For a long time, Fang Yuan's foreign policy had been incredibly flexible.
For example, the content of the Contribution Board, Mission Board, and Exchange Board within the Supreme Immortal Grotto of the Heaven and Earth Great Love Alliance was handled differently for different members.
Similarly, Immortal Gu Masters from the Eastern Sea who joined the Heaven and Earth Great Love Alliance were bound by strict covenant restrictions.
But in the other four domains beyond the Eastern Sea, the covenant for joining the Heaven and Earth Great Love Alliance was extremely loose — with virtually no binding force whatsoever.
From these small details alone, Star Constellation Immortal Venerable fully grasped Fang Yuan's cunning!
She had a clear and definitive assessment of the situation in the Western Desert.
"The Fang Family must be suppressed. We cannot allow them to gain momentum, and if necessary, we must annihilate them with full force."
"Otherwise, once the superpowers begin to follow suit, it will massively bolster Fang Yuan's influence across all Five Domains!"
Relying on Immortal Gu trading and various other supportive measures, Fang Yuan could easily manipulate the entire Immortal Gu Master world across the Five Domains.
As the saying went — men die for wealth just as birds die for food.
If this trend were allowed to continue unchecked and become widespread common knowledge and custom, then eventually Fang Yuan's influence would cover the entire Five Domains. Even if not all five, then at least three.
At that point, a single thought from Fang Yuan could rally the Southern Border, Western Desert, and Eastern Sea Immortal Gu Master worlds to besiege the Central Continent!
Of course, no matter how many Immortal Gu Masters the three domains fielded, none could do a thing to Star Constellation Immortal Venerable.
Venerables were invincible — especially one who was gradually beginning to manifest the might of a Dao Lord.
But Venerables could threaten each other.
If Fang Yuan's influence could turn the three domains' Immortal Gu Masters into cannon fodder, Star Constellation Immortal Venerable would be forced to personally defend the Central Continent.
If that happened, the three-way standoff between the Venerables would shift fundamentally.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable would be weighed down by these cannon fodder, while Fang Yuan seized the opportunity to pull ahead.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable was the greatest wisdom-path Immortal Gu Master of all time. The moment Fang Yuan set this insidious plan in motion, she discerned the signs and saw right through it!
"Right now, the three Venerables are locked in standoff, each fully focused on refining natural Dao Marks. Fang Yuan is the furthest behind, so he devised this scheme, playing tricks in an attempt to close the gap."
"Hmph. As if I'd let you have your way!"
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable immediately made her decision. "Zhou Xiongxin, Wan Zihong — go to the Western Desert at once!"
Western Desert.
The Sun Family headquarters.
The Sun Family's Grand Supreme Elder was receiving two Wan Family Immortal Gu Masters, Wan Haoguang and Wan Xiao.
"The Fang Family launched a sneak attack without declaration of war, then frantically seized our Wan Family's resource nodes. They've gone completely mad — their actions are pure Demonic Path through and through. The entire Fang Family has fallen to darkness; the whole clan is the greatest demonic den in the Western Desert! Your noble house is one of the pillars of the Western Desert's Righteous Path. In a situation like this, how can you simply stand by and watch?" Wan Haoguang declared with righteous indignation.
The Sun Family's Grand Supreme Elder nodded along and said: "Immortal Friend Wan Haoguang speaks truly. Our Sun Family will certainly do everything in its power to uphold the Righteous Path of Heaven and Earth. However, the Sun Family faces considerable difficulties at the moment..."
The Grand Supreme Elder went on at length about the Sun Family's predicament, but in the end he thumped his chest and vowed that as long as the Wan Family succeeded in rallying the other superpowers, the Sun Family would certainly join and contribute whatever meager strength it could for the sake of all living beings in the Western Desert.
"That old fox!" After leaving the Sun Family headquarters, Wan Haoguang was seething with fury.
Wan Xiao smiled bitterly. "Among the Western Desert superpowers, the Sun Family is the most cowardly. The Grand Supreme Elder's words are hardly surprising. The fact that he committed himself that far is already the greatest sincerity we could hope for. Now then — which family do we persuade next?"
As they were speaking, two figures suddenly appeared on the horizon, their Eighth Transformation auras making no attempt to conceal themselves.
"Who goes there?!"
"They're… Immortal Gu Masters from the Heavenly Court!"
Wan Xiao and Wan Haoguang's expressions turned guarded.
They weren't afraid, however — the Longevity Tower was right there with them.
The two Heavenly Court Immortals were none other than Zhou Xiongxin and Wan Zihong.
"Hold your steps, friends of the Wan Family. We've come to aid you." Zhou Xiongxin called out from a distance.
Wan Xiao and Wan Haoguang exchanged a glance, each catching a flash of joy in the other's eyes.
They immediately hovered in place, suppressing their delight and putting on expressions of wariness.
The two Heavenly Court Immortals stopped voluntarily when they were still a thousand paces away, signaling they harbored no ill intent.
Wan Zihong said nothing; it was Zhou Xiongxin who explained their purpose. "The Fang Family has joined the so-called Heaven and Earth Great Love Alliance and receives support from the Refining Heaven Demonic Venerable. They seek to overthrow the Righteous Path of the Western Desert and turn the entire region into a demonic den. Though the Heavenly Court leads the Central Continent, we cannot bear to stand by and watch this unfold. That is why we have been sent — to strangle this demonic wind at its roots and restore clarity to the Five Domains."
Wan Haoguang then asked: "How will the Heavenly Court assist? Will Star Constellation Immortal Venerable personally intervene if necessary?"
Both questions were critically important.
The Heavenly Court's assistance, from the Wan Family's perspective, was not purely a good thing. If handled poorly, it could make their situation far worse — even catastrophic.
Why?
Because the Heavenly Court was a Central Continent power, and this was the Western Desert.
Though the Five Domains' barriers had dissipated, in the hearts of Immortal Gu Masters, barriers that had stood since the very dawn of the world would not collapse so easily.
If the Heavenly Court's Immortal Gu Masters personally intervened in the Wan Family's war, then the Wan Family would be universally recognized as a vassal of the Heavenly Court — a bridgehead for Central Continent forces in the Western Desert.