Chapter 523: Knocking the Mountain to Shake the Tiger

"Gu Lao, I have troubled you to come out of seclusion early."

Zhou You cupped his hands toward the puppet that had arrived.

Except for him, no one knew that the puppet before them had long since had its core replaced; while its exterior remained a ghastly, disfigured sight, the person inside was no longer the same.

The puppet was no longer a Fist Intent puppet, but had been replaced by Kunpengzi.

Under Zhou You's manipulation, the puppet nodded toward Zhou You, "Little Zhou, it is good that you have returned."

The two's conversation seemed plain, but the onlookers could all see that their relationship was extraordinary.

Unfortunately, if Yan Shan had not broken through, Gu Lao's status would still have been enough to withstand the pressure.

Yan Wanjun thought the same; he said to Gu Lao, "Gu Lao, is Zhou You's intention your intention?"

The implication was to question whether Gu Lao was acting willfully to bind himself to Zhou You and become an enemy of the Overlord Martial Arts Hall.

"That is only natural."

The puppet 'Gu Lao' said indifferently, "I am curious, however, whether you can represent Yan Shan?"

"I certainly can."

Before Yan Wanjun even had to speak, the other high-ranking members of the martial arts guild expressed their affirmation one after another.

Puchi—someone suddenly laughed, directly ruining the atmosphere at the scene.

The source of the laughter was none other than Yan Baihu, who was watching the excitement from the side; he shrugged apologetically, "Continue, you all!"

Ever since the puppet appeared, Yan Baihu's reaction had been very abnormal; he was much more knowledgeable than these people, seeing at a glance that 'Gu Lao' was unfathomable and concluding that Yan Wanjun was about to hit a brick wall.

Plus, with his pig-teammates helping him echo the sentiment, it was equivalent to adding another shovel of dirt to their own graves.

Yan Wanjun did not yet know that disaster was imminent; he nodded to signify his agreement, as his words represented Yan Shan.

"Very well!"

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, 'Gu Lao' leaked a trace of a Strong Martial aura.

Although everyone present, including Yan Wanjun, might have been unfamiliar with it before, they had successively come into contact with this strange yet familiar power aura following Yan Shan's breakthrough.

What's more, that feeling of being suppressed by a realm was as despairing as suffocation.

"Strong Martial!"

Yan Baihu drew a firm conclusion.

As a fierce general of Dayin Mountain, he paid respects to Strong Martial experts daily and had absolute authority in identifying Strong Martial power.

Had 'Gu Lao' actually broken through to Strong Martial as well?

For a moment, the hearts of Chu Weisheng and the others fell into a bottomless abyss; no matter how slow they were, they knew they had kicked a brick wall.

"Yan Baihu of Dayin Mountain pays respects to the Strong Martial, Gu Lao."

Yan Baihu cupped his hands and bowed to Gu Lao, acknowledging the other party's status with his actions.

"No need for formalities; I was just about to break through when I was disturbed by these annoying things, so I am not yet a full-fledged Strong Martial."

Zhou You took the opportunity to say these words, which also served as a patch to explain the puppet's true realm of Pseudo-Strong Martial.

This way, there would be a reason to explain it if it were discovered later.

"Oh!"

Yan Baihu scanned Yan Wanjun and his group, knowing they were in big trouble.

Having one's breakthrough to Strong Martial interrupted halfway was an irreconcilable enmity; even if Yan Shan came, it could not be resolved.

Then came another wave of surprise: Gu Lao had actually forcibly interrupted his seclusion for Zhou You? Was the relationship between these two so close?

"Yan Wanjun, Chu Weisheng, listen well, both of you."

"Today, you all relied on your power to bully others, bullying Little Zhou, forcing me to interrupt my seclusion and leaving me stuck at the threshold of Strong Martial, neither up nor down."

'Gu Lao's' voice carried a faint murderous intent, "Since you admit that you represent Yan Shan, tell me, how will this matter be handled?" Cutting off someone's future was like killing their parents; unless he was helped to continue his breakthrough, this grudge could not be resolved! Yan Wanjun only felt his throat go cold and could not speak; he couldn't even move his eyeballs. Looking at Chu Weisheng beside him, his original arrogant aura had vanished, and they all appeared bewildered and at a loss.

A flash of white light appeared before him, and an object fell into his arms.

"This is a congratulatory gift I prepared, originally intended to congratulate him on breaking through to Strong Martial. Take it back and tell Yan Shan: whether we are friends or enemies depends entirely on how he decides."

Having said this, 'Gu Lao' waved a hand and vanished from the spot.

He came quickly and left quickly, but Gu Lao's pressure still remained at the scene, and no one dared to move rashly.

Yan Baihu spoke to himself, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hmm, that's right, there is a Strong Martial aura, but it is slightly weaker; it was interrupted at the moment of a successful breakthrough—to be precise, a Pseudo-Strong Martial."

Hearing this, hope rose in Yan Wanjun's heart; if he wasn't a true Strong Martial, did they still have a chance? "However, a Pseudo-Strong Martial is still a Strong Martial; once he resumes his breakthrough, he can become legitimate."

"What's more..."

Yan Baihu glanced at the thing Zhou You had thrown to Yan Wanjun—a water-spirited white mushroom. Outsiders might not recognize it, but he naturally recognized it as a heavenly treasure, a supplement for the Strong Martial of Dayin Mountain.

This item was called a gift, but it was actually a show of strength.

"Yan Wanjun, this matter is no longer something you can handle. Listen to me, take the item back and see Hall Master Yan."

Yan Baihu gave a word of advice and then stopped talking.

Yan Wanjun, his mind in chaos, clutched the white mushroom and turned to dash toward the Overlord Martial Arts Hall.

Chu Weisheng and the others looked at each other, then followed him, chasing after his retreating figure.

"Let's go, it's nothing!"

Zhou You greeted the martial artists beside him; at this moment, his image was incomparably tall and mysterious in front of everyone.

Inside the Inner Courtyard of the Overlord Martial Arts Hall...

Yan Wanjun knelt before the great cauldron, with Chu Weisheng and the other high-ranking martial guild members kneeling behind his backside.

Their kneeling posture was extremely humble, their shoulders nearly touching the ground, their heads pressed firmly against the floor, not daring to lift them for a long time.

Yan Shan sat on the great cauldron, twisting the white mushroom with two fingers, "Hmm, a heavenly treasure."

He cast his gaze upon Yan Wanjun, "Wanjun, you mean to say that you used my name to force Zhou You to give up the opportunity bestowed by the Prefecture Monarch, only for it to backfire and force out the Gu Lao behind him?"

"Gu Lao was originally in seclusion to break through to the Mighty Martial realm, yet because you all were so aggressive, he interrupted his breakthrough to back Zhou You?"

His tone was steady, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, but with every sentence he spoke, the degree to which the people kneeling on the ground trembled increased by a fraction.

Yan Wanjun could barely open his mouth, his voice dry, "Master, this Disciple truly did not know..."

"Sigh, if you offended someone outside and required me, your master, to abandon my breakthrough to the Mighty Martial realm to save you, I would absolutely not do it."

After Yan Shan stated his position, he asked Yan Wanjun in return, "Do you know now what a great disaster you have caused?"

"This Disciple deserves to die ten thousand deaths; Master, Gu Lao has not yet broken through to become a true Mighty Martial, why must you be wary of him?"

Yan Shan shook his head upon hearing this, "Wan Jun, I cultivated you only because I felt you were like me; now it seems you are as foolish as my late brother, unfit for a great task!"

The next sentence made Yan Wanjun's heart sink completely to the bottom of the sea, "Qin Shang."

Qin Shang was Yan Wanjun's junior fellow apprentice; previously overshadowed by his brilliance, he had always been a transparent figure, and both within the martial arts hall and in the outside world, few people knew of this Overlord Disciple.

"This Disciple is here!"

Qin Shang's appearance was gentle, lacking sharp edges, and his aura was also quite peaceful; in short, he had no features that made one unforgettable at a glance.

"Qin Shang, why do you think Gu Lao sent me this heaven-sent treasure?"

Qin Shang replied respectfully, "Master, in this Disciple's humble opinion, he is also wary of your prestige and does not want to tear off the mask of civility, so he uses this item to convey his meaning; although he has not yet become a Mighty Martial, he possesses a heaven-sent treasure, so I hope Master will think twice."

(End of this chapter)