Feng Manlou, if indeed a Great Venerable, would likely struggle with facing a third grade even in his current state. Although the Cosmic Light Divine Ability can reverse time, if it could reverse his injuries as well, there would be no need to hide.

Hiding suggests that even the Cosmic Light Divine Ability struggles to deal with his injuries.

"Why do you say that, elder brother?" Jiang Li feigned shock with widened eyes.

"Stop playing dumb, I don't believe you two foxes, young and old, haven't noticed anything."

Propping himself up, Feng Manlou sat cross-legged, saying, "At this point, there's no need for further concealment. Indeed, I am the Great Venerable..."

Jiang Li's gaze fixed on Feng Manlou.

"...'s sworn brother," he added the latter half of the sentence.

Jiang Li: "..."

Do you think I believe that?

He did not believe it at all, but Feng Manlou appeared as if he did, "Because of our sworn brotherhood, you also have a brotherly connection with the Great Venerable. It's only right to say you are part of our Feng family, now more so with the Fuxi Bloodline. As your brother, I would never harm you."

Jiang Li remained silent, simply gesturing for Feng Manlou to continue.

With a slight smile, Feng Manlou revealed something startling, "Dear brother, are you aware that even before the flood disaster, the Yin Law Department had already set up the Five Reincarnations in Liangzhou Province, absorbing the residual spirits of the countless victims of tragedy? The number of casualties in Liangzhou is unestimable, and even though some residual spirits might have been eradicated by the Five Vile Qi, the Five Reincarnations have likely absorbed over a million souls."

"Beyond using these collected residual spirits for the crafting of Yin Soldiers, the Yin Law Department has also been healing Earth Uncle with them. With such a quantity of souls, even with severe wounds, Earth Uncle can recover, can't he? Not to mention, there is also..."

"Yellow Heaven." Jiang Li whispered along.

Considering past clues, Earth Uncle likely suffered Heaven's Punishment, and it highly relates to the Jiang family member who once possessed the Ochre Whip. And the Ochre Whip was eventually taken by Sect Leader Gongsun Qi as the Jiang family moved overseas.

In other words, there is a connection between Earth Uncle and Gongsun Qi.

Although Gongsun Qi hasn't truly seized the Heavenly Dao yet, he is not without gains. If he makes a move, Earth Uncle can fully recover even without the Book of Luo River Map.

Gongsun Qi can completely use this to control Earth Uncle.

"Yes, Yellow Heaven," Feng Manlou chuckled, "Even if we repel that person this time, it still does not mean we have defeated him. Zhang Zhixuan hasn't truly made a move, and there's also King Shu, who might be connected to the opposition, preventing the Great Venerable from finding them. If the Yin Law Department turns against us at this point..."

The rest went without saying, Jiang Li could guess as much.

The problem was that the Yin Law Department indeed might turn coat.

Not to mention some from the Ji Family already have connections with the Taiping Sect, but consider the cards currently in their possession, they could totally allure the Yin Law Department.

—King Shu.

If they act under King Shu's name, it would not be rebellion but rather a righteous uprising. It would become an internal struggle within the Ji Family, and the Yin Law Department could justify siding with either party.

Even—

'Gongsun Qi has not used his third-grade Divine Skills, nor revealed his identity. His status as the Gongsun Family's supreme, the Sect Leader of Dinghu Sect, can still be put to use.' Jiang Li thought to himself.

Even with the advantages on their side, the situation was still far from optimistic.

"I have another piece of news for my dear brother. The Taiping Sect's left wing forces have been repelled. It was Sect Leader's Disciple Yun Jiuye of Dinghu Sect, along with Elder Kaiyang and a fourth-rank from Upper Pure Sect, together with support from the Yin Law Department, who jointly warded them off."

Feng Manlou continued, "This news should reach here soon."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li's left eye began to flicker with light again.

"Elder brother truly has a way with words. Even the eloquence of Buddha Country pales in comparison to yours."

He couldn't help but sigh with such emotion, and then said directly, "Big brother is thinking of forming an alliance?"

He knew that this time it wasn't a mere pledge, but a true collaboration, a joint effort to confront Gongsun Qi and other enemies.

"Union benefits both sides. Though the Desolate God Sect has a notorious reputation, with the assistance of the Great Venerable, Tianxuan is not afraid of that Heavenly Monarch returning to Dinghu, and my Feng family can also naturally regain its place."

Feng Manlou spoke in a calm and unhurried manner, "Furthermore, regarding the wise brother's replacement of the Jiang family as one of the Three Dukes, though Tianxuan agrees, some members of the Royal Family, including my own, have their reservations. With the elder brother here, these matters can be assuredly settled."

Jiang Li was genuinely surprised, "Big brother can even make decisions for the Princess?"

"Of course," Feng Manlou waved his hand, "Don't see me as just a Prince Consort; when it comes to important matters, my consort still listens to me. As for the wise brother..."

Feng Manlou looked at Jiang Li with a "can you do it?" expression.

"In that case, the little brother also agrees on behalf of the Gongsun Family," Jiang Li was confident, "Little brother also has some say, the elder sister listens to me in many matters, and the master is also willing to consider little brother's opinions."

"Elder brother is indeed capable," praised Feng Manlou.

"Ha, it's mutual," Jiang Li responded modestly.

The two men looked at each other and laughed heartily, sharing an atmosphere where heroes admire heroes.

As for what they would do afterward, that depended on their own abilities.

After all, they both believed in their ability to gain agreement and understood the necessity of joining forces; a consensus had been reached.

Since it was clear that action was necessary, it was only natural for them to vie for a little face for themselves. At least, Feng Manlou thought it was essential.

As for Jiang Li, he couldn't lose face or show fear at such a time, could he?

Moreover, he believed that compared to Feng Manlou, his own words were more in line with reality.

After both parties expressed their intentions and reached a consensus, Jiang Li continued, "Zhang Zhixuan has not made a move; the other side may have a backup plan. Our side has suffered considerable losses in combat power. I believe there is an urgent matter at hand: to deter all parties."

The Buddha Country, the Yin Law Department, and even the Taiping Sect might attack, especially the Buddha Country, which Jiang Li had borrowed the Precelestial Human Species Bag from, would certainly not rest. It's only because the third-grade powers of the Buddha Country hadn't arrived, or were still bound by the unwritten rule of third-grade, that they didn't make a move in the previous battle. Otherwise, they would certainly have intervened.

"The wise brother means..." Feng Manlou raised an eyebrow.

His intuition told him that this wise brother was up to mischief again.

The Eight Trigrams rotated in Jiang Li's eyes as he said, "With the help of the heavens before, if I reveal the same anomaly now, I should be able to deter all sides, but this will require a little help."

His True Qi circulated within his body, and the eight qi, restored by the One-foot Hammer, had already replenished what was spent. It emerged from the acupoints of his body, converging into eight layers of barely visible anomalies.

Turning the Eight Trigrams into Taiji, Jiang Li already knew the way to unify the Three Tombs, but taking the first step was not something that could be done in a short amount of time.

He needed a little help, and Feng Manlou was exactly the right person to provide it.

Time, Jiang Li needed time.

He needed time to sort through the eight qi, integrate the Magic Door, and cultivate. Previously, the integration of Taiji was boosted by the power of the heavens; now he had to rely on himself.

And time, for the brother-in-arms, the Great Venerable, was the least valuable commodity.

Seeing this, Feng Manlou immediately guessed Jiang Li's needs, and he felt a twinge of annoyance, knowing that his brother had figured out his identity.

"Wise brother, sometimes being too convinced of something can make you overlook an imminent crisis."

Feng Manlou spoke with a profound meaning, nodding, "Alright, I'll give you time."

With that said, Feng Manlou extended his palm, and countless black and white symbols flew out from it, arranging themselves like the Cycle Stars into the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and the images of heaven and earth. In an instant, the world perceived by Jiang Li accelerated its change, the motion of matter quickened, and his thoughts raced.

Time had sped up.

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