The appearance of the Divine Dragon Empire’s armies took the surrounding powers completely by surprise.
They never imagined that the Divine Dragon Empire would dispatch troops to attack them.
This sent a wave of alarm through everyone.
“What should we do? The Divine Dragon Empire is attacking us! What should we do?”
“In the past, when the Divine Dragon Empire wasn’t so powerful, we could manage to confront them, even harboring hopes of devouring their territory. But now, with the Divine Dragon Empress rising to prominence, the empire’s strength has grown immensely. None among us are a match for them now. What do we do?”
“Facing such a powerful Divine Dragon Empire in an attack… I fear we can hardly resist. Especially with the possibility of the Divine Dragon Empress herself intervening at any moment. I think we should surrender and pledge allegiance to the Divine Dragon Empire!!”
In the past, faced with an attack from the Divine Dragon Empire, these powers might have considered resistance.
Back then, their strength, while not as great as the Divine Dragon Empire’s, wasn’t far off.
In a fight to the death, the outcome would have been uncertain.
But now, things were different. The Divine Dragon Empire had become a major power controlling fifty great worlds.
Moreover, the Divine Dragon Empress had single-handedly annihilated twenty peak-level monarchs.
Such formidable power was a source of immense pressure for everyone.
Therefore, they felt that confronting such a powerful Divine Dragon Empire, surrender was the proper course.
Only by surrendering could they find a true path to survival.
Once this notion emerged, many agreed.
Their agreement wasn’t born from a willingness to abandon all their wealth and status, but purely from a desire not to die.
If they could live, they could regain everything they lost.
But if they died, everything they possessed would be meaningless.
Holding this belief, the majority were willing to surrender and submit to the Divine Dragon Empire.
And such was the cruel reality of the cultivator world.
You never knew when disaster might strike.
Even the rulers of the five major powers harbored thoughts of surrendering to the Divine Dragon Empire.
They knew they were no match for the Divine Dragon Empress.
Thus, many among them had secretly resolved that once the Divine Dragon Empire attacked, they would surrender.
Their orders were even issued promptly.
However, just as they were about to surrender, the ruler of one of these powers received a plea for help from another ruler.
The message was simple: the Divine Dragon Empire had launched an attack on their territory, and they hoped this ruler would dispatch troops to aid them.
This plea was sent more out of a sliver of hope than genuine expectation.
In the eyes of the ruler sending it, the powers he appealed to wouldn’t dare offend the Divine Dragon Empire.
So, he held little hope of being rescued.
Sending the plea was mostly a formality.
But when such pleas fell into the hands of the other powers, the reaction was entirely different.
Seeing these messages, they were astounded.
“How is this possible? The Divine Dragon Empire is clearly attacking us. How can they also be attacking their territory?”
“Exactly! The Divine Dragon Empire’s ten-million-strong army is already at our border. How could they possibly attack another country?”
“Something’s off here. This is suspicious. There might be a trick. We must investigate thoroughly!”
Sensing something amiss, the ruler of this power sent word to another.
Simultaneously, they dispatched numerous scouts to gather specific intelligence.
Half a day later, they received astonishing news.
This time, the Divine Dragon Empire wasn’t attacking just one power; they had launched a five-pronged campaign, simultaneously assaulting all five major powers.
Upon hearing this, the people of the five powers were shocked.
Then, they were overjoyed.
“Hahaha! We have a way out! We can survive! We won’t die!!”
“Arrogant! The Divine Dragon Empire is truly arrogant! I thought we were doomed for sure this time. Who would have imagined they’d be so audacious as to attack all five of us simultaneously?!”
“Her arrogance is our fortune! Without it, how could we have a chance to survive? Since they want to attack all five of us at once, it’s perfect for us five powers to join forces and resist the Divine Dragon Empire together!!”
If any single power faced the Divine Dragon Empire alone, they truly wouldn’t stand a chance.
Neither the empire’s armies nor the might of the Divine Dragon Empress were something one power could withstand.
But with the five powers joining forces, everything changed.
An alliance meant not just a change in army numbers, but also an increase in powerful experts.
With so many experts, they had a real possibility of defeating the Divine Dragon Empire’s armies.
They might even manage to hold off the Divine Dragon Empire’s offensive.
While they still might not be a match for the Divine Dragon Empress herself, they were confident in their ability to defend against her.
As long as they preserved themselves, they had a chance to counterattack the Divine Dragon Empire.
Even if defeating the empire was unlikely, seizing some benefits from them was certainly achievable.
Thinking this, many grew extremely excited.
“Hahaha! If we seize this opportunity, we might grow even stronger, reaching greater heights!!”
“If we truly manage to withstand the Divine Dragon Empire’s attack this time, this battlefield will undoubtedly weaken the Divine Dragon Empire while strengthening our five powers!!”
“Regardless, we must unite this time. Since the Divine Dragon Empire dares to attack all five of us simultaneously, she cannot stop us from forming an alliance!!”
The desire to ally wasn’t limited to one power; all five thought the same.
They knew that relying on a single power, they could not defeat the Divine Dragon Empire.
Going it alone meant certain doom.
But with the five powers united, the situation was entirely different.
If they were willing to ally and act simultaneously, they would have a chance to turn the tables.
Thus, the five powers quickly agreed to strike at a predetermined time, catching the Divine Dragon Empire off guard and overwhelming them.
The generals and soldiers of the Divine Dragon Empire were unaware of this.
However, once they reached the battlefield, all were on high alert, ready to engage the enemy at any moment.
Therefore, when they saw the forces of the five powers appear simultaneously, they didn’t show excessive surprise.
