Tie Yuyang examined the state of his inner qi, showing distinct disdain for the slow action of the Medicine King Sect’s Bone-Dissolving Powder, uttering a cold sneer: “Li Hong, your slow-acting poison takes an eternity to kick in. It’s been an entire hour, and you’ve only managed to erode less than a tenth of my internal energy. I suspect even another ten hours won’t be enough to exhaust the qi in this old man Tie’s body.”

Li Hong paused upon hearing this. Since the Medicine King Sect lacked any truly peerless masters, the Bone-Dissolving Powder had only been tested on several first-rate experts during development. The drug’s efficacy against them was quite satisfactory. As for the effect on a Peerless Master, the extent remained unknown.

A thought flickered through his mind, and he immediately let out a hearty laugh, feigning indifference: “Brother Tie is a Peerless Master, his profound, thus his resistance to this medicine is strong, leading to a slower erosion. However, for those first-rate experts, I fear nearly half of their internal family energy has already been dissolved. The guards you brought have already seen their combat capabilities significantly weakened, making them no match for my Medicine King Sect. If you know what’s good for you, you’d surrender early and submit to the Medicine King Sect, and I will gladly provide the antidote.”

Tie Yuyang immediately cut Li Hong off with a cold chuckle: “Fine, let’s assume that’s the case. At best, your poison can only weaken the strength of my Nine Great Guilds by twenty or thirty percent. A mere Medicine King Sect like yours is still no match for the combined force of our Nine Great Guilds. Before the qi of our nine guilds’ disciples completely dissipates, we will have ample time to utterly annihilate your Medicine King Sect. Li Hong, this poison was made by your Medicine King Sect; you must surely know its efficacy isn't as potent as imagined. If this Tie predicts correctly, you must have other trump cards you haven’t revealed yet! Since we’ve already been poisoned for an hour, waiting a little longer won't matter much. Why don’t you just lay all your cards on the table? I'd be curious to see what trump card you possess that dares you to defy the general sentiment of the world.”

Tie Yuyang’s composure and calmness earned the admiration of the dozens of high-ranking officials from the various guilds present; they nodded secretly in approval. Tie Yuyang was right—although the Bone-Dissolving Powder had afflicted everyone in Zhuqi County’s martial arts world, its onset was simply too gradual to subdue the guilds in a short time frame. If this was all Li Hong had, they guaranteed that after tonight, the Medicine King Sect would cease to exist in Ping Province.

They all glared coldly at Li Hong and the other high-ranking members of the Medicine King Sect, silently securing the windows, stairwells, and other critical points on the third floor of the Yongfu Inn, blocking all exits to prevent the Medicine King Sect leadership from escaping.

Within the main hall, the killing intent thickened perceptibly.

Li Hong showed not a shred of fear on his face. He laughed wildly three times, then roared abruptly:

“Good, worthy of the name Iron-Hearted Yang Tie! Ruling the Ten Great Guilds of Ping Province was never merely my idea, Li Hong’s. It came directly from the command of the Nan family, requiring my Medicine King Sect to become the Nan family’s agent, managing all guilds in Ping Province. I originally intended to see if my Medicine King Sect alone could directly subdue the entire Ten Great Guilds. But now, it seems that will be impossible. Since that is the case, I have no choice but to invite the Ancient Master Nan to step forward and preside over the overall situation.”

As soon as Li Hong uttered these words, among the guild leaders of the Ten Great Guilds in the hall, two or three older masters, along with a few elder members on the older side, revealed expressions of sheer horror.

“What, the Nan family?!”

“Didn't the Nan family disappear twenty years ago? When did they return?”

The Elder Master Wei Yuan of the Wutie Guild was among those who were visibly startled and flustered. Although he was a Peerless Master and had led the Wutie Guild for forty or fifty years, he had personally witnessed the terrifying magical power of the Nan family Patriarch. He dared not harbor any rebellious thoughts toward the Nan family. At this moment, fear was beginning to creep in; if the situation turned unfavorable, he planned to flee immediately.

However, the other six or seven younger guild masters merely looked surprised, not panicked. After all, twenty years had passed. Most of the old guard of the Ten Great Guilds had retired, passing the mantle to the new leaders. For these new masters, the Nan family was merely a rumor or a warning left behind in the dying words of the previous generation’s leaders—a counsel to never defy the Nan family, lest great calamity befall them. Yet, few of these new leaders had ever personally encountered anyone from the Nan family, so they had little true comprehension of the Nan family’s terror and might.

To try and intimidate them—these ambitious new leaders—with just the name of the Nan family was impossible.

As for the majority of the Vice Guild Masters, Elders, and Hall Masters of the Ten Great Guilds, they scoffed at the Nan family Li Hong mentioned. They had never even heard of the Ping Province Nan family’s existence. The Nan family’s presence was limited to the private discussions between the previous guild master and his successor.

Tie Yuyang froze. He knew that twenty years ago, hovering above the Ten Great Guilds of Ping Province was a mysterious Nan family whose rule none dared to defy. At that time, he was only in his early thirties and had not yet entered the decision-making circle of the Fire Cloud Gang, so he knew almost nothing about the Nan family. By the time he ascended to the position of Fire Cloud Gang Leader, the Nan family had already vanished from Ping Province for a considerable time. All his knowledge about them came from the previous guild master, and he hadn't taken it too seriously.

For some unknown reason, the Nan family suddenly vanished and went into hiding for two decades. These twenty years had also been the fastest period of growth for the guilds in Ping Province. Without the Nan family suppressing them from above, the major guilds had rapidly expanded their territories. To hear Li Hong claim the Nan family had returned was unexpected.

He was about to open his mouth to demand proof.

Suddenly, a furious, exasperated roar erupted from the seats belonging to the Treasure Pavilion: “Impossible! The Nan family already has new agents! How could they possibly appoint your Medicine King Sect as agents! It’s fake, absolutely fake! That brat Li Hong is dreaming, trying to deceive everyone! Don't believe him!”

Huang Jinhu, the Chief Elder of the Treasure Pavilion, sprang out from the ranks of his guild’s high command, pointing a finger directly at Li Hong’s nose and shouting wildly. He had nearly panicked upon hearing Li Hong smugly proclaim himself an agent of the Nan family.

He had schemed tirelessly to curry favor with the supposed “Young Master of the Nan Family,” precisely to secure the position of Nan family agent himself! Moreover, he had already received the personal promise from the “Nan Young Master” that once he gathered enough spiritual resources within the next year or two, he would be supported to become the Nan family’s designated agent. How dare that brat Li Hong casually claim to be the Nan family’s agent!

The high-ranking officials in the hall looked at Huang Jinhu with sudden surprise: “Elder Huang, what do you mean by that?” “How do you know the Nan family has new agents? And who is this new agent?”

Seeing the skepticism, Huang Jinhu frantically looked toward the back of the hall, where Ye Qin was seated. But that table was already completely empty, not a single person in sight.

Huang Jinhu stood stunned. Where had the “Nan Young Master” gone?

This couldn't be blamed on Ye Qin, the counterfeit “Nan Young Master.”

The moment Ye Qin heard Li Hong utter the four words "Nan Family," he felt something was profoundly wrong. Could there really be survivors from Nan Tianba’s family, and had they come to Zhuqi County? Whether it was true or false, Ye Qin immediately became highly vigilant, disappearing from his spot without making a sound, concealing his aura.

Even if a fight were to break out, he needed to assess the situation clearly before making a move.

The Nan family had been defeated in the great war against the Feng family; those who weren't killed had fled. Nan Tianba, the strongest at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, had his physical body destroyed, but perhaps other immortal cultivation experts from the Nan family still lived. Until he understood how many Nan family members remained alive, and what their cultivation levels and strength were, he would not easily expose himself, lest he die pointlessly.