Chapter 5004 — Top-Tier Clans
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Even if there are constraints, they are certainly not one-sided—they are mutual. The Central Island's strength has not fallen so low as that." Oda Zhou had deliberately raised the subject because he meant to reveal certain hidden matters to Wei Zhao, precisely the things Wei Zhao urgently needed to know.
"Island Lord Oda, forgive my bluntness, but how strong is the Central Island, truly?" Wei Zhao could not restrain himself from asking.
"What does Young Hero Lin think?" Oda Zhou countered with a smile.
"I used to think the Central Island was very strong. But as my horizons broadened, I found that not only the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent, but even the Northern Island and the Western Island all far surpass the Central Island in strength. The Central Island is, in fact, the weakest of them." Wei Zhao answered honestly.
"You are not exactly wrong to think so, for in terms of strength openly displayed, the Central Island is indeed the weakest. Even a standing vice island lord like Wu Che must bow and scrape before a mere rank-seven alchemist. If that still counts as strong, it would be a laughingstock. But that is only the strength on the surface." Oda Zhou shook his head.
"Then what of the true hidden strength?" Wei Zhao asked curiously.
"Heh. If matters truly came to blows, among the five Cloud Step Islands, save for the Eastern Continent, none could say who is stronger or weaker. At the very least, the Central Island is by no means the weakest soft persimmon in the bunch." Oda Zhou pointed this out with particular care.
"Then why is the strength of the Central Island Lord's Pavilion so feeble? From what I can sense, it cannot compare at all with the top figures of the other Cloud Step Islands." Wei Zhao frowned.
"That is because the island lords and vice island lords who come out from the Lord's Pavilion to keep order are nothing more than a few old monsters who cannot be bothered with mundane affairs, and agents dispatched by the top-tier clans. The ones who truly decide the Central Island's fate are by no means the Lord's Pavilion, but the Central Island Elders' Council, which stands above it." Oda Zhou explained.
Wei Zhao nodded thoughtfully at these words. Such a matter was not hard to understand—the Northern Island had an Elders' Council, and the Central Island naturally had one as well. The difference lay in that the Northern Island had a top figure like Shangguan Tianxia serve directly as its public face, whereas the Central Island withdrew behind the scenes and put forward agents instead.
"Every member of the Central Island Elders' Council comes either from a top-tier clan or from a top-tier sect. Each has profound backing. These are the true great personages who hold the power of speech." Oda Zhou continued.
"Island Lord Oda, I meant to ask about this earlier, but was interrupted. These top-tier clans and top-tier sects you speak of—just what sort of existence are they?" Wei Zhao asked, much perplexed.
"Put simply, these two are entities one tier above ordinary sects and ordinary clans. Every top-tier clan has been passed down on the Cloud Step Islands for at least a thousand years, and so they are also called thousand-year clans. The only thing is, they all live in seclusion, devoting themselves to cultivation, and rarely involve themselves in the concrete affairs of the outside world—they merely put forward agents to handle matters, as the Central Island Lord's Pavilion does. Thus, unless one reaches a certain level, one cannot know of their existence." Oda Zhou explained patiently.
"So that is how it is. It sounds rather like the hidden clans of the mortal world. But in the mortal world, beyond the hidden level, there is an even higher ancient level. I wonder whether the Cloud Step Islands are the same—is there any power mightier than the thousand-year clans?" Wei Zhao asked.