Shepherd Boy

Upon seeing the middle-aged Scholar appear, the young men and women in the pavilions of Tai'a Divine City held their breath.

Wen Yu, Chu Xiaoran, Qiu Niu, Yang Gan, Demon Blade... even the most arrogant geniuses treated the Lord of Tai'a Divine City with utmost respect and deep awe.

This was the first time they had ever met the Lord of Tai'a Divine City. Not to mention them, even Qin Haotian and Li Xiao in the past had never met the Lord of Tai'a Divine City.

After the middle-aged Scholar, the Lord of Seven Stars Tower, and other important figures from various forces entered in turn, the young talents in the pavilion all stood up.

They felt both excited and pressured when faced with these legendary figures.

They had assumed that the birthday banquet would begin once these important figures were seated, but to their surprise, these people walked straight through the "floating wine cups and winding stream" and entered a side hall of the Brocade Pavilion.

Next to the Brocade Pavilion, there was a side hall used for meetings. After they entered, the door of the side hall was closed behind them.

"Well?"

Seeing these important figures disappear into the side hall, leaving the younger generation standing there, everyone was momentarily stunned.

Isn't this the birthday banquet of the Lord of Tai'a Divine City?

The birthday banquet was all set, but these important figures didn't take their seats; instead, they went to a side hall to discuss matters.

For a moment, the younger generation looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Are you kidding me?!"

The fat man in yellow from the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom was originally planning to start eating, but now that the important person hasn't taken a seat, he has nothing to eat either.

"What's going on...?"

The other young talents of the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom were also puzzled. At this moment, the girl in palace attire took a sip of water and said calmly, "Perhaps... this meeting is the real purpose of this birthday banquet..."

At this moment, in the side hall of the Brocade Pavilion, important figures from various forces took their seats in turn.

The seating was divided into three distinct areas.

A region is led by a middle-aged Scholar, behind whom are various forces that are dependent on the Tai'a Divine Kingdom Scholar.

The other region is led by the Lord of Seven Stars Tower, behind whom are various forces that are affiliated with the Cloud Lord of Seven Stars Tower Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom.

The last region is the Southern Twelve Nations Alliance.

These twelve countries are much smaller than the Tai'a Divine Kingdom and the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom, but when united, they are enough to form a tripartite balance of power with the two great divine kingdoms.

Between these three regions lie reclusive, neutral Lineage and scattered small kingdoms.

These people have subtly formed the last remaining force, but they are not united among themselves.

Even a simple council meeting was clearly divided according to power factions.

The Tai'a Divine Kingdom and the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom, in particular, have been long-time rivals. There have been constant frictions between the two countries, but they have not gone to war, entirely because of the intimidation of the Divine Wilderness.

At this moment, the Lord of Tai'a Divine City sat in the host's seat, holding a scroll in his hand.

"It is an honor for all of you to attend Mr. Yang's birthday banquet. I have gathered you all here today because there is important matter to discuss. I wonder if any of you have heard of the legend of the 'Shepherd Boy'..."

The middle-aged Scholar spoke, unrolling the scroll in his hand; it was a painting.

The painting depicts a boy riding Green Ox, holding a Short Flute and wearing Bamboo Hat, looking every bit the simple-dressed, handsome farm boy.

"'Shepherd Boy'?"

Some people frowned, clearly not having heard of the name.

However, a few people's expressions changed slightly upon hearing the word "Shepherd Boy".

An old man said in a deep voice, "I see. No wonder the city lord summoned us here this time. I've heard of 'The Shepherd Boy' before. Ten years ago, he appeared in the Western Regions and stirred up a bloody storm. I never expected him to suddenly appear here..."

Who exactly is the 'Shepherd Boy'?

Someone frowned and asked, "These are all important people here. It's quite unpleasant to know something that everyone else knows but I don't."

"Let me speak."

The middle-aged Scholar flicked his hand slightly, and the portrait of "The Shepherd Boy" flew onto the wall. He slowly said, "'The Shepherd Boy' is a mysterious young man. Of course, he only looks young; I don't know his real age. 'Shepherd Boy' is his code name; I don't know his real name either."

"The origins of the 'Shepherd Boy' are mysterious. We don't know his true identity, we only know that he is not human."

"Huh!? What?"

An elderly man in a blue robe was startled upon hearing this. He examined the painting on the wall closely; it clearly depicted a young boy, yet it wasn't human?

"That's right. The last time 'The Shepherd Boy' appeared, he caused widespread devastation in the Western Regions because his appearance was accompanied by a massive Beast Tide. At first, it was only on a small scale, but it became increasingly terrifying, even attracting numerous Ancient Remnant Species! Therefore, some people suspect that 'The Shepherd Boy' can control wild beasts."

Controlling wild beasts?

Upon hearing this, people were astonished. "Could this 'Shepherd Boy' be a wild beast transformed into human form?" someone couldn't help but ask.

However, the middle-aged Scholar shook his head, "I'm afraid not. To date, there has never been a record of a wild beast transforming into human form in any truly authoritative ancient texts. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some wild beasts may have cultivated to an incredible level and were able to transform into human form."

"Normally, Beast Tide also break out in the Divine Wilderness, but they are not very large in scale. Moreover, the wild beasts are not very intelligent, and the Beast Tide are just aimless attacks and destructions, like a pile of loose sand, which is easy to defeat. However... with the 'Shepherd Boy' here, it will be different. The Beast Tide will become organized and strategic, and will not be easy to deal with."

"Ten years ago, the 'Shepherd Boy' first appeared in the Western Regions, bringing a huge disaster to the region. At that time, the 'Shepherd Boy's' target was an ancient Lineage in the Western Regions— the Shentu Family!"

"However, the Shentu Family, with its profound foundation, actually withstood that massive Beast Tide, though it also suffered losses!"

"After the 'Shepherd Boy's' defeat, several more Beast Tide were unleashed in various places, causing rivers of blood. However, these Beast Tide were much weaker than the one targeting the Shentu Family, giving the impression that it was merely revenge..."

The middle-aged Scholar spoke calmly as he recounted the story of the "Shepherd Boy."

"The Shentu Family?"

Upon hearing about this Lineage, the important figures present exchanged bewildered glances; the Lineage's foundation was terrifying.

It is far more powerful than the Tai'a Divine Kingdom and the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom.

How could a "Shepherd Boy" possibly stand up to Lineage of this caliber?

"There's no need for you all to worry too much." Seeing the grim expressions on the faces of the leaders of the various factions present, the middle-aged Scholar spoke again. "The Shentu Family may have a grudge against 'The Shepherd Boy,' which is why there was that great battle. As for us, we should have no conflict with 'The Shepherd Boy,' but his appearance in the northern region of my Tai'a Divine Kingdom is still a worrying matter. Once Beast Tide breaks out, it won't just be a matter for the Tai'a Divine Kingdom alone. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; you all may be implicated."

The middle-aged Scholar spoke slowly, and everyone who listened was somewhat worried; this topic was anything but relaxing.

"Gentlemen, the reason we have gathered here today is to form an alliance to jointly resist a possible Beast Tide."

The middle-aged Scholar then revealed the purpose of the birthday banquet.

People reacted with varying expressions upon hearing this.

Although the Lord of Tai'a Divine City is right, once Beast Tide breaks out, the surrounding countries will all be in danger if they perish.

However, since the "Shepherd Boy" has now appeared in the northern region of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, rather than near their country, the Tai'a Divine Kingdom will be the first to suffer if Beast Tide breaks out.

They'll have to wait until the Tai'a Divine Kingdom is destroyed before it's their turn.

In reality, it's possible that the Beast Tide wasn't too large to destroy the Tai'a Divine Kingdom. In that case, the Tai'a Divine Kingdom might have withstood the Beast Tide despite suffering heavy losses, leaving them with nothing to do with it.

Another point is that although Beast Tide can cause devastation and even the fall of sages, each Beast Tide is also a good opportunity to train the strong. Martial artists can only grow by experiencing iron and blood. Moreover, after Beast Tide, all kinds of resources are abundant. For example, the Ancient Remnant Species that were killed are treasures from head to toe!

If we can withstand the Beast Tide, it will be a chance for a phoenix to rise from the ashes!

The best outcome would be if the Tai'a Divine Kingdom and the Beast Tide were both severely weakened, and they joined the war later on. This would not only reduce the risk of losing sages and geniuses, but also bring them benefits...

However, the Lord of Tai'a Divine City was no pushover, and their wishful thinking was not so easily realized.

For a time, the bigwigs from all sides had different thoughts.

Faced with an event that could be either a disaster or an opportunity, people have their own plans, all thinking about avoiding risks and gaining benefits.

Unless the Beast Tide unleashed by the "Shepherd Boy" truly reaches a scale capable of annihilating more than a dozen countries, it is impossible for the major powers to resist the Beast Tide at any cost.

Just then, the Lord of Seven Stars Tower of the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom spoke up, "City Lord Yang, you mentioned an alliance, but who should be the leader of this alliance?"

The Lord of Seven Stars Tower's words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Alliance Leader of an alliance is not just a matter of face; it also involves the power of command. Once the Beast Tide breaks out, the benefits of having command authority are self-evident.

Because every battle involves casualties, losses, and spoils of war!

In some battles, various forces might vie to participate, while in others, no one wants their warriors to be sent to their deaths.

Faced with the Lord of Seven Stars Tower's pointed question, the middle-aged Scholar smiled and replied, "An alliance doesn't need Alliance Leader, just a council that brings together the leading figures from all sides."

"Oh? A council? What if the council gets bogged down in debate and can't reach a conclusion? Perhaps then an Alliance Leader would be necessary!"

The Lord of Seven Stars Tower spoke calmly, yet his tone concealed a sharp edge!

Everyone knows that the Cloud Dragon Divine Kingdom and the Tai'a Divine Kingdom are not on good terms.

Nowadays, when core interests are involved, how can a struggle be avoided?

(Yesterday's four chapters were combined into two, and I didn't burn them. There's one missing chapter today, I'll make up for it with three chapters tomorrow. The appearance of the Shepherd Boy is related to the main plot of this book, and there are some things I haven't thought through yet.)

...(To be continued~^~)