Chapter 217

……

At the same time.

Within the Grand Assembly Hall of the Bright Peak, the headquarters of the Ming Sect.

At this moment, the atmosphere was solemn, with swords drawn and bows bent.

Seated upon the main throne of the hall was a woman dressed in magnificent purple palace robes, with peerless beauty, yet bearing a trace of coldness and majesty.

She was none other than the current Regent Leader of the Zhongtuming Sect, the former Purple Robed Long Wang—Dai Dai Qisi.

In her beautiful phoenix eyes, there was now a trace of solemnity and a hint of exhaustion that was difficult to conceal.

To her left sat a burly man in brocade robes, with a resolute face and an imposing presence that commanded respect even without anger.

He was Xie Xiaofeng, who had come to assist Dai Dai Qisi in stabilizing the situation on orders from Brother Ning Chuan.

At this moment, his brows were tightly furrowed, and a trace of solemnity also lingered in his eyes.

Below the hall stood dozens of high-ranking members of the Ming Sect, each with a distinct aura and complex expressions.

Among them were White Eyebrow Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, Green Wing Bat King Wei Yixiao, Left Messenger of the Light Yang Xiao, and the Five Scattered Ones, among others.

In their midst stood a youth who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, with a delicate face, yet a trace of gloom and melancholy between his brows.

He was none other than Zhang Wuji, who held the Dragon-Slaying Blade and had come to the Bright Peak to deliver a message.

His mood at this moment was extremely heavy.

For his most beloved sworn father, the Golden Mane Lion King Xie Xun, had been killed by his enemies a few days prior while protecting him as he broke through the encirclement, dying miserably on the spot.

Before dying, Xie Xun had solemnly handed this Dragon-Slaying Blade to him, urging him to return it to the Ming Sect, thus fulfilling one of his final wishes.

Some days ago.

Dai Dai Qisi had returned to the Zhongtuming Sect on orders from Brother Ning Chuan.

Relying on her overwhelming power as a newly promoted Grandmaster and her decisive methods.

She quickly established her footing on the Bright Peak and even showed a trend of suppressing other factions within the sect.

But, good times did not last long.

Yang Xiao, the Left Messenger of the Light, who had previously suffered qi deviation and Suffering heavy injuries from cultivating the Heaven and Earth Multitude.

After his injuries healed, his cultivation base had unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune, breaking through in one stroke to the Grandmaster Realm!

He had always been proud and arrogant, naturally unwilling to submit to an "outsider" like Dai Dai Qisi.

Thus, the Ming Sect once again fell into a situation of open struggle and hidden conflict, with factions splitting and carving out territories.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Xie Xiaofeng arrived in time.

He was also a powerhouse of Grandmaster level, and moreover, he was upright and fair in his conduct.

Under his mediation and intimidation, the situation on the Bright Peak managed to maintain a delicate balance.

However, the appearance of Zhang Wuji and the Dragon-Slaying Blade once again shattered this fragile balance!

"Leader!" Only then did Yang Xiao's voice, carrying a trace of sarcasm, echo through the hall.

He glanced sideways at Dai Dai Qisi, then looked at the Dragon-Slaying Blade planted before Zhang Wuji, which emitted a chilling coldness, and said slowly:

"Now that the Sworn Son of the Lion King has personally come to the Bright Peak with the Dragon-Slaying Blade, this is a great fortune for our Ming Sect."

"I only wonder, Leader, how do you intend to deal with this precious blade?"

"Surely you would not... simply hand it over so easily, or lock it away on a high shelf?"

"If so, I fear the Lion King, even in the nine springs below, would not be able to close his eyes in peace..."

His words were filled with provocation and testing.

Beside him, the Green Wing Bat King Wei Yixiao also let out a series of strange cackles and added:

"Yes, yes! What Left Messenger Yang says is absolutely right!"

"Indeed, our Ming Sect is truly without anyone now! One by one, they want to bully their way to our door and treat us like a soft persimmon to squeeze!"

"What Wu Dangpai, Emei Sect, Gai Gang, and even the far-off Yihua Palace in the East Sea, and that so-called Divine Sword Shanzhuang, all want to get a piece of the pie!"

"I heard that behind them, there seems to be the shadow of the Great Ming's Hu Long Shanzhuang wavering!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, this spectacle is truly quite grand!"

His tone was filled with schadenfreude and the attitude of enjoying a spectacle without caring if things get worse.

Inside the hall, some of the Ming Sect's experts, upon hearing Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao's words, also showed expressions of indignation on their faces.

In their gazes toward Dai Dai Qisi, there was full of dissatisfaction and doubt.

In their view, if it were not for this woman, Dai Dai Qisi, forcibly seizing the position of Leader.

How would the Ming Sect have ended up in such a situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides, with internal troubles and external threats?

It was all because a woman became the Leader, causing other sects in the Jianghu to look down on the Ming Sect, thinking there was an opportunity to exploit, and thus daring to bully their way to the door so shamelessly!

Their gazes also occasionally swept over Xie Xiaofeng, filled with apprehension and a trace of... expectation?

Perhaps, if this righteous hero Xie Xiaofeng were to become the Leader of the Ming Sect, the situation would be much better?

Dai Dai Qisi felt the various hidden motives in everyone's gazes and was secretly furious in her heart.

But she also knew that this was not the time to lose her temper.

She forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart, her beautiful face covered in a layer of frost, and said coldly:

"Everyone, please calm down!"

"Now that powerful enemies surround us, the Bright Peak is in imminent danger! The most urgent task is how to unite as one, jointly resist external enemies, and preserve our Ming Sect's foundation of hundreds of years!"

"If we continue to quarrel internally here, scheming against one another, I fear that before the external enemies even attack the mountain, we ourselves will first fall apart!"

"At that time, none of us will have a good ending!"

In her voice, there was a trace of the majesty of a Grandmaster, causing the atmosphere in the hall to pause slightly.

However, Wei Yixiao still maintained his grinning, playful appearance and cackled:

"Heh, Sect Leader, your words are mistaken."

"In my view, with this situation, for our Menming Sect to withdraw intact is恐怕 harder than climbing to the sky."

"Rather than waiting to die here, we should learn from the White Eyebrow Eagle King of old, each go our separate ways, and establish our own sect!"

"That way we won't be wiped out in one go, leaving not even a single spark of our lineage behind!"

As soon as he spoke these words, a commotion instantly erupted within the hall.

Some high-ranking members of the Menming Sect who had already harbored divergent ambitions, or were dissatisfied with Dai Dai Qisi, showed signs of being swayed in their eyes.

"Wei Yixiao! Do not speak nonsense here and confuse the people!" Yang Xiao's face darkened, and he shouted sternly.

"Since our Menming Sect was founded, we have been one family! How can we fall apart and destroy our own great wall because of mere external enemies?!"

"On this matter, I, Yang Xiao, am the first to refuse!"

Although he too was dissatisfied with Dai Dai Qisi, he was still clear-headed when it came to safeguarding the overall interests of the Menming Sect.

For a moment, within the great hall, everyone argued endlessly, turning into a chaotic uproar.

Dai Dai Qisi looked at the chaotic scene before her, her heart filled with powerlessness and anger.

She suddenly slammed the armrest of her chair, producing a crisp, loud crash!

A powerful aura of the Grandmaster Realm erupted from her, instantly suppressing all sounds within the hall!

Her beautiful face bore a fierce expression, her phoenix eyes wide open, as she spoke coldly:

"Everyone, shut your mouths for this Sect Leader!"

"This Sect Leader has already sent a plea for help to an otherworldly expert of unfathomable strength!"

"I believe it will not be long before that senior arrives personally at Bright Peak to help our Menming Sect overcome this calamity!"

"Until then, you must each fulfill your duties, strictly guard your posts, and allow not the slightest panic or negligence!"

"If anyone disobeys this order, do not blame this Sect Leader... for showing no regard for old ties, and purging the sect!"

As she spoke these words, her face was filled with immense confidence and a hint of awe that was hard to conceal.

It was as if, once that "otherworldly expert" arrived, all crises would be resolved effortlessly.

The people within the great hall, upon hearing Dai Dai Qisi's words, all wore different expressions, their hearts filled with speculation and doubt.

An otherworldly expert?

Who exactly is He Fangshensheng? How could this newly appointed female Sect Leader, whose strength has reached the Grandmaster Realm, hold such high regard and reliance for him?

Could it be that behind her lies some powerful backer unknown to others?