New Yu Era, Year 1333, March 10th, Wangchuan Tao City

Jiuhua, Wangchuan, and Linjiang paths are dominated by the Earth Level forces: Divine Sword Villa, Saint Heavenly Fist Sect, and Giant Abyss Gang, respectively. Above the three paths lies a Heavenly Level aristocratic family, the Chu Family, which established the Jiangbei Alliance with the three forces becoming the sole ruler of the three paths.

Of course, at present, the Jiangbei Alliance and the Gujiang Lu Clan have been united by the Hexi Hou Clan to join the anti-Jin alliance. Two months ago, the three allied forces attacked the Shen Capital, and each of the three paths successively declared publicly to become the territory of Great Yu.

To publicly declare is one thing.

The actual situation, of course, is another matter.

Eight years ago, Great Jin broke through the Shen Capital, and after dividing the five paths of Zhongzhou with Qinjian Villa, the Jiangbei Alliance surrendered along with the three paths. Seeing that the three paths were sensible, Great Jin granted the Jiangbei Alliance a very lenient treatment, not only not stationing troops in the three paths but also not requiring the Chu Kuangren to contribute in the war in Dongyuan Path.

The plans of Great Jin, in fact, made sense.

Chu Kuangren, leading the Jiangbei Alliance, was ultimately just a Heavenly Level major force. The troops that could be mobilized from the three paths were nothing more than ordinary heavenly armies. Getting them involved in the Dongyuan Path conflict would not be effective and might incite resistance from the Jiangbei Alliance. It was better to grant them maximum autonomy to stabilize their mindsets and prevent unrest in the rear.

Unfortunately, the emergence of Hou Yuxiao became a variable.

The Jiangbei Alliance betrayed nevertheless, with Chu Kuangren leading his experts from the Jiangbei Alliance, following Hou Yuxiao and the two million Red Flame Army from the Hou Clan, to capture the Shen Capital together.

The allied forces of the three families far exceeded the two million Red Flame Army that attacked the Shen Capital. The Jiangbei Alliance commanded five million Shuofeng Army, the Lu Clan had three million Hurricane Heavenly Army, and the Hou Clan had three million Zhaoyang Army. The three families had a total of eleven million heavenly armies yet to be mobilized.

The deceased Pingcheng King Wanyan Jun originally thought Hou Yuxiao would lead all the forces north to Dongyuan Path. As a result, Hou Yuxiao only led two million Red Flame Army and the elites of the three families and unexpectedly captured the Shen Capital. This eleven-million-strong ordinary heavenly army, because neither regarded by the Holy Land, ended up being somewhat overlooked.

Overlooked, but not entirely ignored.

Though Shen Capital has changed its master, the power of Great Jin in Zhongzhou has not diminished at all.

Emperor Yuliang's massive army was still contained by the allied forces in Dongyuan Path; although Wanyan Jun was dead, his successors, the Yucheng King and Yongwei King, had already taken over the more than five hundred thousand troops returning from Hulao Pass; ultimately, the one million Yuzhou Army left in Jiuhua Path before Wanyan Jun went to Lincang Path to intercept Hou Yuxiao has not moved yet, clearly intending to keep an eye on the eleven-million-strong allied army of the three families.

Therefore, although the three paths proclaimed themselves under the governance of Great Yu, the actual situation is that Great Jin controls Jiuhua Path, while the Jiangbei Alliance, or rather Great Yu, controls Wangchuan Path and Linjiang Path.

Of course, the leaders of the Jiangbei Alliance, the Lu Clan, and the Hou Clan were reportedly all in the Shen Capital, with no one knowing who the actual controller of the two paths was. The focus of Great Jin was entirely on the Shen Capital, thus reducing their attention to Wangchuan Path and Linjiang Path significantly.

The fate of the world is always only understood by a few. For the common people of Wangchuan and Linjiang Paths, their lives have not changed much, whether they previously surrendered to Great Jin or now belong to Great Yu; life goes on as usual.

However, the citizens of Wangchuan Tao City felt somewhat different.

Two months ago, the allied forces of the three families moved northward from Linjiang Path, briefly stationed in Wangchuan Tao City along the way. During that time, Wangchuan Tao City was under martial law, no one was allowed to come or go, and the martial law only slightly relaxed after the massive army left the city, leaving behind only five hundred thousand Shuofeng Army to maintain order.

Indeed, it was only slightly relaxed, just a little!

The city allowed people to leave, but the scrutiny towards those entering the city was extremely stringent.

The ruler of Wangchuan Tao City was the Saint Heavenly Fist Sect, with Sect Master Thunder Holy Hand Zhuang Feicheng, a Shattered Realm expert, and one of the top in the realm of great powers.

According to reports, Wangchuan Tao City should be controlled by the Shuofeng Army of the Jiangbei Alliance, with one of the three deputy alliance leaders, Zhuang Feicheng, presiding. However, Zhuang Feicheng had previously accompanied Chu Kuangren to assist the Hou Clan in attacking the Shen Capital and stayed there after its capture, never returning since. Thus, he is not the one currently presiding over the city.

The one currently in charge of Wangchuan Tao City is Hou Yuduan!

Initially, the citizens in the city were unfamiliar with this name, but with the reputation of the Hexi Hou Clan soaring following the restoration of Great Yu, they soon came to know who Hou Yuduan was.

Fifth Master of the Hou Clan, Zhao Yang Mo Ru, at a young age having Shattered Realm cultivation, currently the dominator of Shen Capital, with Great Yu's National Teacher Hou Yuxiao being his fifth brother, the mastermind of the Hexi Hou Clan, and the... highest commander of the eleven-million-strong coalition army of the three families.

Any one of these laurels is enough to impress countless people. When they're all gathered in one person, from ordinary citizens to wandering martial artists, and up to various Martial Path forces, there is hardly any harboring of resistance inside.

With the world in chaos, aren't all the thirteen provinces comparing fists and wits?

Great Jin is strong, as it not only occupies the Three Northern Provinces but also fights on three fronts, intending to swallow the world. The alliance is strong too; with the five great Holy Lands plus a Wuwei King, adding in Great Yu from Shen Capital, they unite to counter Jin, the Five States of Hedong plus Jizhou, who would dare not comply; the New Moon Cult controlling both Bin and Yongzhou also did so by strength, didn't it?