Chapter 28

The high-ranking officials of the alliance were all in a state of shock.

They were fervently discussing the profound intentions behind the enigmatic Qingyang Immortal Wood's actions.

Why had it created such a Heavenly Court chat group, and how had it done so?

Among the alliance's upper echelons, an elderly man in a white robe furiously slammed the table, his face ashen and his eyes blazing with anger.

He had thought that after the beast tide had receded, the alliance would have a period of respite.

Little did he expect that the Heavenly Court chat group created by the Qingyang Immortal Wood would appear out of nowhere, instantly overturning all of the alliance's plans.

At this moment, a cold and melodious voice rang out, like the tinkling of spring water.

"The emergence of this Heavenly Court chat group proves that the ancient wood in the Ten Thousand Mountains is no ordinary entity. Its hidden depths far exceed that of common beings."

The speaker was a graceful female cultivator.

Although she appeared to be of considerable age, her unique temperament and unparalleled elegance set her apart. She was Shangguan Hong, the leader of the third region, and a standout figure among the eighteen alliance leaders.

"Moreover, it is worth noting that not everyone can enter the divine domain of the Heavenly Court chat group. According to preliminary statistics, only half of the cultivators in the entire alliance have this qualification, while the other half cannot enter," Shangguan Hong continued slowly.

With these words, the high-ranking officials fell into deep thought.

Grand Marshal Ji Xuan responded in a deep voice, "The birth of the Heavenly Court chat group may not necessarily be a disaster. The reason our alliance has repeatedly suffered setbacks in battling the beast tide lies in the high threshold for cultivation, resulting in a scarce number of cultivators within the alliance. Now, with Qingyang Immortal Wood creating this chat group, it allows mortals to have a chance to step onto the path of cultivation, greatly enhancing our overall strength. The troubles brought by the chat group can be considered negligible."

The high-ranking officials, hearing this, had an epiphany.

Ji Xuan paused briefly before continuing, "Moreover, from the current information, acquiring a spell requires accumulating offering points, and the only way to obtain offering points is by submitting complete demonic beast corpses. For ordinary mortals, slaying demonic beasts is extremely difficult, but our alliance's cultivators can do so with ease. Therefore, we can first organize a group of cultivators to exchange for advanced spells from the Heavenly Court chat group, and then secretly select a batch of disciples for private training. When the time is ripe, we can make it public, eliminating any worries."

This strategy brightened everyone's eyes.

They had almost forgotten that cultivators had a natural advantage over demonic beasts. Even with the emergence of the Heavenly Court chat group, it was unlikely to shake the foundation of the cultivator alliance.

Ji Xuan speculated further, "As for the issue of who can enter the Heavenly Court chat group, I suspect it may be related to faith. The Qingyang Immortal Wood might indeed be the deity recorded in ancient texts, feeding on the incense of sentient beings. Those who are devout believers will be guided into the Heavenly Court chat group, while those without faith will be excluded."

"If the Qingyang Immortal Wood possesses wisdom, then it is possible for us to communicate with it. This would undoubtedly be a major benefit for the alliance," Ji Xuan concluded.

However, just as everyone was deep in thought, Gu Fang's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly interrupted, "Grand Marshal Ji Xuan's speculations may need to be reconsidered."

"Why do you say that?" Ji Xuan asked, puzzled.

Gu Fang's face was grave as he replied in a deep voice, "Just now, the Qingyang Immortal Wood sent a warning that any person who exchanges spells through the chat group is prohibited from passing them on to others. Violators will face a catastrophic disaster. Additionally, everyone is granted one free spell exchange opportunity..."

This statement caused an uproar in the room.

Even the usually composed Ji Xuan could not help but show a look of surprise.

This change in the Heavenly Court chat group completely disrupted his previous plans. The alliance's attempt to control the flow of spells using their advantage as cultivators to maintain their dominance had become a pipe dream.

Gu Fang, being the only one able to access the Heavenly Court chat group, was the first to receive this latest information.

After a moment, Yang Yan sighed and said with a bitter smile, "It seems that all our schemes have been seen through by that Immortal Wood. The appearance of the Heavenly Court chat group will undoubtedly overturn the current structure. Now, what we can do is to ensure that as many alliance disciples as possible join the Heavenly Court chat group, thereby minimizing the impact."

Ji Xuan nodded in agreement, adding, "At the same time, sending someone to the Ten Thousand Mountains to meet the Qingyang Immortal Wood is also imperative. We need to ask it directly about its stance towards the human world."

...

In the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Amidst the towering divine trees, Lu Qingyang retracted his divine sense from Gu Fang's perspective, feeling quite satisfied.

That the alliance's high-ranking officials could perceive some flaws in the Heavenly Court chat group did not surprise Lu Qingyang.

After all, the Heavenly Court chat group was a spontaneous creation, inevitably containing some oversights.

However, through the reaction of the alliance's high-ranking officials, Lu Qingyang had already patched up the flaws in the Heavenly Court chat group.

"Every believer who joins the Heavenly Court chat group will have one free spell exchange opportunity, but with the restriction that it is limited to first-tier spells. This is to prevent anyone from reserving this opportunity to exchange for higher-tier spells in the future, which could be detrimental to themselves," Lu Qingyang added a new rule to the Heavenly Court chat group.

Although the mortal world was full of strong individuals, ordinary people still made up the majority. Only a few could truly step onto the path of immortality. To have all believers provide him with demonic beast corpses, their strength needed to be enhanced. The free spell exchange opportunity was the key to this enhancement.

Unlike other consumable items, spells, once mastered, could be cultivated by countless people without conflict.

Therefore, Lu Qingyang did not hesitate to open up the spell exchange.

To prevent anyone from arbitrarily passing on the exchanged spells, causing other believers to stop accumulating offerings to exchange for spells, Lu Qingyang established an ironclad rule: Anyone who privately leaks an exchanged spell will face divine punishment and obliteration.

This obliteration was not an idle threat but meant the complete destruction of body and soul.

By creating the Heavenly Court, Lu Qingyang had already mastered some divine-like methods. As long as he willed it, he could follow the threads of incense smoke to obliterate a believer in an instant.

4o