btth: receive your own sucide note

The Sky Star Empire, the Flowing Cloud Empire, the Liuxian Sect, the Manshan Prefecture…

  Hua She'er marveled at these names.

  These were all renowned, top-tier powers in the northwest. While not as powerful as the annihilated Lion Nether Sect, they were every bit as powerful as the Sky Snake Prefecture!

  In the past, these people would have arrived at the Jia Ma Empire with such arrogance, but now, each one more subdued than the last, allowing a mere Dou Huang like her to question them from high above.

  At this thought, Hua She'er felt an unprecedented sense of pride.

  "Please wait a moment, everyone. I will report to the Alliance Leader."

  With a slight bow, Hua She'er turned and flew towards the temple, confident but not intimidating.

  Without keeping the group waiting for long, Hua She'er returned, landed on the ground, and personally led them into the Serpent People's Holy City.

  Heading straight for the Medusa Temple, the group initially thought the interior was unremarkable, the guards no stronger than their own faction's. It seemed as if the Heavenly Alliance only held the legendary experts of the Guantian Pavilion.

  However, just as they breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions quickly changed.

  As they approached the temple, the strength of the surrounding guards became increasingly outrageous.

  From ordinary Dou Lings, they suddenly became Dou Huang masters, the backbone of the organization!

  Furthermore, beyond the Dou Huangs, there were several Dou Zong masters.

  Most outrageous of all, the aura emanating from the four guards standing at the temple's entrance sent a wave of fear through the group of prominent figures.

  Dou Zun masters?!

  The old man couldn't fathom their strength, but he had an answer in mind.

  This conclusion was incredibly bizarre, yet it seemed the only plausible explanation.

  The Emperor of the Tianxing Empire was horrified. He couldn't believe that someone powerful enough to serve as a guardian deity in any of their factions was only a gatekeeper in the Heavenly Alliance.

  No, this isn't the Tianmeng headquarters yet, just the territory of the Serpent People.

  Hiss...

  They glanced at each other involuntarily, each gasping for air.

  They couldn't imagine what the Tianmeng headquarters would look like!

  There were only a few strange figures, these powerful figures were exceptionally tall, their faces stern and expressionless, as if they were cast from the same mold.

  With some doubt, the group trudged into the temple.

  The temple wasn't crowded. Chen Guan sat at the head, Queen Medusa below, followed by the expressionless Little Medical Immortal, Zi Yan, and two more mysterious Dou Zun masters who looked 80% similar to the gate guards.

  Though they were few in number, they were enough to shock the group.

  Even Zi Yan, who looked like a child, 'inadvertently' revealed an aura that suggested she had reached the Dou Zong level!

  Was this truly something a human could achieve?

  The Flower Snake Man bowed and withdrew, the gentle sound of footsteps startling the stunned group. Seeing the Tianmeng leaders leisurely assessing them, they all bowed in unison, exceedingly uncharacteristic tacit understanding.

  Considering their status, such a gesture was revealing.

  "Haha, everyone, please take a seat. Don't be polite. Guests are welcome. Our Tianmeng has always been a free-spirited society, free of so many rules and regulations."

  Chen Guan stood up, motioning, and greeted them with a smile.

  There were no individual seating arrangements, and the order in which they sat down revealed the status of the various factions.

  Clearly, the two middle-aged men who took the first seat, each accompanied by a well-mannered young man, were the most prominent. Next in line were the voluptuous, beautiful women.

  "It's truly remarkable that you all have come together. Just now, Hua She'er reported that Chen Guan nearly thought our Heavenly Alliance had incurred public wrath, provoking a joint attack."

  "Alliance Leader Chen, you're overthinking it. Xingyu came here simply to admire the Alliance Leader's presence and to present gifts to the Leader and Vice Leader as a token of our friendship with the Tianxing Empire. In this northwest region, our Tianxing Empire regards the Heavenly Alliance as our elder brother. How could we be disrespectful?"

  the Emperor of the Tianxing Empire replied with a bow and a warm smile, making his stance clear.

  As he finished speaking, the beautiful woman, the old man in hemp clothes, and the others all turned their gazes on him. This seemed a slight departure from the agreement they had made on the journey.

  However, when he realized that the meager strength the Heavenly Alliance had displayed was enough to surpass their own alliance, he immediately understood.

  In the face of absolute strength, any ulterior motives were futile. It was better to be tactful and make a good impression.

  The young man standing behind Xingyu was also well-placed to step forward. He took off a storage ring and presented it to Chen Guan, his demeanor extremely respectful, not as if he were addressing someone younger than himself, but more like he was meeting an elder.

  Chen Guan didn't refuse, raising his hand to take it and scanning it with his spiritual power. He saw dozens of jade boxes, each filled with rare medicinal herbs of at least grade six or higher, along with some odd and eccentric items. It was truly a display of sincerity.

  With a slight smile, Chen Guan handed the storage ring to Medusa beside him for safekeeping, then looked at the young man with curiosity.

  "Excuse me, what is your name?"

  "My Lord Alliance Leader, my name is Lin Xiuyun."

  "I spent some time at Canaan Academy and met a friend named Lin Xiuya. Are you related to him?"

  The young man's appearance and demeanor were somewhat similar, and coupled with the name, it was hard for Chen Guan not to associate the two with each other.

  Little did he know that this was precisely the Emperor of the Tianxing Empire's subtle intentions. He had thoroughly inquired about Chen Guan's past, and the details of Canaan Academy were no longer a secret.

  They had each brought Lin Xiuyun with them, even having him dressed up, hoping to distance themselves from them.

  Sure enough, Lin Xiuyun's response was pretty much what Chen Guan had guessed.

  "Your Excellency, Xiuya is my cousin."

  "I see. Speaking of which, this Alliance Leader hasn't been back to Canaan Academy in years. How is Lin Xiuya now?"

  "After graduation, my cousin went to Zhongzhou with a friend for training. He wrote back then, saying he didn't feel like traveling around anymore and might return to Canaan Academy to serve as an elder. I don't know where he is now."

  Chen Guan nodded slightly, as this seemed to be consistent with the original trajectory.

  Lin Xiuya's talent was undoubtedly among the best in the northwest, and it was inevitable that he yearned for the big stage.

  However, there were many Dou Wangs in their early twenties in Zhongzhou, and he was likely to suffer a setback after his arrival, much like Xiao Yan's initial confusion upon entering Zhongzhou.   

  Xiao Yan still had the Xingyun Pavilion to rely on, but Lin Xiuya…

  honestly, Chen Guan wasn't very optimistic.

  With a slight sigh, Chen Guan didn't say much.

  He could guess a little about the Tianxing Empire Emperor's intentions, but he didn't care.

  Regarding these northwestern forces, he had only one plan: to eliminate those that posed a threat, those that appeared easy to cause trouble, through the guidance of the Soul Palace. As for the rest, he simply wanted to keep things peaceful.

  Now that someone said they viewed him as a brother, the Tianmeng would definitely listen. Their stance was clear, so Chen Guan naturally wouldn't ask for too much.

  "My Flowing Cloud Empire, in agreement with Tianxing, also congratulates the Alliance Leader in advance."

  After Lin Xiuyun withdrew, the middle-aged man sitting on Xingyu spoke up, also allowing the young man behind him to present a gift.

  Coincidentally, he and Xingyu shared the same sentiments. This young man was even the older brother of a high-ranking official in the Chen Clan, founded by Zhao Gang. No matter how you looked at it, Lin Xiuyun's connections were clearly on his side.

  Unfortunately, to his surprise, Chen Guan had always considered the Canaan Academy's Chen Gang a child's play, and had never paid much attention to them. Of the entire Chen Gang, Chen Guan only knew Zhao Gang.

  He was completely unfamiliar with the others. Fortunately,

  Chen Guan remained amicable and didn't treat them any differently because they lacked a connection, which reassured the Emperor of the Floating Cloud Empire. Following

  the Floating Cloud Empire, other factions, such as the Liuxian Sect and the Manshan Prefecture, also sent congratulatory gifts, all with similar messages.

  In short, from now on, you're my big brother!

  Chen Guan's ability to gather such a group of followers so easily showed his good sense; after all, it saved him a lot of trouble. He

  immediately engaged in a casual chat with his younger brothers.

  Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was dusk.

  Not only the drowsy Zi Yan, but even Queen Medusa and the Little Medical Fairy seemed to find the conversation boring.

  As if sensing their weariness, Xingyu of the Sky Star Empire, led the way, rose to bid farewell.

  Knowing for sure that the Heavenly Alliance wouldn't expand without cause was enough for them.

  "Don't worry, since you're here, stay a few days. Otherwise, others will think we're not hosting you well enough. It just so happens that Dieyi is about to give birth, so the Heavenly Alliance will surely celebrate. Let's all have a toast together."

  Chen Guan truly had no other thoughts; he wouldn't mind a more festive occasion like this.

  But his brothers loved to imagine things. Seeing Chen Guan's genuine, open smile, they were momentarily unsure of his intentions.

  But refusing...

  didn't quite dare!

  "In that case, we'll excuse our inconvenience."

  Wait and see what happens. If there's any trouble, run.

  Well, hopefully, we can get away unscathed.

  Just as he was lost in thought, a hearty laugh emanated from outside the temple.

  "Hahaha, this fight was a thrill!"

  Everyone looked inward, only to see seven or eight figures emerge from the sky, their figures like ghosts and apparitions. In the blink of an eye, they were standing at the temple's entrance.

  What shocked Xingyu and the others even more was that these seven or eight people were all Dou Zun masters!!!

  There was Skyfire Venerable, Phantom Poison, Qinglin, four puppets, and a strange Dou Zun that even Chen Guan didn't recognize.

  "Alliance Leader, we've returned to report. The Soul Palace branch in the Wuying Mountains has been eliminated. As the intelligence reported, only the chief and deputy hall masters were Dou Zun masters, four-star and two-star. This operation was a breeze; every Soul Palace member in the branch was annihilated."

  Seeing that Chen Guan didn't ask the strangers to retreat, Skyfire Venerable understood and strode forward to report the results.

  It was just two Dou Zun masters. With so many experts deployed, failure was unthinkable.

  Chen Guan nodded slightly, unconcerned.

  The Soul Palace had branches throughout the Douqi Continent, including in the northwest, and more than one.

  Even before he prepared to return to the northwest, Chen Guan had already planned to eliminate the Soul Palace's influence there.

  Therefore, he had secretly contacted his good friend, Guardian Li, and Elder Mu Gu early on, asking them to begin inquiring.

  Given Mu Gu's status, such information would have been easy to uncover.

  Unfortunately, following the arrest of the Dan Society, Mu Gu had been temporarily sidelined by the Soul Palace, and they had taken precautions, which had delayed the investigation for so long. However,

  even the most cautious approach can lead to loopholes. After nearly a month, Chen Guan finally received accurate information about a branch temple a few days ago.

  Slightly disappointed, the Soul Essence within this branch temple had just been seized by the Soul Palace, leaving only a few scraps. Chen Guan had no interest in this and simply ordered Venerable Skyfire to lead his men to destroy it.

  For Chen Guan, the Soul Essence within a branch temple might not even be enough to significantly increase his soul strength, let alone the scraps.

  Rather than revealing his intentions, he decided to ignore this fact, which would facilitate his next move.

  "Thank you for your hard work. Who is this?"

  Ignoring the shocked expressions of Xingyu and the others, Chen Guan looked at the unfamiliar Dou Zun expert.

  This time, Qinglin took the initiative to step forward and speak.

  "Young Master, this is the Lord of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, Venerable Heavenly Snake. We happened to meet him on our way back, so we came here together."