Chapter 1348

Asked for his view, Chai You Yan, an information path Gu Immortal and the first supreme elder’s trusted aide, says he has been weighing Wu Yi Hai’s sincerity. Wu Yong went missing and is presumed dead, leaving Wu Yi Hai to lead Wu clan. He points out what the others missed, that the letter names Ba clan and Xia clan together rather than one alone, since hitting one would certainly push the other to join it against Wu clan and Chai clan. Another Gu Immortal answers that such foresight means Wu Yi Hai came prepared and Wu clan will not toy with them, and You Yan concludes from these details that he has great political talent and real sincerity. He urges Chai clan to send Gu Immortals to attack at the very least, because generations of effort have finally left Chai clan suppressing Xia clan and Ba clan and that advantage vanishes once either takes in more resources. How far to fight, he adds, should be the first supreme elder’s own decision. ^{ch. 1348}

At the same time, at Chi clan’s Myriad Snake Mountain base, first supreme elder Chi Qu You reads a similar letter proposing an alliance against Yang clan. Chi clan sits at the extreme west of Southern Border with Yang clan to its southwest, a neighbour it has long been on poor terms with. Yang clan’s Ghost Hand Mountain sits at the source of yellow dragon river, rich in resources and strategically placed, and its Gu Immortals mostly cultivate soul path with incredible battle strength that threatens Chi clan. Chi clan and Wu clan’s relationship is uneasy but workable, and Qiao clan, which borders Chi clan and answers to Wu clan, complicates it further; Chi Qu You judges the offer a rare chance, since weakening Yang clan benefits Chi clan regardless of outcome. Chi clan can spare the effort easily, since its formation-based defenses, its two Immortal Gu Houses, and Chi Qu You’s own rank eight cultivation leave it little to fear. Wu Yong’s death has already thrown Southern Border into chaos. Chi Qu You knows he needs to decide quickly. ^{ch. 1348}

Days later Fang Yuan leaves seclusion, having completed and tested his deduction of vajra shell. In his absence Southern Border has changed hugely: Chai clan mobilizes toward the river, forcing Ba clan and Xia clan to defend themselves, while Chi clan invades Yang clan’s territory directly. Chi clan’s great expert brings an Immortal Gu House and attacks in person, and Yang clan, which has no rank eight Gu Immortal, answers nervously with its own Immortal Gu House and many Gu Immortals from a passive position. Luo clan, Tie clan, and Yi clan, each sent a separate letter, also move, drawing Hou clan and Yao clan’s wary attention, and Shang clan alone stays neutral and rejects Fang Yuan’s offer outright. The scattered movement eases the danger around Wu clan and Qiao clan considerably. Wu clan’s and Qiao clan’s own Gu Immortals are deeply shocked that a handful of letters achieved so much. Each letter had to state precisely how much Wu clan would give up in resources to prove its sincerity, and their effect hands Wu clan and Qiao clan a chance to retaliate. ^{ch. 1348}

Satisfied, Fang Yuan credits his political skill to his previous life, when he led an organization through the five regions’ chaotic war, a far more tangled situation than this one. Word then reaches him that Wu clan’s Immortal Gu House, delayed a day by an unexplained mishap, is finally arriving. The dream realm has given him an incredible boost during this stretch, and he feels a pull to stay. He decides it is time to leave. ^{ch. 1348}