The air in Eastern Splendor Stronghold's council hall was as still as iron.
Blood Wolf Ancestor sat sprawled on the left, blood qi surging around him and forming a faint red mist.
He lifted his teacup and took a sip, then frowned. The stronghold's tea was more than a notch below his prized collection at Blood Fiend Cliff.
"Huang Yiqi."
He spoke suddenly, his voice as rasping as stones grinding together. "How much longer does your chief intend to keep this ancestor waiting?"
Huang Yiqi forced a smile, though cold sweat had soaked his back.
"Please calm yourself, Senior Blood Wolf. Our chief will be here any moment, any moment..."
"Any moment?"
One-Eyed Maniac snorted and crushed his tea bowl to powder. "I've had three cups of tea and haven't seen hide nor hair of him! Huang Yiqi, are you making fools of us?"
Powder sifted through his fingers. His overbearing aura bore down on Huang Yiqi until he could barely breathe.
Poison Granny gave a sinister chuckle. She said nothing, merely sweeping her murky old eyes around the hall.
Wherever her gaze fell, wisps of colored mist drifted through the air. The mist brushed several Eastern Splendor Stronghold guards, leaving them dizzy and reeling. They hurriedly backed away.
Such was a Grandmaster's might.
Even without striking, a Grandmaster's aura alone could scare ordinary martial artists out of their wits.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall.
They were light and slow, yet everyone heard them clearly.
Blood Wolf Ancestor's gaze sharpened.
One-Eyed Maniac whipped his head around.
Poison Granny's sinister smile froze.
All three were veteran Martial Dao Grandmasters. From the footsteps alone, they could tell the arrivals were formidable—certainly no ordinary martial artists.
Two figures entered the hall at an unhurried pace, one following the other.
The one