Li Hong paid no mind to Golden Tiger's furious outburst; whether his agent was legitimate or not was irrelevant—all that mattered was for someone from the Nan family to appear. There was no need for any fruitless arguments.

No sooner had his voice faded.

A faint spatial fluctuation suddenly rippled through the ranks of the Medicine King Gang's leadership. Three completely transparent shadows zipped out from the floorboards, swiftly solidifying. An elder, a middle-aged man, and a youth—three figures in white robes—descended via a miraculous escape technique incomprehensible to the martial world, appearing directly within the auction hall on the third floor of the Yongfu Tavern, standing alongside the Medicine King Gang’s Master and Elders.

The white-robed elder in the center sneered coldly, "Who was just shouting and making noise, claiming the Nan Clan had other agents? Step forward."

The leaders of the Nine Great Gangs, who had been surrounding the Medicine King Gang, recoiled several steps in horror, staring in disbelief. They were undeniably looking at three living men who had materialized out of thin air. This was neither Qinggong nor martial arts; this was the legendary celestial art capable of soaring through the heavens and burrowing underground.

The leaders of the Nine Gangs were momentarily stunned into silence by this miraculous sorcery, looking at each other in alarm, afraid to make any rash move. Golden Tiger, especially, gaped, unable to comprehend the reality before him. How could other Immortals have suddenly appeared?

Tie Yuyang’s face darkened. The Medicine King Gang’s hidden card had finally been revealed. If his suspicions were correct, this was their strongest trump card, intended to unify the Ten Great Gangs of Pingzhou.

He glanced at the leaders of the other major gangs; they all looked ashen-faced, still reeling from the shock, having nearly lost all confidence in opposing the Medicine King Gang and the Nan Clan.

Tie Yuyang felt a profound sense of dread.

As the carefree leader of the Fiery Cloud Gang for over a decade, he was naturally unwilling to submit to a higher authority looming over him. If the scheme orchestrated by the Medicine King Gang and the Nan Clan succeeded tonight in reasserting dominance over the Ten Great Gangs of Pingzhou, not only would the Fiery Cloud Gang’s status as the foremost power in Pingzhou be instantly forfeit and severely undermined, but he, as the leader opposing the Medicine King Gang’s rule, could very well lose his life.

Tie Yuyang had no idea how powerful the Earthly Immortals of the Nan Clan truly were. But he, the paramount master of the martial world, would never simply wait for death and surrender his life to the hands of others.

The lanterns continued to burn, emitting a faint, subtle fragrance. The internal energy and true qi of the masters in the auction hall were slowly but continuously draining away. There was no more time for hesitation. Life or death depended on this single action. Even if it was the Nan Clan, he had to fight desperately to eradicate them.

But before eradicating the Nan Clan, the Medicine King Gang had to be dealt with first.

Even if the people of the Nan Clan possessed world-shattering divine abilities, they would still require the large forces of the Medicine King Gang to assist them. Without the Medicine King Gang’s complicity, the mere three members of the Nan Clan, even if each had three heads and six arms, could accomplish nothing.

A cold glint flashed in Tie Yuyang’s eyes. He signaled the Fiery Cloud Gang Elders to his left and right, abruptly drawing the treasured saber at his waist. Employing his lightness skill, he soared across the hall to a window on the third floor. Already, he had pulled a miniature rocket flare from his robes. With a casual motion, he scraped its fuse against a nearby lamp wick, igniting the rocket, and tossed it out the window.

Immediately, the four elders of the Fiery Cloud Gang drew their sabers with a metallic clash, positioning themselves around Tie Yuyang to guard against a sudden attack from the Nan Clan or the Medicine King Gang.

With a whoosh, the rocket flare shot skyward, exploding dozens of feet above the bamboo-thatched county seat, blooming into an incomparably brilliant burst of flame. Every martial artist in the entire county town was alerted by the sudden fireworks.

Anyone who had spent time in the martial world’s organizations knew that this was an alarm signal. Such fireworks were extremely expensive to produce and were only used in moments of extreme danger to signal a warning.

"Fiery Cloud Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang has poisoned and afflicted the gangs of our Pingzhou! All disciples of the Medicine King Gang are subject to execution—!" Tie Yuyang’s roar exploded across the night sky of the county seat like muffled thunder, its depth revealing the immense power of his internal cultivation.

Tie Yuyang’s move was ruthless; he slammed the charge of poisoning squarely onto the Medicine King Gang, seeking to incite widespread fury in the shortest possible time and slaughter every Medicine King Gang member.

The Yongfu Tavern was the vital heart of the bamboo-thatched county. The elite guard detachments of the Ten Great Gangs surrounded the blocks for several li. They heard the declaration with crystal clarity, and the county town instantly erupted into chaos. The hundred or so first-rate expert guards of the Fiery Cloud Gang stationed near the tavern unhesitatingly obeyed their leader’s iron command, drawing their blades and swords to strike against the elite guards of the Medicine King Gang.

Tie Yuyang’s sharp shout also jolted the leaders of the other eight great gangs present in the auction hall.

They exchanged alarmed glances, seemingly weighing their options: should they oppose the Fiery Cloud Gang and the Nan Clan, eliminating the Medicine King Gang and the Nans, or should they submit to the Nan Clan and destroy the Fiery Cloud Gang instead?

The reaction of the next gang leader would likely determine the future trajectory of the Pingzhou martial world.

At this critical juncture, Elder Huang, Golden Tiger of the Treasure Seekers Gang, suddenly grit his teeth, pulled a rocket flare from his robes, lit it, and shot it out the window, issuing an equally sharp command: "Treasure Seekers Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang conspires with the officials, intending to wipe out our martial world gangs! All Medicine King Gang disciples shall be slain without mercy—!"

No one in the hall expected the usually steady Chief Elder Golden Tiger of the Treasure Seekers Gang to make such astonishing moves one after another this night. At this crucial moment, he overstepped his bounds, pushing the Treasure Seekers Gang into an open break with the Medicine King Gang. Furthermore, he viciously smeared the Medicine King Gang, claiming they colluded with the government—a declaration that they would not rest until the Medicine King Gang was crushed.

Ordinary gang members were unaware of the existence of Immortals. If the Medicine King Gang were said to be in league with Immortals, it would likely baffle them. However, the members of the martial gangs intensely resented official interference. If the Medicine King Gang were collaborating with the government to eradicate the martial world members, it would undoubtedly violate the greatest taboo of the martial world. This justification was enough to fan the already burning rage of all the gangs into an inferno, inciting the masses to rise up and collectively strike down the Medicine King Gang.

Within the Yongfu Tavern alone, dozens of fierce men from the Treasure Seekers Gang, their eyes red, immediately clashed with the dozens of finely dressed enforcers from the Herb Gathering Hall. And the hundred or so first-rate experts of the Treasure Seekers Gang stationed nearby drew their weapons and fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Fiery Cloud Gang experts against the position of the Medicine King Gang’s masters.

The immediate alliance between the Fiery Cloud Gang and the Treasure Seekers Gang instantly overwhelmed the Medicine King Gang in terms of momentum.

This greatly boosted the morale of the leaders of the Nine Gangs and made the current situation clear to them.

The return of the Nan Clan did not guarantee they would gain the upper hand; a majority among the leaders of the Nine Gangs harbored deep opposition to Nan Clan rule.

These seasoned, shrewd figures instantly understood why Tie Yuyang and Golden Tiger had ordered the execution of the Medicine King Gang disciples—to strip away their wings and sever their limbs, denying the Nan Clan any means to establish a foothold.

"River Canal Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang plagues the Pingzhou martial world. All Medicine King Gang disciples shall be slain without mercy!"

"East Sun Salt Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang plagues the Pingzhou martial world. All Medicine King Gang disciples shall be slain without mercy!"

"Black Iron Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang plagues the Pingzhou martial world. All Medicine King Gang disciples shall be slain without mercy!"

"Nine Pastures Gang disciples, hear my command! The Medicine King Gang plagues the Pingzhou martial world. All Medicine King Gang disciples shall be slain without mercy!"

Nine fireworks bloomed brilliantly in succession across the night sky of the bamboo-thatched county. Flames soared into the heavens, and countless figures leaped and rushed amidst the light. Sharp yells, whistles, and battle cries instantaneously permeated almost the entire county town, as the clang of clashing weaponry rose and fell one after another.

Tens of thousands of gang members drew their swords and charged, fighting fiercely on every street, lane, tavern, and teahouse in the county. Their quarry, without exception, was almost entirely the disciples of the Medicine King Gang and its subordinate Herb Gathering Hall.

"Kill! Wipe out the Medicine King Gang!"

"My heavens, I’ve been poisoned! Those bastards from the Medicine King Gang actually dared to poison us! Kill them all!"

"You dogs of the Medicine King Gang, you dared to collude with the officials and poison and ambush our Pingzhou gangs! Brothers, chop them down and avenge the bloodshed of our brothers lost to the officials!"