An hour ago.
"I still want to ask one more thing..."
During the flight, the Nether Abyss Ancestor couldn't help but ask:
"Where does your ninety percent confidence come from?"
Zhang Yao smiled calmly and leisurely said:
"The Divine Techniques of my Five Elements Divine Wheel are based on the interaction of the five elements, evolving from the transformation of the Five Phases, thus possessing the power to rule over the five elements and dominate the Five Phases, capable of overcoming all Power of the Five Elements and Five Phases."
"In the entire world, Divine Techniques, Daoist Skills, Magical Treasures, and Secret Techniques that can transcend the barriers of the Five Elements and Five Phases are indeed one in ten."
"Is it really so!"
Upon hearing this, the Nether Abyss Ancestor suddenly realized:
"So, this is the source of your ninety percent chance of victory!"
Just as Zhang Yao said, the Power of the Five Elements and Five Phases are the most orthodox and mainstream attributes of Magical Power in the Cultivation Realm.
Just the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, as well as light, darkness, wind, thunder, and ice as Five Phases, form ten pathways alone, and the Immortal Daoist Schools derived from these are numerous, with several tens to hundreds of kinds.
The Power of the Five Elements and Five Phases has never existed independently; the schools that integrate and merge the two are a significant part.
For instance, the Da Li Noble Family's exclusive ancestral technique, the top-level technique "Ice Soul Celestial Fire Technique," involves cultivating both water and fire together, refining the Kanli Golden Core, and belongs to a common composite school of the two powers of the five elements.
And although the attributes of gravity and darkness are often confused and considered closely linked, in reality, they differ significantly when subdivided.
The dark attribute is straightforward, merely the darkness of the Five Phases; whereas the Yin Power schools refer to the integration of the five elements and the three powers of wind, thunder, and ice, with the darkness of the Five Phases.
For example, the Yin Flame Ancestor is a strong figure of the Yin Fire Lineage; the Daoist Heisen, Sima Yan, follows the Yin Wood Lineage.
"That 'Chenxing Celestial King' Murong Xiao belongs to the Chentian Sect, and follows the Yin Earth Lineage."
The Nether Abyss Ancestor's face shows a deep smile, and his tone carries a hint of excitement:
"Be it the earth of the Five Elements or the darkness of the Five Phases, neither can escape the fate of being restricted by your Five Elements Divine Wheel."
"Even if there are Nascent Soul-level Secret Treasures, their power may not differ much, but ultimately they are dead objects, incomparable to the infinite variations when Lord Nascent Soul personally commands them."
"Even his greatest trump card is being firmly restrained, so his only fate is downfall!"
"Indeed!"
Zhang Yao's tone is calm but reveals boundless confidence:
"If it were a Lord Nascent Soul confronting me, my Five Elements Divine Wheel might not truly showcase its restrictive effects."
"But if it's only a Nascent Soul-level Secret Treasure, once activated, Murong Xiao can no longer perform subtle manipulations, and when facing the Five Elements Divine Wheel, it will inevitably crumble at the slightest touch!"
"Since King Yama refuses to take his life, I'll collect it myself."
......
An hour later.
Above the Seven Sects Alliance Headquarters, a black cloud shrouding the area for more than ten miles is slowly dispersing.
Several incomplete corpses fall from the sky, while the remaining Magical Treasures and Storage Bags have been collected earlier.
"Hoo..."
Above the sky, Zhang Yao takes several deep breaths, showing signs of fatigue.
Ever since rushing out of Mo Yuan, after several intense battles, there was hardly any time to rest; even he feels mentally exhausted.
"Heh!"
The Nether Abyss Ancestor beside him is in worse condition but still chuckles heartily, feeling extraordinarily pleased.
"These bastards, one after another, dying by my hand, makes my mood much better."
"Unfortunately, when I intercepted with Divine Techniques earlier, two of them managed to escape!"
Zhang Yao waves his hand dismissively and speaks without concern:
"Seven people only, with two escaping."
"Including those left behind at the mountain gate and conducting affairs outside, the remaining Golden Core Cultivators are estimated to be less than ten."
"The demise of the Seven Sects Alliance is already set, and these remaining remnants won't make much of a wave, spending the rest of their days living in constant fear and anxiety."
"Regarding these remnants, once we control the overall situation, we can leisurely deal with them."
"You are right!"
The Nether Abyss Ancestor nods in agreement and then asks:
"I wonder how you, dear friend, think we should handle this aftermath?"
Having won a great victory, even the most challenging aspects have been resolved, making the subsequent actions quite clear.
The Nether Abyss Ancestor has mingled in the Cultivation Realm for hundreds of years, having gone through countless storms, and undoubtedly understands all of this.
On the contrary, his adeptness at dealing with people and keen mind are why he first seeks Zhang Yao's opinion, subtly expressing his willingness to step back and concede control of the follow-up leadership.
In this battle:
Zhang Yao's terrifying strength and Divine Transformation not only frightened and awed the remaining Golden Core Cultivators but deeply stunned the Nether Abyss Ancestor.
He knows well that after eliminating the Seven Sects Alliance, the sudden emergence of a huge power vacuum will inevitably need someone to fill it. With his terrifying strength, Zhang Yao will surely have the greatest voice in this process. It's only a matter of time before he takes a dominant position.
For the Nether Abyss Ancestor, if he wants to rebuild the Li Yuan Sect in the future or even further occupy the treasure land of Mo Yuan, he cannot do without the strong support of Zhang Yao. Deepening the alliance relationship is urgent.
He is even clearer in his heart that once there is an imbalance in power between the two sides, the former equal alliance can hardly be maintained. Adjustments must be made.
This may seem cold and unemotional, but it is necessary based on reality and benefit distribution. Instead of being forced to change in the future, it is better to actively adapt.
The insight of the Nether Abyss Ancestor to immediately perceive this subtle shift in the situation after defeating the main force of the Seven Sects Alliance and to proactively lower his stance and find his position truly shows his wisdom and strategy.
"Heh..."
Zhang Yao glanced at him with a faint smile.
What kind of person is he? From stepping into the Immortal Dao from the mortal world, he too has honed a transparent Dao heart over centuries, naturally seeing through the thoughts of the Nether Abyss Ancestor at a glance.
But he had no intention of pointing it out directly. Instead, he went along with it and said:
"Since fellow Daoist is asking, let me offer my humble opinion and share my insight."
With the emergence of the Seven Sects Alliance, the landscape of the Cultivation Realm in the Southwest Land is vastly different from the past.
The past era of numerous nations standing alone, like scattered sand, and each ruling themselves has already changed, and Zhang Yao has no intention of reverting it.
Back then, he had no interest in dominating the Southwest mainly because it required much effort and time and brought no great benefits, only delaying his cultivation.
But now times have changed. With the foundation laid by the Seven Sects Alliance, the costs of ruling are greatly reduced; moreover, the value of the treasure land of Mo Yuan is greater than the combined Cultivation Realms of the Four Great Countries, enough to tempt Zhang Yao.
If he now inherits the legacy of the Seven Sects Alliance, he can establish supremacy in the Southwest with the greatest cost and would not refuse this heaven-sent opportunity.
"Hmm..."
Zhang Yao pondered for a moment before calmly continuing:
"The Seven Sects Alliance has dominated the Southwest Land for over a decade, and it can be said to have deep roots."
"They have ruled the Southwest Land for many years and have established a complete set of legal systems and rules that all nations in the Cultivation Realm must follow."
"From the memories we obtained through Soul Search, they have stationed branches and contact offices in Da Li and other three major countries, as well as in many smaller countries' Cultivation Realms, serving as a means of supervision and deterrence."
"Among these people, only a small number are truly loyal to the Seven Sects Alliance. The rest are either low-level disciples or later attached or dependent small and medium forces, which can be won over."
He paused and then continued:
"The priority, in my opinion, involves two main aspects."
"First, send people to announce and publicize the deaths of 'Chenxing Celestial King' Murong Xiao, Chentian Sect leader Murong Hai, and others to the world, and issue warrants for the remaining Golden Core remnants of the Seven Sects Alliance in our name!"
"This move, firstly, strikes at the remaining forces of the Seven Sects Alliance, leading to their complete destruction; secondly, it stirs up the situation, creating turbulent undercurrents and awakening those Golden Core Cultivators within the borders of each country!"
The so-called deep roots are all relative.
With Zhang Yao and the Nether Abyss Ancestor's battle defeating the Seven Sects Alliance, the trunk of this towering tree has been severed. What use are more roots?
Sects, noble families, and organizations in the Cultivation Realm do not rely on numbers but on the strong abilities of high-level Cultivators — that is the true foundation of survival.
The deaths of Murong Xiao, Murong Hai, and others make the collapse of the Seven Sects Alliance irreversible.
The remaining personnel, scattered in Da Mo and the Southwest Countries, even though numbering in the thousands, without the protective layer of the Seven Sects Alliance, are no longer a concern.
If they fail to recognize the current situation, their only end is to be torn to pieces and devoured by local sects and noble families.
"Good!"
The eyes of the Nether Abyss Ancestor brightened upon hearing this, nodding repeatedly:
"This move is brilliant and truly kills three birds with one stone."
"In the Southwest Countries, only the positions of those Golden Core Cultivators outside the Seven Sects Alliance are truly important and can determine the direction of a nation's Cultivation Realm."
"And if my disciples are still hiding in the Southwest Land, upon hearing about the fall of the Seven Sects Alliance, they will surely seek us out."
Even now, the Nether Abyss Ancestor holds great hope for his disciples' survival.
After all, when the Li Yuan Sect's mountain gate array was breached, six Golden Core Cultivators stationed there managed to flee, half of whom escaped. Although Black Abyss Ascendant wasn't the strongest among them, he had the most escape methods.
The only concern is that after years of pursuit and rewards by the Seven Sects Alliance, those three may have long escaped the Southwest Land and changed identities, making reunions difficult.
"Hmm."
Zhang Yao nodded slightly and said:
"The second aspect is the complete takeover of the Seven Sects Alliance's legacy!"
"Apart from what the remnants have taken with them, their legacy mainly comprises three parts: the Alliance Headquarters and Mo Yuan, their respective mountain gates, and assets left in different countries."
"We can handle the first and second parts ourselves, but taking over the third part requires cooperation from local forces in each country, which also inevitably involves sharing some benefits."
"That is trivial."
The Nether Abyss Ancestor waved his hand lightly:
"With our strength, we can control the scene and fend off the tigers and wolves spying from the Central Plains."
"The general trend is set; what remains is only minor ripples, incapable of causing much turbulence. How much interest is shared is irrelevant, for the combined Cultivation Realms of different countries cannot compare with the benefits Mo Yuan brings!"
"Indeed."
Zhang Yao fully agreed and said:
"Then let's not delay; let's begin as soon as possible."