Chapter 61

Isn't that Xiao Feng of Qing Shui City? Someone in the crowd recognized this tall, stalwart, tiger-backed and bear-waisted middle-aged man.

He was striding toward Guiyan Tower; when he was at the base of the tower, only see his left foot lightly push off the ground, his whole body leapt up as if floating, and when looked again, he had already landed on the tower's roof. What splendid lightness skill!

Southern General!

"City Lord Xiao!" Two renowned figures on the Tian'an Continent clasped fists in greeting.

"How is it?" Xiao Feng asked Nan Zhongyi. They had known each other since youth and were both straightforward men, needing no excess pleasantries; they got straight to the point.

Nan Zhongyi shook his head, planting his long spear into the wooden eave, "I've been observing here for over half a month; there's been no movement inside."

"Heh, still able to sit tight?" Xiao Feng sneered, "My troops have already surrounded Qianzhong Gate on all sides."

"I dare not act; we must wait for you and Lord Zhang to come!" Nan Zhongyi said bitterly, "We don't know the depths inside; I cannot let my men die pointlessly."

"Lord Zhang should arrive tomorrow, along with Elder Feng Yichu of the Hua Shan Sect and Sect Master Tie Gang of the Iron Gate."

"The Five Absolutes Palace, the Purgatory Gate, Bei Du Blade Palm—what about them?"

"I'm not sure either, but I'm certain they've also received the news."

"These people are truly ruthless—sons and daughters dead, yet they lift no hand! Damn it! No matter what, they let our court bear the losses!" Nan Zhongyi said indignantly.

"Isn't the court just a scapegoat?" Xiao Feng sneered, "Just don't know who leaked the news, yet it's so precise."

"It must be their internal conflict… but I never imagined Qianzhong Gate would be such a terrifying place, thinking back to our dark days inside…" A sense of fear rose in Xiao Feng's heart; like Zhou Wenhuang, he had taken the amnesia antidote, and instantly recalled his ten years within Qianzhong Gate.

Nan Zhongyi also sighed, "We're all eliminated goods! I can't even imagine—if those elite dead were still alive, would there be any room for us on the Tian'an Continent?"

"Back and forth for thousands of years, how many have died—we can't even count."

"Exactly! If it's a great scourge of the jianghu, it must be eradicated!" Nan Zhongyi said sorrowfully, "But… but it's a pity for my son!"

"Sigh..." Xiao Feng drew a deep breath; over this month he had aged greatly, his temples already white, "I don't even know how Xiao Yu is doing."

"There's no word of her in the letters, so there must still be hope—unlike my son!" Nan Zhongyi clenched his fists tightly, his joints constantly cracking.

"Let's hope so!" Xiao Feng's eyes never left Qianzhong Gate; as long as there was a sliver of hope, he would not give up.

Xiao Feng truly regretted heeding his sister Xiao Fei's words, sending Xiao Yu into Qianzhong Gate!

"This Chen Yi He—if he's alive, I'll flay him and pull out his bones; if he's dead, I'll crush his bones and scatter his ashes! To avenge my son!" Nan Zhongyi wept, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

"Chen Yi He?" Xiao Feng felt those three characters familiar, but for a moment couldn't recall where he'd heard or mentioned them.

Nan Zhongyi nodded through tears.

"Your son Nan Shan is a rising star of the younger generation—how could he die at Chen Yi He's hands?" Xiao Feng asked. Suddenly he recalled: half a year ago, the one he struck to abolish martial arts—wasn't it Chen Yi He? Back then, Chen Yi He had secretly studied the Xiao family's heart method, the "Wither‑and‑Flourish Heart Classic."

"In front of tens of thousands, he killed my son and took Huang Gao Yu's sword."

"Huang Gao Yu? Isn't he the young master of God Sword Mountain Villa?" Xiao Feng found it unbelievable; he had seen Huang Gao Yu, a youthful prodigy who had inherited his father Huang Zong's mantle from childhood, and had circumstances allowed, he would have liked to adopt him as a godson.

Later, due to the many affairs of Qing Shui City, the matter was delayed; only today, when Nan Zhongyi brought it up, did Xiao Feng remember.

Xiao Feng found it hard to believe this fact: "Chen Yi He? Chen Yi He?" Half a year ago, he thought Chen Yi He was merely a petty thug; even after he escaped Qing Shui City, he hadn't given it a thought, never expecting it to become such a great calamity!

"If Xiao Yu were to encounter him, wouldn't that be dangerous?" The heart of an old father, filled with anxiety.

"Tomorrow, after Lord Zhang and Tie Gang arrive, we can storm Qianzhong Gate!" Nan Zhongyi was willing to make this trip to repay the nation's grace, after all his son died before even stepping through Qianzhong Gate's doors.

Xiao Feng sighed, "We are about to change the course of history!" One, the imperial command cannot be defied; two, his daughter's fate still hangs in the balance.

……

On the main hall of Qianzhong Gate, the four elders sat upright on the raised platform.

The Grand Elder sat in the center, the Second Elder to the left first, the Third Elder to the right first, the Fourth Elder to the left second.

The remaining three seats were empty.

"Offering sacrifices to Elder Five and Elder Six!" The four elders rose, lifted their cups, and poured the wine onto the hall as a libation.

After finishing, it was time to discuss the main matter.

The Second Elder said, "According to our calculations, these few days are when the outer forces will launch a full assault."

The Third Elder said, "If accurate, it should be tomorrow."

The Grand Elder asked, "Elder Four, what's your view?"

The Fourth Elder replied, "Crush them to ashes!"

"Qianzhong Gate is merely an empty shell, no matter how they toss it about," the Grand Elder said, taking a small sip of tea from the table, then continued, "Now the crucial point is that our essence‑blood is still insufficient!"

The Second Elder also said, "Indeed, I never expected that this year's disciples would have only three who meet the standard; the others' blood doesn't qualify—demonic blood, dragon blood, strange but not what we need; in past years, out of a hundred, seventy‑eight would pass."

"Do we really have to wait another ten years? They're already fighting at the gate!" The Fourth Elder slammed the table in fury, "Damn it, this Old Seven—even eating his flesh wouldn't quell my hatred!"

Indeed, if it weren't for the Seventh Elder spreading rumors and antidotes everywhere, exposing their true nature, who would dare provoke Qianzhong Gate? We've reached the final step, and then this mishap occurred.

"Who would have thought a bunch of old fogies would be toppled by a youngster… but now isn't the time to eat his flesh; we must take the final step." The Grand Elder said solemnly.

"It's time for us to sacrifice ourselves for Qianzhong Gate!" The Second Elder immediately grasped the Grand Elder's meaning.

"To sacrifice oneself and rise!" The usually silent Third Elder actually spoke. Though he was normally quiet, his immense strength cannot be underestimated!

"Hahaha! Then how could I possibly accept falling behind?" The Fourth Elder laughed loudly to the heavens.

The elders had all willingly signed life‑and‑death contracts, always ready to sacrifice their lives for Qianzhong Gate.

"We only need to hold out; the Gate Master will seize the chaos to escape, and given time, once his demonic art is perfected, it will be the moment for us to avenge our grudges!" The Grand Elder rose again—this was the first time he uttered the term "Gate Master."

They have always been elders of Qianzhong Gate, not its owners; they are merely pawns and pieces! Serving the Gate Master!

When everyone assumed Qianzhong Gate belonged to the seven elders, they overlooked the one standing behind the elders—the Gate Master!

Qianzhong Gate Master! A monster capable of playing a single game of chess for thousands of years!

The seven elders change generation after generation, but what kind of being the Gate Master is, no one knows; whether he succeeds himself or is immortal, no one knows.

The elders also don't know what the Gate Master is. Is he a person? A monster? An immortal?

However, the Gate Master's power is boundless!

He controls everything, making the Tian'an Continent spin in his palm, gripping the jianghu and martial world in his hand; he establishes his reputation, drawing countless youths of the new generation into Qianzhong Gate, only for them to become his feast in the end.

How many have merely made wedding clothes for others.