Dragon Island bristled with alliances, each a small faction carved from desperate survival. Xiao Chen had no desire to fight alone. He did not necessarily need to join one, but he needed friends—people who would watch his back when the killing started.
Moving with extreme caution, he slipped through the dense primeval forest without alarming a single soul. He emerged onto a range of beautiful, forested hills where wooden huts dotted the landscape like hidden hermitages. This was the seat of the Dharma Alliance.
Guided by pure instinct, he walked toward one of the huts. Before he had covered half the distance, the door opened. Yizhen stood there, his spiritual senses sharp as ever. At the same time, the door of another nearby hut swung open, and a young monk leaned against the frame.
Xiao Chen knew at once that this must be the senior brother Yizhen had mentioned so often.
"Xiao Chen, I knew you would come to find me," Yizhen said with a smile.
The gray-robed monk who approached was indeed his senior brother, Dharma name Yichi. Like Yizhen, Yichi addressed Xiao Chen by name and did not use the formal 'benefactor' or refer to himself as 'this humble monk.' Though they were ordained monks, their manners were as ordinary as any man's.
Both young monks were gentle and kind. Yizhen laughed. "You are quite famous now!"
Xiao Chen's defensive actions had indeed turned him into a notable figure. He had burned the entire Tree-Man Valley, earning the gnashing teeth of Zhao Lin'er and her followers. That day, his duel with Kaio had been the first legalized battle, drawing widespread attention. And then he had stomped the Curse-Speller Dimansi out of the sky, astonishing more than a dozen alliances.
"Would you like to join us?" Yizhen asked.
"Are you not afraid I will bring you great trouble?" Xiao Chen replied with a faint smile. "I have offended many people, you know. The Tree-Man Valley bears me a grudge. Arold and Kaio are now my mortal enemies."
Yichi laughed. "We have heard the rumors. Today you dominated Kaio, making that barbarian maniac tremble with fear. You trod on Dimansi as if he were dirt. A clean victory. Truly a master."
Yizhen added, "I underestimated you. I was worried for you, but it turns out you could suppress Kaio all along. Do not hesitate to join us."
Xiao Chen shook his head. "I do not wish to bring trouble upon you. I appreciate your goodwill, but I must decline."
"It is not mere charity," the two young monks said honestly, without pretense. "You have the combat strength to qualify for membership."
Xiao Chen appreciated dealing with such people. He said directly, "The troubles I have caused are far greater than you know. If you do not mind, we can support each other privately. Though I will not officially join, if you face a crisis, I will certainly come to your aid. Likewise, if I encounter disaster, I hope you will lend a hand. This way we form a pact without my enemies targeting you."
Yizhen and Yichi both laughed heartily and agreed without hesitation. For them, it was an excellent arrangement.
One matter weighed on Xiao Chen's mind, keeping him from sleeping easy. He needed to know whether the young tree-man who had transformed from a tree in Tree-Man Valley had aligned himself with Zhao Lin'er. That tree-man radiated an aura comparable to a ferocious dragon, and Xiao Chen was deeply wary of him.
Yizhen knew of the tree-man. Arold had spread word that he could not fathom the depths of that being. Many alliances hence treated Tree-Man Valley with caution.
But according to rumor, that powerful tree-man cultivated in solitude and forbade anyone from entering the valley's depths. Under his command, the other tree-men were not permitted to leave Tree-Man Valley.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen's hidden worry lifted.
"Brother Yizhen, I wish to know: what is the relationship between Yan Qingcheng and her fellow disciples?" Xiao Chen had his reasons for asking.
The foundation of the Undying Evil Lord's legacy in the mortal world was rife with internal strife. Disciples fought among themselves, many becoming bitter enemies. He wanted to know if the same held true in the World of Immortality. If so, his killing of Wang Zifeng and Liu Yue might be smoothed over.
"They do not seem to get along. There is much conflict among them. Otherwise Yan Qingcheng would not have allied with Rand instead of her own brothers and sisters," Yizhen answered. Then, finding the question odd, he asked, "Why do you ask?"
"It is a long story. Since you ask, I will not hide it. I trust you completely." Xiao Chen spoke with deliberate sincerity, whether he fully trusted them or not. "I killed Wang Zifeng and Liu Yue."
"What?!"
"Is this true?"
Both Yizhen and Yichi were shocked.
Xiao Chen briefly recounted the circumstances. If Zhao Lin'er had not been aware of the incident, he could have buried it forever. Now he had to deal with it quickly, before she told Yan Qingcheng and ignited disaster.
Since Yan Qingcheng was at odds with her martial siblings, he hoped Yizhen could help mediate. Not because Xiao Chen was weak or afraid—he never compromised with declared enemies—but for those who were not yet clearly hostile, he wished to try reconciliation. No one wanted to make enemies on all sides.
Xiao Chen was no mindless killer. In the complex current situation, he wanted to reduce his foes. But if reconciliation failed and he was marked as an enemy, he would show no mercy—just as he had with Kaio and the others.
In his heart, Xiao Chen actually longed for a decisive battle with Yan Qingcheng and Rand. They had treated him with extreme contempt, and he burned to crush their arrogant pride with absolute force.
After hearing the brief account, Yichi sighed. "When action was needed, you acted. Brother Xiao Chen, you are decisive. If you had hesitated, given the cultivation of those two, you might not have survived."
Yichi was not speaking lightly. Wang Zifeng and Liu Yue were both formidable. If Xiao Chen had not struck decisively when the Violent Dragon's roar deafened them, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Yizhen understood Xiao Chen's intent. "I will try," he said with a smile. "But Yan Qingcheng is very headstrong. It is difficult to sway her. Though she is hostile to her fellow disciples, they are still of the same sect. This touches on sect dignity..."
"I am grateful for your help, Brother Yizhen." Xiao Chen did not expect total resolution. If it failed, he would fight. Retreat was never the best way to resolve conflict. A more effective path was to beat the other side until they trembled—assuming one had the strength.
As Xiao Chen bid farewell to Yizhen and Yichi and walked through the region of clustered alliances, he overheard some practitioners talking in an open woodland. Apparently, some alliance wanted to challenge him. An alliance had an upper limit of ten members. Ten against one—that was blatant bullying.
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