"Chief Lei, Vice Villa Master Wan and the Blood Fiend Devil Sect's grandmasters have arrived."
A Guiyuan Sect grandmaster spoke in a low voice.
Lei Zhen opened his eyes and saw Wan Songhe and the Blood Fiend Devil Sect's vice sect master approaching side by side. Neither of them looked particularly pleased.
"Vice Villa Master Wan, Vice Sect Master Xue."
Lei Zhen clasped his hands with difficulty.
Wan Songhe waved a hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, then said in a deep voice, "Brother Lei, Subduing Dragon Temple has also sent word to the grandmasters of Ten Thousand Sword Villa and the Blood Fiend Devil Sect. They have made their position clear: they want Ten Thousand Sword Villa and the Blood Fiend Devil Sect to draw a clear line between themselves and the Guiyuan Sect."
"Draw a clear line?" A chill flashed through Lei Zhen's eyes. "How?"
"Hand over all the orders you have obtained and stop taking part in the battles to come." Wan Songhe's voice was low. "Subduing Dragon Temple said that as long as our two sects withdraw, they will not make things difficult for our grandmasters. They will open the formation and allow our people to leave this mountain range. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, they will slaughter every grandmaster from our two sects below the Flawless True Core Grandmaster level."
Lei Zhen fell silent.
He knew Wan Songhe was speaking a cruel truth.
At the beginning, Subduing Dragon Temple and the Three Great Sects had possessed roughly equal strength in the grandmaster zone. But after his disciple Chen Xuan successively killed two of Subduing Dragon Temple's prodigies in the disciple zone, both of whom had hopes of advancing to Grandmaster, and even slew Xiao Yi, the Seven Kill Sect's sect master who had