HSSB686: True motive
The World beyond Worlds had a much great populace as compared to worlds like the Eight Extremities World and the Vast Ocean World.
With so many people existing here, there would naturally correspondingly be more geniuses, monstrous geniuses and geniuses amongst geniuses as well.
It was not impossible that shocking figures unprecedented and unimaginable to martial practitioners who hailed from the likes of the Eight Extremities World and the Vast Ocean World actually did exist.
Therefore, to Chen Zhiliang and his disciple Wen Luoxia, to those who were used to seeing geniuses, even if there was really an incomparable genius who appeared before them, they still wouldn’t take it too seriously.
The reason for this was very simple. Today’s genius might not still be outstanding tomorrow.
There was only having transformed one’s talent and potential into true strength that geniuses proved their worth.
The problem was that the person who had appeared before them now was already a Martial Saint!
A Martial Saint who was not yet thirty!
Even while Zheng Ming and Chen Zhiliang were Seeing Divinity Martial Saints, their strength far surpassing ordinary Merging Avatar Martial Saints by who knew how much, currently faced with a youth who had already Transcended Mortality and achieved Sainthood and possessed incomparably shocking talent, they were unable to take him lightly at all.
This meant that aside from his incredible talent, the youth before them could have had major fortuitous encounters as well.
From a certain perspective, this was even more noteworthy than merely martial talent alone.
After all, talent was something that could be wasted.
Currently, Zheng Ming and Chen Zhiliang were feeling even more curious regarding Yan Zhaoge.
Still, they quickly stabilised their emotions, calming their thoughts as their expressions and gazes regained their normalcy. While shocking tides still surged within their hearts, they were no longer revealed on the outside.
After having exchanged greetings, Yan Zhaoge glanced at Bai Ziming slightly surprisedly.
From what Yan Zhaoge currently knew, there were quite a few of such people in the World beyond Worlds who had attained the Seeing Divinity stage and then ascended.
There were even those who had re-established their clans and sects after having gained stable footing there, creating quite a name for themselves.
Bai Ziming aside, Yan Zhaoge paid attention to Wen Luoxia as well.
Yan Zhaoge was still wondering about why she had entered the depths of the sea of the Clear Scenic Region earlier.
While Wen Luoxia had been trapped earlier, it was still unknown whether she had attained any gains from that earlier attempt.
Still, while he had helped her out, he couldn’t very well ask her about it. After all, their two sides had only just met.
Zheng Ming and the others were similarly rather curious about Yan Zhaoge, yet were unable to easily delve into it.
They attached quite a bit of importance to Yan Zhaoge, not acting arrogantly towards him based on their identities.
They invited his companions up the vessel as well. Seeing that there was no problem, Yan Zhaoge did not refuse, just retracting the Myriad Dragon Palace’s aura before carefully storing it away.
After Feng Yunsheng had ascended the vessel, Zheng Ming’s expression changed slightly as he glanced at her in slight puzzlement.
This girl seemed to bear some strange existence that he was unable to see through with a glance.
“Could your fellow disciple have learnt martial arts from your father as well?” Zheng Ming smiled, asking.
Yan Zhaoge looked at Feng Yunsheng, smiling, “This is my wife.”
Zheng Ming and Chen Zhiliang both smiled apologetically, “So that’s it. We were impolite. It is just that seeing that she is still dressed as a maiden, we thought…”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “We have yet to marry. Still, the marriage has already been decided.”
Feng Yunsheng smiled, bowing to them in greeting, “Greetings, seniors.”
Zheng Ming and the others smiled and nodded, Yan Zhaoge saying, “At the same time, she is also my fellow disciple. Still, we do not follow the same Master. She is my senior apprentice-aunt’s disciple.”
His words contained truth yet also withheld information, causing the other side to be unable to grasp their full extent.
Such a shocking figure whom he had never heard of before having suddenly appeared in the Royal Reed Sea, in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory, Zheng Ming and the others inevitably had to take notice of that.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Zhiliang decided to delve slightly deeper, “Little Friend Yan doesn’t seem to be a local of the Royal Reed Sea?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, answering candidly, “I’ve been here for just a year or so.”
Having said this, he no longer continued.
He did not utter falsehoods to deceive, yet did not reveal much else.
Chen Zhiliang could not help but feel exasperated whilst also amused. If it were an ordinary person who was being this slippery with him, he would long since have sent a slap over.
Even though the other party had just helped them out, saving Wen Luoxia from mortal peril, the gap between their identities and cultivation bases was laid out there for all to see.
If he thought that he could gain whatever he wanted from that earlier chivalry, he was barking up the wrong tree.
Those who were in positions of power were used to controlling the whole situation. They could be easily approachable, but if the inferior ones truly attempted to interact with them on equal terms, the result would most likely not be good.
Those who were used to giving orders would only over truly interact on equal terms with those whose strength was on a similar level to theirs.
However, Yan Zhaoge had already proven himself.
Even if he had no backer behind him, just based on him and him alone, Zheng Ming and the others would also show a far warmer attitude towards him than to others.
If such a shocking figure had no major background, they would instead be more welcoming of him, as there would then exist the possibility of him being drawn over to them as an asset.
Of course, this tolerance had a limit. They would not blindly tolerate everything without question.
As Yan Zhaoge grasped this, he would not lie to them and provide them with false information. If all his words from this current conversation were to be verified via other channels afterwards, it would be found that he had spoken only the truth.
Even as Chen Zhiliang didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t be able to get anything out of Yan Zhaoge as he began questioning him more directly.
Yet, Yan Zhaoge continually diverted the topic with his replies.
Chen Zhiliang clicked his tongue in wonder, yet could not pry any further. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to truly spoiling things and sowing enmity between them.
Watching on from the side, Zheng Ming’s interest was aroused as well.
He changed the topic, “We too seldom come to this Royal Reed Sea. We just know that it has been quite restless recently. The Grand Xuan Dynasty, Radiant Light Sect, Dim Darkness Sect and so forth have continually been battling on and on. The Grand Xuan Dynasty possesses a slight advantage. A while back, they even broke the Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar.”
“It is just that I am unsure-what is the current situation like now?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, saying, “My understanding of the situation is basically the same as yours. The Grand Xuan Dynasty was originally at a disadvantage. Still, the descendants of the lineage of Shen Lingzi who aided King Xuanwen in conquering the Royal Reed Sea in the past appeared to aid them in battle, thus helping them to turn the situation around.”
Zheng Ming, Chen Zhiliang and the others nodded slightly, not appearing surprised as they had clearly heard about this beforehand.
Yan Zhaoge continued, “Not long ago, there seemed to be another expert who appeared to aid the Grand Xuan Dynasty as well. I am not clear on that, only knowing that that expert was proficient in formations.”
“I heard the locals here mention that along with King Xuanwen and Shen Lingzi, there was also a Daoist Shi, a formations expert, who entered the Royal Reed Sea that year. Still, I cannot be sure whether that formations expert I saw was a descendant of his.”
Zheng Ming and Chen Zhiliang exchanged looks. As personal disciples of the Southeastern Exalt, they knew many things that would not be known by others.
When King Xuanwen, Shen Lingzi and Daoist Shi had entered the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory and settled down in the Royal Reed Sea that year, this matter had been tacitly allowed by the Southeastern Exalt. There also seemed to be the shadow of another major figure behind it.
However, it had not been clear at all what exactly the other party’s intentions were.
While they had given a reason for it back then, was that really their true motive?