The Zhou Household Retreats
Chaotic Sea, Sea Abyss Sea Region, Divine Sword Island.
A gentle sea breeze blew in from the horizon, making his black hair fly and his clothes flutter. Yang Tianyou stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the shimmering water and the red sun rising from the horizon in the distance. A slight smile appeared on his lips.
Just now, the Heavenly Dao Contract that had bound him deep within his soul finally collapsed and disappeared. The heavy stone that had weighed on his heart for a hundred years shattered into dust. Naturally, he was overjoyed and in a good mood.
At Yang Tianyou's level, his heart is in harmony with heaven and earth, and every move he makes can influence the surrounding environment. When he is happy, the world seems to come alive and brighten, making it easy for people to perceive his good mood.
"Nineteenth Uncle, is there good news from the Lineage?" Yang Xuanwu walked up from behind and asked softly.
"Yes, the Luochuan Sect has been destroyed. From now on, our Lineage will have exclusive control of two prefectures. Our Lineage foundation will be even stronger, and our prospects for development will be even better." Yang Tianyou turned around and said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xuanwu was overjoyed. The stronger the Lineage, the greater the support they, as high-ranking members, would receive, and the smoother their path to immortality would be.
In addition to emotional bonds, the connection of interests is also essential between Lineage and clansmen. Otherwise, no matter how deep the friendship is, if one only makes others give without receiving anything in return, it will eventually be worn away.
Why are the Yang Household's top leaders making such efforts to expand the Lineage?
It's true that we want our blood relatives to live better lives and go further on the path to immortality.
But most of the time, it's actually for their own benefit.
Only when the Lineage becomes powerful can it provide sufficient support for them to climb to higher Immortal Realm.
Yang Tianyou looked at the junior in front of him, the one he was most satisfied with, and said with a faint smile, "Xuanwu, we also need to speed up the development of Divine Sword Island. With the Eight Desolations Arena and the Sea Abyss Sect as our support, as well as the numerous allied forces within the Four Symbols Legacy, the development environment here is even better than that of the Northern River Region. Remember to seize this opportunity and not let it slip away."
"Furthermore, according to the predictions of the Human Race's high-ranking officials, the Interface War is not far off, at most a hundred years. The greatest upheaval in the Lu Wu Realm in the past 100,000 years is about to begin."
This is dangerous, but also fortuitous opportunity. Whether or not one can seize this chance to achieve Sacred Land depends on this one gamble!
"And the deeper the Lineage's foundation, the more calmly it can cope with calamities."
Yang Xuanwu listened quietly, and after Yang Tianyou finished speaking, he nodded slightly and smiled, "Sixth Uncle and the others also have this opinion, but the drawbacks of Divine Sword Island are still too great. The number of cultivators and the Mortal population are major problems. If we want to develop and grow rapidly, we must have the support of the Lineage's main base!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Tianyou nodded slightly and said, "I understand. Now that the Lineage has acquired Luochuan Commandery, it has no power to expand further in the short term."
On the Demon Race's side, the Azure Flame Spirit Lion Clan is keeping an eye on things.
On the Human Race side, the Mountain and River Hall's tolerance has also reached its limit.
If it weren't for Senior Brother Ba Huang's sake, the Luochuan Sect probably wouldn't have been destroyed!
"Besides the Mountain and River Hall, other Commandery-Level Power, as well as the Qin Household, will not sit idly by and watch us continue to expand our territory and grow stronger. Therefore, the main focus of the Lineage for the next few decades will be on the Chaotic Sea."
"Once the Lineage has fully digested the interests in Luochuan Commandery, it will immediately form Cross-Region Fleet to provide comprehensive support to Divine Sword Island. This support will include not only a large supply of resources but also a large Mortal population. Lineage cultivators will also continuously come to your aid to support your outward expansion."
"With the support of the Lineage, things will be much easier. The Spirit-Suppressing Sea Region, which is right next to the Sea Abyss Sea Region, is completely scattered and lacks a powerful leader. Although there are quite a few Commandery-Level Power there, my Yang Household is not afraid at all and can use it as a breakthrough point." Yang Xuanwu offered his opinion.
Yang Tianyou agreed with his assessment, saying, "The Spirit-Suppressing Sea Region is indeed a good entry point. With the arrival of the Interface War, the top powers will definitely strengthen their control over the Lu Wu Realm."
Loose areas like the Spirit-Suppressing Sea Region will gradually be annexed by various major forces in the future, and their carefree days will come to an end.
"Although the Yang Household's strength is far inferior to that of Province-Level Power, with the support of the Eight Desolations Arena and the Sea Abyss Sect, we are more than capable of participating in this feast of division."
Yang Xuanwu looked thoughtful and said, "So, it seems the higher-ups of the Lu Wu Realm will form an Alliance afterward, right? After all, unified forces will be better able to deal with crises."
Upon hearing this, Yang Tianyou's face showed a hint of appreciation. "It's very good that you can see this. The subsequent wars of annexation are preparations for the establishment of the Alliance. How much influence you can have in the Alliance will also be reflected in your war performance."
"Of course, as members of the Four Symbols Legacy, we naturally have an advantage in terms of status. Moreover, Senior Brother Ba Huang has long been preparing to gather the various forces of the Four Symbols Legacy together to establish the Four Symbols Alliance, thereby concentrating the power of the Four Symbols Legacy through a contract."
"If the Four Symbols Alliance is successfully established, my Yang Household, as the legitimate heirs of the White Tiger Lineage, will surely gain significant influence. Using this as a springboard, we will also secure a place among the high-ranking forces of the entire Lu Wu Realm."
"In order not to disgrace this identity, and to consolidate the power of the Four Symbols Alliance, the Lineage must adopt a proactive attitude and demonstrate its strength. This will reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble."
"Only with strength, power, and ruthlessness can we earn respect and not be regarded as Yang Household vassals of the Eight Desolations Arena."
"The Cultivation World is ultimately a place where strength matters. If you're weaker than others, no matter how powerful your backing is, they'll still look down on you."
Yang Tianyou's words were not only for Yang Xuanwu, but also for himself.
The destruction of the Luochuan Sect is merely the beginning of the Yang Household's path to dominance. They must not become arrogant because of this, but must always maintain a spirit of enterprise in order to carve out their own territory in this cruel Cultivation World.
Luochuan Commandery, Luochuan Island.
Amidst the rising winds and swirling clouds, two forces confronted each other across the sky. Their powerful auras clashed, generating substantial pressure that caused giant waves to surge across the surface of the Luochuan River below.
The tense atmosphere made the lower-level Cultivators sweat with anxiety, especially the major forces in Zhou Commandery, who trembled with fear.
This is the Yang Household, the Lineage that routed Iron Lion Ridge and forced the Iron Lion King to cede territory and sue for peace. Their fighting strength is absolutely incomparable to that of the Luochuan Sect.
Just by looking at the enemy's Fleet configuration, one can see the difference in strength between the two sides: a full two Fifth-Tier War Flying Vessels, twelve Fourth Tier War Flying Vessels, and even more Third Tier and Tier 2 War Flying Vessels.
Not to mention, directly in front of the Fleet, a blue figure standing about ten feet tall stood in the air, his powerful aura of Spirit Transformation Late Stage stirring up the clouds for thousands of miles, like mountains pressing down on the hearts of the Zhou Commandery cultivators, making many of them breathless.
"Are we really going to fight the Yang Household? How can we possibly win?" A Middle-aged Cultivator, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, asked with a bitter expression.
An elderly man beside him also looked grim, but he clearly knew some inside information. Hearing the middle-aged man's words, he whispered, "Don't worry, even if this war is fought, it'll only be a token effort. The Zhou Household isn't stupid; they wouldn't knowingly fight a losing battle."
Another young Cultivator spoke up, "Don't forget, have we occupied any territory along the way? Clearly, the Zhou Household had no intention of occupying Luochuan Commandery; they just wanted to plunder some supplies and then retreat."
"Oh, that's good. You scared me to death. If we went to war with the Yang Household, I don't know how many of us would have perished." The middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and patted his chest as he spoke.
The tense atmosphere lasted for an hour. Then, the voice of the Zhou Household's Spirit Transformation cultivator spread like a vast cloud, and the content of his words made all the Cultivators breathe a sigh of relief.
"Retreat!"
Call!!
A strong wind howled, Zhou Commandery Fleet slowly retreated until it was a hundred miles away, then turned its bows and sped eastward.
The Yang Household Fleet followed them all the way to the border between Luochuan Commandery and Zhou Commandery before stopping.
At this moment, a Flying Boat bearing the Zhou Household emblem returned, released a group of people, and then hurriedly withdrew.
These people were none other than the Yun Household members who had been captured by the Zhou Household's Spirit Transformation. The Yang Household claimed that they had paid a heavy price and engaged in fierce negotiations to redeem the Yun Household.
Whether outsiders believe it or not is irrelevant; the Yang Household has already done everything they could, and their outward appearances have been impeccably maintained.
Not only did they risk the invasion of Iron Lion Ridge to drive away the Zhou Commandery coalition, but they also preserved the seeds of the Luochuan Sect.
If anyone dares to gossip, the Yang Household will dare to eliminate them without leaving any evidence against them.
True Person Yunting raised his head with a rather dejected expression, looking at the massive Fleet stretching for dozens of miles before him, a sigh quietly passing through his heart.
The Escape Light descended from the Fleet, transforming into a squad of the Purple Moon Army clad in Battle Armor and displaying high morale.
Yang Yusheng clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, "I humbly request that Senior Yun accompany me back to my Lineage to discuss the reconstruction of the Luochuan Sect!"