In the later stages of the Competition of a Hundred Sects, forming alliances was quite common. Once an alliance was formed, other teams would need to find allies to counter it.
This was essentially a display of competitiveness.
For example, on another hillside, the remaining members of the team from the imperial family—the Sixth Princess and the Thirteenth Prince—were standing with Guo Zhanfeng and Guo Zhanlei from the Night Saber Sect.
In addition to them, there were four warrior monks who looked especially formidable.
Although the imperial family and the Night Saber Sect didn't have a close relationship, they had just been pursued by the Great Astral Sect together, which created a sense of camaraderie.
Furthermore, they soon encountered the forces from Monastery Tower.
As the Nation Guard Monastery Tower, it had always maintained a close relationship with the court, making its ties to the imperial family undeniable. The Night Saber Sect inherited martial traditions from the Holy Mountain in the Northern Regions, while the Monastery Tower inherited the Buddhist teachings from the Holy Mountain in the Northern Regions. The two factions shared a common origin.
With Monastery Tower acting as the mediator, the three factions quickly formed a close connection and promptly decided to create an alliance.
The leader of the team from the Monastery Tower, whose Dharma name was Feng Yan, had a resolute expression and bronzed skin. He seemed like someone with a body forged from iron.
He looked at the Sixth Princess and said, "We recently encountered the team from Ascending Dragon Academy. If we can get them to join us, we will become even stronger."
Since the Ascending Dragon Academy was another sect in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten that sided with the imperial court, they likely would not say no to joining the alliance.
The only concern was that Zhang Chen had previously rejected the Emperor's offer of marriage to the Sixth Princess, leaving it uncertain whether she held any grudge against him.
"That sounds excellent," the Sixth Princess agreed without hesitation.
She bore no resentment toward Zhang Chen. When he had refused the marriage proposal, it was the emperor who had made the announcement publicly at Ascending Dragon Academy, and Zhang Chen had refused with honesty. It was entirely reasonable, and he hadn't spread word of it.
This matter hadn't affected the Sixth Princess at all.
The reason she felt resentment toward Chu Liang was that the emperor had privately raised the proposal in the Night Dragon Hall, without any outsiders present. Yet, someone from the Mount Shu Sect spread the news far and wide, even publishing it in the Seven Stars Gazette. Since this was the second time the princess had been rejected in marriage, the Sixth Princess became the subject of much ridicule.
Who wouldn't be furious about that?
The person who angered her the most was her father. If he hadn't been bestowing marriage proposals to anyone he met without consulting her, she wouldn't have had to endure such humiliation.
As a result, she had recently appeared grumpy whenever she faced the emperor.
Even if they had the luck to encounter one of those weaker teams, it would be useless if they still were not strong enough to win. On the other hand, if they had only strength, they could end like the powerful Penglai Supreme Sect, which was unfortunately reduced to just two remaining members.
"What a pity," Wenren Yan said with reluctance. "Zhang Chen is incredibly powerful; he managed to escape while protecting two members. If we don't eliminate Ascending Dragon Academy now, it will only be harder to take them down once they team up with the others."
"Isn't that a good thing? The more people there are, the more soul crystals we can collect," Feng Chaoyang said eagerly.
"At this point, we should focus on finding scattered teams to gather enough soul crystals to advance to the next round," Wenren Yan said. "We should avoid strong teams whenever possible."
"We're aiming for the championship anyway, so isn't it better to eliminate the powerful opponents early?" Feng Chaoyang responded.
Feng Chaoyang was always eager to challenge tough teams, while Wenren Yan preferred to play it safe. This was the only conflict within their alliance.
Thus, Ye Yongxing would always end up being the one to make the final decision.
With his eyes closed and his hands tracing patterns in the air, Ye Yongxing appeared to be performing divination. After a moment, he pointed in a direction and said, "There's a team over there. We're only a few soul crystals short, so let's focus on securing our advancement first."
Although Feng Chaoyang was eager for a challenge, he trusted Ye Yongxing's judgment and reluctantly followed the others.
In this alliance of teams, Celestial King Sect had the best fighters, with Feng Chaoyang as their top combatant. As the strongest fighter in the alliance, he was irreplaceable.
As they walked, Wenren Yan smiled and asked, "I'm really curious about the South Melody Conservatory team. I've admired those renowned beauties for a very long time."
Ye Yongxing replied, "The South Melody Conservatory recently allied with the Mount Shu Sect. They're currently traveling with Chu Liang."
"Oh?" Feng Chaoyang's eyes lit up. "I heard Chu Liang defeated Yang Shenlong—I'd love the chance to encounter him."
"I'm sure the opportunity will come," Ye Yongxing replied calmly. "They've allied with many teams, so they'll need a large number of soul crystals to advance to the next round. They'll have to go out hunting."
...
Ye Yongxing wasn't the only one keeping an eye on the broader situation within the illusory realm. On a boat at sea, Li Guanlong awoke from his dream.
The team from Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals had lost a member due to an earlier accident. However, Immortal Jiuyi hadn't used his privilege to resurrect Song Guanchao, so the team from the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals was now hiding in the sea with one less member.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what's the current situation?" Situ Guanhai asked eagerly.
"Right now, it's three alliances in a standoff," Li Guanlong replied with a smile. "Things are getting interesting."