Alliance

Shen Fan walked along the road, carefully observing everyone. After last night's events, a trace of worry hung on everyone's face.

But Shen Fan wasn't looking at their expressions—he was meticulously sensing their blood and qi.

Although everyone appeared frail in his eyes, he still didn't dare be careless, afraid that among them might be hidden an assassin expert.

Having caught one traitor, Shen Fan now found it hard to trust anyone in the martial arts school. At this critical juncture, anyone could betray him.

Fortunately, as he walked, he detected nothing unusual. That is to say, the school's disciples were reassuringly weak.

Arriving at this conclusion, Shen Fan breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that if this thought of his got out, it would wound many a tender young heart.

As everyone slowly gathered, Shen Fan edged toward the front row—more precisely, toward Steward Zhang, who stood at the very front.

He knew that stewards were usually quite powerful martial artists, typically at the Blood Coagulation Realm.

So he wanted to see if he could sense any threat from this Steward Zhang.

With the Three Yuan Art operating at full capacity, Shen Fan's brow furrowed, then slowly relaxed.

Yes, he had sensed it thoroughly. On this Steward Zhang, he could indeed feel a threat, but it was pitifully weak.

Far from reaching the level of a mortal threat. In other words, this Steward Zhang's strength was likely inferior to his own!

Thinking this, Shen Fan gained a new understanding of his own power.

"Comparable to Blood Coagulation? Not bad. But I'm about to break through too—by then, I should be able to become an expert in the Blood Coagulation Realm, right?"

Shen Fan thought, lacking confidence.

In truth, he didn't know that the Steward Zhang before him was actually at the peak of Blood Coagulation, even known as the First Blood Coagulation in Laiyang City.

After all, as the younger brother of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's headmaster, his cultivation method and resources far surpassed those of ordinary Rogue Cultivators. At least in Laiyang City, Steward Zhang's strength was indeed among the elite of Blood Coagulation!

Yet such a man couldn't bring Shen Fan any sense of crisis—this already indicated that Shen Fan's combat power had stepped into the Viscera Refiner level!

But Shen Fan didn't know that.

He had practiced multiple martial arts, his blood and qi characteristics complex and mutually reinforcing, laying an unshakably solid foundation. Even in the big cities, almost no one at the Bone Forging Realm could reach Shen Fan's level.

The Jade Bone level—this was practically legendary!

As the crowd assembled, Steward Zhang stood on a high platform, looking at those familiar faces, momentarily emotional.

"All of you have joined my Ox Demon Martial Arts School to train for many years now. I, Zhang Yunhu, consider myself an old acquaintance with everyone."

"Within the school, we have lived in harmony, cared for each other, urged each other on, and climbed the peak of the Martial Path together. These days are our most beautiful memories—we share a bond like brothers!"

"But in recent times, our school's disciples have frequently been attacked by unknown persons. Many have been killed by these villains. This is heartbreaking."

"The Hall Master and I have agonized over this for a long time, but we never knew what to do."

"Just last night, our school's rising genius Chen Chong was assassinated by the villains. When the Hall Master learned of this, he was furious and has mobilized all his power to find the murderer!"

"I believe an answer will come soon."

"But the Hall Master, with his far-sighted vision, knows that even finding the murderer won't help. After all, the enemy is clearly an organization. If we cannot unite all our strength to fight together, every one of you here could be the next victim!"

Hearing this, many eyes filled with intense anxiety and fear. They longed for Steward Zhang to give them a satisfactory answer.

Sure enough, Steward Zhang continued: "Through the Headmaster's unremitting efforts, the Four Great Martial Arts Schools of Laiyang City have United Together. We will do everything in our power to eliminate the hidden enemies. Everyone can rest assured—with the schools here, you will enjoy a peaceful life!"

At these words, many disciples broke into hopeful smiles.

"Great! With the Four Great Martial Arts Schools United Together, those rats in the shadows won't escape this time!"

"Yeah, yeah! Those guys will definitely be caught, and then we can train in peace again!"

Many were filled with hope for the future, but Shen Fan heard a different message in Steward Zhang's words.

"An enemy that requires the Four Great Martial Arts Schools to unite against? Truly formidable!"

Shen Fan's gaze sharpened, his expression turning especially serious, and then he slowly walked away.

Rather than waste time here, it was better to practice his cultivation method a few more times and strive to break through as soon as possible. More strength meant a greater chance of surviving the coming crisis.

For some reason, even though the situation seemed to be improving, he still felt a sense of unease—as if a great crisis was about to descend.

Shen Fan knew this was his martial intuition warning him.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Hall Masters of the Four Great Martial Arts Schools gathered together, discussing their united resistance against the City Lord's Mansion.

Those below didn't understand the real situation, but how could these big shots not know? Yet precisely because they knew, they also understood that this alliance was a move of last resort.

Besides the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, the remaining three were the Pure Yang Martial Arts School, the Kaishan Martial Arts School, and the Benlei Martial Arts School.

Each Hall Master was a Viscera Refiner practicing a first-rate cultivation method, a powerhouse among their peers.

As the initiator of the alliance, Zhang Longyun spoke first: "Everyone, we have reached our most dangerous moment. At this point, we have no choice!"

"If we don't unite, facing that old man, we will only be picked off one by one!"

"Hall Master Zhang's words are reasonable, but I'm afraid even uniting might be useless. An Innate Martial Artist—can he really be defeated by sheer numbers?"

Chang Yuchun, the Hall Master of Kaishan Martial Arts School, spoke with little confidence. In truth, he had thoughts of surrendering to the City Lord's Mansion, but under the tide of circumstances, he had temporarily joined this martial arts school alliance.

"Hall Master Chang truly shames our generation of martial artists. Though the Innate Realm is fearsome, I refuse to believe he is truly invincible!"

"As long as they're human, they have weaknesses, and they can be killed. What's there to be afraid of?" Benlei Martial Arts School's Hall Master Zhao Yingxiong declared with bravado.

Though it carried a hint of recklessness, the reasoning within it gave those present something to ponder.

"Brother Zhao speaks truly. I refuse to believe that a single Xiantian realm cultivator can single-handedly change the entire situation in Laiyang," the remaining Pure Yang Martial Arts School's Headmaster also voiced his opinion.

Soon, aside from Kaishan Martial Arts School's Chang Yuchun, the others were firmly on the side of armed conflict. Under these circumstances, Chang Yuchun had no choice but to suppress his own private thoughts and go along with the group, discussing how to form an alliance and what strategies to adopt for the future.

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