On the Seven Star Sword Pavilion's platform.
Purple Moon Heavenly Venerate sat in the seat of honor. Beside him sat a mild-mannered middle-aged man in a blue robe, his hair bound beneath a jade crown and a faint smile on his face. Even the surrounding air seemed to soften in harmony with him.
"Junior sister, look at Lie Jiuyou, Jian Buxu, and Yingshan—their faces have gone green. How amusing!" The middle-aged man wore a faint smile, seemingly delighted by everything unfolding before him.
Purple Moon said, his gaze calm:
"Senior Brother Yu Heng, I told you long ago that these three sects were no match for Sect Master Fang. They still wanted to play hard to get and raise their price, but before this Sect Master Fang, they simply don't measure up!"
Yuhengzi, the second elder of the Seven Star Sword Pavilion, stood unrivaled beneath heaven with his Jade Balance Sword Dao and had already earned the title of Yuheng Heavenly Venerate.
Yuheng Heavenly Venerate smiled faintly and said:
"To still fail to read the situation in the face of the overwhelming tide—Lie Jiuyou truly is a fool. Even without Fang Mo, his delusion of becoming the foremost sect in the Tianli Sword Domain would be difficult to realize. Even setting Star River aside, he can't defeat Mu Cangming, let alone contend with however many Heavenly Venerates the Tianli Sect has hidden away!"
A mocking smile curved Purple Moon's lips as he said:
"He simply refuses to accept it. Ten thousand years of scheming have come to nothing. Of course they can't accept that. Unfortunately, everything in this world ultimately comes down to strength. Without strength, all else is empty!"
His gaze turned toward the figure in a black robe trimmed with dark gold on the raised dais in the