The Palace Master was likely the most troubled of all. Not only was he one of the three grandmasters, he was also the host here and the organizer of the Demon Gathering. Now that trouble had arisen, he had to come up with a way to answer those below.
Moreover, if he did not want to lose his prestige, tarnish his reputation, and cause the Demon Gathering to lose its power to rally people from this day forward, he could not forcibly suppress the matter through martial strength. He had to resolve it cleverly.
In the past, this would have been simple enough. Though he admired Meng Zhao's aptitude and endowment, those who walked different paths could not make common plans. In a setting like this, he had to do what befitted his status. Killing Meng Zhao would satisfy the crowd.
But the key was that Grandmaster Qiao had entered the equation. He had countless ties to Meng Zhao, making the Palace Master want to kill him yet unable to do so. Thus, he was caught between advancing and retreating.
Grandmaster Qiao, meanwhile, felt more worry and fury. Kang Youde's actions were directed at Meng Zhao, and targeting Meng Zhao meant targeting him. He even had the urge to kill the man. But this was not his territory, so he could not act for now. Still, he was confident that even if the Palace Master turned hostile, he could lead Meng Zhao through the encirclement and slaughter their way out.
It had to be said that although the strength Meng Zhao had displayed was insufficient to directly contend with a grandmaster-level expert, under Grandmaster Qiao's protection, he could still help hold the enemy back and buy time. Thus, no matter how dire things became, it was not a certain death