Everyone present seemed to already understand the woman’s identity, so they weren’t particularly surprised. But when she stated who she was and saw that Xu Zimo showed no reaction at all, she was slightly taken aback. Her status was noble and her background extraordinary. Normally, anyone who heard her name would react with both respect and astonishment. Yet this Xu Zimo showed nothing.

Xu Zimo, meanwhile, was simply confused.

“The Myriad Immortal Nation?” The name sounded impressive, but he truly had never heard of this power before.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you scared?” the woman asked.

“No, not really. I just can’t recall where exactly this ‘Myriad Immortal Nation’ is supposed to be,” Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head.

“You must be some backwater bumpkin. The Myriad Immortal Nation is...” someone beside them began to explain, but the woman cut him off.

“No need to tell him. If he doesn’t know, then he doesn’t know. Explaining it to him would only tarnish my name.”

Xu Zimo shrugged. He wasn’t offended. In his mind, it wouldn’t be long before this entire place became ruins. These people would all be dead. Who gets angry over what soon-to-be corpses say? Anger only harms oneself.

Someone next to him waved, signaling that he could take a seat. Xu Zimo sat down. Although he had destroyed the two alchemy beasts earlier, the gong-beating man quickly had the Luo God-Clan send up new ones. As a clan of alchemists, the Luo God-Clan didn’t lack one or two alchemy beasts. The area below remained lively as more people passed the test and came upstairs.

Soon after, the man who had called out to Xu Zimo introduced himself. “I am Zhuo Anrong, a disciple of the Sky Avian Sect.”

Xu Zimo nodded in greeting.

“You really don’t need to argue with them,” Zhuo Anrong said. “These people don’t have real goals. As long as the benefits are good enough, they’ll gather together.”

“Aren’t they afraid of provoking the True Martial Sacred Ground?” Xu Zimo asked.

“They’re afraid. Everyone is. But what if they succeed?” Zhuo Anrong replied with a laugh. “The True Martial Sacred Ground’s foundation is too thin right now. Once the True Martial Progenitor leads the saints to battle the heavens, who will truly control the Absolute God Heaven is still uncertain.”

“See that woman? Myriad Immortal Nation’s Miao Ruoyin. She’s trying to become the mastermind behind the scenes.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked. “What gives her the right to pull the strings?”

“The Myriad Immortal Nation is a force from the Upper Heavens,” Zhuo Anrong whispered.

He pointed upward. The meaning was obvious, the “upper realms” referred to the great world formed by the Mirage Tides Heaven, Grand Desolate Heaven, Azure Mystic Heaven, and Calamity Immortal Heaven. These four heavens made up the core of the Nine Heavens. The strength of their cultivators and the vastness of their territories far surpassed the regions below.

“No wonder I’ve never heard of it,” Xu Zimo realized. He had never been there, so naturally he didn’t understand how things worked up above.

He asked, “Just her alone, trying to swallow the entire Absolute God Heaven? Isn’t that a bit delusional?”

“Not necessarily. Right now every power in the Absolute God Heaven is like a frightened bird, afraid the True Martial Sacred Ground will destroy them. But she appears under the banner of the Myriad Immortal Nation. Without much effort, she can gather all these forces into her hands. And once the True Martial Progenitor leaves to battle the heavens, everything here will be up to them.”

“It’s a nice fantasy,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “But before they get the chance to rebel, they’ll already be dead.”

“And you? Since you know this is muddy water, why wade in?” he asked Zhuo Anrong.

“We owe the Luo God-Clan a huge favor. I’m here to repay that debt,” Zhuo Anrong answered. “Our sect’s old ancestor once ran out of lifespan. He came to the Luo God-Clan to beg for a longevity pill. We had no choice.”

Xu Zimo nodded without comment.

Before long, those who passed the test all arrived upstairs. About fifty to sixty people had gathered now. Seeing that everyone was nearly there, the Leviathan Prince was the first to stand.

“Alright,” he said softly, “I propose we start the meeting, the first meeting of our alliance.”

No one objected.

“First, what we must do is protect the Luo God-Clan, the Alchemy God City, and the subordinate forces you all belong to,” the Leviathan Prince said with a smile. “But going head-to-head with the True Martial Sacred Ground is impossible. The timing and terrain all work against us. Our only option is to rely on human sentiment.”

“What do you mean by ‘human sentiment’?” someone asked.

“Public opinion and yielding,” the Leviathan Prince said simply. “Yielding means admitting fault when we’re wrong, and standing at attention when we’re beaten. As for public opinion… we unite and beg the True Martial Sacred Ground to spare us. If they kill us, their reputation will become that of narrow-minded butchers.”

Someone interjected, “What if the True Martial Sacred Ground simply doesn’t care?”

“Then you all die together,” the Leviathan Prince said with a joking smile. “But don’t worry, behind us are the Leviathan Race and the Myriad Immortal Nation.”

After speaking at length, he asked, “Alright, I’ve said my piece. If anyone has objections, speak.”

“I do,” Xu Zimo said, standing up first.

The Leviathan Prince looked at him. “What is your objection?”

“I don’t object to your plan. I just have a few unexpected questions,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“This is a meeting to discuss major alliance matters, not a place for pointless chatter,” the Leviathan Prince said, frowning. He had disliked Xu Zimo from the moment he entered. Miao Ruoyin of the Myriad Immortal Nation was the woman he admired. Earlier, Xu Zimo had displeased her, making him a thorn in the crown prince’s eye. If the crown prince could impress her, he might secure his path to the upper realms.

“Whether it’s pointless doesn’t matter. Whether you want to listen doesn’t matter. What matters is that I want to speak, and you must listen,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. He wasn’t angry. To him, this insect’s barking wasn’t worth emotion.

“Boy, don’t think that having a bit of ability lets you speak arrogantly,” the Leviathan Prince said coldly. “Perhaps my Leviathan Race has been too low-key. If I kill you today, that might restore our prestige.”

He waved his hand. His hand transformed into a talon, void power swirling at its tips. Though they stood over ten meters apart, the void power surged the moment he struck. Space shattered with a thunderous roar.

But what shocked everyone was that when the explosion faded, Xu Zimo stood there completely unharmed, while the Leviathan Prince was lifted into the air like a helpless chick.