Chapter 308: Northern Territory Alliance

Ye Liuyun's Flying Boat was unbelievably fast; no one could possibly intercept or chase it.

So they returned to the Sacred Martial Academy safely and without incident.

After Ye Liuyun went back, he reported his safety to his master Grand Elder, then directly contacted the Alliance's black‑robed man.

The black‑robed man, upon meeting him, immediately began to scold him: "Kid, your reputation has grown, but after more than a month your realm hasn't advanced!"

"My strength has improved a lot!" Ye Liuyun hurriedly explained.

"Just boosting strength isn't enough; you must tighten your realm too! Otherwise, once you join the Alliance, you'll be easily bullied!" the black‑robed man warned him.

"Alas! My realm is the same everywhere, always looked down upon!" Ye Liuyun sighed, then added, "But none of those who bullied me have lived to this day!"

"Hehe, I hope when you reach the Alliance and meet those geniuses you'll still be this confident! Come, I'll take you to our Northern Territory Alliance base right now."

The black‑robed man immediately grabbed Ye Liuyun and sprinted out of the Sacred Martial Academy at astonishing speed. Ye Liuyun, led by him, felt the application of Spatial Power.

In a flash, the black‑robed man moved more than twice as fast as his Flying Boat, essentially teleporting through space.

Seeing Ye Liuyun grasping this Spatial Power, the black‑robed man silently nodded.

Ye Liuyun thought they would keep sprinting to the Northern Territory Alliance, but after the black‑robed man led him to an uninhabited valley, he produced a Teleportation Array Disc and arranged Crystal Stones.

"We'll use a Formation to teleport to the Northern Territory Alliance?" Ye Liuyun asked curiously.

The black‑robed man laughed, "Otherwise? You think I'd be foolish enough to fly you over? That would exhaust me!"

"Is the Alliance headquarters far away? Then will I use a Teleportation Array Disc for round trips in the future?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.

"No one knows the location of the Alliance headquarters! It's a space akin to a Secret Realm, and travel both ways uses a Formation Plate. Each Formation Plate can only be used by its owner, preventing outsiders from infiltrating. If a Formation Plate is lost, you must rely on a Transmission Talisman to request aid from headquarters. If the Transmission Talisman is also lost, you'll have to wait for the Alliance to send someone. Apart from us guides, others' Formation Plates cannot carry others; they're for personal use only." the black‑robed man explained.

At that moment, the Formation had activated. The black‑robed man folded the Formation Plate, pulled Ye Liuyun into the Formation, and Ye Liuyun immediately felt a surge of spatial fluctuation. When he reappeared, he was inside a Grand Hall.

Inside the Grand Hall were numerous Teleportation Platforms. People around were being teleported in or out. Each bore impressive aura, though most were at the Yuan Dan Realm. At the entrance stood a Metal Puppet, collecting Crystal Cores.

Ye Liuyun followed the black‑robed guide out of the Grand Hall and discovered that the buildings and peaks here floated in midair. Mist drifted everywhere, formed from thick spiritual energy.

He flew through the air with the black‑robed guide, and even a casual breath was filled with spiritual energy. He guessed that even sleeping here would accelerate his realm growth compared to outside!

"How many Spirit Stones does it take to forge such a paradise?" Ye Liuyun couldn't help but ask.

"Haha! The Alliance never lacks spiritual energy. The Corpse Demon Crystal Cores you bring back can be purified and have their power extracted, converting into the spiritual energy here," the black‑robed guide said proudly.

"Huh? How does that conversion work?" Ye Liuyun asked curiously again.

"Only the Alliance Elders know that. We only know that all consumption here requires Crystal Cores from ferocious beasts, Demon Race, or Alien Evil Artifacts. You'll experience it yourself shortly."

While they spoke, they arrived at a Grand Hall bearing a plaque that read "Newcomer Hall." At the hall's entrance stood a Metal Puppet.

"I'm bringing a newcomer to join the Alliance," the black‑robed guide said to the Metal Puppet.

Immediately, the Metal Puppet spoke to Ye Liuyun: "For a newcomer's entry, submit one Crystal Core of the Yuan Dan Realm, or one hundred Crystal Cores of the Sea Transformation realm."

Ye Liuyun, curious, handed the Metal Puppet an Alien Evil Artifact Crystal Core of the Yuan Dan Realm. The puppet displayed a delighted expression, confirmed the core, then gestured politely, allowing Ye Liuyun to enter.

"How is this puppet designed? It can speak, show expressions, just like a human." Ye Liuyun activated his Golden Pupil to probe the puppet's interior, but found a Divine Sense shield blocking the scan.

"The Alliance has a dedicated institute for studying puppets," the black‑robed guide said briefly, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

"Then why doesn't the Alliance mass‑produce puppets to eradicate Corpse Demons and Foreign Tribes?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.

If they can forge such puppets, why fear they can't eliminate the Demon Race? The puppet's realm must be at least at the third or fourth tier of the Tian Gang Realm.

"The cost of such puppets is too high!" the black‑robed guide's tone clearly carried a hint of sorrow.

Ye Liuyun was about to ask further, but the black‑robed man interrupted, "You'll learn gradually later. First, complete the joining ceremony."

Inside the Grand Hall, another Metal Puppet stood at the center. When Ye Liuyun approached, it finally opened its eyes.

The black‑robed guide said to the Metal Puppet, "Now that a newcomer has joined the Alliance, the rest is up to you!"

"Understood!" the puppet replied, bowing respectfully to the guide.

Then the black‑robed man bid Ye Liuyun farewell: "My task is complete; the others will handle the rest for you."

He then left the Newcomer Hall, leaving Ye Liuyun with the Metal Puppet.

The Metal Puppet asked Ye Liuyun for his name and background, then produced two Tokens. "Enter your Divine Sense into these Tokens, and thereafter you can use them to verify your identity."

Ye Liuyun found the Alliance odd, so he kept a guard. He let Hell Mingshe act for him, inputting Divine Sense into both Tokens. The puppet didn't notice his subtle move.

He then handed one Token to Ye Liuyun, kept the other, and began explaining to him.

"Congratulations, you are now an official member of the Alliance. Everything you saw at the Alliance headquarters must be kept secret from outsiders; otherwise the Alliance will punish you and hold you accountable.

This Token is your symbol of identity within the Alliance and also your Transmission Talisman for contacting headquarters. If you are killed, the Divine Sense in the other Token will vanish, letting the Alliance know you're dead."

Ye Liuyun thought inwardly, "Probably makes it easier to locate me!"

Afterward, the Metal Puppet gave him a tour of the layout.

"Within the Alliance headquarters, all Grand Halls are Alliance property, each staffed by Metal Puppets serving members. Some services require a fee. Members can also exchange needed resources inside the Grand Halls.

All peaks are private residences; only those residing on a peak may have servants. To live on a peak, a member must battle and defeat the peak's master to claim it. The higher the peak, the stronger its master."

As it spoke, the Metal Puppet handed Ye Liuyun a Teleportation Array Disc. "This is the Teleportation Array Disc you need to enter and exit the headquarters. It can store ten locations, which you can set yourself later."