The capital city of Wu Kingdom, Ji'an City, is bustling with activity, whereas nearby the Moon Gazing Pavilion outside the Imperial City is serene.

        Thousands of the Wu Kingdom's imperial guards are stationed around the buildings, keeping a close watch. In addition, disciples of Tian Yuan Zong and retainers of the Zhao family can be seen guarding this place.

    Today is the day for the Alliance of Moon-cut to convene.

    On the top of the Moon Gazing Pavilion, atop the master's seat sat an elder clad in a golden dragon robe, his hair and beard all white, looking old and fragile. He held a cane in both hands, his eyes slightly closed as if taking a nap.

    This person is indeed the emperor of Wu Kingdom, Song Ji.

    Behind Song Ji followed an elder with hair and beard all white, but the difference was that the elder had his hands clasped behind his back, brimming with vitality. If one were to say that Emperor Song of Wu Kingdom is a decrepit old man on the brink of death, then the elder behind him is an immortal with Daoist aura.

    The elder is named Song Tianxia, the number one martial artist in Wu Kingdom, and also the only second-level strongman in the country. He can be said to be the guardian deity of Wu Kingdom.

    "Ha ha, Song old man, you haven't died yet."

    A cheerful laugh rang out, and from the doorway, a middle-aged man in green robes with a stern face slowly entered.

    The man's name is Lv Guang, the leader of Tian Yuan Zong.

    Behind Lv Guang stood another middle-aged man in green robes, with black hair and a forelock of white hair, a slightly handsome face full of fatigue, with some scars on it, as if he had fought with someone and been beaten up.

    This person is the senior elder, Lv Yong, of Tian Yuan Zong, and the injuries on his face are from a fight he had with Jiang Dongli several days ago.

    Lv Yong carried a three-foot green peak in his arms, his eyes cold and stern. Since entering, he had not said a word, as if he were a piece of wood.

    Seeing the two Lvs from Tian Yuan Zong enter, Song Ji slowly opened his eyes after closing them, and a hoarse voice came slowly, "Not as good as you, but at least I can live for a few more years."

    "Hey, you still think about living a few more years? Your sons can't wait for you to die. You've held onto the throne for so long; it's time to step down. Otherwise, how can young people have room to grow?"

    Lv Guang laughed loudly, completely indifferent to the surrounding atmosphere.

    If you can't speak, just shut up... Song Ji couldn't help but give Lv Guang a sideways glance, although he had long known the attitude of his sons towards him in his heart, these things were hidden in the shadows. No one dared to mention them in Wu Kingdom, except for the other two major forces within the Alliance of Moon-cut.

    Moreover, they do so without any restraint, daring to openly confront the head honcho face-to-face.

    Song Tianxia's eyebrow twitched. If it were an ordinary person who talked impolitely to the emperor of their own country, he would have slapped them so hard they'd turn into a mist of blood. But in the face of the two Lvs from Tian Yuan Zong, he finally swallowed his pride.

    Patience.

    Lv Guang, who can't speak, is not well-liked by anyone. Both Song Ji and Lv Yong don't want to talk to him, and Lv Yong, who doesn't like to talk much either, caused the atmosphere in the room to become eerie instantly.

    "Everyone has arrived?"

    A cold, piercing voice echoed, and the head of the Zhao family, wearing a robe of black, approached from the doorway, striding with the confidence of a dragon and a tiger, imposing and formidable.

    The slightly awkward atmosphere eased slightly, but was shattered in the next moment.

    Following closely behind Zhao Kongcheng was another middle-aged man, also dressed in a black robe, who looked somewhat similar to the first with five parts of resemblance. His hair was snow-white and casually scattered, but with a tuft of black hair in front.

    Zhao Kongming, the younger brother of Zhao Kongcheng, the head of the Zhao family.

    Zhao Kongming wore a long knife on his waist and one hand rested on the hilt. His lazy eyes swept around the room, suddenly stopping at a particular spot.

    Since Zhao Kongming entered, the senior elder Lv Yong behind Tian Yuan Zong Master Lv Guang's eyes flashed, filled with murderous intent.

    In the instant their eyes met, both unleashed all their spirit power.

    Lv Yong gently raised his right hand to grasp the handle of the three-foot Green Peak sword in his arms, while Zhao Kongming tightly held the hilt of his long knife, preparing to draw it.

    The two people in the staring contest seemed like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

    However, just as this critical moment approached, the leader of Tian Yuan Zong, Lv Guang, and the head of the Zhao family, Zhao Kongcheng, both slammed their fists on the table with even stronger pressure to overpower each other. This finally prevented the two who were about to engage in a battle from doing so.

    "Now that everyone is here, let's begin."

    Zhao Kongcheng coldly opened his mouth, as if he didn't care about the incident just now.

    Zhao Kongming stood obediently behind Zhao Kongcheng, but his eyes were still fixed on the distance, where Lv Yong was staring back.

    "According to the previous agreement, the position of the alliance leader should be determined now."

    Zhao Kongcheng, with a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, said, "On our way south this time, the Zhao family captured 3000 catties of spiritual stones. I wonder how many each of you have harvested?"

    Upon hearing this, Emperor Song Ji of Wu Kingdom tightly grasped the cane in his hand, his expression bleak, and helplessly sighed, "Nothing at all."

    Tian Yuan Zong Master Lv Guang was usually outgoing, but he could only helplessly say at this time, "None at all as well."

    Upon hearing this, the eyebrows of Lv Yong behind Lv Guang twitched slightly, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural. If he hadn't been too greedy, it wouldn't have been a case of absolutely nothing this time.

    Zhao Kongcheng, as if he had known all along, smiled indifferently, "Then according to the agreement, the position of the alliance leader..."

    "No."

    Before Zhao Kongcheng had finished speaking, Song Ji and Lv Guang spoke out simultaneously in opposition.

    "During this southward journey, your Zhao family took full advantage of the initiative. If not for that, how could you have captured 3,000 catties of spiritual stones? Moreover, you occupied the closest spiritual mine to Yongzhou. Wu Kingdom had no choice but to continue southward. We hadn't even started our efforts when we were driven back."

    "That's right. I don't agree with this distribution. I can't accept this competition."

    Lv Guang slammed his fist on the table with full confidence.

    Zhao Kongcheng raised an eyebrow, his face covered in frost, "You two don't want to admit your debt? You were all for proposing this competition at the time. Now that you're not acknowledging it, is that reasonable?"

    Although angry, Zhao Kongcheng didn't dare to say it too harshly.

    "I agreed at the time, but I didn't expect the outcome to be like this. If my Tian Yuan Zong and Wu Kingdom had obtained any spiritual stones, it wouldn't have mattered to me. But what happened?"

    "That's quite right."

    Song Ji nodded repeatedly in praise.

    The two old men put on an unscrupulous look, which infuriated Zhao Kongcheng to the point of wanting to hit someone. His clenched fists were about to strike, but he was restrained.

    With many factions within the Alliance of Moon-cut, only three are truly formidable, and now the Alliance has formed a three-way stalemate. To have a falling out with the two of them here would undoubtedly push them towards an alliance, which is not good for the Zhao family.

    "Then, let's start again?"

    Zhao Kongming took a deep breath and decided not to clash directly with the remaining two families.

    Lv Guang pondered slightly and was about to speak when Song Ji, who was tightly gripping his cane, shook his head repeatedly, "No."

    "I've heard that Jiang Dongli has reached the second level, and with her presence, if we want to go south again, it won't be easy. Moreover, I've heard that Tian Mo Sect has produced another high-level cultivator who, within half a day, chopped off the head of the master of Hu Xiaotang. With these two people around, do you think our Alliance of Moon-cut can successfully go south again?"

    "What should we do then?"

    "The matter of selecting the alliance leader requires careful consideration."