Upon hearing this, Shi Long frowned. Before he could speak, an aura of power automatically emerged. As the saying goes, one's environment shapes one's temperament, and one's upbringing shapes one's physique. Having been the boss of Yangzhou for several years, a domineering aura naturally arose within him.
Therefore, although he didn't speak, the official standing nearby was still quite alarmed. His master's power was growing stronger and stronger!
"Didn't I already say that I would not see anyone who is a member of the Demonic Sect, no matter who they are?" Shi Long said calmly.
At the same time, I was also thinking that if the butler couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation, I should send him away to another place. Considering our many years of friendship, I should find him a better place.
Upon hearing this, the steward quickly replied, "It is Miss Wanwan, the Holy Maiden of the Yin Kui Sect. That is why I personally reported this."
Having served Shi Long for so many years, especially in recent years, the steward has learned many secrets he never knew before. Therefore, he also has some understanding of the Yin Kui Sect and Cihang Jingzhai. It is precisely because of this that he dares not be negligent.
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Chapter 75: The Lords of the Land
Wanwan
Muttering the name to himself, Shi Long's brows furrowed unconsciously. Even Wanwan had come in person; this was clearly not a friendly visit.
This woman is the current Holy Maiden of the Yin Kui Sect. In terms of strength, she is said to have reached the seventeenth level of the Heavenly Demon Great Law. Among the younger generation, apart from Shi Feixuan of Cihang Jingzhai, she is virtually invincible.
Even among the older generation of masters, she was already considered one of the top talents. At least, Li Mi, Dou Jiande, Li Yuan, Xiao Xian, and others were no match for her.
Thinking of Xiao Xian's background with the Demonic Sect outside the city, and considering the recent situation in Yangzhou, Shi Long sighed subconsciously.
The situation is difficult! I wonder where the gentlemen are now, and why they haven't shown up yet.
Soon, having cast aside these distracting thoughts, Shi Long arrived at the front hall and met Wanwan, the Holy Maiden of the Yin Kui Sect, who had driven the entire younger generation of the martial arts world mad.
Unlike those young people, Shi Long didn't care much about appearances or looks. But even so, he was immediately struck by Wan Wan's beauty.
At this moment, Wanwan was sitting in a chair, playing Go by herself. She held black in her left hand and white in her right.
"This must be my niece, Wan. At such a young age, you already possess such cultivation. You truly live up to your reputation. Compared to you, I feel like I've wasted most of my life," Shi Long said with a wry smile.
It's really disheartening. How old is Wanwan this year? Sixteen? Eighteen? In any case, she's definitely no more than twenty! At such a young age, she has already become a grandmaster.
And look at myself? In my thirties, after struggling and hard work, I finally reached the peak of the Innate Realm. After that, I devoted more than ten years to studying the Longevity Technique, but made no progress whatsoever. Fortunately, I met a few young masters who enabled me to break through.
It can only be said that, in comparison, it was a huge blow to his pride. At the same time, it also gave Shi Long a new understanding of the Demonic Sect's true strength.
"Hehe, Uncle Shi is joking. You are the one who truly doesn't speak until you make a name for yourself. No one expected that you would develop the small Shilong Taoist Temple to this extent in just a few years," Wanwan said curiously.
As he spoke, his eyes constantly observed Shi Long's every move, as if trying to see right through him.
A few years ago, Shi Long was just an ordinary, unaffiliated cultivator at the peak of the Innate Realm. But now, who in the entire world dares to underestimate him?
Whether it was forming an army of simple farmers or gathering miners from various places, they achieved unexpected results.
Of course, everyone had a silent guess about the tremendous changes in Shilong. That is, several years ago, Shilong received help from extraterrestrial visitors.
Therefore, everyone tends to overestimate Shilong's strength. Furthermore, Shilong's power has been increasing rapidly in recent years.
Therefore, although many people coveted Yangzhou, they kept delaying until today, when the Yin Kui faction finally made up their minds to take action.
"How about we play a game of Go? Uncle, will you play black or white?" Wanwan suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, Shi Long glanced at the chessboard on the table and noticed that the black pieces and white pieces were roughly evenly matched. Therefore, he nodded in agreement.
"I'll play black," he said, and sat down. However, as soon as he sat down, he felt an invisible and intangible true energy coming towards him.
The quantity of this true energy was not large, but its quality was extremely high. And its target was the white pieces on the chessboard. If one were to place a piece unintentionally, the true energy would definitely move the piece to another location.
"Haha, kid, I've got this move down right here." With that, he waved his right sleeve, and his entire aura changed dramatically.
An extremely sharp aura followed. Shi Long, like a domineering fist, smashed and pounded!
Punch after punch relentlessly tormented Wanwan's soul. In this battle of wits, Wanwan's little gestures naturally became meaningless.
To fight against the stone dragon, one must concentrate every ounce of their energy. At this point, resorting to underhanded tactics will only distract one's attention and be utterly useless.
"The current situation in the world is quite clear. The struggle among the feudal lords has entered its middle stage. Those minor feudal lords, or those who have just raised an army, have no hope left," Wanwan said slowly. As she spoke, a black piece fell to the ground with a thud.
"Yes, the situation is now fairly clear. Only a few major powers remain in the entire world. Everyone else is out of the game!" Shi Long said, placing a piece on the board.
“From south to north, the first one is the Song Clan, which has an army of 100,000 and is stationed in Lingnan,” Wanwan said, and then placed another black piece.
"Next up is Xiao Xian, who comes from the Baling Gang, has 200,000 soldiers, and is backed by the Holy Gate, which is the same Xiao Xian that you, my niece, support."
Snap
"Hehe, next, isn't it just about contacting many small and medium-sized sects, and the Shilong Taoist Temple, which is based on simple farmers and has an army of 100,000, which is your power, Uncle?"
Snap
"Oh, my niece flatters me. I am but a man who guards his home. No matter how the world changes, it has little to do with me. Next, we will reach the border between the North and the South. That is the territory of Du Fuwei and Li Zitong of Jianghuai."
Snap
"Once you cross Du Fuwei's territory, you'll be in the north. In other words, as long as Xiao Xian successfully annexes his uncle and unites with the Song clan, then the entire area south of the Yangtze River will be completely unified."
"As long as Uncle is willing to support us, this will be a golden age for the Han people! Moreover, although our Holy Sect doesn't have a good reputation, we are of pure Han origin. Unlike the Buddhist sect, which is called Buddhism but is actually a barbarian religion!"
Snap
Upon hearing this, Shi Long also began to think.
At this time, the north was in utter chaos. It was rife with warlords, including the Li clan of Guanzhong, Li Mi (Duke of Wei), Wang Shichong of Luoyang, Dou Jiande of Hebei, and Xue Ju (Hegemon-King of Western Qin), among others.