Chapter 883: Rising Up

At that time, Xu Yang had already left the Western Desolate Ruins with the Queen of Spades and the grey-robed elder.

A roar from the Saber-toothed Tiger shook the heavens, and all the powerful Thirteen Guardians who were still alive within the Western Emperor's Tomb emerged. Naturally, this included those under the Western Emperor's lineage, and various bandit forces began to gather frantically at the Western Emperor's Tomb.

Xu Yang, wielding the Western Emperor's authority, commanded the vast bandit horde!

He stood proudly in the void above the Western Emperor's Tomb.

Beneath his feet, he stood upon the sarcophagus that sealed the Western Emperor's mummified remains, surveying the bandits below with a powerful, disdainful gaze.

The Queen of Spades and the grey-robed elder, leaders of the other two major bandit factions in the Eastern Domain, stood to Xu Yang's left and right. Clearly, in this gathering of the Eastern Domain's three bandit titans, Xu Yang was firmly positioned as the central figure and leader.

“Friends,” Xu Yang announced, “from today onward, I, A-Yang, Sect Master of the Sacred Flame Divine Sect, officially accept the Western Emperor's legacy. I will establish a Sacred Flame Alliance branch across the Eastern Domain, specifically tasked with leading all bandit forces in this region!

Anyone with a bandit identity, anywhere in the Eastern Domain, must obey the Sacred Flame Alliance's commands. Furthermore, these two beside me will lead their respective forces to join this alliance organization.

From now on, should anything arise within the Eastern Domain's bandit world, we will convene and discuss it together. Anyone who dares to disobey our orders will face only one fate: death without mercy!”

As Xu Yang finished speaking, he immediately received vocal support from the Queen of Spades and the grey-robed elder beside him.

Tens of thousands of elite bandit leaders present all voiced their agreement.

“Hahaha, this is excellent!” exclaimed one. “From today, we bandits, who live by the sword, finally have a legitimate official organization. This means we won't be looked down upon when dealing with other alliance forces!”

Far from opposing, the bandit warriors below were incredibly excited.

As they had expressed, under Xu Yang's leadership, the bandit forces were entering a phase of formalization, which they saw as a perfect step forward in defending their sovereignty.

Not long after Xu Yang's declaration, a powerful aura quickly manifested from the distant sky.

Soon, leaders from various alliances in the Eastern Domain, clad in elaborate armor, began to appear.

Leading them, naturally, was Ling Yao, the young leader of the Eastern Domain Alliance.

Initially, the presence of these top-tier powerhouses provoked hostility from the tens of thousands of bandits below the Western Emperor's Tomb. They drew their weapons, poised for conflict.

However, Xu Yang quickly waved his hand, clarifying the true purpose behind the arrival of these alliance leaders.

“Hold your aggression!” Xu Yang commanded. “These alliance leaders were invited by me personally to attend this grand assembly. Their presence is to further demonstrate the stance of our bandit alliance!

From now on, all resources in the Eastern Domain will be rationally distributed through joint discussions between the bandit forces, operating under the Sacred Flame Alliance, and the major official alliances. This approach will protect the rights and interests of both parties, thereby minimizing internal strife among the various Eastern Domain factions.”

For years, bandit forces and major alliance factions in the Eastern Domain had been locked in continuous conflict, leading to a significant weakening of the Eastern Domain's overall power compared to the other three major regions.

If this mutual struggle continued, the Eastern Domain's overall strength would further diminish. At that point, external threats from the other three major regions would completely permeate the entire Eastern Domain.

Everyone understood the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold.' If a way wasn't found to change this situation, the entire Eastern Domain would gradually be completely divided by the powers from the other three external regions.

This was an unavoidable future for the Eastern Domain. Now, with the intervention of the Sacred Flame Alliance, the Eastern Domain's bandit forces would gain legitimate official status and be treated equally by the major alliance factions.

“Well said!” declared Xu Yang. “As long as the Sacred Flame Alliance exists, no other alliance faction in the Eastern Domain will have the right to arbitrarily attack or divide the bandit forces.”

As Xu Yang finished, the atmosphere reached its peak!

Undoubtedly, Xu Yang's influence had now spread from the Northern Domain to the entire Eastern Domain. Coupled with the strategic coordination from Ling Yao, the leader of the Eastern Domain Alliance, Xu Yang had effectively gained control over most of the Eastern Domain's forces.

“Long live the Sacred Flame Alliance! Long live the Eastern Domain! Long live Lord A-Yang!”

For a moment, cheers like crashing waves echoed continuously, pushing Xu Yang's leadership and influence to their zenith. When Xu Yang and Ling Yao shook hands, each representing the absolute leader of their respective grand alliances, it marked the official arrival of a new era for the entire Eastern Domain.

“Hahaha, Brother A-Yang, you truly are resourceful!” Ling Yao transmitted discreetly. “You've integrated the three major bandit forces of the Eastern Domain with such ease! This is something even the Central Domain's royal family couldn't achieve in thousands of years, yet you accomplished it in such a short time. I truly must admire you!”

Ling Yao subtly projected a soul imprint into Xu Yang's spiritual world. These two secretly communicated through their soul auras, blocking out all surrounding noise. It truly gave the impression of two conspirators, though their current public roles were far too virtuous.

Who would have imagined that Lord A-Yang, now commanding the Eastern Domain's three major bandit forces, shared such an intimate and seamless comradeship with Ling Yao, the leader of the Eastern Domain Alliance?

Soon, with the situation here settled, Yun Xiao, Yun Xuan, and others stationed at Mount Qizong arrived with thousands of elites to meet up.

Unbeknownst to them, this entire process had been meticulously arranged by Xu Yang in advance, all staged for the native warriors of the Eastern Domain.

Even more remarkably, Yun Yixuan, at this moment, revealed his identity as a special envoy of the Eastern Domain's Royal Family. Overstepping the Central Domain's Royal Family, he privately, in front of countless Eastern Domain inhabitants, granted official recognition to Xu Yang and Ling Yao's cross-faction collaboration.

“Hahaha, as a special envoy of the Central Domain's Royal Family,” Yun Yixuan declared, “I am sincerely pleased to witness the two strongest factions of the Eastern Domain transform their conflict into peace and enter a phase of peaceful development!

I look forward to seeing the Eastern Domain enter a new stage of comprehensive development, and I thank Lord A-Yang and Lord Ling Yao for their significant contributions to promoting peace and development in the Eastern Domain!”

Watching Yun Yixuan, pompously standing in the void, acting like a self-important official of the Central Domain's Royal Family, delivering a grand speech, the Winter Goddess, who was listening in the ranks below, couldn't help but sneer.

“What a pathetic sycophant,” the Winter Goddess muttered. “Without Lord A-Yang, you, Yun Yixuan, would be less than a dog. Yet now, a mere fungus dares to stand in the imperial hall, presuming to lecture at Western Emperor Ridge.”