The area outside Xiao Zhe Manor was packed with people.
The situation was far worse than Han Dong had imagined.
Although she knew most of these people were just there to watch the spectacle, there were also quite a few who had come specifically to cause trouble. Moreover, many of the renowned and influential figures from the major sects and clans of the Star-Moon Domain had also arrived.
Among them were three direct disciples of the Jinyun Sect.
There were also several Daozun Elders from Wujin Mountain.
And then there were the scions of the Tiger Might Wang Family.
Whether it was the Jinyun Sect, Wujin Mountain, or the Tiger Might Wang Family, they were all prestigious major sects and great clans within the Star-Moon Domain. The Tiger Might Wang Family, in particular, was a famously powerful bloodline clan in this world, prominent in both the Ancient Era and the Modern Era. With numerous branch families—over a dozen in the Great Northwest alone—it was no exaggeration to call them the foremost family in the Great Northwest, one that no one dared to provoke lightly.
Besides these, there were also two direct disciples from the Hunyuan Sect.
The Hunyuan Sect was not just a major sect in the Star-Moon Domain; it was a behemoth ranked among the top powers in the entire Great Northwest.
Han Dong understood clearly in her heart that while she personally bore no grudge or enmity with these major sects and great clans, the direct disciples of these sects were far from benevolent. Their arrival today was certainly not merely to watch the show; they were likely here to stir the pot and add to the chaos.
What was even worse was that quite a few people from the Black Wind Cave had also come.
Among them were several of the Black Wind Eight Freaks, with whom she had clashed during the Peach Blossom Secret Realm.
The Black Wind Eight Freaks were eight notorious evil cultivators infamous throughout the Great Northwest. All eight had cultivated for many years, refining various sinister auras, and their individual strengths were quite formidable. They had wreaked havoc in the Great Northwest for years, plundering countless victims.
Facing the Black Wind Eight Freaks, unless you belonged to a major sect like the Hunyuan Sect, you could only swallow your grievances in silence.
Because everyone knew that the Black Wind Eight Freaks were disciples of the Black Wind Twin Fiends.
And who were the Black Wind Twin Fiends?
In the Ancient Era, they were two evil, ancient fiend cultivators who ran rampant across the borderlands of the Great Northwest. Having cultivated for millennia, they had long since reached the Great Perfection of the Eighty-One Transformations Nascent Soul Daozun realm.
Han Dong thought to herself that last time, during the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, Sister Ling, posing as Young Lord Chiyan, had scared off these Black Wind Eight Freaks. This time, however, the old Black Wind fiends probably wouldn't let the matter rest so easily.
However.
All of this was still manageable.
At the very least, Han Dong was not afraid of them.
What truly worried her was the Crimson-Letter Sect.
The Crimson-Letter Sect was spread across the world, with a branch hall guarding every Great Region, each branch hall overseen by Chixiao Sect members. The Star-Moon Domain was no exception.
The Crimson-Letter Sect branch hall guarding the Star-Moon Domain was the Changhong Branch Hall, renowned as one of the three major Crimson-Letter branch halls in the Great Northwest.
The number of Chixiao Sect members stationed at the Changhong Branch Hall numbered twenty to thirty.
Even a single, unknown Chixiao Sect member was enough to strike fear into people's hearts, let alone the twenty to thirty stationed at the Changhong Branch Hall.
Was that all?
No!
Because among the Chixiao Sect members stationed at the Changhong Branch Hall were three former Old Incense Masters from the Chixiao Sect's Black Nether Banner!
And yet.
Besides the three Old Incense Masters, the Changhong Branch Hall also had an Old Banner Master.
That's right!
The Banner Master of the Chixiao Sect's Black Nether Banner.
The borderlands of the Great Northwest comprised eighty to ninety Great Regions. In other words, there were over eighty Crimson-Letter branch halls guarding them, and more than half of the Chixiao Sect members overseeing these branch halls were former members of the Chixiao Sect's Black Nether Banner.
It was no exaggeration to say that a single word from the Old Banner Master overseeing the Changhong Branch Hall could make the entire Great Northwest tremble three times.
In the Great Northwest, aside from the reclusive Lord Blackwater, the words of that Old Banner Master carried the most weight.
However, besides those terrifying old Chixiao Sect members, the Changhong Branch Hall also had many outstanding young talents. The most famous among them were undoubtedly the Changhong Nine Dragons and Eighteen Elephants.
And as luck would have it, quite a few people from the Changhong Branch Hall had come today. Among them was one of the Eighteen Elephants—Feiying.
Legend had it that each of the Changhong Nine Dragons and Eighteen Elephants was a dragon among men, a phoenix among women, possessing exceptional comprehension and profound destinies that left others trailing far behind.
As one of the Changhong Eighteen Elephants, how powerful Feiying's strength truly was, no one knew for sure. People only knew he could easily take on over a dozen Daozun by himself. Three years ago, he had severely injured a millennium-old Nascent Soul Daozun with a single move. His strength was absolutely unfathomable.
What worried Han Dong even more was the rumor that this Feiying was arrogant, overbearing, and looked down on everyone.
His arrival today likely meant he would inevitably cause trouble for Young Lord Chiyan.
Yet this wasn't her greatest concern. What truly worried her was Yao Yue Palace.
But what puzzled her was that while people from Yao Yue Palace had also arrived, those who came were only some ordinary disciples of the palace.
Just then, a commotion rippled through the crowd.
A procession of several dozen people was seen rushing majestically towards them.
Seeing this.
Han Dong couldn't help but stiffen slightly, because these newcomers were none other than people from Yao Yue Palace.
Among them were three direct disciples: Bilian, Jishan, and another named Zhuyu.
Accompanying them were some Yao Yue Palace stewards, managers, and elders. Leading them was the elder she detested the most—Elder Ziyu.
Clearly.
Yao Yue Palace had come prepared. With so many elders and stewards present, it seemed they were determined to make a major move today, resorting to any means necessary to verify the authenticity of Young Lord Chiyan.
To say she wasn't worried or flustered would be a lie.
But what could she do even if she was worried and flustered?
Han Dong could only remind herself to proceed with caution.
"Han Dong!
I wondered why I could never find your residence! So you were secretly hiding in this borderland between two domains!"
Bilian appeared extremely excited when she saw Han Dong.
Indeed.
Ever since Han Dong had moved out of Yao Yue Palace, Bilian had always wanted to know where she lived but had searched for a long time without success. Upon receiving the news today, she had immediately notified Elder Ziyu and the others, then rushed over with the Yao Yue Palace contingent.
"Let's see where you run to this time!"
Bilian sneered, releasing her divine sense to probe the manor.
However.
The manor was covered in formations—various illusion arrays, confusion arrays, and arrays that blocked divine sense probing. For the moment, Bilian couldn't detect the situation inside. She shouted, "I know that so-called Young Lord Chiyan is hiding in there! If he knows what's good for him, tell him to come out!"
Han Dong did not respond. Instead, she began deactivating the arrays enveloping the manor one by one.
She knew the formations she had set up might block Bilian's divine sense, but they wouldn't hold against the probing of some of the experts present.
With a thought, the formations covering the manor shimmered with light, then gradually dissipated.
As the layers of formations shrouding the manor faded away one after another, the mysterious veil over Xiao Zhe Manor was slowly lifted.
It was a rather elegant manor.
Not exactly opulent or magnificent, but each garden within had its own distinctive scenery.
In a garden named Zheqing, a table was set, laden with various precious and delicious spirit fruits.
A man dressed in white robes lay lazily reclined in a chair, his crossed legs propped up on one corner of the table. He appeared to be talking about something while drinking wine and nibbling on spirit fruits, taking bites here and there.
Beside him sat a lovely, obedient young girl, her chin resting in her hands, listening intently to what the man was saying.
There was also a woman as beautiful as a flower sitting nearby. Although her delicate face wore a smile, her eyes betrayed nervousness, and the corners of her gaze seemed to be glancing furtively at the crowd outside.