Chapter 266: Chapter 264: The Black Emperor’s Gift

The battle at Cuiwei Pavilion was destined to become a classic and a legend.

Before this battle began...

Who could have imagined that the Heaven-Soaring Alliance, with a meager five members, could withstand a siege by the Celestial Alliance’s many experts and successfully establish itself under their immense pressure?

It wasn’t until Young Master Silver Moon, Xin Yuhuang, had departed that everyone finally snapped back to their senses.

The way everyone looked at Jiang Chen had changed completely.

The members of the Celestial Alliance stared at him with a complex mix of awe, shock, hatred, and venomous resentment.

The experts not from the Celestial Alliance, however, looked at him with fervor, worship, and admiration—though some gazes were also tinged with a heavy dose of schadenfreude and jealousy.

But regardless, the name "Heaven-Soaring Alliance" was about to sweep through the entire Saint Martial Sword Sect in a very short time.

Just as the Celestial Alliance had done in its early days.

They had burst onto the scene, an unstoppable new force.

Of course...

Many experts, however, believed the Heaven-Soaring Alliance was merely a flash in the pan. They were certain Jiang Chen would die after the Celestial Fate Hunting. When that happened, the alliance would lose its monstrously talented leader. Yuwen Xunyi and the others would be utterly incapable of propping up such a large organization on their own, and the Heaven-Soaring Alliance would inevitably crumble.

But that didn’t stop even more people from wanting to join the Heaven-Soaring Alliance!

Among the crowd.

Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng exchanged glances, bitter expressions on both their faces.

When Jiang Chen had first invited them to build a new faction with him, they had scoffed. They thought his ambition to challenge the Celestial Alliance was nothing but a fool’s dream.

But now...

Jiang Chen had grown so powerful they could only hope to gaze at his back from a distance.

He seemed incomparably grand, an insurmountable figure.

A bitter smile appeared on Yulan Tianpeng’s face. "It’s... impossible for us to go back to how things were with him."

Si Xiaosheng’s expression was complicated. He let out a soft sigh and said, as if trying to console himself, "There’s no need for regret. Our choice was the right one. No matter how strong he gets, he can’t possibly be a match for His Highness, the Holy Son!"

"Mm!"

Yulan Tianpeng nodded, his expression complex. But in his heart, he was asking himself, ’Is it really impossible?’

Of course, Jiang Chen was unaware of this little interlude.

He had already returned to the front of the Profound Iron Turtle. Gazing at Wang Tianyi, whose face was pale and utterly devoid of color, he said flatly, "The trouble is finally dealt with. Now, it’s time to continue with the Heaven-Soaring Alliance’s founding ceremony!"

Wang Tianyi’s face was a mask of despair and terror. He roared, begging for mercy, "Jiang Chen... no, Alliance Leader Jiang! I beg you, please let me go! I don’t want to die..."

"Nalan Qiantian begged you too, didn’t he? And you didn’t spare him!"

Jiang Chen replied flatly.

With a flick of his Sword Finger, a ray of golden light shot into Wang Tianyi’s head. The man’s head swelled rapidly before bursting with a loud POP.

Blood splattered everywhere. With a wave of his arm, Jiang Chen...

...sent the blood flying high into the air. It arced toward the massive stele on the Profound Iron Turtle’s back. A SIZZLING sound rose from the black monument as the blood made contact.

The fresh blood burned itself onto the iron stele, forming three gory words: Heaven-Soaring Alliance!

And with that...

...a new power that dared to challenge the Celestial Alliance was born.

Jiang Chen hovered in the air, his gaze sweeping over the hundreds of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples. He announced, "Today, I establish the Heaven-Soaring Alliance! All who join are my brothers and sisters. We will share in glory and in ruin! I welcome everyone to join us!"

"I now announce the four founding elders of the Heaven-Soaring Alliance! First Elder, Yuwen Xunyi!"

"Second Elder, Bai Ling!"

"Third Elder, Lin Feifei!"

"And Fourth Elder, Ruan Lingyun..."

Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over the four people before him. In a booming voice, he declared, "My fellow elders, I’m entrusting the future growth of the Heaven-Soaring Alliance to you!"

"We accept the Alliance Leader’s command!"

Led by Yuwen Xunyi, the four of them lined up, their faces flushed with excitement as they responded in unison.

Jiang Chen nodded.

Afterward...

With the help of the four elders, the Heaven-Soaring Alliance began recruiting. One expert after another eagerly signed up.

The recruitment lasted for the better part of the day.

The Heaven-Soaring Alliance swelled from five members to 5,368. While still not in the same league as first-class factions like the Celestial Alliance, the Crown Prince Faction, or the Hundred Flowers Alliance, it was now an organization of a respectable size.

Jiang Chen was quite satisfied. After getting the new members settled, he led Yuwen Xunyi and the other three back to his residence, the Earth Spirit Pavilion.

「Inside the Earth Spirit Pavilion.」

Yuwen Xunyi and the other three were sitting ramrod straight. Their former casualness was gone, replaced by a sense of formal restraint.

Jiang Chen shook his head with a helpless smile. "What’s with you all? It’s not like I’m going to eat you."

Yuwen Xunyi gave a wry smile. "Alliance Leader, we just... haven’t quite processed everything yet."

Ruan Lingyun nodded. "Alliance Leader, you’re too damn incredible! That was the Outer Sect’s Grand Elder and the Inner Sect’s Elder Zhang from the Sword Pool! You killed them just like that. I was honestly terrified the Law Enforcement Hall would show up..."

Bai Ling and Lin Feifei both nodded in agreement.

Jiang Chen smiled. "Remember this: as long as we hold absolute power, forget the Law Enforcement Hall—even the Sect Master himself won’t be able to touch us. Didn’t you see Lan Haichen? I imagine that even if he killed all Ten Hall Masters, the Sect Master probably wouldn’t do a thing to him. That’s what strength is. When you’re strong, people respect you, fear you, and don’t dare to cross you. If you’re not strong enough, then any random nobody will think they can provoke you!"

The four of them fell silent, lost in thought.

"Alliance Leader, what’s our next move? Also, the Holy Son issued a Holy Edict, so we should be safe from attacks until the Celestial Fate Hunting. But what about after that?" Lin Feifei asked, her delicate face etched with deep worry.

The other three also looked to him for an answer.

Jiang Chen gave a faint smile. "Don’t worry. Lan Haichen will regret his failure to eliminate me today for the rest of his life. As for what happens after the Celestial Fate Hunting..." A chilling, oppressive light flickered in his eyes. "By then, it’ll be an open question whether Lan Haichen can even hold on to his position as the Holy Son."

All four of them gasped in unison, their eyes wide with shock!

Jiang Chen, however, paid no mind to their shocked expressions. He took out four Storage Rings and handed them over. "Each of these Storage Rings contains one hundred thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals. They are at your disposal. Use them to win the loyalty of the brothers who’ve joined us. We must not treat them poorly. Also, Xunyi, give me your Identity Token."

"Oh!"

Yuwen Xunyi handed over his Identity Token. Jiang Chen then took out his master Qii Daotian’s token and directly transferred five hundred thousand Contribution Points to Xunyi.

"Alliance Leader, this... this is..." Yuwen Xunyi stared at Jiang Chen, his face a picture of utter shock.

’This is five hundred thousand Contribution Points!’

’Even the top ten experts on the Inner Sect’s Celestial Pride List probably don’t have this many!’

The gesture not only thrilled Yuwen Xunyi but also moved him deeply. The look he gave Jiang Chen became even more resolute.

Jiang Chen smiled. "Within the Sword Sect, Contribution Points are more useful than Spirit Crystals. I want to see our entire Heaven-Soaring Alliance united as one before the Celestial Fate Hunting begins."

"Rest assured, Alliance Leader. We will not disappoint you!" the four hurriedly promised.

They understood the Heaven-Soaring Alliance’s precarious position. Jiang Chen was their strongest fighter, and he needed to focus on constantly increasing his own power.

The task of managing the alliance, therefore, naturally fell to them, the four founding elders.

Jiang Chen nodded. After giving them a few more instructions, he dismissed the four. His gaze flickered toward a dark corner behind him. A small smile touched his lips as he said, "Little Black, where have you been off to all this time?"

"Hehe, Jiang Chen, this emperor has brought you a magnificent gift!" the Black Emperor’s figure emerged from the shadows. With a pair of fleshy wings clasped behind its back, it held its head high and puffed out its chest in a show of pure arrogance.

"What kind of gift?" Jiang Chen asked, intrigued.

"Hehe..."

The Black Emperor grinned, producing a pitch-black token and placing it before Jiang Chen. "Take a look at this."

Jiang Chen froze. His expression shifted, and a look of wild joy flashed in his eyes...

[Haha, the Black Emperor extends its fleshy wings, beckons with its little claws, and cackles: "Hey kid, how about a vote for the story?"]