Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 448 An Alliance Forged in Resentment

The Desolate Heaven Empire stirred.

No-

It boiled.

Just when they thought that the Bai Clan would be unstoppable and nobody could replicate what they did, the Li-Zhao Alliance also made an announcement.

A High Earth-Grade cultivation technique-

Taught to those who joined their ranks, just like the Bai Clan.

The moment the Li-Zhao Alliance made their announcement, the already cracked ice shattered and nobody could maintain their calm. ”What did you say? The Li-Zhao Alliance too?” ”Theyʼre offering High Earth-Grade Cultivation Technique?” ”So itʼs not just the Bai Clan anymore...” ”I heard the Li and Zhao Clans actually stole it from the Bai Clan.” ”Who cares, as long as we can get access to it!”

For the first time in decades, something unthinkable was happening.

Two great powers-

Throwing out their greatest treasures to recruit allies.

It was madness.

It was desperation.

And it was war-

Just not one fought with blades yet. ***

Excitement swept through the Desolate Heaven Empire like a rising tide. For once-

Amid clashes of ambition, grudges, and rivalries between Great Power-

The ones who benefited the most were not the great clans.

It was them.

The countless minor clans.

The wandering cultivators.

The families that had always lingered at the edge of relevance.

To obtain a High Earth-Grade cultivation technique simply by joining an alliance-

It was something that would have been unthinkable just days ago. ”In the past, we wouldʼve had to bow for generations just to glimpse such a technique.” ”And now theyʼre handing it out?”

Laughter echoed through taverns.

Eyes gleamed with undisguised greed.

For many, it felt as though the heavens themselves were finally tilting in their favor.

Some chose patience.

They observed quietly, waiting to see whether the Bai Clan or the Li-Zhao Alliance would raise the stakes even further.

After all-

If both sides were already willing to throw out High Earth-Grade techniques, who was to say they wouldnʼt offer more?

Wouldnʼt they be willing to add more benefits such as perhaps handing out Grade-6 pills?

Others, however, couldnʼt wait.

Opportunities like this did not come twice.

If they hesitated and missed their chance, they might never recover.

So for a High Earth-Grade cultivation technique, they were willing to pledge their entire clan to another.

With the Li-Zhao Alliance also offering the same cultivation technique, many expected the situation to tilt in their favor-

Or at least stabilize.

To balance out.

But reality proved otherwise.

Yes, the Li-Zhao Alliance did attract new clans.

Several, in fact.

Enough to make noise.

Enough to give the appearance of resurgence of their alliance.

Yet it was nothing compared to what the Bai Clan had gained.

Because a vast number of clans had already joined the Bai Clan.

And now that they possessed the High Earth-Grade cultivation technique-

What reason did they have to betray?

Some felt gratitude.

Some felt loyalty.

Others simply saw no benefit in switching sides when they already held what others were still chasing.

Moreover, the Bai Clan demanded only one thing.

Loyalty.

No excessive tributes.

No forced mobilization.

No binding clauses that drained a clan dry.

In stark contrast, the Li-Zhao Allianceʼs terms quickly became known.

To join-

A clan had to contribute twenty percent of its total resources.

Gold.

Spiritual herbs.

Artifacts.

And worse-

In the event of war, they were required to commit half of their fighting force to the allianceʼs command.

Not negotiable.

No exceptions. ”Fifty percent... What if they drag us into a war we canʼt afford?” ”Damn it! I only want the cultivation technique-better join the Bai Clan!”

Even though both alliances offered the same cultivation technique, their requirements were vastly different.

Of course, a wise man could say that loyalty is much worse than 50%. The Bai Clan demanded loyalty-but what that loyalty meant was ambiguous.

It could mean one hundred percent commitment.

Or far less.

A deeply loyal clan might give everything.

A lukewarm one might give only the bare minimum.

There were no specified numbers.

So even if Bai Clan loyalty might one day require more than fifty percent of their forces, no one knew until it actually happened.

Compared to that-

The Li-Zhao Allianceʼs explicit demand of fifty percent already felt oppressive whether they would need to or not.

Clans would be forced to comply even if their own circumstances were disastrous.

So while it was impossible to say with certainty which deal was better-

The Bai Clanʼs conditions seemed far more generous to most, at least to their ear.

And so, while the Li-Zhao Alliance grew-

The Bai Clan continued to swell. ***

Still, many believed the situation spelled loss for the Bai Clan.

After all, the cultivation technique being spread by the Li-Zhao Alliance was- by every account-the same one the Bai Clan had unveiled first.

Their greatest weapon.

Now in enemy hands. ”Didnʼt the Bai Clan shoot itself in the foot?” ”They revealed too much!” ”Li-Zhao neutralized their advantage.”

Such voices were common in the empireʼs streets.

To outsiders, it looked obvious.

The Bai Clan had lost exclusivity-

And with it, leverage.

Many waited for the Bai Clan to erupt in fury.

To denounce Li and Zhao.

To retaliate openly.

But strangely-

The Bai Clan remained silent.

And it was precisely that silence that made something else stand out.

Because the ones who were truly furious-

Were not the Bai Clan.

They were the clans that had already joined it.

The moment news spread that the Li-Zhao Alliance was distributing the same cultivation technique, outrage exploded within the Bai Clanʼs expanding coalition. ”What?!” ”They stole it?!” ”Which bastard leaked it?!”

Clan after clan erupted in curses.

Those who had joined the Bai Clan were furious-and convinced that the traitor must be one of them. ”That technique was given to us in trust!” ”To think someone would betray us like this-steal it and hand it to Li and

Zhao?!” ”I swear, if I find out which clan leaked it, Iʼll wipe them out to the last dog!”

Anger burned hot and wild.

Some were furious at the Li and Zhao Clans, accusing them of shameless theft.

Others were furious at the unknown traitor-

The clan that had ”betrayed” the Bai Clan.

And still others were angry for a simpler, far more selfish reason.

Just days ago, they had believed they stood above everyone else.

They had joined first.

They had obtained a High Earth-Grade cultivation technique few others possessed.

They had imagined a future where their disciples surged ahead-

Where rivals were left choking in the dust.

Now?

That advantage was slipping away. ”Damn it!” ”Just when our juniors started breaking through!” ”Just when we thought we could suppress everyone!”

To them, the Li-Zhao Alliance hadnʼt merely copied a technique-

They had stolen their future. ”This isnʼt just against the Bai Clan anymore.” ”This is against all of us!”

Resentment sharpened.

Because whether they admitted it or not, one thing was clear-

They had tied their fate to the Bai Clan.

And Li-Zhaoʼs actions felt like a direct slap to their faces.

Ironically, that fury did something unexpected.

Instead of weakening the Bai Clanʼs coalition-

It made them have the same goal with the same hatred against the Li-Zhao

Alliance.

The earliest clans grew more tightly bound, united by shared outrage.

If there truly was a traitor among them-

Then that traitor was no longer merely an enemy of the Bai Clan.

They were an enemy of everyone. ***

Within the Bai Clanʼs hall, the atmosphere was nothing like the chaos sweeping the empire.

Bai Zihan stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at drifting clouds beyond the mountain peaks. Reports lay scattered across the table behind him-

Each detailing outrage, curses, and escalating hostility toward the Li-Zhao Alliance.

He read them.

And then-

He smiled.

A faint curve of the lips. ”So this is how it turns out...” he murmured. Truthfully, even Bai Zihan hadnʼt fully anticipated this outcome.

He had expected Regret. Even wavering loyalty after finding out that Li-Zhao

Clan was giving out the same Cultivation technique.

But the hatred now being directed at the Li-Zhao Alliance-

It exceeded his expectations.

He had never expected much from the alliance he created.

They were instruments, Puppets used to spread the cultivation technique and increase his leverage.

Whether it was the Bai Clan or the Li-Zhao Alliance distributing it had never truly mattered.

If anything-

It was better that Li and Zhao helped spread it for him.

By now, he reckoned most of the Li-Zhao Alliance members had already begun cultivating it.

Those clansʼ fate were already in his hands.

If they dared bare their fangs at him, he could threaten-or kill-them without hesitation.

As for those who join the Bai Clanʼs Alliance, it was similar. They were no longer a threat though he also has no use for them.

But now...

Perhaps they could be used better.

If he could reshape this resentment-

Convert it into a shared purpose- Then he wouldnʼt even need to reveal his trick.

He could have those clans rally willingly against the Li-Zhao Alliance.

Bai Zihanʼs smile widened, cold and satisfied. ”That,” he said quietly, ”Would be the ideal situation for us!”