No need to explain

"The enemy is attacking from the back mountain. Why aren't we being allowed to go and support the alliance leader?"

"Did we come to Quanrong Mountain just to watch a play?"

"Our Martial Alliance has stood tall in Jianzhou for six hundred years, as old as the nation itself. When have we ever feared foreign enemies? Even if we are shattered to pieces, we will fight them to the death."

"Without elders to defend us, we young people are too afraid to die."

The commotion on the back mountain attracted the attention of members of the martial arts alliance and disciples of affiliated sects. The fearless young men, upon hearing of the enemy attack, grabbed their weapons and, their blood boiling, were eager to go to the back mountain for a fight to the death.

Cao Qingyang had already made arrangements for this. Wen Chengbi, the deputy leader in charge of internal affairs, led his gang to block the only road leading to the back mountain.

In battles at the transcendent level, let alone young people, even fourth-rank martial artists have extremely limited capabilities.

Cao Qingyang could not allow these "ants" to participate in the battle in the back mountain.

This is also why Ji Xuan and his group launched a surprise attack on the back mountain, directly targeting the old alliance leader.

Once that old scoundrel is gone, eliminating him completely will become much easier.

"Vice Alliance Leader, the elderly, children, and women in the mountains have been arranged to come down and stay temporarily in the military town, where they are protected by the army."

Listening to his subordinate's report, Wen Chengbi slowly exhaled, his expression softening, and he instructed:

"Have the town prepare horses and carriages, and have the cavalry ready. Once they see the warning signal in the mountains, immediately take the women, children, and elderly to Jianzhou City and find the Provincial Governor."

The subordinate accepted the order and left.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in light armor and carrying a long sword walked in and said in a deep voice:

"Vice Alliance Leader, the crowd outside is in an uproar; it's about to break out."

"Many people went to the old leader's secluded retreat from places like the woods and the back cliff."

Wen Chengbi pondered for a moment, then said calmly:

"Ignore them and prepare to appease them."

The task given to him by Alliance Leader Cao was to escort the women and children away and to prevent the followers from approaching the back mountain.

The former will not present any problems or obstacles, but the latter is extremely difficult because the Martial Alliance is ultimately a force composed of people from the martial arts world. Although they are well-trained, in terms of discipline, the martial artists on the mountain cannot compare with the army in the military town.

Characteristics of a martial arts practitioner: arrogant, confident, and only respects the strong (not necessarily).

Therefore, when Quanrong Mountain, the headquarters of the Martial Arts Alliance, is attacked by the enemy, can the arrogant martial artists of the Jianghu tolerate it?

Are they willing to do nothing, obediently turn around and leave?

Directly stating the enemy's strength might sober up most hot-headed, crude warriors, but it would inevitably cause panic.

It is highly likely that enemy spies lurking within the alliance will seize the opportunity to incite panic and create unrest.

Then, some unscrupulous people added fuel to the fire.

Even at this point, Wen Chengbi still had a solution.

Young Master Liu followed his master, and the two of them followed the flow of people to the entrance of the forest leading to the back mountain.

The place was teeming with people. Members of the Martial Arts Alliance, carrying all sorts of weapons, were eager to go to the back mountain to investigate and support their leader and the others.

Young Master Liu glanced around and saw Miss Rongrong and the other women from Wan Hua Lou. They frowned, their faces showing both anxiety and confusion.

"Miss Rongrong."

Young Master Liu went to greet them, nodding to the Wan Hua Lou group, and then eagerly asked:

"What's going on? Isn't the back mountain where the old alliance leader was in seclusion? Is that right?"

Was the old alliance leader attacked? Is this why the Martial Alliance summoned us?

He didn't dare ask, because everyone was on edge.

Rongrong glanced at the beautiful woman and whispered:

"I think this is why the alliance leader summoned us."

The women from the nearby brothel remained silent, not finding it strange. It was obvious that anyone with a brain could easily figure this out.

Rongrong's master, the beautiful woman, pondered:

"No need to worry. Even disregarding the old leader, our Martial Alliance is still top-tier in strength. Unless the imperial court is determined to wipe out the Martial Alliance, we will have no enemies in the Central Plains."

As for those outside the Central Plains, she couldn't think of any reason why enemies outside the Central Plains would target the Martial Alliance.

Just then, several strong men carrying knives suddenly sprang out from the dense forest leading to the back mountain. Their faces were full of terror, like woodcutters who had encountered a tiger and were lucky to escape with their lives.

"Where did you sneak in from?!"

Two heavily armored soldiers shouted angrily.

The heroes returning from the back mountain completely ignored him and shouted loudly at the crowd:

"It's a third-rank enemy, someone at the third-rank level."

"Our martial arts alliance has offended a third-rank martial artist."

"There are also many fourth-rank experts, and some, some Buddhist School experts."

The words "third rank" were like a boulder thrown into a lake, instantly igniting the already restless crowd, with the noise rising like a giant wave.

Young Master Liu clearly saw his master's expression change drastically, saw the beautiful Rongrong stare wide-eyed, saw the beautiful woman's face stiffen, and saw the people around him showing expressions of extreme fear and bewilderment.

"Why would a third-rank martial artist target our Martial Alliance?"

"No wonder he suddenly summoned all the gangs, no wonder Alliance Leader Cao issued the Red Flag order."

"This... this explains why the energy fluctuations are so terrifying! Let's run! If we're too late, we'll all die."

"Why run? Let's go to the back mountain and see. If we can witness the battle, it'll be worth dying for."

The situation was getting out of control. Those who were afraid of trouble suggested fleeing Quanrong Mountain to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The busybodies, however, were filled with excitement and disregarded their own lives.

Some pessimists have begun spreading rumors that the martial arts alliance is facing imminent disaster, and are spreading the word far and wide.

Of course, some people didn't believe it. After hearing these words, they wanted to go into the back mountain to find out for themselves. They started to rush into the "checkpoint" and had physical conflicts with the guards.

"Everyone, please be quiet!"

Wen Chengbi arrived with a group of men, and his subordinates cleared a path through the crowd to allow the vice leader to pass.

"Please hear me out."

As the vice leader, Wen Chengbi had enough prestige to suppress the chaos, and the crowd quieted down slightly, with all eyes focused on the vice leader.

"Not long ago, Alliance Leader Cao received a notification from Xu Yinluo that the Martial Alliance was about to face a formidable enemy, namely the Witch God Cult and the Buddhist School sect. As for the reason for the attack, it is still unclear."

"Upon receiving the news, Alliance Leader Cao immediately summoned the brothers from various gangs to jointly defend against the formidable enemy. This matter was not made public to avoid panic."

"Please rest assured, everyone. With the old alliance leader, Xu Yinluo, and Alliance Leader Cao here, this crisis is nothing more than a minor one."

Wen Chengbi's words were very skillful; he did not simply conceal or deny the truth, which would have exacerbated the panic and led to distrust among the followers.

Then, Xu Qi'an was carried out.

Since the uproar over the execution of the tyrannical emperor in the capital, Xu Qi'an's reputation has soared like wildfire, and he has been almost deified among the common people and in the martial arts world.

He was hailed as a savior born of the opportune moment, destined to save the Great Feng.

After Emperor Yuanjing became obsessed with Daoist practices, his reputation gradually declined, and his image as a tyrannical ruler became deeply ingrained in the public consciousness. When people encountered natural disasters or man-made calamities and faced hardship, they would subconsciously blame the ruler.

This is why many emperors in history would issue edicts of self-reproach during years of famine in order to quell public resentment.

Sure enough, upon hearing that Xu Yinluo was also involved, his fear subsided considerably.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief, and their complexions noticeably improved.

Compared to the legendary old leader, Xu Yinluo is a real, positive figure who gives people peace of mind.

Wen Chengbi continued:

"A battle at the third rank is not something ordinary people can observe. The back mountain is now a forbidden area; do not approach. Disperse immediately and return after the situation has calmed down."

On the spot, most people chose to leave, some going back to pack their valuables and escape from Quanrong Mountain to avoid being affected.

But Wen Chengbi knew very well that a large group of people would secretly sneak out from elsewhere to the back mountain.

It's impossible to completely eliminate it. The purpose of his words was to discourage the lower-level followers. Even if they are young and fearless, their elders will stop them.

"Master, I... I want to go and see."

Young Master Liu's eyes shone with excitement, exhilaration, and fear.

The middle-aged swordsman glanced at him and said calmly:

"I won't stop you from dying. This sword will just have to be passed down to my own son in the future."

"Going to the back mountain is fine, but first bring the disciples of the Ink Pavilion down the mountain."

"A man who doesn't even have a wife is no match for a son," Young Master Liu thought to himself, noticing a glint in Miss Rongrong's eyes, a light that seemed to hold both fear and excitement.

The allure of extraordinary combat is irresistible to those in the martial arts world.

After arranging things for the disciples of the Ink Pavilion, Young Master Liu followed his master and took a detour from the side peak to the back mountain, encountering many martial artists with the same goal along the way.

They either went alone because they were highly skilled and daring, or they were a master and apprentice duo.

The middle-aged swordsman said in a deep voice:

"The cliff top of South Peak offers a view of the back mountain, and it's quite far away, so it's relatively safe. However, I don't know the true strength of a third-rank warrior, so you must stay by my side at all times and not wander off. If anything happens, I will take you away."

He was quite confident in his light-footed skills.

Just as Young Master Liu was about to reply, he suddenly saw a golden light fall from the sky, hurtling towards the back mountain.

Those martial artists who had rushed to the South Peak to watch the battle also looked up and noticed the golden light.

"Alliance Leader Cao!!!"

The more confident they were just moments ago, the more terrified Yang Cuixue and the others are now.

Descending from the sky, he stomped Cao Qingyang, a third-rank martial artist, into the ground. The power and terror of the Buddhist School Vajra exceeded the expectations of the Martial Alliance.

Judging from the ugly King Kong's relaxed demeanor, it seemed to be just a minor matter.

The fourth-rank martial artists, including Fu Jingmen, realized that there were differences even among the third-rank martial artists.

"Hehe."

A sound like a broken bellows came from Cao Qingyang's throat, just like the sound of a recently deceased Azure Dragon.

The kick from the Asura Vajra caused immense damage to his internal organs, with his broken sternum piercing his heart.

If it weren't for the lingering effects of Xu Qi'an's Essence Blood, he would have already died from that kick.

"The Central Plains martial arts world hasn't seen a transcendent being for hundreds of years; your talent is quite remarkable."

Shura Vajra lowered his head, looked down at Cao Qingyang, nodded slightly to acknowledge his talent, and said:

"If you are willing to convert to Buddhist School, I will personally accept you as my disciple and teach you the Vajra Divine Skill. Within five years, you can reach the third rank and become a Vajra Protector of Buddhist School, receiving incense offerings from millions of people in the Western Regions."

Cao Qingyang stared intently at him with bloodshot eyes, saying nothing.

"May Buddha have mercy, but I am not a Zen master. My responsibility is to protect the Dharma and eliminate traitors, and I am not bound by Buddhist School precepts."

The Asura Vajra intensified its force, and with a "crack," another sternum broke.

Cao Qingyang's vision went black, and he coughed up a large amount of blood. The blood on his chest stained the dark golden feet of the Asura Vajra, which were barefoot.

Asura Vajra said calmly:

"Cultivation is not easy, Benefactor Cao, do not mislead yourself. The level of cultivation you have is something ordinary people cannot achieve even in several lifetimes."

Cao Qingyang turned his neck and eyes with difficulty, looking at the stone gate behind him.

Shura Vajra said "Oh," and then glanced at the stone door:

"The Buddhist School does not force people to do things against their will. Since you have worries in your heart, this humble monk will remove your worldly attachments for you."

He withdrew his large foot, stopped looking at Cao Qingyang, and slowly walked towards the stone gate.

"Alliance Leader!"

The members of the Martial Alliance cried out in surprise, their gazes towards Shura Vajra filled with shock, anger, and resentment.

This Buddhist School guardian deity actually intends to ordain the martial arts alliance leader into monastic life right in front of them, where the former alliance leader was in seclusion?

Arrogant!

Even so, aside from their inner rage, they dared not offer any effective resistance in practice.

Because the ending will be that Du Fan Jingang casually slaps the fourth-rank martial artist of the Martial Alliance into mincemeat.

This futile and suicidal act left even the most defiant Fu Jingmen without any courage to resist.

On the other side, Young Master Liu and his companions, who had quickly climbed the South Peak, gathered in groups at the top of the cliff to enjoy the view from the rock face behind the mountain.

"Is that Alliance Leader Cao?"

Young Master Liu narrowed his eyes to the extreme and vaguely saw a huge, towering, dark golden figure standing on a person.

The man's face was covered in blood; he vaguely resembled the alliance leader, Cao Qingyang.

His eyesight wasn't that sharp yet, so he immediately looked at his master beside him and then at the other martial artists, as if seeking confirmation.

Young Master Liu saw fear and unease in their eyes.

It was truly as if Alliance Leader Cao and Young Master Liu were not present. Their eyes widened, their mouths slightly agape, as shock and panic welled up on their faces.

Where is Xu Yinluo?

Suddenly, a woman screamed in a shrill voice.

"Wasn't it said that Xu Yinluo was also involved? Why are only people from our Martial Arts Alliance here? Why isn't Xu Yinluo here?"

This is a woman from the Wan Hua Lou (Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion), her delicate face slightly pale.

The one-armed white tiger shook its head and laughed:

"The Buddhist School's habit of forcibly converting people hasn't changed over the years."

"If Cao Qingyang really converts to Buddhist School, will he turn around and take revenge on us?"

Liu Hongmian cared more about this.

"Won't."

Qi Huan Danxiang shook her head and said:

"To convert to Buddhist School, one must first listen to the sutras for three days. After three days, even the most heinous criminals will only think of the goodness of Buddhist School and will be extremely loyal."

"Hehe, in Buddhist School, this is called 'emptiness of the four elements'."

At this moment, Jingyuan said calmly, "With Uncle-Master Dufan's appearance, Xu Qi'an should be able to show himself."

On the other side, Asura Vajra had already approached the stone gate. His steps were steady and powerful, leaving a footprint on the ground with each step.

They were like unstoppable giants.

But when the towering figure was less than ten feet from the stone gate, a clear light suddenly rose up, and a figure in white stood in front of the Vajra and the stone gate.

This person is of average height, average appearance, and average temperament, just like the most inconspicuous person among the masses.

If you're not careful, he'll blend into the crowd and you'll never find him again.

"Cloth"

Sun Xuanji looked at Cao Qingyang in the distance, seemingly wanting to explain.

Cao Qingyang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said with difficulty:

"I understand, no further explanation needed."

This man was the only one Cao Qingyang could understand without him having to say a word.

P. S.: Recommending a book: "My Virtual Girlfriend". Synopsis: Virtual cat ownership, virtual dog ownership, have you ever tried virtual girlfriend ownership?

P. S.: I'm feeling alright today, I'm going to work on the next chapter. But it will definitely be a very late update, so I don't recommend waiting.