The banquet was in full swing, with cups clinking as
Though unwilling to accept it, she knew that if she continued opposing Nie Li, it would be an absolute dead end — one that could drag the entire Heavenly Sound Divine Sect down with her.
It seemed that from now on, the Heavenly Sound Divine Sect could only serve as a vassal to the Feathered God Sect. Once they became a vassal, it would be nearly impossible to break free. With so many of their female disciples already married off to the Feathered God Sect, how could the Heavenly Sound Divine Sect ever remain independent? From here on, they would only become more and more entangled.
As for the other sects, the most outstanding disciples of each were now Nie Li's subordinates, and they were all carrying the sacred medicines he had given them — naturally, they were hardly in a position to refuse his favor.
Of the six great orthodox divine sects, the Feathered God Sect had now quietly risen to the lead.
Hundreds had gathered in the great hall — experts from every major sect. The sect masters of all six great divine sects had come as well, naturally to see Nie Li. After receiving so many of his benefits, failing to meet the man in person would be rather unreasonable. They also wanted to see for themselves who this person was that had reshaped the entire balance of power among the six great sects.
Nie Li was younger than they had imagined. To have become master of the Feathered God Sect at such a young age was truly extraordinary.
Just as the representatives of the great orthodox sects were conversing, Nie Li stood up, raised the wine cup in his hand, and addressed the sect masters from across the hall: "Welcome to the Heavenly Sound Divine Sect, everyone. I am deeply honored by your presence."
The nerve of this guy, stealing the spotlight right from under her — Nangong Xianyin rolled her eyes, but she didn't object. Just moments ago, Nie Li had quietly slipped her another bottle of sacred medicine, one reportedly dozens of times more potent than ordinary sacred medicine. There was nothing she could do but let it go.
"Sect Master Nie is too modest," laughed Sect Master Xiu of the Formless Divine Sect.
"I can't help but wonder — what is the relationship between the Heavenly Sound Divine Sect and the Feathered God Sect these days?" The master of the Primordial Chaos Divine Sect looked calmly at Nie Li. What he hadn't expected was that Nie Li would speak on Nangong Xianyin's behalf.
Nie Li laughed and said, "Sect Master Wu, the Feathered God Sect and the Heavenly Sound Divine Sect are as close as family."
"Oh? Is that really so?" The Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master glanced at Nangong Xianyin, only to see that she didn't deny it. The Feathered God Sect's roots ran truly deep — a sobering thought. Even
A seed of doubt planted itself in the Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master's mind. Could it be that Nie Li intended to dominate the six great divine sects?
"What I wish to discuss today is precisely this matter. The Feathered God Sect now commands great influence. I imagine all of you sect masters might suspect that I harbor ambitions of hegemony. Is that what you believe?" Nie Li looked across at the masters of the six great divine sects.
The Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master, the Formless Divine Sect master, and the others all lowered their gaze in silence — neither confirming nor denying. The remaining sect masters sat quietly as well, their expressions neutral. They were quite eager to hear what Nie Li had to say.
"Quite the opposite — the Feathered God Sect has no ambitions of hegemony. If we truly sought to dominate, we would never have selflessly distributed so many sacred medicines to every great sect. With so many sacred medicines, the Feathered God Sect need only have quietly used them ourselves, and within a few years, we would naturally have become the foremost sect. Would you all agree with what I've said?" Nie Li smiled mildly.
Hearing his words, the expressions of the sect masters eased considerably. What Nie Li said was perfectly logical — if the Feathered God Sect truly aimed for dominance, why would they give away sacred medicines to bolster the strength of others?
"The entire Primordial Chaos Divine Sect raises this cup to Sect Master Nie," said the Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master, lifting his wine cup in a toast from across the hall.
"Ever since receiving Sect Master Nie's sacred medicines, the Formless Divine Sect's strength has grown enormously. Sect Master Nie's great kindness is something our Formless Divine Sect will never forget!" Sect Master Xiu,
The others stood one after another. After all, they had all genuinely benefited from Nie Li's generosity.
"Of course, I haven't helped all of you without reason," Nie Li said with a smile. "Everyone has their own self-interest — I'm no exception."
"If there is anything Sect Master Nie needs us to do, we will spare no effort!"
"Whatever Sect Master Nie requires, just say the word, and we will repay you a thousandfold!"
Even Nangong Xianyin pricked up her ears. So Nie Li did want something in return. But what could it be? Why had he given so many sacred medicines to all the great sects? She couldn't figure it out herself.
Nie Li smiled and said, "Allow me to tell you a story. In this world, there exist countless powerful Spirit Gods."
At the mention of Spirit Gods, everyone's attention sharpened. As sect masters of the great sects, they had all read their sect's ancient texts and knew that Spirit Gods truly existed in this world. There were also many powerful individuals who had been reincarnated as Spirit Gods. Their founding ancestors had nearly all been reincarnated Spirit Gods who had blazed new trails, founding the divine sects that had since endured through the ages.
"In this world, there was one Spirit God of supreme power who sought to pursue the ultimate existence — to become the pinnacle deity. To that end, he planned to refine the entire Draconic Ruins Realm. When that happened, all living beings would be reduced to their primordial essence and placed at his command." Nie Li looked across at the sect masters. "I imagine that the ancient texts passed down in your respective sects all record this Spirit God. He is known as the Sacred Emperor."
The sect masters of the great divine sects exchanged uneasy glances.
"That is nothing more than an ancient legend," Nangong Xianyin said, furrowing her brow.
"Oh? Does Sect Master Nangong think her own ancestors deliberately lied to her?" Nie Li regarded Nangong Xianyin with a half-smile.
"Our sect's texts do contain records of this," the Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master nodded.
"Our sect as well!"
"So does ours!" The sect masters of the various divine sects nodded in succession.
A chill ran through the crowd. Could this Spirit God called the Sacred Emperor truly exist? They suddenly recalled Nie Li's earlier exchange with the
"What I wish to tell you is this: what your sects' texts record is no mere legend. The Spirit God known as the Sacred Emperor is real. His effort to refine the Draconic Ruins Realm has never ceased for even a moment. In order to resist the Sacred Emperor, several reincarnated Spirit God powerhouses even established the Ancestral Homeland of the Heavenly Gods to stand against him." Nie Li swept his gaze across the assembled crowd.
"The Ancestral Homeland of the Heavenly Gods is the place where our ancestors ascended. Only those who have broken through to the Martial Sovereign realm, or who have been chosen, may travel there," the Primordial Chaos Divine Sect master said.
"Precisely. For hundreds of millions of years, the Ancestral Homeland of the Heavenly Gods has continuously recruited powerful experts to unite against the Sacred Emperor. Yet even now, the Ancestral Homeland is on the verge of collapse, and the Sacred Emperor has still not been defeated. He is about to refine the Draconic Ruins Realm, and the end of the world is nearly upon us — only none of you yet know it." Nie Li said with a bitter smile.