181

The martial artists of Tieshan County were in a state of panic, quickly distancing themselves from the area near the Changqing Pavilion. Many even fled to the mountains to hide, intending to return once the situation calmed down.

Currently, Tieshan County is undoubtedly the most dangerous place, where even Grandmaster-level martial artists could fall at any moment, let alone those of lower ranks who haven't even reached the third rank. A mere aftermath of a battle could obliterate them into ashes.

Although Tieshan County town is some distance from the Changqing Pavilion, it is still nearby. When powerful figures arrive, they inevitably stay in the town. Therefore, all the martial artists in the town temporarily left, seeking a safe place to avoid the turmoil. Even ordinary people sensed something was amiss and fled the town. In just two or three days, the town became deserted.

The Tianbao Pavilion also had no customers coming and going, turning cold and quiet.

On the top floor of the Tianbao Pavilion, a few individuals were seated, leisurely sipping tea, unaffected by the outside commotion. Two of them, with graying hair and a weathered look, were sipping tea while gazing at the outline of the Changqing Pavilion outside the city.

"What a grand spectacle! Ever since the collapse of the dynasty, there hasn't been such a grand occasion," one of them remarked with a smile.

"Indeed!" the other nodded.

"Elixirs are truly wondrous, changing the way of martial arts cultivation and revolutionizing the martial world. It's no surprise everyone is flocking to it."

"What do you think, should our Tianbao Pavilion enjoy it alone or watch the situation unfold?"

The two chatted casually, unfazed by the pressure from various powerful factions.

"Just a Qi Nourishing Pill isn't enough to make Tianbao Pavilion abandon its principles. Let's wait and see. The key isn't the Changqing Pavilion's alchemy room or the method of making the Qi Nourishing Pill, but the person who created the Qi Nourishing Pill.

"Our Tianbao Pavilion has always valued geniuses," one of them said with a smile.

"Exactly. Such a genius would be a great loss if they don't join our Tianbao Pavilion. So, while the Changqing Pavilion can be divided, that person belongs to our Tianbao Pavilion," the other nodded and smiled.

Taking someone away is not difficult for them. Even if powerful figures from various factions gather, it doesn't matter. If Tianbao Pavilion decides to protect someone, no one can touch them!

Since everyone wants the Qi Nourishing Pill, let them have it! Tianbao Pavilion's vision isn't limited to the Qi Nourishing Pill.

Inside the Changqing Pavilion, Su Lingxiu looked extremely grave. She hadn't expected such a huge spectacle, with many powerful figures from the inner region gathering.

The manager of Tianbao Pavilion was chatting casually with Xu Junhe.

"Brother Xu, the situation facing Changqing Pavilion is dire. From what I know, the Grand Commanders of the Tianyi and Tianyu Guards from the Dayue Kingdom have arrived. They are both Peak Grandmasters, each leading three Great Grandmaster-level experts.

"Moreover, some royal family enforcers from the Dayue Kingdom should have also arrived.

"Additionally, the patriarchs of various top forces have all mobilized. In total, the number of Peak Grandmasters exceeds fifty.

"Do you know what this means? Since the collapse of the dynasty, such a gathering of Peak Grandmasters has never occurred.

"Don't think fifty is a lot. Ever since the collapse of the dynasty, countless powerful figures have fallen, and the martial world has been recuperating for a long time, accumulating many Peak Grandmasters.

"It's been over ten thousand years since the collapse of the dynasty. Even if a Peak Grandmaster emerged every twenty years, imagine how many there would be.

"Moreover, in the entire inner region, it's impossible that only one Peak Grandmaster appears every twenty years."

Xu Junhe felt a chill in his heart. He knew well what Peak Grandmasters represented. Even if his son could kill one with a single sword strike, it would still take fifty strikes to deal with fifty of them. Furthermore, Peak Grandmasters joining forces are not so easy to kill.

One might be manageable, but what about ten?

It's too dangerous!

The only thing giving him some confidence was the incredibly powerful senior.

"Fifty Peak Grandmasters, they really think highly of our Changqing Pavilion," Xu Junhe laughed dryly.

"Brother Xu, the Changqing Pavilion can't be saved. Considering our friendship, you can come to the Tianbao Pavilion to avoid the disaster. As long as you come to the Tianbao Pavilion, your safety will be absolutely guaranteed," the Tianbao Pavilion manager said with a smile.

The implication was clear: abandon the Changqing Pavilion and give the Qi Nourishing Pill to the various factions.

The core members of the Changqing Pavilion, especially the one who developed the Qi Nourishing Pill, could join the Tianbao Pavilion. As long as they joined, there would be no need to worry about their safety.

Xu Junhe was secretly shocked. The Tianbao Pavilion manager's implication was somewhat terrifying.

More than fifty Peak Grandmasters gathering, but as long as they joined the Tianbao Pavilion, their safety could be guaranteed. This showed how terrifying the Tianbao Pavilion's strength was.

"Brother Xu, our Tianbao Pavilion has always respected geniuses and provided them with generous treatment without restricting their freedom..."

The Tianbao Pavilion manager continued to smile.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but our Changqing Pavilion still has some foundation. We haven't reached that point yet. If there's no other way, we will consider it," Xu Junhe replied with a smile.

He didn't reject outright, avoiding provoking the Tianbao Pavilion into breaking their principles and joining the factions against the Changqing Pavilion.

"If Brother Xu decides, just release this. Our Tianbao Pavilion will ensure the safety of you and your people," the Tianbao Pavilion manager said, leaving a signal tube.

Once activated, it would emit a beam of light into the sky, and the experts from Tianbao Pavilion would come to the rescue.

"Thanks!" Xu Junhe cupped his hands in gratitude.

After the manager of Tianbao Pavilion left, Xu Junhe's expression turned grave. He hurriedly came to the courtyard of Changqing Pavilion.

"Whoa, fifty Peak Grandmasters?"

Meng Shushu's face turned pale. This was too terrifying.

No matter how strong Xu Yan was, how could one person withstand so many Peak Grandmasters?

Kou Ruizhi had a cold sweat on his forehead as he said, "Is the inner region really this powerful? The Dayue Kingdom is too strong, and our Great Wilderness is too weak!"

But he gritted his teeth and continued, "If we can get through this, I will definitely retaliate against the Dayue Kingdom!"

This was a battle of life and death for Changqing Pavilion. Winning would officially elevate them to the ranks of the top forces in the inner region, while losing would mean losing everything.

Su Lingxiu looked worried as she hurried over to Li Xuan's side and said, "Master, can you handle this?"

Fifty Peak Grandmasters! They had originally thought they only had to deal with the Dayue Kingdom or the forces of the Black-robed people. But now, with many top forces converging, even with the assistance of the Sword Sovereign Cliff, the pressure was immense.

Li Xuan was speechless. Were there really so many Peak Grandmasters in the inner region?

However, upon reflection, it didn't seem surprising.

Just as the manager of Tianbao Pavilion said, after the collapse of the dynasty, there hadn't been any major conflicts in the inner region, and it had been in a period of recuperation. Peak Grandmasters were already at the peak of the martial world. Even if they weren't, they were close.

In such a vast inner region, there were many geniuses. These Peak Grandmasters had accumulated over the years. Normally, it might be difficult to encounter a Peak Grandmaster, mainly because they had reached the pinnacle of martial arts and were focused on perfecting themselves, continuously exploring how to progress further.

Therefore, it was rare to encounter Peak Grandmasters outside.

Moreover, if Peak Grandmasters didn't reveal their strength, ordinary martial artists wouldn't be able to perceive it at all. Because of this, the martial world had a kind of aura surrounding Peak Grandmasters, who were mostly spoken of in rumors.

Now, with huge benefits at stake, Peak Grandmasters were revealing themselves one after another, converging together, naturally causing shock and awe!

"I came here to enjoy life, my disciples. You need to work hard in your cultivation from now on. Dealing with weaklings like this, Peak Grandmasters, is a bit embarrassing for me."

Li Xuan patted Su Lingxiu's hand and sighed.

Su Lingxiu felt ashamed. "Master, I've caused you trouble."

Xu Yan and Meng Chong happened to return and, hearing their master's words, they were immediately filled with shame.

"Master, it's just fifty Peak Grandmasters. I can handle it!"

Xu Yan gritted his teeth.

He felt deeply ashamed. His master was originally a recluse, and it was because of him that he had emerged. He was supposed to come out to enjoy life peacefully, but now he had to deal with such weaklings. For his master, it was too uncomfortable.

Xu Yan thought to himself that if he were powerful enough, having to deal with dozens of ordinary people would also make him feel helpless and embarrassed.

They were all such disappointing disciples!

Meng Chong felt the same way. Although he was only a Peak Grandmaster, if he had to deal with dozens of ordinary people, he would feel like he had lost his dignity.

Although that was the case, they had no choice but to take action. It was clear how helpless they felt.

This was how their master felt now.

Li Xuan looked at his three disciples, filled with shame. Did they understand his helplessness now?

They had to strive harder in their cultivation. The faster their strength improved, the better. There was no better way to motivate them to diligently cultivate.

He glanced at Xu Yan. Although Xu Yan was very strong, he was ultimately only at the Peak Grandmaster level. Dealing with seven or eight would be fine, but facing fifty Peak Grandmasters gathered together was something Xu Yan's current strength absolutely couldn't handle.

Unless he broke through to the Transcendent Realm.

"Disciples, don't be blindly stubborn. A wise man does not fight a battle he cannot win. It's reasonable to be outnumbered. As I've said before, a true martial artist is not a brute!"

They needed to instill the concept that retreating when unable to win was not shameful, to prevent them from stubbornly facing overwhelming odds in the future, which would not be a good thing.

Xu Yan felt ashamed. "Master's teachings will be remembered."

Fifty Peak Grandmasters... Xu Yan knew that with his current strength, he couldn't win. He would have to flee.

"If that's the case, Master, won't you have to intervene?"

Xu Yan said with shame.

"Blame my own incompetence, I can't even defeat fifty Peak Grandmasters!

I silently swore in my heart, I must comprehend the martial dao more, break through to the Transcendent Realm as soon as possible, and enhance my own strength. Even against such weaklings, I can't handle it myself and need Master's help. I feel ashamed for not living up to Master's teachings!

Li Xuan stood up, stretched his waist, and moved his hands and feet. He said, "I never use my realm to oppress others, but let's use the power of the Transcendent Realm to suppress them.

"Forget it, it's time for me to take action. My disciples, watch carefully, and see the power of the Transcendent Realm."

Finally, it was time for him to take action.

Another opportunity to show his disciples his strength!

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan and the others were immediately invigorated.

"Master is truly a recluse. He never uses his realm to oppress others, even when facing many enemies. This is the mark of a true powerhouse!"

Xu Yan sighed inwardly.

"In terms of realm, the Precelestial Realm is at the same level as the Inner Domain Master, while the Transcendent Realm is at the same level as the Grandmaster. Master is using the power of the Transcendent Realm to suppress many Peak Grandmasters. It's simply unimaginable!

"This is what it means to be truly invincible at the same realm. No matter how many enemies of the same realm there are, one person can suppress them. When will I be able to do this?"

Meng Chong was deeply moved.

Su Lingxiu was excited. She was finally going to see Master take action again.

The shocking scene of Master smashing a Grandmaster with a palm was still vivid in her memory. And now, he was going to single-handedly suppress dozens of Peak Grandmasters. What an extraordinary display!

Meng Shushu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Since the seniors were taking action, there was naturally no problem.

Kou Ruizhi was full of admiration. This was our Great Wilderness Martial Ancestor!

Finally, he had the opportunity to see Martial Ancestor take action. Moreover, he was using the power of the same realm to suppress the enemy.

"Our Great Wilderness glory will surely shine in the Inner Domain!"

Kou Ruizhi was excited, already planning how the Great Wilderness would replace the Dayue Kingdom after this turmoil.

Rebellion! Rebellion is a must!

As long as Martial Ancestor suppresses all the incoming enemies and possesses the resources of the elixir, he will have the confidence to win over the strongmen of the Dayue Kingdom. If he fails to rebel successfully on the border wasteland, he will definitely succeed this time in the Inner Domain and overthrow the Dayue Kingdom's royal family.

Li Xuan looked at the excited crowd and muttered to himself, "There won't be anyone above the Grandmaster level, right? Even if there are, as long as it's not a dozen or twenty, my lofty image will still be maintained.

"Fifty Peak Grandmasters? No problem. With my current strength, even if a hundred come, I can still push through invincibly."

After evaluating his own strength, Li Xuan felt confident. Fifty Peak Grandmasters were just a small matter. He also marveled at the allure of the elixir.

However, after this incident, after suppressing many Peak Grandmasters, Changqing Pavilion would definitely shake the Inner Domain and become one of the transcendent forces.

If he wanted to obtain the elixir, he had to consider his strength.

After this, many forces and martial artists would have to buy the elixir from Changqing Pavilion.

"Will Tianbao Pavilion intervene? What powerful individuals do they have?"

Li Xuan couldn't ignore Tianbao Pavilion.

Since he was going to take action, he had to be prepared to face Tianbao Pavilion's challenge.

If Tianbao Pavilion dared to protect Xu Junhe and the others under the joint pressure of many forces, their strength must be extraordinary.

"Let's count it as a hundred Peak Grandmasters. No problem. I can still push through invincibly."

After evaluating, Li Xuan had already reached the peak of the Inner Domain and could push through any opponent.

These were just minor matters, nothing to worry about!

He sat back on the chair, playing with the jade scepter in his hand. He was about to continue encouraging his disciples, making them realize their shame and encouraging them to cultivate martial dao diligently. The more diligent his disciples were, the stronger he, as their Master, would become, and the martial dao would continue to flourish.

Suddenly, he frowned and looked outside Changqing Pavilion.

Eight figures were drifting over.

The leader was an old man with a cane, looking extremely old. Behind him were seven Peak Grandmasters, all wearing black robes and hiding their faces except for the leader.

(End of this chapter)