Background is Nothing in The Face of Strength

After the Heart Shadow Sect Master and Elder Xinyan met, a meeting of the elders was quickly convened.

"I brought gifts to visit the Yan Feng Pavilion's master, and everything went smoothly," said Heart Shadow Sect Master Feng Yuqi, beaming. "As usual, Yan Feng Pavilion will not intervene in the war as long as they are not provoked."

This was within their expectations. Yan Feng Pavilion's headquarters had established this rule: they wouldn't interfere in conflicts between nations unless there was sufficient reason and headquarters approval.

"How did Elder Xinyan's visit to Luo He Shenjun go?" an elder asked, clearly concerned. "Did he agree not to interfere?"

"He didn't agree," Elder Xinyan replied.

"He didn't agree?"

The other elders were somewhat irritated.

"We've already shown him enough respect, yet he's still ready to act against us?"

"This Luo He is a wild card. I believe we should deal with him before the Nine Jiang Marquis's army arrives," one elder suggested.

"We can easily defeat him with the power of our entire sect, but a god at his level has many unpredictable methods and strong survival abilities. He could escape, and if he does… he'd become a mortal enemy! We might push him right into the arms of the Nine Jiang Marquis!"

The elders continued their discussion.

Elder Xinyan nodded in agreement, "The Heart Shadow Sect's power can crush any Eternal True God, but there's no guarantee we can kill him."

"So what do we do?"

"Just watch and wait? If a war breaks out and he intervenes, it'll be a major problem."

Elder Xinyan added, "Luo He Shenjun said he's a free agent. Whoever pays him will get his support. But he's very greedy; he asked for a hiring price of two billion cosmos sand."

"Two billion cosmos sand?"

"That's insane."

"Who does he think he is?"

The elders were stunned by the price.

"If he's quoting us such a high price, he's likely asking the same from the Nine Jiang Marquis," Elder Xinyan continued. "That's probably why the Nine Jiang Marquis hasn't hired him yet. If he had, Luo He would already be in the City Lord's Mansion."

Heart Shadow Sect Master Feng Yuqi smiled, "Don't worry, everyone. Someone as greedy as him won't act unless he's paid handsomely. Even if he does intervene later, Elder Xinyan leading the disciples and commanding the Heart Demon Kite will be enough to deal with him."

"Commanding the Heart Demon Kite will indeed be sufficient," Elder Xinyan agreed. He acknowledged that Luo He's realm was slightly higher, but his cultivation was based on the God King-level inheritance, Destruction Six Absolutes. When combined with the sect's mechanical flow treasure, Heart Demon Kite, he could easily handle Luo He Shenjun.

"That's good to hear."

"With Elder Xinyan commanding the Heart Demon Kite, we don't need to fear anyone under the Nine Jiang Marquis," the elders said, full of confidence.

After all, in all of the Yu Kingdom, the number of Eternal True Gods who could match Luo He was very small.

"Knowing that Luo He Shenjun hasn't yet sided with the Nine Jiang Marquis is good news," said the Heart Shadow Sect Master. "Let's proceed with the next step of our plan."

In Hu Yang City, part of the Heart Shadow Sect's fleet of massive flying ships and giant mechanical flow treasures suddenly began to move toward the Five Great Families' estates.

"What's happening?"

"The Heart Shadow Sect is coming."

The members of the Five Great Families had been uneasy for some time. While the core members of the families had already relocated to the City Lord's Mansion, most of the ordinary clan members remained. These ordinary members made up 99% of the family population, and relocating them was no easy task.

Even when the family leaders issued orders, execution was often slow and delayed.

"The Qu Meng Clan's estate belongs to the Heart Shadow Sect now," a voice boomed from one of the ten giant mechanical flow treasures hovering above. "All beings inside must leave immediately. Any who remain after one hundred breaths will be destroyed!"

"We are royalty!"

"How dare you take our Qu Meng Clan's estate!" Some of the more arrogant members dared to shout at the Heart Shadow Sect, but most quickly gathered their belongings and fled the estate.

In the conflict between two nations, who cares about some minor royal family branch?

"The Mo Li Clan, evacuate immediately."

"The Jiang Clan's estate now belongs to the Heart Shadow Sect."

"The Wu Clan's estate…"

"The Mei Wu Clan's estate…"

The Heart Shadow Sect didn't care about the backgrounds of these families and seized their estates without hesitation. The fact that they didn't resort to outright slaughter showed some restraint.

Under the threat of death, the estates of the five great families were almost entirely vacated within a hundred breaths, with only a few stubborn fools remaining inside.

"I'm a royal clan member! How dare you kill me, Heart Shadow Sect?" These few fools were ultimately reduced to dust by an invisible force, leaving no trace behind.

The royal clans had expanded over countless ages, and many branches had settled in peripheral cities. Their status was not as high as they imagined.

Among the great clans of Origin Continent, only the core and elite members held any significant status.

"The clan members of the Five Great Families have all taken refuge in the City Lord's Mansion," Hu Yang City Lord said, looking at the other four family leaders. "But the City Lord's Mansion needs to keep enough space for war; we can't house so many clan members."

"Let them stay in the treasure estates for now," suggested Mo Li Xiao.

"That's the only option," the other three family leaders agreed.

The core members of the families would remain comfortable, while the ordinary clan members were temporarily housed in the treasure estates. They had no choice but to obey the orders of the family leadership.

"Now, the only estate left in Chaos Armor District is Luo He Shenjun's," Hu Yang City Lord remarked. "And not long ago, we detected powerful energy fluctuations from his estate."

"Is the Heart Shadow Sect trying to recruit Luo He?" The family leaders were worried.

"Hiring Luo He would be very expensive," the City Lord said as he sent a communication to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was sitting at the top of his estate, leisurely drinking and observing the shifting tides in the Chaos Armor District. The once-powerful Five Great Families had been forced to vacate their estates, and the few fools who dared to remain were reduced to dust.

"Only when someone cares about your background does it matter. When they don't care, what good is it?" Luo Feng thought.

Background and dignity ultimately depend on strength.

Take the Yan Feng Pavilion, for example. Even a small branch of the pavilion was enough to make both nations avoid them during a war.

"Luo He," the City Lord suddenly sent a message.

"City Lord, why are you reaching out to me?" Luo Feng replied.

"Not long ago, there were strong energy fluctuations from your estate. Did the Heart Shadow Sect visit you?" the City Lord asked.

Luo He Shenjun's power mattered greatly. Whether he sided with the Heart Shadow Sect or the City Lord's Mansion could be the difference between two Luo He Shenjuns.

"Yes, Elder Xinyan of the Heart Shadow Sect came to visit and sparred with me," Luo Feng replied.

"Oh? How did the spar go?" the City Lord asked, knowing full well how strong Elder Xinyan was.

"His strength is quite formidable," Luo Feng replied. "Stronger than Blood Cloud."

The City Lord picked up on Luo Feng's hint and asked, "Luo He, if it were a one-on-one fight, could you kill Elder Xinyan?"

"I've heard he can command the Heart Demon Kite, one of the Heart Shadow Sect's thirteen mechanical treasures. If he does, I can suppress him, but killing him would be difficult," Luo Feng replied.

The City Lord was shocked.

Elder Xinyan commanding the Heart Demon Kite and Luo He still dared to say he could suppress him? That meant he could restrain even more of the Heart Shadow Sect's forces.

"The Heart Shadow Sect tried to recruit me," Luo Feng continued. "You know how it is for us free cultivators—resources are everything. But I have deep ties with the Yu Kingdom, so I quoted them a price of two billion cosmos sand."

"Luo He, you're very fair. The price you quoted us is much lower than that," the City Lord complimented, even though he thought one billion cosmos sand was still a steep price.

At this point, which side Luo He Shenjun chose to support would significantly impact the outcome of the conflict.

"I'll report this to the Marquis. I'm sure he'll have an answer soon," the City Lord said, trying to reassure Luo Feng.

After the communication ended, Luo Feng took a swig from his wine jar.

"I might have set the price a bit too high. Neither side has agreed yet," Luo Feng thought. "But this sparring match should prove my value."

No matter who controlled the Chaos State, the residents' safety had to be ensured. Only then would they continue to pay their "residency fees."

Who wins or loses? Luo Feng didn't care, unless the price was right.

"If I could get one billion cosmos sand, it might push me to reach the Chaos level faster," Luo Feng mused. If a member of a great clan was talented enough, the clan would naturally allocate more resources to them.

But Luo Feng had no such backing; every resource had to be earned by himself.

In Nine Jiang City, within a grand hall…

The Nine Jiang Marquis sat alone on his throne, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, each strand causing a disturbance in the void.

"That Liu Yin Marquis dared to send the Heart Shadow Sect to attack. Even if they do take over my Nine Jiang Chaos State… he'll have to share part of it with the Heart Shadow Sect," the Nine Jiang Marquis's eyes grew cold. "It seems he's determined to take Nine Jiang Chaos State from me."

"This is my territory! It's my cultivation resource!" The void around the Nine Jiang Marquis twisted as he spoke. "Liu Yin Marquis, you're determined to seize my land? From all the intelligence I've gathered, it seems your strength is a notch above mine."

"But in a real fight, it's not just about surface-level information."

The Nine Jiang Marquis had been very patient. The two neighboring Chaos States had clashed many times, but it was always Liu Yin Marquis who instigated it, and the Nine Jiang Marquis had always held back.

But now, with the Heart Shadow Sect invading the major city of Hu Yang City, if he continued to hold back, only Nine Jiang City would remain under his control.

"I've already mobilized all the elite forces of the Nine Jiang Chaos State to Hu Yang City, but my elite forces alone are no match for the Heart Shadow Sect," the Nine Jiang Marquis knew this all too well.

At the level of Eternal True Gods, his forces were indeed inferior to the Heart Shadow Sect's.

The numbers were close, but in terms of quality, they were lacking.

After all, most of the Eternal True Gods in Nine Jiang Chaos State had cultivated methods far inferior to those of the Heart Shadow Sect's Eternal True Gods. The Heart Shadow Sect also had numerous sect-protecting treasures left behind by their God King, greatly enhancing the power of their disciples.

"That Luo He, asking for one billion cosmos sand? He's got some nerve," the Nine Jiang Marquis thought, troubled. "I'll have to figure out a way to invite a few of the most powerful Eternal True Gods from the capital. As for Luo He, I'll keep an eye on the situation."

He had already prepared one billion cosmos sand and was inviting the most powerful Eternal True Gods from the capital, though he wasn't sure how many would actually come.