By the end of the day, Gu Bei and the others had recruited over six hundred people. The vast majority were at the Heavenly Fate realm, though three had also reached the Celestial Star realm.▲∴▲∴ Those three Celestial Star cultivators had previously been unable to join other factions for various reasons, but upon seeing the Demon Alliance's generous terms, they signed up.
Other factions had only managed to recruit a few dozen people over the entire day.
In just one day, the Demon Alliance had grown to over six hundred members—enough to go claim one or two Divine Pools.
The faction Gu Bei had just established immediately drew the attention of every major power. However, given Gu Bei's identity, none of them dared to provoke the Demon Alliance directly. After all, Gu Bei was the first-in-line heir to the Gu Family! What if one day he became the head of the Gu Family? They would have to face a storm of retaliation.
Nie Li had anticipated precisely this, which was why he'd told Gu Bei to recruit openly and aggressively. As for those who were already hostile—like Gu Heng and Murong Yu—they would come knocking regardless of whether you recruited anyone or not. Factions that had no prior conflict with them generally didn't want to offend Gu Bei for no reason. On the contrary, many would even send envoys to establish contact with the rising Demon Alliance.
While the Demon Alliance was expanding at a furious pace, Gu Heng, Hua Ling, Murong Yu, and the others were seething with envy. The Demon Alliance had barely been established and had already grown to this extent. In the future, would there even be a place for them in the Feathered God Sect? The frustration in their hearts was beyond words.
At Xiao Yu's courtyard.
After planting the Divine Root within the Myriad Rivers and Mountains Scroll, Nie Li had gained more ideas. A single Divine Root wasn't enough—he needed several more. That way, there would be a steady stream of Spirit Stones being produced. And with those Spirit Stones, he could sustain a massive faction!
Having experienced the failures of his past life, Nie Li had come to understand a truth: fighting alone was not an option. To oppose the Sacred Emperor, he needed to build a formidable force powerful enough to stand against him—only then could he shatter the endless spacetime locked under the Sacred Emperor's will.
The Sacred Emperor controlled countless planes of existence, including the Dragon Ruins Domain. He was the true ruler of the Sacred Demon Ancestral Ground.
In the past life, the only power that could challenge the Sacred Emperor had been the mysterious Heavenly God Ancestral Ground. But in that life, the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly God Ancestral Ground had suddenly vanished. The entire Ancestral Ground had been reduced to ash, consumed by a golden flame. Only then did the Sacred Emperor become an existence who ruled unchecked over all.
Before the destruction of the Heavenly God Ancestral Ground and the descent of the Dark Age, Nie Li needed to build a power capable of opposing the Sacred Emperor!
The first step: become the Sect Master of the Feathered God Sect!
Over the next month and a half, Nie Li, Gu Bei, and Lu Piao worked together to organize the newly formed Demon Alliance. They taught the members Martial Sovereign-level cultivation techniques, then selected those with good character—true geniuses worth cultivating as the future elite and backbone of the faction.
The entire Demon Alliance plunged into intense training.
During this period, Li Xingyun visited several times, sharing tips with Gu Bei and Lu Piao on how to lead subordinates, how to reward and punish fairly, and how to advance and retreat together with one's people. Gu Bei and Lu Piao both grew considerably from the experience.
Although the Demon Alliance had not yet officially entered the Great World, it had already stirred up quite a storm in the Celestial Spirit Courtyard, drawing the attention of many.
"Nie Li, the Yin Alliance has put out word that if we dare enter the Great World, they'll begin hunting us down!" Gu Bei said to Nie Li with a bitter smile.
"The Yin Alliance?" Nie Li frowned. "What faction is that?"
"A faction under the Yin Family. The Yins are the most powerful family after the Big Three. Their leader is a man called Yin Wufeng—the Yin Family's first-in-line heir. He's roughly at the Celestial Transformation realm and is very close to Gu Heng. Gu Heng, being a Gu himself, can't act openly, so he's probably trying to use the Yin Alliance to suppress our Demon Alliance," Gu Bei explained.
"I understand. But it's fine—if we want to gain a foothold in the Great World, we'll inevitably have to fight our way in. Going up against the Yin Family directly is still too much for now. We'll use Li Xingyun's connections to expand gradually. I've already arranged with Li Xingyun to have his people lead you into the Great World!"
"What about you?" Gu Bei asked, puzzled.
"I have something to do," Nie Li replied with a mysterious smile.
Gu Bei was curious about what Nie Li had in mind, but he didn't press further.
Dusk gradually settled in.
Nie Li went to Li Xingyun's courtyard, and together they headed to the Great World.
"Brother Nie Li, I've already connected you with the buyers. Why are you buying those nearly depleted Divine Pools?" Li Xingyun asked, confused.
A Divine Pool that was close to exhaustion produced only a few thousand Spirit Stones per year at most, and you'd still have to post guards to watch over it. It was hardly worth the effort.
Of course, that was from the perspective of someone wealthy like Li Xingyun. For factions like Hua Ling's, even a nearly depleted Divine Pool was extremely important.