Accompanied by the sound of steady footsteps, Ning Fengzhi entered slowly through the main gate, a smile on his face.
He wore a spotless white robe and carried himself with refined elegance.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong followed half a step behind, guarding him on either side.
Though the three titans made no deliberate show of their Soul Power, the aura of masters hardened by years on the battlefield still made everyone around them shudder.
The guests parted to open a wide path, their eyes filled with reverence.
With two Super Douluo at his side, Ning Fengzhi walked straight through the crowd and arrived at the center of the square.
The entire venue fell silent. Everyone craned their necks, staring at the scene.
They were all wondering how Ning Fengzhi would greet Tang Yu.
Would they exchange pleasantries as equals, or engage in a confrontation veiled in courtesy?
However.
What happened next shattered everyone's understanding of the world.
Ning Fengzhi stopped suddenly at the foot of the steps.
He did not cup his hands in greeting, nor did he perform any of the formal courtesies he usually observed.
Instead, he lifted the hem of his robe and bent both knees.
Thump!
Ning Fengzhi dropped heavily to his knees on the hard bluestone pavement.
Behind him, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, the two Super Douluo whose names shook the world, also dropped to one knee without hesitation and bowed their proud heads.
The Sword Dao grandmaster, who had once thought nothing of even the Heaven Dou Emperor, was now as docile as a lamb.
Ning Fengzhi's voice rang across the square, carrying an almost feverish reverence and submission.
"Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, leading the entire sect, pays his respects to Prince Wuyang!"
"Today, in honor of Your Highness's banquet, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect presents three top-grade Soul Bones!"
"One hundred-thousand-year-old Immortal Herb!"
"Ten thousand jin of extraterrestrial meteorite iron!"
"Fifty million Gold Soul Coins!"
"May Your Highness enjoy immortal blessings forever and shake the world with your might!"
Dead silence.
A silence as still as death.
The only sound across the entire square was the wind whipping the wine banners.
Several city lords holding wine cups trembled so hard that their cups fell and shattered on the ground. Wine splashed everywhere, but they did not even notice.
Yu Yuanzhen had been seated in his chair, but now he shot to his feet, his pupils contracting violently.
Yu Xiaogang's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at Ning Fengzhi kneeling on the ground, his whole body like a stone statue weathered for countless years.
This was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
And that was Ning Fengzhi!
In front of everyone in the world, he had brought the two strongest pillars of his sect and knelt before a young man like the lowliest of servants!
And the lavish congratulatory gifts he had presented were enough to empty half the sect's treasury.
The guests' minds rang with a buzzing noise. They simply could not make sense of the scene before them.
They had thought the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had come to stand against Tang Yu.
Who could have imagined that the dignified number one sect under heaven would kneel?
And kneel so willingly, so utterly willingly.
On the raised platform.
Tang Yu remained leaned against the back of his chair, merely lifting his eyelids a little.
Looking at Ning Fengzhi and the two men kneeling below, he spoke without the slightest change in tone.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Sect Master Ning."
"Rongrong is resting in the rear courtyard. Once you've delivered your gifts, go see her."
At those words, Ning Fengzhi immediately looked overwhelmed with gratitude.
He hurriedly bowed his head and knocked it hard against the ground.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"
Only then did Ning Fengzhi rise. With Chen Xin and Gu Rong, he withdrew respectfully to the seat closest to the head of the table, under the countless stunned gazes.
At that moment, the very nature of the banquet had changed.
Those who had still clung to the faint hope that the various powers of the world might unite and check Tang Yu felt the defenses in their hearts collapse with a crash.
If even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had had its backbone snapped, what were the rest of them?
The sounds of guests raising cups and exchanging toasts grew exceedingly restrained. Even the way they picked up their food became cautious.
The banquet continued, and the top powers from all sides sat as if on pins and needles.
About half an hour later.
A Black Horse Iron Cavalry commander clad in heavy armor strode up onto the raised platform.
The commander came to Tang Yu's side, dropped to one knee, cupped his fists, and spoke in a voice as loud as a bell.
"Reporting to Your Highness!"
"The banquet hour has arrived. We have finished checking the attendance of the top powers from across the land invited by the notices."
Tang Yu toyed with the wine cup in his hand, his gaze still on the amber liquid swaying inside.
"Read them."
The simple command made the guests below stop moving at once and prick up their ears.
The commander unfolded the register in his hands and reported loudly.
"Reporting to Your Highness."
"Most sects and noble houses arrived on time, but a few have yet to appear."
"The Clear Sky Sect is absent!"
"The Strength, Agility, Defense, and Break Clans—the Four Single-Attribute Clans—are all absent!"
The commander's voice carried into every corner of the square.
The venue fell once more into a suffocating silence.
The guests looked at one another, unable to hide their shock.
The Clear Sky Sect!
It was once the number one sect under heaven. Even though it had withdrawn from the world, its reputation still shook the entire continent.
As for the Four Single-Attribute Clans, they were famous for their fiery tempers and for yielding to neither force nor persuasion.
Those powers had stayed away together, making it perfectly clear that they had no regard for Prince Wuyang.
Xue Qinghe sat to one side. At the report, a glint flashed in her eyes.
She turned and leaned a little closer, looking at Tang Yu's indifferent profile as she covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Your Highness."
"It seems some people still have no regard for you."
"After all, the Clear Sky Sect was once the number one sect under heaven, with unfathomably deep foundations."
"And the Four Clans are hard-headed troublemakers."
"They openly ignored your invitation and didn't even send a reply. I wonder, Your Highness, are you angry?"
Tang Yu finally set down the wine cup in his hand.
He turned and looked calmly at Xue Qinghe.
There was no anger, nor the fury of someone who had been insulted.
Only detached composure.
"I'm not angry."
"The world is vast. There are always a few dogs that don't want to live."
"Since they don't want to attend the banquet..."
"Then if they don't come, they die."
Tang Yu spoke in an even voice, as if stating an ordinary fact.
But those words made Xue Qinghe's heart leap.
She was Qian Renxue, the young mistress of Spirit Hall, and she knew the Clear Sky Sect's strength better than most.
Back then, even Spirit Hall had considered them a tough nut to crack, which was why it had let them seal off their mountain and withdraw from the world.
But in Tang Yu's mouth, wiping out the Clear Sky Sect sounded as easy as crushing a few ants.
The smile vanished from Xue Qinghe's face. She looked at Tang Yu with deep shock and wariness in her eyes.
Tang Yu placed both hands on the armrests and slowly rose to his feet.
With his movement,
a pressure so terrifying it seemed like a solid black tsunami swept across the entire Blue Silver King Mansion.