The Gilded Metal Sect moved quickly. The afternoon after Sect Master Wei Lou issued the conscription order, a silver-white flying boat pierced the clouds over the western horizon of Wangjiang City, drawing astonished stares from hundreds of thousands below.
"That's—the flying boat of the ruling sect!"
"Why has the ruling sect suddenly sent an envoy? Is it to investigate the ambush on our ancestor?"
"Most likely. The Wangjiang Huang Clan presents tribute to the Gilded Metal Sect every five years. They ought to protect us, shouldn't they?"
"Heh. I think you give them far too much credit. In these times, what sect or faction wouldn't have been considered demonic cultivators in antiquity? We're lucky if demonic cultivators don't devour those beneath them down to the last scrap. Why would they protect you?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this—"
While cultivators and mortals whispered throughout the city, Huang Jutao was already waiting with a group of Lineage elders at the Qi Refining Late Phase.
"Whoosh~"
The silver-white flying boat, shimmering with flowing light, drew near and slowly descended, stirring a fresh breeze.
It stopped some ten feet above the ground. A young man in gold robes stepped out, a golden token hanging at his waist. His face was stern, his eyes sharp, and he faintly radiated the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. His gaze swept swiftly over Huang Jutao and the others.
"Greetings, honored envoy!" Huang Jutao saluted politely. Behind him, the elders bowed one after another, exceedingly respectful.
The gold-robed young man tilted his head up slightly and looked down at them. "True Person Suihua has decreed that the Earth-Bearing Sect of the Jin Kingdom is savage and brutal, and has slaughtered countless innocents. To save the people from hanging upside down over an abyss, our exalted