SWNOVELXO Chapter 381: Where Would They Have the Guts?
Ye Feng had just arrived at the Vermilion Bird Meeting Hall when Second Sect Leader Shi Yehong rushed toward him, anxious and hurried, accompanied by Boss Cao Yi, the head of the Punishment Heaven Department. Both men appeared hasty and even somewhat worried; it looked as though something significant had occurred the previous night.
After all, these two were heavyweights in the Xuanyuan Nation, and it was unlikely for common affairs to cause them such distress, which is why Ye Feng stopped and waited for the two to approach.
Shi Yehong had hardly reached him before he said, "Ye Feng, have you received the news? The Southern Territory has sparked a war; the armies of the Three Southern Kingdoms have joined forces and are pressing against our borders, having initiated the conflict."
Ye Feng immediately asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just past midnight. It looks like you haven't received the news, but that's normal. After all, you are the Northern Border King; the affairs of the Southern Territory are not within your jurisdiction," Shi Yehong explained.
Ye Feng did not speak; he simply stood there and pondered. Since the conflict had only started past midnight, roughly less than an hour ago, it was normal for him not to have received any news, especially since Shadow was currently investigating the Soldier Chamber Pot from more than two thousand years ago in the Northwest.
"How is the battle situation at the moment? By the way, what about Zhang Wenyuan? As the King of the Southern Territory, has he reached the Southern Territory yet?" Ye Feng asked.
Shi Yehong replied, "Zhang Wenyuan was injured yesterday. Last night, it was his master and I who treated his wounds. However, after receiving the news, he disregarded his master's objections and flew back to the Southern Territory immediately."
At this point, Second Sect Leader Shi Yehong suddenly remembered something and hastily added, "Oh right, Zhang Wenyuan entrusted me with a message for you before he left." Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire
Ye Feng asked, "What message?"
"Zhang Wenyuan said that as long as the Southern Territory is in his hands, even if he dies in battle, he will not let the Three Southern Kingdoms trample a single inch of the territory. That's his resolve and his stance," conveyed Shi Yehong.
"His resolve and stance are good," Ye Feng nodded slightly. However, he had more to say—sometimes resolve and stance alone are not enough; what is more important is to have the corresponding strength and ability to back them up.
The Three Kingdoms Army, with its overwhelming momentum, had come with ill intentions, clearly evident from their joint force. This power was definitely not to be underestimated; even with Zhang Wenyuan's abilities, handling the situation would be far from easy.
At that moment, Boss Cao Yi of the Punishment Heaven Department scoffed coldly, "The damned Three Southern Kingdoms probably saw that our Xuanyuan Nation is hosting the Martial Dao Conference and couldn't spare the attention, so they took the opportunity to invade. On any regular day, they would never dare to be so bold!"
Shi Yehong also scoffed, "Now that Zhang Wenyuan has returned to the Southern Territory to take control, and besides, he has a secret and powerful force that his master gave him secretly, I suppose he should be able to stabilize the situation for the time being. Once the Martial Dao Conference is over, the Great General's Mansion will be able to lend support.
Then, we'll severely punish the Three Southern Kingdoms!"
Ye Feng, having listened, did not offer any comment. In fact, his thoughts were much deeper and more comprehensive than those of the two men. As Boss Cao Yi had said, the Xuanyuan Nation was currently occupied with the Martial Dao Conference and thus vulnerable, which is why the Three Southern Kingdoms dared to make their move.
Of course, that was only one reason, but not the primary one. Ye Feng speculated that the Three Southern Kingdoms dared to attack the Xuanyuan Nation at this critical juncture mainly because they had allies!
In other words, the Three Southern Kingdoms had likely already reached a secret agreement with other major powers; otherwise, with their national strength, they would never dare to invade so boldly.
Ye Feng speculated that the most likely country to have reached a secret agreement with the Three Southern Kingdoms was the Snow Wolf Country to the north, with the Fusang Kingdom bordering the sea to the east also possibly being involved. Additionally, it was likely that the Vampire Kingdom in the west had also joined the fray.
In some ways, the Martial Dao Tournament of Xuanyuan Nation had inadvertently provided an opportunity for these countries to join forces. If Ye Feng's conjectures were true, it would mean that his Northern Border might not remain peaceful for long.
Moreover, the situation in the Eastern Border would also become unstable, even including the possibility of chaos spreading to the lands of the Western Territory.
Speaking of the Western Territory, as of now, the Utility Pavilion had not established a Realm Lord there, nor had they stationed any troops. However, this was not for lack of wanting, but rather for lack of ability.
Because the land of the Western Territory was essentially under the control of the Nine Great Sects, agreements with these so-called Hidden Sects were made at the inception of the Xuanyuan Nation. As such, no Realm Lord was appointed in the West, and while there were governing bodies, they did not have the authority to impose restrictions on these Sects of Ancient Martial Arts.
In other words, these so-called Sects of Ancient Martial Arts are self-regulating, and are not under the control of the Utility Pavilion.
If the Western Territory were to fall into chaos, it would likely be instigated by the Western Vampire Kingdom. Should that happen, the entire Xuanyuan Nation would be surrounded by enemies on all sides and might even fall into an unprecedented crisis.
Of course, this was all just Ye Feng's conjecture and planning. As to whether things would unfold as he envisioned was still unclear, but after all his years on the battlefield, his keen understanding of warfare was far beyond that of ordinary people.
"For now, let's just wait and see. Let's finish the Martial Dao Tournament first. Even if multiple countries join forces, as long as I am here, the Northern Border will not fall into chaos. If the Northern Border remains stable, so will Xuanyuan Nation's rear," Ye Feng thought to himself. As he mused, he and the others entered the meeting hall, returning to their positions from the previous day.
Today, the venue was still packed with people. The Martial Dao Tournament of Xuanyuan Nation could be said to be the center of worldwide attention. After yesterday's competition, today's event was undoubtedly even more highly anticipated, with virtually every citizen of Xuanyuan Nation glued to their television screens, eager to see who would emerge victorious from the tournament.
Of course, the most talked-about contestant was the mysterious white-robed young man. After a night of secret investigations, people had learned that his surname was Bu, but which of the Four Great Ancient Clans he hailed from remained a mystery to most.
Ye Feng naturally did not know this, nor did he care. Aside from him, the elegant young man from the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion, named Yawen, also had a high level of support. In contrast, not many people had faith in Ye Feng, as his Cultivation Realm was considered too low compared to the other eight contestants.
Within this group of eight, excluding Ye Feng, who had the Cultivation of the Peak Martial King Realm, the worst of the other seven were at the Third Stage of the Divine Path Realm, the Spirit Division Realm. Moreover, six of them were at the Fourth Stage, the Divine Communication Realm.
Of course, the white-robed young man surnamed Bu also had the Cultivation of the Peak Martial King Realm, but his uniqueness meant he could not simply be compared with the rest.
Once the participants had mostly arrived, Grand Sect Leader Zhao Gongming made his appearance on the hosting platform and immediately announced, "After overnight deliberation by the organizing committee, some minor adjustments have been made to the proceedings of the Martial Dao Tournament.
Instead of three days, the competition will now conclude in two days, meaning today we must determine the champion and runner-up!"
There was little objection to this. It seemed that the committee must have adjusted the schedule due to the sudden provocation from the Three Southern Kingdoms. Finishing early was better to relieve the immense pressure on the Southern Territory.
"Now, I invite the eight prodigious talents, the eight strong contenders, to come on stage and draw lots. To expedite the process, we will now have two groups of four contestants compete simultaneously!" Zhao Gongming's voice fell, and Ye Feng and the others promptly moved onto the stage.
The drawing numbers came out quickly, and Ye Feng drew number two, meaning he was in the second group. His opponent, unfortunately, happened to be Dao Buhui from Dao Sect!
When Dao Buhui learned that his opponent was Northern King Ye Feng, his expression hardly changed, only giving Ye Feng a brief indifferent glance before looking away, exuding immense confidence, and indeed, a sense of contempt and disdain for Ye Feng.