Chapter 504: Discussion (Second Update)

Cao Zhiyin lowered his head in thought after hearing this, nodding slightly, feeling that what he said had a certain logic to it.

"Besides, with the two of us brothers joining forces, this world is vast and wide, where is there any place we cannot go? Don't you agree?"

As He Kaifeng spoke, he reached his hand out once again toward the bowl... Cao Zhiyin's bowl.

Slap!

Crack!

The dark hand that He Kaifeng had sneakily reached over was fiercely swiped at by Cao Zhiyin with his chopsticks; although he was deep in thought, he had not been distracted.

This strike was extremely forceful, even breaking the chopsticks!

But the thick-skinned He Kaifeng didn't care at all, and still successfully made off with a steamed bun.

"You guy! Tsk..."

Seeing He Kaifeng's gaze still fixed on his own bowl, Cao Zhiyin had no other choice but to helplessly stuff the remaining bun directly into his mouth, swallowing it whole just like him.

He had originally wanted to savor it slowly, but now he could only swallow it down like a cow chewing on a peony.

It's all this guy's fault!

Yes!

Everything is the fault of this lazy bum.

"Speaking of which, I didn't expect that guy to not make a single splash in the end, withdrawing directly after entering the second round."

The two families were old acquaintances, and the two had known each other since childhood with a close personal friendship, so they had long since understood each other's temperaments perfectly.

"Indeed."

The strength of Li Yaoyue and Li Canglan made them both feel somewhat alarmed, not to mention that they had heard there was an Elder of Heaven Realm strength on the arena stage.

And yet, the person just forfeited!

This mysterious maneuver by Li Yilian left them completely baffled; they thought of many reasons, but all were eventually dismissed.

Whatever.

Anyway, the fault isn't mine; it's all this guy's fault!

However, though he complained in his heart, Cao Zhiyin didn't grumble much about it.

"But even if he didn't make a move, the other few people from his sect also displayed sufficiently astonishing strength."

That mysterious youth with powerful strength, the Li Yilian who defeated a hundred people alone.

"... Hard to say." He Kaifeng frowned at this moment, pondered for a while, then shook his head and said, "Perhaps he has other schemes."

At this moment, Cao Zhiyin seemed to have completely forgotten that he himself had also wanted to slack off, which was why he had readily agreed to the withdrawal.

After forfeiting, these two had acted as spectators outside, watching every match of the Elimination Tournament.

"Perhaps he just didn't want to expose more in front of others."

If it weren't for him winning the bet against others and causing us to lose control of the Earth Gate, we wouldn't be so passive, reduced to our current state.

In their view, even if Li Yilian's strength couldn't compare to Li Qiushui and that unfathomable Snow Heroine, it should at least be on par with the Second Prince of Beigan.

Li Yaoyue and Li Canglan both had the strength to contend for the Earth Realm championship, but unfortunately, they encountered the champion early and could only regretfully lose in the semi-finals.

And that mysterious Heaven Realm Elder, although he didn't make a move, was rumored to have extraordinary strength and was feared by everyone else.

And when thinking of the Earth Gate affair, Cao Zhiyin naturally recalled the true culprit who had caused them to fall to their current state.

"I didn't expect that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, a small sect destroyed in the Eastern Wasteland, having no success there and being almost completely uprooted, would actually make a comeback in Beiming."

"Based on his strength, he could definitely have made it into the top three of the Elimination Tournament; why did he suddenly withdraw? Is he intentionally hiding his true skill?"

"Who would have thought, perhaps this is fate."

As for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, they had gained some understanding after investigating, and they felt somewhat shocked by the strength these people displayed.

And this was still in a state of division; if they hadn't split, how strong would the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect have been back then?

Furthermore, the most famous technique of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was the Beast Control Method; if these people had such strength without relying on Demon Beasts, wouldn't they be even stronger if they had suitable Demon Beasts?

"However, compared to the rise of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, this is not the most unexpected thing; if we really have to talk about it, it has to be that one." Cao Zhiyin shook his head, his heart filled with emotion, and he lowered his head to pour himself a cup of wine.

"Which matter? Are you talking about... the one who suppressed all the heroes? Or?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's the most incredible one, that Ren Yidao of the Divine Path Sect!"

Upon mentioning Ren Yidao, Cao Zhiyin couldn't help but become excited, holding his wine cup and enthusiastically recounting the news he had heard: "With the body of a Void Refinement cultivator, he suppressed the Formless, winning eight out of eight battles, and ultimately captured the most dazzling top spot of this Immortal Sect Grand Competition!"

"Even His Highness Tianye couldn't defeat him, and his Double Pupil couldn't manifest its power, being pulled into an illusion by him twice and easily defeated."

"Looking back, his low-profile dormancy in the early and middle stages of the first round, suppressing his sect disciples from competing with others, was not to shock everyone at the end, but to give others a chance to show their strength."

"Because he knew that once he appeared, he would steal the limelight from everyone! Such bearing is truly admirable!"

Although that Ren Yidao was a person from Beiming Divine Continent, Cao Zhiyin held him in the highest regard, not hiding his admiration and worship for him in the slightest.

Most practitioners admire strength and have a natural filter and yearning for true powerhouses.

"It is truly enviable; if one day I could accomplish such an earth-shattering feat, how good would that be." Cao Zhiyin's eyes were somewhat unfocused, he sighed deeply, raised his cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

Clang.

He slammed the wine cup down heavily, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and said: "If I could have that day, I, Cao, would die without regrets."

A real man should be like this!

"Ho, I really couldn't tell, you actually have such great ambitions?"

He Kaifeng raised an eyebrow as he watched Cao Zhiyin's heroic display and teased: "If you ask me, you should first change that habit of yours of liking other men's wives; perhaps then you'd have a few more possibilities."

Cao Zhiyin, as a direct descendant of the Cao Family, had no special hobbies, except that he liked women, and he particularly liked other men's wives.

Having such a unique hobby that harmed social customs meant his reputation among others was not very good.

"You don't understand, I think you guys are the ones who don't understand at all!" Cao Zhiyin snorted coldly, glancing at his friend with disdain, "They are not only gentle and considerate, requiring no effort for me to teach, but being with them also brings a strange kind of excitement that can make one's heart race."

As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen one.

What is it that I, Cao, am pursuing?

Is it their beauty?

No, what I pursue is this thrill.

After talking for a long time, Cao Zhiyin shook his head and said, "That's true, why am I telling you all this? A guy like you who practices the Virgin Pure Yang Skill certainly wouldn't understand."

The Body Tempering Art that He Kaifeng practices is top-tier in the world; well, the only problem is that this technique is the Virgin Pure Yang Skill, and once one loses their virginity, their Qi defense will also diminish by a small half.

"Heh, you want to play like that, right? Fine, I'll indulge you."

He Kaifeng sneered at Cao Zhiyin's teasing and said with disdain, "I don't care what kind of insights you have about taking other people's wives, but let's get this straight first: while you are in Beiming, you must keep your little brother in check. Don't you dare cause us any trouble because of this, otherwise, I won't care about you and will definitely leave you behind and run!"

"Don't worry, I have a sense of propriety. When out and about, naturally one cannot be as unrestrained as at home." Cao Zhiyin waved his hand, nodded as if it were only natural, then raised his hand to cover his mouth, lowered his voice, and whispered, "You can trust me to do things; it will definitely be quiet. I won't make it public like before, and I won't let their husbands know."

He Kaifeng:?

So you actually made it public before, damn it?

And you even told their husbands???

"You, you this, you... sigh."

He Kaifeng suddenly felt some regret.

Should he have just followed his words earlier and sent him back to the Southern Border in advance, so he could travel through Beiming alone?

This guy doesn't seem like a helper; he's more like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

Is he really reliable?

Cao Zhiyin, with the alcohol going to his head, did not notice his friend's speechless gaze. He turned quiet again and whispered, "Besides, the matter of the Butian Alliance is also somewhat unsettling. I heard that if it weren't for that person coming forward, quite a few people would have met a tragic end..."

After mentioning that name, both of them fell silent.

Sikong Yu...

It is said that three hundred years ago, he forcibly broke through the Ascension Tribulation with the strength of the Ask Dao Late Stage, only to be left severely wounded and dying. He could only shrink into the depths of his sect to recover, and in the end, it was only by relying on another Heaven Realm breakthrough that the overall situation was held together.

But who would have thought that such a dying man would, two hundred years later, undergo a complete transformation—not only were his injuries fully healed, but he also displayed the terrifying strength of the Ask Dao Peak.

Looking at it this way, there is only one possibility.

Sikong Yu must have been faking it before!

He must not have been that severely injured in the first place; creating the illusion of being injured was to fish for people, trapping those who harbored malice toward him.

It is truly too insidious.

What a despicable, scheming old fox!

"... Perhaps, but the Butian Alliance has nothing to do with us. It's not our business, and we don't have the ability to manage it."

He Kaifeng curled his lips and said indifferently, "If they are just a flash in the pan, then there's nothing to fear at all. Besides, even if the Butian Alliance reappears in the Earthly Realm, where would they set up their base camp?"

"Among the Four Great Divine Continents, which one is easy to deal with? Even the Beiming Divine Continent is not easy to handle; the Eastern Wasteland has coveted it for so many years without result, only daring to make small moves in the dark. Without a base camp, how can one expect those who defect to feel at ease? Heh, it's difficult."

Cao Zhiyin looked at his friend in surprise; he hadn't expected him to see this issue so clearly. He pondered for a moment, then nodded and smiled:

"What you say actually has some merit."

"Forget it, even if someone has a headache over this, it won't be us. Let His Majesty the Divine Emperor and the others ponder it! As for us, let's just drink."

The two looked at each other, both laughed out loud, and clinked their cups together.

"Drink."

"Drink! Also, damn it, stop taking the dishes from my side!"

"Hiccup!"

The conversation between Cao Zhiyin and He Kaifeng can be seen as a microcosm; similar exchanges could be heard in many places.

This is the thought of most people in the world, especially those from the other three continents. Although they heard about the shocking changes that occurred in the Beiming Divine Continent, not many people took the matter to heart.

For the general public, the Butian Alliance is a fairly unfamiliar name. Not knowing its history, they naturally have little sense of awe. Even the strength displayed by the Black Tortoise Lord in the reports was viewed with skepticism, as they felt the people of Beiming were just gilding their own faces.

Some people even used this incident to mock the Beiming Divine Continent for being weak, saying that the sect that was the leader of the righteous path was almost wiped out by a little-known alliance—it would be a laughingstock if word got out.

It wasn't until the major event that occurred half a month later that these people shut their mouths.

Above the abyss in the center of the Four Great Divine Continents, the one that separated the four...

A continent appeared out of thin air, floating in the sky!

Six thousand words, asking for a few Monthly Tickets~