Once the situation calmed down, the guest room felt noticeably cramped.
All members of the Xie Clan except young master Xie Zhetao were ordered to wait outside. Even the young Xie master himself wasn't treated well—he was kneeling in the corner with a remorseful posture, unable to resist.
Because the person he'd hoped would help him most—his aunt—was the one punishing him!
The young man wanted to cry but couldn't. The moment he moved even slightly, Grandmaster-level pressure from the woman who was his aunt would surge at him, making his body tremble.
Moreover, he didn't understand why this room was filled with such earth-shaking figures!
There were four Grandmasters in this room.
His aunt was the first.
The second was the old man who'd moved to sit at the doorway, eyes closed peacefully. Sword Saint Zheng Renyi!
Next was a lean young man in full military dress. One glance was enough to know who he was.
General Liu Yianfei!
Finally, there was the person who'd brought him here today. A young woman lounging lazily yet somehow forming the center of everyone in the room. Even his terrifying aunt spoke to her with deference.
Alchemy Empress, Bai Fanxian.
He didn't know why, but she seemed to hold higher status than anyone else in this room. The task his father had given him seemed far harder than expected.
Xie Zhetao peeked from his corner. At first, he'd thought once his aunt agreed to help, everything would be easy. But not only was that not the case—his aunt was actually calling the other woman "Elder Sister"!
The young man knew this was beyond his control. The elders and followers outside must have already contacted his father to come here personally.
"Grandmaster Bai, it seems many people want to meet you today." Uncle Huang spoke while refilling the tea. With two groups of guests arriving unexpectedly, the elderly butler had ordered Tang Clan members to monitor whether more people were coming to meet Grandmaster Bai.
According to reports, high-level figures from several major powers had begun arriving at the village and were heading to Kienga Sunrise Hotel.
"Should I drive them all away, young lady?" Zheng Renyi at the doorway opened his eyes and turned to ask. Sharp, cutting pressure began emanating from his body.
Xie Suyao nodded as well. Dangerous, oppressive feelings radiated from her body too.
"...I'm afraid this won't end easily." Tang Tianjie, who'd been sitting quietly, offered his opinion. As head of a powerful clan, he was more familiar with such matters than anyone in the room.
If they drove people away this time, the old man believed those people would persist relentlessly—at least until they returned home where the Border was set up. Otherwise, there'd be no peace.
"Just don't let anyone die..."
Liu Yianfei laughed dryly. Don't think this world was like period dramas or cartoons where people could kill each other over disagreements. Modern society was civilized with its own rules. If you weren't confident you could handle the consequences, don't think about killing anyone.
The more important and well-known the person you killed, the more chaotic things would become. Don't forget that most of society didn't even know cultivators existed. Even ordinary murder news in cities could become national headlines.
If it came to that, he'd have to act according to duty whether he liked it or not.
"...At least while I'm still ordered to be here." Liu Yianfei sighed. He'd said from the start he didn't want to deal with this mess at all.
Just imagining if one of these three accidentally killed someone and he had to arrest them was exhausting!
Not to mention if they joined forces—even if he could clone himself, he couldn't handle them!
"Then I suppose I must go hear what they have to say."
Bai Fanxian concluded amid Uncle Huang and Tang Tianjie's surprised expressions.
The two old men hadn't expected Grandmaster Bai, who was so bothered by people, to agree to sit and listen to strangers. Or perhaps reading about culture and customs recently was starting to have an effect?
"...So I can end this matter once and for all."
There it was! They'd guessed right!
.
.
.
The groups seeking to meet Bai Fanxian were surprised. They'd heard the Alchemy Empress had refused to meet anyone since yesterday. Before coming, they'd painstakingly thought of various methods to make her hear their proposals.
Who'd have thought they'd be easily invited to the hotel's reception hall upon arrival?
"Hey!... That's the An Clan from the south! Master An came himself—haven't seen him out in ages."
"Didn't think they'd travel this far..."
"Don't joke around. I see people who look like government officials over there too."
"Heard one of the generals came personally as well."
Representatives without major backing huddled together whispering. They were like small fish hoping to get lucky and gain something. From what they could see today, many big fish who could easily swallow them if they weren't careful had gathered!
Kienga Sunrise Hotel's reception hall could accommodate only about two hundred guests. Those unrelated weren't allowed in. Each group brought only two or three attendants.
But even that made it noticeably crowded.
No matter how cramped, the room wasn't particularly loud. Each side's figures were constantly emanating faint pressure to intimidate the others.
"Greetings, everyone..."
At that moment, the reception hall's sound system was turned on as Tang Tianjie walked in from the opposite door with a microphone in hand.
"That's the Tang Clan head?"
"What's he doing there?"
"Heard he's fairly close to the Alchemy Empress."
Some gathered people looked at Tang Tianjie with surprise. But then a large middle-aged man sitting prominently felt displeased and interrupted abruptly.
"Old man, how much longer will you make us wait?"
The questioner was the one called "Master An" earlier. He'd rushed from the south without sleep all night, then arrived only to sit here impatiently waiting. Faint rays of anger surrounded him constantly.
"Have that woman called Alchemy Empress come out... we have matters to negotiate with her."
His arrogant, fearless manner surprised everyone in the room. Was this large man's brain damaged? Why wasn't he afraid of Grandmaster-level figures at all?
Had he been isolated at home too long to follow current news?
"Hmph! Isn't she just a Grandmaster?" Master An snorted once. Suddenly, pressure like a flood burst from his body.
It was pressure that could make everyone in this room pale!
"Grandmaster-level... pre...pressure?"
No one knew who spoke, but that's what they were all thinking! This man himself was a Grandmaster-level cultivator!
This was incredibly unbelievable!
What was happening in this era? Why were Grandmasters starting to appear one or two at a time like this?
"The An Clan has risen to greatness!"
"Right! After competing with the Gua Clan for years until being overthrown by the Gua Clan—which had a Grandmaster—over ten years ago, now the An Clan also has a Grandmaster!"
"The southern power struggle will be fierce..."
Master An held his head high proudly. He seized this excellent opportunity with so many cultivators gathered to debut as a Grandmaster. In truth, negotiating with Bai Fanxian was almost his secondary purpose.
He'd been in seclusion nearly five years. After emerging from cultivation, barely one or two days passed before he could celebrate and announce his success when his father—the clan head—ordered him to rush to Village Beneath the Clouds.
As a fellow Grandmaster, he felt no need to show Bai Fanxian such deference. Hence his arrogant manner.
Seeing people's shocked and fearful expressions made him feel even better. This must be what it felt like standing at society's peak.
"...What's all this commotion?"
Suddenly, the rear door opened again. Leading was a beautiful and powerful-looking young woman. Those who'd seen her before were somewhat accustomed to this beauty and had built some immunity. But many in the room had never seen her in person rather than through video or photos.
Master An was one of them.
Since birth, being tall and large, his bones were stronger than ordinary people's. His father, seeing hope in him, took him to train from childhood. Rarely did he have chances to play around. Even now, he was over forty. His latest cultivation session had taken a long time. Seeing such a beautiful woman, he couldn't contain himself.
His breathing became more violent. Wind qi swirled turbulently, blowing nearby people away. He strode forward to stand before Bai Fanxian.
"You must become my wife!"
He spoke while his gaze swept across the young woman's body. The more he looked, the more he felt unable to control himself. Feelings of infatuation burst from his body. Catching this unique and attractive fragrance nearly drove him mad. His hand—no smaller than a spatula—reached out to grab this slender frame into his arms.
Bai Fanxian narrowed her eyes. But before she could act, someone moved faster.
Not just one person, but two!
Crack!
Slash!
One was violent poison qi that could easily send the large man sprawling.
The other was a golden sword blade that slashed at the arm reaching forward!
Master An—unable to even see both attacks coming—fell rolling on the ground while screaming miserably like a pig. His flesh was eaten by black qi power while leaving traces as if poisoned. He itched and hurt so much he scratched his entire body until his skin tore and blood splattered everywhere.
But the other wound was the golden sword mark that cut deep into his entire arm terrifyingly. It didn't sever his arm in one blade, but if not treated well, he might never use this arm normally again in his life.
"...A filthy pig shouldn't think about touching Elder Sister, should he?"
A beautiful young woman in flame-red dress stepped forward to stand in front. Her eyes were cold and contemptuous while tremendous pressure made people shiver.
Xie Suyao!
"Don't steal an old man's duty. Against a barely-complete newly-broken-through Grandmaster, surely we don't need to act together?"
The next speaker was an old man with eyes sharp enough to cut anything. Earlier he'd held back as a warning, but who'd have thought the young woman would strike so swiftly!
Zheng Renyi!
Two Grandmasters appeared simultaneously, utterly crushing one new Grandmaster!
The people in the room didn't know what to do next with this situation. Especially Kienga Sunrise Hotel's manager, whose expression looked like he'd cry. The hotel's furnishings had already been damaged from the clash moments ago.
At that moment, General Liu Yianfei walked in at just the right time like divine intervention!
At least he should be able to resolve this situation. With the military's authority and equal Grandmaster status, the manager hoped the general would stop this fight. The damage wouldn't increase further.
But upon arrival, the young man's eyes swept around the room in a blink. He froze seeing a man screaming in agony on the floor. His brain spun quickly. He looked at Grandmaster Xie whose blood was up, including Grandmaster Zheng whose eyes stared at the large man as if about to chop him into pieces.
Liu Yianfei swallowed. His two feet suddenly pivoted. He waved goodbye without even looking back, leaving with these parting words:
"...I forgot something. Let me go back and get it first."
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