“Great, that’s fantastic!” Sheng Qianyu couldn’t help but exclaim in excitement.
“With two of their Martial Emperors dead, and now with Sect Leader Sikong, Emperor Ling, and Lin Xiao breaking through, our overall strength has the advantage. Launching a full-scale attack is entirely feasible, and we could even deal a heavy blow to the enemy,” Qu Huang said excitedly.
Both of them, being neutral, were thrilled no matter who made a breakthrough.
“I agree to the full-scale attack,” Dongfang Kaiyuan said after a pause.
“I also agree,” the Sect Leader of the Nine Heavens Sect chimed in.
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
“We agree too.”
The others also voiced their approval one after another.
In total, their side, including Lin Xiao’s Purple Corpse Puppet, had fifteen Martial Emperor-level combatants.
Even if the Purple Emperor could not participate, they still had fourteen.
On the other hand, the Emperor Raiders Alliance had seventeen remaining, but one or two of them were injured as severely as the Purple Emperor, meaning one or two would likely be unable to fight.
That left the enemy with only fifteen or sixteen capable combatants.
However, the enemy had a significant number of first-level Martial Emperors, while their side, aside from Lin Xiao, consisted entirely of combatants above the second-level Martial Emperor realm.
Against first-level Martial Emperors, many of them could handle two at once for a considerable time, allowing someone like Lin Xiao, who could kill second-level Martial Emperors, to fight one-on-one, potentially crippling or even killing several of the enemy’s Martial Emperors.
By then, the situation would shift again.
In other words, this time, the overall strength of their Orthodox Alliance should surpass that of the Emperor Raiders Alliance.
While completely annihilating the enemy through a full-scale attack might be unlikely, delivering a heavy blow and disrupting their plans was certainly achievable.
“Good!” At this moment, Sikong Jian, who had convened the meeting, nodded. Although Lin Xiao posed a significant future threat, he had to admit that Lin Xiao and Ling Xiao’s breakthroughs were a tremendous boost to their Orthodox Alliance.
Once the crisis with the Emperor Raiders Alliance was resolved, he would choose to eliminate Lin Xiao at all costs without hesitation.
“Since no one objects, once our two elders from the Ling Sword Sect return, we will set out immediately to launch a full-scale attack on the Demon Sect,” Sikong Jian said solemnly, his eyes brimming with intense battle intent.
“I object!” However, at that very moment, an angry voice rang out from outside the hall.
“Fu Yan?”
Hearing this voice, Lin Xiao and Ling Xiao immediately frowned. Fu Yan had returned at this moment?
Did that mean they had no chance to intercept Fu Yan in secret, and the matter of the Ling Sword Sect’s second elder’s death was about to be exposed?
Instinctively turning around, Lin Xiao saw an old man’s figure hurriedly entering from the hall’s entrance.
The old man had dishevelled white hair, tattered robes, numerous wounds on his body, and was covered in blood, his face pale.
Clearly, he had been attacked.
Lin Xiao instinctively thought that after leaving the mountain range, Fu Yan might have been attacked, which delayed his return to the Ling Sword Sect.
“Elder Fu Yan?”
The crowd was shocked.
“Great Elder, what happened to you?” Seeing Fu Yan covered in blood, Sikong Jian asked in surprise.
“Lin Xiao!” However, Fu Yan’s gaze locked onto Lin Xiao first, a surge of intense anger rising within him.
“Elder Fu Yan, what happened? Were you attacked by the Emperor Raiders?” Sheng Qianyu couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s all because of him!” Fu Yan said in a deep, angry voice, pointing at Lin Xiao before turning to Sikong Jian. “Sect Leader, Lin Xiao killed the second elder.”
“What?” Sikong Jian’s expression immediately darkened.
The other Martial Emperors were stunned.
Did Lin Xiao not say he killed Xiang Huang and Duan Huang? How did he also kill the Ling Sword Sect’s second elder?
“After learning about the Red Beast Cub, the second elder went to a mountain range and encountered Duan Huang, an elder from the Nether Sect, and Lin Xiao,” Fu Yan explained angrily. “As a result, before Duan Huang and the Nether Sect elder were dealt with, Lin Xiao killed the second elder first. By the time I arrived, the second elder was already gone. It is said that his body is still in Lin Xiao’s storage ring.”
“What?” Sikong Jian’s expression grew cold, a glint of icy light flashing in his eyes.
“Sect Leader Sikong, please calm down. There might be a misunderstanding,” Sheng Qianyu, sensing trouble, quickly interjected before turning to Lin Xiao. “Lin Xiao, is this true?”
After all, this was only Fu Yan’s side of the story, and Sheng Qianyu knew of the enmity between the Ling Sword Sect and Lin Xiao.
Moreover, with Duan Huang and the Nether Sect elder from the Emperor Raiders present, it was possible, as Elder Fu Yan said, that they had fallen for the enemy’s scheme to sow discord.
He did not want the Orthodox Alliance, which had just gained some advantage, to fracture due to internal conflict.
If the Orthodox Alliance split in two, they would truly be unable to contend with the Emperor Raiders Alliance.
The others also looked at Lin Xiao, waiting to hear his side.
However, under everyone’s gaze, Lin Xiao admitted directly, “I did indeed kill Elder Zhou.”
“What?” Even Sheng Qianyu was stunned. Lin Xiao had really killed the Ling Sword Sect’s second elder?
Sikong Jian’s expression darkened completely. Lin Xiao had killed their Martial Emperor elder and still came to discuss joining forces to attack others?
This was simply a great humiliation to him.
But Lin Xiao’s next words left Sikong Jian and everyone present even more stunned. “That’s because he deserved to die!”
“You!” A cold aura began to emanate from Sikong Jian, intense anger burning in his heart.
Dongfang Kaiyuan, Yun Jing, and the two Martial Emperors from the Nine Heavens Sect, after their initial shock, grew solemn.
If Sikong Jian made a move, they would have no choice but to act as well.
If both sides fought, the Orthodox Alliance would likely collapse immediately.
All their previous discussions would come to nothing.
“At the time, Elder Zhou, along with two Martial Emperors from the Emperor Raiders, drove off a seventh-tier initial-stage spirit beast. Afterward, the two Emperor Raiders Martial Emperors planned to eliminate Elder Zhou. It was my arrival that saved Elder Zhou from danger,” Lin Xiao explained calmly, unhurriedly. “But when I appeared, instead of joining forces with me to attack Duan Huang and the Nether Sect Martial Emperor, Elder Zhou fled at the first opportunity, leaving me to face the two alone.”
“If my combat power hadn’t increased, and I didn’t have the Purple Corpse Puppet, I would likely have been the one in danger.”
“Moreover, Elder Zhou’s immediate escape was one thing, but after fleeing, he secretly returned. After I fought Duan Huang for over an hour, when Duan Huang used his trump card to knock me back, Elder Zhou suddenly attacked me with his strongest trump card, riding the Sky Control Boat. If my strength hadn’t improved, even if I didn’t die at Duan Huang’s hands, I would likely have died at Elder Zhou’s. Tell me, did he not deserve to die?”
Hearing this, the crowd was stunned again.
Not only did Elder Zhou fail to join forces against the Emperor Raiders, leaving Lin Xiao to face them alone, but he also sneaked back and tried to kill Lin Xiao with his strongest trump card.
In that case, Elder Zhou indeed deserved to die.
However, out of respect for Sikong Jian, no one dared to say it aloud.
“Elder Zhou pretended to flee, but you were pretending to fight!” Fu Yan responded angrily. “With your strength, you could have killed Duan Huang early on, yet you deliberately fought him for over an hour, feigning a weakness to lure Elder Zhou into attacking. In reality, you had already prepared a killing move to trap and kill Elder Zhou.”
Elder Fu Yan’s words stunned the crowd once more.
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
It seemed that both Elder Zhou and Lin Xiao were equally cunning, scheming against each other.
But in the end, it was Elder Zhou who was outwitted and killed.
Dongfang Kaiyuan and Yun Jing felt a sense of exasperation.
