickly as possible," Tian Jizi reclaimed the initiative eagerly.

Xi Ying smiled without saying anything further, indicating that she had no intention of disputing his command.