The three of them were taken aback.
"Does the Xuantian Sect have ambitions to unify the four regions?" Lin Zhou interrupted them before they could answer, "Definitely. That kid inside Zhao Feng's body dares to be so arrogant after taking over someone else's body; he can't hide his ambition."
"But does he have the strength now?" Lin Zhou smiled and flicked a wild fruit with his fingertip. "He just swallowed the Northern Region and hasn't fully digested it yet. He only has a few experts under his command. If he really wants to fight the Four Regions, he'll probably be slapped to death by the Central Region first."
Xiao Chen suddenly realized: "So, the Southern Region deliberately spread rumors to force other forces to attack together, taking advantage of the Xuan Tian Sect's weakness..."
“That’s right.” Lin Zhou caught the falling wild fruit and tossed it to Shi Tou. “They’re all covered in mud now. Even if the Xuan Tian Sect knelt down and shouted, ‘I only want to protect the Northern Region,’ no one would believe them. The Southern Region’s use of a borrowed knife to kill someone is quite slick.”
He looked at the three of them, his gaze sweeping over them: "Xiao Chen's spear intent has become more refined, he's reached the peak of the Integration Realm; Jiang Li's sword intent is hidden, she's almost at the threshold of the Tribulation Transcending Realm in the late stage of the Mahayana Realm; Shi Tou..." He glanced at Shi Tou, who had become much stronger, "With this physique, even a puppet or person in the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm probably couldn't withstand a punch from you."
A hint of joy appeared on the faces of the three of them—their master rarely gave serious comments on their cultivation, and these few words of recognition were more encouraging than any praise.
"Want to go to the Northern Regions?" Lin Zhou put away his palm-leaf fan and sat up.
Xiao Chen nodded: "The Xuantian Sect is ruthless, and many people in the Northern Region have suffered. Moreover... I always feel that Zhao Feng is a bit strange, and I want to go and investigate in person."
“Let’s have a fight while we’re at it!” Stone added.
Jiang Li toyed with the rusty iron sword: "It's good to go and take a look, so that some people don't actually think that the Northern Region is their backyard."
Seeing their eager expressions, Lin Zhou waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
He paused, his tone slightly somber: "Remember, don't be a pawn for the Southern Region. You are members of the Qingyun Sect, so act according to your conscience—if you can't stand the Xuantian Sect's killings, then stop them; if you encounter anyone trying to take advantage of the chaos, don't be polite either."
"As for Zhao Feng..." A sharp glint flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes, "Be careful. If you can't beat them, run away. No one will laugh at you."
The three of them felt a chill run down their spines. Their master's words were pointed, and it seemed that their master had already noticed Zhao Feng's unusual behavior.
"Yes, Master!"
"Wait a minute." Lin Zhou took out three jade slips from his storage bag and handed them to them. "These are several sets of formations for concealing one's aura. The Northern Region is a mixed bag these days."
The three accepted the jade slip, bowed respectfully, and then turned to leave.
Xiao Chen carried a long spear, Jiang Li carried a rusty iron sword, and Shi Tou carried a black iron armor. The three figures walked out of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate side by side, transforming into three streams of light and flying towards the Northern Region.
Lin Zhou was the only one left in the bamboo courtyard. He lay back down on the bamboo chair, looked towards the northern region, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Rumors or ambitions, in the end, it's all about fists.
The great struggles of the world should be left for these young people to face on their own.
He picked up a wild fruit and slowly took a bite.
Things are about to get interesting in the northern region.
Meanwhile, on the northern border, spies from various forces were swarming in like locusts crossing a river. The black flag of the Xuantian Sect fluttered in the wind atop the city walls, the vanguard squad from the southern region had already set up camp a hundred miles away, and the envoy from the central region was leisurely making his way there under the guise of "mediation"...
The Northern Region, the original headquarters square of "Wind and Snow Pavilion".
This mountain gate, once one of the three major sects in the Northern Region, has now been taken over by the Xuantian Sect. The white jade tiles on the square still bear traces of blood that have not been cleaned up, and the air is filled with a faint smell of blood and gunpowder, creating an eerie contrast with the crowd gathered there.
Cultivators from various factions stood in twos and threes. The people from the Pan Shi family of the Southern Region wore heavy black iron armor and their family emblems hung at their waists. Several representatives of the loose cultivator alliance and factions from the Central Region held folding fans, but their eyes swept around the square with shrewdness. There were even a few young monks from the Western Region Buddhist sect, wearing gray monk robes, standing in a corner with their hands clasped together, not knowing whether they came to "mediate" or to observe.
Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, and Shi Tou huddled behind a stone pillar at the very edge of the plaza. The concealment array given to them by Lin Zhou was in operation, suppressing their auras. They looked like three inconspicuous little cultivators who had come with a powerful force to broaden their horizons.
"These people are really shrewd." Jiang Li wrapped her voice in spiritual power and whispered to the two of them, "Opening a branch? To put it bluntly, they just want to take a share of the resources in the Northern Region that the Xuantian Sect just swallowed."
Xiao Chen's gaze fell on the high platform in the center of the square, where several elderly men with white hair and beards stood. They were the leaders of this "negotiation" and were currently speaking eloquently, but the core meaning was still about "co-prosperity" and "mutual trust"—it sounded grand, but in fact every word was calculated.
Stone scratched his head and transmitted his voice in a muffled tone: "Can't we just fight directly? Stop dragging your feet."
Xiao Chen didn't reply, but just stared at the people on the platform. He could sense that although these people seemed calm, their spiritual energy was actually circulating in secret, clearly prepared for a fight if negotiations broke down.
Not long after, a figure flew in from outside the square and landed in front of the high platform—it was an envoy sent by the Xuantian Sect, an ordinary-looking middle-aged elder with a cultivation level in the late Mahayana stage. Facing the gazes of various forces, he pretended to be calm, but a hint of tension was hidden in his eyes.
"The people from the Xuantian Sect have arrived!"
"Let's see what they have to say!"
The crowd quieted down, and all eyes turned to the elder.
On the high platform, the patriarch of the Southern Region's Pan Shi family cleared his throat and slowly spoke: "Elder Li, we gather here today not for conflict, but for the long-term peace and stability of the Northern Region. You see, the Xuan Tian Sect has just unified the Northern Region, and everything is in need of rebuilding. We are willing to lend a helping hand—"
He changed the subject, revealing a "friendly" smile: "How about this, our various forces can open a branch in a major city in the Northern Region, exchange resources, and help Xuantian Sect share some of the management burden, what do you think?"
As soon as these words were spoken, voices of agreement immediately arose from the surrounding crowd:
"Excellent! Resource sharing is the key to common development!"
"We have absolutely no intention of coveting anything; we simply want to do something practical for the people of the Northern Region!"
Elder Li's expression changed slightly. Opening branch offices? The spiritual veins, mines, and markets of the Northern Region are all under the control of the Xuantian Sect. If these forces open branch offices, wouldn't that be directly extending their tentacles into their territory? They claim it's "exchanging resources," but it probably won't be long before they plunder all the core resources!
"This matter...I cannot make the decision." Elder Li took a deep breath, maintaining his composure. "I will take your conditions back to the sect and leave them to the sect master and the young sect master to decide."
"That's right!" Ancestor Pan Shi stroked his beard and laughed. "We believe that the Xuan Tian Sect is reasonable and just give us a definite answer."
Elder Li didn't say anything more. He cupped his hands to the crowd, turned around and left in a hurry, his back view revealing a somewhat disheveled appearance.
Upon seeing this, the monks in the square all smiled knowingly—it seemed that the first step had been successful.
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