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

Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Recruiting a Son-in-Law

"If this were Yan Province, I’d call my brothers from the Xian Deng Camp to spear these iron-shelled bastards to death and see how arrogant they are then!"

Luo the Thirteenth Lang followed Chen Yuan into the Sealed Demon Valley, grumbling indignantly the entire way.

He hadn’t really been angry when Wei Guangming had been clamoring to break every bone in his body.

But the other man’s contemptuous attitude toward the Sun-Swapping Alliance had infuriated Luo the Thirteenth Lang.

He could be insulted, but the Sun-Swapping Alliance could not.

"Truly deploying the Xian Deng Camp would be giving those guys from the Iron Armor Sect far too much credit."

Chen Yuan shook his head with a smile. "Brother Luo, don’t be angry. The Sun-Swapping Alliance has only recently risen to prominence. It’s naturally famous in Yan Province, but it’s normal for outsiders to be unaware of its strength."

Across the Nineteen Provinces of the world, many Jianghu People had indeed underestimated the Sun-Swapping Alliance.

The Great Xia Court actually placed great importance on Yan Province, stationing heavy troops in every city.

It was unlike You Province, where the Court’s influence was purely for show.

Although the Sun-Swapping Alliance had been pushed back by the Court for now, the fact that it could occupy half of Yan Province and stand against the Court’s grand army meant it was definitely no disorderly mob.

Take Luo the Thirteenth Lang’s Xian Deng Camp, for example. In every battle, they fought ferociously, fearing no death, always the first to charge the enemy lines.

The Xian Deng Camp was a force of formidable soldiers on the same level as Great Xia’s Crushing Army and Longxiang Guard, or the Qesun Army of the Grassland Hachas and the Lin Khanate. They were absolutely the elite of the elite.

Hearing Chen Yuan praise the Sun-Swapping Alliance so highly, Luo the Thirteenth Lang immediately beamed with joy.

’Brother Chen is the best. He’s forthright and righteous, and he knows just what to say.’

"Tsk, a lot of people have come to this Demon Sealing Conference. I’m afraid every Martial Artist from hundreds of miles around the Youning Border is here."

Luo the Thirteenth Lang’s anger came and went quickly. Now, he was looking around everywhere, slightly amazed.

Within the manor of the Three Sealed Demon Races, nearly a thousand Martial Artists had gathered. The weakest among them were at the Blood Movement Realm.

A single Martial Artist at the Blood Movement Realm was nothing special, but a thousand of them gathered together was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

A playful look appeared in Chen Yuan’s eyes. "There weren’t this many people before, three or four hundred at most. This might be the last Demon Sealing Conference, so naturally, they’d want to make the scene a bit more grandiose."

"The last one? Isn’t it held every ten years?"

Luo the Thirteenth Lang was a little confused. Just as he was about to ask for details, he saw a large gate inside the manor open, and sixteen Martial Artists walked out.

These sixteen people, plus the one who had been checking invitations at the entrance, were the only members of the Three Sealed Demon Races of Sealed Demon Valley.

"Damn, only seventeen people in total, and they’re split into three clans? My extended family was bigger than all three of their clans combined when I was a kid."

Luo the Thirteenth Lang couldn’t help but complain.

His parents alone had thirteen children. By the time he was a child, his eldest few brothers were already married with kids of their own. His family was indeed larger than the Three Sealed Demon Races.

"Sealed Demon Valley suppresses a Demon, and the leaking Demonic Qi has a certain effect on the body, making it difficult to bear offspring," Chen Yuan explained.

"However, a body steeped in this power for a long time will also undergo changes, becoming more sensitive to the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Look at the members of the Three Sealed Demon Races. The youngest isn’t even twenty, but they’ve already reached the Qi Casting Realm.

The patriarchs of the three clans are also only in their thirties, but they are all great masters at the Sixth Realm of the Martial Dao, the Condensing Truth Realm."

"It’s true. Then I guess this Sealed Demon Valley could be considered a Pocket World Blessed Land. But becoming a patriarch in your thirties? Don’t they have any old people in their clans?"

In families in the outside world, even small ones, the patriarch is usually a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. Who ever heard of a patriarch in their thirties?

"There are pros and cons. Prolonged exposure to this power also causes the physical body’s Qi Blood to decay at an accelerated rate. Members of the Three Sealed Demon Races rarely live past fifty, so historically, the patriarchs of the three clans have always been young people around thirty."

Luo the Thirteenth Lang quickly shook his head. "Then forget it. I’d rather not have that benefit. This place can’t be called a Pocket World Blessed Land; it’s a little sinister."

Just as the crowd below was murmuring, a soft cough suddenly rang out.

The sound was faint, but it seemed to echo in everyone’s ears, instantly silencing the entire Sealed Demon Valley.

A handsome man of about thirty-two or thirty-three, dressed in a green long robe, walked out and cupped his fist to the crowd below in a salute.

"The ten-year period has come. I am grateful to all my fellow members of the Jianghu for coming once again to Sealed Demon Valley to participate in the Demon Sealing Conference and lend your strength to suppress the Demon.

Our three families’ ancestors have stood guard here for a thousand years. Every time the Demonic Qi erupts and the Corpse Monsters run rampant, our clansmen must fight with their lives on the line.

Only since you, our fellow members of the Jianghu, began to help have the casualties among our Three Sealed Demon Races started to decrease.

On behalf of the Three Sealed Demon Races, I, Xie Tianyun, thank all of you, my fellow members of the Jianghu!"

"Patriarch Xie, you are too kind. If not for your three families’ ancestors suppressing the Demon, who knows how many disasters would have befallen the Border of Youning."

"The Three Sealed Demon Races use their very bodies to suppress the Demon and protect the peace of this region. If anyone should be thanking anyone, it is we who should be thanking you."

The many Jianghu People present hurriedly returned the salute.

Many of the Jianghu People had come to the Demon Sealing Conference for various reasons of self-interest, but many also truly admired the Three Sealed Demon Races from the bottom of their hearts.

Trapped for life within Sealed Demon Valley, unable to leave, their clans dwindling. Despite their own powerful talents, their lifespans barely exceeded fifty years.

The Jianghu People present asked themselves honestly: if it were them, most would be unwilling to make such a sacrifice.

At this moment, another patriarch from the Three Sealed Demon Races, Zhao Xuanxin of the Zhao Family, stepped forward. He was a bit older than Xie Tianyun, with a short beard and a square, scholarly face.

"Everyone, ten years ago, Brother Xie and I were already patriarchs, so you all recognize us.

However, the Bai Family’s patriarch unfortunately passed away several years ago. The one in charge of the Bai Family now is Miss Bai Xuewei."

A woman in her thirties, wearing a long white dress, stepped forward. She gave the crowd a slight curtsy, her voice soft and charming. "Bai Xuewei greets all of you, my fellow members of the Jianghu."

This newly appointed Bai Family patriarch was stunningly beautiful yet elegant, with a tall figure and a slender, supple waist. But where she should be full, she was very much so—a classic case of a slender branch bearing heavy fruit.

Most importantly was her aura—a mix of mature beauty with a trace of delicate fragility. She practically had the legendary physique of a born widow.

’If I had to describe her,’ Chen Yuan thought, ’she’s like a widowed Luo Bing, or a Huang Rong who’s already had a child.’

Many of the Jianghu People below were practically drooling as they stared at Bai Xuewei. The chorus of their responses was much louder than it had been for Xie Tianyun and Zhao Xuanxin.

Zhao Xuanxin cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, this Demon Sealing Conference is somewhat special. Besides asking for your help in slaying Corpse Monsters and suppressing the Demonic Qi, there is another matter I must announce.

As you know, because our Three Sealed Demon Races have guarded the Sealed Demon Valley year-round, our populations have not flourished.

This is especially true for the Bai Family. In Junior Sister Bai’s generation, she is the only one left. The Bai Family has no heir.

However, due to certain special reasons, our Three Sealed Demon Races cannot intermarry, so the Bai Family can only look for a solution from the outside world.

During this Demon Sealing Conference, whichever fellow member of the Jianghu slays the most Corpse Monsters will be able to marry Junior Sister Bai.

The Corpse Monster Spirit Pills that the Bai Family has accumulated over the years, as well as the Bai Family’s Cultivation Technique, will all be given as a dowry."

"Is the Bai Family recruiting a live-in son-in-law? Will he have to live in Sealed Demon Valley in the future?"

Someone from below asked.

Becoming a live-in son-in-law wasn’t a big deal, but if it meant living in Sealed Demon Valley, wouldn’t he also be susceptible to the Demonic Qi and not live past fifty?

Zhao Xuanxin shook his head. "It is not recruiting a live-in son-in-law, but a normal marriage. As long as Junior Sister Bai has a child, you may leave or enter Sealed Demon Valley at any time. Our Three Sealed Demon Races will not force you to stay."

Upon hearing this, the entire crowd erupted.

Those Corpse Monster Spirit Pills could be considered natural Elixirs. Although they certainly couldn’t compare to properly refined Elixirs, their effect would be astonishing in large quantities.

And there was the Bai Family’s Cultivation Technique. It was what the Three Extremes Venerable had left behind back then. Although it was only a third of the original, it was guaranteed to be at least an Earth Level Technique.

Most importantly, one could marry a great beauty of Bai Xuewei’s caliber. Even if staying in Sealed Demon Valley for a single day meant reducing one’s lifespan, it would be worth it.

"Brother Luo, are you interested in this?"

Chen Yuan noticed Luo the Thirteenth Lang staring at Bai Xuewei without blinking.

Luo Lie shook his head. "My foster father said I should find a wife who is virtuous and sensible. This woman, at a glance, is clearly not one to be trifled with."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

Chen Yuan was a little surprised. Luo the Thirteenth Lang looked simple and blockheaded, but his judgment of people was quite accurate.

"What marriage? Isn’t she just looking for a healthy man to borrow his seed? She can say something like that in broad daylight without even blushing. How could she be easy to deal with?"

Chen Yuan replied, "You’re not wrong, but that’s a crude way of putting it."

The core idea wasn’t wrong, but with Spirit Pills, a beauty, and a Cultivation Technique on the line, almost no Martial Artist could refuse.

Zhao Xuanxin’s voice grew grave again. "Alright, enough talk. The Demonic Qi eruption began a few days ago. I ask you all to enter the Sealed Demon Valley and slay as many Corpse Monsters as you can.

The old rules still apply. The paths into the Sealed Demon Valley are divided into three according to the number of Corpse Monsters. Martial Artists at the Blood Movement Realm will take the leftmost path. Those at the Qi Casting Realm will take the central path. And those above the Qi Casting Realm will take the rightmost path."

The Three Sealed Demon Races had divided Sealed Demon Valley into three regions of varying difficulty. Martial Artists of different strengths were responsible for clearing areas of corresponding difficulty, and they would only be able to regroup once they reached the deepest part.

This was a reasonable arrangement. Otherwise, given the character of these Jianghu People, you might see Martial Artists from the Sea of Reincarnation and Qi Casting Realms robbing the Spirit Pills from the hands of those in the Blood Movement Realm.

The crowd of Martial Artists obediently split into three groups and stepped into the Sealed Demon Valley.

Of course, over the years, there had been some who tried to cheat, but they were all detected by the Array of the Three Sealed Demon Races and thrown out.

Not only would they fail to get any Spirit Pills, but they would also lose all face. Over time, no one tried it anymore.

Just then, Chen Yuan and Luo Lie suddenly sensed something. They both snapped their heads around and looked to the east.

Wei Guangming, the Sect Leader of the Iron Armor Sect, was speaking with an old Daoist in a tattered Daoist robe and a goatee. His gaze, directed at them, was filled with a hint of killing intent.

"Brother Chen, I think that old bastard is up to no good. I’m afraid he’s planning to scheme against us once we’re inside the Sealed Demon Valley," Luo Lie said angrily.

Chen Yuan glanced at him and said, "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Once we’re inside the Sealed Demon Valley, it’s not yet certain who will be killing whom."