Chapter 561 A Dignified End

When Seven Kings City and Azure Firmament Merchant Guild started fighting, the smaller forces were all very scared, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire.

But those forces that were also overlords were all very happy, even wishing that they would fight even harder, with Emperor Realm experts also making a move.

It would be best if they fought until both sides were severely wounded and annihilated, causing their overall strength to decline.

This way, they could reap the benefits.

Therefore, no one would come to mediate this great war; even if someone did, they would be inexplicably pulled away midway.

Moreover, ordinary forces did not dare to mediate, after all, this was a clash between the top three forces in Tian Yuan World; rashly mediating might lead to their own demise.

Initially, Azure Firmament Merchant Guild held a huge advantage, as they had more experts.

But once Seven Kings City reacted and launched a full counterattack, the situation began to become a stalemate.

The two sides fought back and forth; today you seize one of my merchant ships and kill some of my Guardians, and tomorrow I ambush your bandits, a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Their goal was to kill anyone they encountered, leaving no one alive, which led to the battle being more brutal than expected.

In just one month, the number of Saint Realm experts killed or injured between Seven Kings City and Azure Firmament Merchant Guild reached a hundred, with seventy percent severely wounded and twenty percent fallen.

Seeing this battle situation, the high-ranking officials on both sides gritted their teeth and persevered.

By the second month, the number of casualties increased further, and many Saint King Realm experts also successively fell or were injured.

If this continued, it was feared that one day all Saint Realm experts would be depleted.

Upon realizing this, the high-ranking officials on both sides instantly calmed down.

Inside Azure Firmament Merchant Guild, a group of quasi-Emperor Realm experts gathered again, each with a solemn expression.

After a while, someone finally couldn't help but speak.

"We can't keep fighting this kind of battle where no winner can be decided; if we continue, we will both be severely wounded! It will only benefit other forces."

"The most important thing is that even if we win, there's no benefit to be gained."

Someone retorted, "Then what do you propose? Do you want us to surrender?"

"Impossible! This matter was initiated by Seven Kings City, and besides, we haven't lost! Why should we surrender?"

"But we can't keep fighting indefinitely, can we?"

For a moment, the room fell silent again.

In fact, by this point, they realized that both Azure Firmament Merchant Guild and Seven Kings City were already in a bind.

If they continued to fight, the losses would only increase, but if they didn't, they would lose Face.

If one side stopped first, the other side would follow suit, but because neither side was willing to concede, they were both unwilling to stop first.

Or if someone stepped out to mediate at this time, they would definitely take the opportunity to stop.

But at this time, no one dared and no one would come to mediate, even wishing for them to continue fighting until they were completely exhausted and utterly declined.

After a while, Mr. Wang Da, who had called them there initially, spoke softly.

"At this moment, Seven Kings City's reaction is probably the same as ours; they want to stop but can't."

"The people fighting on both sides also understand this principle, so we just need to give an order, telling them not to fight with a life-or-death attitude, and gradually they will calm down."

Thinking about it carefully, this was most likely the case.

So, they reluctantly went to issue the order.

They told Azure Firmament Merchant Guild's Guardians that the higher-ups intended to stop the fighting and that they shouldn't fight so desperately.

When Seven Kings City's bandits discovered that the opponent's firepower was significantly weaker, they instantly understood their intentions and did not press their advantage.

The two sides, through a tacit understanding, transitioned from a life-and-death struggle to a sparring match.

And from a sparring match, it turned into a perfunctory show.

Eventually, they didn't even go through the motions, directly ceasing hostilities and returning home, which could be considered a dignified end.

They all thought they were stronger, but after a fight, they found that the strength of both sides was similar, and both suffered heavy losses.

The most important thing was that even if they won, they wouldn't gain any significant benefits, so there was indeed no need to continue fighting.

Thus, a great battle for supremacy between the strongest forces in Tian Yuan World ended quietly.

It began with great fanfare and tumultuous waves, but ended silently, a typical case of a big thunder but small raindrops.

This caused many forces to mock them privately.

"I thought they were really going to have a big fight, but it only lasted two months; I really overestimated them."

"And they call themselves the strongest forces in Tian Yuan World? I don't think so."

"Big forces really cherish their feathers too much; they only suffered minor injuries and were too pained to fight anymore."

"What a pity, it didn't continue."

Besides other overlord-level forces wanting to see them fight until they were battered and bruised, there was one other person who had the same thought.

This person was Xu Hao, the instigator of this matter.

For these two months, Xu Hao had been resting and recovering from his injuries at the residence arranged by the merchant guild for its Guardians.

At the same time, he kept an eye on the battlefield.

Upon learning that both sides had ceased hostilities, Xu Hao sighed with regret, thinking to himself.

"I spent many years planning to bring this about, but I didn't expect them to stop fighting after only two months; what a pity."

"However, even though it was only two months, both sides deployed Saint Realm experts, and at first, they were both aiming for a life-or-death outcome, so the casualties must have been considerable."

"As long as the overall strength of the two forces has been depleted, my efforts haven't been in vain."

What's more, when Xu Hao was deploying the entire plan, he only spent some financial resources and didn't waste too much time on it, so the time he spent on Cultivating remained undiminished.

Coupled with becoming an Earth-Rank Guardian of Azure Firmament Merchant Guild, the generous benefits and salary allowed his Cultivation speed to remain very fast.

"After this incident, it's impossible to make Azure Firmament Merchant Guild fight another force again in the short term, but I can plan to cause some internal strife within Azure Firmament Merchant Guild to continue depleting their strength."

Azure Firmament Merchant Guild could not only not imagine that the person who caused them and Seven Kings City to fight fiercely and suffer heavy losses would be a Guardian of their own merchant guild.

They also couldn't imagine that this Guardian was currently thinking about how to cause internal strife within the merchant guild.