The following day at noon, the Fahua Sect was suddenly invaded by a lean, young man. The sect's main hall, standing for nearly two millennia, was destroyed, and four Ninth-Tier Phantom Spirit Masters were injured by the manifestation of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree." The Fahua Sect Master, along with over twenty elders, mobilized entirely, surrounding, pursuing, and searching fruitlessly.

The morning of the third day saw a large, corpulent figure—like a meatball—descend upon Baihuashan (Hundred Flower Mountain). He molested several beautiful female disciples and two comely Elderesses. The Baihuashan Master, enraged upon hearing the news, joined forces with five Grand Elders and ten regular Elders to besiege him. The fat man unleashed the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" manifestation, easily breaking the encirclement and escaping, while the Mountain Master... suffered an assault on her chest.

The afternoon of the fourth day, the Xuanying Sect was infiltrated by a brawny man clad in black. Under the shadow of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree," one elder was gravely wounded, and another lightly injured. The sect's grounds were thrown into chaos, a scene of utter devastation. Upon inventory afterward, several bottles of precious Elixir-Cauldrons were missing, leaving the Xuanying Sect Master so furious he nearly vomited blood...

Late that night, in Xinyi City.

Within a spacious hall in a manor south of the city, nearly a hundred candles blazed, their amber light illuminating the surroundings as if it were day, casting the faces of the dozens present in sharp relief.

"Gentlemen, the situation is quite clear. The targets he chooses to disrupt are all sects within a thousand li of the Danxian Sect, and those slightly inferior in strength. First, the Lingxiao Heavenly Sword Pavilion, then the Fahua Sect, followed by Baihuashan and the Xuanying Sect..."

"My Xinyi Sect is closest to the Xuanying Sect and of comparable strength. If he continues his disruptive acts, the next target will certainly be us, and only then might he move toward the more distant Jiuchan Gate."

The speaker was a towering elder, nearly two meters tall, with a majestic appearance and a voice like clashing metal.

This was Tie Feng, the Sect Master of the Xinyi Sect.

Casting a gaze of supreme authority over everyone in the hall, Tie Feng continued, "The Six Sects must gather to discuss countermeasures. We must ensure that when he arrives, we intercept him completely, leaving him no escape."

"Indeed."

A captivating young woman nodded, her charming face contorted with fury. Gritting her teeth, she added, "That man is exceedingly slippery. We don't know what methods he uses to change his appearance at will, and he is adept at concealing his aura. If he isn't actively attacking, he's nearly impossible to identify, leaving us defenseless. This time he merely caused trouble in various sects, but next time he might very well be killing people. If we don't capture and kill him immediately, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

This young woman was the Baihuashan Master. She harbored an intense hatred for the scoundrel who had disguised himself as the fat man. Killing intent saturated her tone.

If the fat man had only come to cause general trouble, that would have been one thing—after all, Baihuashan wasn't the first sect he had visited. But the infuriating part was that before leaving, the fat man had ruthlessly pinched her breasts twice. Even though a day had passed, the twin peaks of her chest still throbbed faintly. The very thought of it now drove her into a frenzy of hatred.

Nearby, an old woman cloaked in black concurred, "Precisely. Such a cowardly wretch who hides his head and tail deserves severe action."

"I wouldn't exactly call it hiding his head and tail," a clear voice interjected. "Every time that person causes trouble at a sect, he deliberately displays the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree' manifestation. He's openly telling us that he is the one causing the disruption. Otherwise, we would still be suspicious, thinking different people visited each sect."

The black-robed elderess became furious upon hearing this. "If that isn't hiding one's identity, what is?"

"Yes, yes, we don't even know what his true face looks like, or where he sprang from. His peak Ninth-Tier cultivation, combined with the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree' manifestation, makes him truly difficult to handle."

"Perhaps we should inquire with the Danxian Sect. They have many elders with extensive knowledge; perhaps they know this person's background."

"I sent messages to several of them two days ago, and they claimed ignorance."

"..."

The hall buzzed with the clamor of overlapping voices.

"Gentlemen!"

Tie Feng frowned slightly and barked sternly, "Now is not the time to debate his origins! Once we capture him, we can surely extract the truth from his mouth. We must hurry and properly discuss our strategy. If we wait until he appears, it will be too late. If the Six Great Sects cannot handle one troublemaker, the entire Shenkong Realm will surely mock us. Think about it—when you step out, how will you be able to hold your heads up high?"

Silence immediately fell over the crowd.

The Baihuashan Master glanced at Tie Feng, then suddenly spoke up, "Sect Master Tie, you must already have an idea. You are the host, and you know Xinyi City best. If you have any thoughts, please share them. We all share the same goal, and as long as your plan is suitable, we will naturally follow it."

This remark won widespread approval. Seeing no objections, Tie Feng nodded, "Very well, then I shall speak of..."

The darkness vanished in an instant, and the eastern sky began to show the first hints of dawn.

Xinyi City, long silent, slowly awakened. Groups of two or three figures occasionally appeared on the streets. At that moment, a handsome, refined youth emerged from an alleyway in the northern part of the city. However, upon seeing the ravaged and dilapidated buildings ahead, he couldn't help but pause in stunned silence.

Muttering a few confused words, the youth wandered for several dozen meters before entering a nearby breakfast stall that had just started its fires.

"What can I get for you, esteemed guest?" The owner of the stall, a man with an honest face, greeted him warmly.

"Anything."

The youth's eyes darted around, and he suddenly pointed across the way. "Brother, isn't this the former location of the Xinyi Sect? Why is it like this, and why are there so few people inside?"

The man smiled upon hearing this. "Guest, you must be new here, right?"

"I only arrived in Xinyi City last night. I came early today hoping to apprentice, but I didn't expect..." The youth shook his head regretfully, letting out a sigh.

"Then it's no wonder you don't know. The Xinyi Sect's headquarters has already moved from the North City to the South City," the man explained with realization.

"Ah?" The youth looked slightly dumbfounded. "Why?"

"It must have been about seven days ago. An elder of the Xinyi Sect somehow offended a group of passing Ninth-Tier experts, sparking a huge brawl. The result is that the Xinyi Sect compound ended up like this," the man explained while bustling about. "The Xinyi Sect members have temporarily relocated to the South City and won't move back until this area is rebuilt, which will take at least a month or two. Young man, if you want to apprentice, you need to go to the South City."

The youth nodded as if suddenly enlightened.

The man chuckled again. "Many people in the Xinyi Sect witnessed this. If you asked around last night, you would have known."

The youth grew curious. "Those passing Ninth-Tier experts must have all been killed, right? If they offended the Xinyi Sect, I doubt a single one escaped."

"Not at all."

The man shook his head. "At that time, an elder from the Danxian Sect was visiting here and managed to mediate peace between them. Later, those people seemed to have gone to the Danxian Sect with that elder."

A strange glint flashed in the youth's eyes. He said admiringly, "Brother, how do you know all this detail?"

The man became mysterious. "My son is the final disciple of an elder in the Xinyi Sect. He accidentally overheard his master mention that those passing Ninth-Tier experts came from a very mysterious place."

"I see."

"Little brother, I've cooked you a bowl of noodles. Eat it while it's hot... Huh? Where did he go?" The man turned around with the bowl of noodles, only to find the seat opposite empty. The youth had vanished without a trace. However, a golden "Shen Yuan Tong Bao"—the universal currency of the Shenkong Realm—lay on the table.