In the world’s Northwest, a land of bitter cold, dwell people forged by nature’s cruel hand into wills of unyielding ice and iron. For countless years, the Five Nations Alliance of the Northwest has stood as a bulwark against the mighty Jing, a tale bordering on legend, a coalition of smaller states daring to clash head-on with a martial empire, never once retreating.

However, the Jing Empire’s westward expansion war, erupting at the close of the preceding year, saw the battles of Jing-Mu and Qi-Xia ignite in succession. With Jing’s attention diverted, the Northwest Five Nations Alliance suffered a crushing blow. More than half of Gao Country, and a significant portion of Liao Country, were swallowed whole by Jing. Only the sudden appearance of Winter Emperor Xie Ai of Snow Country, challenging Jing’s Dragon Martial Grand Commander Zhong Jing, and Jing’s subsequent resounding victory over Mu Country, halted Jing’s fierce westward military thrust.

The people of Snow Country swore that Winter Emperor Xie Ai was the reincarnation of the Frost Immortal Monarch Xu Qiu Ci from two thousand years ago, a myth of reincarnation reborn. Some believed this claim, others did not. But for the Northwest Five Nations Alliance, belief was secondary; the Winter Emperor’s existence was paramount, and his willingness to step forward, even more so. The Northwest Five Nations Alliance desperately needed the power of Snow Country, and this world’s Northwest, even more so, needed another True Monarch of Derive Dao!

The so-called Northwest Five Nations Alliance comprised Liao, Zhen, Gao, Iron, and Han countries. Among them, Iron Country was the strongest, boasting a True Monarch ancestor who, though perpetually in seclusion, still represented a deterrent force. Gao Country was the weakest, possessing a mere two God Arrival realm cultivators before the westward expansion war. Of course, both Gao Country’s Grand Master Yu Jing Qiu and its current lord had honed their skills amidst the relentless advance of Jing’s armies, far surpassing ordinary small-country God Arrival cultivators, let alone those who propped up single, weak sects.

Regrettably, Gao Country’s Grand Master Yu Jing Qiu had somewhat fallen from grace since the accidental death of his only son. This was particularly tragic as the matter originated from the “Sad Return Wind” of Chu Country’s Mountain Sea Realm’s Nine Chapters Jade Wall. He had originally sought this opportunity for his son, yet his son perished because of it, and the jade wall vanished thereafter. When Chu Country’s Evil Face Commander Wu Xi personally came to Gao Country demanding the jade wall and found nothing, his fury was immense. In the presence of Gao Country’s monarch and officials, he delivered a heavy slap to Yu Jing Qiu, utterly humiliating him. His bitter schemes had become a burden, all his efforts lost, leaving him wounded in face and heart.

In the subsequent Jing Empire westward expansion war, Yu Jing Qiu personally led troops into battle, fighting bravely and seeking death multiple times, yet ultimately failing to die. Gao Country, however, became the most tragic loser of this war… The disparity in strength was simply too vast, the entire process manipulated by Jing Country’s Shooting Voice Grand Commander Cao Yu Xuan. The once peerless Grand Master Yu Jing Qiu of Gao Country became, for a time, the target of much resentment. Yet, he could not retire, could not abandon his country and leave, could not sacrifice himself. He could only endure and support everything, for Gao Country now stood on the precipice. If he, its sole pillar, were to fall, the country would be instantly annihilated…

The Jing Empire is a martial court empire, a system akin to a joint council of military leaders. The Six Protectors, Seven Guards, and Thirteen Armies, with the exception of the few powerful armies directly controlled by the imperial family, possessed immense autonomy. Naturally, the dignity of the Tang imperial family remained supreme within Jing Country.

A large portion of Gao Country’s territory was now divided between Jing Country’s Valiant Cavalry Army and Shooting Voice Army. The former belonged to Valiant Cavalry Grand Commander Xia Hou Lie, the latter to Shooting Voice Grand Commander Cao Yu Xuan. Although these two formidable figures would not personally garrison the captured lands, the mere presence of their military flags was enough to deter the people of Gao Country from approaching. Even a brave general under their command was sufficient to sweep aside the current Gao Country forces.

It was difficult to imagine the willpower and state of mind with which Yu Jing Qiu endured, pulling this country’s last vestiges of dignity from the brink. Perhaps in a thousand, ten thousand years, someone would re-evaluate him. Perhaps no one would remember him, and perhaps Gao Country itself would cease to exist. But his choice, in this moment, was here. His entire life, sealed upon this instant.

Within the simple palace gardens of Gao Country, where furnishings were sparse and a bow and knife hung on the wall, the less than nine-year-old Crown Prince of Gao Country, Li Bang You, knelt before a desk, diligently reading a book. The text was “Jing Lue,” Volume Three, from “History Knife Chisel Sea.”

As he read, shaking his head and swaying, something suddenly struck him. He furrowed his brow, put down the book scroll in his hand, and respectfully performed the disciple’s ritual: “Grand Master, this student has a doubt.”

Yu Jing Qiu, withdrawing his mind from state affairs, wearily but gently asked, “Crown Prince, ask without hesitation.”

Li Bang You’s child voice was very young, clear and innocent: “This student reads history, and repeatedly sees old records. Comparing ancient times to now, my heart is very anxious and I do not know why.”

Yu Jing Qiu glanced at him and said, “Speak plainly.”

Li Bang You straightened up a bit and asked, “If a general loses a battle, what should be done?”

Yu Jing Qiu did not hesitate: “Punish him.”

Li Bang You asked again: “If a general loses land, what should be done?”

Yu Jing Qiu said: “Execute him.”

Li Bang You asked again: “If governance loses the people, what should be done?”

Yu Jing Qiu’s voice deepened: “Dismiss him.”

Li Bang You continued to ask: “If governance loses the country, what should be done?”

Yu Jing Qiu was silent for a moment, then said: “Exterminate it.”

“Then this student does not quite understand.” The small-statured Li Bang You raised his head high. In this moment, his spine was straight and his spirit heavy, the jade crown on his head seemingly scooping up heavenly light: “Someone has lost land as a general, lost the country through governance, lost decorum in diplomacy, and lost soldiers in foreign wars. How can he still grandly sit before this orphan and teach this orphan how to read, be a person, govern people?”

Yu Jing Qiu’s eyes, in an instant, became incredibly sharp, but immediately softened into sorrow and decay. So many had scolded him; he had become accustomed to it. From high virtue and immense prestige to the target of a thousand pointing fingers, it had taken only one war. He admitted his failure. But he had never expected that the very Crown Prince he had personally enlightened, not even nine years old, would scold him thus. Commoners could scold him, officials could scold him, colleagues could scold him… but the Li clan of Gao Country, who clearly knew how much he had given, what he had done, and what he had actively borne, what right did they have to scold him, Yu Jing Qiu?

But what could a Crown Prince not yet nine years old understand? Li Bang You’s words perhaps reflected the attitude of Gao Country’s lord!

“You… presumptuous!” His heart was cold, his back slightly bowed, stern and weak, he stared at Li Bang You: “What this old man has done for Gao Country, heaven and earth can bear witness! How dare you, this yellow-mouthed child, insult me! Who taught you these words? Why do they not face this old man and speak?!”

“No one taught this orphan, reading books makes it clear!” Li Bang You slapped the table and stood up, reaching up to steady a jade crown, then pointing a finger at Yu Jing Qiu and saying, “Minister Yu, for your own selfish desires, for your worthless son, you rashly sought the Nine Chapters Jade Wall, thereby offending a hegemon country! Your entire life you have fished for fame! On the battlefield you claimed to seek death, yet you cowardly made peace, exchanging Gao Country’s land for Cao Yu Xuan’s favor, deceiving the people below and heaven above! What heaven and earth can bear witness?! How dare you speak boastfully to this orphan?!”

Yu Jing Qiu’s face, at this moment, flushed red to the extreme. He stood up, and despite his God Arrival realm cultivation, his hand trembled: “I sought the Nine Chapters Jade Wall, that was my own doing and my own suffering, and I bear the consequences myself. My son died, I knelt before the people of Chu Country! What have I done to wrong your Li family?”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!” He angrily shouted for Gao Country’s lord: “A dignified Son of Heaven, does he not dare to see his old minister?! The Son of Heaven is of golden word and jade constitution, if there are words, speak them to me yourself! There is no need to use a child’s mouth to dirty the heart of the country’s heir! Mountains and rivers, if lacking, can still be mended! Can a heart of dung be cleansed?!”

He was truly heartbroken here. But the lord Li Ji was personally an envoy to Iron Country, seeking aid from the lord of the Five Nations Alliance. How could he hear his hoarse voice? Pitiful Yu Jing Qiu, still believing that everything behind this was the arrangement of Gao Country’s lord Li Ji. Still believing that the lord of Gao Country he had loyally assisted for half his life had long harbored hatred towards him. Thus, he suffered so greatly.

Seven souls replace a life, one original body and seven vice bodies – this is the limit after a divine ability blossoms. Each identity is centered around a single soul. From this soul, it gradually replaces the three souls and seven spirits, as well as the body and mind, and finally merges with the fate path. Within the body of Lei Zhan Qian of Qi Country, Zhang Lin Chuan had already consumed one identity. His last identity he had temporarily left vacant, without urgent use, only waiting for the best harvest. If there was no such absolutely perfect opportunity, he would leave it for his original body. The remaining five identities were all already placed throughout the world, each developing for a considerable time. Now, one main body and five vice bodies, six bodies crossing life and death calamities together, wind and clouds intersecting, dragons and tigers competing! Different cultivations, different identities, different fates, life and death crises naturally varied.

For example, Yang Chong Zu of Qiao Country had already cultivated to the God Arrival realm and was the son of the current deputy prime minister. Following this path, invading Qiao Country was no longer a difficult matter for him. The real difficulty lay in how to find the precise timing thereafter, whether to offer Qiao Country to Qin or Chu, and how to successfully integrate into the upper echelons of the hegemon country. Of course, there was not so much time now. With Yang Chong Zu’s identity and strength, only by challenging the Hundred Flowers Lady Min You Ning within the imperial city of Qiao Country and provoking the entire order of Qiao Country could he truly face a life and death crisis.

As for Gao Country’s Crown Prince Li Bang You, limited by his age, this body did not possess too much powerful strength. However, due to his Crown Prince identity and young age, it was very difficult to encounter a life and death crisis no matter how he sought death. Doing anything bad would be perceived as still having room for correction… If he directly provoked the lord Li Ji or the general of Jing Country’s Shooting Voice Army towards death, seeking death could easily become actual death. And with his individual strength, he was completely defenseless. Grand Master Yu Jing Qiu was a very good choice. Very dangerous, yet there existed a sliver of life – as long as he grasped the changes in people’s hearts and political influence within this. During the eruption of the Jing Empire’s westward expansion war, in the chaos of soldiers and horses, he had substituted into Li Bang You’s body. Using fright as an excuse, he had remained in bed for a long time, allowing the early signs of substitution’s disharmony to pass. Following the developmental trajectory of the Crown Prince of Gao Country, the lord of Gao Country, and the lord of the Northwest Five Nations Alliance, the future of this identity was also a smooth path.

Now, however, he had to advance and erupt, crossing the life and death calamity together with his original body. He had personally substituted into Li Bang You’s identity, contacted Yu Jing Qiu the most, and understood Yu Jing Qiu the most. Yu Jing Qiu’s pain, guilt, and struggle, he saw it all. Thus, every single word and sentence was a stab into Yu Jing Qiu’s heart! At this moment, he could only maintain the image of a naive nine-year-old Crown Prince, shouting in a high voice: “How do you still have the face to shout at the Son of Heaven and slander my imperial father?! A person who has destroyed the country and betrayed virtue, to this extent. Yu Jing Qiu! If I were you, I would crash my head and die to preserve my reputation!”

Yu Jing Qiu glared, his face a mix of complex emotions – angry and sorrowful, pained and disappointed. Li Bang You, in turn, was startled, his young face showing fear as he retreated.

Just at this moment, bang, bang, bang, bang, the sound of neat footsteps rang out. Team after team of armored soldiers, drawing their military knives, rushed directly into the palace gardens, completely surrounding the Crown Prince’s reading place, leaving no escape. Gao Country’s Crown Prince Li Bang You, while retreating backwards, pointed forward: “Grand Master Yu Jing Qiu intends to rebel and wishes to harm the country’s heir! You loyal young men of Gao Country, follow this orphan and kill him!”

Earlier today, before reading, he had, using his Crown Prince identity, secretly used a seal to forge the lord’s order, clandestinely transferring nearby troops. When the time came, he would himself appear and order the encirclement. Relying solely on the strength of these armored soldiers, they could not, of course, kill a God Arrival realm cultivator like Yu Jing Qiu. But would Yu Jing Qiu truly resist? If he dared to engage in a large-scale massacre within the palace gardens, Yu Jing Qiu would be considered rebellious whether he was or not, his lifetime of clear fame ruined in an instant.

For Li Bang You, who possessed almost no individual combat strength, his situation in this process was extremely dangerous, as his life and death depended largely on Yu Jing Qiu’s choice. But it was a gamble worth taking! There were many ways to lose one’s head, and a coup was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous. Flipping through history books, seizing the imperial throne, fighting powerful ministers – none were without bloodshed and severed heads.

Li Bang You was unsure if Yu Jing Qiu would be restrained enough, foolishly loyal enough. Although his analysis was sufficient and he had verified it many times, the key moment of life and death revealed true hearts. He was even more unsure whether Li Ji, who was already on his way back to the country, would let him go. Li Ji deeply respected Yu Jing Qiu, and the current Gao Guo desperately needed Yu Jing Qiu. But this was the tribulation he had bitterly contemplated for a long time, the only one he could cross with Li Bang You’s identity! This body’s tribulation was first Yu Jing Qiu, then Li Ji. His life and death were always controlled by others; he could only maneuver between them relying on Li Bang You’s identity. For a person like him, accustomed to controlling the overall situation, this was the most unadapted tribulation. But where in the world was there a perfect method? A person who had climbed step by step to this point, relying on himself, had long been accustomed to taking risks.

Li Bang You calmly retreated with great effort, fear difficult to hide on his young face. His small body was almost swallowed by the tide of tall armored soldiers. But when he turned his head outside the palace gardens to look back, his cold eyes reflected the mottled palace walls, the surging tide of people. And this country’s Grand Tutor, the foremost expert of the God Arrival realm… had not rushed out.

Yu Liangfu retracted his distant gaze. The words “White Deer Academy,” glorious in the sunlight, were abandoned behind him as his line of sight shifted with the young man’s movement.

“Hey! Country bumpkin come!” A voice of arrogant demeanor shouted like this: “Go clean up the target field!” This was followed by a wave of echoing laughter. A group of people clustered around one person, walking past in front of Yu Liangfu. White Deer Academy was a subordinate academy of Qingya Academy, arguably even the best affiliated academy. Every year, several excellent students successfully entered Qingya Academy for further study. The person currently surrounded by the crowd, Li Yuwu, was the most promising student of this session, even likely to become a true disciple of Qingya directly.

As for Yu Liangfu, he was the most stupid student in White Deer Academy. He was not good at composing poetry, not good at writing prose, his calligraphy was unformed, his sword technique was unformed; nothing was formed. Others read books and never forgot what they saw; he remembered the end and forgot the beginning, remembered the beginning and forgot the end. The same article, Li Yuwu could recite after reading it once, while he would stumble after five or six days of memorizing. The reason for offending Li Yuwu was no longer remembered, but in general, it was a lack of foresight. So being bullied was a natural thing. At first, he would resist, but each time he was beaten more miserably. One time he was severely bullied, beaten half to death and kicked into the river, almost perishing. After being fished out, he fell gravely ill, and thereafter became more silent. When bullied, he no longer resisted, letting them hit and scold him. After a long time, it became meaningless. Li Yuwu no longer bullied him much, only occasionally ordering him around. Just like today, after his fellow disciples finished practicing archery, he was told to clean up. How normal was this?

What was unexpected was that Yu Liangfu, sitting on the stone steps, did not move, not even glancing in this direction. “Hmm?” Li Yuwu twisted his head: “You still aren’t moving?” “Is he deaf?” his followers shouted. An eager senior brother, rolling up his sleeves, walked towards him: “Surname Yu, Senior Brother Li is talking to you, do you hear or not, you motherfucker?”

“I originally wanted to accompany you all nicely…” Yu Liangfu finally turned his head, looked at them, and on that dull face, revealed a helpless smile: “But I don’t have time now.”

“What does ‘no time’ mean?” The displeased Li Yuwu turned around completely, drew his bow, notched an arrow in one breath, and aimed at Yu Liangfu: “Get over here quickly! If you’re a step late, I’ll nail a hole in you, do you believe it or not?” Shooting a ground squirrel was a very interesting game, shooting arrows one after another at its behind, forcing the other side to run around like a rabbit. It was also not without its fun.

That senior brother who rolled up his sleeves had already walked in front of Yu Liangfu, cursing and blurting out a slap: “No time, no time, do you want to go back and attend a funeral ah… Ah ah ah ah… Ah!”

His slap was easily caught by Yu Liangfu, and after a twist, his wrist bone snapped. With a shake, his entire arm cracked, completely disabled! He painfully knelt before Yu Liangfu, wailing, while fearfully trying to escape far away. But his wrist was still tightly grasped by Yu Liangfu, making escape impossible. He was like a struggling dog. His own right hand had become the chain imprisoning him.

“Yu Liangfu! Let go!” Li Yuwu’s bowstring was taut, the arrowhead flickering with cold light: “Otherwise, I’ll kill you and still have a valid reason!” He hadn’t called Yu Liangfu by this name in a long time, and he never would have thought that he would mention it again in such a moment. Yu Liangfu clearly didn’t feel this was an honor. He still held the person on the ground with one hand as if wanting to slaughter a dog, while remaining seated on the stone steps, his eyes calmly looking at Li Yuwu, as if gambling on the other person’s courage.

Li Yuwu could no longer restrain himself, the Dao Yuan within his body surging madly, the arrow leaving the string and flying! Whoosh! Yu Liangfu stomped down, crushing the person in front of him, his wail together with his cervical vertebra. He leaped up, his body in the air like a jumping dragon, catching the swiftly shot arrow in one grab, rawly shattering the heaven and earth Yuan force attached to the arrow shaft!

Li Yuwu only felt his eyes blur. The once weak Yu Liangfu had crashed into him, holding the arrow he had shot out, using the arrow as a dagger, piercing cleanly into his heart! His treasured clothes, his physical body, were like paper thin. His internal organs collapsing! His Dao Yuan scattering! The magnificent Confucian robe was immediately stained with fresh blood. Li Yuwu’s eyes were filled with fear; he was still very young, he still had a bright future, he didn’t want to die!

“Cover it.” Yu Liangfu said softly. Very naturally, he picked up his hand, hand in hand, teaching him to grip the arrow shaft tightly over his heart, his expression very peaceful: “Don’t be nervous, it’s not that easy to die.” Li Yuwu wanted to apologize, wanted to beg for mercy, but fresh blood surged into his trachea, only a heh heh sound could be emitted from his throat. He gripped the arrow stuck in his heart tightly, veins bulging on his hand! The desire to live overcame everything. He covered his own wound very tightly, unwilling to let too much blood flow out. His constantly weakening body slid down, falling like a pile of rotten mud. But Yu Liangfu thoughtfully grabbed his hair, supporting him.

Holding the most promising student of White Deer Academy in this way, Yu Liangfu calmly looked at the several fellow disciples who were already scared silly and said softly: “I remember… Senior Brother Li Yuwu has a father who is a God Arrival realm cultivator?”

After receiving a nod of confirmation. He lifted his chin and said lightly: “Just you, go call him. Come save his son.”

This body’s innate talent was truly very poor. After substituting for so long, he had only cultivated to the outer building realm. But since he was leading this body, an ordinary God Arrival realm cultivator would have a very difficult time bringing him a life and death crisis. Fighting was impossible, but escaping was too easy. Thus, he continued to pull Li Yuwu’s hair, then turned to look at another person: “The Dean is in the thatched hut in the back mountain, isn’t he?”

After receiving a response trembling with fear, he said again: “Go report.”

After successively calling two people to run errands, Yu Liangfu looked around again. Wherever his gaze fell, everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter. He smiled: “All of you, scram. Report if you want, report to the officials if you want, bring reinforcements if you want, go think of a way to bring me a little danger. Otherwise, today, all of you will die.”

He finished this threat very gently. He exerted force with his hand, and with a bang! Li Yuwu, who was still trying to cover his heart, had his head explode open like a ripe watermelon. Green rind, red pulp, black seeds, held in a fair and tender palm.

It was not watermelon season, but this piece of watermelon was cut just right, very fresh. Red lips bit into the juicy red pulp. Fresh red watermelon juice flowed over plump lips, a tempting sight. The men who looked at her all swallowed their saliva together. That raised, swan-like neck, those deep, undulating mountains. All the beautiful scenery of the world was here; where could an old person be now replaced by a new one?

The dense, scorching gazes were all accepted. Luo Huanhuan ate the watermelon charmingly, but sighed lightly in her heart. A good identity, the most important thing was its upper limit, followed by its entry point. The higher the upper limit, the more possibilities. The better the entry point, the more natural the substitution. Besides, height and shortness didn’t matter, beauty and ugliness didn’t matter, male and female didn’t matter.

The reason for choosing to substitute into this body was to look at the development prospects of the Three Points Fragrance Building, and to look at the intelligence network of this organization. At that time, he noticed the transformation of the Three Points Fragrance Building and determined that this organization would have great development in the next twenty years. Hence, he only chose this Luo Huanhuan, only diligently cultivated a body of charm skills. Unfortunately, the organizational structure of the Three Points Fragrance Building was not as he had imagined, its internal tightness far exceeding his expectations. Therefore, after mixing for so long, he was unable to squeeze into the inner circle, let alone what heart fragrance, heavenly fragrance. With great difficulty, he finally grasped a key opportunity, seeing the dawn, yet time was already running out… Life and death tribulation, life and death tribulation. He still hadn’t fully grasped the bottom of the Three Points Fragrance Building. If he wanted to cause trouble within the Three Points Fragrance Building and use the Three Points Fragrance Building to cross the tribulation, the possibility of success was almost nonexistent. But in this small city now, who else was Luo Huanhuan unable to offend, who could bring her a threat?

“Motherfucker!” Luo Huanhuan suddenly swore amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding men, casually throwing the eaten watermelon rind on the ground. The sound of the watermelon rind shattering was like the blowing of a war horn. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! All the doors and windows upstairs and downstairs suddenly closed tightly. Luo Huanhuan extended her slender jade hand, easily grabbing an old man’s neck, twisting it casually, just like that, tearing it off directly!

She laughed in the spurting fresh blood: “Today, this old lady just wants to kill to her heart’s content, seeking the Dao through killing, and let’s see who within a thousand miles will come and eliminate this demon!”

A good pleasure house, a place of wind and moon. This one day, the doors and windows were tightly closed. No one knew what was happening inside, or how crazy the play was. Several patrons came over, but the door would not open. They could only curse and leave in disappointment. There was a carriage driver waiting outside for his master, who suddenly saw something flowing from the gap in the door. He approached to take a look and was so frightened he almost jumped. It was fresh blood! Fresh and bright blood snakes swam out of the door gap, swam onto the street, thousands upon thousands gathering together, suddenly forming a rushing flow, surging like a river. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The howl submerged the carriage driver and also swallowed the entire long street! Luo Huanhuan killed to her heart’s content, killing until the sky was dark and the earth was dark, a sea of blood tilting the city! Sea waves rolled, chasing each other into the distance.

The Zhenhai Alliance had been established for a considerable time. The pattern of the near-sea archipelago seemed to have undergone earth-shattering changes, yet upon careful observation, it seemed as if nothing had changed at all. This was especially true for the Nine Mysteries Gate. When Wei Xun created the Zhenhai Alliance, their Nine Mysteries Gate was among the first to respond, counting as a “from dragon minister” of sorts. They did, indeed, receive some benefits. But there were too many people reaching out and opening their mouths, and the power of Gu Huai Xin, the fourth elder of Diaohai Building on whom they relied, was declining… One could say they were up early but caught a late set. Immediately after, Chongjia Island was forcibly reclaimed by the Tian family, and the harvest was far from enough to make up for the losses.

They had originally thought that after the establishment of the Zhenhai Alliance, these ten sects would have more say. But in fact, nothing had changed. The big matters on the sea were still decided by Qi Country, Diaohai Building, and Yang Valley, who held the ranking order. Wei Xun summoned the strong ones, chopped off Wan Tong’s Dragon Horn, and returned, winning immense prestige for himself. But truthfully, he had only slightly delayed Qi Country’s expansion speed overseas. Qi Country hadn’t even paid much attention to overseas matters during this period, but what kind of momentum was a war that annihilated Xia? Who among the near-sea archipelago was not anxious? Now, the people of Jueming Island could cough at an alliance meeting, and the entire Zhenhai Alliance would tremble along with them. These matters above had not even been addressed yet.

As the great protector of the Nine Mysteries Gate, Shang Ji’an today personally banqueted Li Dao Rong of the Angry Whale Gang at the mountain gate, also in preparation for potential changes in the near-sea archipelago. Li Dao Rong was merely an outer building cultivator, nothing to pay attention to. But behind Li Dao Rong was the Angry Whale Gang, which had many people, numerous forces, and great potential. This Angry Whale Gang was very interesting. It had always developed on You Xia Island, gaining a foothold by relying on its massive base of gang members. They had originally relied on Hai Zongming, who died at the hands of Jiang Wang from Qi Country. The sea beast they originally protected was also killed by the sea-going Jiang Wang. They could be said to have a field of karmic ties with Jiang Wang. Originally, this was considered extremely bad luck, with a risk of overturning. Unexpectedly, their old enemy, the Five Immortals Gate, was actually annihilated overnight. The Angry Whale Gang was confused from top to bottom, but they monopolized You Xia Island. Later, they brought the entire You Xia Island with them and joined the Town Sea Alliance, thereby winning massive support and entering a period of high-speed development. Li Dao Rong then emerged during this period, promoted from the inner mansion to the outer building, even retaining the possibility of reaching the divine arrival realm. Moreover, his methods were quite good, and he had considerable influence within the Angry Whale Gang. The Angry Whale Gang’s gang leader was still there, but Shang Ji’an could clearly see that the current Angry Whale Gang was still under Li Dao Rong’s sway. With his status as the great protector of the Nine Mysteries Gate, he had long called Li Dao Rong brothers. This time, he even brought Li Dao Rong into the mountain gate to entertain him. For three full days, every kind of treatment was given. He hinted many rounds, both directly and indirectly, but this fellow’s attitude remained ambiguous. He didn’t say yes, nor did he say no.

Shang Ji’an decided to get straight to the point and directly discuss the merger of the Nine Mysteries Gate and the Angry Whale Gang. He picked up the carved great kun jade wine pot and personally poured a cup of wine for Li Dao Rong, softening his voice: “Dao Rong, ah, how would you say old brother treats you?”

“That still needs to be said?” Li Dao Rong said, slightly drunk: “You are my own big brother!”

Shang Ji’an clinked cups with him, his emotions full as he said: “Dao Rong, you are a talent. You are burying your talent in the Angry Whale Gang! Your Angry Whale Gang is too small, bullied miserably by the people of Qi Country, ah! That Jiang Wang acted tyrannically and bullied you in the beginning. Old brother still feels wronged for you now when he hears about it!”

“Yes, yes, who says not?” Li Dao Rong also felt wronged for a few sentences, then lifted his eyes, gazing brightly at Shang Ji’an: “Shang big brother, you specifically mentioned this matter today to help little brother find that whatever Wu An Marquis and bully him back?”

Shang Ji’an cursed the dog fox in his heart. On his face, he said sincerely: “We won’t talk about the people of Qi Country, that’s a matter for the superiors and the alliance leader. But we ourselves must also have our own considerations, right? The sea waves are big, and it will be very difficult to be peaceful afterwards. You say, if our two families merge into one, we’ll have people and we’ll have money. Who would dare to bully your Angry Whale Gang? As for you, Li Dao Rong personally… old brother feels you deserve a position as a protector of the Nine Mysteries Gate!”

Li Dao Rong laughed drunkenly for a few sounds. Shang Ji’an originally thought he would continue to face this fellow’s evasion, maneuvering, and muddling, but he suddenly stopped his wine cup and looked over very formally: “Old brother, then little brother will also give you a bottom line… Can the Nine Mysteries superior return today?”

Shang Ji’an cursed angrily in his heart, what are you, deserving the gate master to personally communicate with you? But thinking of the sect’s great plans, he finally only smiled: “Of course, the superior also greatly values your talent, old brother. The discussion of the Town Sea Alliance has already ended; he will return tonight!”

“That’s very good.” Li Dao Rong said with a smile: “Then I think I have already made preparations!”

“Hahaha…” Shang big brother and Li old brother exchanged glances, then raised their cups, laughing heartily, very genuinely emotional. Splash la la, splash la la. Outside the building, the sea wind rolled. Outside the island, the sea tide was uninterrupted. Uneasy, is the sea’s eternal state.