Siege of Golden Sand Island (1): Another Chance to Pad the Chapter Title, Haha
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go sit in the courtyard first," Ye Zhen said. His face wasn't particularly handsome, but he possessed an indescribable resoluteness.
Golden Sand Island is quite large. Originally, it was only inhabited by Ye Zhen and his wife, along with a few disciples and servants. There was only one small courtyard on the island. Later, with the help of the Zhao family behind the second disciple Zhao Minghui, as well as Bright Moon Tower, the courtyard on Golden Sand Island was expanded, making it possible to house dozens of people.
As for those martial arts masters with secret techniques, they could only set up tents in the open space of the courtyard, since the original Golden Sand Island had not anticipated that so many people would come to the island.
"Master Yun has arrived too!"
"Welcome, Master Yun."
As Master Yun and his companions entered the courtyard, some people stood up to greet them, and Master Yun responded politely. Even those he didn't know would nod politely. They walked on until they finally sat down at a table near the front.
After apologizing to everyone, Ye Zhen wife walked onto the high platform that had been set up in the courtyard. Dozens of sects were divided into areas according to the rules below the platform. As soon as Ye Zhen wife stepped onto the platform and clasped their hands in a fist salute, everyone below stood up.
"Fellow martial artists, the Black Heaven Hall is wreaking havoc in the southern martial world. They disregard morality, harm the people, and disrupt the peace of the martial world. This is truly the behavior of a demonic sect," Ye Zhen said loudly. His voice, amplified by his internal energy, was clearly heard by every martial artist below the stage.
"Today, fellow practitioners have gathered here to discuss important matters, precisely to eliminate the Black Heaven Hall, this scourge of the martial world. I hope that everyone can cooperate sincerely, work together with one heart and one mind, to benefit the righteous path of the martial world and all living beings under heaven."
"Well said!" someone in the crowd took the lead, and naturally the others echoed, clapping and cheering.
"Wait, sincere cooperation and concerted efforts are certainly not a problem, but I have two questions that I would like to ask Island Master Ye to answer." Just amidst the cheers, a dry and grating voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw that the speaker was a hunched old woman leaning on a dragon-headed cane as tall as a person. The old woman's face and hands were covered with wrinkles, and her expression was sinister, which made people feel scared.
"Isn't that Old Granny She from Poison Mountain? What's she doing here?" someone exclaimed, clearly recognizing the old woman.
Poison Mountain is a small sect in the Southern martial arts world, but it is considered a relatively famous sect in the South. Its members are both righteous and evil, and they use poisons to cultivate martial arts. In the past, it was always a synonym for the evil path in the righteous path of the martial arts world, until the rise of the Black Heaven Hall, when people saw what the true evil path was.
"Everyone, please calm down. I invited Madam She here." Ye Zhen on the high platform remained calm and said directly, "Although Poison Mountain has acted somewhat extremely in the past, it is not like the Black Heaven Hall and other demonic sects, wantonly harming fellow martial artists. Now is the time when we need people, so please put aside your grudges and work together to eliminate the Black Heaven Hall Palace, this cancer in the martial arts world."
"We don't know what questions Madam She has, but my husband and I dare not hide anything," Yun Ya said from the side, her tone sincere and endearing.
"Since that's the case, I won't stand on ceremony." Madam She didn't mince words, stamping her dragon-headed cane and saying coldly, "We all come from different sects. Even if we don't have deep-seated hatred for each other, there are at least some frictions between us. So, may I ask who will be in charge of arranging the upcoming battle?"
"You should know that some of my disciples have had unpleasant experiences with your Golden Sand Island. There's a good chance that during the battle, my disciples and their descendants might be placed on the periphery as scapegoats. If that happens, I'd rather take my disciples and their descendants and flee to the ends of the earth, to hide far away."
"How could the chivalrous Master Ye, with his unwavering loyalty and courage, do such a thing?" Some people felt indignant, but others also felt that there was some truth to it. The reason they gathered together, talking about eliminating a scourge for the martial arts world and for the sake of the people, was all nonsense. The fundamental reason was that their interests had been threatened.
If the Black Heaven Hall used gentler methods and taken less bribes, many of the people here would probably have surrendered to them.
It was precisely because of the interests involved that even Poison Mountain, who was previously considered a demonic figure, was invited over. A simple statement that his actions were somewhat extreme was enough to completely overlook his past misdeeds. It should be noted that Poison Mountain had previously been rumored to have used ordinary people as test subjects for poison.
Most of those gathered here now are there for personal gain. It's hard to guarantee that those arranging the battles won't have ulterior motives. Just like the seating arrangement now, the Bright Moon Tower, which is close to Golden Sand Island, and some major sects are in front, while some smaller sects are in the back. It's hard to guarantee that the other side won't have such thoughts when arranging the battles.
"Listen to me, everyone," Ye Zhen said solemnly and uprightly from the high platform. "Madam She's question is good. Only by speaking out about all these suspicions can we work together."
"Let me make it clear beforehand that I, Ye Zhen, am not the leader of this operation. I am only speaking here to fulfill my duty as host," Ye Zhen said earnestly. "The plan for this operation will be decided by representatives elected by our comrades. After the plan is decided, any questions can be directed to these representatives."
"Since that's the case, I have another question." Madam She nodded, seemingly satisfied with Ye Zhen's answer, and then continued, "Then, I wonder how we should face the Black Heaven Hall?"
The moment the words "Black Heaven Hall" were uttered, the previously noisy scene suddenly fell into an eerie An Jing. Some people even broke out in a cold sweat and trembled all over, presumably because they had suffered some kind of trauma.
"That's exactly what I was going to say," Ye Zhen said with a serious expression. "Everyone knows how terrifying the Black Heaven Hall is. That's why I said before that I'm not the leader of this operation. I invited Venerable Qi Ye, who is also a Mythical Martial Artist, to this operation. He is the leader of this operation."
"Qi Ye! Could it be Polar Star Qi Ye?" someone exclaimed. The other martial artists also reacted, and the fear in their hearts faded. Polar Star Qi Ye was a mythical martial artist who had only been confirmed in recent years. Many people had personally witnessed his moves. Under the sky full of magnetic aurora, no one was his match.
The scene immediately became lively. Everyone began to elect people of prestige and strength as representatives to formulate an action plan, as if the matter of the Black Heaven Hall had been resolved. After all, so many martial artists had gathered here, and the Black Heaven Hall was also dealt with by Polar Star Qi Ye, who was also a mythical martial artist. They were also full of confidence that they could win. However, this confidence was fundamentally different from the confidence of the people in the Black Heaven Hall.
Looking at the lively scene, Ye Zhen felt a pang of worry. The current atmosphere was being artificially created, and many people were actually unsure of what to do. He and Madam She had agreed to release some of their arrangements to ensure that no one would immediately switch sides when the Black Heaven Hall appeared.
"I hope everything goes well."