The Western Desert was one of the nine regions, and its area encompassed over a hundred provinces and over a thousand cities. It was vast with a large population and numerous local organizations. There was no lack of powerful organizations in the Western Desert. However, none of them could compare with the Celestial Alliance.
That balance had remained until the Ziling Sect's sudden rise. The overlord, who had slapped the alliance master's face, shone as bright as the sun. He proclaimed his hegemony, and countless organizations submitted to him.
These organizations sent their envoys, bearing large amounts of god-grade and saint-grade offerings. Some of these envoys couldn't even enter the Ziling Sect since their organizations were too low in tier. They could only stay outside and wait until they were summoned.
As the sect master, Xiang Shaoyun did not have the time to take care of all the sect affairs. Thus, he passed on the position to Tuoba Lingtian, making Tuoba Lingtian the new sect master. That position would serve as a tool to train Tuoba Lingtian's character.
Initially, Xiang Shaoyun intended to have Guo Po be the sect master. After all, Tuoba Lingtian was already the Holy Hall's master. So long as he wished, he could receive everything the Holy Hall had. However, the kid was too hyperactive to properly carry out his responsibilities as the hall master. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun forced him to be the sect master as well.
Furthermore, Guo Po had refused to inherit the position. Although he was Xiang Shaoyun's disciple, he knew well that only Tuoba Lingtian could inherit the position. He only needed to worry about assisting Tuoba Lingtian.
Tuoba Lingtian was smart. After inheriting the position, with the assistance of Guo Po, Zhuge Zhantian, Tian Ji, Qian Licai (Qian Furen's son), and Liu Yanran, he was able to properly manage the sect.
Xiang Yangzhan and Tuoba Taishan, the two grandfathers, would naturally not sit idly as Tuoba Lingtian struggled. They had secretly provided a lot of help to his rule as well. Tuoba Lingtian and his inner circle were all those who had reached peak Great Saint in Xiang Shaoyun's astral cosmos sea.
Because Xiang Shaoyun did not want them to advance too quickly, he released them from his astral cosmos sea and had them work. It would be better for them to temper their minds before attempting to break through into the God Realm. It was never wise to rush excessively in the path of cultivation.
As for those from the older generation, they were all cultivating as hard as they could. All of them could feel a sense of crisis. The Celestial Alliance would definitely declare war on the Ziling Sect.
But even after waiting for a while, the Celestial Alliance was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were waiting for the perfect opportunity before attacking?
In truth, the Celestial Alliance had secretly contacted the Immortal Road Chamber and the Guangling Palace, hoping that the two would attack the Ziling Sect with them because the Ziling Sect's conquest of the Western Desert had also affected their interests.
However, the Immortal Road Chamber refused the request while the Guangling Palace expressed that they were allied with the Ziling Sect. That left the Celestial Alliance distressed.
After all, the Immortal Road Chamber's first fairy, Ji Feixian, was rescued by Xiang Shaoyun. The Immortal Road Chamber wasn't shameless enough to turn on someone right after receiving help. In any case, most of their interests were spread among the many dynasties. Thus, they didn't really have that much of a conflict with the Ziling Sect.
As for the Guangling Palace's first palace lady, Ling Ziruo, she had been harboring a crush for Xiang Shaoyun for quite a while. If it wasn't for the fact that she was focusing on entering the Nine Revolutions Realm, she would have already gone to ask for Xiang Shaoyun's hand in marriage.
After the setbacks, the Celestial Alliance no longer kept silent. An incredibly old geezer personally went to the Ziling Sect. He was Gan Bazhou, one of the first celestial envoys they ever had.
Gan Bazhou was not as famous as Huang Tian, and he wasn't a guardian god either. However, he actually had a higher cultivation level and was already a Six Revolutions expert.
The only reason he was less famous than Huang Tian was that he had not contributed much to the dominion. He was a selfish person who had only ever worked for the Celestial Alliance. He couldn't care less about the fate of the world. Thus, the older generation of Gods knew of him, but no one had much respect for him.
Gan Bazhou arrived at the Ziling Sect to vent the alliance master's anger. He descended from the sky and stomped down, unleashing a massive energy leg in his attempt to flatten the entire sect.
The attack was sudden and unexpected. Gan Bazhou was confident he could subjugate the Ziling Sect with this show of strength, but before his leg could reach the sect, a powerful force erupted from the sect and neutralized the power in his leg. At the same time, a massive devil palm manifested and closed in around him like a concentration of devilish clouds.
Boom!
Gan Bazhou was overwhelmingly shocked. He tried his best to flee, but he failed to escape the palm. His entire body was crushed. Fortunately for him, he was clever. He hurriedly split into numerous clones and flew in all directions. He was badly worried that the owner of that terrifying palm would kill him.
Gan Bazhou had escaped too quickly, frustrating Ming Shi as he wasn't able to stop Gan Bazhou in time. Ming Shi couldn't give chase since that would easily result in him being baited away from protecting the sect.
Sure enough, after Gan Bazhou successfully fled, someone appeared from the void and joined him. The newcomer was none other than the alliance master. He was still shrouded in a layer of energy, making his appearance indistinct. From the build of his body, he looked rather tall and sturdy.
"You guessed right, alliance master. The Ziling Sect has something they're relying on," said Gan Bazhou while wiping his cold sweat.
"Hehe, yes. But I still have a way to bring them to the depths of the abyss," said the alliance master with a sneer. "Since you dare to collude with the devils, not even Ge Yi will be able to protect you."
He then left with Gan Bazhou. Shortly after, a rumor spread all over the dominion. It was said that the Ziling Sect had betrayed humanity and was colluding with the devils. That was no mere rumor; a crystal recording accompanied the claim. Devilish energy had been found in the Ziling Sect. Furthermore, it was also known that Xiang Shaoyun had the blood of the devils coursing through his veins. Thus, more and more people started believing the rumor.
As Ziling Sect had been focusing on conquering the Western Desert for the past few years, the masses believed that they were instead working for the devils. Some even claimed to have personally witnessed the devils seeking audience with Xiang Shaoyun at the Ziling Sect before leaving noiselessly with no trouble from the sect.
Additionally, some also said that the Ziling Sect even harbored aliens. Aliens were supposed to be humanity's common enemy. So what was the Ziling Sect planning by harboring aliens?
Finally, the Guardians Guild demanded an explanation from Xiang Shaoyun, or they would disqualify him from the bid for the young guild master position.
It would seem like the entire world had gathered against the Ziling Sect and Xiang Shaoyun, who was still in a secluded cultivation session.