’That Hall Master Lü is certainly active in the Cyan Yuan Sect, meeting so many people over the last two days!’
Yang Chan mused as he read the report from Han Bingyu.
For many disciples of the Cyan Yuan Sect, the prospect of joining the Merak Sacred Land was incredibly appealing.
Upon learning they could not only join the Merak Sacred Land but also receive special training, many began scrambling, pulling every string they could to get into Lü Zhenghai’s line of sight.
This was especially true after the Cyan Yuan Sect had been significantly weakened by the recent border conflict. Many disciples were eager to join a more powerful Sect, and the Merak Sacred Land was the most suitable choice.
It wouldn’t be a betrayal of their Sect; in fact, they could even contribute to it.
It was, naturally, an excellent option.
Lü Zhenghai hadn’t come looking for him in the past two days, which, for Yang Chan, spared him some trouble.
Yang Chan had no desire for further contact with Lü Zhenghai. ’If you want to live a long life, it’s best to avoid people like him. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself unwittingly assigned to some dangerous task before you know it.’
"Many people have come asking for favors, from the Han Family as well. They all want to join the Merak Sacred Land!"
Han Bingyu added.
She had turned them all away, telling them that Yang Chan didn’t handle such matters.
She even blocked further requests with the excuse, ’If you want to join the Merak Sacred Land, your only options are to see Sect Leader Gu or Hall Master Lü.’
Han Bingyu knew perfectly well that Yang Chan had no intention of joining the Merak Sacred Land at this time. Moreover, since Yang Chan wasn’t particularly fond of this Hall Master Lü, she naturally wouldn’t burden him with these vexing requests.
She only mentioned it in passing now, and Yang Chan’s silence on the matter spoke volumes about his stance.
As someone close to Yang Chan, Han Bingyu understood his intentions perfectly.
As for herself, she would naturally follow Yang Chan’s lead.
Joining the Merak Sacred Land by herself was not a good option. She had learned many secrets from Yang Chan, so she was aware of the dangers one would face by joining the Holy Land now. Consequently, she was in no hurry at all.
Han Bingyu was very clever. She knew that for now, all she needed to do was follow Yang Chan’s lead without overthinking things. As long as she worked diligently within the Cyan Yuan Sect, she would eventually be able to join the Merak Sacred Land with him—at the right time.
She lacked for no Cultivation Resources, all of which were provided by Yang Chan. If she were to join the Merak Sacred Land now, she certainly wouldn’t receive such favorable treatment.
"Ignore all of that. According to Sect Leader Gu, Hall Master Lü is taking the chosen disciples and returning to the Merak Sacred Land today."
"We’ll just carry on as usual."
Yang Chan had met with Gu An once in the last two days and learned more of the Merak Sacred Land’s secrets. He now knew they had come to the Cyan Yuan Sect to recruit more people because the disciples who had previously gone to the Holy Land had suffered heavy casualties. They would also be taking some Servant Disciples with them.
Sect Leader Gu wasn’t too concerned about the Servant Disciples. A new batch was recruited every year, and another batch was sent down the mountain. Only those who displayed Martial Arts Talent were allowed to remain in the Cyan Yuan Sect and become true disciples.
It was, in essence, a filtering process.
Thus, Gu An wasn’t bothered by the Servant Disciples being taken away. Besides, it was almost time to recruit a new batch of servants anyway.
Under normal circumstances, these disciples who had yet to comprehend Power would have had to leave the Cyan Yuan Sect and go down the mountain.
Unlike during the years of natural disaster, these Servant Disciples would still have a chance to survive even after leaving the mountain.
If Lü Zhenghai took them now, it would have no real impact on the Cyan Yuan Sect. Even if they were taken only to become cannon fodder for the Merak Sacred Land, the effect would be negligible.
"Has any news come back from White Jade City?"
Yang Chan changed the subject, inquiring about the situation in White Jade City.
After Lü Zhenghai and his group arrived at the Cyan Yuan Sect, it had been confirmed that someone from the Merak Sacred Land had traveled to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Imperial Capital, White Jade City.
Yang Chan had learned from Gu An that it was related to the Old Emperor’s promotion to National Guardian Martial Saint, and it seemed a new agreement was involved.
The previous agreement with the Holy Land had been made with the National Guardian Martial Saint, Grand Ancestor Yang Sheng. Now that the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had become the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s sole National Guardian, that agreement naturally fell to him.
As for the specific details, even Gu An didn’t know, because Lü Zhenghai hadn’t said anything. It was clearly a secret.
"The situation in White Jade City is still being affected by that unknown Dragon Slayer. Intelligence is moving very slowly; nothing has come back yet!"
Hearing this, Han Bingyu gave a wry smile.
Yang Chan had assigned this task to her before, but despite trying numerous methods, she had no success. The information simply couldn’t get out.
The current investigations in White Jade City were being conducted with an impartial attitude—no one was exempt. Even high-ranking officials couldn’t escape the various probes. This had made the situation in the city extremely tense, which naturally hindered the flow of information.
Quite a few people had already been arrested for trying to pass on intelligence, which naturally made others even more afraid to try.
Those who were caught would be subjected to brutal torture and could even die during interrogation, which showed the Great Zhou Imperial Family’s stance.
Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.
To the Great Zhou Imperial Family, the deaths of a few people were nothing. However, if even one of those people was connected to the Dragon Slayer, or worse, passed information to him, it would spell immense trouble—it could even lead to the downfall of the Imperial Family itself.
Therefore, the Great Zhou Imperial Family was united in its approach to this matter: anyone even remotely suspicious was arrested.
This, of course, made those trying to relay intelligence even more hesitant to make a move.