The masters of various sects all swept a dark, sunken gaze across the circle of black-robed martial artists and Xiantian realm martial artists surrounding them, finally looking up at the firmament.
In their tightening pupils, the background color was stained with endless panic.
This time, the Black Underworld Sect's handiwork was simply too immense.
Never mind those Five Grandmasters whose very presence alone was enough to make people gasp for breath.
Even with just those several dozen Xiantian experts making a move, those sitting here could not block them.
Aside from those few hidden grandmaster monsters of old.
The members of the Misty Sect, along with the numerous high-ranking officials from various sects who had come to observe the ceremony, already constituted a small fraction of Cangzhou's top battle power.
The Moon Sword Sect Master turned back to cast a glance, his gaze falling upon several middle-aged men wearing brocaded robes, his brows filled with worry.
If on this trip the Black Underworld Sect truly slaughtered every last one of them...
Then I'm afraid conquering Cangzhou would not prove very difficult for the Black Underworld Sect.
Aside from the high-ranking officials of Cangzhou's major sects, a good many figures from secular forces had also come here.
After all, the Misty Sect was the primary power in Cangzhou, and all walks of life in Cangzhou were happy to afford them some face.
The general commanding Cangzhou's troops, the prefect governing Cangzhou—they were all right here...
At this moment, the old man with a crane's hair and a child's complexion in the firmament let his gaze fall upon Chu Feng, saying somewhat flirtatiously:
"Isn't this the fellow famed for having a realm so transcendent it defies description?"
"Why are you in such a rush to leave?"
"This Seat is rather eager to witness an expert who has surpassed the grandmasters!"
As such teasing words fell, the crowd of Xiantian experts behind him all burst into loud laughter.
Yet these very words caused the youngster on the training ground to become displeased.
Xiao Huohuo frowned, shouting toward the old man in the sky:
"What sort of piece of work are you supposed to be?"
"Are you even worthy of seeing my master make a move?"
As such arrogant words escaped, they caused the surrounding people, whose hearts were already heavy, to all look at Xiao Huohuo with the corners of their mouths twitching incessantly.
Was this youngster truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, or had that so-called master of his genuinely fed him some kind of bewitching potion?
That was a grandmaster!
Even though he, Xiao Huohuo, had just defeated Xu Ling'er, that was merely a scuffle among the younger generation.
Those present who were a notch stronger than Xu Ling'er were simply too numerous to count.
Even Xu Ling'er's master, Misty Sect Master Wu Shan, was nothing more than a Xiantian Peak expert.
Hearing this stream of curses as well, the old man in the firmament was also somewhat dumbfounded. Before he could even open his mouth, a stir once more drew his attention away.
On the Small Immortal Terrace, a stout Xiantian realm martial artist abruptly drew the broadsword at his waist the moment the crowd in the sky was dazed, slashing out a blade-ray.
As the blade-ray descended, several black-robed martial artists surrounding him all collapsed to the ground.
Yet the Mountain Gate Sect Master had no heart to pursue, instead rising and leaping toward the sky.
However, the next moment, two black shadows darted out, colliding with the flight path he had taken.
With a loud crash of bang!!, that bulky figure was seen buckling in midair and crashing down to the earth.
The two Xiantian black-robed men pressed their advantage, continuing to slaughter their way toward the Mountain Gate Sect Master with swords in hand.
The moment the Mountain Gate Sect Master made his move, the higher-ups of the remaining factions also flew in all directions like arrows whose strings had been released.
However, the Black Underworld Sect's reinforcements were more numerous, and they invariably intercepted them from every direction!
Blade-rays and sword-shadows flashed incessantly below, the space growing alternately bright and dark in endless succession.
The old man with a crane's hair and a child's complexion still kept his hands behind his back, a complacent, light smile crossing his face as he gazed at this scene:
"Trying to run?"
"This Seat already said, of you all sitting here, one counts as one, and not a single one of you gets to run!"
He glanced down at Xiao Huohuo below:
"As for you, youngster, this Seat will properly deal with you in a moment."
With that, he cast his gaze toward the towering rear of the grand hall.
Passing through layer upon layer of pavilions and winding corridors, it converged upon a stone-door-sealed secret room.
Mo Wanli said leisurely:
"Do the two of you still not plan to come out?"
"If you don't come out soon, your Misty Sect will be razed to the ground."
As the sound waves faded, a few breaths passed before a faint sigh suddenly came from afar.
"Alas..."
The Moon Sword Sect Master cleaved a Xiantian expert back with a single sword-stroke, abruptly turning his head back to look.
Within his line of sight, two elderly men clad in white with hair as white as snow drifted up into the sky.
Indeed, the aura of those two elders and the realm fluctuations overflowing from their bodies were, in perception, slightly weaker than the Black Underworld Sect Leader, but they were nonetheless on the very same tier!
The Moon Sword Sect Master's eyes creased a fraction tighter.
Appearing before him at this moment were precisely the Misty Sect's Supreme Elder and Old Sect Master!
These two were two of the rare few grandmasters of Cangzhou.
At this moment, they finally ceased their concealment and made their appearance.
However, seeing the two of them appear, the crowd's expressions remained heavy, not easing in the slightest.
Even the ordinary disciples controlled by black-robed martial artists on the corridors looked at those two figures with eyes full of despair.
A clamor of voices broke out among the crowd:
"How come there are only two?"
"Two against five... and these two from my Misty Sect seem inferior to the opposition in momentum alike."
The might of a grandmaster was displayed without reservation, manifesting merely as a layer of internal energy covering the surface of their bodies.
The five men from the Black Underworld Sect had killing intent soaring to the heavens, causing the clouds within a thousand meters to not dare approach.
In comparison, the two Misty Sect grandmasters were markedly weaker.
"It's not just the quantity; even the quality lags behind theirs by this much."
"Is my Misty Sect truly finished this time?"
The crowd all lowered their heads in despair, lacking the courage to watch any longer.
Grandmasters, Xiantian experts, and even Houtian realm martial artists.
Aside from martial artists who had stepped into the Houtian realm, the Black Underworld Sect surpassed them by a wide margin across every single stage of battle power.
The suspended Misty Old Sect Master and Supreme Elder swept their cloudy, aged eyes across the scene, both shaking their heads and letting out a sigh.
The Old Sect Master Yun Xiao spoke with a heavy voice:
"Shan'er. The situation is critical. Later, Brother Lan and I will trade our lives for theirs, dragging down those five grandmasters."
"You possess Xiantian Peak cultivation; the rest cannot stop you."
"You must take the sect's elites and break through with all your might, leaving behind a single spark of fire for my Misty Sect."
Hearing this, Wu Shan's eye rims turned red, and he gave a heavy nod:
"As you command, Master."
Once these words fell, he lingered no further, instantly turning and extending a large hand.
With five palms outspread, a windstorm carrying clouds and mist suddenly billowed up, forcefully snatching away the sect's five elders in the distance as well as Xu Ling'er, as if binding them with ropes.
Wu Shan's figure soared fiercely toward the exterior of the sect.
"Trying to escape? Did you ask this grandfather of yours?"
High above in midair, amidst the five Black Sha figures, a sparse-haired old man who had been staring fixedly at the situation below let out a strange laugh, immediately maneuvering his body to block Wu Shan.
Suddenly, a massive phantom a hundred meters in size shot over from the sky, hacking toward the sparse-haired old man flying through the air.
Yun Xiao's aged, resolute voice rang out across the heavens and earth at that very moment:
"If you want to stop them, you must first step over this old man's corpse!"
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