The four fellows from the Eternity Light Sect looked rather sullen as they strode straight into a fairly upscale tavern. Jiang Chen and his two companions didn't follow too closely, waiting a moment before trailing them in.
Once inside, Jiang Chen swept a brief wave of spiritual sense and immediately pinpointed the area where the four Eternity Light Sect members were seated.
They had taken a private booth—a quiet one, tucked by a window facing the inner courtyard, quite secluded.
Jiang Chen's group rented a private booth as well, not far from the other four.
With that arrangement, their powerful spiritual sense could pick up the other party's conversation crystal clear.
After ordering a round of drinks, Jiang Chen and his companions put on a show of drinking while secretly eavesdropping.
The four clearly had no idea they were being watched. They sat there nursing their drinks in a gloomy mood, not in any hurry to speak.
After a while, one of the younger cultivators slammed his cup down hard. "Damn it all, what rotten luck! Ten of us went out and only four came back. And then those bastards from the Cloud Wave Sect stole the credit. Absolutely shameless!"
"Come on, Ah Hong, watch your mouth. Walls have ears," a low voice chided.
"Ninth Brother, what's the point of being careful now? We've been playing the good little subordinates, backing down at every turn—and what did we get? The credits we were promised, the rewards we were promised—someone always swoops in to snatch them away. At this rate, our Eternity Light Sect is nothing but their tool. We don't get a single benefit. Why did we even wade into this mess in the first place? Was it really necessary?"
Before Ninth Brother could respond, a hoarse voice chimed in. "Ninth Brother, don't blame Ah Hong for venting. Those people have been completely outrageous. When the alliance was first formed, they made promises sweeter than honey. Fair distribution of all gains, united effort going forward, no room for selfishness—and so on and so forth. But in the end, who among them doesn't have selfish interests? And here we are, the Eternity Light Sect, being played like fools."
Ninth Brother sighed. "Alright, brothers, I understand your frustration. But we're already committed—there's no stepping back now. Complaining won't help. If the imperial family or the Xiahou family overhears, they'll only misunderstand our intentions. They'll think we're harboring dissent or something worse. We'd never be able to clear our names. Right now, we have to grit our teeth and push forward. The imperial family is seizing power, and the Xiahou family is in their honeymoon phase with the royals. What they say goes, period. The Cloud Wave Sect has close ties to the Xiahou family and knows how to flatter—so naturally, they get a bigger slice of the pie."
"More than a bigger slice? If it were just a bit more, we could swallow it. But their share is way beyond that. Their greed is truly disgusting," Ah Hong spat, making no effort to hide his fury.
"Alright, just drink. Tomorrow morning, we still need to report back at the Divine Capital," Ninth Brother tried to smooth things over. He knew calming their anger wouldn't be easy, so he tried to redirect the conversation toward lighter topics.
"Ninth Brother, stop trying to keep the peace. We're brothers here, no outsiders—what's wrong with speaking from the heart? The imperial family and the Xiahou family couldn't care less about eavesdropping on us right now. They're too busy congratulating themselves and dividing up the spoils. Why would they bother with the likes of us?"
"Fair point. Honestly, I really regret all of this. Too bad the Eternity Light Sect isn't mine to lead. If it were, I'd want nothing more than to restore the old balance of power. I have a gut feeling that under the Xiahou family and the imperial family, the Eternal Divine Kingdom is going to end up far worse than before. Our sect's days will definitely be harder—I'm sure of it. You may not believe me, but we'll live to see that day."
With that, he lifted his cup and gulped down his drink in great swallows.
"Ninth Brother, do you think Old Zhao has a point?" Ah Hong's voice cut in again. "When the Eternal Sacred Land ruled the kingdom, at least there was a pretense of fairness. The Xiahou family can't manage that. Whoever's close to them gets favored. Whoever's obedient gets rewarded. In my opinion, the Xiahou family doesn't have the temperament of a leader. There's a reason the kingdom has always been governed by the Sacred Land."
One who had remained silent until now suddenly spoke up in a timid voice. "Ninth Brother… is the Eternal Sacred Land really finished?"
Ninth Brother was quiet for a long time before answering softly. "It's hard to say. Right now, the elites from every sect have surrounded the Sacred Land completely. Most of the Sacred Land experts who escaped have already been hunted down. Those still inside, putting up their last stand, are barely holding on behind the Sacred Land's grand formation."
"But I heard that the Sacred Land's greatest asset isn't the three Sacred Lords—it's the Sacred Ancestor. The Sacred Ancestor is a god. A god could effortlessly rebuild the Sacred Land and restore it to its former glory. How could we possibly stand against a god?"
"I heard the Xiahou family's ancestor is also a god."
"Seriously? Our Eternity Light Sect's ancestor is only a demigod. The Xiahou ancestor is truly a god?"
"That's right. And apparently the imperial family has a god of their own, too. The two gods joined forces and sealed the Sacred Ancestor away somewhere—won't be able to get out for three thousand years. That means for the next three millennia, the alliance can hunt the Eternal Sacred Land to extinction without ever worrying about the Sacred Ancestor's vengeance."