"Jiang Yuanqiang of the Eastern Mountain Sect greets Sect Master Du and Sacrificial Priest Fan!"
"Amitabha! This poor monk is Haicheng of Lan Mountain Temple. Greetings, Sect Master Du."
"Min He of the Thousand Changes Sword Sect greets you all!"
"Sikong Xiaomeng of Red Maple Valley greets Sect Master Du and the several friends."
The Eastern Mountain Sect of Yuhe County, Lan Mountain Temple of Dingshan County, the Thousand Changes Sword Sect of Liyang County, and Red Maple Valley of Anshan County were all sect forces from the various counties under Yizhou Prefecture.
Much like White Cloud Temple and Chicken Cry Temple, there were generally only one or two forces of this level within a single county.
Though most of these sects' foremost experts could not fly, that was the norm. Within a county's borders, they were not weak at all, more than enough to safeguard peace in one region.
This was the world's true face.
The gathering of so many great experts in Tonglin County, where Lu Zheng lived, was what was abnormal.
The Eastern Mountain Sect was a martial arts sect. It controlled many of Yuhe County's inns and docks, carriage companies and escort agencies. It was the local tiger of Yuhe County, and Lu Zheng had heard of it as well.
Master Haicheng of Lan Mountain Temple had also met Lu Zheng once. They had encountered each other during the debate on Buddhist teachings between Guang Yue and the western Buddhist temples years ago.
The Thousand Changes Sword Sect's inherited cultivation methods could be considered a fusion of Sword Cultivation and Martial Cultivation. Although they did not cultivate Flying Swords or Sword Pellets, their sword techniques could unleash Sword Qi, which was said to have its merits.
Red Maple Valley was considered an unorthodox sect. Its ancestors