Wang Mang stiffened as he now understood just how pathetic he was. Why had he provoked a fiend like Long Chen?

Guo Ran had explained why there were so few disciples from the Eastern Wasteland, and now he knew what kind of person Long Chen was.

“This… this isn’t my fault. I was…” stuttered Wang Mang.

“What hostility is there between the Law Enforcement Hall and the Elder Hall?” said Long Chen. He wasn’t interested in what bribe Wang Mang had received or who had used him.

“There do seem to be some conflicts between them, but I don’t know the specifics,” said Wang Mang. How could he, a small disciple, have the qualifications to learn about the matters between the higher-ups?

“The Xuantian Dao Sect’s interior is extremely complicated. Learning about those things right now won’t do anything for you. All you have to remember is that as long as you don’t break the rules, you’ll be safe. If other people want to fight, that’s their issue,” said Elder Sha.

“No wonder you always talk about the rules,” laughed Long Chen.

This joke of Long Chen’s caused everyone’s hearts to shake. Although it was said with laughter, they all felt that it also contained some ridicule.

But surprisingly, Elder Sha didn’t get angry. He looked into the distance for a long time before saying, “I was once like you as well, young, full of energy and hope for the future. Hehe…”

Long Chen took over, saying, “Hehe, regretfully, things never go as people want. There are always all kinds of obstructions, impediments trapping you like net after net. Day after day, year after year, a person eventually gets lost.

“Some people have long since forgotten their original hearts in the fight for fame, for profit. Then there are some people who end up like senior, becoming a puppet that only knows how to follow the rules. Thinking about it, it really is sad!”

“Long Chen…” Meng Qi tugged on Long Chen, indicating that he should be careful with his words. He had no enmity with Elder Sha, so why would he offend him?

Even the senior disciples trembled with fear. Long Chen was far too brazen.

But what they found curious was that the cold Elder Sha didn’t get angry at all, nor did he reprimand Long Chen. Instead, he just calmly looked into the distance.

The flying boat was still rapidly flying, and the mountains below quickly passed. However, the inside of the flying boat was completely silent.

“These are the rules.” After a long while, Elder Sha indifferently tossed out some words.

“Hehe, disciple doesn’t believe so. Rules are things the strong use to control the weak. The strong can infringe upon the rules, and the stronger ones can completely ignore the rules. As for the strongest ones, they are the ones who can change the rules whenever they want.

“In the Phoenix Cry Empire, I was to comply with the Phoenix Cry Empire’s rules. In the Xuantian Monastery, I was to comply with the Xuantian Monastery’s rules. In the supermonastery, it was the same.

“But I didn’t comply with those rules, because if I had, I’d have long since died a tragic death. So, once I reach the Central Plains, I’ll follow the rules that are favorable to me. But as for those rules that suppress me, I’m afraid that disciple will be unable to comply,” said Long Chen.

“Then you will be mercilessly exterminated,” said Elder Sha.

“If I’m to be exterminated, then let me be exterminated. None of the Dragonblood Legion’s warriors are afraid of death. We have our own principles and our own aspirations. I’m not worried they’ll die, but I am worried they’ll become the same as senior, losing themselves within the crushing rules and becoming a walking corpse,” sighed Long Chen.

The Dragonblood warriors all understood Long Chen’s meaning. He was using Elder Sha as an example of what not to do in order to warn them.

Even someone as strong as Elder Sha had been turned into a machine because of the Xuantian Dao Sect’s rules. Rules killed people without them even noticing, erasing a person’s will and devouring their ambitions. The most frightful thing about it was that it was like boiling a frog in water. It erased a person’s heroism without them sensing the danger.

The Dragonblood warriors thought about how they had followed Long Chen from the 108th monastery, to the thirty-sixth supermonastery, and then to the Xuantian Dao Sect. Hadn’t all those monastery heads and all those Elders been silently sacrificed to these rules?

They had also been young and full of hot blood once. But that hot blood and youthful vigor had been erased without them even knowing it. As a result, they ended up with some tired days of nothing. They schemed against each other in a game of mutual deception, caught in the web the rules had created for them. They had forgotten their original hearts.

The 108th monastery, the thirty-sixth supermonastery, the Eastern Wasteland’s branch sect, they had been like vats of dye, each bigger and more contaminating than the last.

According to that pattern, the Central Plains’ Xuantian Dao Sect would be an even larger vat of dye. Even Kings were silently lost to it.

Looking at how a terrifying expert like Elder Sha had been turned into a puppet that was simply doing what he was told, it was like they were seeing their futures, and a cold chill ran through their bodies.

If Elder Sha’s present was their future, then they would rather die in a blazing fire of passion than become like him. Without goals, cultivation didn’t have any meaning.

“Boss, we’ll never forget our original hearts. No matter what realm we cultivate to, no matter what robes we wear, we will still be the same youthful men. If others refuse to allow that, we’ll go all-out against them,” shouted the Dragonblood warriors. They knew that Long Chen was warning them to forever maintain their passion, their fervor.

“Are you using me as an example of what not to do?” said Elder Sha indifferently. But there was clearly a slightly bitter tone to his voice.

“Sorry, disciple was rude.” Long Chen bowed slightly. He did feel a bit apologetic.

There was no way around that. Through Elder Sha’s words, Long Chen felt that the Xuantian Dao Sect was definitely a muddled place. That reduced his excitement and anticipation by quite a bit. The Central Plains was definitely the playing field of the world’s experts, but this beautiful field was constructed through the bones of countless geniuses. It was unknown how much merciless killing was behind it.

Long Chen didn’t wish for the Dragonblood Legion to become lost in these kinds of ideas. Once they were lost, it would be difficult to extricate them. That kind of ending was a sad one as well.

If he wanted the Dragonblood Legion to stay complete, he had to lead them forward without hesitation and without submitting to anyone, including those unreasonable rules.

Fighting against the rules might cause the entire legion to be destroyed, but they had to have that courage. They had to have the courage to risk their lives, to show their fangs, and only then would they be able to establish themselves within the Central Plains. Otherwise, they would be devoured by the countless heavenly geniuses present.

Elder Sha sighed. “The younger generation will surpass the old. Perhaps that kind of mentality is a good one.”

After saying that, Elder Sha turned and left, his figure appearing a bit lonely. But he also clearly didn’t have a good opinion of Long Chen’s conduct. Perhaps it was because he had experienced a great deal and seen plenty of geniuses who had ended up with tragic endings. And so he was already weary.

Looking at his departing figure hardened the Dragonblood warriors’ hearts even more. They even felt that Elder Sha was pitiful. He was someone who had been trampled by the rules.

At the same time, they had to admire Long Chen for his vision. As the rudder of the Dragonblood Legion, Long Chen didn’t just need unrivaled power, but he also needed exceptional wisdom.

Those senior disciples were deeply shaken. Looking at the Dragonblood warriors’ fervent gazes, they felt like they were being affected as well.

“How many disciples were there in total from the four regions last time?” asked Long Chen.

“There were over three hundred and seventy thousand,” said the senior disciple.

“How many?” Long Chen couldn’t believe his ears.

“A bit more than three hundred and seventy thousand,” the disciple repeated.

Three hundred and seventy thousand? All of whom were Sea Expansion Celestials? This number gave Long Chen a fright. It was no wonder they said that the Eastern Wasteland was the weakest region. Of over three hundred and seventy thousand people, only twenty thousand had come from the Eastern Wasteland. That proportion made him speechless.

“There must have been quite a few heavenly geniuses amongst your generation, correct?” asked Long Chen.

“Yes, there truly were many. They were practically monsters, inhuman. We can only look up to them.” That senior disciple bitterly smiled, clearly having received a great impact.

Of those three hundred and seventy thousand disciples, although these senior disciples couldn’t count as the weakest, they had still been on the edge of being washed out. They couldn’t even count as elites, let alone heavenly geniuses.

The most infuriating thing was that the Xuantian Dao Sect’s rules allowed many loopholes for senior disciples to bully them, and they could only endure it.

This time, they had been sent to greet the newcomers. Originally, they had been hoping to vent some of their resentment. But instead it was the newcomers who gave them a warm welcome.

After talking for so long, everyone became much more familiar with each other. The senior disciples didn’t dare to be arrogant any longer. Instead, they began to talk with the Dragonblood warriors, subtly fawning over them.

They found that each one of these Dragonblood warriors possessed extremely dense Spirit Blood. Such people would find it no problem to pass the trials and join the Xuantian Dao Sect. They should all become inner sect disciples.

These senior disciples were no more than outer sect disciples. They probably wouldn’t be able to go to the inner sect in their lifetime. So forming good relationships with the Dragonblood warriors might bring them endless benefits.

Even Wang Mang ran over to Long Chen to apologize, cursing himself for being deceived by other people’s lies. He even said that he deserved a thousand deaths for his actions.

Long Chen couldn’t be bothered to quibble with him. This was nothing serious to him, and he didn’t bother pressing him for more details.

Now that everyone was familiar with each other, they once more went out to exchange pointers. But this time, it was a friendly competition where both sides used their full power. The Dragonblood warriors used their Spirit Blood, while the senior disciples no longer suppressed their cultivation bases. These new battles were exceptionally intense.

What startled the senior disciples was the fact that the Dragonblood warriors were shockingly powerful. In these intense battles, the killing intent they released made it seem like this was no exchange of pointers. It felt like they would kill them at any moment.

But there were some senior disciples capable of fighting through the sensation of death. They released their true power, and in this kind of battle, the Dragonblood warriors were truly one level weaker. But if it was a true life and death battle, then that would have been a completely different matter.

On the seventh day, the scenery around them completely changed. The mountains and plains vanished, replaced by a vast roaring sea.