“How can you prove that you represent all of the other sects?” Nie Tian asked with a calm expression. “If you want the sects from the Realm of Flame Heaven to set up defenses on the frontline, you’ll have to obtain written agreement from all of the other sects, at the very least. If you’ve got none of that, don’t you imagine that the sects from the Realm of Flame Heaven will listen to you!”
Ji Qingyun burst into a flaming rage. “Shut up! How dare you, a Greater Heaven stage junior, question me!? One more word, and I’ll give you something to remember!”
Chang Sen, Li Jing, and the other sectmasters felt rather helpless as they watched Ji Qingyun ranting arrogantly.
They also wondered whether Ji Qingyun just represented the Heaven Expanse Sect, or all the other sects as well.
Since they didn’t have a single Soul realm expert in the Realm of Flame Heaven, they hadn’t even been invited to attend those important meetings.
Ji Qingyun was only at the middle Profound realm, which was not enough to make them hesitate over confronting him.
However, they were apprehensive because they a.s.sumed that he now represented the Heaven Expanse Sect and the other powerful sects.
They were afraid that if they stood up against him, they would anger those Soul realm experts, who could wipe all of their sects out effortlessly.
This was why they had chosen to bear Ji Qingyun’s provocative language so far.
Now, Nie Tian had showed up, and the questions he asked were exactly the ones they had meant to ask, but didn’t dare to.
Nie Tian shot Ji Qingyun a gaze out of the corner of his eyes and asked casually, “So do you mean that you’re going to discipline me yourself?”
Ji Qingyun grew increasingly furious now that Nie Tian had suddenly appeared and interfered with his plan to bring those from the Realm of Flame Heaven to his heel. Seeing that Nie Tian actually dared to provoke him, he waved his hand and shouted angrily, “You don’t deserve to be disciplined by me personally! Yu Wei! Go teach him a lesson!”
Yu Wei was the only female disciple standing behind Ji Qingyun. She was at the late Greater Heaven stage, while the other three male disciples were at the Worldly realm.
In Ji Qingyun’s eyes, Yu Wei was more than enough to give Nie Tian some serious injuries, and by not having a Worldly realm disciple do it, he wouldn’t be accused of bullying the weak.
Dressed in a long, white dress, Yu Wei was rather tall and slender. A hint of arrogance could be seen on her gracefully beautiful face. It seemed that she had long since found Nie Tian an eyesore, so upon hearing Ji Qingyun’s order, she instantly stepped forward.
Chang Sen, Li Jing, and the other experts from the Realm of Flame Heaven exchanged awkward glances.
Since none of them knew who Nie Tian was, they were all hesitant, unsure of what to do.
While they were pondering whether to put a stop to this, Yu Wei launched a lightning-quick, murderous attack.
She summoned a jade ruler into her hand as she jumped into the air and rapidly fell towards Nie Tian.
A spiritual fish could be seen swimming around in the cyan jade ruler, and as it did, the jade ruler was quickly wreathed in a cyan, watery mist.
Afterwards, drops of cyan water formed around the jade ruler before they rained down on Nie Tian at full speed.
As insignificant as the raindrops seemed, they were actually as heavy as mountains. Anyone weaker than Nie Tian would have been forced to kneel and beg for mercy.
A faint, disdainful smile appeared at the corner of Yu Wei’s mouth as she saw that Nie Tian didn’t move a bit when the cyan raindrops fell heavily on his shoulders.
Then, she swished the jade ruler down towards Nie Tian’s right shoulder with a force so great that it seemed that she was hoping to crush his shoulder with this single strike.
Nie Tian let out a cold harrumph, and still didn’t move in the slightest, like a sharp sword that had been plunged deep into the ground. Only when the jade ruler came close enough did he summon his strength and meet it with his clenched fist.
Yu Wei was taken aback. “H-he can still move his arm!?”
BOOM!
Mountain-shattering force burst forth from Nie Tian’s fist as he slammed it into the incoming cyan jade ruler. Like small snakes, wisps of crimson, green, and white aura instantly drilled into the jade ruler.
The hand Yu Wei used to hold that ruler instantly became badly mangled, blood spilling from it continuously.
Gasping with astonishment, she hastily jumped backwards, holding her hand. Her eyes were filled with fear as she struggled to summon her spiritual power to neutralize the powers that had been sent into her hand. “Who are you?!”
Ji Qingyun’s eyes were very wide as he sprang to his feet and shouted furiously, “How dare you?!”
Just as he was going to strike Nie Tian himself, a voice echoed out from just outside the courtyard. “Wait, Elder Ji!”
In the next moment, a thin little man with a small beard walked through the courtyard gate.
Full of smiles, he bowed towards the experts present. His manners made him seem like a businessman.
“You are?” Ji Qingyun asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
Clearly, he didn’t know Hu Rong.
Hu Rong smiled and bowed as he answered, “This one is the Spirit Condor’s representative in the Realm of Split Void. Hu Rong is the name. The trade fair that’s taking place in the Blood Skull’s headquarters in three days will be presided over by me.”
The experts from the Realm of Flame Heaven all gasped upon hearing the Spirit Condor’s name. “The Spirit Condor!”
Before, everyone had considered the Spirit Condor to be a secret organization that only dealt in information.
Since it had always kept a low profile and stayed away from the public, many didn’t know much about it.
However, its name had become very well-known recently.
That was because Hua Mu, who was a senior member of the Spirit Condor, had single-handedly killed numerous Worldly realm and Profound realm experts in the Spirit G.o.d Sect, destroyed their grand spell formation, and forced the sectmaster of the Spirit G.o.d Sect to come out of his secluded cultivation. The battle between them had lasted two weeks, and a winner still hadn’t emerged.
He had only ended his ma.s.sacre under the intermediation of many sects, knowing that they were facing threats from outsiders.
In the eyes of many people, the fact that Hua Mu had dared to march to the Spirit G.o.d Sect by himself and managed to kill so many of their disciples proved that Hua Mu was definitely one of the most powerful experts in the Domain of the Falling Stars.
The strange thing was that very few people had heard his name, much less what he had done before this.
Furthermore, many believed that Hua Mu was only one of the Spirit Condor’s Soul realm experts. There might be other experts in the Spirit Condor that were equally powerful or even more powerful than him.
People had started to learn about the formidable reserve power of this mysterious organization.
Some even said that if Hua Mu hadn’t consumed a significant amount of strength killing those Worldly realm and Profound realm experts, and if he hadn’t sustained injuries shattering the Spirit G.o.d Sect’s grand spell formation, he might have won the battle against the sectmaster of the Spirit G.o.d Sect.
“The Spirit Condor!” Ji Qingyun’s face twitched slightly.
Unlike those from the Realm of Flame Heaven, as an elder of the Heaven Expanse Sect, he had long since learned about the Spirit Condor’s hidden strength. The sectmaster of the Heaven Expanse Sect had even once said that the Spirit Condor might be strong enough to contend against the Heaven Palace Sect.
After learning that Hu Rong was with the Spirit Condor, he could only suppress his fury and say, “Is he also with the Spirit Condor?”
Hu Rong gave Nie Tian a sideways look and said, smiling, “Sort of.”
Ji Qingyun’s expression flickered slightly as he asked, looking deeply confused, “Since when does the Spirit Condor have connections with the sects from the Realm of Flame Heaven? As far as I know, the Spirit Condor prefers to stay out of others’ business. Why make an exception this time?”
“Because of him,” Hu Rong said as he laid his eyes on Nie Tian, still smiling.
Ji Qingyun was even more confused.
At this moment, Chang Sen from the h.e.l.l Sect seemed to sense something. His eyebrows rose as he gazed at the courtyard gate. “Hmm?!”
Soon, the others also sensed movements outside the courtyard and focused their gazes on the gate.
A moment later, a group of Qi warriors that were dressed in n.o.ble garments came through the gate, talking gracefully and cheerfully to each other as they did.
The hearts of the experts from the Realm of Flame Heaven grew heavy as they watched these famous figures enter the courtyard one after another.
“That’s Kong Hong, one of the Yang Sect’s elders, and Chen Hao, the Yang Sect’s chosen one and the most promising among the Yang Sect’s younger generation!”
“That’s Lu Ling, a Yin Sect elder, and Ye Qin, who survived their trip to that dimension!”
“That’s Qian Qiong, an Ice Pavilion Sect elder, and their chosen one, Xuan Ke!”
They thought that they shared the same intentions with Ji Qingyun, that they were also here to force them to stand on the frontline when the outsiders came.
Face very grim, Jiang Zhisu sighed secretly as he thought to himself, “It seems that there’s no way around this. Now that the major sects have made their decision, we can only do as we’re bid. Otherwise, those powerful sects might march into the Realm of Flame Heaven and wipe us out as an example to those who dare to oppose them.”
Li Jing, Chang Sen, Ghost Eye, and the others also bowed their heads slightly in frustration, as if they were also ready to give in.
“Hahaha!” Ji Qingyun laughed as he hastily trotted over to greet these renowned figures in the Domain of the Falling Stars.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the three elders of the Yin Sect, the Yang Sect, and the Ice Pavilion Sect all ignored him.
Qian Qiong from the Ice Pavilion Sect was the most impatient with him, for he even pushed him out of his way with one hand.
Then, under everyone’s gaze, Qian Qiong, who was tall and bulky like a ice-covered mountain, strode to Nie Tian, bowed slightly, and said, “Thank you for taking care of Xuan Ke and the others from our sect, so that they returned to our sect safely.”