Chapter 816: The Gamble

"This is an all-out gamble for us. Regardless of the outcome, I will bear full responsibility. If I fail this time, the position of leader of the Divine Capital Alliance will be inherited by you, High Priest."

"Young Master!"

"Say no more, my decision is final! I've long disliked the people of Unrivaled City. They have seized our business and market share more than once. This time, we'll see what kind of power Ayang can unleash."

That evening, shrouded in a dense black mist, the Divine Capital Golden Cavalry arrived at the temporary base of Xu Yang and his companions from the Sacred Flame Alliance.

Having unified the western North Domain, the Sacred Flame Alliance was now formidable and brimming with resolve. Although they had vaguely heard of Unrivaled City's movements, Xu Yang remained completely unfazed, already preparing to counter the pressure from the various major alliances across the North Domain.

"Sect Master, the High Priest of the Divine Capital Alliance has arrived!"

As Elder Tan finished speaking, the High Priest, clad in a silver robe, projected an image of himself. He then unceremoniously entered the main hall, removed his veil, and with a grave expression, calmly met Xu Yang's gaze.

"Hahahaha, I truly didn't expect the leader of your Divine Capital Alliance to have such foresight, placing such a significant, high-stakes bet on our Sacred Flame Alliance. Isn't he afraid of being overthrown overnight?"

Xu Yang teased the High Priest playfully, but the High Priest showed no inclination to joke. With a wave of his hand, a personal letter from the leader of the Divine Capital Alliance flew before Xu Yang.

With a mere touch of spiritual energy on the letter's surface, Xu Yang instantly grasped its contents and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Let me guess, it must be you, old man, who tried to dissuade your Young Master for some time, but to no avail. Your Young Master intends to participate in this conflict and has chosen to align with me, am I right?"

The High Priest spoke with a chilling expression: "If you merely consider this a game, then do not accept our offering. You are a revered Heavenly Martial Artist; even if you committed an unforgivable crime, the imperial family would never easily punish you. But do not forget, there are so many people behind you giving their all. Who will protect their fate?"

Although the High Priest's tone was less than friendly, Xu Yang had no intention of getting angry.

He saw no fault in the High Priest's words. From their perspective, this was indeed true. After all, not everyone possessed Xu Yang's extraordinary standing, allowing them to indulge themselves without restraint on this continental battlefield, playing however they wished.

However, Xu Yang was not a self-indulgent lord who disregarded others. Any responsibility he was willing to shoulder would receive the strongest protection.

"Go back and tell your Young Master that the 50,000 sets of equipment he invested in will soon yield rich returns. Because when I bring down the banner of Unrivaled City, your Divine Capital Alliance will become the largest, and indeed the only, auction house in the entire North Domain."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the High Priest's face widened in disbelief. Everyone present understood perfectly the significance of the word "only."

Xu Yang's words meant that once the Sacred Flame Alliance captured the city, the title of the North Domain's foremost alliance would undoubtedly fall into his hands. At that point, he would grant the Divine Capital Alliance the exclusive right to monopolize the entire North Domain's auction industry.

In this way, the Divine Capital Alliance would gain control over all economic and trade power across the North Domain.

Such a lucrative offer, let alone 50,000 sets of equipment, could not be bought with even 500,000 sets!

Yet this time, Xu Yang unhesitatingly bestowed such a gift upon the Divine Capital Alliance, and the reason was simple.

They were willing to invest everything in the Sacred Flame Alliance and in Xu Yang during a critical moment; this was the return they deserved.

In just one week, Xu Yang assembled a force of 100,000 Enforcement Hall troops. These 100,000 men were equipped with top-tier gear, making their overall combat power immeasurable.

More importantly, within that week, the five Heavenly Kings of the Sacred Flame Divine Sect and the two commanders who possessed ancient exotic beast mounts diligently taught the cultivation methods of primal power to every individual within the 100,000 Enforcement Hall troops.

Although each individual's absorption capacity varied, all experienced a qualitative leap in personal combat power by practicing the methods of primal power.

A week later, Unrivaled City's forces had begun to gather. Apart from the Divine Capital Alliance, the other four of the top five alliance powers had already assembled.

Originally, according to the plan, the Divine Capital Alliance was also to send troops in support of Unrivaled City. After all, Unrivaled City was currently the rightful ruler of the North Domain. While the Divine Capital Alliance secretly supported Xu Yang's Sacred Flame Alliance, they had to maintain appearances.

However, a week prior, upon receiving Xu Yang's reply via the High Priest, the leader of the Divine Capital Alliance decisively chose to rebel alongside Ayang. Not only did he provide full support in terms of equipment, but he also dispatched a staggering 30,000 volunteer troops directly to the Sacred Flame Alliance. This was, in essence, a public declaration of defiance against the Unrivaled City faction of the entire North Domain.

"Hahahaha, Lord Unrivaled, I truly didn't expect the Divine Capital Alliance faction to have such audacity, daring to ally with the Sacred Flame Alliance."

In Unrivaled City, the leader of the Third Great Alliance laughed heartily, mocking the Divine Capital Alliance. The leaders of the other factions followed suit, for these were powerful figures who held sway over the entire North Domain.

The Unrivaled City Lord merely snorted, raising the golden jade glazed cup in his hand to take a mouthful of strong liquor.

"Now that the four major alliances have assembled, 300,000 elites are more than enough to effortlessly crush the Sacred Flame Alliance. The reason I haven't issued the North Domain King's Summons, which would rally the combined strength of dozens of alliances across the North Domain to jointly besiege the Sacred Flame Alliance, is simply because I wanted to ensure you gentlemen got a larger share. After all, in such matters, the fewer people involved, the greater the benefits we can share. As you well know, even low-ranked alliances in the North Domain, like the Sacred Flame Alliance, are restless and eager to seize the title held by our five strongest North Domain alliances. Therefore, we cannot let them monopolize all the benefits, or else the status of our five strongest alliance powers will eventually be usurped by those factions."

The Unrivaled City Lord also seized the opportunity to curry favor with the leaders of several major alliances. However, who among those present wasn't a shrewd individual? They all clearly understood that while the Unrivaled City Lord's words sounded appealing, his true intention was simply to minimize his own risk.