# Chapter 2161: Alliance
Within the palace complex where the outsiders were staying at Refining Gold Mountain, young martial cultivators from Refining Gold Mountain frequently came to visit those who had been selected to participate in the Nine Heavens Assembly assessment.
This situation left many outsiders quite puzzled, but they guessed it was related to the upcoming assessment. After all, they knew well that Refining Gold Mountain, as one of the Four Great Powers, selected people for the Divine Temple to participate in the Nine Heavens Assembly. However, besides the outsiders they had chosen, Refining Gold Mountain itself also had some exceptionally outstanding young figures, and they too would be participating in the Nine Heavens Assembly.
Therefore, these people would undergo Refining Gold Mountain's assessment alongside the outsiders. Of course, because they served the Divine Temple, they could enjoy certain special privileges, making it easier for them to step onto the stage of the Nine Heavens Assembly and gain experience. Thus, the outsiders not only had to face challenges from each other but also needed to contend with the pressure from Refining Gold Mountain's martial cultivators.
Among the martial cultivators who had entered Refining Gold Mountain, the palaces where the Azure Night First Lord, Heartless Young Master, and the Crimson Sky First Lord, Nine Spirit Emperor, were located were the most frequently visited by Refining Gold Mountain's martial cultivators. There were also many who had never received a visit from Refining Gold Mountain's martial cultivators at all; they could only learn from others what these Refining Gold Mountain cultivators were busy with.
At this moment, several Refining Gold Mountain martial cultivators stood before a hall, their gazes sweeping across the surrounding palaces. One young man asked, "Have we missed anyone?"
An old man beside him replied, "Recently, there's a young man named Lin Feng in the Eastern Domain who has considerable strength. He has also come to our Refining Gold Mountain. We can make contact with him and bring him into our camp."
"Is he currently at Refining Gold Mountain?" the young man asked.
"I've had people watching that area. I just received news that he returned a while ago," the old man said calmly, causing a sharp glint to flash in the young man's eyes. He smiled and said, "Good. Call Bing, and let's go invite him together."
"Mm." The old man nodded slightly, then his figure flickered and disappeared. Moments later, he returned with a beautiful woman.
"Zhen Ge."
"Bing, let's go invite someone." The young man nodded slightly to the woman, and then the three of them flickered away. The old man led them to Lin Feng's hall.
Lin Feng was quite surprised to see them. The clothes they wore were somewhat different from others, indicating they were genuine Refining Gold Mountain martial cultivators.
"Lin Feng, I am Jin Zhen. This is my junior sister, Bing." Jin Zhen smiled at Lin Feng.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Feng smiled back.
"In a few days, Refining Gold Mountain will begin the assessment for the Nine Heavens Assembly. We've come to invite Brother Lin Feng to stand on the same side as us," Jin Zhen said.
Lin Feng showed a puzzled expression. "I don't quite understand."
"Lin Feng, since you're not yet clear on Refining Gold Mountain's assessment rules, you might not know. The second round of assessment is about forming alliances. Two Refining Gold Mountain martial cultivators will ally with eight of you to form a ten-person alliance. You will test each other's strength and directly eliminate other alliances. This way, one round can eliminate many people."
"In a ten-person alliance battle, how is victory determined?" Lin Feng asked curiously. It seemed these Refining Gold Mountain cultivators already knew the assessment rules.
"First, the ten-person alliance will eliminate five members through self-elimination," Bing said to Lin Feng.
"Self-eliminate half the people first?" Lin Feng's gaze congealed. Jin Zhen nodded slightly. "Yes, self-elimination first. But Brother Lin Feng need not worry. Among the people I've chosen, Brother Lin Feng is definitely an elite. As long as you join my camp, you will surely advance directly to the next round. Together with us, our five-person squad will be unstoppable, eliminating other camps one by one."
"A five-person team battle?"
"No. The five will select three for one-on-one duels. The victor advances, and the opposing five are all eliminated," Jin Zhen explained.
"Such elimination is rather cruel," Lin Feng said, looking at Jin Zhen. "If my partners aren't strong enough, they will definitely drag me down."
"Yes, that's why I specifically came to invite Brother Lin Feng. Additionally, among those I've invited are the Jade Sky First Lord, Yu Qing, and a powerful King Body figure. With me, Bing, and Brother Lin Feng, this five-person lineup is enough to be invincible." Jin Zhen continued with a smile. "And Brother Lin Feng only needs to look at this lineup to know that my strength and Bing's will certainly not hold us back."
"The Jade Sky First Lord has also come to Refining Gold Mountain." A sharp light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. It seemed Refining Gold Mountain was quite fortunate. Three of the Nine Sky First Lords from the Eastern Domain had all come to Refining Gold Mountain.
"Brother Lin Feng can rest assured. Your reputation has spread far and wide recently, known to all. If we weren't sincere in our invitation, we wouldn't have come. If Brother Lin Feng doubts our sincerity, we can first give you a few Imperial Artifacts as a gesture." Bing gently brushed her hair, speaking with a smile, carrying a hint of soft beauty that could make one lose focus.
"Yes, I believe in Brother Lin Feng's strength, and I ask Brother Lin Feng to believe in our sincerity as well," Jin Zhen echoed.
"Lin Feng, Jin Zhen and Bing are outstanding among the younger generation of Refining Gold Mountain. They are direct descendants of Refining Gold Mountain's Sacred Artifact Refining Saint Craftsman," the old man beside them said with a smile. All three appeared sincere, lowering their stance and speaking very gently.
"Imperial Artifacts won't be necessary." A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth. "Since you've sincerely invited me, I naturally won't refuse."
"Brother Lin is so straightforward, thank you." Jin Zhen slightly cupped his hands toward Lin Feng, then smiled as he took out a token. "This is an Alliance Token, signifying that Brother Lin has joined my camp. On the day of the assessment, we will be a team, to avoid any confusion. Brother Lin only needs to infuse a strand of divine thought into it."
"Mm." Lin Feng naturally understood. Since he had agreed, forming an alliance was only proper. Otherwise, if everyone went back on their word, there would be chaos. Since the second round's content was like this, many people were likely already recruiting.
Lin Feng infused a strand of divine thought into the alliance token. He wasn't too concerned about this, as long as he wouldn't be dragged down. With his strength, there was naturally no need to worry about passing the assessment.
"Excellent. Brother Lin, since that's settled, we'll take our leave." Jin Zhen slightly cupped his hands toward Lin Feng, while Bing revealed a faint smile and gave a slight bow.
"Mm." Lin Feng nodded, and the three of them departed. They still had more people to invite.
Once outside Lin Feng's hall, a smile appeared in Jin Zhen and Bing's eyes. Jin Zhen said, "Lin Feng's strength is not weak. With Yu Qing and a King Body figure as anchors, our five can form a formidable allied force. We'll casually recruit another five to serve as cannon fodder in the first round."
"I'll see to it." The old man nodded in acknowledgment. If the other five knew they were being recruited only to be cannon fodder, who knew what they would think. But the truth was this cruel. Although this round of assessment was a bit more complex than the last, the elimination ratio still reached the terrifying proportion of less than one in ten.
"Bing, you'll have to bear with it then," Jin Zhen said, looking at Bing.
"It's fine. Even if I entered the Nine Heavens Assembly with my strength, I wouldn't accomplish much. It's perfect if only you and Yu Qing remain from our camp in the end." Bing smiled slightly, and Jin Zhen nodded.
Over the next few days, Lin Feng waited quietly for the assessment to begin. Some of his fellow disciples had already arrived in Divine Radiance City, while a few others were blocked outside the city and couldn't enter, including Jing Xiaoyue. Mu Chen had to accompany Jing Xiaoyue, and the Sacred Body Lin Feng had obtained remained by Mu Chen's side as they traveled together.
After that, Lin Feng only needed to wait for the assessment and then prepare to participate in the Nine Heavens Assembly. He was going all out, hoping to raise his strength a bit more in this short time.
One day, a faint fluctuation suddenly came from Lin Feng's robe, and a voice directly entered his ear, telling him to gather at the place where he had first arrived, at noon that day.
Lin Feng knew that Refining Gold Mountain's assessment was about to begin.
At noon, on the vast platform, the crowd gathered once again. Refining Gold Mountain's experts were already waiting there, and this time there were many more people — Refining Gold Mountain's own martial cultivators.
"Everyone, gather with those you've formed alliances with," someone said. Immediately, the crowd began to assemble. Lin Feng found Jin Zhen and Bing. Soon, there were exactly nine people around him. Two of them were particularly eye-catching. One gave off a very unique feeling, as if his facial features could speak, leaving a faint, indescribable impression. This person was the Jade Sky First Lord, Yu Qing.
The other, naturally, was also clad in Refining Gold Mountain's golden long robe, but his aura was extraordinary. A faint kingly intent emanated from him. Seeing him here, Lin Feng was actually quite surprised, because he recognized this person. It seemed that after all this time, their cultivation levels had caught up. As a King Body, his combat strength should be quite formidable now.
This person was none other than the Divine Seal King Body, Dugu Bubai.
Dugu Bubai glanced at Lin Feng, his expression very calm. On the Azure Night Continent, Lin Feng had once been of the same generation as him, but had become famous much earlier. Before coming to this Divine Radiance Continent, Lin Feng's name had already spread across Azure Night.
However, the two of them exchanged no words upon meeting. They merely recognized each other but were not familiar.