Jingzhou.

Deep in a remote mountain, there was a winding, twisting path, now hidden, now visible among the verdant bamboo and dark pines.

Mountains encircled the place on all sides, clouds and mist coiled about, pines stood in ranks, undergrowth ran wild, and human footprints were rare.

A man walked along the path with his hands clasped behind his back.

He wore a dark long robe, and on his face was a Bronze Mask engraved with mysterious patterns; his features could not be seen, only a pair of bright, spirited eyes, whose gaze seized the heart.

The robed man exuded a vague aura—sharp, grim, murderous!

Utterly out of tune with his surroundings, the moment this man appeared, he shattered the quiet harmony of this place!

Before long, the man halted.

The path had come to an end.

He glanced around, then lifted his foot and strode off in one particular direction.

Ka-ka-ka!

The shrubs and pines ahead were snapped apart by an invisible surge of Qi Force, and the man forcibly opened a path before him!

The tranquil, harmonious Mental Realm around him was instantly broken, splintered to pieces!

Not long after, the man pushed through the thicket, and suddenly the view ahead opened up; hidden within this deep mountain forest was actually a small courtyard, fenced all around with wicker.

Through the gaps one could see that the layout inside was extremely simple.

A thatched hut built of pine wood and straw, an old well, a few piles of firewood.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, the man lifted his head slightly.

On the beam just above, an old plaque hung.

On it were written three large characters: Drunken Immortal Inn.

The strokes were forceful and vigorous, the brushwork like dragons and serpents, with true penetration!

"Young Master Shen Yi’s hand, truly formidable!"

The man stared at the three characters for a while, murmured softly, then pushed the door open and entered.

The hut’s door stood ajar.

The man walked straight across the courtyard and stepped into the hut.

Facing the main entrance was a wooden table, on which sat two cups of hot tea, freshly poured, sending up fragrant steam.

An old man with snow-white hair sat opposite, his hands tucked into wide sleeves; his face was ruddy, his skin fine and smooth, with the look of white hair and childlike features, bearing an immortal air.

"Seems the Old Shopkeeper knew I was coming long ago."

The man let out a light chuckle.

"With such a commotion, it’d be hard not to know."

The old man’s tone was flat, yet faintly carried a trace of reproach.

The man seated himself opposite the old man, picked up the hot tea before him and drained it in one gulp, then said, "Whatever stands in my way, whether man, grass, tree or stone, I don’t like it."

"All the more since the Martial Arts Assembly is about to convene; the Old Shopkeeper ought to come out of the mountains as well."

The old man did not answer. He merely lifted his head and glanced at him, then asked, "Coming to see me, why are you still wearing a mask?"

"Haha!"

The man laughed aloud and said, "It never hurts to be cautious. After all, the identities of us four Grand Sacrificial Officers are secret. To be honest, even now I can’t say for sure who those other two Grand Sacrificial Officers are."

"Thousand Changes, one can roughly guess who it is; as for the other, all we know is that he’s in the palace—exactly which figure he is, that’s hard to say."

Among the four Grand Sacrificial Officers, only the one in the palace had never shown his face.

The old man still did not reply. He changed the subject and asked, "What did you come to me for?"

The man asked, "How are the preparations for the Martial Arts Assembly? Do you need me to lend a hand?"

The old man said blandly, "Your identity is ill-suited to appear. Besides, there’s nothing much to prepare; everything will come as water flowing into a channel."

"There won’t be any accidents, will there?"

The man said, "I heard the Drunken Eight Immortals affair has already leaked out; at the Martial Arts Assembly, chances are someone will make a fuss of it."

"It won’t stir up any waves."

"What if the Sword Pavilion steps out?"

"The outcome will be the same."

"So confident?"

The man’s gaze flickered; after a brief pondering, he shook his head and said, "No. With the Sword Pavilion’s strength and prestige, if they’re willing to come forward, this Martial Arts Assembly is bound to erupt in turmoil!"

"Even if the Sword Sect shuns fame and fortune, and even if he is your closest friend and, for old times’ sake, refuses to appear—just with Ye Xuan’s prestige and strength alone, who the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s seat will ultimately fall to is far from certain."

The old man remained silent, merely looking at the man quietly.

The man thought for a moment, then said, "You’re utterly unconcerned with the Sword Pavilion—perhaps your target was never the Martial Arts Alliance Leader to begin with?"

The old man still kept his silence.

Seeing that the old man did not refute him, the man grew even more certain of his own inference, muttering, "If you don’t even want the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s seat, then what is it you seek?"

At this point, the man’s heart gave a jolt, as if he had thought of something. He said in a grave voice, "You’re going to move against the Capital City?"

Higher than the supreme of the Martial World could only be Great Xia’s sovereign of nine and five.

The man said in a deep voice, "The Drunken Eight Immortals matter has leaked, yet you don’t care in the least. If it can draw the Sword Pavilion out, that would be exactly what you want."

"Because your target has always been the Capital City!"

Seeing the old man remain silent, the man couldn’t help recalling some of the news he had heard of late, and a rough outline had already formed in his mind.

Some time ago, the Capital City’s court situation was in upheaval, and the conflict between Shen Guobao and Uncle Wang grew by the day.

Perhaps out of fear, Shen Guobao offered a plan to Xia Daozi, seeking to cut down the Northern Expedition Army and reduce Uncle Wang’s military power; this move naturally intensified the contradictions between the two sides.

On his side, he had received a secret letter—Uncle Wang had already secretly allied with Inspector Yang Kan of Jiangzhou, preparing to raise troops at year’s end to punish Shen Guobao!

With Shen Guobao holding the Imperial Guard outside the Capital City, and Xia Daozi backing him, by then it would be a great battle between the Imperial Guard inside and outside the Capital City and the Northern Expedition Army!

At the same time, the year-end Martial Arts Assembly would be held in Jingzhou.

This time, a Martial Arts Alliance Leader was to be chosen, so Sect Leaders, heads, and experts of Jianghu factions from all over would gather here.

Those left to guard their Sects were, for the most part, disciples of relatively low strength.

The coastal Wu State and Jiangzhou would inevitably be left hollow.

If the Imperial Guard and the Northern Expedition Army both suffered heavy losses, Great Xia’s strength would be greatly diminished.

If the Sword Pavilion’s people came to attend the Martial Arts Assembly, the Profound Celestial Army could seize the opportunity, occupy Wu State and Jiangzhou, and even enter and take the Capital City!

By that time, even if Ye Xuan of the Sword Pavilion were to obtain the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s seat, Great Xia would no longer exist.

"The Old Shopkeeper has quite a grand design. This great fanfare over the Martial Arts Assembly is actually just a smokescreen."

The man couldn’t help but clap his hands and asked, "But what if the Sword Pavilion experts don’t come to the Martial Arts Assembly?"

The old man said coolly, "Then the Martial Arts Alliance Leader will be this old man’s. Besides, even if the Sword Pavilion’s people remain in Wu State, they still won’t be able to stop over a hundred thousand Profound Celestial Army troops."

"Don’t forget, there is still the Sword Sect!"

The man said, "He may not show himself at the Martial Arts Assembly, but if Great Xia’s survival is at stake, he will certainly come out of seclusion!"

The old man said, "Someone will naturally keep him occupied."

The man narrowed his eyes.

As far as he knew, ’Duke Lei’ Sun Jing and ’Wind Master’ Du Ling were only at the Nascent Soul Realm, equivalent to a Grandmaster among Martial Artists.

To contend against a Grandmaster of Transformation Realm, they would likely have to go a step further and attain the Returning to Void Realm.

The man asked, "Is that person in the palace really that strong?"

For the situation in the Capital City to suddenly grow so tense at this time, there had to be some great figure in the palace pushing from behind the scenes.

The man knew that among the four Grand Sacrificial Officers, one was hidden in the palace.

He had not expected that this one’s strength would actually surpass that of the two Sect Leaders of the Profound Celestial Sect!

The man asked, "Old Shopkeeper, you must have guessed his identity by now, haven’t you?"

The old man was silent for a long moment before saying, "Since the Great Xia Southward Movement, the state has stood for barely a hundred years, yet ten Emperors have been replaced."