Chapter 1686. For thousands of years, confusion has clouded the distinction between good and evil

The power of the Fatian Alliance has made many civilizations in the vast wilderness wary. Some of these civilizations have tried to take advantage of the turmoil in the Xiyuan Civilization, attempting to infiltrate and support the various factions and sects within the Xiyuan Civilization to counter the Fatian Alliance. This would also bring many benefits to these civilizations.

Aside from the fact that the Fatian Alliance is based in the Xiyuan Civilization, the conflict between its native factions depletes the foundations of the Xiyuan Civilization itself. Just by infiltrating the Xiyuan Civilization, they can hope to establish a foothold and eventually divide and consume the rich resources of the Xiyuan Civilization, gradually eroding it.

One side has a supreme civilization treasure, and its vast and profound foundation is beyond description. This alone is enough to make any civilization covetous, even to the point of risking everything to gain it.

However, at that moment, many of the local factions in the Xiyuan Civilization have become more focused on the Reincarnation Mirror, constantly searching for the whereabouts of the Xiyuan Holy Maiden. If not for the appearance of the Fatian Alliance, which caused the chaos in the Xiyuan Civilization and led to the Reincarnation Mirror being taken from the Xiyuan Hall, there would have been no opportunity for other factions to seize it.

After all, crafting a civilization’s treasure is no easy task. It requires the combined strength of an entire civilization, and such a chance only arises when a civilization faces an unprecedented catastrophe or is on the brink of destruction. The Reincarnation Mirror is one of the six first-generation civilization treasures used to seal the Heavenly Lord, and its power is enigmatic and incomprehensible.

If any civilization were to obtain it, they could use the full force of their civilization to revive it, and its vast divine might could easily intimidate all the heavens and ancient realms. In the past, the Reincarnation Mirror was well-protected in the Xiyuan Hall as a treasure to deter the vast wilderness and suppress the fortunes of the true realms. No civilization dared to underestimate the threat it posed.

Now that the Xiyuan Holy Maiden has taken the Reincarnation Mirror and disappeared, it means the Xiyuan Civilization has lost the protection of the Reincarnation Mirror. Given the Holy Maiden’s strength, she would not be able to fully revive the mirror on her own. Holding the Reincarnation Mirror alone is like a little girl holding a treasure capable of rivaling a nation, but without any protector by her side.

Moreover, many of the factions have learned that in the battle on the Zhenmiao Mountain, the Xiyuan Holy Maiden paid a great price to escape from Ascension, even receiving a powerful slap from Gu Changge, severely wounding her.

How could she protect the Reincarnation Mirror from being seized?

“Without the Reincarnation Mirror, the Xiyuan Hall is just a toothless old tiger—unable to intimidate or harm anyone.”

“The old fellows in the Xiyuan Hall should decide if they want to take action. If they do, they should come to the Fatian Alliance,” Gu Changge said indifferently.

The Xiyuan Holy Maiden was deliberately let go by him with the goal of drawing out the old forces behind the Xiyuan Hall. However, it seems he overestimated the strength of the Xiyuan Hall. Apart from the Xiyuan Holy Maiden’s master, Xiyu, there is no one else with enough power to maintain the presence of the Xiyuan Hall. Perhaps there isn’t even anyone who has survived nine rounds of Heaven’s Decline Tribulations.

Xiyu, however, has not appeared.

“Alliance leader, do you think the Xiyuan Hall will take action? Right now, many factions are waiting for the Xiyuan Hall to make a move. If the Xiyuan Hall keeps obstructing us, it will have a significant impact on the expansion of the Fatian Alliance…” In the main hall, Hunyuan Jun looked thoughtful and asked.

Everyone in the Fatian Alliance knows about Gu Changge’s decision to let the Yu Xian Palace off. Factions like the Yao Court and Zixiao Mountain feel regret, believing this was the perfect opportunity to destroy the Yu Xian Palace. But Gu Changge’s decision was final, and they did not dare to speak out against it.

Moreover, total annihilation does not align with the core principles of the Fatian Alliance.

Currently, many of the factions that joined the Fatian Alliance are seeking protection and peace, not necessarily intending to gain anything from it. However, if war breaks out, there will inevitably be losses and sacrifices.

After the Xiyuan Alliance incident, everyone in the Fatian Alliance feels that Gu Changge is someone who dislikes bloodshed and destruction. If he could achieve his goals without using force, that would be ideal.

“Do not worry about the Xiyuan Hall. I have my own plan,” Gu Changge shook his head and said, his gaze deep. “You all just need to keep an eye on the movements of the various factions. If they remain stubborn, lead the army and suppress them. Do not worry about the consequences.”

The grand spectacle of the Xiyuan Covenant, directed and staged by him, has already planted a seed in the hearts of the people and all living beings of the Xiyuan Civilization.

What is this seed? It is prejudice, bias, and stubbornness.

Initially, the people of the world had no favorable opinion of the Fatian Alliance. In the eyes of many factions, the Fatian Alliance was seen as a symbol of evil and chaos, the tumor and root cause of the turmoil in the Xiyuan Civilization.

This preconceived bias had already existed since the establishment of the Fatian Alliance and had become deeply ingrained in the minds of many factions. Gu Changge never intended to change this view. What he wanted to do was simply to, at a critical moment, expose this bias and make the people of the world realize how deep their prejudice against the Fatian Alliance ran.

The Fatian Alliance was not as bad, disordered, or evil as they had believed.

A good person does countless good deeds in their life, but when they do one bad thing, they are met with countless insults and slander. On the other hand, a bad person, despite having done many bad things, can easily gain praise and fame by doing just one good deed.

This is the power of preconceived bias.

The Xiyuan Hall was established at the dawn of the Xiyuan Civilization and, for a long time, protected countless factions. However, after the fall of the Xianchu Hao Land, the Xiyuan Hall’s reputation plummeted, as it failed to stop the fall and even condoned it.

After the Xiyuan Covenant incident, the Fatian Alliance did not harm any innocent factions and, instead, received widespread praise and admiration, quickly matching the power and status of the Xiyuan Hall.

“Lead the army and suppress them without worrying about the consequences?”

Zhuo Fengxie, Hunyuan Jun, and the others were surprised and couldn’t help but ask, “Alliance leader, if we do this, won’t it cause a backlash and harm your reputation, as well as the reputation of the Fatian Alliance? Excessive violence could cause panic among the various factions.”

“The Fatian Alliance has never been a benevolent force. My reputation is already as such—what more harm could be done? You don’t need to worry about these things,” Gu Changge smiled lightly, unconcerned.

The grand play he had orchestrated was for the world to see. Now that the play had perfectly ended, why would he waste any more time continuing it?

As for any potential backlash, there was no need to think about that either. There would always be someone who would “rationalize” everything and make it seem justified.

“We understand.”

Gu Changge’s words caused Zhuo Fengxie, Hunyuan Jun, Chu Heng, and others to straighten their faces, exchanging looks full of excitement.

Battle and conquest were inevitable. Just a moment ago, they had hoped to find ways to avoid such situations. But it seemed that after the Xiyuan Covenant incident, the leader had changed his mind. Blind mercy would only end in self-detriment.

Now, the fate of the leaders of the immortal factions was in the hands of the Fatian Alliance. Who would dare to disobey?

After receiving Gu Changge’s permission, the members of the Fatian Alliance in the hall all withdrew.

Outside the hall, Zixiao Mountain’s master, Zhi Wanha, took a few steps before stopping. He glanced at the hall, a little troubled. He thought of the previous deal but sighed helplessly in the end, not daring to openly defy it. He could only follow the others and leave.

Those people had asked him to get closer to Gu Changge and investigate his background.

It sounds simple, but when you actually try to do it, you realize how difficult, almost impossible, it is.

No one in the entire Fatian Alliance likely knows Gu Changge’s identity or origins. Even those who have been by his side from the very beginning, like Ling Huang and Mu Yan, have no knowledge of this.

Zhi Wanha also tried to subtly ask them about it, but received no answers. Gu Changge’s origin remains a complete mystery.

The biggest speculation right now is that he might have connections to the former Tian Dai Organization. The recent appearance of the Old Crow Elder and the Daoist with the appearance of heavenly decline by Gu Changge’s side might know the answer to this question.

Inside the hall, Gu Changge glanced at Zhi Wanha, who had been standing for a while, but did not speak to ask him to stay.

Gu Changge had already started paying attention to this person since the day he brought the imitation of the Coffin of the End of the World. According to the Old Crow Elder, the Coffin of the End of the World was now in the hands of the Celestial Crowd. So Zhi Wanha might secretly be in contact with them.

However, Gu Changge was not in a hurry to make contact with the Celestial Crowd. Once he contacts them prematurely, his identity would quickly be exposed. But there are still many things that he needs to do, and exposing his identity too soon would only bring him more trouble.

In the following time, as per Gu Changge’s orders, the Fatian Alliance began to show its sharp claws to the entire Xiyuan Civilization.

To truly create a period of peaceful coexistence among the various living beings, the Fatian Alliance forcefully required all the factions in the Xiyuan Civilization to obey the rules set by the Fatian Alliance and follow its orders.

Under this overwhelming pressure, despite the Fatian Alliance’s strength and righteousness, it still faced opposition and resistance from many factions.

Many protests and complaints arose from different regions of the universe, claiming that the Fatian Alliance was too overbearing and that the so-called righteousness was merely for fulfilling their private desires and ambitions.

The voices of opposition were the loudest within the Xiyuan Hall, but when Gu Changge personally appeared and visited the Xiyuan Hall, these voices gradually faded away.

Many ancient beings trembled with fear upon realizing that a day had passed and a significant number of powerful presences were missing from the Xiyuan Hall.

Those ancient figures, who had been in seclusion for years, seemed to have been taken away by Gu Changge himself, pulled from the depths of time and space.

This discovery sent shockwaves through many factions, filling them with terror and making them restless.

Gu Changge had grown so powerful in the Xiyuan Civilization that he could act with impunity. He could easily enter the Xiyuan Hall, deep into its core, and seize the oldest and most revered beings.

If even the Xiyuan Hall could not stop Gu Changge, didn’t that mean he could show up in their ancestral lands at any time and forcibly take away their oldest ancestors and key figures?

Years later, the severely injured “Xiyuan Holy Maiden” returned safely.

Her first act upon returning to the Xiyuan Hall was to go to the Fatian Alliance headquarters and bring back those ancient beings that Gu Changge had taken. She then led the Xiyuan Hall to join the Fatian Alliance.

This event caused an uproar throughout the Xiyuan Civilization.

Countless practitioners and beings were shocked and found it hard to believe. They couldn’t accept that even the Xiyuan Holy Maiden made such a decision.

When the Xiyuan Covenant was initially established, it was led by the founder of the Yu Xian Palace, Ling Yuling, and the Xiyuan Holy Maiden.

Yet now, it was the Yu Xian Palace and the Xiyuan Hall that were the first to join the Fatian Alliance.

Many factions and sects speculated that this was a reluctant concession from the Xiyuan Holy Maiden. In order to rescue the ancient beings of the Xiyuan Hall, she had no choice but to do so and submit.

The day the Xiyuan Hall joined the Fatian Alliance marked the beginning of its decline.

Many factions and beings secretly condemned and insulted the Xiyuan Hall, accusing it of betraying the Xiyuan Civilization, compromising its integrity, and betraying the trust of everyone.

Of course, some questioned whether this was a deception. Was the returning “Xiyuan Holy Maiden” truly the real one? After all, the ruler of the Xianchu Hao Land, Chu Gucheng, had once used such a trick to deceive the various factions. Who knew if Gu Changge, the leader of the Fatian Alliance, would use the same strategy again?

In the following centuries, wars and chaos swept across the Xiyuan Civilization.

Led by immortal factions and certain civilized nations outside the wilderness, many factions within the Xiyuan Civilization began to unite, seeking to form an alliance to resist the Fatian Alliance.

However, facing the terrifying strength and ruthless suppression of the Fatian Alliance, these alliances and organizations eventually crumbled and collapsed.

Many factional forces were like lost dogs, fleeing in all directions to escape. During this process, the long-lasting chaotic war, which had been going on for thousands of years, erupted across many regions and universes of the Xiyuan Civilization.

At regular intervals, various regions would experience disturbances. Some factions could no longer bear the situation and chose to leave the Xiyuan Civilization, secretly crossing into other national realms.

Such situations would also occur from time to time in the territories governed by the Fatian Alliance.

The entire situation of the Xiyuan Civilization was in turmoil and disarray. Many scholars of history referred to this period as the “Age of Chaos” in the Xiyuan Civilization.

Those imprisoned in the Fatian Alliance’s dark prisons—leaders and faction heads—were forced to surrender in order to save their lives and began to obey the commands of the Fatian Alliance.

Some even took action themselves, leading armies to suppress the factions they once led, expanding the Fatian Alliance’s territory.

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