The newcomers numbered around seventy or eighty.
Each of them was imposing and formidable, their auras astonishing, their killing intent palpable. They were enveloped in a shroud of Bloodsha, with Dragon-Elephant spirits coiling and circling around them.
They were Chixiao People.
Leading them was an elderly man, none other than Old Master Hong, who oversaw the Changhong Branch Hall. He was not only the master of Hall Master Minghui but also one of the former banner masters of the Black Underworld Banner from the Chixiao Sect of old.
"If my memory serves me right, Gold Crane, before you joined the Chixiao Sect, you were a bandit beaten half to death, weren't you? It was the Chixiao Sect that saved you, the Chixiao Sect that took you in, and the Chixiao Sect that transformed you from a worthless bandit into a man who could stand tall between heaven and earth. Whether you admit it or deny it, these are indisputable facts."
Gold Crane and the other six Chixiao People exchanged glances. Then, Gold Crane mustered his courage, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and responded fiercely, "I'm not denying it. So what if it's true? Back then, I shed blood and sweat for the Chixiao Sect, fought battles far and wide, serving loyally. I've already repaid the Chixiao Sect!"
"Is a life something that can be repaid like that?"
Old Master Hong appeared as a white-haired elder, a deep and dignified presence whose very stillness commanded respect. His turbid eyes seemed exceptionally calm as he said, "And what could you possibly use to repay it?
Can you ever repay it in full?"
"Back then, when our brothers of the Black Underworld Banner were besieged by the Immortal Dynasty at Qishan, it was the Monarch who rescued us single-handedly. How do you repay that life?"
"Back then, when the Monarch severed the Spirit Altar for us Chixiao brothers, allowing us to drink from the Spirit Spring as if it were wine, what can you use to repay that?"
"Back then, when the Monarch fought alone against the Nine Heavens' host of Immortals in the clouds for us Chixiao brothers, what can you use to repay that?"
"Back then, when the Monarch shouldered all the blame for us Chixiao brothers, enduring the endless judgment of the Immortal Dao, what can you use to repay that?"
"Repay?
Can you ever repay it in full?"
Old Master Hong's words left Gold Crane and the other six Chixiao People flushed with shame. Gold Crane steeled himself and sneered, "People strive for higher ground; water flows to lower ground. I've said it before—I don't want to be an Immortal Dao criminal for the rest of my life!"
Old Master Hong did not grow angry. He continued calmly, "Back when we first entered the Chixiao Sect, the Monarch once said that the Chixiao Sect would always be a place of free coming and going, for anyone, at any time, under any circumstances."
"Whether you submit to the Immortal Dynasty or pledge allegiance to it, whether it's for attaining the Dao and becoming an Immortal or for wealth and glory, that is your own affair."
"However."
Old Master Hong's turbid yet serene eyes fixed on Gold Crane as he said solemnly, "Since you have decided to no longer be Chixiao People, nor Chixiao brothers, then I ask you not to slander the three words 'Chixiao People,' and never let me hear the four words 'Immortal Dao criminal' from your mouths again. After all, before this, you yourselves were once...
Chixiao!
People!"
Gold Crane and the other six breathed heavily and responded, "That's right. We were indeed Chixiao People before, but that was only in the past. From now on, we are upright subjects of the Immortal Dynasty."
"Good!"
Old Master Hong's voice grew increasingly low, and he suddenly halted in mid-air, declaring firmly, "In remembrance of the loyalty and shared hardships we once had, today, this old man will grant you your wish. I will not make things difficult for you, nor will I kill you. I will spare your lives so you can become upright subjects of the Immortal Dynasty. But!"
His tone shifted abruptly as Old Master Hong roared in anger, "But!
You must hand over the Bloodsha aura surrounding you and the Dragon-Elephant spirits within your bodies!"
Upon hearing this, Gold Crane and the other six all paled drastically. The Bloodsha aura had long since fused with their physical bodies, and the Dragon-Elephant spirits were integrated with their Nascent Soul Dharma Aspects and even their souls. To hand them over would, at the very least, render them cripples for life, if not kill them outright. Even if the consequences weren't so severe, none of them would willingly surrender their Bloodsha aura and Dragon-Elephant spirits. As Chixiao People, they knew better than anyone how immensely powerful these were. It was no exaggeration to say that with the protection of Bloodsha and Dragon-Elephant spirits, they feared not even Immortals.
"Old Banner Master Hong, don't push us too far..." Gold Crane began to say, but the previously calm Old Master Hong suddenly erupted in fury, bellowing, "Silence!
I am not your banner master! You are not worthy to call me banner master, nor are you worthy to possess the Bloodsha aura and Dragon-Elephant spirits! Listen well, Gold Crane—hand over the Bloodsha aura and Dragon-Elephant spirits immediately!"
"You..." Gold Crane's breathing grew even heavier, especially as he looked at the enraged Old Master Hong, causing him and the others to involuntarily retreat a step. Steeling his heart, he shouted, "And what if we don't hand them over?"
"Don't hand them over?
Hahahaha!"
Old Master Hong threw his head back and laughed uproariously. After his laughter subsided, he pointed a finger at Gold Crane and roared, "If you don't hand them over, you die!"
Oowoo!
—A roar of Dragon-Elephant Fury shot into the sky, deafening and shaking Gold Crane and the others to their cores.
"Old Man Hong, let me tell you, this is no longer the chaotic era of the Ancient Times! The Chixiao Sect is long gone, and the Chixiao Monarch died ages ago! Wake up! Even your own disciple, even your own descendants, know that a wise man submits to circumstances! This is the Present Era! The Present Era Immortal Dynasty rules the world! This time, thousands of Immortal Officials have entered the Northwest Immortal Estate. With just a few of you, you think you can kill me?"
Oowoo— Another roar of Dragon-Elephant Fury sounded.
"Incense Master Cao Xian of the Black Underworld Banner, under Old Master Blackwater of the Chixiao Sect, is here!"
From the distance, a group of twenty or so Chixiao People rushed over. Leading them was an incense master of the Black Underworld Banner, who shouted furiously, "I wonder if adding us old men will be enough!"
"Incense Master Wende of the Black Underworld Banner, under Old Master Blackwater of the Chixiao Sect, is here!"
Immediately after, another roar of Dragon-Elephant Fury erupted.
"Incense Master Gao Ming of the Black Underworld Banner, under Old Master Blackwater of the Chixiao Sect, is here!"
Roars of Dragon-Elephant Fury came one after another, wave upon wave, as Chixiao People rushed in from all directions. Chixiao People overseeing various branch halls appeared one after another. In a short while, nine old incense masters led two to three hundred Chixiao People, charging over with overwhelming killing intent.
Oowoo— Suddenly, dragon roars exploded in the western sky, and furious elephants stamped the ground. Looking over, the sky seemed dyed crimson by Bloodsha, with numerous Dragon-Elephant spirits roaring and clawing within the bloody haze—there were hundreds of them.
"Banner Master Tang Zhan of the Black Flame Banner, under Old Master Blackwater of the Chixiao Sect, is here!"
Good heavens!
Banner Master Tang, the leader of the Black Flame Banner—another banner under Old Master Blackwater—had arrived from the west with nine incense masters and over three hundred Chixiao People.
Following that.
From the eastern direction came another wave of Dragon-Elephant Fury. Bloodsha surged into the sky as Dragon-Elephant spirits roared angrily—again numbering in the hundreds.
"Banner Master Huang Sha of the Black Wind Banner, under Old Master Blackwater of the Chixiao Sect, is here!
Who dares act recklessly!"
Looking over, they saw Banner Master Huang leading nine old incense masters and several hundred Chixiao People charging over in a grand formation.
Thus, all three Black Banners under Old Master Blackwater had assembled.