Xiao Lin

In the western Tianya Mountain Range (which are divided into eastern and western parts by the central Wind and Rain Pass Tianya Mountain Range), a town sits in a valley within the mountains. It's a large town, but surprisingly, it has almost no ordinary civilians; everyone is a warrior dressed in uniform! This is the headquarters of the Chiyou Clan! Unlike the twelve smaller forces in the far west, whose headquarters are merely mountain strongholds or tiny towns!

The powerful Chiyou Clan had over 100,000 people in the town, all of whom were the wives, children, and parents of the warriors! No one else was allowed to live there.

Accompanied by Chitong, Zhang Xingfeng easily entered the town to observe. The more Zhang Xingfeng looked, the more amazed Zhang Xingfeng became. What an excellent concentration of power this was! The entire town was filled with his warriors! Although the Star Peak Guard was relatively powerful, its numbers were far too small to determine the division of power!

"Master, look, aren't almost all of them dressed in blue?" Chitong a smile.

Zhang Xingfeng looked around and indeed, almost all the burly men here were dressed in blue, with only a few in purple. He had only seen one soldier in red so far! He hadn't seen any other colors!

Chitong immediately asked, "Master, can you guess what the colors of everyone's clothes are for?"

Zhang Xingfeng smiled at Chitong before saying, "You rascal, you actually made your master guess. Ha, well, I guess it's to differentiate status!" In Zhang Xingfeng's eyes, it was obvious that the purple-clad warrior was more arrogant and seemed to be slightly stronger.

Chitong immediately laughed and said, "Yes, Master is truly wise!" Zhang Xingfeng smiled, not expecting that Chitong would also flatter him. Chitong continued, "In the Tianya Mountain Range, this system is universal. The lowest rank is the Blue-Clad Warrior, the captain of a pair of Blue-Clad Warriors is the Purple-Clad Warrior, the next rank is the Red-Clad Warrior, and then there are the even higher-ranking White-Clad Warriors, and finally the Black-Clad Warriors!"

Li Er immediately smiled and asked, "Then what level are you, junior brother?"

Chitong glanced at Xiao Hong furtively before beaming and saying, "Of course I'm the highest-ranking black-clad leader! Out of 50,000 people, there are only three black-clad leaders—me, my eldest brother, and my second brother! Also, Master, don't think that a high rank means high martial arts skills. Black and white robes only represent status! My eldest brother, my second brother, and I are the three leaders, the highest in rank, but there are quite a few who are more skilled than me!"

Zhang Xingfeng laughed and said, "Oh, it seems you're really quite capable, kid, Dragon Head! Hehe!"

Chitong scratched his head sheepishly. Although he was the powerful and influential Third Dragon Head, he had lost all his domineering aura in front of Zhang Xingfeng!

"Master!" a voice suddenly called out.

Zhang Xingfeng looked up and saw two burly men who looked remarkably like Chitong standing in front of him, looking at Zhang Xingfeng excitedly. Zhang Xingfeng could clearly feel the Taiji Yin Yang Art within the two men's bodies!

The burly man standing slightly ahead possessed a hint of wisdom in his eyes, naturally exuding an aura of dominance. His skill had reached the eighth level, making him a Second-Rank Expert.

The burly man standing slightly behind lacked Chitong's fierce aura; instead, he exuded a chilling aura. His skill had also reached the seventh level, making him a third-rank expert, just like Chitong.

Zhang Xingfeng's face suddenly broke into a smile, as if ice and snow were melting. "Chiyou, Chiyi!" In an instant, Zhang Xingfeng could tell who Chiyou was and who Chiyi was.

"Master, ah, it really is you! It's unbelievable!" Chiyou, who had reached the second rank, exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled slightly and nodded.

"Master, is there anything you need from us? Just give the order, and we'll do anything!" Chiyi shouted, his past scheming now utterly useless.

Zhang Xingfeng nodded and said, "No rush, let's rest for a while. Everyone must be tired from coming all the way from Wind and Rain Pass!" Zhang Xingfeng's voice was very soft and gentle, like Chun Yu nourishing the earth. Everyone around felt the comfort emanating from Zhang Xingfeng, just like nature itself.

Suddenly, Chiyou said, "Master, why is your hair all white?" Chitong and Chiyi, who were standing nearby, also immediately looked at Zhang Xingfeng. Chitong had actually wanted to say it earlier, but Li Er had reminded him not to ask.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled slightly, "So what if it's white? What's wrong with that? I think it's still pretty good."

Chiyou immediately stopped asking questions, because he saw Li Er's expression. As the leader of millions of people and 50,000 soldiers, his ability to read people was definitely very strong.

Chiyou immediately smiled and said, "Master, come, let's go to my place!"

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and nodded, then followed him.

************

Zhang Xingfeng, Li Er, and the three brothers Chiyou, a total of five people, were in the small council hall. Chiyou dismissed all his subordinates and said, "Master, what is it? Just say it!"

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said, "Chiyou, do you know who owns the major forces in the Tianya Mountain Range?"

Chiyou frowned and said, "Master, this matter is top secret, even within the Tianya Mountain Range. Did you know that?"

Zhang Xingfeng nodded slightly.

Chiyou sighed and said, "Alas, this is really disheartening. Why did the tens of millions of people in the Tianya Mountain Range come to the Tianya Mountain Range? It's for freedom. In order to live better in the Tianya Mountain Range, they elected some leaders, which led to the formation of various forces."

"But now everything has changed. There are thirty to forty million people in the eastern Tianya Mountain Range, and only two super-powerful forces. But I know that behind those two forces, one is the Li Family and the other is the Yuan Mongolia Esoteric Sect! While we in the western Tianya Mountain Range have many forces, many are also secretly controlled by the powerful forces of the Ming Dynasty. It's laughable. Many forces say they are fighting for the freedom of the people, but aren't they just after their own wealth and glory, and so that their children will no longer be Mountain Bandits?"

Zhang Xingfeng shook his head slightly and said, "Chiyou, you're being a bit extreme! Actually, I came here this time hoping that your Chiyou Clan will support me from now on!"

Chiyou was taken aback, but immediately replied, "Master, of course, the people of the Chiyou Clan support you. If you give the order, I will go through fire and water without hesitation. The reason I support you is because you are not like those people who covet wealth and status. You are a deity, and what you do must be right!"

Chiyou You and his group have reached the point of blind worship of Zhang Xingfeng! In fact, Zhang Xingfeng can really be called a god. Having reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, Zhang Xingfeng cultivates the Chaos Power, which is much higher in True Primordial Energy. Therefore, he can now be compared with a mid- Avatar clone expert!

Zhang Xingfeng said, "In this world, the strong are respected, and there is no place for freedom. Where there are people, there is strife, and where there is strife, there is power! Chiyou, stop striving for freedom; it's useless!"

Chiyou slowly nodded and said, "Yes, Master, I think you are right. For the past few hundred years, my Chiyou Clan has worked hard and struggled here, but we have never succeeded. It seems that my Chiyou Clan has been on the wrong path from the very beginning!"

Zhang Xingfeng nodded and said, "That's right. If you want something, then you have to become strong, you have to become the powerful. You have to know that if you want something, you have to work hard. Talking about freedom is just the idea of lazy people! There is no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world! Chiyou, remember, strength, power, that is, influence, this is the direction that people should strive for."

Chiyou smiled and said, "Master, when you say that, I'm reminded of someone, a very remarkable person!"

Chiyi and Chitong immediately added, "That's right, Master, he really is an amazing person. What he said to us that time was almost exactly what you said. Moreover, he is a master, and extremely young!"

Zhang Xingfeng's eyes lit up, and a hint of curiosity arose in his long-calm heart. He asked, "Tell me, who is he?"

Chiyou said, "Master, his name is Xiao Lin. He is the most outstanding talent in the Western Tianya Mountain Range in hundreds of years, and he is also a top expert. Our Western Tianya Mountain Range have undergone great changes in power because of him!"

"Oh!" Zhang Xingfeng became even more interested, and he the Unseen sensed that Xiao Lin seemed to have a great influence on him.

Seeing that his master was no longer as calm and indifferent as before, Chiyou You immediately said happily, "This Xiao Lin, at first he was just a small purple-robed leader in the Wang Family, the westernmost part of the Tianya Mountain Range. Later, he was assigned to Huayang City, where he helped Wang Family gain control of a super gambling house and became a red-robed leader. Later, he made great contributions in the martial arts tournament, and just then a white-robed leader died, so he became the white-robed leader! His speed of promotion is absolutely unparalleled in the entire Tianya Mountain Range!"

A hint of appreciation appeared in Zhang Xingfeng's eyes as he said, "Not bad, what happened next!"

Chiyou's eyes snapped open and he said, "Later, I don't know what happened, but I know that the Wang Family and Old Man Shangguan's forces started fighting. Then, inexplicably, Xiao Lin became the leader of both forces, and the original leaders, Wang and Shangguan, died!"

Zhang Xingfeng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Chiyou continued, "But the most intense moment has arrived. Xiao Lin's forces are in the far west, but Chen Longtou's forces on the western edge, seeing they had no one to turn to for help, actually surrendered. Within two days, Xiao Lin became the leader of the three families, with his troops reaching 30,000! But that's nothing. Later, that old fellow Zhu Ran, closer to the west, with his 70,000 troops, also began attacking the twelve forces in the far west, and Wang Longtou also launched an attack with 40,000 troops! Unfortunately, my Chiyou Clan is here, completely blocked by the territories of Wang Longtou and that old fellow Zhu Ran, unable to attack! We can only watch their power grow!"

Zhang Xingfeng was shocked. The Western Tianya Mountain Range had undergone such a drastic change because of one person.

Chiyou continued, "Master, do you know what the result will be?" Zhang Xingfeng didn't speak, just waited for Chiyou to speak. Chiyou smiled and said, "That guy Xiao Lin actually took down three more forces in one fell swoop, and his personal army reached an astonishing 60,000, making him a major force that can rival us! And do you know how big he is?"

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback: Sixty thousand, sixty thousand troops is indeed a very large force. For someone to rise from a low-level purple-robed warrior to such a high position, he must be no ordinary person. How old is he? Since he is so powerful, he must not be an ordinary young man.

However, Zhang Xingfeng had a peculiar feeling, as if the image of a man appeared in his mind. Zhang Xingfeng slowly said, "He is very tall, very young, very domineering, and seems to have extremely strong skills!"

Chiyou, Chitong, and Chiyi Yi stared intently at Zhang Xingfeng. Suddenly Chiyou said, "Master, you truly are a divine being! You could even guess that. Master, how did you know he was tall?"

Zhang Xingfeng gently shook his head and said, "It's a feeling, I think I'm destined to meet this Xiao Lin!"

Chiyou and his two brothers suddenly exchanged glances, all sensing something profound. Chiyi suddenly asked, "Master, do you know what kind of cultivation this Xiao Lin practices?"

Zhang Xingfeng gently closed his eyes, his Spiritual Sense expanding infinitely. Every blade of grass and every tree in the Tianya Mountain Range was imprinted in his mind. His Spiritual Sense spread westward at an alarming speed. Suddenly, a thought struck Zhang Xingfeng, and all his Spiritual Sense rushed in one direction. A smile suddenly appeared on Zhang Xingfeng's lips. He murmured, "He is two meters tall, cultivates External Cultivation, purely External Cultivation, and his skill is close to the first rank. The giant axe on his back is a celestial weapon even stronger than the Xuanyuan Sword. The giant axe is indestructible. He can completely compare to a first-rank expert, and even to an expert of the Heavenly Realm."

Ignoring the stunned expressions of the Chiyou Brothers, Zhang Xingfeng was inexplicably drawn to Xiao Lin and transmitted his voice to Xiao Lin's ear. "Xiao Lin, hello. I am Zhang Xingfeng. I think we are destined to meet. I am with the Chiyou Brothers now and I have come to see you tonight."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lin, who was with his wife Hong Xiao, was shocked. The Chiyou Clan was more than a thousand miles away from him, yet this person could transmit his voice from so far away. It seemed that his skill level far exceeded his imagination.

Suddenly, Xiao Lin also looked forward to meeting this peerless master!

Zhang Xingfeng and Xiao Lin muttered to themselves, then looked up to see that it was almost dusk!

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