Southern State, Nantian Dynasty.
Ever since Long Sihai returned, the news that all territories south of the Tianhe had been apportioned to the Daqian Dynasty spread through the Nantian Dynasty like a plague.
Top and bottom of the Nantian Dynasty were filled with fury.
The Nantian Dynasty had been the undeniable hegemon of the Southern State, with no one capable of shaking its ruling status.
The mere Great Qian Dynasty had actually managed to extract teeth from the tiger's mouth, carving away one-third of the territory to establish the Daqian Dynasty, opposing the Nantian Dynasty from the south, on equal footing. This made the citizens of the Nantian Dynasty, who had always looked down upon the other nations of the Southern State, extremely angry.
Especially the powerful warriors of the Nantian Dynasty, they were beyond furious.
Sikong Tu, ranked twenty-fifth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking, a mighty one in the Seventh Nirvana Realm.
Chen Youtu, ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking, of the Eight Nirvana Realm.
Li Chenggong, thirteenth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking, also of the Eight Nirvana Realm.
Zhao Xing, ranked tenth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking, of the Nine Nirvana Realm.
These four were born in the cold gates of the Nantian Dynasty, as close as brothers, advancing and retreating together, calling themselves the Four Sons of Nantian.
Among the many geniuses of the Nantian Dynasty, they were also a force to be reckoned with.
The four of them were gathered together.
Sikong Tu's face was ice-cold as he said indifferently, "You all must have heard about the Daqian Dynasty's affair, haven't you?"
Chen Youtu said indifferently, "As far as I know, Director Long himself took action this time and originally could have easily wiped out the traitorous group of the Great Qian Dynasty. However, there is a prodigy from the Great Qian Dynasty named Xiao Yi who apparently has ties to the Holy Land Baiyu Capital. It was precisely because of Baiyu Capital's intervention that His Majesty had no choice but to compromise and agree to cede territory and pay indemnities."
Li Chenggong slammed his palm hard on the table.
His eyes gleamed with a cold light as he gritted his teeth and said, "I heard that Xiao Yi is merely at the peak of the Dharma Manifestation Realm. How on earth did that trash manage to hook up with Baiyu Capital? He must have had a stroke of damn luck!"
Zhao Xing narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint cold smile, his eyes carrying a touch of indifference, "I have heard that Xiao Yi is none other than the brother of Xiao Tianjiao, who was recently in the limelight. Currently, he serves as a top-ranked king side-by-side in the Great Qian Dynasty, indeed the strongest in the Daqian Dynasty!"
Sikong Tu's face changed slightly.
If anyone was most familiar with Xiao Tianjiao, it would be he without a doubt.
He was originally ranked twenty-fourth on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking; it was only after being defeated by Xiao Tianjiao's challenge that he fell to the twenty-fifth position.
Zhao Xing continued, "Xiao Tianjiao's cultivation is only roughly equivalent to our youngest brother here; how much stronger could his brother possibly be?"
"Big brother, what are you suggesting?" The others were very familiar with one another and immediately understood that Zhao Xing was preparing to stir up trouble!
Zhao Xing flashed a grin, his cold eyes gleaming with a hint of ominous intent: "The Daqian Dynasty has Baiyu Capital backing it, so it wouldn't be suitable for His Majesty to send troops to attack. But even Baiyu Capital cannot forbid interactions between warriors of different countries, right? What I'm suggesting is, why don't we brothers take a trip to the Great Qian Dynasty and challenge Xiao Yi? Should we manage to slay him, it would be considered a great contribution to the Nantian Dynasty."
It's not easy for a noble child to emerge from a humble family!
This was especially true in an ancient nation like the Nantian Dynasty, rife with factions and long-standing legacies.
One ancient family after another had already taken control of everything.
These disciples from humble backgrounds, without the fortune of catching the eye of someone powerful, could never enter the true upper echelons of society prior to becoming part of the Longevity Secret Realm, no matter how talented they were.
"Big brother is right, His Majesty and Director Long must be extremely resentful toward the Great Qian Dynasty now. If we can kill the strongest figures of the Daqian Dynasty, His Majesty might even lavish us with rewards!"
"Even if we don't catch His Majesty's eye, if Director Long takes notice, we'll have a bright future ahead of us!"
Zhao Xing cracked a smile, "Don't rush, my three younger brothers. Before we head to the Daqian Dynasty, let's first make a trip to the Xiao Family and take Xiao Tianjiao's father with us!"
"Big brother really is thorough!"
"Let's go, let's go..."
The four of them were in perfect harmony and left at once.
A flying boat, traveling at great speed, navigated the skies above the Nantian Dynasty, heading toward the Great Qian Dynasty...
What they didn't know was that as they left, Long Sihai had already received the news.
Long Sihai, with one arm and one eye, sat cross-legged in the inspection office.
Looking at the intelligence brought by his subordinates, a slight smile curled his lips: "The Four Sons of Nantian? These young fellows do have some smarts, letting them test the waters isn't such a bad idea. Even if things go awry, if Baiyu Capital assigns blame, it'll be their personal actions that are at fault, not related to our Nantian Dynasty. If Baiyu Capital has no intention of being the Daqian Dynasty's support, then they have no reason to exist..."
The intelligence in his hand exploded into pieces.
Xiaoshanhe Institute.
Almost a month had passed since the battle at the imperial capital.
In this time, Xiao Yi spent his days accompanying Fang Qingzhu and his nights secluded in a secret chamber, diligently cultivating. Although it's only been a short month, with the hundredfold spirit qi of Imperial Dragon Mountain and the continuous gathering of resources from the chaotic seas, Xiao Yi had made significant progress in the practice of the Heaven-reaching Skill Record.
He had completed the training of the seventh diagram of both the Heaven-reaching Physical Record and the Heaven-reaching Skill Record and had begun to comprehend the eighth diagram.
The progress in the Heaven-reaching Divine Record was the fastest.
After all, he had refined a Spiritual Blood Pool, and his spiritual power was already immensely strong. Now he had fully understood the eighth diagram of the Heaven-reaching Divine Record and had started to comprehend the ninth diagram.
With the enhancement from the Heaven-reaching Physical Record, Xiao Yi had triggered heavenly thunder ten days ago and officially advanced his Wind Thunder Sacred Body to the seventh transformation.
With his current physical strength, he had reached the limit of a level seven elemental weapon.
Tearing apart a level seven elemental weapon with his bare hands was entirely effortless for him.
Xiao Yi's focus wasn't on improving his training in the Heaven-reaching Records; his eyes were fixed intently on the Longevity Cauldron before him.
Circulating around the Longevity Cauldron, Little Lin emitted golden-red radiance, undulating and intertwining. Streams of red light infused the cauldron. The Longevity Cauldron vibrated and hummed, swallowing and releasing a luminous glow. Within it lay treasures painstakingly gathered by him, including a thousand spirit veins and countless spirit medicines and treasures, each over a thousand years old.
The Longevity Cauldron trembled with a roar, and one could faintly feel a terrifying pressure emanating from it.
Xiao Yi's face shone with a reddish glow: "In three more days, this spirit of longevity will take shape. Then, I'll give it to Qingzhu first!"
As he thought this...
The voice of the Shadow Demon came from outside the door: "Headmaster, there are four strong men outside the mountain gate who claim to be the Four Sons of Nantian, and they've declared their intent to challenge you..."