Chapter 254 Countries Join Forces

“Damn it! Damn it! Why aren’t the Wu Kingdom’s rogue cultivators responding?!”

Inside a dimly lit cave in Tianqing Mountain, a bloodstained young man tightly clutched a token, his face twisted with frustration and desperation.

“Even the Chu Kingdom cultivators outside the mountain are unreachable!”

The cave was filled with anxious spiritual descendants from various clans, their eyes glued to the young man. They silently hoped the Wu Kingdom’s cultivators would respond soon so they could escape this accursed place.

“It’s no use. This is clearly part of the Wu Kingdom’s deliberate scheme,” a young man with a severed arm finally said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

“Your Highness, what do you mean?”

The spiritual descendants looked at the young man with confusion, their expressions a mixture of despair and curiosity.

The young man, Chu Ran, was the Second Prince of the Chu Kingdom. As the princess’ handmaid dressed his wounded arm, he began to explain.

“For a long time, my father suspected that the Wu Kingdom’s intentions for hosting this Five Kingdoms Summit weren’t pure.

However, no matter how hard we investigated, we couldn’t uncover any concrete evidence.”

Chu Ran paused for a moment, glancing at his injured arm before continuing.

“It wasn’t until I led our kingdom’s spiritual descendants into this mountain, hoping to claim the flag and secure victory in the competition, that the truth became clear.

That truth is—the Wu Kingdom intends to use the monster in this mountain to kill us all.”

His voice was calm but firm, and his words sent a chill through everyone in the cave.

“But… what about the Wu Kingdom’s spiritual descendants? They’re in the mountain too!” someone questioned.

It didn’t make sense. If the Wu Kingdom’s plan was to use the monster to eliminate the other nations’ spiritual descendants, what about their own?

“Don’t you see? That’s exactly what makes Wu Kingdom’s Emperor Dong Zilong so terrifying,” Chu Ran said coldly.

“First, by eliminating spiritual descendants from other nations, he weakens our countries’ foundations.

Second, he can use the monster to quietly dispose of some of his own kingdom’s spiritual descendants, thereby suppressing influential cultivation families within Wu Kingdom itself.

Finally, the presence of Wu Kingdom’s spiritual descendants in this mountain gave us a false sense of security. It lured us into this death trap without hesitation.”

Chu Ran’s voice grew heavier as he continued.

“This entire competition is nothing more than a trap—a meticulously laid ambush by Emperor Dong Zilong. Tianqing Mountain isn’t a battleground for competition; it’s a graveyard for spiritual descendants.”

His words left everyone stunned.

As the Second Prince of Chu Kingdom, Chu Ran had long been involved in the political intricacies of the royal court. His understanding of schemes and human nature was sharp, but even he hadn’t foreseen Dong Zilong’s depth of cunning.

The spiritual descendants in the cave fell into a deep silence, their faces pale with fear.

“Does this mean we’re all going to die here? To be eaten by that monster?”

One of them curled into a corner, hugging his knees tightly. His trembling voice betrayed his overwhelming despair.

“There’s only one way to survive,” Chu Ran said, breaking the suffocating tension.

“Your Highness, what is it?”

Hope flickered in the eyes of the spiritual descendants as they turned to Chu Ran, hanging on his every word.

“We must join forces and kill the monster.”

“That’s… impossible! That monster is too powerful! Even the royal experts protecting you were easily slain. How could we possibly defeat it?” the bloodstained young man exclaimed in disbelief.

“Our numbers alone might not be enough,” Chu Ran admitted. “But what if we join forces with the other nations’ spiritual descendants?”

His response left everyone momentarily stunned.

“Think about it,” he continued. “The other nations’ spiritual descendants are likely facing the same situation as us.

If their leaders are half as perceptive as I am, they’ll have come to the same conclusion.”

Chu Ran’s gaze shifted toward the cave entrance, his tone filled with conviction.

“His Highness is right. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves,” one of the spiritual descendants said. “If we want to survive, we need to cooperate with the others and kill that monster together.”

“But Tianqing Mountain is vast. How will we find the other nations’ spiritual descendants to join forces with them?”

“Search! We must locate the other spiritual descendants scattered across Tianqing Mountain quickly. If we don’t, annihilation is inevitable!”

Chu Ran issued his orders with unwavering determination.

Throughout the mountain, the horrifying scenes of spiritual descendants being devoured by the Wu Kingdom’s monstrous ancestor had shaken everyone to their core.

It also awakened the remaining survivors, forcing them to realize the sinister intent behind Wu Kingdom’s plans.

In response, the spiritual descendants of Yue, Chu, Nan, and Bei Kingdoms seemed to arrive at the same conclusion—they needed to band together to confront the monster.

Only by killing the creature could they hope to survive this deadly ordeal.

“Brother Xiaolin! Chu Ran, the Second Prince of Chu Kingdom, has brought his group to meet us!”

Inside a hidden barrier, Lu Shanglin hurried in and reported to Ye Xiaolin, who was meditating alongside others from Yue Kingdom.

“Invite them in,” Ye Xiaolin instructed.

Lu Shanglin quickly exited and returned with Chu Ran and the remaining Chu Kingdom spiritual descendants, leading them into the protective barrier.

“I am Chu Ran, Second Prince of Chu Kingdom. I greet the spiritual descendants of Yue Kingdom,” Chu Ran announced with a polite bow as he entered the barrier.

Inside, he saw Yue Kingdom representatives, including Yun Yanshuang, Ye Xiaolin, Lu Shangsheng, Lin Yifeng, and others.

“Ye Xiaolin of Canglan Ye Clan,” Ye Xiaolin replied, standing to return the courtesy.

He gestured toward the others and introduced them:

“This is Yun Yanshuang of Yuncang Yun Clan, Lin Yifeng of Wangyue Lin Clan, and the Lu siblings, Lu Shanglin and Lu Shangsheng, of Chuanyin Lu Clan.”

“Pleasure to meet you all,” Chu Ran said warmly.

“Allow me to be direct: I suspect you already understand the purpose of my visit.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chu Ran got straight to the point.

The Yue Kingdom representatives remained silent but nodded in acknowledgment, tacitly agreeing with his assumption.

“Currently, there’s a monster in Tianqing Mountain that preys on spiritual descendants.

Many from Chu Kingdom have already fallen victim, becoming its food.

The same has occurred with the South and North Kingdoms.

Even a South Kingdom princess and a North Kingdom prince have perished at its hands.”

Chu Ran’s tone grew somber.

“I’ve come with the surviving Chu Kingdom spiritual descendants to propose an alliance.

Let us set aside our rivalries and work together to eliminate this monster. It’s the only way for any of us to survive.

What do you say?”

His gaze swept across Yun Yanshuang, Ye Xiaolin, and the others as he awaited their response.

“Given our dire situation, there’s no doubt that setting aside hostilities and uniting against the monster is our most pressing concern,” Ye Xiaolin said after a long pause, nodding in agreement.

“Indeed. You all have great foresight and wisdom!” Chu Ran responded, visibly relieved.

“I am truly grateful. Let us hope our combined efforts will rid us of this fiend.”

“But we still don’t have enough people,” Ye Xiaolin noted. “Do you have a way to contact the spiritual descendants of South and North Kingdoms?”

“Rest assured,” Chu Ran replied with a confident smile.

“I’ve already managed to reach out to the survivors from both nations. They should be heading here as we speak.”

Just as he finished speaking, a Chu Kingdom spiritual descendant approached and announced that the South and North Kingdom survivors had arrived.

This news brought joy to everyone present.

At that moment, representatives from all four nations gathered—a total of fifty-six spiritual descendants.

Most were at the Embryo Breath realm, while a smaller group had reached the Qi Refinement realm—twelve individuals in total, with cultivation levels ranging from the first to the third stage of Qi Refinement.

For the first time, hope began to blossom amidst the overwhelming despair.