The individual competition between the Daoist Realm and Blood Devourer concluded amidst a group of people who were bewildered and unconscious. Aside from the six Masters of Origin, only Pei Yan, as an observer, witnessed the debate and compromise among a few individuals.

Blood Devourer won the competition effortlessly, paying the cost of five portions of Power of Origin, one Origin Seed slot, and a list left behind by Candle Dragon as he exited sullenly.

After the competition, everyone returned to their base, still dazed. As soon as the hall doors were shut, Pei Yan faced a barrage of questions from the confused crowd. Pei Yan merely shook his head and explained the cause and effect of the event without mentioning a word, as instructed by Lin Junzhao, about why several planes were being blackmailed by Blood Devourer and were apprehensive about the matter.

"What is there to talk about with them! Just fight; five against one, and we might still lose?" Naturally, someone voiced the same doubt as him, and that someone was the perennially aggressive and belligerent Jiang Feiyang.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! All you know is fighting. Have you forgotten what our investigation hall is for?" Gu Shenghui exclaimed irritably, reprimanding, "We are the ones who keep plane wars out of reality, not those who actively involve themselves in them. You all heard Pei Yan. If a full-scale war spills into reality, we will be the first victims. Don't get carried away by our recent string of victories; it's illusory strength! Yes, we've made significant progress recently, achieving achievements in top experts and mid to high-level superhumans that haven't been seen in decades, but don't forget! Despite all this, among several planes, we still have the smallest number of cultivators and the weakest experience in large-scale plane wars. Once war breaks out, our land, our families could be affected, and that's exactly what we must strive to avoid!"

Gu Shenghui's timely rebuke was like a cold shower on the young people in the room, who had become somewhat arrogant and complacent due to recent victories, shaking them into a sober understanding of reality. It also plunged everyone into silence.

"Pei Yan, you seem to have a different opinion on this." Seeing the atmosphere in the room dampen, Lin Junzhao, who had returned to Pei Yan's body, suddenly used origin energy to break the silence and questioned.

"Ah! No, I didn't say anything." Pei Yan, who had been silently drinking water with his head down, hurriedly waved his hand to deny upon hearing Lin Junzhao speak.

"Do not pretend; we are one entity. Although out of respect for your privacy, I do not deliberately probe your thoughts unless necessary, your emotional fluctuations have long exposed your thoughts. Earlier, when K and the Ancestral God expressed their stance on the ring, you clearly looked down on it!" Lin Ruxue openly exposed Pei Yan's secrets, bringing them to everyone's attention.

"Pei Yan, tell us your view! Do you really wish for war?" Gu Shenghui glanced at Pei Yan, given Pei Yan's current strength and status, his opinion warranted attention from the hall.

"Not really! I'm not a war maniac!" Pei Yan said, putting down his water cup, and then met the questioning gazes of everyone in the room. Helplessly, he raised his hand and smiled bitterly, saying, "Alright! Alright! I admit that I'm relatively combative on the path toward becoming stronger! But that's limited to battles with strong individuals that can enhance my strength, and not wars involving ordinary people. You know me; I'm most opposed to involving our homeland and threatening our relatives with cross-plane struggles."

This statement resonated with everyone in the room; they all nodded in understanding. Then Pei Yan took a cigarette from a pack and continued to murmur with it in his mouth, "The reason I look down on the compromise between K and the Ancestral God is that I don't believe this is preventing war; rather, it's giving Candle Dragon more time to continue his plan."

After speaking, he lit a cigarette and took a drag. As he exhaled a mouthful of smoke, he shook his head and lamented, "I don't know what Candle Dragon's ultimate purpose is, but it's precisely because of that that he seems even more terrifying. He was evidently prepared for this competition. He anticipated your anger and even prepared conditions to appease it, and he expected you would compromise, just like you have compromised time and time again before."

"I know!" Feeling the emotional turbulence inside Lin Junzhao, Pei Yan flicked the ash from his cigarette and quickly said, "I know each plane has its worries, and I know there are secrets here not meant for outsiders, but I always feel that the longer this continues, not only will war not be prevented, but even more severe outcomes will be triggered! Have you thought about it? Candle Dragon has succeeded in everything he has wanted to do from the start until now. He sought to change targets and so detained you; four major planes joined forces to block him, and he successfully altered the goal to host this sword competition. Today is still the same! Every time he succeeds, more severe situations occur. I don't know what future ensues if we keep compromising like this."

Pei Yan didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the room understood his implication. Gu Shenghui, after a while of silence, sighed helplessly and said, "You're not wrong in what you said, but some things are beyond our control. We can only minimize the damage to us when confronted with them."

"I understand!" Pei Yan nodded to indicate his understanding, still feeling too weak. Weak to the point of not even having the right to express his stance or attitude.

Pei Yan's frustration was also Lin Junzhao's frustration. Her dislike for Candle Dragon wasn't just due to his betrayal and imprisonment; it was the invasive look he had when staring at her that triggered a strong sense of crisis within her, even more intense than that posed by the Demon Gods invading the Hell Plane. Hence, she was able to put aside previous prejudices to ally with other planes.

But at the same time, she also had to admit her current reliance on Candle Dragon was significant. The false strength and elevation in status of the foundational plane described by Gu Shenghui were largely built on the enormous threat wrought by Candle Dragon and the sense of unity among the major planes in response. To consolidate her current position, Candle Dragon's threat was essential, at least for a considerable period.

To nurture bandits to weigh one's importance while preventing them from backfiring, a precarious balance difficult to grasp!

A heavy conversation again plunged the atmosphere in the room into a low tide. Noticing everyone's head down, mired in their thoughts, Pei Yan got up, extinguished his cigarette, walked to the door, and opened a window. As the sunlight and fresh air from outside flooded in, the stifling feeling vanished. Pei Yan smiled, clapped his hands, and said, "This matter has its pros and cons; we can now face Blood Devourer in the finals! Perhaps this is fate, turning in circles to finally end up with us facing them. It's good this way! We have many scores to settle with them; now we can finally fight them openly."