Wang Xuanyang had finally relented after Guan Qinglong stepped in. The various representatives in the hall could only withdraw the anticipation from their gazes. They turned their attention back to the black round table.

The conference had finally begun.

Several gazes looked towards Guan Qinglong. There was no clear host for this conference, but Guan Qinglong was obviously the only person respected enough for the job.

Under numerous gazes, Guan Qinglong slowly said, “I believe your respective factions have already briefed all of you about the battle for Guyuan Heaven.

“The battle for Guyuan Heaven is a fight for ancestral qi. Ancestral qi is a mysterious and unfathomable qi born in Guyuan Heaven which even Saints cannot create. Our ultimate goal is the nine ancestral qi channels deep within Guyuan Heaven. Although the nine ancestral qi channels are the final goal, there are also numerous branch channels that will be fiercely contested for.”

Guan Qinglong’s voice echoed in the stone hall while everyone earnestly listened with solemn faces. Most of the people gathered here were not from the nine regions and were thus less informed about Guyuan Heaven. After all, Guyuan Heaven would only appear once every thousand years or so, a period in which numerous factions would disappear into oblivion.

Zhou Yuan’s face remained impassive as he listened. He recalled the additional information about Guyuan Heaven in his head.

Though the branch channels also contained ancestral qi, the amount was far from comparable to the nine channels. It would be more accurate to call them the nine main ancestral qi channels instead of mere channels.

Although the branch channels contained much less ancestral qi, they were much more abundant in number. Successfully occupying a few would still bring great benefits.

For most of the participants, these branch channels were more practical targets. The ancestral qi of the branch channels was not as berserk, allowing one to retain the ancestral qi more easily.

One must know that even a tiny strand of the magical ancestral qi was comparable to a hundred days of cultivation in Hunyuan Heaven.

There were even rumors that numerous mystical objects could be found in the branch channels. Some of which were even nourished by ancestral qi till they gained egos of their own, giving them the possibility to evolve into Saint artifacts.

Obtaining any of them would be tremendously beneficial to one's cultivation.

These were where the opportunities of Guyuan Heaven lay.

“The nine main channels will be hidden during the initial phase and impossible to find. The only way to force them out is to continuously open the branch channels and link them to one’s heaven. As ancestral qi gradually depletes from Guyuan Heaven, the nine main channels will appear…” Guan Qinglong’s calm voice reverberated across the hall as his gaze swept over the crowd.

“Hence, everyone will be aiming to occupy these branch channels during the initial phase. I believe everyone here is already aware of our competitors.

“Let’s put aside the Sacred Race for the moment and talk about our five heavens. The other four heavens are no pushovers, and they will be strong rivals when contesting for the branch channels. Hence, battles with them will be unavoidable.

“Among the other four heavens, Qiankun Heaven and Wanshou Heaven are the strongest and are second in strength only to our Hunyuan Heaven. Though Wuxing Heaven and Cangxuan Heaven are weaker, they are not to be underestimated.”

Zhou Yuan pursed his lips at the mention of Cangxuan Heaven, feeling somewhat helpless. His old home really was the weakest of the five heavens.

Qiankun Heaven used to rival Hunyuan Heaven as the strongest among the five. Although they were subsequently pushed down a little by Hunyuan Heaven, it would be very foolish to underestimate them.

Wanshou Heaven, on the other hand, was rather unique. It was ruled by Genesis Beasts. More than sixty percent of all Genesis Beasts were likely gathered in Wanshou Heaven, with no lack of sacred beast bloodlines among them.

Once Genesis Beasts reached grade 6, they would undergo a metamorphosis and gain intelligence that was not the least bit inferior to the other races. Hence, Wanshou Region’s overall power was exceptionally frightening.

In the stone hall, several people displayed solemn expressions. These were some very strong rivals. In fact, there were likely several factions among them that could match the nine regions. Such teams would definitely be huge threats in Guyuan Heaven.

Moreover...there would no longer be any external protection when they entered Guyuan Heaven.

In the nine regions tournament, Zhou Yuan and the others were given protective artifacts that would shatter and teleport the user away just before they could take fatal damage. However, Guyuan Heaven was a mystical place where even Saint experts could not easily interfere. Hence, everyone would have to rely on their own abilities. It was very normal to die inside when one fell into danger.

This point alone made it clear to everyone present how bloody the battle for Hunyuan Heaven would be.

The nine regions tournament was not even worth mentioning in comparison.

“Of course, the five all-races heavens are not our only competitors.” Guan Qinglong paused as his usually calm face slowly turned a little dark. “You guys should know that they aren’t the greatest threat. It will truly be life or death when we encounter the teams from the four Sacred Race heavens.”

The two words, Sacred Race, turned the atmosphere somewhat stifling as fear flitted across the eyes of several individuals.

The strongest race of Tianyuan World.

In the face of their mortal enemies, not a single one of the many races would be able to maintain their calm. After all, if the many races had not joined hands, the Sacred Race would have long unified Tianyuan World long ago, and all the other races would have become their slaves.

There was still room for compromise when the teams from the five heavens met, but it would literally be a fight for survival when any of them met the Sacred Race.

Zero compromise, only life or death.

Zhou Yuan’s expression was also somewhat grave as he stroked the stone armrest. The battle for Guyuan Heaven felt like a small-scale world war.

“Although there are many strong competitors, all of us here share the same goal: seize as much ancestral qi as possible to benefit the entire Hunyuan Heaven.”

However, no one said anything in response to these words. Guan Qinglong was not wrong. Opening a branch channel and drawing ancestral qi into Hunyuan Heaven would indeed improve Hunyuan Heaven’s Genesis Qi. However, the various factions present were more inclined to draw ancestral qi towards the territories of their respective factions.

If the ancestral qi of a single branch channel was divided into ten parts, the controller could allocate more than six parts to their faction’s territory. The leftover ancestral qi would then flow to other parts of Hunyuan Heaven.

Hence, even factions from the same heaven would compete for these branch channels.

However, there was one thing no one could deny. Getting leftover ancestral qi was still better than letting it fall into the hands of the other heavens. This was the main reason why the various factions were still able to peacefully gather for a discussion.

Guan Qinglong’s voice sounded once more, “The final goal of this meeting is to reach a mutual agreement between the various factions. This pact can be simplified to a simple phrase: watch each other’s backs.”

The representatives from the numerous factions faintly nodded in agreement. This was their goal for coming here.

Wang Xuanyang toyed with his black and white jade fan as he asked, “Watching each other’s backs is only with regards to the other heavens. What about internal conflicts?”

He cast a glance at Zhou Yuan, making his meaning clear.

Guan Qinglong smiled faintly. “Internal conflicts are not included.”

Wang Xuanyang slowly closed his fan, hiding his mouth as he said, “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, ignoring Wang Xuanyang’s provocative gaze. However, an icy gleam flashed in his lowered eyes. It would be best if Wang Xuanyang understood what was good for him, but if he tried to cause trouble, Zhou Yuan did not mind helping him collect his corpse.

Guan Qinglong lightly pressed his hand onto the table, causing a glow to emerge. Numerous words appeared, forming a simple pact.

“If no one has any objections, press your hands into the table to agree.” He led the way, leaving a handprint on the pitch-black table.

Pah pah.

The representatives of the various factions also reached out and pressed their hands into the table as handprint after handprint appeared.

“Everyone, this battle will have a long-lasting impact...that’s why we’ll fight for Hunyuan Heaven!” Guan Qinglong’s deep voice boomed across the stone hall.

“For Hunyuan Heaven!” The rising voices made the crowd’s blood boil with excitement.

Zhou Yuan also pressed his palm onto the table as the corners of his lips curled slightly.

For Yaoyao!