The Menglan Sect's mobilization meeting turned out to be far easier than Meng Qianqiu had imagined. It was clear that the sect's main forces found the decision to support the Sacred Land much easier to accept than the decision to rebel. It was as if things were simply meant to unfold this way.
Watching this scene unfold, Meng Qianqiu was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions. He could finally see it clearly — whether it came to morale or the loyalty of the people, the Sacred Land was still the Sacred Land, and the rebel army was nothing more than a rebel army.
The Sacred Land leading the Divine Kingdom — this was knowledge so deeply ingrained in every martial artist of the kingdom that it had seeped into their very bones. Learning that they would have to draw blades against the Sacred Land, that they would have to fight it to the death — though they had no choice but to prepare themselves, deep in their hearts, there was inevitably some measure of dread.
Especially after word spread that both Ancestor Jinzhong and Ancestor Yuchi had been killed, the main cultivators of the Menglan Sect felt even more strongly that following the rebel army down a dark path to the very end was anything but a wise course of action.
Jiang Chen watched this scene and sighed with emotion. "I have to say — the fortune of the Ten Great Sacred Lands is still far from exhausted. As for the fortune of the rebels, it clearly hasn't been accumulated enough. No wonder the majority of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms have already succeeded in quelling their rebellions. Only the Zhenwu Divine Kingdom and a handful of others remain deadlocked. I believe that once the Sacred Land of Zhenwu finishes putting down its rebellion, the other two kingdoms will gradually follow suit. These uprisings will be crushed in the end."
Sacred Mistress Ningyan's eyes were brimming with resolve. "They will definitely be crushed. The fortune of the Sacred Land was not accumulated overnight."
Meng Qianqiu's heart churned with a storm of emotions, and he no longer dared harbor any thoughts of stepping out of line.
Leading the Menglan Sect's contingent, he returned to the rebel army once more.
Originally, the cracks in the rebel army's morale had already been widening steadily, even as the sole remaining Demigod Ancestor did everything in his power to calm and suppress the discontent.
But the allied forces' sense of distrust only continued to intensify. Without question, aside from Ancestor Jinzhong, the other three Demigod Ancestors had all been pillars of the alliance. Now, two of those three pillars had been removed at once — how could the allied army possibly stay calm?
Even the slowest-witted among them could sense that something was terribly wrong.
The sole surviving Demigod Ancestor was at his wit's end. He summoned the leaders of every faction, alternately threatening, reassuring, and tempting them.
But once morale had fractured, reuniting it was an enormously difficult task.
Just as this Demigod Ancestor was wandering in helpless indecision, a subordinate hurried over with a report. "Ancestor Tongxuan, the Menglan Sect has returned."
"What? They've come back?" The Demigod Ancestor was stunned.
"Yes. Your subordinate believes that the way they left in a rush and returned just as quickly — there must be some massive conspiracy behind it. Ancestor, should we send someone to intercept and block them?"
Ancestor Tongxuan let out a bitter laugh. "Intercept them? And who exactly do you think would go? Besides, that's Ancestor Meng Qianqiu we're talking about — which faction would dare throw themselves into his killing hands?"
With Meng Qianqiu's strength and standing, there were very few people who would dare provoke him to his face.
Moreover, they still couldn't determine Meng Qianqiu's true motive for returning.
What if Meng Qianqiu had suddenly come to his senses and returned to consider the bigger picture? Sending people to intercept him would be cutting off their own retreat. Besides, on their side, no one but Ancestor Tongxuan himself could stand against Meng Qianqiu.
"Find out what's going on with the Menglan Sect. If they're willing to cooperate in good faith, we'll let bygones be bygones."
"Yes."
Soon, word came back. It turned out that Meng Qianqiu had gotten halfway and suddenly figured a few things out — he felt that at this stage, self-preservation was the top priority, and they couldn't afford to be defeated one by one by the enemy.
This explanation left Ancestor Tongxuan half-believing, half-doubting.
Come to think of it, how long had it been since Meng Qianqiu led the Menglan Sect away? Even if there were some grand conspiracy at play, Ancestor Tongxuan didn't quite buy it.