Chapter 3566: The Great War Begins

The Yinmei Mountain Range, ancestral home of the Yinmei tribe, housed a vibrant manor. It was a place of birdsong and fragrant flowers, adorned with lush vines, green bamboo, and exotic garden rocks.

Inside a blue stone pavilion, Guan Yunxiao was engaged in conversation with a shapely young woman dressed in a golden gown.

"By my reckoning, Fellow Daoist Tong should be nearing the Xuanyang Realm now!" the young woman said with a frown. This was Guna, a cultivator in the mid-Mahayana stage.

"They should be close to arriving, but the Stone Cocoon tribe is not easy to deal with," Guan Yunxiao said with a solemn expression. The Yinmei tribe would have preferred not to get involved had the Bore Tribe not offered them the secret technique for opening two apertures, as the Stone Cocoon tribe also had allies in other realms.

Major tribes achieve long-lasting legacies not just through their Xuantian Treasures, but also by forging powerful alliances with formidable forces in other realms. These tight-knit bonds are what truly make other powers hesitant to challenge them.

The Yinmei tribe had initially intended to remain aloof and observe from afar, viewing it as none of their concern. However, the Bore Tribe's offer was simply too generous for Guan Yunxiao to refuse.

The Yinmei tribe also possessed an aperture-opening secret technique, capable of opening up to two apertures. However, despite being a two-aperture technique, the required materials were different. The materials for the Yinmei tribe's current technique were exceedingly rare; they could, at best, only acquire enough to open a single aperture.

Consequently, when the Bore Tribe offered their secret technique for opening two apertures, Guan Yunxiao and the other Mahayana cultivators of the Yinmei tribe accepted without a moment's hesitation.

Just as Guna was about to speak, she retrieved a small, shimmering golden mirror from her robe. She cast a spell into it, and a respectful male voice immediately responded: "Elder Gu, Tong Yao, a Mahayana cultivator from the Bore Tribe, has arrived. He says he wishes to speak in detail with you or Elder Guan."

"Is he alone?" Guna inquired.

"Yes, indeed. We've already used the Yinmei Mirror, our tribe's prized artifact, to scan the area, and no other Mahayana cultivators were detected," the man reported. The Yinmei Mirror was a damaged Xuantian Treasure capable of seeing through most concealment techniques. Unless the Bore Tribe possessed a concealment-type Xuantian Treasure themselves, they couldn't possibly hide from the Yinmei tribe.

While the Yinmei tribe had indeed agreed to ally with the Bore Tribe against the Stone Cocoon tribe, they also harbored fears that the Bore Tribe might use this alliance as a pretext to turn on them. They had not forgotten how the Sky Rainbow Sect had been annihilated.

The fact that Tong Yao had arrived alone put them largely at ease.

"Invite him to my residence. We will discuss the details with him," Guna instructed, putting away the small mirror.

"I wonder how many Mahayana cultivators they have brought," Guan Yunxiao said, his expression serious. The Stone Cocoon tribe's protective formation was not easily breached; too few Mahayana cultivators simply wouldn't be enough to take it down.

Before long, Tong Yao appeared before them.

Logically, they should have arrived in the Xuanyang Realm much earlier. The Ye family, Luo family, and Stone Cocoon tribe had traveled a great distance to the Sky Dome Realm to confront the Medicine tribe, even invading the Ten Thousand Herb Mountain Range. This aggressive action had prompted caution among major powers in other realms, leading many influential factions to shut down their commonly used spatial nodes. Consequently, Tong Shan and his group's journey to the Xuanyang Realm was far from smooth.

Had other major powers simply granted them passage, they would have reached the Xuanyang Realm much sooner.

They reached the Qianguang Realm, and utilizing the spatial node provided by the Yinmei tribe, successfully arrived in the Xuanyang Realm, specifically on the Qianling Continent. Their main objective was to avoid alarming the Stone Cocoon tribe.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, how many Mahayana cultivators have you brought this time?" Guan Yunxiao asked in a deep voice. "According to our intelligence, the Stone Cocoon tribe has already contacted several allies who could arrive to support them at any moment."

"We have dispatched a total of fifteen Mahayana cultivators, led by those in the late-Mahayana stage, and we possess three Xuantian Treasures," Tong Yao explained slowly. "Taking down the Stone Cocoon tribe is not a major issue. The real trouble lies with their allies. Have you contacted your allies in other realms? They only need to keep the Stone Cocoon tribe's allies occupied." He added that just as the Medicine and Bore tribes had allies, so too did the Stone Cocoon tribe.

"We have already contacted Fellow Daoist Luo and Madam Qian," Guna said in a low voice. "They have agreed to help, but they demand Creation Jade Dew, which we cannot provide."

"We haven't found the Qiankun Bottle yet; it should still be in the Cangyuan Realm. We have already dispatched personnel to search for it there," Tong Yao said, his face filled with murderous intent. "What we need to do now is deal with the Stone Cocoon tribe and the Ye family. Otherwise, even if we obtain the Qiankun Bottle, we won't have peace. If we don't annihilate them, a dozen or so Mahayana cultivators might show up at our doorstep unannounced one day."

"What about the Luo family?" Guan Yunxiao asked with a frown. "They are also a True Spirit family and quite troublesome."

"We have already contacted several major powers who will deal with the Luo family," Tong Yao said confidently. "We will first deal with the Stone Cocoon tribe, then annihilate the Ye family."

"Aren't you also going to deal with the Wang family?" Guna asked, puzzled.

"We have already contacted the Golden Chi tribe of the Guangyun Realm and the Heavenly Fire Palace of the Qianguang Realm, asking them to deal with the Wang family," Tong Yao stated truthfully. "When we came here, the Mahayana cultivators of the Golden Chi tribe also used boundary-breaking treasures to travel to the Xuanyang Realm. We just don't know where they landed."

The Guangyun Realm and Qianguang Realm were both adjacent to the Xuanyang Realm. Traversing the commonly used spatial nodes would naturally lead one to the Qianling Continent. This was because the Qianling Continent was rich in cultivation resources, and for many years, cultivators from other realms visiting the Xuanyang Realm had primarily come to the Qianling Continent to procure these resources.

"Why didn't they come through the commonly used spatial nodes?" Guan Yunxiao asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be better for them to land on the Qianling Continent and rendezvous with you? It seems more secure to first annihilate the Stone Cocoon tribe and the Ye family, then deal with the Wang family. Wouldn't the collective power of concentrated Mahayana cultivators be much greater?"

"Do you think the Ye family and Stone Cocoon tribe have no allies?" Tong Yao explained. "If they dared to show up on the Qianling Continent, their enemies would likely immediately attack their ancestral lands. Furthermore, their strength is inferior to ours, so they are unwilling to join us, fearing they would be used as cannon fodder. They plan to seek another path and deal with the Wang family instead." He elaborated that the overall strength of the Golden Chi tribe and Heavenly Fire Palace was inferior to that of major tribes. If they were to gather their forces in one place, they feared being treated as cannon fodder by Tong Shan, especially since the Stone Cocoon tribe was, after all, a major tribe and not easy to deal with.

Additionally, the Golden Chi tribe and Heavenly Fire Palace also had enemies in their own realms. If their Mahayana cultivators were to appear on the Qianling Continent, the Stone Cocoon tribe and the Ye family could easily contact their allies in the Qianguang Realm and Guangyun Realm to retaliate against them.

"Don't worry about them. With eight Mahayana cultivators, taking down the Wang family won't be difficult," Tong Yao said in a deep voice. "We are just waiting for you now. How many Mahayana cultivators do you plan to send?"

"Seven Mahayana cultivators," Guan Yunxiao said, his face filled with murderous intent. "We hope to successfully annihilate the Stone Cocoon tribe." He added that if the Stone Cocoon tribe hadn't already lost several Mahayana cultivators, and if it weren't for the allure of the aperture-opening secret technique, they wouldn't have committed to such a fierce struggle against them.

The Yinmei tribe would deploy two Mahayana cultivators, recruiting five more from their affiliated races. This way, even if the entire force were wiped out, the Yinmei tribe would not suffer a devastating blow.

Tong Yao nodded in satisfaction. "That will do," he said. "Gather your people immediately and come with me to the destination. We will first rendezvous with the main force, then attack the Stone Cocoon tribe."

Guan Yunxiao agreed, retrieving a pale blue communication plate. He cast a spell into it, making a series of gestures.

About fifteen minutes later, Guan Yunxiao and his seven companions departed from the Yinmei Mountain Range.

On the Xuanling Continent, in the Yuxi Mountain Range, there was a serene manor. Inside a blue stone pavilion, Song Yuchan and Zhao Yunxiao sat, sipping tea and chatting.

Zhao Yunxiao had already advanced to the Mahayana stage, though this fact remained undisclosed.