Chapter 35: The Two Fortresses Form an Alliance

Qu Yi successfully crafted one hundred divine artifacts in a single attempt.
“Very good—one hundred divine artifacts, created so easily. In the future, I’ll try to make a thousand more,” Qu Yi said, looking at the divine artifacts on the crafting platform with satisfaction and confidence.
Crafting a large number of divine artifacts requires high control over the divine fire through spiritual awareness. Previously, the Artifact God forced Qu Yi to use the Star Luo Ding to refine crafting materials and attribute materials, which also helped him master the art of fire control. Thus, Qu Yi’s ability to craft divine artifacts now is directly related to his countless attempts at refining materials in the past.
“Excellent. Now, at the Divine Human stage, you are fully capable of crafting divine artifacts. I no longer need to urge you,” the Artifact God’s voice transmitted, filled with satisfaction.
Qu Yi was actually the heir to the Artifact God’s crafting legacy. Though they weren’t formally master and disciple, they functioned as such.
“Hehe, Artifact God, it’s rare for you to praise me like this. Well then, I’ll spend some time now crafting divine artifacts for the villagers of Bai Shou Village,” Qu Yi announced happily.
Immediately afterward, he returned to the Star Luo Ding and began the crafting process.
Inside the Star Luo Ding, the Black Tide Divine Fire burst forth, yet it was remarkably gentle.
The crafting materials were placed into the ding.
The Black Tide Divine Fire refined them, breaking them down.
The artifact core took shape.
A formation was established.
Throughout this entire process, Qu Yi remained calm and composed, handling everything with ease and grace, already embodying the image of a master craftsman.
Inside the stone fortress, Qu Yi indulged in the joy of crafting.
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Bai Zhai Mountain Region.
The sudden disappearance of Lang Ri Fortress immediately caught the attention of all the fortresses in the Bai Zhai Mountain Region. They sent people to investigate and soon discovered that it was all due to Tian Feng Fortress.
These fortresses weren’t too surprised that Tian Feng Fortress had defeated Lang Ri Fortress, as Tian Feng Fortress had always been stronger than Lang Ri Fortress.
However, one piece of news shocked and terrified all the other fortresses in the Bai Zhai Mountain Region.
Tian Feng Fortress had two thousand members, each equipped with a divine artifact!
What were divine artifacts? They represented wealth, enhanced strength, and greater offensive power.
Tian Feng Fortress’s strength had suddenly increased so much—that was what scared the other fortresses. Especially since it was unclear when Tian Feng Fortress acquired so many divine artifacts or where they came from. These terrifying secrets filled the other fortresses with fear.

Especially Tianyu Fort, which used to be the strongest, and Tianchen Fort, the second strongest.
Tianyu Fort’s base was located on the east side of the Baizhai Mountain Range, with its council hall, Tianyu Castle, perched atop a high mountain peak.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with short hair, a handsome and robust appearance, and eyes like stars flew through the air straight toward Tianyu Castle.
This man was Yue Ze, the leader of Tianchen Fort.
Suddenly, someone flew out of Tianyu Castle—handsome and valiant—catching up with Yue Ze mid-air. This person was Wei Yang, the seventh leader of Tianyu Fort.
“Yue Ze, why aren’t you at your own Tianchen Fort? What are you doing here at Tianyu Fort?” Wei Yang asked calmly, suspiciously.
Tianchen Fort and Tianyu Fort each controlled one side of the Baizhai Mountain Range and rarely interacted. Seeing the leader of Tianchen Fort come in person naturally made Wei Yang suspicious.
Yue Ze smiled at Wei Yang and said kindly, “Seventh Leader, I’ve come to your Tianyu Fort to discuss important matters with all seven leaders.”
At that moment, a loud voice came from inside Tianyu Castle, “Wei Yang, please invite the leader in quickly.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yang realized it was his elder brother, Tong Wei’s voice. Surprised, he immediately welcomed Yue Ze with a smile and entered Tianyu Castle together.
Inside the castle, the decorations were dazzling, with various precious and splendid treasures displayed everywhere, creating a magnificent sight.
In the main hall, seven semi-circular seats were arranged above, corresponding to the seven leaders of Tianyu Fort. Six of them were already occupied—Tong Wei, Sheng Tailong, Fu Yuan, Ning Bozhong, Wen Dongjie, and Hai Mingquan, the previous six leaders of Tianyu Fort.
Five seats were also placed below.
When Wei Yang entered the hall, he took the seventh seat above.
Yue Ze glanced at the seven leaders of Tianyu Fort, smiled slightly, then sat down on one of the seats below, calmly meeting their gazes.
“Yue Ze, if you have something to say, just go ahead,” said Tong Wei, the leader of Tianyu Fort. With white hair and a youthful face, his eyes shone with sharpness as he stared at Yue Ze.
Tong Wei was born with golden eyes that allowed him to spot flaws in any golden magic spells.
Yue Ze didn’t like beating around the bush. Nodding, he said immediately, “Seven leaders, I believe you’re already aware that Langri Fort was destroyed by Tianfeng Fort. That’s why I’m here today.”
The Baizhai Mountain Range wasn’t particularly large or small, but as the fourth-ranked group of fortresses, each had its own spies. Naturally, such a major event like the destruction of Langri Fort would quickly reach Tianchen Fort and Tianyu Fort.

“Yue Ze, are you afraid that Tianfeng Fort’s next target will be your Tianchen Fort?” Sheng Tailong, the second leader of Tianyu Fort, shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the hall. The other six leaders of Tianyu Fort smiled faintly. Yue Ze glanced at Sheng Tailong with a smile, shook his head, and said calmly, “The seven of us—now in the Baizhai Mountain Region, only Tianyu Fort, Tianchen Fort, and Tianfeng Fort remain the strongest. No matter which two of us merge, it will be a disaster for the third. Tell me, if Tianfeng Fort attacks our Tianchen Fort, what will happen to your Tianyu Fort?” “You…” Sheng Tailong’s eyes widened in anger. Tong Wei pulled Sheng Tailong back and smiled at Yue Ze, saying, “Yue Ze, tell us—what’s your real purpose in coming to our Tianyu Fort?” The other leaders of Tianyu Fort immediately turned to look at Yue Ze. Yue Ze smiled, but his eyes suddenly turned sharp as he said coldly, “Let’s unite our two forts and attack Tianfeng Fort together to seize their divine artifacts.” After hearing this, the seven leaders of Tianyu Fort remained calm. At that moment, Wei Yang spoke up, “Yue Ze, you want to drag us Tianyu Fort into attacking Tianfeng Fort—though it’s not entirely impossible. But tell us, how will we divide the divine artifacts of Tianfeng Fort if we succeed?” Tong Wei, Sheng Tailong, Fu Yuan, Ning Bozhong, Wen Dongjie, and Hai Ming—all six leaders—nodded at Yue Ze and watched him with smiles. In the Baizhai Mountain Region, each fort was known for its aggressive nature, aiming solely to seize cultivation resources. Naturally, as the strongest fort, Tianyu Fort wouldn’t help Tianchen Fort unless there was some benefit for itself. Yue Ze kept a calm expression, pursed his lips, and said, “It’s simple—whichever member of our two forts seizes the divine artifact, it belongs to them.” At that, the seven leaders of Tianyu Fort shook their heads. “Yue Ze, you’re thinking too simply. Right now, Tianfeng Fort’s target is your Tianchen Fort. If we don’t act now, we can wait until Tianfeng Fort has defeated Tianchen Fort before dealing with them. By then, all of Tianfeng Fort’s divine artifacts will belong to us, and the entire Baizhai Mountain Region will be under our control,” said Fu Yuan, the third leader of Tianyu Fort, with a smile. This was indeed true. In a battle between Tianfeng Fort and Tianchen Fort, both sides would fight to the death, resulting in a costly victory for either side. Naturally, Tianyu Fort, being the strongest, would easily win if it stepped in later. The other leaders of Tianyu Fort watched Yue Ze with smiles.

Yue Ze immediately stood up, laughed loudly, and looked at the seven chiefs of Tianyu Camp with disappointment. With a cold smile, he said, “Seven of you, haven’t you thought that our Tianchen Camp might not have to submit to Tianfeng Camp?” If Tianfeng Camp attacked, Tianchen Camp would surrender immediately, and the two camps would merge into one.

Whoosh!

Hearing Yue Ze’s threatening words, the seven chiefs of Tianyu Camp stood up right away, staring at him with icy gazes. Yue Ze, undaunted, met their stares head-on. At that moment, Tong Wei, the chief of the larger camp, waved his hand to tell his six brothers to sit down, then smiled at Yue Ze.

“Yue Ze, you’re bold and ruthless. Very well, if we attack Tianfeng Camp together, Tianyu Camp will get 80% of the divine artifacts. Otherwise, if you want to submit to Tianfeng Camp, go ahead and do so,” Tong Wei said calmly but firmly.

Yue Ze smiled then, his attitude becoming very friendly. He said directly, “Agreed. But before we attack Tianfeng Camp, we must find out who’s supplying them with so many divine artifacts. Only by identifying the source can we decide whether to attack.”

In the Divine Realm, divine artifacts are always in the hands of powerful forces. Naturally, Yue Ze didn’t want to rashly attack Tianfeng Camp. Otherwise, if there was a larger force backing Tianfeng Camp, even if he destroyed Tianfeng Camp, he would still be eliminated by that larger force, which would be pointless.

The seven chiefs of Tianyu Camp understood Yue Ze’s meaning and nodded immediately.

“It’s settled then. Your Tianchen Camp sends people, and our Tianyu Camp sends people to investigate Tianfeng Camp at the same time. As long as there’s no support from a larger force behind Tianfeng Camp, we’ll go and destroy them right away,” Tong Wei said, his eyes sharp with murderous intent.

Yue Ze stood up, bowed, and said with a smile, “Good. Since the seven chiefs have made up their minds, I’ll return to Tianchen Camp. I’ll keep in touch with you all as soon as I hear anything.”

“No need to see you off,” the seven chiefs of Tianyu Camp said, also bowing and smiling.

Yue Ze left Tianyu Camp immediately and flew back to his own Tianchen Camp.

Somewhere in the sky, Yue Ze stopped, his lips twitching as he sneered, “Tianyu Camp, you’re too greedy. If you get 80% of the divine artifacts, you’ll surely attack our Tianchen Camp next. We’ll use you for now. Once we seize the divine artifacts, they’ll naturally belong to us—how could we give them to you?”

Then, like a swift swallow, Yue Ze flew away quickly.

Inside Tianyu Fort, the seven chiefs of Tianyu Camp sat comfortably in their respective seats.
“Elder brother, do we really have to join Tianchen Camp to attack Tianfeng Camp?” asked the second chief, Sheng Tailong, with a smile.
Tong Wei nodded and said calmly, “Tianfeng Camp’s strength has grown too fast and suddenly. If we let it grow any further, our Tianyu Camp will indeed be unable to control it. To prevent Tianyu Camp from being annexed by Tianfeng Camp in the future, we must eliminate it before it becomes strong enough.”
“But, Elder brother, have you considered that the sudden appearance of over two thousand divine artifacts in Tianfeng Camp might indicate strong backing behind them?” immediately said the third chief, Fu Yuan.
All the chiefs shared the same thought and looked at Tong Wei with concern.
“Strong backing? That’s impossible. If some powerful force really wanted to take over the Hundred Camps Mountain Region, they would come after us, Tianyu Camp. I think the reason Tianfeng Camp obtained so many divine artifacts this time is likely that they found a spatial ring left behind by some powerful figure after his death,” Tong Wei said calmly.
The other six chiefs immediately lit up and quickly understood. In the Hundred Camps Mountain Region, even the strongest warriors were only at the Main Divine Weapon stage—how could they attract the attention of those powerful forces in the divine realm? Moreover, even if all the resources in the region were taken, they wouldn’t be worth two thousand divine artifacts. No force would engage in such a loss-making deal.
“Then, what we need to be wary of next is Tianchen Camp. I’m worried that after attacking Tianfeng Camp, Yue Ze won’t keep his promise,” said the seventh chief, Wei Yang, anxiously.
Hearing this, Tong Wei laughed heartily. Standing up, he said, “Regardless of whether Yue Ze keeps his promise or not, as long as Tianfeng Camp is destroyed, we’ll immediately attack Tianchen Camp. We must get those two thousand divine artifacts.”
“Haha…”
The six chiefs stood up at the same time and smiled in understanding.