"Cough, cough!"

Looking like a benign old man, Cen Yun suddenly coughed dryly and spoke up, "Envoy Li, do not be angry, Chief Wu as well, please also refrain from getting angry. Whatever it is, we can discuss it amicably. Envoy Li, I trust that Chief Wu is not someone who disregards the bigger picture. I'm right, am I not, Chief Wu?"

Li Hongjian snorted lightly but remained silent.

Wu Jie, sitting in meditation on Small Hill, turned slightly to look at Cen Yun, "The bigger picture must not neglect the morale of the people. If the people's hearts scatter, would the Alliance still exist?"

"Hehe!"

Cen Yun chuckled, "Chief Wu's words are correct; indeed, we cannot let the morale disperse. However, Envoy Li's words also have some truth to them. Please, Chief Wu, consider them carefully."

"Elder Chen Yu has always been defending the Kunlun Boundary Wall."

"As for the dangers of the Kunlun Boundary Wall, I need not say more, Chief Wu surely knows, right?"

Wu Jie nodded. He was well aware of the dangers of the Kunlun Boundary Wall, even without Cen Yun mentioning them.

Because it serves as a portal to the realms beyond, it's no exaggeration to say that the Kunlun Boundary Wall is the most dangerous place in the Human World.

And for those who guard the Kunlun Boundary Wall, they are constantly at risk of encounters with Divine Spirits from beyond, True Gods, and even Heavenly Gods, along with even mightier beings.

Encounters with Divine Spirits and True God Realm powerhouses aside, since the guards could barely defend against them, should they face assaults from Heavenly Gods or beings mightier than Heavenly Gods, these guards would likely not even know how they died in the end.

Cen Yun sighed, "These defenders of the Kunlun Boundary Wall are facing dangers every moment, and at any time could meet their death."

"Not long ago, when Divine Spirits infiltrated, the Kunlun Boundary Wall saw the fall of two True God Realm elders."

"Yet, the remaining elders did not draw back; instead, they continued to stand firm at the Kunlun Boundary Wall."

"Chief Wu, why do you think these steadfast defenders of the Kunlun Boundary Wall, knowing they could die at any moment, still refuse to retreat?"

Without waiting for Wu Jie's reply, Envoy Cen Yun spoke gravely, "It is simply to protect the Human World, because these elders are well aware that if the Kunlun Boundary Wall falls, the Human World will inevitably be overrun. And if the Human World falls, they too will have nowhere to flee."

"The bigger picture, this is the bigger picture!"

"Sigh!"

As echo of deep sighs arose one after another within the meeting hall of the Great Tang Ruins, it was evident that the words of Cen Yun deeply resonated with the elders present.

Although they were not the ones guarding the Kunlun Boundary Wall, their roles in defending other parts of the Human World weren't much different, as they too faced formidable enemies and the ever-present danger of being slain by them.

The atmosphere at the meeting site suddenly grew tense.

Wu Jie felt a sense of foreboding that the argument would not go his way if this continued, suspecting that he ultimately might be persuaded by Cen Yun.

Cen Yun, however, did not give Wu Jie the chance to speak, continuing, "If Elder Chen Yu had a complete set of the Netherlord's Treasure and a full claim to the Netherlord's dominion, then guarding the Kunlun Mountain Boundary Wall would become much easier for the defenders."

"The next time the Kunlun Mountain Boundary Wall is breached by forces from beyond, these guardians could suffer fewer casualties."

Wu Jie fell silent, momentarily at a loss for how to respond to Cen Yun's argument.

The reasons Cen Yun put forth made it difficult for him to rebut.

Wu Jie inwardly cursed the turn of events.

Cen Yun then spoke seriously, "Chief Wu, you mentioned that the treasure of a meritorious person should not be arbitrarily stripped away, lest it disheartens the people, and I agree. However, I have a request as well."

"Please speak, Envoy Cen."

Wu Jie, puzzled about what Cen Yun would say, speculated in his mind.

Cen Yun said, "When the Kunlun Boundary Wall is breached again, or should we face a major incursion from beyond, would Chief Wu be willing to lend the complete set of the Netherlord's Treasure to Headquarters?"

To lend?

Wu Jie was taken aback.

He had not expected Cen Yun to suggest merely lending it, but would it ever be returned after being lent out? If the complete set of the Netherlord's Treasure was lent to the Alliance Headquarters, he highly doubted whether he would be able to reclaim it afterward.

Li Hongjian, upon hearing this, became anxious. The agreement was to have Wu Jie hand over the complete set of the Netherlord's Treasure, so how did it suddenly change to borrowing?

He was about to speak but suddenly saw Cen Yun subtly signaling him with his eyes, so he closed his mouth and said nothing.

"This..."

The question from Cen Yun plunged Wu Jie into hesitation, making it hard for him to reply immediately.

With regret, Cen Yun said, "Even at the final moment, when the survival of the human world is at stake, is the great leader of Wu unwilling to lend out the full set of the Netherlord's treasures?"

Wu Jie inwardly sighed, indeed the wiser heads always prevail. Dealing with someone who aggressively demands things like Li Hongjian allowed him to refuse without hesitation.

Yet, the moment Cen Yun began to speak, he found himself defenseless.

But he was well aware that once the Netherlord's treasures were lent out, it would be very difficult to get them back.

After thinking it over, he eventually replied diplomatically, "Of course, I have no issue with it, but the Netherlord's treasures are under the control of Wu Yan, and whether he is willing to lend them out is hard to say. Messenger Cen is asking me, but I'm afraid I can't decide for Wu Yan."

Cen Yun smiled, "As long as the great leader of Wu agrees, that's good enough. As for Wu Yan, I will take care of persuading him when the time comes."

Wu Jie inwardly sighed once more; if even he couldn't resist Cen Yun's offensive, what about Wu Yan?

Now, all he could do was try to have Wu Yan prolong his meditation and delay as long as possible. As long as Wu Yan did not emerge, Headquarters would have no grounds to act against him. They surely couldn't force their way into the site of Wu Yan's meditation to claim the divine treasure, right?

The best outcome, of course, would be for Wu Yan to break into the True God Realm. With Wu Yan at the True God Realm level, he would have the right to keep the Netherlord's treasures.

But that was clearly a distant prospect, one which Wu Jie didn't consider for the moment. He felt that it would be enough if Wu Yan could just reach the Peak of the Divine Spirit Realm.

"Very well."

After considering for a moment, Wu Jie eventually acquiesced with reluctance.

"The great leader of Wu understands the bigger picture!" Cen Yun praised as he clapped his hands.

I would rather not know what the 'bigger picture' even is.

A wry and helpless smile flickered across Wu Jie's face.

"Li, the envoy, and I intended to meet Xiao Mu and Wu Yan during our visit. Who would have thought that both of them would be in meditation."

Cen Yun shook his head with regret, "Well, if we can't see them, we can't see them. Great leader of Wu, after these two emerge from meditation, please pass on a message asking them to visit Headquarters if they have time."

"Especially Xiao Mu, many of the higher-ups at Headquarters are very keen to meet him. A mere inhabitant of the Yin God Realm procuring a large number of divine weapons and treasures, he has piqued the interest of the higher-ups quite a bit."

"I will convey Messenger Cen's words; as for whether to visit Headquarters, I cannot decide for Xiao Mu and Wu Yan, but I will do my best to urge them to make a trip there."

Wu Jie verbally agreed, but his mind was toiling with thoughts.

It's not a problem for Xiao Mu to visit Headquarters, as those in the upper echelons who treat someone from the Yin God Realm who has obtained a large number of divine weapons and treasures will likely not harm him.

Wu Yan absolutely cannot go to Headquarters. After he comes out of meditation, Wu Jie planned to send Wu Yan out on an assignment, letting him hide outside for a while, preferably making it impossible for Headquarters to even find him, no, let Wu Yan hide in a place unknown even to himself.

If they couldn't find the person, surely Headquarters would have no way of forcibly taking the treasures from Wu Yan, right?

With this thought, Wu Jie felt considerably more relieved.

"In that case, Li, the envoy, and I won't impose any longer. There are matters at Headquarters waiting for us to handle."

Cen Yun stood up and said, taking his leave with Li Hongjian from the leaders of the Great Tang Ruins.

Wu Jie made a show of trying to retain them, and after a few modest exchanges, he personally saw Cen Yun and Li Hongjian off from the Great Tang Ruins.

After Cen Yun and Li Hongjian left, the higher-ups of the Great Tang Ruins convened another meeting.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense, and Wu Jie, the great leader, said nothing, sweeping his somber gaze over everyone present.

Beneath the silence, the air in the meeting room grew even heavier, so much so that it seemed as though it would freeze over.

After a while, Wu Jie finally spoke with an angry and heavy voice, "Wu Yan brought back the full set of the Netherlord's treasures. I specially discussed this with Wei, the great leader of the Yin Merchant Ruins, and asked for his assistance in keeping it secret. Not only did he agree, but he also specifically commanded the elders in the know at the Yin Merchant Ruins to maintain secrecy."

"This secret should not have spread. Why did it reach the Alliance Headquarters? Who leaked it? Please step forward!"

As he spoke, Wu Jie's gaze, sharp as an arrow, suddenly landed on Cui Yan.

Regarding the leak of the Netherlord's treasures, he had long suspected that Cui Yan was behind it, but he had refrained from pursuing the matter in front of Cen Yun and Li Hongjian until now.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.