Disk City, High-speed Railway Station.

The business class waiting platform was deserted. Only the Crane Sect's group stood waiting quietly.

Zhao Qiancheng's face was pale; he sat on the waiting bench, lightly supported by someone. Still recuperating from his injuries, he appeared somewhat weak, so the responsibility of leading the team naturally fell to the fourth Direct Disciple, Zhuang Xiujie.

Zhuang Xiujie kept checking the time. When she faintly heard the whistle of a distant train signaling its approach, she finally couldn't resist asking a man nearby, "Liu Si, is Master actually returning with us?"

Liu Si, who, along with several servants, was guarding everyone's luggage, heard Zhuang Xiujie's question and replied respectfully, "That's a question for the Old Master, Fourth Disciple. I am merely a servant; how could I know the Old Master's decision?"

"Did Master mention to you where he was going?"

"The Old Master said he was going to fetch something for the Young Master. But as for what it is, or where he's getting it from, I truly don't know."

Zhuang Xiujie frowned at Liu Si's impenetrable reply but didn't probe further.

I'll wait until one minute before the train is due to depart, she thought. If Master Liudao Yuan still hasn't arrived by then, I'll take everyone and leave first.

The other Crane Sect Direct Disciples didn't react much, but when they heard Liu Si mention the words "Young Master," a deep, complex expression appeared on all their faces.

This trip to the Southern Hundred-City Martial Arts Competition has definitely been one of the most surreal experiences of our lives, they mused.

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a figure silently appeared before them.

Zhuang Xiujie was stunned at first, but when she recognized the person, her face instantly lit up with surprise and relief.

"Master!"

Master Liudao Yuan stood with his hands behind his back and nodded at everyone. He said nothing, yet his mere presence seemed to give the Crane Sect a backbone.

Zhuang Xiujie, being closest to Master Liudao Yuan, faintly smelled a hint of blood on him.

Zhuang Xiujie felt conflicted. She knew she shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help but murmur, "Master, you…"

Master Liudao Yuan glanced at her but didn't explain. He merely said, "It's not mine."

"Yes." Zhuang Xiujie closed her mouth and asked no more.

After waiting for a while, a high-speed train roared into the station. It didn't stop, speeding away in an instant.

Zhuang Xiujie glanced at her watch, her fine eyebrows knitting slightly.

"It seems to be delayed."

Master Liudao Yuan's expression remained impassive.

Suddenly, he said, "Let's go!"

Zhuang Xiujie was taken aback, as were the other Crane Sect Direct Disciples.

However, they saw Master Liudao Yuan had already turned and was walking briskly towards the platform exit.

Although puzzled, they quickly followed.

The Crane Sect group hurried after Master Liudao Yuan for a while, seemingly heading for the exit.

Just then, Master Liudao Yuan, at the head of the group, suddenly stopped.

"We don't need to go anymore."

Huh?

The Crane Sect Direct Disciples were thoroughly confused. As they wondered what was happening, they saw two figures drift out like clouds from the station exit ahead.

One old, one robust. The elder had a stern aura, his eyes like bolts of lightning. The robust man, around thirty, had a cold aura, his sharpness unconcealed, like a drawn sword. Merely looking at him gave one a stinging pain, as if their eyes were being cut.

"Divine Intent Sect!" Zhuang Xiujie blurted out, recognizing the robust young man.

He was known as the top genius of the Divine Intent Sect's current generation and, along with Xue Guangyao of the Heart Refinement Sect (who had injured her junior brother), was hailed as one of the Twin Stars, the strongest of the southern Martial Arts Circle's younger generation. He had a great reputation, so Zhuang Xiujie recognized him.

The elder with him, possessing a profound air, was undoubtedly the current Sect Leader of the Divine Intent Sect—a Sect Master-Level powerhouse, on par with Master Liudao Yuan.

Although the Crane Sect had many enemies, they had never had any dealings with the Divine Intent Sect. So why would they suddenly appear here, seemingly to deliberately block their path?

Before the Crane Sect members could figure it out, they heard the soft sound of footsteps and the swish of fabric cutting through the air.

In no time, figures appeared around them.

"Four Tigers Style... Gouki Sect... Rock Breaking Sect... Overlord Fist Sect..."

All were well-known Ancient Martial Arts Schools, with famous masters. In a short while, nearly dozens of schools and close to a hundred ancient martial arts practitioners had appeared.

These people all stood expressionless, their eyes cold, not far from the Crane Sect group. They said nothing, but subtly formed an encirclement, blocking all avenues of escape.

The Crane Sect members felt the increasingly oppressive atmosphere. Their faces grew darker, and a strong sense of unease welled up in their hearts, mixed mostly with bewilderment.

The Crane Sect had a bad reputation, and on the eve of the Martial Arts Competition, a genius junior brother had appeared out of nowhere and, in a single night, challenged the experts of over a dozen schools.

But… that hardly seemed enough to draw so many high-level masters from various sects—who hadn't even participated in the tournament—to come all this way just to intercept them. The Crane Sect's actions, however bad, shouldn't have provoked such widespread outrage.

THUD—

A single footstep echoed in the oppressive silence.

The Crane Sect members instinctively looked towards the sound.

From beside the two individuals from the Divine Intent Sect, a figure slowly walked out.

The newcomer was nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a powerful build, a clean-shaven face, and hair tied in a short braid. He exuded an indescribable aura of power and nobility.

This man slowly walked to the front of all the assembled masters and stopped directly before the Crane Sect group.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the Crane Sect, at Master Liudao Yuan, and said coldly, "Poison Hand Crane Demon Liudao Yuan, you are arrogant and tyrannical, with no respect for your superiors. To forcibly seize the legacies of other sects, you even went so far as to murder dozens of fellow martial artists... After committing such atrocities, you actually expect to walk away unscathed. Do you really take this Holy Emissary... for dead?!"

Forcibly seizing other sects' legacies, murdering dozens of people...

The braided man's cold words struck the Crane Sect disciples like lightning. The Crane Sect members all recoiled violently, their faces etched with identical expressions of horror and disbelief.

Among them, Zhuang Xiujie suddenly recalled the faint scent of blood she had detected on Master Liudao Yuan earlier. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. She whipped her head around to look at Master Liudao Yuan, who stood before her. Her face, her eyes... all filled with utter shock and disbelief.

At that moment, the gazes of the hundred or so people present shot like arrows towards Master Liudao Yuan.

And Master Liudao Yuan remained calm, saying nothing.

* * *

"Sir... will avenge us... Ghk... ghk..."

The man in the White Bear uniform lay on the ground, clutching his throat tightly with both hands, fresh blood gushing between his fingers like a fountain. He stared intently at the man before him, his eyes flashing with a pale blue light, as if to burn the man's image into his memory, until... that light finally faded.

"How many is this now?"

A mountain-sized, black-robed figure stood nearby, quietly watching the White Bear die. Frowning, he turned to the handsome man slowly wiping blood from his fingers.

"I must remind you, you are not yet the true Evil Emperor. Your actions concern only you, Pei Ye, and do not represent the stance of the Evil Martial Association. You're playing with fire!"

Pei Ye waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright," he said, then casually tossed the bloodstained tissue onto the White Bear's corpse. "It's just one low-level White Bear. Nothing serious..."

"And what about the Crimson Bear you just killed!" the black-robed man retorted coldly.

"That's nothing either." Pei Ye smiled, a faint dimple appearing below the left corner of his mouth, adding to his charm. "I'm more surprised by something else..."

Pei Ye stroked his smooth chin and mused aloud, "That old codger's little pet can even order around a Crimson Bear-Level operative. He must have considerable status among the Yellow Bears. Don't tell me he got lucky and latched onto some Gold Bear-Level figure?"

"You know the implications of a Gold Bear-Level background, yet you dare to act so recklessly?"

"A Gold Bear-Level? Means nothing to me!" Pei Ye replied with a grin. Then, he half-jokingly reassured him, "Guardian Xiang, why are you always so tense? You know what I'm capable of. Even the Yellow Bears would have a hard time tracing this back to me..."

"Difficult is not the same as untraceable," the black-robed figure snorted.

Pei Ye shook his head, as if disinclined to argue further.

"That old codger has probably been cornered by now. I need to hurry and add the final bit of fuel to his fire... All hindrances have been cleared. The stage is set for a kill-or-be-killed scenario, with enemies on all sides. Just like fifteen years ago..." Pei Ye muttered to himself, his handsome face suddenly flushed with intense excitement, anticipation, and an almost unbearable urgency. His eyes turned fervent, his breathing quickening.

"Master, wait for me! This time, I will definitely pull you from the depths of despair..."

BANG!

A sudden dull thud interrupted Pei Ye's fervent thoughts.

Pei Ye and the black-robed man turned their heads in unison.

Not far from them, a dozen or so unusually burly figures flickered into view. They all wielded various cold weapons.

The leader was a muscular man, well over two meters tall. He gripped a heavy alloy blade nearly three meters long in one hand, glaring menacingly at Pei Ye and his companion. Then, with a cruel smile, he said, "Which one of you is Pei Ye? The Spear Holder has spoken. We are to bring back Pei Ye's head."

"Err..." Pei Ye and the black-robed man fell into a brief silence.

A moment later, Pei Ye slowly raised his head. His trench coat billowed as if in a strong wind, and an indescribable, terrifying aura surged from beneath it like countless invisible tentacles. Yet, his expression was indescribably peculiar.

Just how many backers does that little brat have?

* * *

"...As per Sir's instructions, we found traces of the mastermind targeting the Crane Sect. We successfully forced him to reveal himself... But his strength was too great; your subordinate was incompetent..." Xiao Ren's weak and ashamed voice came through the communicator.

Over ninety-five percent of Yellow Bear Members in the field teams had their consciousnesses copied and uploaded. So, Xiao Ren had died. But he had also been 'revived,' much like Zhou Ling before.

"Did you get a look at him?"

"Yes."

DING DONG—

Lu Yuan received the data transmitted by Xiao Ren. He quickly opened it. Before him was the image of a handsome man in a black trench coat. His smile was charming, yet Lu Yuan sensed an inexplicable evil emanating from it.

Below it was identity information retrieved from the Yellow Bear database: Pei Ye, eighth Direct Disciple of Master Liudao Yuan (former Sect Master of the Heaven Water Sect), suspected current Night Emperor of the Evil Martial Association. Abilities: ...

Lu Yuan scanned the information, committing all the details to memory. Then, he spoke gently to Xiao Ren, "You did well. This is a meritorious service. Rest and recover. I'll cover all expenses..."

"Thank you, Sir." The voice from the communicator held a hint of suppressed excitement.

After ending the call, Lu Yuan immediately turned and left.

Half a minute later, he was already on a Fly Shuttle to Disk City. He had also, through Sakfu, urgently dispatched Mosa Religion experts from the Disk City vicinity to intercept and eliminate Pei Ye and protect the Crane Sect group.

Hopefully, they can hold on until I arrive... Lu Yuan calmly watched the clouds stream past the Fly Shuttle window, an icy, steel-like glint flickered in his eyes.

Pei Ye's image flashed in his mind intermittently.

He couldn't help but sigh softly.

Pei Ye... Pei Ye... you're truly courting death.

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