Great Demon Sun Wukong

On the third day after the disappearance of the Burning Fire Stele, in front of the gates of Netherworld Palace in the Netherworld World, a group of guests arrived. To say it was a group is a bit of an overstatement—there were only three people. However, these three were certainly noteworthy guests, for they hailed from the Canglan River Realm. The Canglan River Realm, as one of the four High-Level worlds, did not actually have any particular relationship with the Netherworld World. Their relationship could not be considered good but neither could it be deemed bad.

Therefore, when those three individuals from the Canglan River Realm arrived, both Xi Zhao and the Rogue Heart Sword Hero were extremely surprised. The three visitors from the Canglan River Realm were led by their head figure, a Domain Lord Level powerhouse from the Brightwater Dragon Race—War General Si Ye, Falong Youyu, and a young man named Liang Ji, who, judging by his attire, also seemed to be skilled in close-range physical combat, hailing from the martial branch of the dragon lineage.

All thirty-six participants from the Canglan River Realm in the trial of the Patrolling Celestial World were from the Brightwater Dragon Race. After the accidents and attacks by Ferocious Beasts they encountered during their exploration, now only twenty-nine remained in the Canglan River Realm. The reason these three individuals from the Canglan River Realm had appeared in the Netherworld World was all because of a woman named Yi Xuan within the Canglan River Realm.
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This woman named Yi Xuan had no combat power to speak of; aside from her long lifespan owing to her Brightwater Dragon heritage, her combat abilities were roughly equivalent to those of an average adult male. However, she possessed a miraculous ability: premonition!

Thus was the reason War General Si Ye and his companions had come to the Netherworld World because Yi Xuan had foreseen three things. The first was that someone in the Netherworld World had the World Suppressing Stele and that it was a Stele which had acknowledged its master. The second was that the Canglan River Realm would be under joint attack from the Annihilation Demon Nation and Myriad Demons Country; given the current combat power of the Canglan River Realm, they were unable to resist. The third matter was a secret about the Ancient Primordial World.

What this secret was, however, Si Ye did not reveal to Xi Zhao and others. Nevertheless, Si Ye represented the Canglan River Realm and made it known that they intended to ally with the Netherworld World, showing great sincerity.

According to Si Ye, as long as they could ally with the Netherworld World, the Canglan River Realm would share fortunes and misfortunes together. The Netherworld World could even establish a Teleportation Array in the Canglan Palace. The Canglan River Realm, in return, could provide much intelligence, including the exact timing of the third Ferocious Beast siege by the Annihilation Demon Nation, as well as the next moves of the Myriad Demons Country and Annihilation Demon Nation. Moreover, whenever the Netherworld World decided to attack either power, the Canglan River Realm would send assistance to the best of their capacity while ensuring their own safety.

If victorious, all rights to activate the World Suppressing Stele would belong exclusively to the Netherworld World. The only request from the Canglan River Realm was to be eliminated third from last. However, Si Ye brought up the situation of the Ancient Primordial World and seriously warned Xi Zhao and the others to avoid conflict with it as much as possible—and also to try to incite hostility between it and the two nations of Myriad Demons and Annihilation.

With that, negotiations between the two parties continued for the better part of the day, only concluding when the sun was three poles high, as Xi Zhao and the others saw off Si Ye and his two companions. These negotiations went smoother than anyone could have imagined, much smoother. Si Ye hadn't expected Xi Zhao to agree so readily, with no haggling or even a hint of doubt.

Not until Si Ye and the others had left the Netherworld Palace did the Rogue Heart Sword Hero, Sun Wukong, and others once again gather all the Netherworld World people together. Once everyone was seated anew, the Rogue Heart Sword Hero was the first to speak, "Xi Zhao, share your thoughts. It's unlike you to agree to an alliance with the Canglan River Realm so straightforwardly. They are not our enemies, but they are certainly not our friends either. We have no reason to simply form an alliance with them!"

Before Xi Zhao could speak, the Flame God suddenly interjected, "I know, Boss Xi Zhao must be planning to agree to the alliance on the surface, then seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack when they least expect it. That Si Ye guy just said it, their Canglan River Realm has only twenty-nine people left. If we send thirty people and with Monkey's World Suppressing Stele, we could definitely take the Canglan Palace. Then, Netherworld would be in first place."

After the Flame God finished speaking, Xi Zhao did not comment on his words but instead turned to the others and asked in a measured tone, "Does anyone else have any thoughts?" As soon as Xi Zhao finished, Caomei suddenly spoke up, "I think the Flame God's idea is very feasible. Since Si Ye came to us to form an alliance, it proves that their ability to defend themselves is lacking, which is why they have resorted to such measures. So I believe that although they say they have twenty-nine people left, their actual combat strength must be even lower. Netherworld has not lost a single person so far, and with a fight, we stand a great chance of victory! Moreover, according to the map, the Canglan River Realm is located slightly southeast of the Annihilation Demon Nation. If we take over the Canglan River Realm, it would also greatly benefit our surveillance or surprise attacks on the Annihilation Demon Nation!"

However, Rogue Heart Sword Hero furrowed his brows and said, "If everything Si Ye has said is true, then forming an alliance with the Canglan River Realm isn't a bad idea. Although we currently haven't lost a single person and still have the full complement of thirty-six, we've lost the opportunity to cooperate with Genesis, and it's certain that Annihilation and Myriad Demons have already formed an alliance. In such a case, if we want to be the first in the trials, relying solely on ourselves, I'm afraid it will be very difficult. Everyone here is my brother, and I don't want to see anyone left behind in this godforsaken place."

"Moreover, what Si Ye mentioned about the secrets of the Ancient Primordial World piques my interest. Even the Myriad Spirits Realm has produced a Burning Fire Stele that proclaims the existence of a powerful weapon in the Ancient Primordial World, which doesn't surprise me. What I'm really puzzled about is why Xi Zhao agreed so readily, even without considering everyone's opinions."

Sun Wukong picked up where Rogue Heart Sword Hero left off and continued, "I have some old scores to settle with the Ancient Primordial World. So, if possible, I would like to annihilate everyone from the Ancient Primordial World. As for forming alliances, I cannot detect any deceit or conspiracy in that man called Si Ye's eyes. I believe in his words to the extent of eighty percent!"

After several had spoken, the Evil Monarch from among the Five Battle Generals suddenly said, "Alright, let's not speculate anymore. I can vouch with my life that the Canglan River Realm is trustworthy and that an alliance is possible. For us, this brings great benefits and no disadvantages whatsoever!"

At the Evil Monarch's categorical statement, everyone present, except for Xi Zhao who still wore a smile, showed varying degrees of astonishment. Especially the other four of the Netherworld Five Battle Generals, who all looked at the Evil Monarch with questioning eyes. But the Evil Monarch shook his head and didn't explain anything.

Finally, when everyone else had fallen silent, Xi Zhao opened his mouth to speak: "I can assertively and responsibly tell everyone that the Canglan River Realm is trustworthy, and an alliance with them this time is essential. As for the reasons, I can't reveal them to you now, but please trust me once more. An alliance with Canglan holds only advantages for Netherworld, immense ones at that. If handled properly, first place in the Patrolling Celestial World trials will be ours. Moreover, the benefits of an alliance with Canglan far outweigh the risks of attacking them forcibly. As Caomei mentioned rightly before, our biggest enemies are the combined forces of Annihilation and Myriad Demons. By ourselves, it would indeed be very difficult. But with the help of the Canglan River Realm, it would be a different story. Without delving into details, if we could learn about Annihilation Demon Nation's third Ferocious Beast siege in advance, we could quietly fan the flames. Although we may not necessarily annihilate Annihilation, we can certainly inflict heavy damage on them!"

Pausing for a moment, Xi Zhao continued, "Moreover, I don't know if any of you have noticed, but as of now, during the Patrolling Celestial World trials, the remaining eight powers have almost all acquired a certain understanding of the environment around their own palaces. Take, for instance, the Canglan River Realm being able to locate our Netherworld Palace; presumably Myriad Demons, Annihilation, Myriad Gods, and the Ancient Primordial World have also scouted out the closest forces to them. Therefore, if we form an alliance with Canglan afterwards, then our Netherworld Palace's security will be significantly assured."

"Directly north of us is Canglan, already allied. To the northeast is Genesis, who likely won't become hostile to us unless it's a last resort, and even then, if it comes to that, we can resolve it in a relatively peaceful manner. Beyond that is only the southeast's Fangcun Spirit Realm, and based on Dao Zhun's behavior before, it's also unlikely that they would become hostile toward us, and later on, we should be able to resolve things peacefully, especially considering that the monkey is actually Dao Zhun's disciple!"

In this way, if the allied forces of Annihilation and Myriad Demons want to conquer a faction, the most likely targets are Myriad Gods Hall, Ancient Primordial World, and Canglan River Realm. Among these three, Myriad Gods Hall is the most probable because Transforming Thunder has perished, leaving Myriad Gods Hall isolated and without support. Should the allied forces of Myriad Demons and Annihilation arrive, unless something unexpected occurs, their demise is inevitable. Therefore, my plan is to ally with the Canglan River Realm, acquire intelligence regarding the Annihilation Demon Nation's beast siege and their next plans, and then take action depending on the situation. I ask you all to trust me, and when the appropriate moment arrives, I will disclose everything to you!"

Having said that much, even if the rest had their own thoughts, they had no choice but to let them be. Moreover, the Evil Monarch was the captain of the Netherworld Five Battle Generals, personally chosen by Yue Huangquan, and had staked his life as a guarantee. Even if they were not convinced by Xi Zhao, they couldn't disregard the face of Lord Yue Huangquan.

Thereupon, Xi Zhao discussed the remaining details with everyone. In the end, it was decided that Sun Wukong, Xi Zhao, and Rogue Heart Sword Hero would set off for the Canglan River Realm the next morning to establish spatial coordinates and further discuss the details of the alliance.

As the saying goes: "Blissfully unaware of how the Burning Fire was lost, Tongtian's one thought has succumbed to the demon. Canglan has a daughter who knows of the disaster, and the Primordial Ancient Realm has a Buddha to stop the water."