Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Hundred-Year Vow

The Lord of Xuanwu City gave a faint smile when he heard this and said, “Indeed. With the company of a few young masters like you, I can rest much easier. Still, do not grow too eager for victory. If you truly run into trouble, withdraw. When the time comes, I will personally keep an eye on you little rascals.”

As one of the great overlords of the Beast Domain, the struggle for Nameless Hill would certainly not lack Lin Lei’s presence. Even if he did not take part in the contest, it was still necessary for him to show himself and lend support.

Although Xuanwu Marsh had no intention of sending its forces to compete, the other powers would certainly have disciples taking part. Yet by past experience, the number of disciples dispatched from the Ten Lands of the Beast Domain would surely not be large. Even if they did join, defeat was the only likely outcome, because the other major powers would never allow any one of them to grow too strong. They would even resort to underhanded means, for such strength would threaten their own security.

The reason Nameless Hill had remained masterless for so long was, above all, the covert war among the Ten Lands of the Beast Domain. In the end, the one to laugh last would almost certainly be one of those ten powers, while the other nine would never give up so easily; they would simply join forces and crush whichever faction rose to dominance. And so, to this day, Nameless Hill remained ownerless ground.

But now Ye Zihan saw an opportunity, because his own Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion lacked precisely such a foothold. If he could seize control of Nameless Hill, then he could establish the pavilion’s presence in Nameless City, and from there begin recruiting across the world.

Ye Zihan said to Lin Lei, “Lord City Master, you need not worry. We will not let the young city lord come to harm. When the time comes, we will take Nameless Hill. Then we can become neighbors and friends, and whatever trouble Xuanwu Marsh faces in the future, our Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion will not stand idly by.” Ye Zihan understood perfectly well that this venture required the strong support of Xuanwu City. At the very least, Xuanwu City should not make things difficult for them now, because its power was formidable indeed.

The guards of the city lord’s mansion alone were already strong enough, and Lin Lei’s own cultivation was at least at the Seven Star level. Thus Ye Zihan and the others dared not act rashly, especially since Lin Lei now intended to cancel the contest for Nameless Hill; he did not wish to push his son into a pit of fire.

Even if his son were to survive and emerge victorious, the other great powers of the Beast Domain would never accept it quietly. So now Lin Lei had no choice but to withdraw the contest for Nameless Hill. In return, he could aid Ye Zihan and the others in claiming it, and in the future his own Xuanwu Marsh would gain another ally.

The Beast Domain consisted of eleven regions, and the other ten already had established powers. Aside from Nameless Hill, no one would permit any outside force to interfere; otherwise, it would become a struggle to the death.

Lin Lei’s rise to become the lord of Xuanwu City had likewise been won in such a contest. So long as someone dared challenge him and defeat him, that victor would become the next generation’s lord of Xuanwu City. This was the harshness of the Beast Domain; in the human world, power did not come with such bloodshed, such slaughter.

In the Beast Domain, as long as you possessed sufficient strength, establishing your own sphere of influence was effortless. That was why Yan Chen had such confidence in Ye Zihan. If they founded the Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion’s base in Nameless Hill of the Beast Domain, the pavilion’s influence would surely expand at great speed, and it would be difficult indeed not to become renowned throughout the world.

Lin Dong had originally wanted to represent Xuanwu Marsh in the struggle for Nameless Hill, but his father Lin Lei had now changed his mind, because for any power in the eleven lands of the Beast Domain, the attempt to seize Nameless Hill would end in failure. So Lin Lei had to accept the final outcome.

Lin Lei looked at Ye Zihan. He had not expected Ye Zihan to be a disciple of a newly founded sect. He did not ask further, because he knew nothing of Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion. Still, if Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion were to ally with Xuanwu Marsh in the future, he believed no force in the Beast Domain would dare oppose him.

“Little Brother Ye Zihan, it is already late, so please return and rest for now. When the time comes, go to Nameless Hill and take part in the struggle for Nameless City. I hope you will not disappoint us.”

Lin Lei truly hoped that Ye Zihan and Yan Chen could win the contest for Nameless City, because that would be the best outcome.

If some other power of the Beast Domain won the struggle, Lin Lei would not let matters rest either, for such an outcome had always been unacceptable to the Ten Lands of the Beast Domain. Though one of the Beast Domain’s factions would take part in each contest for Nameless City, the other powers would certainly block them, even to the point of becoming sworn enemies. In the end, those powers were forced into compromise.

Ye Zihan looked at Lin Dong and Lin Lei, then smiled and said, “Ha, we certainly won’t disappoint you. Of course, if we fail, your Xuanwu Marsh can still take part in the contest. But let us speak of that later, because by then none of us can know how matters will unfold.” Ye Zihan understood Lin Lei’s thoughts. At the very least, Lin Lei still did not want Nameless City to be seized by any other force of the Beast Domain, for that would amount to suppressing Xuanwu Marsh.

Lin Dong glanced at Yan Chen and Chen Yiyan, then said to Ye Zihan, “Brother Ye Zihan, it is late now. I will arrange for you to rest first. Tomorrow we can set out. Of course, if you like our Xuanwu City, you may also stay here.”

Lin Dong was genuinely pleased to have met a few like-minded friends, especially young masters of such strength as Ye Zihan and Chen Yiyan; this was his first time seeing the like.

Before meeting Ye Zihan and Chen Yiyan, Lin Dong had not believed there could be people of his own age whose cultivation surpassed his own. But now he believed it. And now Chen Yiyan and Ye Zihan had even slain several assassins of the Five Elements realm, an achievement that was truly rare.

Yan Chen looked at Lin Dong, then said to Ye Zihan, “Let us go and rest now. Please, Brother Lin Dong, lead the way.” After speaking, Yan Chen turned to Lin Dong. Among those present, only Lin Dong was of their generation, so he would surely have many things in common with him. They were all young masters of strong talent, and neither looked kindly upon others.

Lin Lei looked at Lin Dong and was very satisfied with Yan Chen and the others’ attitude. His son now had young experts of his own generation such as Ye Zihan and Yan Chen as friends, which would make things much easier for him in the future on the Illusion God Continent. At the very least, if Lin Dong ever encountered trouble, Ye Zihan and the others would not stand by and do nothing.

Chen Yiyan was originally a native of the Beast Domain, and moreover a disciple of Black Flame Continent, one of the eleven lands of the Beast Domain. If Lin Dong were able to gain the support of Black Flame Continent in the future, it would be even more advantageous when he took over Xuanwu City of Xuanwu Marsh. And since Lin Dong was already Xuanwu Marsh’s heir, Lin Lei now had no choice but to let him make friends with experts, for these were invaluable resources.

“Mm. Dong’er, take these little brothers to rest now. Tomorrow they will leave Xuanwu Marsh with you. I hope that when you reach Nameless City, you will be careful, because your enemies will be very cunning.”

Lin Lei was not absolutely determined to win Nameless Hill. So long as none of the other ten regions of the Beast Domain won the struggle for Nameless City, that would be enough; otherwise he would join forces with the other powers of the Beast Domain to suppress them.

If one of the Ten Lands of the Beast Domain obtained control of Nameless Hill, the balance of the Beast Domain would be broken, and Xuanwu Marsh would have no choice but to unite with the other powers in striking it down, for this was in all of their common interest.

The Beast Domain was terribly cruel, far more so than the human world, and battles often erupted around the outskirts of the eleven great cities. Though the cultivators feared the authority of the Eleven Lands and did not dare fight within the cities themselves, once they reached the outer regions, they would slaughter one another without restraint. That was the true Beast Domain.

Lin Dong looked at his father, nodded, and said, “Brother Ye Zihan, follow me. I’ll take you to the guest rooms to rest.” With that, Lin Dong began walking toward another doorway off the hall. For Lin Dong, being able to become friends with Ye Zihan and the others was the greatest gain of the day.

“Mm, let’s go,” Ye Zihan said, and followed Lin Dong’s steps. For them, they had already fought for a long while at the small inn in Xuanwu City that night, so they truly did want to rest now. Even a body of iron would grow weary.

Yan Chen patted the shoulder of Chen Yiyan beside him, nodded, and then followed Ye Zihan out of the hall. Soon Chen Yiyan also went off to rest with Ye Zihan. He had not expected the Lord of Xuanwu City to welcome them so warmly, and after he had slain so many young experts in Xuanwu City, Lin Lei and the others had not only refrained from blaming him, but had not even condemned their actions. They had even wanted to invite them to represent Xuanwu City in the struggle for Nameless City, though Ye Zihan had declined, choosing instead to compete on behalf of the Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion.

Ye Zihan’s ambition was to establish the Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion’s power across the entire Illusion God Continent. At the very least, he wanted the name Heaven Against Heaven Pavilion to be known by all in the Illusion God Continent. This was his future goal, and it was an unshakable one, because the Illusion God Temple of the Illusion God Continent would become the pavilion’s greatest enemy. In the end, it would be a battle to the death.

Yan Chen and the others followed Lin Dong’s lead toward the guest quarters of the Xuanwu City lord’s mansion. Ye Zihan could not have imagined that he would be so fortunate as to arrive in Xuanwu City and receive such warm hospitality from the city lord, and to learn at once of the contest for Nameless Hill. It was truly enough to stir his heart.

“Brother Ye Zihan, this is where you will rest tonight. There are many guest rooms here, so choose whichever you like. Tomorrow I will send someone to take you to Nameless Hill. I hope everything goes smoothly for us, haha.” Lin Dong led Ye Zihan and the others to the guest quarters. They were a row of guest rooms, numbering at least several dozen, so Ye Zihan and the others could choose freely, for he was now a distinguished guest of Xuanwu City.

Ye Zihan smiled and said, “Thank you for the generous hospitality of City Lord Lin Lei and the young city lord. We will surely be fine tomorrow, so do not worry. Even if someone means to strike at us, surely they will hesitate because of your status as young city lord?” He did not believe anyone in the Beast Domain could be foolish enough to attack the young city lord of Xuanwu City. That would be exceedingly stupid.