Kunyu Ridge crashed down, and Perfected One Nagiko's oppressive might selectively slammed into every uninvited guest.
Elder Xu shuddered. Although he could barely remain standing, his back bent as though he were bowing in welcome. The Six Pythons of Gray Mountain dropped straight to their knees in a succession of thuds.
Then a figure exuding overwhelming power slowly walked in through the door.
"I thought someone formidable would show up, but a single doppelganger was enough to deal with the lot of you." Perfected One Nagiko yawned and cast a sidelong glance over the people on the floor.
"Perfected One Nagiko?" Elder Xu's aloof expression immediately gave way to a somewhat ingratiating smile. "I'm Old Xu from the Pudu Sect. A few years ago, I had the honor of accompanying our sect master to the Azurefall Profound Gate's celebration. I saw you there."
"Why don't I remember you?" Perfected One Nagiko frowned.
"I was seated at the banquet in the second tier outside the Main Hall. I didn't go inside, but I did catch a glimpse of your splendor from afar." Elder Xu chuckled. "I didn't know you were here today. This was terribly presumptuous of me."
"With your meager cultivation, it's only natural that you couldn't detect me," Perfected One Nagiko replied coolly. She walked over to Yue Wen and asked, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Yue Wen lowered his voice. "Perfected One, could we speak somewhere private?"
Perfected One Nagiko stayed where she was. With a flick of her sleeve, she set up a barrier that isolated their voices from the entire First-Floor Hall. "Whatever you want to say, go ahead."
Only after seeing that the others could not hear them did Yue Wen speak. "Perfected One, the situation is very tangled right now."
"That much I