Chapter 180: Gathering of the Strong, Tumultuous Times Ahead

Chapter 180: Gathering of the Strong, Tumultuous Times Ahead

The Mysterious Pavilion was enigmatic, and its master even more so.

Even a powerful figure like Bai Yunkong had only caught a distant glimpse of a elderly man.

From what was currently known, the Master of the Mysterious Pavilion always appeared ancient and frail. Those who knew of him referred to him behind his back as "the old immortal."

"The Master of the Mysterious Pavilion is not to be underestimated. It's not that I look down on you, but with your current strength, you may not be a match for him," Bai Yunkong said gravely.

"It's not a problem," Xu Yan replied confidently. "Even if I'm not his match now, he wouldn't be able to kill me. In less than a month, I'll be able to take him on."

Bai Yunkong twitched his lips. In less than a month, Xu Yan believed he would be able to kill the Master of the Mysterious Pavilion? Did that mean he would be able to defeat him, Bai Yunkong, in a month's time as well? Where did he get this confidence?

However, Bai Yunkong didn't feel that Xu Yan was being arrogant. The fact was that Xu Yan had never been arrogant, and everything he said had proven to be true.

The more Bai Yunkong thought about it, the more disheartened he felt. He had cultivated for most of his life, yet here was Xu Yan, whose strength was increasing as easily as eating and drinking.

The first time Xu Yan came to the Seven Stars Academy, he had barely been able to overcome the challenges of the martial arts stage, and his strength hadn't yet surpassed that of a beginner Grand Master.

But just a few days later, he had effortlessly defeated a Grand Master!

And now, in the short time since then, he had killed several peak Grand Masters. In another month, Bai Yunkong wouldn't even be his match!

Was he really that monstrous?!

"Palace Master Bai, do you know what the goal of the Mysterious Pavilion is?" Xu Yan asked curiously.

Why was the Mysterious Pavilion going to such lengths to capture his junior martial sister? Was it a deep-seated grudge? Did it have something to do with her background?

"I don't know," Bai Yunkong shook his head. "The Mysterious Pavilion has always been shrouded in secrecy. This is the first time they've made such a public move."

Just then, a paper crane flew down and landed before them.

Bai Yunkong took the envelope and read it, then said, "Disciple Leng Qiu of Sword Sovereign Cliff is looking for you outside the Academy. He seems to be in a hurry. Do you want to go see him?"

Xu Yan was taken aback. If it wasn't urgent, Leng Qiu wouldn't be in such a rush to see him. So he stood up and said, "Then I'll take my leave. Please ask those Martial Arts Scholars to wait for me at Canglan Island when they have the chance."

"Of course," Bai Yunkong nodded.

Outside the Seven Stars Academy, Xu Yan met with Leng Qiu. Since the last time Xu Yan had guided him, Leng Qiu's swordsmanship had improved tremendously.

"Why were you in such a hurry to see me?" Xu Yan asked.

Leng Qiu handed him a letter. "Master Xie asked me to give this to you."

Xu Yan opened the letter and his eyes turned cold. The Great Yue Kingdom was truly arrogant, and although the Celestial Pavilion hadn't taken any action, they were clearly waiting for an opportunity.

It seemed they were waiting for a plea for help from the Evergreen Pavilion.

"Thank you," Xu Yan said, bowing.

He had to return to Tieshan County to deal with the impending crisis. Since the Heavenly Guards of the Great Yue Kingdom had come, other forces would slowly become aware of the Evergreen Pavilion's location.

Even though the Heavenly Guards had been annihilated, the Great Yue Kingdom wouldn't let the matter rest.

As one of the three major powers in the Inner Realm, their foundation and strength were extremely formidable.

Xu Yan went to the Archive Pavilion and found Meng Chong, and the two immediately set off back to Tieshan County.

...

In the royal study of the Great Yue Kingdom's capital, the Yue Emperor's expression was gloomy.

The Heavenly Guards he had dispatched had been completely wiped out, not a single one spared. From the information they had gathered, in addition to Hu Hai of Sword Sovereign Cliff killing one Grand Master, the other Grand Masters had been slain by the powerful experts of the Evergreen Pavilion.

"Sword Sovereign Cliff!" The Yue Emperor's eyes narrowed.

"Do they truly think my Great Yue Kingdom is so easy to bully?"

While Sword Sovereign Cliff was incredibly powerful, the Great Yue Kingdom was no pushover either. Moreover, Sword Sovereign Cliff had many factions to contend with, and they wouldn't dare to openly wage war against the Great Yue Kingdom.

"Send a decree to the four feudal lords, Pan, Zheng, Hong, and Ma, ordering them to join forces to stop the experts of Sword Sovereign Cliff from reaching Lanping County, and to show the might of our Great Yue Kingdom," the Yue Emperor commanded.

"Send a decree to the grand commanders of the Heavenly Guards and the Divine Guards, ordering them to lead their elite forces to Lanping County immediately and await further instructions.

"Send a decree to the Divine Spear Army, ordering them to Lanping County to blockade Tieshan County."

The Yue Emperor issued his orders in anger.

The Heavenly Guards and the Divine Guards were the two elite forces of the royal family, and their strength was formidable.

As for the Divine Spear Army, it was the pillar of the Great Yue Kingdom, and the minimum cultivation requirement to join was the Fifth Realm.

The capital of the Great Yue Kingdom was in an uproar, and many ministers were shocked. Why had the Yue Emperor suddenly mobilized the Divine Spear Army, and why were the elite forces of the Heavenly Guards and the Divine Guards being deployed?

Four out of the five major feudal lords were being sent to confront Sword Sovereign Cliff, clearly sending a message.

Soon, the news spread. The Evergreen Pavilion was in Tieshan County, Lanping County, and the Heavenly Guards had failed in their mission to recruit the Evergreen Pavilion.

The various great families of the Great Yue Kingdom sent their powerful experts to participate in this operation, and the Yue Emperor allowed it.

They all understood what it meant to recruit the Evergreen Pavilion. If they succeeded, the strength of the Great Yue Kingdom would surge.

They could not allow the Treasure Pavilion to monopolize the Essence Qi Dan any longer.

On this day, under the coordination of the Great Yue Kingdom, the top powers in the Inner Realm joined forces and participated in this operation.

It was an unspoken agreement—they would not let the Treasure Pavilion continue to reap the benefits of the Essence Qi Dan alone!

The Seven Stars Academy remained uninvolved in the conflict, maintaining its neutrality and adhering to its principle of imparting martial arts knowledge without interfering in the struggles of the Inner Realm.

"What turbulent times we live in," Bai Yunkong sighed.

"Teacher, can Xu Yan hold his ground?" Fu Yuntian asked curiously.

"I don't know, but he won't die. Once he's able to kill the master of the Mysterious Pavilion in less than a month, the Great Yue royal family will be in danger. In fact, all the forces that take action will be in danger."

Bai Yunkong shook his head, but he was certain that Xu Yan would not perish, even if the Evergreen Pavilion suffered heavy losses. As long as Xu Yan survived, any force that dared to act against him would face retaliation.

"Will Sword Sovereign Cliff take action?" Fu Yuntian asked in a low voice.

"Xie Tianheng has secluded himself in closed-door cultivation, and Xie Lingfeng is still too young to make such decisions. But haven't they already taken action? They've blocked numerous powerful experts from reaching their destination." Bai Yunkong smiled.

"I have to admit, I admire Sword Sovereign Cliff for not taking advantage of the situation to further their gains," Fu Yuntian remarked.

Sword Sovereign Cliff had long been aware of the matter regarding the Essence Qi Dan, yet they had not harbored any greedy intentions. Aside from the close relationship between Xie Lingfeng and Xu Yan, the people of Sword Sovereign Cliff were far more principled than those from the other powers.

"They're a group of sword cultivators, especially under Xie Tianheng's leadership. They have an innate pride and would never stoop to seizing treasures from others," Bai Yunkong explained with a smile.

At the Mysterious Pavilion...

Seven peak Grand Masters gathered at the top floor, their eyes shining with excitement.

"Master, we've found her!"

The master of the Mysterious Pavilion's eyes lit up with excitement. "Where is she?"

"In Tieshan County, Lanping County, in the Great Yue Kingdom. She founded the Evergreen Pavilion, and it seems she's the one who developed the Essence Qi Dan," a peak Grand Master reported respectfully.

"Good, good, good! As expected of someone with the bloodline of the Spirit Realm, truly extraordinary!" the master of the Mysterious Pavilion praised.

"Master, the Great Yue Kingdom and several other powers are gathering in Lanping County, intending to divide the Evergreen Pavilion among themselves, control the Essence Qi Dan, and prevent the Treasure Pavilion from monopolizing it," one of the peak Grand Masters informed him.

The master of the Mysterious Pavilion stood up and said, "Let's go to Tieshan County. Su Lingxiu must not fall into anyone else's hands. She belongs to the Mysterious Pavilion."

As he walked out, he instructed, "Tell the Reclusive Demon Sovereign that we've found her. If he wishes to enter the Spirit Realm's door, now is the time to join forces."

"Yes, Master!" a peak Grand Master replied respectfully.

At the mountain where the Mysterious Pavilion was located, a door opened, and eight figures emerged.

The elderly master of the Mysterious Pavilion, who seemed to be in his twilight years, surveyed his surroundings. Then, he took to the skies, leading the seven peak Grand Masters toward Lanping County and Tieshan County.

At the same time, a paper crane flew out from the Mysterious Pavilion, heading toward a distant location.

In a canyon shrouded by mist and toxic fog, a withered-looking man sat cross-legged on a large stone. All around him were corpses, both human and beast, dried up and shriveled.

The air was heavy with the stench of decay, and even the plants nearby had withered and died.

A green poisonous frog hopped over, but as it drew close to the man, it suddenly shriveled up and turned into a dried-up corpse.

"Lanping County, Tieshan County?"

The eyes of the man, known as the Reclusive Demon Sovereign, lit up with excitement, and his body shot into the air as he made his way towards Lanping County.

In the Great Yue Kingdom, a storm was brewing, and the gaze of countless martial artists converged on Lanping County and the obscure Tieshan County.

The Divine Spear Army marched forward in grand fashion, blocking all paths leading to Tieshan County.

Likewise, they blocked anyone from leaving Tieshan County.

In the main hall of the Lanping County Governor's mansion, a middle-aged man clad in a purple robe, with three long beards and a resolute expression, sat in the main seat.

"My Great Yue Kingdom has joined forces with all of you to prevent the Treasure Pavilion from monopolizing the Essence Qi Pill. Otherwise, in the future, if we want to obtain the Essence Qi Pill, we will have to purchase it from the Treasure Pavilion, and even then, supply may not be guaranteed.

"Since the Evergreen Pavilion is within the borders of my Great Yue Kingdom, it should belong to us. However, we are willing to share the Essence Qi Pill with all of you. We just need to agree on a distribution plan."

The man in the purple robe spoke in a deep voice.

"Go ahead, Purple-Robed King, speak your mind," a powerful figure among the group said.

The Purple-Robed King was a renowned figure within the Great Yue royal family, a peak Grand Master with incredible strength, and the commander of the elite Heavenly Guards.

For the sake of the Evergreen Pavilion's Essence Qi Pill, the Great Yue Kingdom had deployed their best troops, the Heavenly Guards and the Divine Guards. Their combined might surpassed that of any single force present.

However, they had joined forces with the other major powers solely to counter the Treasure Pavilion and prevent them from monopolizing the pill.

"My Great Yue Kingdom will take fifty percent of the share. The remaining fifty percent will be divided equally among all of you." The Purple-Robed King proposed.

The powerful figures from the various major forces remained silent for a long while before finally nodding in agreement to the distribution plan.

Of course, the actual distribution would be decided after they gained control of the Evergreen Pavilion and obtained the method to refine the Essence Qi Pill.

Moreover, the Treasure Pavilion, a formidable force, still had to be considered.

"Then, let us go and take control of the Evergreen Pavilion," the Purple-Robed King said as he stood up.

Among the gathered experts, every single one of them was a Grand Master, with several even reaching the peak of that realm.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg; there were surely even more powerful experts lurking in the shadows.

No force dared to underestimate the might of the Treasure Pavilion, which was why the Great Yue Kingdom had chosen to share the spoils instead of monopolizing them.

It was better to have a piece of the pie than let the Treasure Pavilion have it all!

Tieshan County was a barren land, unknown to most in the Great Yue Kingdom. Yet, suddenly, the name Tieshan County spread throughout the entire kingdom and eventually, the entire Inner Realm.

The Evergreen Pavilion was located in Tieshan County.

And the Essence Qi Pill, a revolutionary cultivation pill, had been developed by the Evergreen Pavilion. With the deployment of the Great Yue Kingdom's elite troops and the blockade by the Divine Spear Army, the attention of the entire martial world was drawn to this place.

Countless top-tier forces sent their strongest experts to claim a share of the spoils.

This included the Yan Kingdom and the Ziyun Kingdom.

However, most of the forces outside the Great Yue Kingdom were stopped by Sword Sovereign Cliff.

The might of Sword Sovereign Cliff caused even the experts from the Yan Kingdom and the Ziyun Kingdom to retreat, but not all powerful experts could be deterred.

The peak Grand Masters sent by the various top-tier forces created a gathering of peak Grand Masters in the Lanping County of the Great Yue Kingdom, unseen in recent times.

Even Grand Masters had to tread carefully, let alone those at the Mastery stage. No one dared to act arrogantly.

"I never expected there to be so many peak Grand Masters in the Inner Realm!"

"Wow, this is probably the first time in a millennium that so many peak Grand Masters have gathered in one place. Even if the Evergreen Pavilion is destroyed, it will still go down in legend."

"It's not just the first time in a millennium. Since the collapse of the dynasty, this is the first time so many peak Grand Masters have gathered for a single event!"

"The Essence Qi Pill is truly miraculous. No wonder so many peak Grand Masters have revealed themselves. I heard that the two peak Grand Masters from One Pillar Mountain, who were rumored to have fallen, have also appeared."

"Is the Essence Qi Pill really worth such a huge commotion?"

"You wouldn't understand. Now that we know about the Essence Qi Pill, who's to say there aren't even more miraculous pills suitable for Grand Masters to cultivate? Moreover, such a precious cultivation resource cannot be allowed to be monopolized by the Treasure Pavilion."

A martial artist with a knowing expression explained.

The Treasure Pavilion had its tendrils in every aspect of the martial world. Although they did not interfere in the conflicts within the Inner Realm, every major force felt a sense of unease about their influence.

And now, with the discovery of the Essence Qi Pill, a precious cultivation resource, the various forces were determined not to let the Treasure Pavilion monopolize it and thereby control the Inner Realm.

So, the Great Yue Kingdom had reached out to the other major forces, and they had all tacitly agreed to join hands. As for the distribution plan, it could be further discussed once they gained control of the Evergreen Pavilion and its secrets.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end