Xiaoxiao.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless, as a mysterious figure launches a night raid on Kuang Zheng and his two companions, shattering the peace.

"...We followed them all the way, but eventually lost them in the cypress forest."

"Go down!"

"Yes."

After her subordinates left, Feng Yaorao looked around at the leaders of the several sects sitting together and asked, "Who exactly is it? Why did they launch a sneak attack on Kuangzheng? What are your thoughts?"

Looking at the group of people deep in thought, Long Li was the first to speak his mind: "What exactly are these people trying to do? Why would they go and provoke Kuang Zheng? Isn't this like a grandfather hanging himself—they're tired of living? Do they really think he's a pushover?"

"Do you think he might be the one crying wolf?" The Dragon Flower Mountain Sect Leader, the Heaven-Shocking Sword Master Yu Dubu, also voiced his opinion. He had striking features, with sharp, piercing eyes and a wolf-like gaze.

Upon hearing Yu Dubu's words, Ding Fenglai, the Valley Master of Xiaoyao Valley, asked with some confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

The saying goes, "Nourish your body by living in a suitable environment and cultivate your vital energy by moving around," referring to the age of forty-something, the best time of one's life.

In addition, his long-term experience as the leader of a sect has given Ding Fenglai a rather otherworldly air.

Seeing that others shared the same doubts, Yu Dubu explained, "Think about it? There were at least seven people who tried to assassinate Kuang Zheng, and who knows how many more haven't shown themselves? Those are all top-tier experts at the Grandmaster Perfection Realm. Ordinary sects would struggle to gather even one or two, while our sects' Grandmaster Perfection Realm experts are all well-established. We roughly know their respective styles and techniques. But the martial arts of these people tonight are completely unpredictable; they seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Besides that 'Dragon Flame' guy, what other forces are we unaware of?"

Yu Dubu has an ordinary appearance. He injured his right leg in a fight when he was young, but his martial arts skills improved greatly later.

However, due to damage to the bone marrow and the passage of time, it was damaged.

Despite numerous treatments, my right leg still feels weak and unsteady when I walk.

Therefore, the name "Unparalleled" is indeed very fitting for his image, but everyone only dares to think about it in their hearts.

Everyone knows that a disability in the right leg is a taboo subject for the head of Longhua Mountain Sect; anyone who mentions it will die.

Yu Dubu's statement was agreed upon by the three Long brothers, who had suffered losses at Kuang Zheng's hands.

He has a personal understanding of the unfathomable depths of "Dragon Flame".

Before the rectification, Long Yan was the most trusted special forces elite of the Qin Empire.

But ever since Kuang Zheng took over, many extraordinary people have emerged from there. My own brother suffered because of this back then.

Of course, this is just their explanation. In the end, they suffered a great loss at the hands of Kuang Zheng, which caused them enormous psychological pressure.

Even today, some people still turn pale at the mention of "Kuang".

They just won't admit it; their bluster and cowardice are exactly what they're showing right now.

But Feng Yaorao disagreed with his point of view: "Kuang Zheng is a deep and thoughtful person. He always plans things out before he acts. At this critical juncture, he would rather be ignored by others. Why would he make such a big fuss?"

Feng Yaorao's explanation failed to convince Ding Fenglai, who retorted, "What's so strange about that? As the saying goes, mountains have no constant shape, and water has no constant form. Now that the Vermilion Fruit has appeared in the world, isn't it normal to do something unexpected to increase our chances of winning?"

Yu Dubu wholeheartedly agreed: "Valley Master Ding is right. Didn't his unexpected move completely entangle Pavilion Master Feng?"

But Feng Yaorao insisted on her point of view: "I still don't think this is Kuang Zheng's way of making things mysterious, because since they contracted the strange illness, they have hardly participated in any martial arts affairs except for searching for medicine. From this, it can be seen that Kuang Zheng and the others are unlikely to do such a thing. After all, they are barely able to protect themselves now, and the more grudges they have, the less hope they have. They naturally understand this principle."

Secondly, although Kuang Zheng is cunning and shrewd, he is actually extremely protective of his own. Even if he resorts to scheming and trickery, he will never let those around him put themselves in danger, even if they are on opposing sides. For this, I admire him from the bottom of my heart.

Finally, ever since his seven-man team contracted the strange illness, they have effectively severed ties with "Dragon Flame." However, in the eyes of his team members, he is still considered their captain, but in reality, Kuang Zheng has long since ceased all involvement in anything related to "Dragon Flame."

The above three points are sufficient to explain that, firstly, he wouldn't do that, and secondly, he probably couldn't muster that many skilled fighters at the moment. That's my opinion.

Everyone actually accepted Feng Yaorao's point of view, but Yu Dubu still insisted, "People always change!"

"According to you..."

Just as Feng Yaorao was about to speak again, Ding Feng arrived and quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Everyone is right, but these are all just our guesses. What is your opinion, Master?"

The crowd then stopped arguing and all looked at Master Wuse, who had been meditating.

"Amitabha, this old monk believes that stillness is worse than action," Wuse chanted the Buddha's name, speaking sparingly.

"The master is right, it's best for us to stay on the sidelines and observe."

Everyone smiled knowingly.

At the same time, similar exchanges were taking place at the Chunyang Temple.

When Lü Chunyang spent thirty years in Qixing Cliff seeking enlightenment, it was Yu Zhong, the first master of Qixing Tower, who diligently served him.

Later, Lü Chunyang achieved enlightenment and, to repay Yu Zhong for his diligent service, left seven sword imprints on the Seven Star Cliff before drifting away.

After that, the Seven Star Tower was built next to the sword seal in Yuzhong. He then spent thirty years studying the sword seal and finally created the Seven Star Tower's ultimate skill, "Star-Picking Hand".

The Star-Picking Hand earned the reputation of "the best hand in the world" as soon as it was created.

From then on, Zhaixinglou soared to great heights, becoming one of the top ten sects in just a century.

Despite his great success, Yu Zhong still considered himself Lü Chunyang's servant.

The Zhaixing Tower he founded also follows the example of Chunyang Temple, and this tradition continues to this day.

"Brother Yang, could this group of people be from some reclusive family?" Chunyangzi's secular surname was Yang, which is why Guan Xinghe, the master of the Seven Star Tower, addressed him in this way.

Guan Xinghe is the current owner of the Seven Star Tower, a man with broad shoulders and a burly build. What is most striking about him are his hands, which are unusually long and thick.

His fingers were covered in calluses, with a faint metallic sheen, making him look like someone you didn't want to mess with.

Due to their historical ties, Chunyang Temple and Qixing Tower were practically inseparable, so the two could communicate very casually.

Chunyangzi held his teacup, gazing at the distant mountains outside the window, and said softly, "It's hard to say, but they're definitely trying to muddy the waters. Their intentions are malicious!"

"Of course, after all, that's a Vermilion Fruit!" Guan Xinghe said.

Similar exchanges have been taking place in different places.

Everyone is speculating, but no one can be sure which force suddenly attacked Kuangzheng.

Meanwhile, the attackers were desperately fleeing, shielding their wounded companions in their midst.

The men in black leading the way were on high alert, preventing any accidents, and dared not stop for a moment.

Teammates covering the rear would occasionally leave the group, only to be immediately replaced by others.

It turned out that they were taking turns retreating, and those who suddenly broke away would temporarily hide in the shadows to observe their surroundings, and once they were sure there was no danger, they would immediately catch up with the group.

After the hidden teammate returned, someone else immediately took over the hiding position.

This cycle repeats endlessly.

This alone shows that these people are not only good at cooperating, but also very cautious in their actions.

Whether attacking or retreating, their movements were extremely skillful, without the slightest hesitation.

The group traveled for a full hour.

At this point, they were a full nine hundred li away from Chengdu, having reached the ring-shaped mountain range surrounding the Tianfu Plain.

Suddenly, several birdsongs rang out from the woods.

A few more roars of beasts echoed from among the running people, repeating three times, each time with a different sound.

After three times, a group of people suddenly ran out of the jungle.

Seeing that the men in black were exhausted from running, he finally relaxed.

"Quickly, three of us are seriously injured, and one of us is probably not going to make it," one of the men in black said anxiously.

Immediately, someone from the welcoming team took the wounded person and went to treat them.

Meanwhile, another group led the remaining people in a different direction.

After walking about a kilometer forward, a magnificent hall suddenly rose from the ground.

The main hall is a hundred meters high and occupies a very large area.

The main hall was surrounded by a dense cluster of low wooden houses.

These buildings were clearly recently constructed, as they were completely undecorated.

The low wooden houses even had whole logs exposed, and there were still large piles of freshly felled trees around the perimeter of the complex.

Not far away are densely packed wooden stakes; these trees were cut down from these places, clearly using local materials.

Everything was built in a hurry, and you can still faintly smell the fresh scent of the raw wood.

The men in black who were brought into the main hall were divided into three groups and taken to different places.

They will be questioned by different people; this is standard practice.

Once the results are in, the three groups will each give their own reports, and the three groups will not communicate with each other at all throughout the process.

The report was given in a dark, empty hall, with no lights on.

There was no sign of life at all; the only sound was the reporter's slightly low voice.

His every word was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating echoes that reverberated endlessly in the deathly silent hall…

An invisible pressure came from all sides, making it hard to breathe.

After the three groups finished reporting, the main hall returned to a deathly silence.

About ten breaths later, a voice suddenly rang out: "Just as I said, right? A person with a terminal illness can still have such fighting power?"

The voice was erratic, sometimes high and sometimes low, which sounded rather strange.

It's clear that the lively conversation wasn't taking place in this dark hall.

Instead, one must pass through the connecting corridor behind the hall and then cross three courtyards.

What comes into view is a quiet courtyard.

Unlike the rough exterior, the six courtyards that follow from here are all decorated with great care.

It has pavilions, terraces, towers, waterside pavilions, and singing stages—everything one could want.

The sound traveled from this courtyard through the sound-transmitting stone to the dark hall.

If Kuangzheng were here, he would find that he knew this person.

This man was none other than Huang He, whom they had met in Xiubei County. However, he was no longer as fearful as before; instead, he exuded composure and confidence.

"It seems we've all been fooled by them. What a deep mind they have." The speaker was an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, but his peach blossom eyes disrupted the overall peaceful atmosphere.

"Bai Yi, didn't you confidently accuse me of deserting in the face of battle? Your Zhongsanlou sent so many Grandmasters at the peak of their cultivation, and what was the result? One dead and three injured. Did you also go and slack off? Your Baishalou has been too comfortable for too long, hasn't it?" Huang He pressed on relentlessly.

After his defeat at Xiubei County, he was relentlessly bullied by Bai Yi, the owner of Baisha Tower, and is now seeking revenge.

Huang He's sarcastic remarks enraged Bai Yi: "Bullshit! One of my men from Shangzhonglou is dead and three are injured. Is this some kind of slacking-off work?"

Being insulted to his face was unbearable for Huang He. He immediately retorted, "What losses did you suffer in rescuing the three branches of Huang He Tower? Two of my three branch leaders died in battle, and the other is still missing. Not only was the Xiubei County branch wiped out, but hundreds of thousands of our men were also annihilated. You talk to me about losses? Are your losses even a fraction of mine?"

Bai Yi retorted, "What kind of loss is that? It's just some chickens and dogs. Even those so-called sect leaders are only at the Grandmaster level. What we lost were experts at the Great Grandmaster Perfection level."

In terms of sheer numbers, the Yellow Crane Tower suffered enormous losses. However, in terms of skill level, the losses at the middle three towers were even more severe.

Objectively speaking, the losses on the third floor were indeed much greater. After all, there is no comparison between a Grandmaster at the peak of the Grandmaster realm and a Grandmaster realm.

But Huang He was unwilling to admit it. If he did, wouldn't he be contradicting himself?

So he continued to twist the facts and argue unreasonably: "You, Bai Yi, only your men are human, and mine are just chickens and dogs, is that it? Fine, fine, very fine! You surnamed Bai, I will fight you to the death today."

As he spoke, he was about to take action.

In terms of martial arts, how could Huang He be a match for Bai Yi?

Seeing that the other party had actually proposed a one-on-one fight, how could Bai Yi be afraid: "Alright, come on! I want to see what you're capable of, that you dare to be so arrogant in front of me."

As he spoke, he stood up.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the other hosts present quickly stood up to advise them.

Huang He knew very well that he was no match for Bai Yi. If he hadn't seen the other four floor masters here, he would never have dared to be so arrogant in front of Bai Yi, even if he had a hundred lives.

So when he saw everyone trying to persuade him, he immediately became even more ferocious.

How could the other posters not see through Huang He's little scheme?

However, we are all from Penglou, and as the saying goes, "even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected."

If a fight really breaks out, it won't look good for anyone.

Moreover, although the people on the third floor have not yet shown up, they are definitely nearby, and those people are the real big shots of Penglou.

If those people find out and blame us, we'll all be in deep trouble.

So even though they knew Huang He was bluffing, they had to try their best to persuade him in an attempt to quell the dispute.

Although Penglou is divided into upper, middle and lower sections, the three elusive and rarely seen owners on the upper three floors are always the ones who truly hold the reins.

Everyone had received instructions from the three leaders of the tower, which is why they rushed here.

Although none of the original posters have yet seen the faces of those three, everyone knows perfectly well that no matter what happens here, it will not escape their watchful eyes.

The real work hasn't even started yet, and they've already started fighting amongst themselves.

If those three were to hold someone accountable, not only Huang He and Bai Yi, but everyone else would be in trouble.

Therefore, despite Huang He's appalling acting skills, everyone had no choice but to patiently offer their advice.

It is precisely because of this that Huang He dares to make such outrageous remarks without any restraint.

Just as the argument was getting more and more heated and almost out of control, suddenly, an extremely cold voice drifted in like a ghost: "Find a way to make those people have a duel, and the winner will get the Vermilion Fruit."

Upon hearing this, the six people instantly fell silent as if frozen in place.

Then, without prior arrangement, they all turned around and bowed respectfully in the direction from which the sound came.

Especially Huang He and Bai Yi, who were just moments ago aggressive and seemed ready to fight to the death, now had no anger left at all.

They huddled there like two frightened quails, not daring to utter a sound.

Although these individuals were quite perplexed by this sudden order and had no idea what its hidden meaning was, none of them dared to raise any questions.

They simply bowed their heads silently and replied respectfully, "We will obey your orders!"

It's worth noting that, unlike the previous time when Huang He and the others used the sound transmission stone without any emotional fluctuation, this time the voice clearly carried strong emotions—a chilling feeling that penetrated to the bone. Even through the sound transmission stone, that chill could still be clearly transmitted to everyone present, causing a chill to involuntarily rise in everyone's heart, making them feel cold from head to toe.