**Boom!** The guards behind Jin Yaor and the old man at the Tribulation Transcendence Realm quickly stepped forward, their weapons drawn, ready for battle.
“Princess, are you relying on these guards?” Mo Qing looked at Jin Yaor.
“What are you all doing? Stand down!” Jin Yaor scolded her guards.
“Yes, Princess,” the guards replied before retreating.
“I didn’t expect you to be as bold as Lin Yun, unafraid of me. For Lin Yun’s sake, I won’t bother with you,” Jin Yaor said, pouting.
After saying this, Jin Yaor turned to look at Lin Yun.
“Lin Yun, I’ve delivered the favor. Whether you accept it or not is up to you. Also, you’re participating in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition, right? There are many experts this time. I want to see how far you can go. In this competition, it’s all about personal strength. You can’t rely on your battle pets.”
After speaking, Jin Yaor turned and left with her guards.
After Jin Yaor left, Mo Qing said, “Sect Leader, Elder Mei Gu, I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t be staying at this inn with you. However, I will participate in the competition. We’ll meet again later.”
“Since you have your own arrangements, go ahead,” the sect leader nodded.
Mo Qing then looked at Lin Yun. “Lin Yun, I’ll take my leave now. See you later.”
“Senior Sister Mo Qing, won’t you stay a bit longer?” Lin Yun asked.
“No, I still have things to do,” Mo Qing replied with a radiant smile. Lin Yun’s attempt to keep her made her feel warm inside.
Although Mo Qing knew her background couldn’t compare to Princess Jin Yaor’s, Lin Yun’s attitude toward her was much better than his attitude toward Jin Yaor. That was enough for her.
After Mo Qing left, Elder Mei Gu smiled and said, “Lin Yun, you’re quite the ladies’ man. It seems to me that Jin Yaor has taken a liking to you. Perhaps your strength and personality have attracted her.”
“Elder Mei Gu,” the sect leader also spoke up, “Lin Yun, although this is my first time meeting Jin Yaor, I’ve heard of her before. The Star Martial Emperor dotes on her, treating her like a treasure. I didn’t expect her to come looking for you on her own initiative. This shows she values you. Although her father may not like you, she is not her father. If you ever face a major difficulty, you might consider seeking her help.”
“I understand,” Lin Yun replied.
Although Lin Yun responded this way, he didn’t actually want to owe her a favor.
“Alright, go back to your room and continue cultivating,” the sect leader said before turning to leave.
…
In the following days, Star Martial City became increasingly lively. Wave after wave of cultivators and factions participating in the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet arrived, adding to the already bustling atmosphere of the city.
In a private residence within the city, groups of people entered through the back, led by servants to the rear courtyard.
In the rear courtyard, announcements rang out:
“The Sect Leader of the Demon Subduing Sect has arrived!”
“The Sect Leader of the Seven Stars Sect has arrived!”
“The Sect Leader of the Ten Directions Sect has arrived!”
“The Sect Leader of the Soul Refining Sect has arrived!”
“The Sect Leader of the Green Origin Sect has arrived!”
“The Sect Leader of the Shadowless Sect has arrived!”
…
As the announcements continued, one after another, prominent figures from the Star Martial Empire entered the courtyard.
“Sect Leader Zhou, you’re here! Please, take a seat!”
“Sect Leader Zhang, you’re quite early. Come, sit down!”
The head of the Gu Family warmly welcomed everyone, while servants served tea to the arriving guests.
Soon, the sect leaders of the eleven major sects, excluding the Heavenly Sword Sect’s leader, had all gathered. It was an extremely rare sight, as the twelve major sects were spread across different regions of the empire, and there were longstanding grudges between them. The fact that they had gathered for this private meeting was unprecedented!
The one who had organized this meeting was none other than the head of the Gu Family.
Once everyone had arrived, the Gu Family head took his seat.
“Everyone, although we’ve had some discussions before, this is our first face-to-face meeting. By using the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet as a cover, we can meet in Star Martial City without raising any suspicions,” the Gu Family head said.
“Indeed,” the sect leaders nodded in agreement.
“Let’s get to the main topic. Through the Thousand Sects War, everyone is well aware of Lin Yun’s monstrous talent. If he is allowed to grow, the Heavenly Sword Sect will completely overshadow your eleven major sects! I’m sure you all feel the sense of crisis, don’t you?” the Gu Family head said.
The sect leaders nodded again. Although they hadn’t been present at the Thousand Sects War, they were well-informed.
The Gu Family head took a sip of tea, then slowly put down his cup, his expression turning cold and murderous.
“The best way to deal with this is to nip him in the bud before he grows stronger! Once he’s dead and the Heavenly Sword Sect is destroyed, your eleven major sects will no longer have to fear their threat!”
The Green Origin Sect’s leader sneered, “Family Head Gu, are you trying to use us? Our Green Origin Sect has no major grievances with the Heavenly Sword Sect. There’s no need for us to antagonize them to the death.”
A few other sect leaders shared similar thoughts.
The Gu Family head leaned back in his chair and also sneered. “Sect Leader Zhou, do you want to see the Heavenly Sword Sect rise to power and completely overshadow your sect? Even if your Green Origin Sect has no major grievances with them, if the Heavenly Sword Sect truly becomes dominant, the impact on your sect will be significant. You should understand that!”
These words made the sect leaders ponder the pros and cons.
A common man’s wealth is his own ruin. Even if they had no major conflicts with the Heavenly Sword Sect, the fact that the sect possessed a monstrous talent like Lin Yun was a crime in itself! Once such a talent grew to his full potential, he could lead the Heavenly Sword Sect to unprecedented heights, threatening the status of their own sects. This was something none of the eleven major sects wanted to see. They couldn’t allow the Heavenly Sword Sect to grow so powerful that it overshadowed them all!
The room fell into silence.
The Soul Refining Sect’s leader stood up, breaking the silence.
“Whether you join or not, my Soul Refining Sect has already reached an agreement with the Gu Family to join the Zhutian (Heavenly Sword Sect) Alliance. With the Gu Family leading the charge and our combined strength, dealing with the Heavenly Sword Sect will be an absolute碾压 (overwhelming victory). There will be minimal losses, and we can eliminate this major threat with little cost. Why wouldn’t we do it?”
“My Seven Stars Sect has also reached an agreement with the Gu Family head to join the Zhutian Alliance!” the Seven Stars Sect’s leader also stood up and declared.
“My Demon Subduing Sect has also agreed. No matter what, I don’t want to see the Heavenly Sword Sect grow powerful enough to threaten my sect,” the Demon Subduing Sect’s leader added.
The remaining eight sect leaders looked at each other, surprised that these three sects had already reached agreements with the Gu Family.
“Everyone, as long as you agree, with our combined strength, destroying the Heavenly Sword Sect will be as easy as crushing an ant. I can promise that after the Heavenly Sword Sect is destroyed, all the spoils will be divided among you!” The Gu Family head’s eyes gleamed with ambition.
