Feeling the gaze of everyone unconsciously fall upon him, Bai Tai felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
"Hah... haha! You all continue your chat. There are still some internal family matters... I need to attend to!"
Bai Tai forced a somewhat awkward laugh. Before anyone else could respond, he left the hall on his own, leaving behind a lonely figure.
He knew he was not qualified to be here.
Even though he was the head of the Bai family.
"Alas!"
Watching Bai Tai depart, Bu Jianqiu let out a soft sigh. It wasn't out of sympathy for Bai Tai, but rather a simple lament.
The Bai family, it was no exaggeration to say, was undoubtedly a major clan in the current era.
But now, as the torrent of the times slowly advanced, they were gradually falling behind the tide. Or rather, they had been abandoned by the tide.
If the Bai family was like this, what about Heavenly Sword Mountain?
If not for the appearance of Bu Qingyu, how could Bu Jianqiu guarantee that they would fare better than the Bai family in the future?
In fact, regardless of whether the Bai family had any grievances with Fang Junxue, the decline of the Bai family was inevitable.
This was the choice of the era, unavoidable.
Not just the Bai family, but clans like theirs all over the world would face the same fate.
The Bai family was merely a microcosm.
And those who could truly establish themselves in the future were likely only beings like the Four Dark Clans of the capital of Huaguo, who could truly stand firm.
Or ancient martial arts forces like the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, if chosen by certain individuals, might also carve out a niche in the future.
But no matter what, the general trend of the era's succession was set, and this was an unavoidable matter.
Therefore, let us properly welcome the arrival of the new era.
"Island Master Fu, Pavilion Master Luo, I'll be direct with my words. I hope you two won't mind." Ye Ming looked at the two, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness.
"You can speak freely, young brother!"
Fu Tianxing waved his hand, indicating it was alright.
Fairy Luo Xia also nodded.
"Good!"
Ye Ming wasted no further words and went straight to the heart of the matter: "Since you are both chosen individuals, can you tell me who the forces behind your selection are?"
Ye Ming's question was very direct. Fu Tianxing and Fairy Luo Xia both paused for a moment, then chuckled and shook their heads.
"I knew young brother might ask, but I didn't expect..."
Fu Tianxing forced a wry smile.
"Actually, this isn't a top-secret matter. Since young brother wants to know, there's nothing we need to hide."
Fairy Luo Xia was also very direct and quickly responded, "I believe you know something about the outside lands, but have you heard of a sect called the 'Yin Yang Palace'?"
Yin Yang Palace!
Upon hearing the name, a graceful and elegant figure instantly flashed in Ye Ming's mind.
Xuan Yue!
She was the楼主 of Mandarin Duck Tower, whom Ye Ming and Nangong Qianyu had visited.
Ye Ming seemed to recall that the other party had invited him and Nangong Qianyu to join the Yin Yang Palace at the time, and had promised to do her best to help them resolve the troubles they faced.
Although Ye Ming had refused then, it didn't prevent them from becoming friends.
Therefore, Ye Ming held a degree of fondness for the Yin Yang Palace sect.
"Ye Ming, isn't Sister Xuan Yue from the Yin Yang Palace?"
Nangong Qianyu also thought of the other person.
"Mm!"
Ye Ming nodded. Not only at Mandarin Duck Tower, but even in the Heavenly Guardian Land, the other party had sent a message through Xi Yao to tell Ye Ming that there was an extremely terrifying expert guarding the Heavenly Guardian Land.
And the person Xuan Yue mentioned was referring to... Xia Baiyi.
"After I received the inheritance, I realized that the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had actually been left in the mortal world by the Yin Yang Palace a long time ago," Fairy Luo Xia said, her tone becoming increasingly serious. "Regarding when it was specifically established, there is no record in the ancient texts of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion."
"No record!"
Hearing this, Ye Ming felt a chill run down his spine.
From Fairy Luo Xia's words, it was not difficult to infer a fact: that the Yin Yang Palace had begun its arrangements a very long time ago.
As for how long ago, it could be as short as several hundred years, or as long as tens of thousands of years.
He dared not dwell on it.
"Since sister Luo Xia has already said it, I have nothing to hide either!"
At this moment, Fu Tianxing also slowly spoke, "The inheritance I received is from a force called the Dao Sect. Similarly, regarding that Dao Sect, there are some records in the ancient texts of my Unparalleled Island. However..." He shook his head, "They are only fragmented sentences. The only thing clear is that the initial establishment of Unparalleled Island should be related to the Dao Sect."
Fu Tianxing's words stirred up a thousand-foot-high wave in Ye Ming's heart.
After all, Xia Baiyi was from the Dao Sect!
If the Yin Yang Palace before was a coincidence.
Then, how could the Dao Sect be explained?
Combining their words, Ye Ming could no longer help but suspect that the super sects in the outside lands had already made their moves in secret, all in preparation for the advent of this era.
"Hoo!"
Ye Ming exhaled a long breath, temporarily pushing aside the complex and chaotic information from his mind, and said solemnly, "Judging by this, Wuyou Mountain and Dead Spirit Valley, which are on par with your two families, were very likely also arranged in advance."
This was a completely reasonable inference.
"Indeed, it is so!"
Fu Tianxing nodded. "Based on the intelligence I currently possess, the sect behind Dead Spirit Valley should be the Demonic Cult. And the one behind Wuyou Mountain is very likely... the Heartbreak Sect."
"Hehehe! Now all four super sects on the eastern coast of the outside lands are accounted for!"
Ye Ming chuckled and shook his head.
Yin Yang Palace, Dao Sect, Demonic Cult, Heartbreak Sect.
Ye Ming had long since obtained information on these four super sects.
It was just that he had not expected these sects to have made their moves so long ago.
Then the question arose, since the four super sects on the eastern coast of the outside lands had made their moves, were the four powerful entities on the western coast doing nothing?
This was clearly impossible.
Based on the intelligence Ye Ming currently possessed, he had a certain understanding of the four colossal powers on the western coast.
First was the Shadow Stream, with whom he had come into contact.
In Eastern Island Nation, he had clashed with them more than once.
Even during this process, Ye Ming had erased the phantom image of a Celestial Realm cultivator from the Shadow Stream, thus completely making an enemy of this force.
Besides the Shadow Stream, Ye Ming had also indirectly come into contact with the Angelic Nation.
Nowadays, their influence could be seen in Eastern Island Nation.
They were merely some minor figures from the Angelic Nation, and Ye Ming had not made a move, letting Nogawa Shamiya resolve it herself.
Besides these two forces, Ye Ming had only heard of the remaining two in intelligence reports.
They were the Ancestral Court and the Brahma Temple.
Other than these two names, Ye Ming's knowledge about them was almost blank.
Of course!
For Ye Ming, the eight super forces in the outside lands were not his greatest concern. What truly made him feel a sense of dread was that... Immortal Alliance.
The ones also known as the remnants of the origin.