The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 1931: Chapters 1876–1877: Escalation of War, Heavy Clouds Gather_2

“Is Xue Wuheng afraid? Hesitating, moving forward slowly!”

A strong figure speculated in their heart, watching the current pace of the Heterodox Alliance’s army, feeling somewhat anxious.

“It should be that after the previous fleet support was ambushed and annihilated by the coalition led by the Pagoda-Bearing King, the Heterodox Alliance has developed a shadow in their hearts. Even if they go on the offensive now, they’re afraid the enemy will set an ambush halfway and attack midway.” Another strong figure said, believing that the bloody lesson from last time has made the Heterodox Alliance cautious, not daring to be greedy and advance rashly.

“But even being cautious shouldn’t result in such slowness; dragging on like this misses the timing of the battle, and even if they successfully lead the army to arrive, the opposition will have already gained control of that world and rebuilt their defensive arrays, who knows what price must be paid if wanting to attack.” A strong figure couldn’t understand Xue Wuheng’s attitude.

One must know that sometimes a great battle is about seizing time, and once missed, it may determine the final victory or defeat.

At this time, unlike before, before the Heavenly Court and Buddha Sects coalition ambushed the Heterodox Alliance’s sub-branch, no one had foreseen such a matter, and the various forces were not so vigilant about the worlds they controlled.

Frankly speaking, before this surprise attack, the arrays in these worlds, though some were defensive against external threats, were mostly for dealing with troublemaking independent practitioners, and more arrays were used to suppress native strong figures, which is why the sub-branch arrays of the two worlds of the Heterodox Alliance were so easily breached.

Now that there is precedent, all forces, whether ordinary immortal sects or top immortal sects, have begun to change, increasing efforts to upgrade the defensive arrays of the worlds they control as one of their means to defend against enemy-led fleet raids.

As the initiators of the war, since the Heavenly Court and Buddha Sects coalition has already occupied these two worlds and has not continued to advance greedily, they will naturally spend time and resources to remodel the defensive arrays of these two worlds, reinforcing them to be solid as gold.

The Heterodox Alliance doesn’t retaliate, but since they’ve decided to strike back, they naturally need to seize the opportunity, taking advantage while the opponent’s defensive arrays have not yet been remodeled, minimizing the opponent’s advantage.

And once the opponent’s defensive arrays are remodeled and then attacked, whether successful or not, the price will surely be higher.

Observers are puzzled by the Heterodox Alliance’s intentions, wondering if they don’t really want to fight, merely bluffing?

However, not long ago, news from the Bai Xiaosheng Organization revealed that the Heterodox Alliance had paid a hefty price to buy and collect supplies from them, even inviting the Bai Xiaosheng Organization to mediate as an intermediary, introducing them to forces that possess the technology to produce sixth-generation warships, and even finished sixth-generation warships.

It is precisely because of receiving such information that the various forces believe the Heterodox Alliance truly intends to counterattack; otherwise, why would they spend such a huge price?

While everyone was very curious, news exploded in the Realms of Heavenly Seas, leaving all forces stunned.

“A Taoist Monarch passed news that the Heterodox Alliance requested mediation in the dispute with the Jade Emperor Buddha Sect, expressing willingness to pay a certain price to regain their two sub-branches.”

Upon receiving this news, the various forces instantly realized they thought it was the Heterodox Alliance’s true intention, and now the forceful stance and Xue Wuheng’s leading attack were merely bluffs.

“Does this mean all of the Heterodox Alliance’s current actions are for show?”

“Most likely, otherwise how do you explain Xue Wuheng’s slow progress, deliberately wasting battle opportunities?”

“However, according to information from Bai Xiaosheng, it’s true they spent a huge price to acquire sixth-generation warship construction technology, and also contact certain forces attempting to purchase sixth-generation warships, how do you explain this?”

“Purchasing warships doesn’t conflict with their temporary retreat; after all, the current Heterodox Alliance isn’t fully confident they can have others successfully mediate. If the opposition doesn’t accept their terms or the mediation demands are too harsh, preparing by purchasing sixth-generation warships is wise. It’s not necessarily about deploying them.”

“It seems, just like deploying warships, they are using them as a show of force and leverage. After all, suing for peace requires humility, without some high posture, they’d be easy prey.”

“Indeed, being prepared on both fronts isn’t wrong. Once the sixth-generation warships are obtained, even if they are not used this time, they can serve as a reserve. After all, the current situation is turbulent, who can guarantee there won’t be unexpected problems in the future?”

All sides engaged in heated discussions, but judging from the current situation, the general consensus was that the Heterodox Alliance was intimidated, merely bluffing, not daring to truly clash with the Heavenly Court and Buddha Sects coalition, even though they’ve lost two sub-branches, their prestige has suffered a considerable impact.

Even with the emergence of a newly ascended Dao Lord like Zhao Baiyang, the Heterodox Alliance lacks the foundation to truly challenge top immortal sects, unable to contend with the combined might of those two top-tier forces.

Some even suggested that the Heterodox Alliance’s attitude was related to Zhao Baiyang. Although Zhao Baiyang did ascend as a Taoist Monarch, he was seriously injured by a Buddhist Taoist Monarch Bodhisattva, and perhaps his recovery is going poorly, or there are severe irrecoverable injuries causing the Heterodox Alliance’s hesitation.

For a moment, various rumors filled the air, mostly pessimistic about the Heterodox Alliance’s situation, with some immortal sects eager to seize the opportunity, hunting for ways to take a bite out of the Heterodox Alliance.

In an instant, strong figures and forces among the Divine Land World and Realms of Heavenly Seas were constantly running about, plotting schemes, making the situation increasingly complex and obscure.

Attention began shifting, with various sides keenly investigating the several negotiations between the two sides, aiming to understand what prices were involved and whether there could be opportunities to involve themselves.

Even the Jade Emperor and Buddha Sects were very surprised; though they entertained the idea of promoting peace through war, they had also prepared, believing the current battle was far from over.

Others might not know, but they knew one thing: although it seemed the Heterodox Alliance had lost the two sub-branches controlling the worlds, these losses, though significant, wouldn’t lead the Heterodox Alliance to easily concede.

Looking at those who wield power in the Heterodox Alliance, each one is obstinate to the end; without experiencing a thorough defeat, how could they willingly submit?

However, the message from the Taoist Monarch posed no issues; indeed, a Taoist Monarch’s subordinates delivered many messages with reasonable terms, showing genuine sincerity.

“Could it be that Zhao Baiyang’s injuries are indeed severe this time; otherwise, why would the Heterodox Alliance compromise so readily?”

This was the speculation in the hearts of the Jade Emperor and Buddha Sects, reasoning that the Heterodox Alliance still had fighting strength, but their eagerness to settle matters might be due to Zhao Baiyang’s condition.

The current retreat might be because Zhao Baiyang’s recovery is problematic, leading the Heterodox Alliance to choose to cut losses to preserve the bigger picture, merely lying low for now.

Even though confusion lingered, facing a Taoist Monarch willing to mediate, the Jade Emperor’s side chose to accept it initially, after all, their initial reason was promoting peace through war.

However, just when they were lowering their guard, an unexpected turn occurred.