Numerous sects and clans were trembling in fear. Those that intended to rule over the Earth Federation had all holed themselves up in their bases.
They were all afraid of Lu Xuan spotting them and coming to wipe them all out.
“That man is a walking disaster. How is it possible for someone like that to even exist on Earth?”
“What’s so strange about someone like that emerging on Earth? Remember that spirit qi is now being restored on the planet. Once it has been fully restored, it’ll lead to the golden age of cultivation. Boy, this is a dream come true!”
“You got that right. It’s now the golden age of cultivation. I heard that aside from Lu Xuan, several supreme cultivators were found among the ranks of the Earth Federation as well.”
“Now you got me thinking about trying my hand at dealing with the Earth Federation.”
As many people spoke amongst themselves, they all wore expressions of envy. As of now, Earth hadn’t been undergoing restoration of spirit qi for very long, nor did it reach very high levels. Even so, it was more than enough for average cultivators.
It was simply just too difficult for them to continue training in the Blessed Enclave, after all.
Someone wore a cold smirk and retorted, “Do you people seriously think that the Earth Federation consists of goody-two-shoes? Let me tell you something: that walking disaster is part of it! I heard that all forces that intended to gain a footing in the Earth Federation need to undergo a variety of registration processes. Clans and sects would need to expose their deepest secrets and submit to the Earth Federation’s reign. Furthermore, these forces would need to foster people for the federation. That’s no different from treating us like slaves.”
Immediately after hearing their explanation, many people’s faces changed into indignant expressions. They were all too used to behaving high and mighty above the common folks. Throughout history, no government consisted of common folks who were able to rule over them.
They perceived that to be a sacrilege, an overturning of what they believed was the correct order of things.
One person smacked the table and angrily said, “How dare they! Do they seriously think that we can’t do anything against them? What mere mortal would be so bold enough as to try and rule over us?”
Another person smirked as they added, “Mere mortals, eh? Man, can you people be even more ignorant? Do you people know that as of now, there are over 10 times as many cultivators on the Earth Federation as there are in the Blessed Enclave? They’re only lacking in terms of top-tier ones when compared to what we have. Think about it; how fast could they progress in such a golden age of cultivation over time? By then, we’d even have to thank them for not attacking us from the Blessed Enclave.”
Many gasped upon hearing that. If one were to assess the current situation, it was only a matter of time before the number of high-level cultivators among the ranks of the Earth Federation would increase. Once that happened, there was no way to stop it from growing. With so many cultivators among their ranks, it was only natural for the Earth Federation to have several times as many high-level experts as the Blessed Enclave had.
Those from the Blessed Enclave were only able to maintain their advantage right now due to what they currently had.
Over time, such resources on Earth would’ve grown at a rate ten to over a hundred folds greater than now.
10 years from now, nobody from the Blessed Enclave could say that they would be able to stand against the Earth Federation.
One patron asked, “Then does that mean there’s no way to halt their advance?” Everyone else immediately nodded in response. The mere thought of such a terrifying monster growing at such frightening rates made their skin crawl. Eventually, the day will come when they won’t be able to do as they pleased anymore.
One person said, “The way I see it, there are only two choices: either join their ranks or rule over them.”
Regarding the issue, those from the Blessed Enclave now thought in one of two ways. One of them, led by Taichu Path, advocated ruling over the planet. The other one consisted of groups such as the WuTang Clan, the Maoshan Sect, and the Celestial Master Path. All these groups advocated working with the reigning regime, putting aside their holier-than-thou attitude and attitude to join the ranks of the Earth Federation.
In either case, the existing cultivation forces would’ve grown exponentially.
There was no way for the sects and clans to grow further without gaining access to the Earth Federations’ wealth and resources. Furthermore, they would’ve had to pick their disciples from billions of people.
Their way of going about things was similar to a cottage industry. They had no way of comparing their methods with those of the Earth Federation, which seemed more like mass production in factories.
The Earth Federation’s powers were growing at a rate 10 to 100 times greater than they currently were.
Right now, the only thing that would determine everything was which side would eventually win.
Naturally, those who were present were more inclined to working with the Taichu Path. After all, integrating themselves with the Earth Federation still wouldn’t have as many benefits as ruling over them.
However, the leaders of those who wanted to rule over the planet had greatly suffered. This presented a dire consequence before their eyes.
The Earth Federation was fully capable of acting against them. They would never sit idly by and let something like that happen.
Those who intended to work with the Earth Federation knew that. That was what prevented them from doing anything rash. Otherwise, everyone would have liked to rule over Earth.
Some mumbled to themselves, “How did things come to this?”
“There is one last chance for those who still want to rule. As the spiritual leader of the entire Earth Federation, Lu Xuan is the main perpetrator behind the scenes that brought the Earth Federation to its current state. We’d still have a chance of ruling over Earth if we can find and cut him down.”
In response, one person said, “Finding Lu Xuan? That’s easier said than done. The reward does seem tempting; anyone who could provide information on his location alone would be rewarded with 100 thousand spirit stones. However, who would dare to find Lu Xuan now? Doing so would be digging one’s own grave, mind you. If even those who are half a step into the Divine Transformation Realm are incapable of fighting more than one round against him, what chance do you think people like us would have against him? I think it’s best if we just stuck to our training. The reward is enticing, but it wouldn’t mean anything if we died.”
A tinge of greed was seen in his eyes as he spoke, yet logic eventually triumphed over it.
He knew that it was an impossible task after all. They only stood a chance of killing Lu Xuan if they could field several grand ancestors at the Divine Transformation Realm against him.
Average cultivators like them would’ve only been safe when Lu Xuan was out of sight. Anyone who appeared before Lu Xuan would have immediately met their demise.
No sane person was willing to throw away their lives for something like that. Only a handful of people might’ve been desperate enough to search for Lu Xuan.
Someone commented, “It seems like the way that everything in the world works is going to change. Like it or not, we can no longer afford to dismiss the Earth Federation’s importance.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Based on how the current situation looked, Lu Xuan’s mere existence would’ve led to a bloodbath.
Just as the discussion was about to continue, a silhouette barged inside and shouted, “Grave news! The grand ancestor of the Taichu Path is emerging to take out Lu Xuan himself. He is recruiting several fighters as we speak. They’re also holding a ritual to locate Lu Xuan; he even managed to enlist the help of the Oracle to predict Lu Xuan’s next move. Given that, it’s safe to say that Lu Xuan’s days are likely numbered.”
Everyone was immediately shocked to hear this news. Some felt sorry for Lu Xuan, while others were elated. Their stances on this issue were easy to determine based on their facial expressions.
They all knew who the Oracle was.
The Oracle was the top practitioner of the divination arts in the entire Blessed Enclave. His predictions were always correct.
