"In the realm of cultivation, I hold no special regard for humanity. All living beings in the world are but grains of sand on the path to the Dao. Perhaps you should rephrase your question, such as the nature of the connection between me and humanity."
Lu Qingyang's gaze swept over Gu Fang deeply before he let out a serene smile, his words astonishing.
Upon hearing this, Gu Fang's heart was immediately stirred.
Lu Qingyang continued slowly, "Humanity suffered from the calamity of the beast tide, and I intervened to save them from disaster. In return, humans gratefully worship me with sincere faith, providing me with incense power. This is a matter of mutual benefit."
"You may regard me as the deities mentioned in your legends. I need the incense power from humans to cultivate, and in turn, humans receive my protection through their worship."
"However, my protection is but one aspect of the benefits to humanity. The existence of the Heavenly Court chat group is another blessing I bestow upon them."
"As a high-ranking member of the Human Alliance, you must understand the profound significance of the Heavenly Court chat group's emergence for the entire human race."
"Take, for instance, the supreme cultivation techniques available for exchange within the group. These can enable even those who were previously unable to embark on the path of cultivation to achieve immortality."
"Know that although the current beast tide has temporarily receded, countless beasts still lurk in the universe. With the revival of spiritual energy, their numbers will only increase. Should the phenomenon of the blood moon occur again, the power of these beasts will be even more terrifying."
"At that time, if humanity lacks the power to resist, they will likely face extinction."
"In short, compared to the number of beasts, human cultivators are exceedingly rare. While contemporary treasures can fend off ordinary beasts, their effectiveness greatly diminishes against beasts of the second tier or higher."
"Moreover..."
"If I truly wished harm upon humanity, it would be but a trivial matter to annihilate you!"
As Lu Qingyang's words fell, a sudden tremor shook the earth. The ancient trees, which had stood firm in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains for millennia, broke through the ground and shot up into the sky.
Seeing this, Gu Fang's expression changed instantly.
He had thought that Lu Qingyang remained in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains due to the immobility of his ancient tree body. But now, it was clear that his assumption was gravely mistaken.
If the ancient tree could move, then even with the combined might of the entire Human Alliance, they would be powerless against him should he decide to invade the Eighth Alliance.
Before Gu Fang could recover from his shock, the towering ancient tree returned to its original place, and the tumultuous earth settled into tranquility.
...
Gu Fang departed,
Leaving the Ten Thousand Great Mountains filled with immense shock.
His visit to the mountains to meet Lu Qingyang was a decision made collectively by the Human Alliance's high command to ascertain his true stance toward humanity.
After leaving the mountains, Gu Fang wasted no time, directly riding his artifact back to the Eighth Alliance.
Once Gu Fang left, the image of Lu Qingyang, formed by spiritual energy, gradually dissipated.
Maintaining this avatar required a continuous consumption of spiritual energy. Though the expenditure wasn't substantial, it was unnecessary to waste it.
Through his conversation with Gu Fang, Lu Qingyang had demonstrated sufficient deterrence, ensuring that humanity would abandon any inappropriate notions.
After all,
A powerful being seemingly confined to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains was vastly different in the minds of people compared to one who could leave at will.
In truth,
Lu Qingyang had long realized that he could freely enter and exit the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
The saying that trees die if moved and people live if moved was merely a joke for an ancient tree that had cultivated to such a level.
However—
Compared to other places, Lu Qingyang preferred the tranquility of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Besides, moving his vast tree body would consume considerable spiritual energy.
Unless necessary, Lu Qingyang had no intention of moving easily.
...
Returning to the Eighth Alliance,
The high command of the Human Alliance reconvened.
Gu Fang recounted in detail everything he had seen and heard deep within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
For a moment, everyone fell into silence.
After a while, Ji Xuan spoke solemnly, "So, it seems that the presence within indeed possesses intelligence comparable to humans and can leave the Ten Thousand Great Mountains at will."
"His act of combating the beast tide was indeed to obtain incense power from humanity."
"According to the records of the immortals, immortals refine human incense to aid their cultivation. The presence in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains might be doing the same."
"Thus, the threat he poses to humanity is not as severe as imagined."
The relationship between immortals and their followers was inherently interdependent.
Followers sought protection from immortals, and immortals needed the incense from their followers. The two were inseparable.
Currently, humanity was weak. Although they had temporarily repelled the beasts, the remaining beasts were still powerful. With the current strength of humanity, they were barely able to resist.
In such a situation, humanity had no choice but to rely on the protection of the Qingyang Immortal Tree.
Furthermore,
The cultivation techniques and numerous treasures in the Heavenly Court chat group were urgently needed by humanity.
Having fully understood this, Ji Xuan said,
"Since the purpose of the presence in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains has been clarified, we need not overly worry."
"Previously, the beast invasion caused the alliance to lose seventeen battlefronts, with countless lives lost to the beasts. Now that the alliance's situation is stabilizing, we can consider reclaiming these lost territories."
"At the same time, we should gather a batch of beast carcasses to offer as sacrifices, so we can exchange them for some techniques from the miraculous Heavenly Court chat group."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Yang Yan suggested, "I propose that we first gather all the beasts for one person to sacrifice, to unlock the second-tier or even higher-tier market."
"Currently, the alliance does not lack low-tier cultivators. What we truly need are top-tier combat forces."
"If we are fortunate enough to exchange for a fourth-tier technique or a fourth-tier breakthrough pill, the alliance could genuinely produce a fourth-tier powerhouse."
The existence of breakthrough pills had only recently been revealed.
Consuming one could instantly break through a minor realm, making it a treasure for rapid cultivation improvement.
However, breakthrough pills were extremely valuable. Even the lowest first-tier inferior breakthrough pill required ten thousand incense points for a single one.
Not something an average person could afford.
Ji Xuan, upon hearing this, nodded in approval and said, "Commander Yang Yan's suggestion is excellent. Our current greatest deficiency is high-tier combat forces."
"The priority is to elevate the market level of the Heavenly Court chat group, so that humanity can produce fourth-tier powerhouses."
"Without a fourth-tier expert, even if we manage to reclaim lost territories, facing the next wave of beast attacks would still be challenging."
Hearing this, everyone felt a shared sense of urgency and unanimously agreed.
4o