By the fourteenth, several more renowned and formidable figures had arrived at Ciyun Temple: Crimson Flame Taoist of the Blazing Cloud Cave at Mangniu Ridge on Mount Tianshan, accompanied by his two junior brothers, Golden-Eyed Baboon Zuo Qingxu and Soul Chasing Boy Xiao Tai; Unfettered Immortal Lu Yuanzi of Kuju Gorge, Yunnan; and the three chieftains of Liuren Village in Southern Border, Guizhou—Huo Luqi, Huo Wuliang, and Huo Xiuluo—who had also brought several renowned sword immortals from their sect.
All of them were prominent figures among the heterodox factions. Some had been lured by Xu Feiniang, while others had been invited through Zen Master Xiaoyue's repeated appeals.
Old Ancestor Green Robe couldn't be bothered to appear, so he left the task of welcoming them to Fayuan and Zen Master Xiaoyue. With so many demons and monsters arriving at Ciyun Temple, the place's prestige rose sharply.
Crimson Flame Taoist wanted to march on Bixie Village that very night. Zen Master Xiaoyue, however, pointed out that several renowned sword immortals they had invited had yet to arrive, and insisted they wait until the first half of the fifteenth before deciding what to do.
Many of those present had long since given up worldly food, but the three chieftains from Southern Border and their followers not only ate meat, they also lived on raw flesh and blood, maintaining the barbaric ways of a primitive age.
Zhitong, their host, ordered a grand banquet to be prepared, with pigs and sheep slaughtered to welcome the guests. Ciyun Temple was wealthy and well supplied, so everything was ready in no time.
Zen Master Xiaoyue first invited Old Ancestor Green Robe to join them, then asked the others to take their seats. He refrained from meat and wine, but sat beside them at the lower end of