"Then this young man must not be allowed to remain! In another year or two, he will become even more impossible to control!"

Ling Weizi smiled, then suddenly frowned, looking down, "Long Ruo, compose yourself, don't let everyone laugh at you—"

Hearing this, the crowd looked over. On the lower left side, Long Ruo's eyes were crimson, his body trembling slightly, his hand gripping his sword, veins bulging on his arms. Wisps of condensed, unyielding killing intent leaked outward, perceptible throughout the hall. At this moment, Long Ruo also seemed to awaken, then offered an apologetic smile to the assembled company: "My apologies, I lost my composure just now! With the great vengeance approaching, this state of mind is simply hard to suppress."

Everyone in the hall chuckled, even Ling Weizi offered a gentle smile, showing no sign of blame. If it were Long Ruo in this situation, perhaps anyone would react the same way. There was nothing worthy of scorn in it.

"My disciple is likely the same way."

Daoist Yuan Kong was saying this just as Han Nishui walked in, his expression also unusual. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly, "Let us remain calm and wait! No matter what, Zong Shou is now utterly within our grasp."

He then turned to another person on the right side, "Daoist Friend Li, this time, everything depends on you."

Han Nishui and Long Ruo both stiffened, their gazes shifting to the opposite side. There, they saw another young man in his early twenties. Despite bearing the title of Wuhui Saber Lord, his appearance was refined and handsome, exuding a profound scholarly air.

Li Wuhui, however, frowned slightly: "I will do my best. Since this is a favor my master owed, it is only right that I repay it. It just feels like this battle will be incredibly unfair—"

Daoist Yuan Kong smiled, ignoring the latter part of the statement. His plan was first to annihilate all the elites of Qiantian Mountain, shaking that person's state of mind, only then would he have absolute certainty in securing Li Wuhui's victory and taking his life.

If it were a truly fair fight, given Zong Shou's formidable combat power when he slew Shangyue in Dragon Hall, Li Wuhui might not necessarily win, unless it were Yuan Wushang instead—

He secretly felt a pang of regret, unsure what madness had possessed that person. Before the fight even began, they had already lost an Eighth-Tier expert. If it had been him, they could rest easy now.

At this moment, from the position above Long Ruo, another sound of surprise rang out: "It's people from the Kongqi Sect! They actually rushed over too. I recall the Sect Master of Kongqi Sect is also a wise man; has he gone mad this time? Perhaps he's grown bold as a leopard—"

Without needing to look, everyone knew this voice belonged to True Man Wuyue, an elder of the Daoming Sect. Since Shangyue's death, this man commanded great authority within the Daoming Sect, second only to the Sect Master. He had come partly to observe the ceremony, but primarily for Zong Shou of Qiantian Mountain.

Daoist Yuan Kong was equally startled, looking at the Cloud-Light Illusion Mirror before the hall. Indeed, he saw several thousand streaks of spiritual light descending from the sky, landing before the seventy thousand Iron Cavalry.

Then, a sense of unease suddenly struck his heart. The Kongqi Sect had completely sided with Qiantian Mountain six months prior, yet they had remained dormant. At that time, their hesitation was understandable, worrying that the other sects would settle accounts for them procuring armor and weaponry on Qiantian Mountain's behalf, thus siding with the wrong faction, yet unwilling to offend the enemy too much.

But their appearance here at this critical juncture immediately led to speculation. Since they knew clearly this was a trap set by the Eastern Lin sects, why would the Master of Kongqi Sect jump into it so foolishly? Did they believe victory lay with the Qiantian side? How was that possible?

Han Nishui was also momentarily stunned, subconsciously recalling the words Xuanyuan Yiren had spoken not long ago.

—Then do you all know what the item was in Zong Shou’s very first transaction with the Kongqi Sect, two years ago?

—I’ve always felt that your Shangxiao Sect truly does not know how to write the character for ‘death’!

He hadn't paid much attention before, but now he felt a sharp apprehension in his chest. Instinctively, he felt these words were of utmost importance, the very key to why Kongqi Sect had thrown in with Qiantian Mountain.

Just as he hesitated about whether to voice these sentences, Daoist Yuan Kong let out a light laugh and stood up: "Never mind them. If they are determined to die, then we shall grant their wish! Daoist Friends E Dan and Xun Dan have arrived; shall we all go out to greet them? As for that other person, although his demise is imminent, and he is a great enemy to our various sects, he is a remarkable talent in both governance and martial arts. We shall observe from before the mountain; it is a gesture of respect. Such a person is truly a pity—"

※ ※ ※ ※

"What a magnificent Spirit Mansion!"

Down at the base of the mountain, Xuanyuan Tong gasped as he looked up. A Spirit Mansion, like a Sacred Land, was formed through innate convergence—a space existing both within and outside the current world, in some sense more complete than the Qiong Realm. And the Shangxiao Spirit Mansion, situated atop that peak, was practically a world unto itself.

Within the mountain itself, cultivators of the Shangxiao Xuanling Sect had channeled a full twenty-four Dragon Veins, gathering them here to supply the lower-tier disciples for their cultivation. Not only was it superior to Qiantian Mountain, but it was also beyond comparison with Xuanshan City.

Gazing from afar, one could see multicolored spiritual clouds shimmering atop the mountain peak—a vision resulting from abundant spiritual energy.

Beside him, Qiao Han’s eyes were also filled with envy. This Shangxiao Spirit Mansion was far superior to the Innate Spirit Mansion of their Kongqi Sect. It could support double the number of Ninth-Tier cultivators, and the numbers below the Martial Ancestor level could be greater by a factor of several!

However, his anticipation was greater. According to the agreement with that Demon King, after today, this Shangxiao Mountain would belong to the Kongqi Sect.

Zong Shou felt indifferent. Those who came from the Qiong Realm naturally held the Spirit Mansions in slight regard. What he truly envied in his previous life was the Tai Ling Sect. Now, as a disciple of the Qiong Realm, in terms of cultivation environment, even a Grotto-Heaven might not necessarily surpass the Qiong Realm.

At this moment, he was conversing with the Sect Master of Kongqi Sect, True Man Tianqi. The Kongqi Sect was not actually a Daoist lineage but inherited from the ancient Mohists. Therefore, their Sect Master could also be called Juzi. However, since the demise of the Mohist school, the Kongqi Sect had become a distinct branch. Concepts like universal love and non-aggression were long discarded; they focused intensely on longevity and the Great Dao, absorbing cultivation methods from both Daoist and Buddhist schools, pursuing the path of attaining Dao through Artifacts.

The current Master of the Kongqi Sect was actually over three hundred years old, yet his appearance remained around forty, dignified, radiant, and standing with hands behind his back, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Are these the Blood Cloud Cavalry from the ancient era?"

Zong Shou nodded slightly: "Indeed! Does True Man Tianqi have any insights to share?"

"With my current view, how could I offer insights? Of the dozens of Sixth-Tier Dao Soldiers passed down from antiquity, were any not deduced by several Saint-level experts? This Blood Cloud Cavalry is even more specialized, capable of resisting Sixth-Tier forces at the Fifth-Tier. I wonder whose handiwork this is—"

Tianqi shook his head with a wry smile: "I can only say that the invincible cavalry of antiquity is truly extraordinary! I hear the Blood Cavalry Killing Heart Sutra states that the more slaughter committed, the stronger their combat power becomes. In this battle, Lingyun Sect’s greatest mistake was bringing in these millions of troops. It perfectly aligns with the Lord’s will; this battle is an excellent chance to display might—"

Saying this, Tianqi glared fiercely at Qiao Han, then sighed faintly: "Selling these Blood Cloud Halberds to the Lord—I truly don't know if this is a blessing or a curse for our Kongqi Sect."

"True Man jesting. If we are truly friends, where would disaster lie? Zong Shou is not someone ungrateful—"

As Zong Shou spoke, he observed the Kongqi Sect disciples gathered nearby. Because they specialized in artifact refinement, most in the Kongqi Sect were Spiritual Masters. The group Tianqi brought this time were all above Fifth-Tier—a full four thousand of them! And there were four Ninth-Tier cultivators as well. This was already the cream of their sect, all present.

Yet, Zong Shou’s eyes held more helplessness.

"I must truly thank your esteemed sect. I now worry whether those people on the mountain will be stunned by your grand gesture?"

"Since we are allies, we naturally must exert ourselves fully. I understand that old Daoist Kongyuan best. Even if he realizes the situation is amiss, what can he do? He has no retreat; can he refuse to fight when they stand before the mountain gate? The Lingyun Sect also cannot stand idly by while Shangxiao perishes. They can likely only hold on stubbornly—"

Tianqi sneered, then flicked his sleeve: "Look at this!"

Suddenly, a repeating crossbow appeared before him, resembling the Yuan Mie Crossbow. However, its size was slightly larger, its spiritual runes were far more complex, and the materials used were more precious.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding its purpose. Surprise flashed in his eyes: "How many of these Seventh-Tier Yuan Mie Crossbows do you have?"

The ones he had acquired previously could only launch Fifth-Tier Beast Cores. This one before him, however, could utilize Seventh-Tier Beast Cores.

—Though it is far more extravagant, its destructive power must be a hundred times greater!

"Forty! This is already the entirety of the Kongqi Sect's financial might!" Tianqi said calmly, as if unconcerned: "This item is useless against high-tier cultivators, but it is a sharp weapon for attacking spiritual formations."

Zong Shou felt an even greater headache, rubbing his brow. After weighing the matter for a moment, he spoke in a consultative tone: "We can yield this Shangxiao Mountain to you. However, your Kongqi Sect’s Spirit Mansion must be handed over to my Qiantian Mountain."

Tianqi remained impassive: "What use does Qiantian Mountain have for a Spirit Mansion?"

Then, Zong Shou looked toward Ling Xueyun and Ming Du, and Tianqi understood Zong Shou’s intention: he meant to use it for housing personnel.

"Once the Shangxiao Sect is destroyed, Qiantian Mountain will certainly need to clear out the Eastern Lin regions. With the four Spirit Mansions and countless spiritual lands across Eastern Lin, why would we lack places to settle our honored guests?"

Zong Shou let out a bitter smile and remained silent, instead gazing fixedly at the high heavens. He saw nearly ten thousand streaks of spiritual light suddenly speeding towards them from the void above. The momentum was several times stronger than when the Kongqi Sect had arrived earlier.

"Is that the Seven Spirit Sect?" Tianqi suddenly realized. He wasn't the only one coming to claim benefits.

"Very well then, I can grant you the Kongshan Spirit Mansion. But the Dragon Veins of the Shangxiao Sect, my Kongqi Sect will take them all—"

Zong Shou finally nodded: "Done!" In just another half a year, two large-scale Dragon Veins within Qiantian territory would take shape. He wasn't particularly interested in the meager assets of the Shangxiao Sect.