...

Youyang City, County Yamen,

Gu Zhan was inside the room, flipping through the Frost Ice Finger, an Earth Tier Middle Grade Martial Arts technique,

This was Changfeng Valley’s inherited Absolute Technique,

During the fight at Lingxi Mountain, he’d crossed blades with Yu Fengxing and the Changfeng Valley Master; he’d suffered a significant loss to this Absolute Technique. Its power was genuinely formidable, and that’s even when neither Yu Fengxing nor Changfeng Valley had cultivated it to the Great Success Realm.

Earth Tier Middle Grade—same grade as the Four Seas Returning Blade Technique, but the two Martial Arts are very different,

Four Seas Returning Blade Technique is all-out offensive,

Whereas Frost Ice Finger emphasizes agility and cunning, striking unexpectedly.

As the system relayed the successful data upload, Gu Zhan immediately chose to assign points:

[Use 100,000 Experience Points]

[Frost Ice Finger upgraded to Entry Realm]

...

[Use 500,000 Experience Points]

[Frost Ice Finger upgraded to Minor Success Realm]

...

In an instant,

Gu Zhan entered a strange Celestial Human State,

With only a blink of an eye,

He’d already mastered the Earth Tier Middle Grade Frost Ice Finger to a masterful Minor Success Realm.

Just as he was roused, preparing to give it a try,

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and soon someone knocked and reported, "Sir, news has arrived—the higher-ups of the Five Great Sects have escaped to Yujiang County and gathered there!"

Gu Zhan immediately withdrew his energy, rose, and opened the door.

At this moment, a squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards stood outside. The leader, a Hundred Households officer, hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Sir, fresh news just in: those Five Great Sects higher-ups have been hiding all this time, communicating among themselves. It seems they’ve reached an agreement and have all converged at Yujiang County. What exactly they’re planning hasn’t been uncovered."

Gu Zhan snorted coldly and said, "No matter what scheme they’ve got, now that they’ve shown themselves, it saves us trouble. Go notify the Gu Family and Sixth Young Master—everyone heads to Yujiang County. The Pingyang Martial World; it’s time to settle it!"

...

Yujiang County is the most remote small county town within Pingyang Prefecture, a backwater place; its economy is extremely underdeveloped and rarely does anyone from outside come here.

Yet, these past few days, Yujiang County has seen a steady stream of uninvited guests, arousing vigilance from some local Martial World Influence. Nevertheless, after arriving, all these people gathered at a Suburban Manor, rarely venturing out.

They are the core figures and children from Changfeng Valley, Mountain Moving Sect, Xiushan Lu Family, Pengshui Ma Family, and Longmen Chen Family—the Five Great Sects.

A few days ago, the battle at Lingxi Mountain dealt catastrophic losses to the Five Great Sects—nearly extinction. Under Gu Zhan’s overwhelming might, the surviving leaders immediately made the decision to flee under the cover of night, taking their core with them.

Only, unless they abandoned everything and escaped Pingyang Prefecture, hiding like this wouldn’t solve their problems. But each sect has a legacy spanning over a hundred years; abandoning everything overnight was impossible.

Thus, as the Five Great Sects hid, they communicated among themselves and ultimately decided to ask Beidou Bang’s Kaiyang Sub-Branch, located in Pingyang Prefecture, to mediate. After receiving Kaiyang Sub-Branch’s promise, they all gathered at Yujiang County for an alliance council.

The reason for choosing Yujiang County was twofold: first, it’s far from Youyang County, so even if Gu Zhan pursued, they’d have ample time to respond; second, it’s close to the Kaiyang Sub-Branch.

As expected, after waiting two days, Kaiyang Sub-Branch’s Squad Leader Liu Ziyuan arrived, and the Five Great Sects finally breathed a sigh of relief—these two days, while waiting for the Sub-Branch to arrive, they were constantly on edge.

Suburban Manor, a small courtyard.

Liu Ziyuan sat in the pavilion. In front of him, a young scholar poured him a cup of tea, saying, "Squad Leader, I investigated the Five Great Sects today. The battle at Lingxi Mountain left their losses truly appalling—their elite forces are nearly wiped out.

When the Five Great Sects surrounded Gu Zhan, over a dozen Great Cultivators went, only three or four returned, all heavily injured. As for Innate Realm elites, Gu Zhan slaughtered them en masse single-handedly.

Now, the Five Great Sects combined only have eight or nine Great Cultivators left, all at the First Realm, and barely a dozen Innate Peak experts. There are still quite a few Great Innates, but divided among the sects, each barely has any. These Five Great Sects might truly be about to decline!"

Liu Ziyuan took a sip of tea and chuckled, "That’s irrelevant. As long as the Five Great Sects still exist, and they can guard their patch in Pingyang Prefecture for two months, it’s enough."

"True," replied the scholar. "In two months, the Tian Family backing Fourth Young Master Feng should collapse, and then the Eldest Young Master’s inheritance will face no threat."

"There never was a threat," Liu Ziyuan laughed softly. "Fourth Young Master is mediocre; whether in governance or Martial Arts, or in vision and character, he can’t match the Eldest Young Master. Over these years of rivalry, even the Dragon King has seen through it, so this time he favors the Eldest Young Master.

All along, it’s just Fourth Young Master’s maternal clan stirring the waters, and the Dragon King had no better way. Truth is, all these conflicts are the fault of that damned Yang Yuzhi—that old bastard! He’s screwed Yunxi over hard!"

The scholar looked puzzled. "What does this have to do with Yang Yuzhi?"

Liu Ziyuan, frustrated, replied, "Martial World Gangs governing Yunxi, and the system of top powers accepting the Court’s bestowals—Yang Yuzhi proposed it. Back then, the old bastard roamed Yunxi, befriending every sect; everyone thought he was a true gentleman.

At that time, the Astronomical Bureau wanted to control Yunxi and clashed with Yunxi Martial World—fighting vigorously, even deploying troops. Back then, Yunxi’s single city, single valley, single gang, two sects, and five top powers formed an alliance to fight the Astronomical Bureau.

If fighting had really broken out then, who knows who’d win—but the situation wouldn’t be so passive now. It’s all because of that bastard Yang Yuzhi! He came to Yunxi as a mediator, persuaded all sides, and so everyone accepted the Court’s bestowal in appearance to save face, while secretly letting the Martial World Influence control Yunxi. That’s the Cyan Gorge Covenant from thirty years ago."

The scholar nodded, saying, "I’ve heard elders mention it—the Yunxi Martial World and Astronomical Bureau fought fiercely for a long while, and only after the Cyan Gorge Covenant did it stop. The Astronomical Bureau withdrew from Yunxi, and Yang Yuzhi thus became deeply connected with many in Yunxi Martial World."

Liu Ziyuan smiled faintly. "See if Yang Yuzhi dares come to Yunxi now; if he did, those who once swore brotherhood would be the first to chop him up. That Cyan Gorge Covenant nearly ruined Yunxi Martial World."

Back then, all Yunxi Grandmasters signed the Cyan Gorge Covenant; it meant every Martial World Influence with Grandmasters accepted the Court’s bestowal. At the time, no one saw a problem, but as new generations grew, people realized Yang Yuzhi’s sinister intent. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Previously, the inheritors of major powers were chosen internally by selecting the most capable or most respected younger member—decision made directly. But now, before an inheritor is set, the Court will bestow the successor’s title on another comparable candidate, openly fanning the flames—leading all powers to fight fiercely over succession.

Just like Beidou Bang now—the Dragon King doesn’t dare directly appoint the Eldest Young Master but must first sever Fourth Young Master’s escape routes. He fears that once the Eldest Young Master is named, the Court will instantly bestow the peerage to Fourth Young Master. In those circumstances, do you think Fourth Young Master could resist temptation? Would the Tian Family be willing? It’s an open scheme—a scheme that roots out Yunxi Martial World!"

The scholar suddenly realized, then asked, "Since everyone’s seen through Yang Yuzhi’s open scheme, why not just go against him?"

Liu Ziyuan chuckled, "Yang Yuzhi’s game is human nature. Everyone knows it’s a trap, but still willingly jumps in. For example, would the Eldest Young Master give up succession to Fourth Young Master? Is that possible?"

The scholar was speechless.

Liu Ziyuan sighed, "But don’t worry. Not long ago, the Dragon King traveled to Sword King City; this thirty-year scheme is about to be broken!"

Just then,

A guard entered the courtyard, cupped his hands, and said, "Reporting, Squad Leader: Embroidered Uniform Guard forces have appeared. Sixth Young Master and Gu Zhan are leading several thousand troops, and they’re nearly here."

Liu Ziyuan smiled slightly, stood up, and said, "Invite that God of Slaughter to come here. Also, have the Five Great Sects prepare themselves!"