Of course, it was only temporary.
The aftermath of the sword duel had only been suppressed for the time being by Guanzhu Feng.
Even three months later, when Li Fan and his friends were grilling skewers on the street, they could still sense the anger beneath the words of the people at nearby tables and passersby. Even casual conversation and angry complaints could stir up an echo of agreement.
It was as though every Ink Bamboo Mountain cultivator was furious and resentful over what had happened at Tiantai Mountain. As though every cultivator had lost a close friend or family member in that massacre.
But that wasn't just how it seemed. It was true.
To put it simply, imagine a Bamboo Mountain disciple at Foundation Establishment Perfection who had been stuck at that level for fifty or sixty years. He was the sort who stood up for others when he saw injustice, helped people look for things they'd lost, and rushed without hesitation to slay demons whenever he came across evil at work. You could tell what kind of person he was. At the very least, he couldn't have been all that bad, right?
By Ink Bamboo Mountain's rules, he would have had at least one Nascent Soul Stage master guiding him, right? He might also have had two or three fellow disciples at Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core Stage. With a personality like his, he'd surely have had plenty of friends among his fellow disciples, too.
And now, it wasn't just one such Foundation Establishment disciple. Forty-four of them had been tricked and murdered in a conspiracy.
On top of that, a teacher with an even wider circle of connections had been killed as well. Every Bamboo Mountain disciple had heard his teachings, received his instruction, or been