Chapter 273: Ancient Yao (I)

During the conference, there were many activities, banquets, and exchanges. Most of them had nothing to do with people like Lin Zheyu, who lacked any background. Those types of people had merely been brought in by others. Although they possessed the qualification to participate in the martial cultivation exchange conference, they were only there to broaden their horizons. The core of the conference had nothing to do with them.

"Brother Zhao, the conference has already begun. Are you not going into the arena? If you become famous in a single battle and catch the eye of other forces or sects, you will soar like a carp leaping through the dragon gate," Li Yanming said with a smile. He raised his wine cup and toasted Lin Zheyu.

Li Mengxi and the others had gone to attend the Wuji Sect banquet. Neither Li Yanming nor Lin Zheyu was a part of the Li Family direct lineage, so they had no way to follow them inside. Even among esteemed family descendants, only direct lineage members and genius disciples were qualified to enter. This kind of martial cultivation exchange conference was both a gathering for disciples of various forces and sects to spar and exchange ideas and broaden their knowledge, and an opportunity for them to make friends and expand their connections.

Although Lin Zheyu felt some regret, he did not mind it too much. Being able to mingle within this circle was already quite good. Now that he had cultivation techniques, all that remained was for him to steadily improve his strength.

"There’s no rush. The truly formidable experts have not made their move yet. Going up now would only waste strength," Lin Zheyu said as he shook his head.

He leisurely sipped his tea and listened to the storyteller recount tales, feeling that life was very comfortable. This kind of calm, waterlike life of slowly accumulating strength was quite nice.

"You really are patient. If I did not know your background, it would be hard to imagine that you could comprehend a Dominance true intent seed," Li Yanming said.

"Dominance does not mean belligerence. Only those people from the War God Sect are warmongers. I am a peace-loving, good person," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"I really envy those esteemed family descendants. I heard that at last night's banquet, several Grandmaster realm experts exchanged insights and sparred on the spot, expounding on their own Grandmaster realm paths. The younger generation disciples present all gained considerable inspiration and understanding. If they can step onto the Grandmaster realm path in the future, it will be much smoother. That is the true core of the martial cultivation exchange conference. People like us are only here to join in the excitement," Li Yanming said with a sigh.

From his words, one could hear his envy toward those esteemed family and sect disciples, as well as his helplessness and dissatisfaction with his own origins. Lin Zheyu had heard him complain like this more than once.

"Why think so much? How many can truly become grandmasters?" Lin Zheyu said freely as he shook his head.

"

Haha

. You really see things clearly. With your aptitude and comprehension, your future achievements will certainly not be beneath mine. Have you ever thought about joining a sect or seeking refuge with another esteemed family, brother?" Li Yanming asked casually.

"I have no such plans for now. Those top-tier sects do not accept martial artists of my age. As for slightly inferior sects, I am unwilling to be constrained just to join them, and as for relying on other esteemed families, that is even less worth mentioning." Lin Zheyu lifted his wine, gestured toward Li Yanming, and spoke with a faint smile.

"You truly have an unrestrained and free-spirited temperament. However, the path of Martial cultivation is filled with thorns and is extremely difficult. Without guidance and without sufficient cultivation resources, achieving success is far too difficult. Although I admire your temperament, I still advise you to seize opportunities the moment they appear, lest you miss them and regret it later," Li Yanming said with some deeper meaning.

Lin Zheyu smiled faintly and did not take up the topic, instead silently drinking a cup by himself. This fellow gave him a somewhat strange feeling. Their acquaintance was clearly shallow, no more than a nodding acquaintance, yet the other party behaved as if he were opening his heart to him. Everyone was already an adult, long past the age of being guileless like children.

Lin Zheyu guessed that the other party might have ulterior motives. However, he did not expose it. If the other party did not say it, neither would he, and he simply would not follow up on Li Yanming's words.

***

"It was too sudden. I heard that the entire Southern Barbarian Region has fallen and been occupied by the Nine Nether Sect," someone in the teahouse said in an uncertain, alarmed tone.

"What? Such a thing actually happened?" his companion exclaimed in shock.

His voice rose several notches, drawing the attention of others. Even Lin Zheyu looked over curiously. Those who could enter Wuji Manor were all figures of some standing. Although most of those sitting in the teahouse lacked the qualifications to attend the Wuji Sect banquet, their social circle was still beyond the reach of ordinary people. Many of the topics they discussed greatly interested Lin Zheyu.

"You must be joking. Great Wei sent so many troops there, along with a large number of experts."

"Even then, the defenses were breached?"

"It is true. Why would I lie to you? I have a friend in the War God Sect. Those warmongers from the War God Sect dispatched many genius disciples to follow the army to the front lines. The latest news they sent back says that the entire Southern Barbarian Region has fallen. The Ancient Yao Clan joined forces with the Nine Nether Sect. With the northern barbarians holding them back, the sea clans harassing from the east, and yao and demons causing chaos in the west, Great Wei simply cannot handle everything at once," the man revealing the news said confidently.

"The news will likely spread very soon. The core members of the major sects and esteemed families already know about it. You only need to ask around to learn quite a bit."

Lin Zheyu's perception was extremely sharp, and he heard the entire conversation clearly. His heart was filled with shock.

When he left Bafang City half a year ago, the city had been peaceful, with no news of war at all. Even at the speed at which the Nine Nether Sect conquered cities and territories, it should have taken at least several years to reach Bafang City.

"Brother Zhao, where are you going?" Li Yanming asked curiously when he saw Lin Zheyu stand up.

They were seated some distance from the group that had been talking earlier, and Li Yanming's perception was relatively weak, so he had not heard their conversation. He noticed a burst of startled exclamations from afar but did not sense anything unusual. Such reactions were common within the Wuji Sect, which was filled with martial artists, and were nothing out of the ordinary.

"I will go over for a moment. Brother Yanming, you sit for now," Lin Zheyu said as he turned his head, then walked straight toward the group in discussion.

Quite a few curious martial artists gathered around and joined the conversation.

"Yes, it should have fallen half a month or a month ago. The merchant caravans we sent to the Southern Barbarian Region should have returned a month ago, but there has been no news at all. Starting from half a month ago, fewer and fewer caravans came out of the Southern Barbarian Region. In the past few days, there has not been even a single one.

"Many people guessed that powerful yaos appeared along the routes the caravans traveled. No one expected that the entire Southern Barbarian Region would fall. It is simply unbelievable," a burly man said.

"Friend, you say the Southern Barbarian Region has completely fallen. Did no one escape to spread the news?" Lin Zheyu asked as he squeezed into the crowd.

Some of his former friends, his master, and his senior brothers were still in Bafang City, and worry arose in his heart. If the entire region had truly fallen, he did not know whether they were still safe.

"How could it get out? Powerful members of the Ancient Yao Clan secretly infiltrated Great Wei and cut off the connection between the Southern Barbarian Region and the Central Plains. Even the armies Great Wei sent to the front lines were trapped. Ordinary people had even less chance of escaping," the man said as he shook his head.

"What kind of race is the Ancient Yao Clan? Are they very strong?" Lin Zheyu asked.

He had only recently come into contact with this circle and knew little about many things. If not for this man mentioning it, Lin Zheyu had not even heard of the Ancient Yao Clan before.

"Of course they are strong. They are terrifying beings formed when exotic beasts cultivate into yao. Every single member is frighteningly powerful. No one expected the Ancient Yao Clan, which has always been at deadly odds with the Nine Nether Sect, to actually cooperate," the man said with emotion.

Previously, it was precisely because the Ancient Yao Clan restrained the Nine Nether Sect that the Southern Barbarian Region remained as stable as a mountain. Even without the Ancient Yao Clan holding them back, Great Wei's military strength should have been enough to suppress the Southern Barbarian Region. What no one expected was that the Ancient Yao Clan and the Nine Nether Sect would cooperate.

"Brother Zhao, do you have friends in the Southern Barbarian Region?" Li Yanming asked.

Seeing Lin Zheyu walk over, he followed out of curiosity. He had personally led the investigation into the identity of Zhao Hao before and was very familiar with it. They had guessed that Zhao Hao was very likely from the Southern Barbarian Region.

"I previously traveled around the Southern Barbarian Region for several years and made some friends. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, it would be conquered by the Nine Nether Sect? The changes of the world are truly unpredictable. I wonder how they are doing now," Lin Zheyu said, mixing in truth and falsehoodhalf true and half false.

His lament over the unpredictability of the world was genuine, but saying he had only gone to the Southern Barbarian Region for leisure was false. With the Nine Nether Sect, yaos, demons, and now the emergence of the Ancient Yao Clan that were sentient, Lin Zheyu increasingly felt that this world was far less simple than it appeared. It seemed like a ruined cultivation world, where the immortal Dao was no longer evident and martial cultivation reigned supreme.