Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Aboard the Floating Blessing Ship, Yi Taoist maintained an imposing and solemn demeanor.

He was discussing with the gathered cultivators the matter of forming a new Dao Alliance.

As the saying goes, "A new ruler comes with his own courtiers," if this group of people chose Yi Chengzi as their spokesperson, then the rules of the Dao Alliance were bound to change compared to the era dominated by Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Utilizing the banner of Yi Chengzi came with a slightly hefty price.

The matters discussed behind closed doors were naturally blunt and to the point. Perhaps intending to cultivate Ning Feixue, Wan Shanlian unexpectedly pleaded with Yi Chen to allow Ning Feixue to listen in.

Since Ning Feixue was someone Yi Chen was familiar with, he agreed without much hesitation, naturally very straightforward about such a minor request.

With Yi Chen's approval, none of the shrewd cultivators present dared to seek discomfort.

The interior of the Floating Blessing Ship immediately filled with intense voices of dispute. These differences existed not only between Yi Chen and the gathered cultivators but also amongst the various sects, arguing fiercely over the allocation of responsibilities and duties.

After a vigorous battle of words, the parties reluctantly reached a general framework that was acceptable to all.

And that was as far as it went.

Thereafter, the previously red-faced debaters returned to their calm and collected demeanor as true Dao Zhen.

"Fellow Taoists, establishing a new Dao Alliance is a matter of great importance, entangled with numerous trivial matters. Why don't you return to your respective sects to discuss it further? In one month, I shall await your arrival at the Pure Yang Daoist Palace outside Sea Dragon City. How does that sound?"

Yi Chen lifted his teacup with a slight smile, showing much empathy.

Such a major issue could not be settled simply in a brief meeting, no matter how high the status and power of those seated here. To think otherwise would be a fool's dream.

If not for the current urgency of circumstances, perhaps reaching even a general framework would take much longer.

"Rest assured, fellow Taoists. As the saying goes, 'The struggle between good and evil is a lifelong struggle.' If I become your Alliance Hierarch, should any heretical powers cause turmoil among Dao Alliance members, I will surely be the first to object," Yi Chen pronounced.

"Of course, if the Buddha Alliance dares to interfere with you, just send word, and I, Yi Chengzi, will certainly come to lend a hand," he added.

Amidst Yi Chen's smiles, the cultivators once again lavished him with praise before getting up to leave.

Yet as they departed, some left alone, while others left in small groups.

Sitting at the very end, a reticent Ning Feixue no longer displayed his usual carefree demeanor. With his mouth slightly open, a look of desolation shone through as he couldn't help but murmur quietly:

"Yi Taoist, why is there so much hatred and strife in this world?"

"Today you kill me, tomorrow I kill you, regardless of whether it's good or evil, Demonkin, or those extraterrestrial Evil Demons. Can't we all just live our own lives?"

"I, Ning Feixue, do not wish to be swept up in the tumult of the secular world. I long for a carefree life, to drift on a lake boat with Sister Lian and Sister Rong. Yi Taoist, being wise and resourceful, I wonder if you have any good strategies to teach me!"

At this moment, the tall and refined young gentleman Ning Feixue suddenly stood up, giving Yi Chen a deep bow.

Yet it was at this moment when Wan Shanlian gave Yi Chen a pleading look, discreetly excusing herself.

Seeing this, Yi Chen could only stand and gently pat Ning Feixue's shoulder: "Brother Ning, are you thinking of distancing yourself from the tainted world to seek a secluded spot scarcely tread by others?"

"Now that fellow Taoist Wan Shanlian has gone out, Brother Ning, please speak freely."

"Indeed," replied Ning Feixue in a deep voice, his answer coming swiftly, clearly a thought that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

"Naïve!" Yi Chen chuckled coldly.

"Why so? I provoke no one; I simply absorb the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth each day, keeping away from all turmoil," Ning Feixue argued, unconvinced.

"Brother Ning, wherever rivers flow, wherever the sun and the moon shine, even inside the Bear Cave of the desolate mountains, people may come knocking occasionally. How will you hide? How can you escape?"

"Wherever there are people, there is the Martial World. You cannot run nor can you escape from it!"

"Yi Taoist…"

"Brother Ning, do you think that all the venerable cultivators sitting earlier were nothing more than mercenary types, believing that cultivators should dine on wind and drink dew, and frolic in the mortal world? You are mistaken again!"

Ning Feixue's words were once more interrupted by Yi Chen, "Brother Ning, you are blessed with an extraordinary fate unlike others; whether in cultivation or in finding a worthy companion, everything has come to you smoothly. You can no longer see the true nature of this world."

"In times of prolonged peace, many people have forgotten that safety is not a given and comes with a price."

"Previously, this price was paid with the blood and tears of the ancestors from the Human Realm on behalf of their descendants. Now that debt has been paid off, the Human Race is once again tested in these trying times. If you wish to withdraw from the world and refuse to tread in the secular dust, who will pay this price for you?"

"Brother Ning, your rapid progression in cultivation would be impossible without external resources, along with the unseen conveniences you enjoy during cultivation. All of these costs have merely been paid by fellow Taoist Wan Shanlian on your behalf."

"Yi Taoist, that's not it, I just want to rest for a while," Ning Feixue sighed, somewhat wearily.

"When one is in this world, it is not easy for anyone. Those who were sitting in the Dao Alliance earlier are the same."

"Their lineage is the root of their Sect's existence, so they will never compromise with the Buddhist Sect; it is a struggle for Dao lineage and the reason for their Sect's existence."

"What you, Brother Ning, looked down upon as trivialities is the nourishment that allows these Sects to survive over time. With roots but no nourishment, they are still dead!"

"The world is like this. When you are feeling sentimental, when you lament the passing of spring and bemoan the onset of autumn, it's only because that cost has already been paid by someone else."