Within Lingwu City stood a hidden residence. It looked like an ordinary household, but it was actually one of the Hell Path's strongholds.
At this moment, inside the stronghold, in a rather spacious and tidy room, the doors and windows were tightly shut. Experts disguised as farmers stood guard all around. Within, smoke curled through the air, hazy and indistinct, while the light was exceptionally dim.
"Envoy Wang, what exactly is the verdict within our Hell Path? Wu Huaien was defeated by Meng Zhao and taken captive, and now he is imprisoned in Meng Family Manor. We've already become a joke among the martial world and our fellow Demonic Path members.
"Are we to mobilize our forces, rescue Wu Huaien, and teach Meng Zhao a lesson? Or are we to ignore this matter and let things cool down for a while? Or should we extend goodwill to Meng Zhao and ease the relations between both sides? There has to be some sort of plan!"
A man seated at the round table in the southeast corner of the room spoke as he puffed away on a large tobacco pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke.
This man was around forty years old. He was of ordinary build and plain-featured, wearing a sheepskin cap commonly seen in the northwest. He looked rather old, and his skin was coarse, as though it had been weathered by wind and frost.
Yet his breath was long and steady, and there was spirit in his eyes, revealing his profound cultivation. Though he could not be considered among the absolute elite, he was firmly at the first-rate level.
This man was named Hua Zizai, a renowned independent martial artist in Lingwu City. His Azure Qi Gong was quite formidable, and he had even once been fortunate enough to exchange