In the White Mountain Territory, there were originally only nine notable factions. They were the Spirit Wood, Raging Fire, Thick Earth, Sharp Metal, and Lianshui of the Five Elements Alliance.

These five factions were closely allied, and each had a Nascent Soul Ancestor cultivating at the peak of White Mountain.

Although these Nascent Soul Ancestors couldn’t easily descend the mountain, each of the Five Elements Alliance factions had at least five Golden Core Cultivators.

Besides the Five Elements Alliance, White Mountain was also home to four other sects with Nascent Soul Cultivators: Star-Picking Pavilion, Hehuan Sect, Illusion Sword Alliance, and the White Mountain Sword Sect.

Oh, and now a tenth faction had to be added: the Pill Alliance.

The Pill Alliance had undoubtedly gained the most from the recent pioneering war. They had acquired the territory formerly occupied by a Divinity Transformation Ancient Beast—the fourth-rank Spiritual Land, Silver Elephant Mountain. It was later renamed Danqing Mountain and became the Pill Alliance’s core headquarters.

This Pill Alliance was originally formed by a coalition of sects and families famous for alchemy, with the Cyan Pill Sect at its core.

Before its Sect Leader, Han Tianqing, achieved Nascent Soul Formation, its power was roughly on par with the Artifact Talisman Alliance—stronger, perhaps, but not by much.

But after Han Tianqing’s breakthrough, the Pill Alliance instantly pulled far ahead of the Artifact Talisman Alliance. Combined with their gains from the pioneering war, they had rightfully become the tenth major power in White Mountain.

The Artifact Talisman Alliance, in contrast, was in a much more miserable state. Of their original seven Golden Cores, only two remained. Even though they had scraped together some benefits from the war, it was hardly enough to recover their vitality.

Beyond them, the White Mountain Territory contained many Golden Core Sects. The Swen Family and the Luo Family, for example, were minor powers with only a single Golden Core each.

As for the remaining Foundation Establishment Sects or Clans, there were far too many to count—at least several thousand in the White Mountain Territory.

’But what is Cui Yuangong of the White Mountain Sword Sect really planning by coming here?’

Fang Qingyuan smiled humbly and indicated he was willing to hear the details. Cui Yuangong didn’t hold back and said bluntly:

"The Hehuan Sect is number one. They produced two Nascent Soul Cultivators from a single sect. Furthermore, the cultivation techniques of their two Sect Leaders are a perfect match of yin and yang. When they join forces, they can fight a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. I ask you, which other sect’s Nascent Soul in White Mountain could stand against them?"

Fang Qingyuan nodded in agreement. Though the Hehuan Sect had a poor reputation and was disliked by some sects from Qi Yun and the Great Zhou Academy, you couldn’t argue with the fact that they had two Nascent Souls. That was real, tangible power.

The Hehuan Sect’s two Sect Leaders, a man and a woman, were both in the Early-stage Nascent Soul realm. The cultivation techniques they practiced were esoteric and quite bizarre.

After saying this, Cui Yuangong sneered.

"The Spirit Wood Alliance really took a major loss this time. Their territory originally bordered the Barbaric Wilderness. Who would have thought the division of spoils after the war would cut them off from it? Although the Spirit Wood Alliance took most of the Spiritual Land, losing their direct border with the Barbaric Wilderness was a classic case of the losses outweighing the gains."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan asked curiously:

"That can’t be right. I heard the Spirit Wood Alliance contributed both manpower and resources. How did they end up in such a state? Didn’t they negotiate with the Great Zhou Academy beforehand?"

Cui Yuangong drained his cup of wine and said with satisfaction:

"The Spirit Wood Alliance’s ambitions are higher than the heavens, but how could the Great Zhou Academy let them continue to expand? The Spirit Wood Alliance is already the strongest faction in the Five Elements Alliance. If they aren’t kept in check, they could very well unite the Five Elements Alliance in the future. The Great Zhou Academy has been putting out fires everywhere these past few years. If another superpower emerged in White Mountain, it would be a massive headache for them."

Cui Yuangong’s conspiracy theory sounded quite plausible. For the past thousand years, the Great Zhou Academy’s power had clearly weakened, and it felt as if Qi Yun and the Beast Taming faction could now stand against it as equals.

White Mountain had always been rife with internal strife, and even the Five Elements Alliance was plagued with conflict. But with the rise of the Spirit Wood Alliance, if they were allowed to first unite the Five Elements Alliance, it wasn’t impossible for White Mountain to be consolidated into a single entity, becoming a superpower on the level of Qi Yun.

This was definitely something the Great Zhou Academy didn’t want to see. So, during the final apportionment of Spiritual Land, the Great Zhou Academy made a small adjustment.

The Great Zhou Academy granted that long, narrow strip of land bordering the Barbaric Wilderness to a sect formed by nine Golden Core Cultivators, thereby cutting off the Spirit Wood Alliance from the Barbaric Wilderness.

The Spirit Wood Alliance had originally relied on its vast territory bordering the Barbaric Wilderness to amass a great fortune. Now that this path was blocked, even with its large territory, its prosperity was bound to decline.

’But what does any of this have to do with me? And why do you, the White Mountain Sword Sect, look so happy about it?’

’We’re not that close. There’s no reason for you to be telling me all this.’

While Fang Qingyuan was grumbling to himself, Cui Yuangong continued:

"To be honest with you, Sect Leader Fang, I sought you out specifically because I know you’ve had run-ins with the Spirit Wood Alliance before. I want to form an alliance with you. The Spirit Wood Alliance was outmaneuvered by the Great Zhou Academy, and they’re definitely not going to take it lying down. They’ll want to make up for their losses. They don’t dare move against the Great Zhou Academy, so that makes the rest of us dangerously vulnerable."

’A hungry beast is the most dangerous, but my Qingyuan Sect was granted a fief for three generations. Even if the Spirit Wood Alliance wants to eat meat, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and chew on a piece this thorny.’

So, Fang Qingyuan declined:

"That was over a decade ago, official business where we were each serving our own masters. Even if the Spirit Wood Alliance wants revenge, my Qingyuan Sect is under the protection of the Great Zhou Academy. Their fire won’t reach my doorstep."

Cui Yuangong gave a dry laugh and changed the subject, not mentioning the matter of an alliance again.

It seemed he had just been testing the waters. Knowing there was bad blood between Fang Qingyuan and the Spirit Wood Alliance, he had decided to come and ask.

But since Fang Qingyuan didn’t take the bait, he didn’t press the issue. In this territory, there were more than just sects like Fang Qingyuan’s that had been granted three-generation fiefdoms.

On this new frontier, those like Fang Qingyuan, who had founded a sect and received the protection of the Great Zhou Academy, were undeniably at the top of the hierarchy.

The second tier consisted of branch families that had migrated from the major factions within Qi Yun and the Beast Taming territories. They had rock-solid connections and heaven-piercing backgrounds. Although they weren’t qualified to establish their own sects and couldn’t be granted three-generation fiefs, their powerful backing meant that ordinary powers didn’t dare provoke them.

The third tier was made up of Foundation Establishment Clans or minor sects that couldn’t survive in their original homes and had relocated their entire clan to put down roots here. These groups often hailed from places like the Outer Sea Region or demonic territories like Black Wind Valley.

Besides these three, there was actually a fourth type: a dozen or so Loose Cultivators banding together for warmth. They had neither the unifying spirit of a sect nor the blood ties of a clan to maintain their bonds. At the first sign of trouble, they would scatter like birds and beasts.

These groups were the lowest rung of the Cultivation Realm. They had no foundation, no permanent assets. When the situation became even slightly unstable, they were the ones who died in the greatest numbers.

After seeing Cui Yuangong and his retinue off, Fang Qingyuan thought for a moment, then arranged for Mao Cheng to watch over the sect. He summoned Yinbao and flew rapidly toward Nine Stars Square.

A Mountain Protection Array. The sooner he bought one, the better. A third-rank array would be best.

Although he wasn’t worried about attacks from major powers like the Spirit Wood Alliance, the pioneering war had just ended. Several thousand Cultivators were still lingering in the area. They had all rushed here from every corner of the land, from various unknown places, during the latter stages of the war.

By the time they arrived, the war was nearly over, so they naturally hadn’t reaped any significant benefits. Having traveled thousands of miles, they couldn’t possibly return empty-handed. So, they would take what they could get.

The Cultivators who took the initiative to join the pioneering war were purely driven by profit. Not a single one was fighting for the future of humanity. While the Great Zhou Academy was present, they remained relatively honest. But with the Academy about to withdraw, these people were about to turn into Tribulation Cultivators.

Fang Qingyuan was worried about these people. If someone found a loophole and broke in, even if the Great Zhou Academy investigated afterward, the world was vast. Where would they even begin to look for Cultivators whose hometowns were completely unknown?

In the end, strength must come from within. A third-rank Mountain Protection Array was the best defense. Fang Qingyuan hoped the day would never come when the Great Zhou Academy had to step in on his behalf, because that would mean he had already suffered a great loss and needed someone else to seek justice for him.