I Seriously Didn't Want to Be the Martial Alliance Leader

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Demon Sealing Conference

Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang had a very enjoyable meal.

Luo the Thirteenth Lang was honest, upright, and loyal—the kind of person worth befriending.

Although the Sun-Swapping Alliance was destined for destruction in the future, that was still a long way off. For now, at least, Chen Yuan didn’t have to worry about it.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Yuan gave Luo the Thirteenth Lang some silver, as he had none, so he could stay at the inn and wait for the Demon Sealing Conference to begin.

Luo the Thirteenth Lang was, of course, incredibly grateful to Chen Yuan. He felt that this Brother Chen was truly generous and righteous, possessed extraordinary strength, and was pleasant to talk to.

He’d originally been quite dejected about this trip. He had failed to recruit Zuo Xinglie, making the journey for nothing, and had even lost his silver.

But after befriending Chen Yuan, he felt the trip had been worthwhile after all.

For the rest of the time while they waited for the Demon Sealing Conference to begin, Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang chatted at the inn.

It was mostly Chen Yuan asking Luo the Thirteenth Lang about matters of the Jianghu.

While Chen Yuan knew the general course of events, some things weren’t part of the main "plot" but were still happening in the actual timeline.

Luo the Thirteenth Lang’s attempt to recruit Zuo Xinglie into the Sun-Swapping Alliance, for instance.

Luo the Thirteenth Lang was Zhi Shilang’s adopted son. Though not a man of many words, he had overheard quite a bit while at Zhi Shilang’s side, and Chen Yuan managed to pry a great deal of Jianghu gossip from him that he hadn’t known before.

Chen Yuan also learned that Luo the Thirteenth Lang was called that not only for his valiant feat of charging through enemy lines thirteen times but also because he was the thirteenth child in his family.

However, his parents and his twelve older siblings had all died, victims of the Court’s forced labor.

Of the Nineteen Provinces under heaven, the Great Xia Court only truly controlled the Central Nine Provinces, and Yan Province was one of them.

Geographically, Yan Province was actually in the northeast, not the Central Plains, and it suffered from severe winters and a harsh environment.

However, Yan Province was rich in natural resources—grain, mineral veins, and forests, it had everything. Naturally, the Great Xia Court was determined to keep it in their grasp.

Some of Luo the Thirteenth Lang’s parents and siblings had died in the mines, others in the river canals.

His last older brother was dragged into the forest in the dead of winter to fell century-old trees for the palace being built by King Yan, who presided over Yan Province. He froze to death on the spot.

In a fit of fury, Luo the Thirteenth Lang forged a blade and killed the foreman. The passing Zhi Shilang witnessed this and took him in as an adopted son.

After hearing Luo the Thirteenth Lang’s story, Chen Yuan couldn’t help but sigh. ’The Great Xia is doomed to fall sooner or later.’

They had already run the Nineteen Provinces into the ground, leaving only the Central Nine Provinces, yet they still didn’t treat the common people like human beings.

Currently, half of Yan Province was occupied by the Sun-Swapping Alliance. If not for some internal conflicts within the Alliance, the entire province would have likely fallen by now.

Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang waited in Wangbei Town for half a month. When the day of the Demon Sealing Conference finally arrived, they set off for Sealed Demon Valley.

Entry to the Demon Sealing Conference required an invitation. However, the invitations were not named, so anyone holding one could get in.

Chen Yuan had taken his invitation from the Zhu Family. Luo the Thirteenth Lang, on the other hand, had received his from a Jianghu person he had defended on the road by killing some men from the Iron Armor Sect.

The Three Sealed Demon Races were unable to leave Sealed Demon Valley, so every time they issued invitations, they would summon a local Wind Media Power to the valley. They would hand over the invitations and have them distributed in certain quantities according to the strength of the surrounding factions.

Stronger factions received more, while weaker ones received fewer.

The remaining invitations were given to the more reputable Independent Martial Artists in the Border of Youning.

Because the invitations were unnamed, people would even come to blows fighting over them in the days leading up to the conference.

Sealed Demon Valley was located deep in an uninhabited mountain range, with remote and difficult roads. The area only became lively when the Demon Sealing Conference was held.

Along the way, Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang encountered many other Martial Artists heading in the same direction. None were weak; the very weakest had a Cultivation at the Blood Movement Realm.

Sealed Demon Valley had strength requirements for its invitations. After all, the Demon Sealing Conference was meant to suppress the Demonic Qi eruption, which required killing Corpse Monsters.

If weaker Martial Artists came, forget killing Corpse Monsters, they would likely be killed themselves and, tainted by Demonic Qi, turn into new Corpse Monsters. That would just be adding to the chaos.

After walking along the mountain path for about an hour, Chen Yuan finally saw Sealed Demon Valley in its entirety.

It was a colossal rift valley hidden deep within the mountains. The top was veiled by an Array, from which a dark gray miasma emanated.

The mouth of the valley was blocked by a massive manor. Its architectural style was extremely archaic, nothing like that of the Great Xia.

At the manor’s entrance, a Qi Casting Realm Martial Artist was checking invitations. Anyone, regardless of who they were, could enter as long as they held one.

As Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang walked over and handed in their invitations, a sudden roar erupted from the side.

"Sect Leader! Those are the two who killed our brothers in Wangbei Town!"

Chen Yuan and Luo the Thirteenth Lang turned around. Over a dozen Martial Artists from the Iron Armor Sect, wearing Iron Conical Hats, were walking toward them with murderous intent on their faces.

The Iron Armor Sect was based in Pan Yang City, which wasn’t too far from the Youning Border, so it was normal for them to be invited.

These dozen or so Martial Artists were all elites from the Iron Armor Sect, each with a Cultivation at the Qi Casting Realm.

The man leading them was in his early forties, with a body of knotted muscle. He stood a full two meters tall and wore a Profound Gold Conical Hat.

He was the Sect Leader of the Iron Armor Sect, Wei Guangming, and he possessed a Cultivation at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.

Back in Wangbei Town, Chen Yuan had made some inquiries with the local Jianghu People about the Iron Armor Sect.

The Iron Armor Sect used to be an unremarkable minor faction, similar to the Celestial Wolf Gang. The previous Sect Leader had only been at the Qi Casting Realm.

After Wei Guangming took control, he disregarded backgrounds and recruited numerous thugs and vicious bandits. This bolstered the sect’s strength, and they began to aggressively expand and plunder territory.

In just over a decade, the Iron Armor Sect’s power surged, and they became the local hegemon. Their methods were tyrannical and overbearing, and no one dared to cross them.

In a sense, Wei Guangming was a formidable character. His contributions to the Iron Armor Sect were almost comparable to those of its founding master.

"You have a lot of nerve, killing disciples of my Iron Armor Sect!"

Beneath his Profound Gold Conical Hat, Wei Guangming’s gaze was chilling. "State your names and origins. I, Wei Guangming, don’t kill nameless ghosts!"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

’Wei Guangming brought the Iron Armor Sect this far,’ Chen Yuan thought. ’His disciples might be brainless thugs, but he is no reckless fool.’

’He’s clearly trying to probe our backgrounds. If we have no powerful backing, it won’t be too late for him to make his move.’

Chen Yuan didn’t speak, but Luo the Thirteenth Lang let out a cold snort. "Luo the Thirteenth Lang, under the banner of the Sun-Swapping Alliance of Yan Province! I’ve even dared to kill a Prince of the Court. Why would I hesitate to kill a few iron-shelled bastards like you?"

Hearing Luo the Thirteenth Lang announce his affiliation, Wei Guangming visibly relaxed, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes.

His greatest fear was that they hailed from a major power in You Province or Ning Province.

But the Sun-Swapping Alliance was just a band of rebels from Yan Province, wasn’t it? Most of them were just destitute commoners, and they had just been beaten back by the Court.

If this were Yan Province, Wei Guangming might have been somewhat wary. But this was the territory of his Iron Armor Sect; it was no place for some country bumpkin from Yan Province to be arrogant!

It was no wonder Wei Guangming looked down on the Sun-Swapping Alliance.

From the Court’s perspective, the uprising in Yan Province was naturally a major event, as it concerned the stability of the Great Xia Court’s rule over the Central Nine Provinces.

But the Sun-Swapping Alliance had, after all, only just risen to prominence. Even some of the major powers looked down on them, to say nothing of a short-sighted, local tyrant like the Iron Armor Sect that only cared about its own small patch of land.

"How dare someone from Yan Province act so presumptuously in the Land of Youning! Crush every bone in their bodies and throw them back to Yan Province!"

Wei Guangming subconsciously assumed Chen Yuan was also a member of the Sun-Swapping Alliance and lumped him in with Luo the Thirteenth Lang.

Chen Yuan gripped the hilt of his saber, and Luo the Thirteenth Lang pulled the cloth cover off his Profound Flood Dragon Spear.

Neither of them were ordinary Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists. Even when facing a being at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, they had the courage to fight.

Just then, the Martial Artist from the Three Sealed Demon Races who was checking invitations at the gate spoke in a cold voice, "Gentlemen, if you wish to fight, please do so outside!"

"The Demon Sealing Conference is a grand event held to seal Demons for the safety of the Land of Youning. It is not a place for you to settle personal grudges!"

"Anyone who makes another move will have their invitation revoked, and you need not trouble yourselves with attending any future Demon Sealing Conferences!"

Wei Guangming waved his hand, stopping the Iron Armor Sect Martial Artists behind him who were about to attack.

"Out of respect for the Three Sealed Demon Races, I will spare your lives for now!"

Wei Guangming swept a vicious glare over them, his eyes brimming with palpable killing intent.

He then led his men to submit their invitations and entered Sealed Demon Valley.

For the surrounding factions, the initial purpose of the Demon Sealing Conference had indeed been pure—to seal the Demons and prevent the Border of Youning from being overrun by them.

But over time, the nature of the Demon Sealing Conference had changed somewhat.

Some Jianghu People came to slay Corpse Monsters and obtain Spirit Pills, while others came to display their strength.

Whichever family or sect performed best at the conference would have their underlying strength and resources put on display for all their peers in the Jianghu to see.

After the conference, that faction’s prestige and reputation would soar.

If Independent Martial Artists performed exceptionally well, they too could increase their renown. Sects and Noble Families would proactively invite them to join as Tributors or Honored Guest Elders.

It was due to his own excellent performance at the Demon Sealing Conference twenty years ago that Wei Guangming had been able to become the heir of the Iron Armor Sect.

’It wasn’t worth jeopardizing the Demon Sealing Conference over these two.’

’But these two still had to die!’

The Iron Armor Sect was known for its tyrannical and overbearing conduct. Anyone who dared to kill its members would face endless retaliation.

This was how the Iron Armor Sect maintained its deterrent power over the surrounding cities, ensuring no one dared to cross them.

Now that his disciples had been killed in public, if the Iron Armor Sect didn’t retaliate, didn’t demand a life for a life, what would become of its authority? Where would its honor be?

’If these two don’t die, the Iron Armor Sect’s prestige will plummet.’