"Hahaha... The Sect Leader has arrived. Zhang Bin, your death is certain now."

"Zhang Bin, to dare defy the Daoyi Sect is to court death, to not know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Today will be the day the Taiqing Sect is wiped out."

"This time, we must completely eradicate the Taiqing Sect, leaving no one alive."

"..."

The six feces-covered figures hanging from the banyan tree suddenly grew excited, shouting out venomously in near unison. They didn't even care about the bird droppings falling into their mouths. As long as they could see Zhang Bin and the Taiqing Sect destroyed, they were willing to endure anything. How exalted had their positions once been? How could they possibly endure such a humiliation?

The expression on Master Tianlong's face turned grave. Even the face of Leader Number Three, who had just walked out of the door, soured. From the look of things, Si Yangze had not come to negotiate but to deal with the Taiqing Sect. An earth-shattering battle seemed inevitable. What made them wary was that someone from Kunlun had also arrived.

It was a white-haired Taoist wearing a blue-colored Taoist robe emblazoned with two Taiji patterns. Si Yangze was carefully attending to him by his side. Apparently, this was an extremely formidable master.

This old Taoist, flying at the forefront on his sword, suddenly shouted, "Stop."

All the experts halted immediately. The place where they stopped was just outside the coverage of the array plate.

He squinted at the fog-engulfed area, a look of surprise on his face. "Impressive. A Great Array with a diameter of one hundred kilometers, in no way inferior to our Kunlun Sect's own protective formation. The Taiqing Sect is impressive; their strength cannot be underestimated."

"What? They set up such a terrifying formation in a mere village? All to protect a single disciple, Zhang Bin?" Si Yangze's face was a mask of incredulous absurdity; he could hardly believe his own ears.

"It's not so incomprehensible. Zhang Bin must be a disciple highly regarded by the Taiqing Sect's elders, one with the potential to cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage. Therefore, they naturally place great importance on his safety. Furthermore, Zhang Bin has established factories and companies here, generating a steady stream of immense wealth. Deploying an array plate for his protection might not even be a loss for them," the old Taoist said.

"Zhang Bin has the talent to reach the Nascent Soul Realm? How is this possible? Aren't such geniuses supposed to be exceptionally rare?" Si Yangze was utterly shocked.

"Didn't you say he's only twenty? He has already reached the Initial Liquid Realm. While such a talent is not quite on par with our Kunlun Sect's genius disciples, he isn't far behind. Besides, he likely didn't start cultivating from childhood, considering he was originally from Sanchahe Village," the old Taoist said. "Never underestimate the determination of a powerful sect to protect a genius with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul Stage."

With that, they descended, landing just outside the Great Array's coverage. Because Zhang Bin didn't want to envelop Qingshan County City, Sanchahe Village marked the edge of the formation. Naturally, the spot where they landed was not far from the village.

"Zhang Bin, get over here," Si Yangze shouted fiercely.

In truth, there was no need for him to call out. Zhang Bin was already heading over quickly with his many pets. Master Tianlong and the others were also escorting Leader Number Three in that direction. Soon, both sides met at the edge of the Great Array, separated by about fifteen meters. One party was inside the formation, the other outside.

Zhang Bin quietly sized up his opponents. He noted that of the thirty masters, twenty-nine were in the Golden Core Realm. The old Taoist had an otherworldly air, with completely white hair and a white beard, yet his face was like an infant's, and his skin was just as delicate, giving him a very peculiar appearance.

He involuntarily drew a sharp breath. That's the sign of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator! According to the information he'd gotten from Daoist Elder Taiqing's Jade Scroll Simple and the Tao Te Ching, cultivating to the Nascent Soul Realm involved more than just the Golden Core within one's body gestating an infant to become a second self. The body also underwent a miraculous transformation, taking on the appearance of a baby with extremely active cells. The only thing that remained unchanged was the hair, which kept its former color.

In other words, this old Taoist was a Nascent Soul Realm old monster who had lived for an unknown number of years. A figure like this could be considered a true living immortal. They possessed heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing power and could impassively watch dynasties change and time pass by, all while their appearance remained the same. Their lifespans were incredibly long, possibly exceeding a thousand years. If they could cultivate to the even higher Body Integration Realm, their lives would be longer still. And upon reaching the Ascension Realm, they could directly ascend, shattering the void to enter the Immortal Realm.

The Kunlun Sect truly had a Nascent Soul Stage old monster, and Si Yangze had invited him here for support. For Zhang Bin, this was a very bad situation.

"Ye He greets you, Leader," the old Taoist said with surprising courtesy as he bowed.

His name was Zhou Tianyu, and his moniker was Daoist Ye He. The "Ye He"—the wild crane—in the famous lines, "A lone crane among lazy clouds, leisurely passing the years," circulating in the Cultivation World referred to him. The rest of the cultivators, including Si Yangze, also bowed respectfully.

"There's no need for such politeness. You are the meritorious defenders of our Huaxia. The people should all thank you," Leader Number Three said warmly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Leader Number Three steered the conversation to the matter at hand, probing their bottom line. Instantly, the faces of all the Daoyi Sect cultivators turned as cold as ice. Even Daoist Crane's face grew stern.

Si Yangze cast an icy gaze at Zhang Bin and sneered, "Zhang Bin, you think you can coerce our Daoyi Sect, our Kunlun Sect, and the Shu Mountain Sword Sect? That is the biggest joke in the world. I order you to immediately release the members of our Daoyi Sect, return all their treasures and Spiritual Medicine, and meekly accept the punishment previously decreed by the Daoyi Sect: hand over your Flying Sword, Space Ring, and Spiritual Medicine. Furthermore, you must accept an even harsher punishment—hand over the Array Plate, cripple your own cultivation, and sever your legs. Otherwise, not even the Taiqing Sect will be able to protect you, and your insignificant life will be forfeit."

Master Tianlong's expression turned ugly. The Daoyi Sect was disregarding the bigger picture. It was possible they had their eyes on the Taiqing Sect's treasures and were looking for an excuse to eradicate it, or perhaps they were testing the Taiqing Sect's true strength.

However, Leader Number Three's expression remained unchanged. He was still composed, truly embodying the principle of remaining completely composed even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him. He had witnessed far greater spectacles; the games played between nations were infinitely more perilous than this.

Rage blazed within him, an inferno of extreme wrath and frustration. He knew he had no path of retreat and no reinforcements. He could only resist to the very end. If he survived, a clear sky awaited him. If he failed, then there was nothing more to be said.

An icy killing intent radiated from him as he sneered, "Then try me. I'll kill those six right now and fight you to the death. There's no guarantee you'll be the ones to win."

Finished speaking, he turned to Da Huang, who was standing guard behind him, and commanded, "Da Huang, go! Rip them to shreds! Leave none alive!"

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