312: Regional battle

The entire Imperial Domain consists of sixteen regions.

These sixteen regions are like sixteen territories.

Although each region varies in size, these sixteen regions are generally very vast.

Nan Dou Region.

As one of the sixteen regions, it is located at the southernmost part of the Imperial Domain.

The greatest characteristic of this region is that it is a vast and enormous sea area.

It is also the only sea area within the Imperial Domain.

The Nan Dou Region is an island in this sea area.

Though an island, its immense size allows it to be considered a continent.

The entire Nan Dou Region is divided into West Island and East Island.

When the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect's flying boat arrived above the Nan Dou Region's island, Xiao Shi and Xiang Zizhen stood on the flying boat, looking down at the giant island below.

Both of their expressions were solemn.

Before their arrival, Xiang Zizhen had already thoroughly informed Xiao Shi about the details of this dispute over the Nan Dou Region.

Xiao Shi thus learned that a Martial Demon Realm Expert's refinement of a region usually involves two important steps.

First is the refinement of the region's Earth Veins.

Since the Earth Veins of each region are different, the method of refinement will also vary.

The specific situation would only be known after Xiang Zizhen arrived in the Nan Dou Region, allowing him to determine how to refine the Earth Veins of this region.

However, since the Nan Dou Region is an island, it is likely that the refinement of its Earth Veins is related to the surrounding sea.

This was one of Xiang Zizhen's disadvantages.

After all, none of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members were proficient in sea-related abilities; the sea itself was not something the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect excelled at.

However, Xiang Zizhen's competitor this time happened to be quite proficient in sea-related matters.

Secondly, another key point in regional refinement lies in luck!

However, the concept of luck here is somewhat different from what Xiao Shi had previously understood.

The luck referred to here does not mean good fortune, but rather a kind of support rate.

Simply put, it requires gaining the support of the Martial Artists within this region.

From Martial Demon Realm Experts down to those in the Entering Martial Realm, only with the support of these Martial Artists can one condense their own luck.

If one's luck is insufficient, it will be very difficult to succeed in refining the region.

And in this competitive environment, the struggle for luck becomes even more crucial.

In this aspect, Xiang Zizhen was still at a disadvantage!

His opponent had arrived in the Nan Dou Region before him and had already garnered the support of the vast majority of Martial Artists here.

It could be said that most of the Martial Artists in the Nan Dou Region now sided with Xiang Zizhen's competitor.

This put Xiang Zizhen in a very passive position.

What Xiang Zizhen didn't expect was that upon his arrival, he would be tasked with governing East Island!

When the Great Wu Crown Prince decided to have Xiang Zizhen and the Martial Demon Realm Expert from the Martial Pavilion compete for this region, he assigned them to govern West Island and East Island, respectively.

Xiang Zizhen had initially thought he would govern West Island upon his arrival, but he never expected it to be East Island!

According to the intelligence he had gathered previously, his competitor had started his development from East Island.

Now, his opponent had clearly given up East Island on purpose.

The reason was simple: all the Martial Artists on East Island were now his opponent's supporters, and these Martial Artists on East Island would undoubtedly be resistant to the newly arrived Xiang Zizhen.

The difficulty for Xiang Zizhen to win back the support of these Martial Artists would certainly be greater than on West Island.

This was like him entering an enemy camp and having to transform it into his own.

This was one aspect.

On the other hand, when his competitor developed on East Island, he had already completed most of the Earth Vein refinement for East Island.

As a result, if Xiang Zizhen wanted to refine East Island, he would have to override his opponent's previous refinement.

This would increase the difficulty of his refinement exponentially!

This made Xiang Zizhen's expression solemn.

He had not thought that this competition for the Nan Dou Region would be so difficult, but he never expected his disadvantage to be so great!

As the Great Wu Crown Prince, who made all these decisions, he couldn't possibly be unaware of these circumstances.

Yet, he chose to tacitly approve it and did not give Xiang Zizhen any fairness.

This was what chilled Xiang Zizhen's heart the most.

Even after achieving such great merit, he was unwilling to grant a Saint slot, especially since he was Chen Yuan's disciple.

If Xiao Shi were to claim the merit himself, he could hardly imagine how meager the reward from the Great Wu Dynasty would be.

"...The Great Wu Crown Prince appears fair on the surface, but his tacit approval already amounts to an internal designation," Xiao Shi said in a deep voice.

A fire was also brewing in his heart.

Although he hadn't encountered any major crises in the sealed land of the eye of imperial judgment, that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.

On the contrary, as a Demigod Land with its own rules, even the Star Luo Lord had been unable to retrieve the eye of imperial judgment from it for so many years; ordinary people entering it would surely face death.

His ability to retrieve the eye of imperial judgment was his own skill; it did not mean it was an easy task.

Yet, despite achieving such great merit, he wasn't even given a fair chance to compete, but rather an internal designation was being made here.

"The more they refuse to give it, the more I want it!"

"This is what I deserve!"

Flames flickered in Xiao Shi's eyes.

He had never been one to be bullied without fighting back.

Even if the opponent was the Great Wu Crown Prince, it wouldn't do!

He had secretly made up his mind.

He was determined to help Xiang Zizhen obtain this Saint slot!

No one could take what belonged to him!

"Don't worry, I will help you with all my might. This Saint slot will definitely be ours," Xiao Shi said with a serious and deep voice.

Xiang Zizhen nodded.

Although his strength and cultivation were far superior to Xiao Shi's, for some unknown reason, Xiao Shi's words gave him immense confidence.

It made him feel as if he had been given a booster shot, and even though he was at a great disadvantage, he suddenly felt full of confidence.

Soon, the massive flying boat belonging to the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect began to descend.

It directly entered East Island in the Nan Dou Region.

And the moment it entered East Island, a colossal statue appeared in the sight of Xiao Shi and Xiang Zizhen.

This was clearly a statue of a handsome young man.

His eyebrows were long, and even as a statue, his face displayed an arrogant and haughty demeanor.

There was also a unique temperament found only in geniuses.

The entire statue was incredibly massive.

It stood on the earth, its head touching the sky, with clouds only sparsely circling its waist. Martial Artists had to strain their eyes to barely glimpse it from afar.

The moment they saw this statue, both Xiao Shi and Xiang Zizhen's expressions turned grim.

They both knew that this statue before them was their competitor this time: Rong Sufei, the genius from the Martial Pavilion!

Normally, one would only erect a statue of themselves in their territory after completing regional refinement and becoming a Saint, allowing the Martial Artists in that territory to worship them.

However, Rong Sufei had erected his statue before refining the Nan Dou Region, and moreover, he had placed it on East Island... his intention was self-evident.

This was to intimidate Xiang Zizhen and simultaneously tell him, "This Nan Dou Region is mine; no matter how much effort you put in, it's useless."

At the same time, he was deliberately conveying a message to Xiang Zizhen: Rong Sufei was now the popular choice throughout East Island.

After all, without the recognition of these Martial Artists on East Island, he would not have been able to erect this statue.

The moment they saw this statue, both Xiang Zizhen and Xiao Shi felt an urge to smash it to pieces with a single punch!

If this statue were allowed to remain, it would not only be a mockery to Xiang Zizhen but also allow Rong Sufei's will to continue to exist there.

It could be said that as long as this statue remained there for even a day, Xiang Zizhen would not be able to control East Island!

Although anger filled his heart, Xiang Zizhen knew that he couldn't directly destroy the statue right now.

If he recklessly destroyed this statue, he would have even less chance of winning the hearts of the people on East Island.

The existence of such statues, besides being a symbol of identity and status, also served other purposes.

For example, they could provide cultivation buffs to the Martial Artists on East Island and suppress misfortune, among other effects.

Different statues often had different functions, but they all brought benefits to the Martial Artists in that region.

If he were to destroy this statue now, the first to suffer would be the Martial Artists on East Island.

Naturally, it would be difficult to gain their support and loyalty again.

Rong Sufei had clearly seen this point, confident that Xiang Zizhen would not dare to destroy his statue.

That's why he dared to ostentatiously erect his statue on East Island.

Xiang Zizhen took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

He looked at Xiao Shi beside him, seeking his opinion.

Xiao Shi gazed at the statue ahead, his eyes deep, with a cold glint flickering within them.

"Within ten days, I will make it disappear!"

Although he also wanted to destroy this statue directly at this moment, he knew that in this situation, he could not act with reckless courage.

He needed to be patient.

After all, Xiang Zizhen was currently at a disadvantage in all aspects.

If he were to make such a move that would provoke the public at this time, it would undoubtedly be extremely detrimental to Xiang Zizhen.

Of course, they certainly couldn't let this statue remain there indefinitely.

It needed to be destroyed as soon as possible.

Soon, their flying boat landed in East Dipper City, the main city of East Island.

The entire East Dipper City was very prosperous and vast.

However, when they arrived, they did not see anyone coming to greet them.

This made the already angry Xiao Shi and Xiang Zizhen even more furious.

Under normal circumstances, as the current governor of East Island, the City Lord of East Dipper City should have personally come to greet Xiang Zizhen.

However, upon his arrival, he did not see a single soul.

It wasn't until an hour later that a bald old man with a plump figure and a large belly, named Zou Xiang, came scurrying with a group of people.

Although he looked somewhat unremarkable, this old man's cultivation had already reached the Martial Demon Realm.

He was precisely the City Lord of East Dipper City.

"Zou Xiang greets Cleric Sir."

He respectfully led the way, bowing to Xiang Zizhen.

Although his expression was respectful, his eyes concealed dislike and disdain.

The group of people behind him also showed the same sentiment.

Xiang Zizhen looked expressionlessly at the obsequious City Lord Zou Xiang before him.

From the fact that the other party deliberately arrived late to greet them, one could see the attitude of these people towards him.

No matter how respectful they appeared on the surface, deep down, they all disliked and detested him.

For these people, they did not care what earth-shattering Merit (merit) Xiang Zizhen had achieved for the Great Wu Dynasty.

All they cared about were their own benefits and interests.

Although Xiang Zizhen's achievements this time would make the entire Great Wu Dynasty stronger, for these lower and middle-class people, it would not bring them any improvement.

At least in the current stage, they would remain in their current state and would not experience any change because of it.

In other words, in the eyes of these "common people" of the Great Wu Dynasty, Xiang Zizhen's achievements would at most earn them a compliment of "amazing! awesome!"

They would not support him because of the merit Xiang Zizhen had established.

Before Xiang Zizhen's arrival, Rong Sufei had already been operating on East Island for some time.

He had brought many benefits to the Martial Artists here and earned their support.

Now that Rong Sufei was gone, they suddenly lost these benefits. Coupled with the impression Rong Sufei deliberately created before leaving, suggesting he was forcibly driven away, these Martial Artists were already indignant about Rong Sufei being "driven away."

Furthermore, some actions Rong Sufei took before leaving made the East Island Martial Artists' impression of Xiang Zizhen extremely poor!

Xiang Zizhen had a premonition that if he were to destroy Rong Sufei's statue now, the Martial Artists on East Island would instantly riot collectively!

At that time, let alone gaining their support, it was likely that an uncontrollable conflict would erupt between the two sides instantly.

This made Xiang Zizhen frown deeply.

He felt that he couldn't even bother with the issue of these people arriving late to greet him now.

Otherwise, it would only worsen their impression of him.

Regarding this, he took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

He treated these people with a pleasant demeanor.

Xiao Shi remained silent on the side.

He knew that they were currently in a very passive position.

After all, the opponent had seized the initiative and had already created a very negative image of them before their arrival.

As a result, they were met with resistance from the East Island Martial Artists the moment they arrived.

If they showed any dissatisfaction due to this resistance from the Martial Artists, the conflict between the two sides would immediately escalate.

It would then become even more difficult to resolve.

However, resolving this situation was not difficult.

As long as they provided more benefits to these Martial Artists on East Island and changed their perception, they would naturally gain their support.

Ultimately, these Martial Artists were very pragmatic.

They would support whoever offered more benefits.

However, Rong Sufei must have known this principle as well.

Since he dared to play this hand, it meant that the benefits he had previously offered were extremely generous, and he was confident that Xiang Zizhen would definitely not be able to offer more benefits than him!

This was his winning point!