“Nether Sect, Ming Tian!” Upon seeing this figure, both Zhan Lan and Li Yunxiao’s expressions shifted slightly, their earlier playful demeanour giving way to seriousness.
Yang Hao, Zhong Moyang, and the others also showed a slight change in expression, but as it was a matter among the younger generation, they refrained from speaking.
“Lin Xiao, if you have time, you should visit our Nether Sect. There might be surprises you wouldn’t expect,” Ming Tian said to Lin Xiao, ignoring the others’ reactions.
The crowd was astonished. The Nether Sect’s prodigy had just appeared and was already trying to win Lin Xiao over.
“Your Nether Sect probably can’t offer him any surprises,” a voice called out from the void.
Immediately after, a young man in a white robe shot through the sky, moving at great speed and soon appearing before everyone.
His face was slightly gaunt, his appearance unremarkable, but a powerful evil aura emanated from him, giving off a sinister vibe at first glance.
“The Evil Sect’s prodigy, Xie Sheng!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“The Evil Sect and the Spear Dragon Sect are enemies. I can’t believe Xie Sheng dared to come alone.”
“He’s definitely not alone. Ming Tian’s the same. There must be Martial Emperors protecting them in the shadows, just not showing themselves. The Spear Dragon Sect likely won’t act against them either.”
“With Xie Sheng and Ming Tian here, I wonder if the prodigies from the Demon Sect and Burial Sect, part of the Four Evils, will show up?”
“The Burial Sect has always been mysterious. No one even knows who their prodigy is. Even if they appear, it’ll likely be in secret. As for the Demon Sect, they’ve been unusually low-key lately, with few people seen outside.”
The crowd whispered among themselves, somewhat aware of the open and covert struggles among the eight major sects.
“Lin Xiao, evil forces are your true calling,” Xie Sheng said to Lin Xiao as soon as he arrived.
“Even if evil forces were Junior Brother Lin Xiao’s calling, he wouldn’t go to your Evil Sect. Xie Sheng, if it weren’t for the upcoming battle, I’d challenge you today,” Zhan Lan retorted, unimpressed.
“I’ve long looked forward to fighting you all, but today, I’m here to watch, not to challenge,” Xie Sheng said, crossing his arms, clearly in spectator mode.
“The Eight Great Prodigies of the Southeast Region should have a proper ranking. It’s a pity today isn’t suitable for a fight,” Li Yunxiao said, eyeing Xie Sheng and Ming Tian.
“I’ll be happy to oblige when the time comes,” Ming Tian responded, showing no fear.
“Swish! Swish! Swish!” …
At that moment, several beams of light streaked across the sky, drawing everyone’s attention away from the prodigies.
Six Sky-Soaring Boats glided through the air, heading towards the Spear Dragon Sect and stopping in the void before its entrance.
Then, dozens of figures flew out from the six boats.
Lin Xiao recognised a few familiar faces among them: several members of the Xing Family, the Duan Family, Yang Lan, and Duan Tianya.
It was obvious they wanted to gauge Jian Wudi’s strength to see if Lin Xiao would fall to him in the future.
Naturally, the two families had brought more people this time compared to before.
Ling Jian Sect had the largest group, occupying three Sky-Soaring Boats with over thirty people, each wearing robes adorned with the sect’s distinctive sword pattern.
Leading them was a face Lin Xiao knew well: Zhe Renfeng.
Beside him stood a young man Lin Xiao hadn’t met, but his presence was extraordinary, like a dragon among men. He was strikingly noticeable, tall and slender, with sharp brows and starry eyes, a face like a silver plate, dressed in pristine white robes. Graceful and dashing, he seemed like an exiled immortal, untouched by worldly dust, standing as if ready to ascend into the sky.
There was no need to guess; this had to be Jian Wudi.
No one else among the three forces could possess such an aura.
Lin Xiao also noticed a resemblance to Jian Wuqu in Jian Wudi’s features.
However, his gaze lingered on Jian Wudi only briefly before shifting sharply to the group that had just emerged from the sixth Sky-Soaring Boat.
These people were even more familiar to him than those from Ling Jian Sect.
Among the first three were a man with bold features, a sinister face, aged appearance, salt-and-pepper hair, and a robust build, exuding vigour despite his age.
Another was an old man with white brows and beard, exuding an immortal-like aura, dressed in a white robe.
The third was a slightly plump elder.
These three were none other than the patriarchs from the region where the Ling Family resided: Cao Tianchao of the Cao Family, Xu Zilan of the Xu Family, and Lu Yuan of the Lu Family.
The other nine from the same boat were high-level Martial Monarch elders from the three families, all of whom Lin Xiao had seen before.
After Ling Xiao broke through to the Martial Emperor realm, these people and their families had mostly fled, leaving Lin Xiao unable to exact revenge or root them out.
He never imagined that these three families would now be mingling with Ling Jian Sect, the Xing Family, and the Duan Family, seemingly having allied with these forces.
As Lin Xiao looked at the group, they also turned their gazes towards him, their eyes blazing with cold fury, as if ready to tear him apart.
“Lin Xiao!” Seeing him, Cao Tianchao’s eyes burned with rage, as if he wanted to devour him.
Lin Xiao had killed the younger geniuses of their Cao Family, slaughtered countless members, and forced the family to abandon their city and flee.
Their once-mighty family had crumbled, reduced to fleeing like stray dogs.
Their hatred for Lin Xiao was bone-deep.
Xu Zilan, Lu Yuan, and the others felt the same, each itching to rush forward and kill him.
“You’re Lin Xiao?” Jian Wudi’s gaze was the first to land on him, his tone calm as he spoke.
Lin Xiao didn’t respond directly, instead retorting, “You’re Jian Wudi?”
Jian Wudi didn’t answer but said, “You killed my brother and challenged me. You’re bold!”
His eyes narrowed slightly, like a sharp sword about to unsheathe, ready to pierce the heart, an intangible pressure radiating from him.
“Terrifying!” Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. Just a glance made his heart race and his body tremble. How strong was Jian Wudi?
But no matter how strong, Lin Xiao had time. He would catch up eventually.
“You and your brother shamelessly forced Zi Ling into the agreement. I killed your brother because he brought it upon himself,” Lin Xiao shot back sharply. “All of this is your own doing.”
