“Wang Yuanyuan smiled slightly and said, “It is precisely because this Holy Temple Great Competition is so extraordinary in significance that we want to participate. Temple Master Qiu, are you willing to support us?”

Qiu Yonghao said in a deep voice, “Since you have come to participate in the Great Competition, you should know all the rules of the Great Competition. Even if you are a Title-level Demon Hunt Squad, it is almost impossible to achieve anything with your team’s strength. It is even more impossible to enter the top three in points. Although Long Haochen has been kind to the Warrior Temple, you are fooling around this time. I cannot support you, nor will I give you any promises. I represent the Warrior Temple.”

A flash of light flickered in Wang Yuanyuan’s eyes, “Then, if we can finally get the first place in points? Surpassing all six major temples. Are you willing to support us?”

Qiu Yonghao’s body shook. He heard a strong confidence in Wang Yuanyuan’s words. He had already tested Wang Yuanyuan’s strength before. Although it was just a simple contact, he could also determine that Wang Yuanyuan’s cultivation should have broken through to the ninth rank.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but be shocked. Yes! Wang Yuanyuan is just a warrior in the Dawn of Light Demon Hunt Squad, and her cultivation has already reached the ninth rank. To what extent can Long Haochen’s cultivation reach? Moreover, they had also destroyed the Demon God Pillar.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yonghao’s expression softened a bit, “Yuanyuan, what exactly are you going to do? What is the purpose?”

Wang Yuanyuan said, “Temple Master, our only purpose is to lead humanity to defeat the demons.”

Qiu Yonghao still shook his head and said, “This is a major matter, and you came so suddenly. I can’t give you any reply.”

Wang Yuanyuan nodded and said, “Alright then. I believe that the Captain will have the ability to persuade you and the high-level officials of the other six major temples. At least for now, strength is still the most important thing in the fight against the demons. I’ll leave first. Please keep our return a secret for the time being.”

Qiu Yonghao said, “Yuanyuan, don’t underestimate the Holy Temple Great Competition. Perhaps your strength has improved significantly. However, the foundations of the major temples cannot be countered by a single Demon Hunt Squad.”

Wang Yuanyuan smiled slightly and said, “I think you will see a surprise.”

Qiu Yonghao said with a wry smile, “Actually, I don’t want this surprise, because that will make it more difficult for me. Although I don’t believe you can succeed, if you really get to that point, our Warrior Temple will at least remain neutral.”

A hint of surprise appeared in Wang Yuanyuan’s eyes. Her real purpose for coming here this time was just to say hello to Qiu Yonghao, to clearly state that she was back, and to give him a deep impression before the Holy Temple Great Competition. But she didn’t expect that Qiu Yonghao would actually say the word neutral. The Warrior Temple is a staunch supporter of the Mage Temple, and their ability to remain neutral is very important to Long Haochen’s plan.

Qiu Yonghao, as the Temple Master of the Warrior Temple, would naturally not favor the Dawn of Light Demon Hunt Squad because of Long Haochen’s previous kindness to the Warrior Temple. Personal kindness is one thing, and the interests of the temple are another. The reason why he said neutral was because he was optimistic about the future of Dawn of Light.

How old is Wang Yuanyuan this year? Less than thirty years old. How many years has it been since a ninth-rank powerhouse under the age of thirty appeared in the Warrior Temple? Not only the Warrior Temple, but how long has it been since the entire Alliance has seen a ninth-rank of this age? Moreover, from Wang Yuanyuan’s words, he could also hear that it was not just her who had reached the ninth rank in the Dawn of Light Demon Hunt Squad. Their confidence in participating in the Holy Temple Great Competition as a Demon Hunt Squad already said a lot. Long Haochen was a genius of his generation. After disappearing for more than four years, they have returned today. Whether it is talent or age advantage, it indicates that they will definitely become the backbone of the six major temples in the future. The Warrior Temple’s initiative to show goodwill is his planning ahead for the future.

Qiu Yonghao didn’t think that the Dawn of Light Demon Hunt Squad would gain anything by participating in this Holy Temple Great Competition alone. Since that’s the case, what’s wrong with showing goodwill? It was after these multiple considerations that he made such a promise to Wang Yuanyuan.

… The Assassin Temple conference room of the Holy Union was in the midst of a heated debate.

“Temple Master Shengyue, I don’t think we should still fully support the Knight Temple in this session. Can’t you see that the Knight Temple is declining?” The speaker was an old man. The old man was short and thin, and his old face was covered with wrinkles like orange peels. He was bald. He looked like he was in his twilight years, and it seemed like a gust of wind could blow him down. But he had a pair of extremely sharp eyes, as cold as an eagle, and at this time, they carried a bit of indignation.

“No new Divine Seal Knights have appeared in the Knight Temple in the past ten years. Among the original three Divine Seal Knights, Yang Wenzhao cannot participate in this session because he was the previous Alliance Leader. Long Xingyu didn’t even come at all. With just a Long Tianyin, how much can he do? This Holy Temple Great Competition is different from the past and will determine the future trend of the Alliance. If we take the wrong direction, it may lead to the decline of the Temple, and our voice in the new Alliance will be greatly reduced.”

“Although we won’t go back to supporting the Mage Temple, we should at least remain neutral and not be like before.”

Don’t look at this old man’s short stature, but his voice is as loud as a bell, and his speech made the entire conference room tremble slightly.

Shengyue sat at the head, but his face was ashen at this time. This was not the first Assassin Temple Elder to raise an objection. Although he was the Temple Master of the Assassin Temple, the authority of the Elders of the Assassin Temple was much greater than that of other Temples. Especially the one speaking in front of him.

The Chief Elder of the Assassin Temple, Xue Zhisheng, was a generation older than Shengyue in terms of seniority. He was a representative figure of the older generation of powerhouses in the Assassin Temple. His strength was among the best in the Assassin Temple. He was a ninth-rank, second-level powerhouse, close to the third level. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a pillar of the Assassin Temple. Moreover, as the Chief Elder, there were many people in the Assassin Temple Elder Council who supported him. At this time, his vehement expression of his thoughts would be a turning point in the influence of this meeting.

There were forty-one people in the Assassin Temple’s high-level officials and the participating Elders. After listening to Xue Zhisheng’s words, at least half of them were nodding slightly.

Another Elder interjected, “Elder Xue is right. We suffered a lot in the Holy War more than four years ago. So did the Knight Temple. With this rise and fall, the Mage Temple and the Soul Temple, because they suffered the least losses in the Holy War, have also seen the most rapid development in recent years. I am not optimistic that the Knight Temple will be able to defend its title in this Holy Temple Great Competition. Perhaps remaining neutral is the best choice.”

A cold light flashed in Shengyue’s eyes, and he said in a deep voice, “Elders, I understand what you mean. You are all doing it for the future development of our Assassin Temple. But, have you ever thought about it? How many years have we been allied with the Knight Temple? If we abandon this alliance just because they are not enough to defend their title now, how will the other Temples view us after the new Alliance is established? We will not only lose a powerful ally, but we will even be despised by the other Temples.”

“To put it another way. In the Holy War more than four years ago, if it weren’t for the full support of the Knight Temple, would we have been able to survive until the end of the Holy War? How many loyal souls of the Knights remained on the city walls in order to help us defend the Exorcist Pass? Do you want to cross the river and tear down the bridge like this? I have made up my mind. No matter whether the Knight Temple can defend its title in this session, our Assassin Temple should fully support them. Even if the Knight Temple ultimately fails, at least we can unite as one. Our goal is the demons, not internal strife. I believe that no matter who ultimately takes power in the new Alliance, they will not over-oppress other Temples.”

Shengyue had said similar things at the meeting more than once. However, the Assassin Temple has never reached a unified opinion internally. The Holy Temple Great Competition is about to begin, and the Assassin Temple’s choice and direction can no longer deviate. A decision must be made today. But the opposition is still extremely strong.

Among the six major temples, the one with the lowest control over its own temple is probably Shengyue. The reason is historical. After all, his teacher, the previous Temple Master of the Assassin Temple, has been dead for many years, and Xue Zhisheng was once a competitor with his teacher. The competition between the two was very fierce at the beginning, and their strength and influence were similar. Now that Shengyue has lost the support of his teacher, he will naturally not occupy much advantage in the Assassin Temple. This is also one of the reasons why he made up his mind to let Cai’er merge with the Reincarnation Spiritual Stove. He hopes that one day, when his granddaughter takes charge of the Assassin Temple, she won’t be like him.

Chief Elder Xue Zhisheng said in a deep voice, “Since you are going your own way, then let’s raise our hands to vote. As the Temple Master, you can occupy three votes alone, and I, as the Chief Elder, can occupy two votes. The minority is subordinate to the majority. There must be a result today.”

Hearing him say this, Shengyue couldn’t help but feel heavy in his heart. He understood that since Xue Zhisheng wanted to conduct a vote in this way, it meant that he had absolute confidence in gaining the support of the vast majority of people. And once the final resolution is established, even if he is the Temple Master of the Assassin Temple, he will not be able to change anything, and his authority will be greatly impacted like never before.

Since things have come to this, Shengyue can no longer prevent the voting in front of him. Because of anger, his hands could not help but clench into fists, and his eyes looked intently at Xue Zhisheng opposite him.

Xue Zhisheng’s cold eyes did not give in at all. Although he was old, the influence of the strongest person in the Assassin Temple was still enormous.

(To be continued)