At the same time.
Within the Crimson-Letter Manor, at the Juexin Branch.
In the grand hall.
The branch masters and elders from over fifty branches under the command of Blackhearted Lord Zhou Taihe had gathered here.
Among these people, some were Chixiao People, but the majority were Zhou Taihe's old subordinates from back in the day, including many banner masters, incense masters, and hall masters.
Another portion consisted of Zhou Taihe's descendants, also quite numerous, nearly seventy people.
The remaining portion were those who had joined Crimson-Letter Manor later, mostly experts from the ancient era.
Last night at the Yunchuan Garden Pavilion, Zhou Ting's Minor Mandate had been stripped, Shi Lingkai's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant was gone, and the dozen or so ancient Earth Immortals who had accompanied them had all died without exception.
This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Juexin Branch and had left them furious.
Especially Zhou Taihe's descendants. Upon learning that Zhou Ting's Minor Mandate had been taken, they were all hopping mad, wishing they could charge into the Yunchuan Garden Pavilion and tear that self-proclaimed king to pieces.
To be fair, Zhou Taihe's descendants were quite accomplished. Several of his sons now possessed Earth Immortal cultivation. Zhou Ting's father, Zhou Wansheng, was a Return to Origin Earth Immortal with one foot already in the Immortal Gate. As for Zhou Taihe's eldest son, Zhou Wangian, although he had failed his tribulation crossing, with Zhou Taihe's help, he had still achieved the status of a Scattered Immortal.
Among the grandchildren, there was the Minor Mandate holder Zhou Ting.
And also the Great Nature Edict holder Zhou Yan.
Truly, talents were abundant, geniuses were as numerous as clouds.
After learning of Zhou Ting's loss, the Zhou family members had wanted to head to the Yunchuan Garden Pavilion together, but they were forcibly confined to this hall by Elder Heng. No one was allowed to go. Elder Heng was one of Zhou Taihe's close associates; his words, in a sense, represented Zhou Taihe's will. Therefore, they could only fume helplessly within the hall.
Compared to the Zhou family's rage.
The Chixiao People in the hall appeared much more subdued. They stood there, frowning, their expressions heavy with worry. One could say everyone was fearful for their own safety.
The Chixiao People were all proud and courageous to the bone. If not, there wouldn't be the saying, "The Bloodfiend Slays Immortals on the Path, the Dragon-Elephant Shakes the Vault of Heaven."
And indeed, that was the case.
If Zhou Ting's cultivation had merely been crippled, if Shi Lingkai had been beaten half to death, regardless of who the perpetrator was, they would have acted without hesitation, sparing no cost to capture the culprit. Even knowing they were no match, they would not have retreated.
However.
This time was different.
Zhou Ting's cultivation wasn't just crippled; his Minor Mandate was taken.
That wasn't the most important part.
The crucial point was that Shi Lingkai's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant had been extracted by someone. This forced even these fearless Chixiao People to feel apprehension.
No.
Not just apprehension.
But fear. Terror.
A fear that came from the depths of their hearts, a terror that stemmed from their very souls, a panic that originated from the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant itself.
First, Tan Tong and over a dozen other Chixiao People.
Now, Shi Lingkai's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant was also taken.
How could they not fear for their own safety? How could their hearts not be heavy? How could they not be afraid? How could they not be terrified?
Moreover, rumors said that the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant had shown reverence and great affection upon seeing that self-proclaimed king, even circling around him.
In the minds of all the Chixiao People, a question they had long dared not face inevitably surfaced.
Was that person truly the real Chixiao Monarch?
They hadn't dared to face this question before. Now, they dared even less.
And they simply couldn't imagine what terrifying consequences would await them if it really was the Chixiao Monarch.
They didn't know.
Nor did they dare to think about it.
These Chixiao People were all Zhou Taihe's old subordinates from back in the day. Many had genuinely wanted to follow Zhou Taihe and enjoy wealth and glory. In their view, ever since the Monarch was judged by the Heavenly Dao and reduced to ashes, the so-called Chixiao Sect had long ceased to exist. As for Crimson-Letter Manor, it was declining day by day, splitting apart, declaring independence. The collapse of Crimson-Letter Manor was only a matter of time.
Most importantly, after the Modern Era began, the Immortal Dynasty had returned to this world. By now, its foundation was already solid. It was only a matter of time before the Immortal Dynasty's hegemony completely dominated this world.
Rather than living in daily fear of the Immortal Dynasty settling old scores, it was better to make a clean break and directly pledge allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty.
One must look forward. Those who understand the times are true heroes.
Pledging allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty might sound bad if word got out, damaging one's reputation. One might even never shake off the label of traitor.
But how much was reputation really worth?
If the Immortal Dynasty came to settle scores, what would be lost wouldn't just be reputation, but life itself.
This was how most of the Chixiao People following Zhou Taihe thought, but not all.
Some Chixiao People, although also Zhou Taihe's old subordinates, were not following him in the Modern Era out of genuine sincerity.
Wealth and glory?
They weren't very interested.
Status and position?
They weren't particularly interested either.
Attaining the Dao and becoming an Immortal?
They had long since seen through it. Becoming an Immortal would be best, but if not, they didn't crave it. They let fate take its course.
Their reasons for continuing to follow Zhou Taihe in the Modern Era varied. Some found it hard to refuse, given their past relationship as his old subordinates. When Zhou Taihe asked again, they couldn't easily say no.
Others were thinking about the future of their descendants.
Among these Chixiao People, the highly respected Old Senior Huang Yuan was one such person.
Old Senior Huang Yuan not only commanded great prestige among these Chixiao People, but also held high prestige within all Crimson-Letter Manor branches across the entire Yanluo Nation. Not to mention the various banner masters and incense masters present in the hall, even Blackhearted Lord Zhou Taihe and Black Buddha Lord Dong Laohu held Old Senior Huang Yuan in high esteem.
Because when Huang Yuan joined the Chixiao Sect back then, he was already a renowned and highly respected Scattered Immortal in this world.
Moreover, many of these banner masters and incense masters had been personally promoted by him. Even Zhou Taihe and Dong Laohu had been brought up under his guidance in their early years. Those familiar with the Chixiao Sect knew that if Old Senior Huang Yuan hadn't suffered severe injuries battling an Immortal back then, he would likely have become one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Guardians of the Chixiao Sect by now, his status and position surpassing even Zhou Taihe and Dong Laohu.
Alas.
When the Monarch was judged by the Heavenly Dao, Old Senior Huang Yuan was heartbroken. Due to his severe injuries and his intention to retire into seclusion, he declined the position of Heavenly Guardian, choosing instead to remain stationed at a Crimson-Letter Manor branch.
He had originally decided to recuperate from his injuries and, after emerging from seclusion, begin a reclusive life with his descendants, living out peaceful days.
But to his surprise, when he emerged from seclusion, he discovered that Zhou Taihe had already pledged allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty.
For this, Old Senior Huang Yuan tried to persuade him for a long time, but failed to change Zhou Taihe's mind. Disheartened, he prepared to take his descendants and leave, retreating into complete seclusion.
Yet what surprised him even more was that all his descendants actually agreed with Zhou Taihe's decision to submit to the Immortal Dynasty after declaring independence.
Regarding this.
Old Senior Huang Yuan was extremely angry. No matter how he tried to persuade them, his descendants wouldn't listen, stubbornly insisting on pledging allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty.
When persuasion failed, Old Senior Huang Yuan tried to use force. But it was useless. His descendants were even willing to sever ties with him to follow Zhou Taihe and pledge allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty. In the end, they threatened suicide to force his hand. What could he, as their elder, do?