Hanged Up for Public Display
At this moment, in Tianwu City, at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion—
Myriad Treasures Pavilion is a tower-shaped building with a total of twenty-two floors. Normally, only the first twenty floors are open to the public, while the twenty-first and twenty-second floors are used by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to receive important guests.
On the twenty-first floor of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, in a grand hall, various rare and precious treasures were displayed.
These rare treasures were transported from all over the Tianyuan Realm and displayed in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Some were for sale, while others were gifts from various major powers to the Martial Arts Alliance.
Several years ago, although the Martial Arts Alliance was a major power, it was not possible for it to have the major powers of the Tianyuan Realm come to offer congratulatory gifts.
However, now that they have the Longevity Pill in hand, all the major forces are vying to curry favor with the Martial Arts Alliance.
Moreover, people gradually discovered that the Martial Arts Alliance had actually been hiding a great deal of strength.
Typical alliances, such as the Six Swords Alliance, are simply formed by six sword-wielding forces. The main fighting strength of the Six Swords Alliance actually lies in these six forces; the Six Swords Alliance itself does not have much combat power.
But the Martial Arts Alliance is different. In recent years, especially with the large-scale operations organized by the Martial Arts Alliance, such as the Martial Arts Tournament and the Secret Realm Exploration, people have increasingly discovered that the Martial Arts Alliance's strength is far more terrifying than they thought.
The Martial Arts Alliance appears to be secretly cultivating a force.
The exact number of people in this force, their cultivation levels, and their strength are all unknown.
This force is shrouded in mystery.
At the beginning, people knew almost nothing about them, except that they were marked by a blood moon.
Later, the entire Martial Arts Alliance adopted the Blood Moon as its symbol, and the Martial Arts Alliance opened its gates wide, beginning to accept disciples from various sects to cultivate within the Martial Arts Alliance.
Thus, the Heavenly Dao Alliance was born.
In this way, the Martial Arts Alliance has gradually evolved into a sect.
However, it differs from traditional sects.
Generally, once a sect accepts someone as a disciple, they absolutely forbid that person from betraying the sect and joining other forces midway. Otherwise, it is a serious crime, and the disciple may even have their cultivation revoked.
However, the Martial Arts Alliance didn't care; disciples from his sect could freely enter other sects.
Such lenient conditions tempted the prodigies of various powerful factions.
They can join the Martial Arts Alliance and become members of the Heavenly Dao Alliance while retaining their original sect.
In the Heavenly Dao Alliance, as long as you have talent, regardless of whether you were a chivalrous person, a chosen one of heaven, or a notorious bandit, you will be treated equally.
One can obtain the Martial Arts Alliance's cultivation resources based on their own strength.
The cultivation resources possessed by the Martial Arts Alliance are far superior to those of any Lineage in the Tianyuan Realm!
In this situation, who wouldn't want to join the Heavenly Dao Alliance?
This is a completely beneficial thing with no drawbacks. Of course, good things are good things, but the requirements of the Heavenly Dao Alliance are too harsh. Many geniuses carefully cultivated by great Lineage are rejected when they enter the Heavenly Dao Alliance.
Inside the grand hall of this Myriad Treasures Pavilion, a middle-aged Scholar, surrounded by more than a dozen people, admired the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures sent by various forces of the Tianyuan Realm.
But... judging from his calm expression, there's probably nothing that catches his eye.
On a long table not far from him, there was a pill box.
The seemingly unremarkable pill box has attracted the covetous eyes of many, because it contains a treasure coveted by the patriarchs of many powerful forces— the Longevity Pill!
A single Longevity Pill is offered at exorbitant prices on the market, yet it remains unavailable. Those who obtain such a pill use it themselves; no one would sell it.
The various factions have gone to great lengths to obtain the Longevity Pill.
At this moment, the people following the middle-aged Scholar were all chief figures dispatched to Tianwu City by various forces.
This included Gongsun Ding, an elder of the Lihuo Sect.
Beside Gongsun Ding were two talented disciples of the Lihuo Sect: Gongsun Zhi and Gongsun Yang.
Two months ago, Gongsun Yang was severely injured by a mysterious figure at the Lin family. The news spread like wildfire, and there were even rumors that the two elders of the Lihuo Sect, together with the elders of the Shentu Family, joined forces to attack this person, but they were still defeated and left without resistance.
The Lihuo Sect naturally denied this completely.
The rumors were initially hard to believe, but when people saw Gongsun Yang, who was rumored to have been deposed, appear in public unharmed, the rumors naturally subsided.
No one knows how many rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures the Lihuo Sect used to heal Gongsun Yang's injuries, and even so, Gongsun Yang did not truly recover.
He appears to have no outward abnormalities, but he has some internal injuries that have not yet fully healed.
He came with the Lineage elders to meet this middle-aged Scholar in order to gain the Scholar's favor and be able to enter the Heavenly Dao Alliance.
A single spot in the Heavenly Dao Alliance is the envy of many geniuses, who would gladly sacrifice their lifespan to obtain it.
At this moment, the middle-aged Scholar arrived in front of the treasure presented by the Lihuo Sect. Elder Gongsun Ding intended for Gongsun Yang to introduce the treasure, hoping that Gongsun Yang would leave an impression on the middle-aged Scholar.
Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, Gongsun Yang spoke eloquently, boasting about his knowledge of all kinds of treasures in the world.
If a middle-aged Scholar were to occasionally ask a few questions, Gongsun Yang would become incredibly enthusiastic, providing an extremely detailed explanation.
He prepared for this for many days, and his understanding of all the related treasures was extremely detailed.
"You seem to know quite a lot," the middle-aged Scholar remarked casually. This made Gongsun Yang feel as if he had received a great reward. He was overjoyed, but still maintained a humble tone, saying, "Your Excellency flatters me. My knowledge is still quite limited. If possible, I hope you can give me some guidance."
Gongsun Yang's words were actually a subtle hint that the middle-aged Scholar would give him an opportunity to enter the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and only by entering the Heavenly Dao Alliance could he receive guidance from the middle-aged Scholar.
The middle-aged Scholar merely chuckled and said nothing, but a cold laugh came from beside Scholar.
The sneer clearly carried a hint of mockery towards Gongsun Yang's ambition to be a toad trying to eat swan meat.
Um?
Gongsun Yang's eyes widened. In such a setting, with so many important figures present, everyone was being polite and flattering each other, yet someone dared to utter such a cold laugh. This was utterly outrageous!
He gritted his teeth and looked over, only to see that the one who was sneering was a handsome young man.
The boy looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. Although he was young, no one dared to underestimate him because he was a member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and was highly regarded within the Heavenly Dao Alliance.
This young man was incredibly arrogant, mocking Gongsun Yang with laughter in such a setting, clearly showing he didn't take Gongsun Yang seriously.
Even though Gongsun Yang was furious, he dared not say anything.
Who told him his status was lower than others!
The other party is a prodigy of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, young and with a limitless future, while he is still racking his brains to enter the Heavenly Dao Alliance. The difference between them is obvious.
The middle-aged Scholar showed no reprimand for the handsome young man's rudeness, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing, and continued to examine the next treasure.
"That damn brat actually looks down on me!"
Gongsun Yang clenched his fists, but could only suppress this humiliation.
Just as the middle-aged Scholar was about to examine the treasures presented by the next powerful force, Gongsun Yang's expression suddenly changed!
Standing beside Gongsun Yang, Gongsun Ding's expression also suddenly darkened.
Just now, a message suddenly came from their Sound Transmission Token, which they found unbelievable.
The message came from the Lihuo Sect, saying that their Lihuo Sect's shop in Tianwu City had been vandalized!
The person in charge of the shop, the manager, and the guards were all crippled; none of them escaped death!
How could this possibly happen?
Gongsun Ding found it hard to believe; who had the audacity to do such a thing!
The middle-aged Scholar noticed the subtle changes in him and Gongsun Yang. He appeared calm and collected, but he was actually very aware of the thoughts and emotional shifts of everyone around him.
He glanced at Gongsun Ding indifferently and said, "What happened?"
"This..." Gongsun Ding frowned. It was not a glorious thing for his Lihuo Sect's shop to be vandalized in front of the Martial Arts Alliance envoy.
"It's just a small matter; someone is causing trouble at my Lihuo Sect's shop."
"Making trouble?" The middle-aged Scholar chuckled lightly. If it were just ordinary trouble, it wouldn't have made Gongsun Ding's expression change.
However, he didn't say anything. Instead, a gaunt man next to the middle-aged Scholar's face darkened.
He was the steward of Tianwu City, and also the "Lord Zhang" that the horse-faced youth had mentioned earlier.
This "Lord Zhang" is in charge of the security of Tianwu City. Now that the envoy of the Martial Arts Alliance has arrived, a relatively serious security incident has occurred in Tianwu City under his jurisdiction, so he naturally feels embarrassed.
Through telepathic communication with Gongsun Ding, he had learned what had happened.
It's outrageous that a large Lineage's shop was vandalized when an envoy came to visit.
Gongsun Ding said, "Emissary Lord is here, it would be best to resolve this matter quickly. I will send Gongsun Zhi and Gongsun Yang to handle it!"
"In that case, take my token, lead an enforcement team, and execute the culprit on the spot."
The man surnamed Zhang transmitted his voice, subtly handing the token to Gongsun Ding.
"Go quickly and handle this matter promptly," Gongsun Ding transmitted his voice.
Gongsun Yang took the token. He was already furious because of the handsome young man's mockery, and now someone was telling them to the Lihuo Sect, making them lose face so badly.
The details of this matter will surely reach the ears of the middle-aged Scholar very soon.
The handsome young man, like the middle-aged Scholar, had clearly guessed what was going on and was watching them with great interest, as if they were watching a joke.
Gongsun Yang's anger intensified.
The culprit must be killed immediately, and his body hung up as a warning! Let people know what the consequences are for offending the Lihuo Sect, and let this handsome young man know that he, Gongsun Yang, is not someone to be trifled with.
At this moment, the middle-aged Scholar, without even looking up, casually asked, "You've been discussing this for so long, is something very troublesome?"
The handsome young man even revealed a cold smile.
"Replying to Your Emissary Lord, they are nothing but ignorant fools, and will be dealt with quickly. Your Emissary Lord need not worry, please rest for a while, I will be right back." Gongsun Yang spoke with great authority, which pleased Gongsun Ding.
Among the major powers that decided to align themselves with the Martial Arts Alliance, the Lihuo Sect, despite its strength, was nothing special.
Gongsun Ding even thought that if this sudden incident escalated, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.
For example, it's quite possible that the troublemaker had some powerful backing, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant.
In that case, we can directly cripple that force as well, which would truly demonstrate the power of the Lihuo Sect.
...(To be continued~^~)