The Embryonic Form of a Power

"Oh, relocating out of the Northern Xuan Region..."

Upon hearing Qing Tan announce the punishment imposed on them by the Darkness Tribunal, the many leaders of the Southern River Realm forces present were stunned. After a long while, when they came to their senses, their expressions changed slightly.

Relief, shock, unease, fear and other expressions appeared one after another on their faces, like a captivating comic strip.

To their relief, the Tribunal Army did not exterminate them, thus avoiding the worst-case scenario like that of the Fire Cloud Sect.

However, the punishment of being relocated from the Northern Xuan Region was difficult for many forces in the Southern River Realm to accept, and some even resisted it.

After all, they had worked hard for decades in the Southern River Realm to build up their business. If they moved out easily, whether they chose the neighboring Eastern Xuan Region, the distant Western Xuan Region, or even the Southern Xuan Region, they would encounter unknown dangers and might even face annihilation.

Therefore, even though the Tribunal Army's punishment was lenient, the faces of many powerful figures present still turned somewhat grim.

"Lord Qing Tan, we have been rooted in the Southern River Realm for a long time and have always been loyal to the Darkness Hall. I wonder if you could forgive us for relocating from the Northern Xuan Region. It has really taken a heavy toll on our strength."

In the crowd, an old man in a yellow robe cupped his hands to Qing Tan and pleaded.

As the saying goes, "A person thrives when they move, but a tree dies when it is moved." Although a force is composed of many people, it is like a tree deeply rooted in the local area. If it is moved easily, it will be equivalent to suffering a devastating blow.

As soon as he finished speaking, several people pleaded, "Yes, Sect Leader Mo is right. Lord Qing Tan, please have mercy on us and let us go. We guarantee that we have absolutely not participated in the Fire Cloud Sect's rebellion."

"Lord Qing Tan is wise enough to allow us to remain in the Southern River Realm..."

Within the hall, cries of pleas rose and fell, clearly indicating that none of the leaders of these forces wanted to leave the Southern River Realm and relocate from the Northern Xuan Region.

In the past, they certainly wouldn't have dared to haggle with the Darkness Tribunal Army reputation that resounded throughout the Northern Xuan Region.

But who could stop them from pleading for her? It was the young Qing Tan, who was not only of noble birth but also an innocent girl who had only recently joined the Tribunal Army. Perhaps if they pleaded with her, she might soften her heart and things would take a turn for the better.

Faced with the noisy pleas in the living room, Qing Tan frowned slightly, but then her pretty face suddenly turned cold, and she shouted in a cold voice.

"Enough! Our Tribunal Army is here to inform you of the punishment results, not to negotiate with you. If you don't want to relocate from the Northern Xuan Region, that's fine, but then you'll all be considered accomplices of the Fire Cloud Sect and will be wiped out immediately!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qing Tan's cold eyes swept across the entire scene. Although she only possessed the strength of the Life Profound Stage Small Success, the oppressive aura she exuded sent a chill down the spines of all the faction leaders present.

Only then did they realize that the trial participant in front of them was a personally favored disciple of Bo Xuan, the Hall Master of the Darkness Hall, and naturally would not have the so-called soft-hearted nature.

Seeing this, Lin Langtian pursed his lips slightly and looked deeply at Qing Tan.

Qing Tan is indeed Qing Tan; she adapted to the Darkness Tribunal so quickly. Here, there is no mercy, only bloodshed. Otherwise, excessive mercy would become one's fatal weakness.

If nothing unexpected happens, even without Lin Langtian's protection, Qing Tan will grow up in the Tribunal Army, just like in the original timeline, then take charge of the Darkness Tribunal, and finally inherit Bo Xuan's position as Hall Master after his death.

"So, have you decided? To leave or to stay!" At this moment, Qing Tan looked around in the center of the living room and asked with a pretty but cold expression.

"Well..."

Upon hearing Qing Tan's words, the leaders of the various factions present exchanged bewildered glances. At this point, they no longer harbored any illusions; they were faced with only two paths: to leave or to stay.

After a moment's thought, the group gritted their teeth and said in a solemn voice, "We agree to move out of the Northern Xuan Region!"

If they did not relocate, they would only be wiped out by the Tribunal Army like the Fire Cloud Sect. Although relocating out of the Northern Xuan Region was equally risky, at least there was still a glimmer of hope. Therefore, the leaders of the forces present all knew which choice to make.

"Alas, our Divine Fist Sect has been established in the Southern River Domain for decades, yet one day we'll have to move to a new place. Truly, life is unpredictable..."

"Yeah, we were all screwed over by that old bastard Tang Lie. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be in this mess..."

"Let's not talk about this now. Let's think about where we'll go after we leave the Northern Xuan Region..."

"Where else can we go? The closest place to our Southern River Realm is the Eastern Xuan Region. As for the Western Xuan Region, it's too far, and the Southern Xuan Region is even more remote."

"The Eastern Xuan Region? It's a good place, but going there rashly will definitely lead to being ostracized or even suppressed by the local forces. What a headache..."

"Who can argue with that..."

In the living room, whispers rang out among the leaders of various factions. Although they had been expelled from the Northern Xuan Region by the Tribunal Army, not one of them dared to complain about the Darkness Hall.

Firstly, the Darkness Hall's dominance in the Northern Xuan Region had deeply resonated with the people. Secondly, they were also aware that the Tribunal Army had already shown mercy; otherwise, with the strength of the Darkness Tribunal, annihilating them all would have been no problem.

In the living room, Lin Langtian looked at the many powerful figures with troubled expressions, narrowed his eyes slightly, and then found a suitable moment to cough lightly, attracting everyone's attention.

"Everyone, I know you are worried that after leaving the Northern Xuan Region, you will feel lost in unfamiliar territory, or even be ostracized and suppressed by local forces. I have a suggestion for you, I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

"Oh, what suggestion?" someone asked curiously upon hearing this.

If it were advice from an ordinary person, it would be fine, but they had all witnessed Lin Langtian's reputation and strength firsthand, so they were quite interested in hearing his advice.

Upon hearing this, Lin Langtian smiled slightly and then said, "As the leaders of the forces in the Southern River Realm, you are all leaders of your own forces. I'm sure you all know that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. If your forces want to enter a new region, unless you are willing to give up some of your interests or your own strength is strong enough, you will inevitably encounter some troubles."

Hearing Lin Langtian say this, everyone nodded in agreement. Except for those remote and desolate areas, everywhere is xenophobic. After all, resources are limited, and local forces are obviously very resistant to outsiders.

Faced with this situation, there are only two solutions: one is to be strong enough to overpower the local authorities, and the other is to submit to or rely on the top local power and preserve oneself by compromising.

"Does Young Master Lin mean that we should seek refuge under a powerful force in the Eastern Xuan Region and thus receive protection?" someone asked.

Although they reign supreme in the Southern River Realm, in the Northern Xuan Region, they can only be considered a third-rate force, not even as good as the Fire Cloud Sect.

Therefore, even if they went to the Eastern Xuan Region, they obviously wouldn't become powerful dragons. In that case, it seems there's only one other path to take.

Thinking of this, many people's faces immediately turned grim. They were unfamiliar with the Eastern Xuan Region and how could they find a reliable and powerful force to rely on? If they made a wrong choice, they might be devoured without even leaving a bone.

After all, this world is cruel; there is no such thing as tenderness, only naked deceit and treachery.

Seeing that everyone was considering the second option, Lin Langtian shook his head and chuckled, "Gentlemen, haven't you considered becoming a powerful dragon yourselves to overpower those local bullies?"

"To become a powerful dragon myself?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, then looked at each other and said with a wry smile, "Is Young Master Lin joking? Our strength is probably not an advantage in the Eastern Xuan Region."

As one of the Four Great Xuan Regions, the Eastern Xuan Region may seem to be the weakest, but it is still a vast region with many powerful forces. It is also home to Eight Great Super Sects. These third-rate forces can only barely be considered on the surface. How can they be considered powerful dragons or suppress local snakes?

"Hehe, a single force won't do, but what if you all unite? This alliance brings together all the powerful forces in the Southern River Realm. It not only has immense strength, but it can also protect the rights and interests of its members."

The saying goes, "One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer." To put it bluntly, any single force present here would be nothing in the Northern Xuan Region or Eastern Xuan Region; they would be merely slightly larger grasshoppers, utterly insignificant to true powerhouses.

"But if twenty or thirty forces from the Southern River Realm were to unite, such immense power would be considered second-rate even within the entire Northern Xuan Region. And once this alliance is established, the forces present here will have sufficient security guarantees when they relocate to the Eastern Xuan Region." Lin Langtian smiled slightly and spoke.

Unlike other regions, the Darkness Hall holds absolute power in the Northern Xuan Region, unlike the Eastern Xuan Region or Western Xuan Region where various warlords vie for control.

Therefore, under the suppression of the Darkness Hall, there are no other powerful forces in the Northern Xuan Region. On the contrary, there are numerous scattered small forces, as numerous as stars in the sky.

In such a remote place as the Southern River Realm, there are twenty or thirty forces with experts at the Life Profound Stage. If all of them were gathered together, one can imagine how considerable a force that would be.

It should be noted that even the leaders of the Yuan Sect or the Hall Master of the Dao Sect only possess the strength of the Life Profound Stage Small Success, and there are as many as twenty or thirty such powerful individuals throughout the entire living room.

"To form an alliance..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback. No one expected Lin Langtian to make such a suggestion, which reminded them of Tang Lie.

Tang Lie invited them in the first place with the intention of annexing and winning them over, so that they could merge into a large force to expand their territory in the Eastern Xuan Region and be freed from the oppression of the Darkness Hall.

Tang Lie hadn't expected the Tribunal Army to move so quickly, not only destroying the Fire Cloud Sect but also completely annihilating his dream of becoming a powerful warlord.

What surprised many of the leaders present was that even though Tang Lie had been arrested, his idea was brought up again.

"It is good to form an alliance, but with so many forces in our Southern River Realm, and so many people in disarray, how can we act without a leader? Apart from Tang... Ni, I'm afraid there is no other person in the Southern River Realm who can command respect." The old man in the yellow robe pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

Lin Langtian's suggestion was indeed good. After all, the alliance of twenty or thirty forces in the Southern River Realm was indeed a very large one.

However, for an alliance to survive, it must have a backbone and a pillar. In the past, Tang Lie of the Fire Cloud Sect could have easily played this role.

But now that the Fire Cloud Sect has been destroyed, Tang Lie is about to be escorted to the headquarters of the Darkness Hall, and there are almost no suitable candidates.

Everyone nodded in agreement. A snake cannot move without a head, and a bird cannot fly without wings. Without a leader, even if an alliance is formed, it will eventually fall apart due to internal strife.

"Hehe, finding a leader of the alliance is not difficult. As the saying goes, what seems far away is actually right in front of you. I, Lin Langtian, am going to recommend myself. I wonder what you all think?" At this moment, Lin Langtian smiled faintly and then said confidently.

As soon as Lin Langtian finished speaking, the hall fell silent. Everyone stared at Lin Langtian in surprise, clearly not expecting Lin Langtian to be interested in the Southern River Realm Alliance.

After all, Lin Langtian's current identity is Qing Tan's Shadow Guard. If Qing Tan can become the Hall Master of the Darkness Hall in the future, then Lin Langtian's status will be even more noble. How could he possibly look down on their second-rate alliance?

"I'm sure you all know something about me. I come from the Eastern Xuan Region, not the Northern Xuan Region. Qing Tan is my sister, and I only serve as her Shadow Guard to protect her. Therefore, I will not stay in the Darkness Hall to develop my career."

"So if you all trust me, I am willing to protect your interests, and even one day, develop the Southern River Realm Alliance into one of the most powerful forces in the Eastern Xuan Region." As if seeing the doubts of the crowd, Lin Langtian chuckled.

Upon hearing Lin Langtian's words, the leaders of the various forces present were taken aback, but then their faces lit up with excitement. If Lin Langtian were truly willing to take on the role of leader of the alliance, he would indeed be an extremely suitable candidate.

In terms of strength, Lin Langtian defeated the Blood Puppet, who was at the Half-step Death Profound Stage, at such a young age, and almost no one could disagree. In terms of background, Lin Langtian was the elder brother of Qing Tan, the future Hall Master, and had a powerful backing.

"Hehe, I wonder what we would need to give up if we joined the alliance?" The old man in the yellow robe smiled, then looked at Lin Langtian and asked politely.

"Anyone who joins the alliance cannot consider themselves as part of their original power. Instead, they must regard the alliance as a whole and safeguard all its interests," Lin Langtian said calmly. His words were simple, but to do them would require a great deal of effort.

Hearing Lin Langtian's casual words, the old man in the yellow robe and the others were slightly taken aback, and then hesitated.

They could naturally understand the implication: if they joined the alliance, their original power would cease to exist, and they would have to prioritize the new alliance and dedicate everything to it.

Lin Langtian was absolutely unwilling to back down on this, after all, he wanted a powerful force, not a disorganized mess!