Seeing Su Xin lead Ji Fangge and the others away, Ji Yanxiu felt a thrill of excitement, though some displeasure crept in as well.
The reason for his excitement was simple: with all thirteen tokens gathered, he could now say that he had one cheek already planted on the imperial throne.
However, Ji Yanxiu was also interested in Taihang Mountain Stronghold.
The throne was no longer in question, but Ji Yanxiu did not want to become a puppet emperor after ascending it.
Ji Yanxiu knew that he lacked Ji Haodian's formidable prestige, so whether those below him would follow his orders was still anyone's guess.
That was why Ji Yanxiu needed loyal followers of his own. Taihang Mountain Stronghold had no tangled connections and was powerful in its own right, making it exactly the sort of force Ji Yanxiu needed to win over.
But he had still been celebrating when Su Xin beat him to it.
After returning to the Six Fan Sect with Ji Fangge and the others, Su Xin got straight to the point. "Chief Ji, I know what your Taihang Mountain Stronghold is worried about. Back when the world was in chaos, your stronghold could roam freely. You were at your peak then, and the orthodox sects of the martial world neither moved against you nor dared to.
"But now that the realm is gradually settling down, I'm sure you can feel the pressure mounting, especially from Shaolin Temple.
"Shaolin Temple was once held in check by the Zaohua Taoist School, so they had no time to deal with you. But what happens in the future is anyone's guess."
Ji Fangge nodded. He made no attempt to hide the truth. "That's right. What our chief worries about is that Shaolin Temple will come after us one day.