"Heaven Sect is indeed the leader of these martial arts sects. Back in the day, Heaven Sect held a high position among the martial arts sects in Huaxia, and all the sects would follow their lead..."

Bu Daming truly lived up to his reputation as an all-knowing man. After explaining everything in detail to Su Xuan, Su Xuan finally understood what was going on.

More than ten years ago, the Miaojiang area was even more chaotic than it is now. At that time, Huaxia had just been established as a nation, facing internal divisions and external threats watching like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Due to Miaojiang’s geographical importance, it became a contested area. A group of patriots decided to go to Miaojiang of their own accord to help their motherland out of difficulties, forming a powerful civil force with Heaven Sect at the forefront in the Miaojiang region.

Later, as Huaxia’s military strength grew and stability returned, these sects did not exit the historical stage. Instead, they lived on in this era, with some sects gradually being phased out by Li Si, while new ones were established.

Traditionally, whenever a new sect was established, they would visit Heaven Sect, which would then issue some kind of certification. Over the years, this became a practice originally set by Zhang Youhe, and Heaven Sect gradually lost its original essence, starting to head towards corruption internally.

Having reaped numerous benefits over the years, it was unexpected for Su Xuan to establish Heroic Manor this time, openly ignoring them. Naturally, Heaven Sect was displeased and originally intended to send envoys to understand the situation, only to find that Su Xuan intended to eradicate Wind Snow Silver City, which had benefited him significantly.

What a predicament! Naturally, they attempted to stop it, but little did they know Su Xuan possessed such formidable strength, even causing their envoy to be beaten to a pulp. Eventually, they sent out the Twelve Heavenly Treasures, who embarrassingly failed as well.

"Heh heh, it seems settling things between us and Heaven Sect won’t be that simple!"

Su Xuan chuckled helplessly, thinking how true the saying was: "The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop." He had believed that after dismantling the Qingzhu Gang, there wouldn’t be any more issues, yet now it seemed far from over.

An ancient sect like Heaven Sect, having existed for decades, would not easily let Heroic Manor be. After all, as they say, "Not until you hit the wall will you turn back," leaving much helplessness in its wake.

"Heh heh, great trees catch the wind! To reach the pinnacle, one must go through many trials!"

Bu Daming said softly, his voice filled with a sense of helplessness.

Heaven Sect!

"What’s going on!"

In the hall of Heaven Sect, the Sect Master roared, filled with extreme anger, as only eleven out of the Twelve Grand Protectors returned, and they all chose to leave Heaven Sect, leaving the Sect Master exasperated!

"Why are you leaving? Have you been bribed? When have I, Hong Antong, ever mistreated you!"

He believed the main reason they wanted to leave was likely being bought off by someone.

"Sect Master, you’ve misunderstood. We want to leave simply because we are tired and no longer wish to live this way. In these peaceful times, we want to spend more time with our families!"

Anyone with sense would know how formidable Su Xuan’s Heroic Manor was. Surprisingly, the Twelve Grand Protectors couldn’t withstand a single move from Su Xuan. Even Hong Antong, their Sect Master, could not claim such a feat.

Besides fearing Su Xuan’s might, they also dreaded the Gu Poison Saintess. The Gu poison she used was ferociously overwhelming, and Heroic Manor’s full power had seemingly yet to be displayed.

This time, they narrowly escaped with their lives because they helped Su Xuan locate Xue Mengxue; otherwise, they would have been wiped out for sure. They knew very well that their boss, who had become highly conceited, often thought he was the Emperor himself, even uttering shameless lines like, "To not know Hong Antong is to be a futile hero."

Therefore, they knew Hong Antong would not simply let go of his vengeance against Heroic Manor, prompting their decision to leave. They didn’t believe they could be a match for Heroic Manor.

"Nonsense, do you think I would believe this pathetic excuse? What’s the actual reason!"

"Sect Master, I’ll tell you the truth. Heroic Manor is truly strong, and I want to live a few more years! This isn’t about belittling ourselves but a fact. Not long ago, Qingzhu Gang’s influence was unmatched, dominating the entire Miaojiang. But in less than a week, Qingzhu Gang vanished without a trace from Miaojiang. Now, Heroic Manor has merged with Miaojiang’s Gu poison families, forming a new Heroic Manor. The Manor Master obliterated our Twelve Heavenly Treasures in one move!"

One of the older members grew anxious; they were merely trying to leave the sect, not defect. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be allowed to leave. If you want to perish, perish alone, and don’t drag me into the water.

"Yes, Sect Master, please let us go. To be honest, we’re old and useless, and we don’t want to follow in the footsteps of Zong Tianbao!"

Another man quickly interjected, noting that Heaven Sect wasn’t a military force. Before, they stayed for the meager salary, but who would risk their lives now?

"You useless bunch!"

Hong Antong was so angry he almost bled from his nose; he never imagined the Twelve Grand Protectors could be so worthless.

"Yes, yes, we are indeed useless..."

These men hurried to admit they were useless, abundantly so. They were well aware that staying meant inevitable fighting, which equated to digging their own graves.

After experiencing Heroic Manor once, they’d never wish to return. Su Xuan’s unfathomable Sword Qi released back then was beyond any human ability.

"You... cough cough!" Hong Antong was practically choking on his anger, realizing he had an incompetent band of fools.

At that moment, a cold voice broke the silence.

"Uncle Hong, no need to get angry with these people. They are just opportunistic drifters. Give me three days, and I’ll take care of that trivial Heroic Manor for you!"

A woman appeared, her beauty captivating, with large eyes and delicate features that compelled one to take a second glance.