All Heavens: Sharing Talents with Countless Mes

The hustle and bustle of Nangu City gradually subsided, and the cultivators from all over the five regions left with expressions of either schadenfreude or deep thought, leaving behind only a city full of discussions.

As night fell, a waning moon hung in the sky, its pale light spilling over the territory of the Jiuli Dynasty.

Deep within the imperial city, an ancient palace stands majestically. Unlike the usual opulent palaces, this one is constructed entirely of a dark red divine stone, which gleams eerily in the moonlight, as if forged from congealed blood.

This is the ancestral hall of the Jiuli Dynasty, where the spirit tablets of past emperors are enshrined. It is the most sacred and solemn place in the dynasty. Normally, even the emperor would not easily set foot here.

However, tonight, the ancestral hall is brightly lit.

The Emperor of Jiuli stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it. His long robe was already soaked with sweat, a product of anger and humiliation.

He barely uttered a word on his way back to the capital from the ancient southern city. The accompanying ministers remained silent, terrified of incurring his wrath.

"Your Majesty, Grand Master Li Lei has arrived."

A palace attendant reported this with his head bowed and his voice extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing the emperor who was standing alone in the hall.

The Emperor of Jiuli slowly turned around and looked towards the direction of the palace gate.

Li Lei appeared at the doorway. This last remaining saint of the Jiuli Dynasty looked utterly exhausted. He stepped into the hall, a complex light flickering in his cloudy old eyes.

"Your Majesty." Li Lei nodded slightly as a gesture of respect.

As a saint, he had enough confidence to remain neither humble nor arrogant even when facing the emperor.

The Nine Li Emperor waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for further formalities, and then asked in a deep voice, "What did the Ancestor say?"

Li Lei sighed and shook his head, saying, "The patriarch said he won't get involved in this matter."

"What?!" The Nine Li Emperor's voice suddenly rose, and a look of anger instantly surged across his gloomy face. "What on earth is that old bastard thinking! My Nine Li Dynasty has suffered such a humiliating disgrace, and he can still sit idly by?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Li Lei raised his hand in a gesture of restraint. "The Ancestor's original words were—this matter was caused by our underestimation of the enemy, and we have no one else to blame. He is currently at a critical juncture and does not wish to create unnecessary complications."

"Underestimating the enemy?" The Nine Li Emperor sneered. "Wasn't it the Ancestor's idea to set up the trap to kill Ye Fan? Now that things have gone wrong, he's trying to shirk responsibility!"

Li Lei remained silent, his aged face revealing neither joy nor anger.

The atmosphere inside the hall became somewhat stagnant for a moment, with only the soft sound of flickering candlelight.

After a long silence, the Emperor of Jiuli took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice, "Since the Ancestor is unwilling to intervene, then we will resolve this matter ourselves."

He turned and walked to a rosewood chair deep inside the hall, plopped down, and then looked up at Li Lei: "What do you think should be done about this?"

Li Lei slowly walked to the seat below the Nine Li Emperor and sat down in a chair. He pondered for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but we have indeed suffered a setback this time."

"But that doesn't mean we should just swallow our anger."

A glint flashed in the eyes of the Nine Li Emperor: "What are your plans?"

“Although Tu Fei is quite capable, he is not a member of the Outer Heavens,” Li Lei stroked his white beard and said slowly. “The reason he can act with such impunity is simply because of two things—the protection of that mysterious sage and the deterrent power of the Outer Heavens.”

"But based on my investigations these past few days, the relationship between that mysterious sage and him is probably not as close as outsiders imagine."

The Emperor of Jiuli leaned forward slightly and pressed for an answer: "What do you mean by that?"

"Does Your Majesty still remember why that mysterious sage acted secretly in the Qinling Mountains instead of openly and honestly?" Li Lei asked rhetorically.

The Emperor of Jiuli frowned in thought, then replied, "You mean, that mysterious sage has some reservations?"

“Indeed.” Li Lei nodded. “If the other party is truly Tu Fei’s protector, then there’s absolutely no need for them to hide. With the resources of our Nine Li Dynasty, we can indeed intimidate most forces, but if they truly have a Saint in charge, why would we act rashly?”

"But he chose to conceal his identity, which can only mean one thing—that the mysterious sage didn't want to make enemies with too many forces because of Tu Fei."

The Emperor of Jiuli nodded thoughtfully.

Li Lei continued, "Furthermore, Tu Fei's trip to the Ancient Hua Dynasty, seemingly to intimidate us, actually exposed his true intentions."

"If that mysterious sage is truly his protector, why would he need to borrow the Supreme Emperor Sword?"

"Isn't the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Cauldron also an ultimate imperial weapon?"

The Nine Li Emperor's eyes lit up; he finally understood Li Lei's meaning: "You mean, that mysterious saint only had some connection with Tu Fei, and wasn't specifically there to protect him?"

“Most likely,” Li Lei said with certainty. “Moreover, I suspect that the mysterious sage is Gai Jiuyou.”

"Gai Jiuyou?" The Nine Li Emperor looked puzzled. "I've never heard of this name before."

Li Lei smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty is unaware of this. This person lived nine thousand years ago. At that time, I had not yet become a saint and had only heard of some of his deeds."

"It is said that this person possessed unparalleled talent and once approached the Emperor Realm, but unfortunately, he was unlucky and ultimately failed, leaving behind indelible scars on his Great Dao."

The Nine Li Emperor gasped, "You mean, Gai Jiuyou is a quasi-emperor?"

“He used to be,” Li Lei shook his head, “but he’s probably no longer as powerful as he once was. Otherwise, with his strength, why would he have needed to hide his identity and eke out a living for nine thousand years?”

Upon hearing this, the fear in the eyes of the Nine Li Emperor lessened somewhat.

While quasi-emperors are terrifying, it's a different story if they're no longer at their peak.

"Then what do you think we should do?" the Nine Li Emperor asked again.

Li Lei stood up, paced around the hall a few times with his hands behind his back, then turned and said, "Tu Fei is cunning and treacherous. If we try to confront him head-on, we'll likely come out worse off."

"But he has a fatal weakness."

"What weakness?"

“He cares too much about the people around him.” Li Lei narrowed his eyes. “Back then, that powerful figure went to intercept Jiang Tingting, which caused a huge uproar in the Heavenly Realm, and Chu Yang even went so far as to personally intervene.”

"This clearly shows that Tu Fei's relationship with Chu Yang is far from ordinary. And what Chu Yang cares about most are undoubtedly his disciples and those around him."

The Nine Li Emperor frowned slightly: "You mean, we should target the people around him?"

“No,” Li Lei shook his head, “that would be too obvious and too risky. What I mean is, we can approach it from another angle.”

“What angle?”

"Tu Fei's actions have stirred up trouble, offending far more than just our Nine Li Dynasty," Li Lei said, a cold smile playing on his lips. "The Xiao family, the Wang family, the Li family, the Ruthless lineage... and that Divine Martial Hall."

"These forces all suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Qinling."

“If we could unite these forces to deal with Tu Fei, our chances of victory would be much greater.” Upon hearing this, the Nine Li Emperor’s eyes flashed with a glint of light, but then he hesitated: “But would those forces be willing to join forces with us?”

"Why wouldn't you be willing?" Li Lei sneered. "Grand Tutor Xiao was killed by the Nine Li Diagram, and the Xiao family hates him to the bone; Wang Yangzhan had half his body destroyed, and the Wang family also harbors resentment; as for the Ruthless Clan, their trap set up in the Qinling Mountains failed, and they lost countless men."

"These forces all wish they could tear Tu Fei apart!"

"We only need to make a little contact and offer some benefits, and they will definitely respond."

After pondering for a long time, the Emperor of Jiuli finally nodded slowly: "Alright, as you say."

He stood up, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Pass on my decree: immediately dispatch men to the various factions to discuss forming an alliance!"

"Also..." He paused, then looked at Li Lei, "You will personally go to the Divine Martial Hall."

Li Lei nodded slightly: "I understand."

Three days later, at the Xiao family.

This ancient family, located in the eastern part of Zhongzhou, is currently immersed in an atmosphere of grief.

The fall of the patriarch, Grand Tutor Xiao, was a devastating blow to the Xiao family. Grand Tutor Xiao was the Xiao family's strongest fighting force and the pillar of the entire clan.

Now that this pillar of stability has suddenly collapsed, the Xiao family is in a state of panic, not knowing where to go or what to do.

Deep within the Xiao family mansion, in a secret room.

Dozens of lamps were neatly arranged, illuminating the secret room. Amidst the flickering light, several figures sat around a stone table, each with a different expression.

"Hmph! That Tu Fei is simply going too far!"

The speaker was a middle-aged man, none other than Xiao Wuji, the eldest son of Grand Tutor Xiao. His square face was flushed red, and his eyes almost spitting fire. "If it weren't for that despicable villain, how could my father have perished?"

"If I don't avenge this, I, Xiao Wuji, swear I'm not human!"

Sitting opposite him was an elderly man with white hair, none other than Xiao Changkong, the current acting head of the Xiao family. He sighed and shook his head, saying, "Wuji, how could your father not want revenge? But you've seen it yourself, Tu Fei wields the Nine Li Map and has a mysterious sage backing him. How can we possibly fight him?"

"We can't just let this go!" Xiao Wuji shouted angrily. "If we swallow this insult, what will become of the Xiao family's reputation? Who will respect us in the future?"

Xiao Changkong remained silent.

Just then, a steward hurried into the secret chamber, bowed, and reported, "Ancestor, the Nine Li Dynasty has sent someone, saying they have important matters to discuss."

"The Nine Li Dynasty?" Xiao Changkong frowned. "Who goes there?"

"It is a powerful figure named Li Yuan, who says he has come on the orders of Grand Elder Li Lei."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wuji's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Father, I'll go and meet him!"

Xiao Changkong pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Go, and see what the Nine Li Dynasty is really up to."

Xiao Wuji strode out of the secret room and arrived at the main hall of the Xiao family.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe was sitting upright in the guest seat. Upon seeing Xiao Wuji approach, he immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "My name is Li Yuan, greetings to Young Master Xiao."

Xiao Wuji gave him a cold look and said in an unfriendly tone, "What brings you to my Xiao family?"

Li Yuan wasn't annoyed, a faint smile on his face: "Young Master Xiao is indeed straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either."

"My family's chief elder sent me here to discuss an important matter with the Xiao family."

"What important matter?"

"Deal with Tu Fei."

Xiao Wuji's pupils constricted sharply, and the coldness on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by a faint hint of expectation: "Go on."

Li Yuan smiled slightly and continued, "Young Master Xiao must also know how many people Tu Fei offended during the Battle of Qinling. With Grand Tutor Xiao's death, the Xiao family has an irreconcilable hatred for him; but besides the Xiao family, which of the Wang family, the Li family, the Ruthless Clan, or the Divine Martial Hall wouldn't want to tear him to pieces?"

"My chief retainer's idea is that instead of fighting alone, we should unite and deal with that despicable villain together."

Xiao Wuji's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What do you plan to do?"

“Young Master Xiao, there’s no need to ask further,” Li Yuan shook his head. “This matter is of great importance. I am merely a messenger; the specific plans still require discussion among the family heads.”

"However, I can reveal one thing—this time, we are determined to make Tu Fei pay a heavy price!"

Xiao Wuji gave Li Yuan a deep look, and finally nodded: "Alright, I'll go and report to my father."

Meanwhile, similar scenarios were also playing out among the Wang family, Li family, and other powerful groups.

The envoys of the Jiuli Dynasty traveled far and wide, conveying the proposal to join forces against Tu Fei to every faction that had suffered losses in the Battle of Qinling.

And these forces, almost without exception, expressed their agreement.

Hatred is the best adhesive.

Seven days later, in a secluded valley.

This valley is located in the heart of the Central Plains, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mist. Without someone to guide you, ordinary people would never be able to find this place.

In the very center of the valley, an ancient stone pavilion stands. Inside the pavilion, several figures sit or stand, each exuding a different aura, yet all are highly skilled individuals.

Li Lei stood at the very front of the stone pavilion, looked around, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Gentlemen, it is truly an honor for us all to gather here today," he spoke first, his voice echoing through the valley. "I'm sure you all understand the purpose of this gathering, so I won't waste any more words."

"Tu Fei is a cunning and ruthless man. Everyone here has suffered at his hands, some even with deep-seated hatred."

"Today, we will discuss and devise a foolproof plan to completely eliminate this scourge!"

After he finished speaking, there was silence in the stone pavilion.

A moment later, a hoarse voice rang out: "Elder Li Lei is absolutely right. My Wang family and Tu Fei are irreconcilable enemies. If we can join forces this time, my Wang family will certainly do everything in our power!"

The speaker was none other than Wang Chengzhi, the patriarch of the Wang family, a powerful figure at the half-step Saint Realm. His son, Wang Yangzhan, had lost half of his body in the Battle of Qinling and was still recovering, his fate unknown.

He kept this debt in his heart. (End of Chapter)