Chapter 675: Beating the Grass to Startle the Snake

“Is there something, Divine Son Ning?” Ke Dali asked, sounding rather impatient.

Ning Hao’s Martial Arts Power was formidable. Wielding the power of his Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword, he was once considered the second-strongest expert after Ji Lingxiao.

No one dared to underestimate such a figure. Ke Dali himself had even considered putting their past grievances aside and recruiting him into the Dali Alliance to compete for resources together.

But Ning Hao had failed to live up to expectations. Not only was he arrogant, but his Martial Arts Power no longer seemed so impressive.

In a one-on-one fight, Ji Lingxiao, Xiu Chen, and that Demon Cultivator could all easily defeat Ning Hao.

Not even counting the mysterious Innate Realm Expert, Ning Hao’s combat prowess only ranked fourth, which was frankly not good enough.

Furthermore, now that everyone in the grotto-abode had formed their own alliances, any single one of them could overpower Ning Hao.

With Ning Hao acting alone, his overall strength was now at the very bottom of the pack.

For such an insignificant character, it was already magnanimous of Ke Dali not to lead the Dali Alliance to bully him. How could he possibly be expected to show him a pleasant face?

Ning Hao clearly understood his own predicament. His attitude grew even more humble as he took out a piece of Source Crystal Jade and said with a smile,

“I wish to join the Dali Alliance and advance and retreat together with all of you. This is my entrance fee.”

“Join the Dali Alliance?” Ke Dali was momentarily stunned, then felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.

After the satisfaction, however, came a slight sense of disappointment. He actually preferred Ning Hao’s previous aloof, arrogant, and untamable demeanor.

After a brief moment of thought, Ke Dali said with a look of disdain,

“With Divine Son Ning’s strength, joining the Dali Alliance would be a waste of your talents. Besides, although I am the Chief of the Dali Alliance, any resources we obtain are more or less divided equally. We really can’t accommodate a great figure like you. You should join another alliance. I hear the Loose Cultivator Alliance doesn’t require an entrance fee, and they don’t have any particularly strong experts. If Divine Son Ning joins them, you might even be chosen as their Chief. If you manage to hunt a Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast then, the Demon Heart would most likely be yours. Why wouldn’t you want that?”

The smile on Ning Hao’s face froze.

‘He never imagined he would end up in such a situation!’

‘Back when he had just entered the grotto-abode, if he had raised his arm and called out, a hundred would have answered. He could have easily formed the largest alliance!’

But times had changed. Now, all the Loose Cultivators in the grotto-abode had joined their respective alliances, and no one was willing to pay him any mind.

After fleeing from Cold Water Lake in defeat, he had sought out the Loose Cultivator Alliance as soon as his injuries healed, wanting to join them, but he was ruthlessly rejected.

One reason was that a scout from the Loose Cultivator Alliance happened to see him get utterly crushed by Xiu Chen at Cold Water Lake and flee in a total rout. His strength was no longer dominant, so he failed to gain their recognition.

Another reason was the current composition of the Loose Cultivator Alliance: six Loose Cultivators, three members from the Blood Moon Sect, and three from the Taiyi Sect.

The strengths of these three parties had formed a delicate balance.

Ning Hao’s strength, however, was a bit too high. If he joined the Loose Cultivator Alliance, he would likely upset this balance, which was something its members were naturally unwilling to allow.

To be rejected everywhere because his Martial Arts Power was in an awkward middle ground—not weak, but not overwhelmingly strong—was an extremely embarrassing predicament.

The Sutra of Ultimate Alliance, on the other hand, would accept anyone. But the members of the Sutra of Ultimate Sect were too overbearing. If Ning Hao joined them, he would be reduced to a mere underling, and no matter how much effort he put in, his share of the rewards would be severely limited.

As for continuing to fight alone, the prospects were not optimistic. He might not even be able to secure a spot to enter an Array Hub for Cultivation.

After all, Ji Lingxiao was far too powerful. Upon entering the grotto-abode, he had used the might of his Profound Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Lingxiao Sword, to forcibly break open the Qian Palace Array Hub and begin his Cultivation inside.

Besides Ji Lingxiao, no one else had the ability to forcibly break open an Array Hub. They could only wait for the Array at the hub to weaken, then enter to fight for the Array Banner and take control of the hub for their Cultivation.

Given Ji Lingxiao’s Cultivation speed, he would likely emerge soon and was bound to occupy another Array Hub.

Of the eight Array Hubs in the Nine Palaces Locking Spirit Heaven and Earth Array—not counting the Central Palace—Ji Lingxiao would be taking two.

That left six Array Hubs, which seemed like plenty.

But then there was Xiu Chen, who had appeared out of nowhere with absurdly formidable strength. He would definitely secure the Kan Palace Array Hub, leaving only five.

And of these five, the Dali Alliance, the Sutra of Ultimate Alliance, and the Loose Cultivator Alliance would certainly each snatch one.

That left only two Array Hubs, which he would have to compete for against that Demon Cultivator and the mysterious Innate Realm Expert. Ning Hao felt he had no chance of winning.

Besides, the three other alliances might not be content with just one Array Hub each. It was very likely that after securing one, they would continue to fight for others.

The situation was truly grim.

After thinking it over and over, Ning Hao concluded his only option was to find Ke Dali and try to join the Dali Alliance.

Even after being met with Ke Dali’s scorn, Ning Hao was unwilling to give up so easily. He nodded to the others before saying with a serious expression,

“Brother Ke and everyone, you must be aware that the greatest danger on this trip into the grotto-abode comes not from Ji Lingxiao, but from that Demon Cultivator and the mysterious Innate Realm Expert.

That Demon Cultivator wants to condense a Demon Core. Besides hunting Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beasts, he will also hunt Organ Refining Realm experts for sustenance.

And although that Innate Realm Expert has only acted once, his movements are extremely secretive. He is definitely plotting something.

To guard against these two, both the Sutra of Ultimate Alliance and the Loose Cultivator Alliance have members skilled in tracking and concealment acting as scouts to gather information.

While you all may have people skilled in concealment, you haven’t designated any scouts.

If I join the Dali Alliance, I can serve as your scout and gather intelligence, keeping you from being caught completely off guard.