"Over twenty countries, and that’s just a preliminary count. In reality, many other nations are still watching from the sidelines. They’re the wait-and-see types, or you could say, fence-sitters."

"The establishment of this organization means the Starry Sky Country can no longer hold back and is ready to bare its fangs. I imagine it won’t be long before they lead the charge and take action in multiple countries around the world."

"It seems a direct conflict affecting countries worldwide is finally upon us," the Chief Commissioner said in a low voice.

Over the past few years, although the world had seen constant regional conflicts, the major powers had maintained a certain tacit understanding and avoided direct confrontation. But now, it looked like that situation was about to be shattered.

The time of chaos was finally upon us.

"Fortunately, before that day arrived, we had already taken the first step and mostly completed the consolidation of our domestic forces. They probably never expected that we would achieve a full-scale partnership with the Spirit Guardians so quickly."

"Otherwise, facing both internal and external threats, our situation would have become truly dire."

"Now, with the addition of the Spirit Guardians, our domestic defense system is essentially complete. We no longer fear any external challenges. If they want to initiate a direct conflict, we won’t be afraid in the slightest!" Chen Qingmu said in a solemn voice.

"Their next step, on one hand, will likely be to conduct a major purge of Spirit Guardian forces within their partner nations, with their cooperation. On the other hand, they will inevitably make an example of someone on the world stage to establish their dominance, using some of the more staunch opposition as a starting point."

"And considering we are currently their biggest competitor, they will inevitably choose their target for this display of power in a region near Donghua. It will most likely be in the East Luoni or Silan regions, because only then can they unite the other nations to create a blockade against us."

"Which nation do you think they’ll make an example of first?" the Chief Commissioner asked. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I think it will most likely be the Tai Lan Country. In the past, the Tai Lan Country was one of the Starry Sky Country’s most important partners in the East Luoni region. But in recent years, Tai Lan’s ties with us have become closer, and they’ve gradually shifted toward neutrality."

"Furthermore, about fifteen years ago, Tai Lan experienced an incident where a Sealing Realm Image was undone, which caused considerable destruction. Although it was suppressed, Tai Lan’s high command gained a deep understanding of the dangers of Celestial Demons as a result. In the East Luoni region, they can be considered one of the nations with the most in-depth research on Celestial Demons."

"This time, it’s said that during the secret talks, the Prime Minister of the Tai Lan Country, representing the King, sternly rejected the Starry Sky Country’s invitation to cooperate. Their stance was extremely firm."

"I believe the Starry Sky Country is most likely to begin with one of the dissenting nations, the Tai Lan Country," Chen Qingmu said.

"The Tai Lan Country... Yes, that’s highly likely. Rumor has it that the King of Tai Lan himself was nearly tricked by a Celestial Demon back then. If not for the protection of the high monks from the Jade Buddha Temple, the entire nation might have been overthrown. They know the terror of the Celestial Demons intimately. The Starry Sky Country will most likely use this as their entry point. If the Tai Lan Country caves, I’m afraid there will be few nations left in all of East Luoni with the courage to stand firm in opposition."

"Whether it’s the Tai Lan Country or not, we must prepare in advance. This coming direct conflict will have a tremendous impact on the global political landscape. All those fence-sitters are watching. The moment we show any weakness, who knows how many countries will rush to declare their stance the very next day."

"From now on, our battlefield is not at home, but on the world stage!"

The Chief Commissioner nodded in agreement.

"The higher-ups feel the same way. I came here this time specifically to discuss this matter with you—the formation of an emergency response team. No matter where a problem arises in the world, we may have to get involved."

"It’s not just about the countries, but also the Spirit Guardians around the world. They also need a great deal of help. They all have the potential to become our friends, to stand with us on the same front. We can’t just stand by and watch them fall into peril."

"As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. I believe the Guardian Spirit Races within our country will be more than willing to lend a hand," Chen Qingmu said with a smile.

"The Starry Sky Country once called itself the ’world police.’ I never thought we’d end up doing something similar," the Chief Commissioner sighed.

"It’s not the same at all. Our starting points are completely different."

"They need chaos and aggression. Peace is just a slogan to them, something to be trampled underfoot at any time."

"But we... we genuinely desire peace. That has never changed," Chen Qingmu said slowly.

...

...

「Meanwhile, the Nebula Alliance was holding a high-level meeting.」

The Nebula Leader, whose face seemed to be shrouded in mist, sat at the head of the conference table. Countless streams of gray fog emanated from his body, covering the entire room and making it impossible for one to tell if they were in reality or trapped in a lifelike nightmare.

"Although the Joint Research Committee has been formally established, the number of cooperating nations has left the higher-ups very dissatisfied. Does our Starry Sky Country truly have so little influence in the world?"

"It seems there’s been peace for too long. Many of those who ride the fence have forgotten who truly rules this world. It’s time to remind them of the majesty and power of our great nation."

The Leader’s voice slowly echoed throughout the conference room.

"What method should we use? A direct war isn’t what we want to see. Once certain things get out of control, the situation can become very difficult to clean up, and that would not be in our best interests," someone spoke up and asked.

"We also need to consider public opinion. Domestic stability is very important to us as well," another person suggested.

"Establishing our dominance is a must, but we need a good entry point. Leader, what are the higher-ups’ intentions?" General Norton spoke up.

"An entry point? Isn’t that the easy part? This is no longer an era where conventional weapons alone decide everything. To bring down a nation, more often than not, it takes more than just military force..." the Leader said with a smile.

"Moving forward, the Celestial Organization will coordinate with our operations."

"Since some are unwilling to join us in developing a friendly partnership with the Celestial Beings, then they must be just like Donghua, secretly conducting inhumane experiments on the Celestial Beings, right?"

"Since Donghua’s ’secret experiments’ could spiral out of control and lead to the Nanjiang tragedy, why can’t other countries suffer an even greater catastrophe from their own out-of-control experiments?"

"When that happens, on one hand, we will condemn the inhumane and peace-disrupting nature of the responsible nation’s brutal experiments. On the other hand, when they are unable to resolve the catastrophe, we will dispatch an emergency rescue team to bring the disaster under control with maximum speed, displaying our power to those fence-sitters. At that point, I’m sure most of them will make the ’correct’ choice, won’t they?"

"And if they still fail to make the correct choice, it would be perfectly normal for a populace, utterly disappointed with their government’s response, to grow resentful and start riots, perhaps even escalating into turmoil and a full-blown rebellion, wouldn’t it?"

"And out of our principles of peace and freedom, helping a people who yearn for liberty to overthrow a brutal old regime is a stance our Starry Sky Country has always upheld. Providing them with limited armed support would be perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?"

"And just like that, there should be no more nations in this world opposing the justice we uphold. They will have only two choices: cooperate and profit, or descend into chaos and face their demise," the Leader said nonchalantly.

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard this plan.

Seizing the moral high ground while acting in one’s own self-interest—this was indeed the Starry Sky Country’s most frequently used tactic.

"Which country are the higher-ups planning to start with?" someone asked.

"Tai Lan. Both its geographical location and its attitude regarding this incident make it the most suitable target," the Leader said slowly.

"Forgive my bluntness, but our actions will inevitably be met with obstruction from Donghua. They’ve just resolved their internal problems and are now at the peak of their strength. I’m afraid they won’t be easy to deal with," General Norton spoke up.

"That is why, this time, we must dispatch a force powerful enough to handle it. That is precisely what I need you all to prepare for after this meeting."

"And on the other hand, the Celestial Organization has also promised to send powerful combatants," the Leader said.

"How powerful?"

Everyone couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

"The Seven Mo Luo."

the Leader said nonchalantly.