Among the twenty to thirty cities of the Jinxiu Great Domain, Shanhe City was not particularly renowned. This city was neither prosperous nor home to any great clans or major sects. In recent years, it hadn't produced any outstanding Fated Prodigies either, making it a city with relatively low presence.
But that didn't mean Shanhe City lacked important figures.
At the very least, the mansion of Old Master Fengxu, the former banner master of the Golden Glory Banner under the Black Buddha Old Master of the Chixiao Sect, was located in Shanhe City.
In the imagination of many, the Chixiao people of that era should have been fierce and savage characters. After all, legends said these Chixiao people forged their awe-inspiring Blood Fiend Aura from blood and crimson refinement, fused with ferocious beasts like the Great Hidden Dragon-Elephant. Moreover, having followed the Chixiao King in campaigns north and south, they were all veterans who had waded through seas of blood, having slain countless foes.
Such Chixiao people were inevitably murderous, imposing even without anger, fierce and violent.
And indeed, that was largely true.
The Chixiao King himself naturally needed no elaboration; his deeds had long spread across the world. Nowadays, even three-year-old children knew how utterly mad, cruel, and domineering the King had been back then.
Beyond him, the Chixiao Sect's nine towering heroes who held up the heavens, the eighteen princes who shook the world, the thirty-six heavenly stems who swept across all directions, and the seventy-two earthly branches who guarded the borders—almost every one of them was a fierce and savage character.
If even they were like that, how could the banner masters of the various war banners and the incense masters of the various war halls under them not be fierce?
Not vicious?
Perhaps.
But not absolutely.
Take Old Master Fengxu, for example. He was neither fierce nor savage. On the contrary, he was amiable, approachable, and a widely respected, virtuous senior. He held high prestige not only in Shanhe City but throughout the Jinxiu Great Domain and even within the borders of Yanluo Kingdom.
Under his leadership, the Red-Zi Faction's Shanhe Branch Hall grew stronger day by day, and Shanhe City itself gradually prospered because of him.
The old master was kind-hearted. Regardless of your background, even if you were just a beggar, as long as your character wasn't bad, you could unconditionally join the branch hall to cultivate. Therefore, the Shanhe Branch Hall had a great many disciples. It was no exaggeration to say that half the people in Shanhe City were disciples of the Shanhe Branch Hall.
The old master had no children of his own and had only ever taken one direct disciple in his lifetime: Zhan Zhiming, the current master of the Shanhe Branch Hall.
Speaking of this Zhan Zhiming, everyone in Shanhe City, high and low, was furious and resentful towards him.
He came from a poor background. As a young child, both his parents died. Old Master Fengxu, seeing his pitiful state, not only took him in but also accepted him as a direct disciple, treating him as his own son and imparting all he had learned in his lifetime.
To his credit, Zhan Zhiming was somewhat diligent. Although his innate talent and comprehension were average, and his aptitude wasn't particularly outstanding, under the old master's careful guidance, he still achieved modest success, cultivating a Nascent Soul manifestation. Nine years ago, when the Heavenly Mandate descended and the Great Nature bloomed with extraordinary colors, many cultivators received immense benefits. Zhan Zhiming was no exception. Seizing this opportunity, he broke through in one go, stepping into the Earth Immortal ranks.
Seeing his cultivation accomplishments, Old Master Fengxu felt assured enough to pass the position of Shanhe Branch Hall master to him.
Achieving Earth Immortal status and becoming the master of the Red-Zi Faction's Shanhe Branch Hall.
For Zhan Zhiming, this was absolutely a double blessing, a rare great opportunity in life.
Many people thought the Shanhe Branch Hall would grow even stronger under Zhan Zhiming's leadership.
But that was just wishful thinking.
One Heavenly Mandate, one burst of extraordinary colors, not only changed the trajectory of Zhan Zhiming's life, propelling him to the peak of his life, but also made him swell with pride, to the point where his very nature changed.
He transformed from a proper, steady, and resolute person into an ambitious, ungrateful wretch.
At first, he only threw his weight around within the Shanhe Branch Hall, amassing wealth on a large scale. Later, he gradually began to show disrespect towards his master, Old Master Fengxu.
What was even more detestable was that three years ago, when Old Master Fengxu was injured by several Fated Prodigies from the Red-Zi Faction, Zhan Zhiming not only failed to protect the old master but also didn't seek revenge for him afterward, not even speaking a single word in his defense.
If that were all, it wouldn't be enough to inspire such hatred!
The reality was, he publicly humiliated the old master for overestimating himself and provoking the Fated Prodigies. What made people grind their teeth in fury even more was that after humiliating the old master, he then curried favor with those very Fated Prodigies.
Three years ago, if Old Master Fengxu hadn't stopped him, the Black Buddha Old Master would have long since made a move to erase him!
At that time, Old Master Fengxu was severely injured and betrayed by his only direct disciple. His heartbreak was beyond description. Yet, he still pleaded with the Black Buddha Old Master to spare Zhan Zhiming's life, only severing their master-disciple relationship and expelling him from the Shanhe Branch Hall.
Alas.
Old Master Fengxu's great kindness and benevolence did not awaken any conscience in Zhan Zhiming.
After leaving, Zhan Zhiming showed neither a awakened conscience nor repentance. Instead, under the orders of the Black-Hearted Old Master Zhou Taihe, he joined the Mingyu Branch Hall. Over the next three years, he not only opposed Old Master Fengxu at every turn but also secretly poached elders from the Shanhe Branch Hall. To this day, nearly one-third of the Shanhe Branch Hall's elders had been lured away by him, not to mention countless disciples.
Nowadays, the mere mention of the name Zhan Zhiming was like naming a rat scurrying across the street—everyone wanted to beat him.
But that was as far as it went.
Although many people were furious in their hearts, when facing Zhan Zhiming, they dared to be angry but not to speak out.
Firstly, Zhan Zhiming's cultivation was not weak; he was an Earth Immortal. After defecting to Zhou Taihe, having consumed who-knows-what miraculous elixirs, his strength advanced by leaps and bounds.
That wasn't the important part. The important part was that he had defected to the Black-Hearted Old Master Zhou Taihe.
And the Black-Hearted Old Master was absolutely a major figure in Yanluo Kingdom who could cover the sky with one hand. He commanded over fifty Red-Zi Faction branch halls, a million followers, with experts as numerous as clouds under him. Edict Bearers, Fortune Responders, and even minor Heavenly Mandate Fated Prodigies served him. The scale of his forces and the strength of his power completely overshadowed the Four Great Clans and Seven Great Sects. Coupled with the backing of the Immortal Dynasty behind him, even the Yanluo royal family regarded him with caution. Within the borders of Yanluo Kingdom, he could summon wind and rain, with no one daring to provoke him.
It was night.
The moon was dark and the wind high.
An extravagantly luxurious spirit beast grand carriage was speeding through Shanhe City.
The grand carriage was entirely crimson-black, about three meters long and three meters high. Its exterior was exquisitely carved with jade, depicting dragons soaring and tigers leaping, vivid and lifelike, resembling a delicate palace. It looked extremely imposing. The grand carriage shimmered with a faint radiance, as if enveloped by layer upon layer of formations.
Pulling the grand carriage was a massive, two-headed lion-tiger beast. This beast was also entirely crimson-black, with one lion head and one tiger head, exceptionally ferocious.
Two-headed lion-tiger beasts were not common; in Yanluo Kingdom, you could count them on one hand. The owner of such a two-headed lion-tiger grand carriage was inevitably either wealthy or noble, and absolutely of great wealth and high status.
Indeed, that was the case.
As was widely known, the original owner of this two-headed lion-tiger grand carriage was the famous Black Buddha Old Master Dong Laohu, who later bestowed it upon Fei Kui to manage his business affairs.