In response, a group of over thirty people appeared.
Among them were more than ten Elders from the Mingyu Branch Hall. These Elders were uniformly all Earth Immortals, but they were not comparable to the twenty-some Earth Immortals who had come earlier with Zhan Zhiming. Most of those Earth Immortals were false Earth Immortals who had achieved their status through shortcuts and luck, their foundations unstable and their reputations hollow. These dozen-plus Earth Immortals, however, were genuine Earth Immortals who had cultivated step by step. In other words, they had already attained Earth Immortal Cultivation Level nine years ago before the Heaven's Mandate Descended, making them true Earth Immortals.
What was even more terrifying was that among them were not only Earth Immortals who had undergone several body snatchings and rebirths, but also several Ancient Earth Immortals.
They might not all be Chixiao People, but during the ancient era when demons and monsters threw the world into chaos, they had all joined the Red-Zi faction to quell the turmoil and had rendered meritorious service. To put it plainly, some of them had not been Elders of the Mingyu Branch Hall before, but had later betrayed their former branch halls to join the Mingyu Branch Hall and pledge allegiance under Old Master Zhou Taihe.
One of them, an Ancient Earth Immortal whose Daoist title was Golden Crow, had previously been an Elder of the Mountain-River Branch Hall and had been on good terms with Old Master Feng Xu, Grand Elder Luo Yi, Heng San, and others. Unfortunately, for various reasons, he later defected to the Mingyu Branch Hall.
The reasons were complex.
Perhaps it was for the sake of his future prospects, or perhaps for the sake of his future path, or even more likely, for the sake of his family.
As for Golden Crow's departure, although Old Master Feng Xu, Grand Elder Luo Yi, and the others were very reluctant to see him go, they bore no resentment. Each person has their own aspirations; they never forced anyone.
Apart from the dozen-plus Earth Immortals, the remaining dozen or twenty people were the Chixiao People stationed at the Mingyu Branch Hall.
Unlike the Chixiao People stationed at the Mountain-River Branch Hall, all twenty of these Chixiao People from the Mingyu Branch Hall possessed Earth Immortal Cultivation Level. They had all achieved Earth Immortal status in the Present Era, and moreover, they had done so within just a few short years after pledging allegiance to Zhou Taihe. This was also one of the fundamental reasons why nearly fifty Red-Zi factions in the Yanluo Kingdom had defected to Zhou Taihe.
Back in the day, when Zhou Taihe tried to win over Old Master Feng Xu and the others, he had once said that as long as they pledged allegiance to him, he would guarantee that all the Chixiao People of the Mountain-River Branch Hall would achieve Earth Immortal status within five years.
Although Old Master Feng Xu and the others were very tempted, and had no idea what miraculous elixirs Zhou Taihe possessed, they ultimately refused.
The reason was simple.
They did not want to betray Old Master Black Buddha, nor did they want to betray the two words 'Chixiao,' and even less did they want to do anything that would make them feel ashamed before the Monarch.
The leader of the Chixiao People from the Mingyu Branch Hall was none other than Tan Tong, the former banner master of the Mingyu Banner under Old Master Zhou Taihe of the Chixiao Sect.
Since he was once a banner master of one of the Chixiao Sect's great war banners, he was naturally no ordinary figure. And indeed, the facts proved this true. Like Old Master Feng Xu, Tan Tong had already achieved Earth Immortal status back in the ancient era. In the Present Era, after following Zhou Taihe, his Cultivation Level had advanced by leaps and bounds. It was said that by now, he had not only fused the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant Spirit, but was also an Earth Immortal of the eighty-one harmonies. His strength was absolutely profound and unfathomable.
This time.
The Mingyu Branch Hall had brought over twenty false Earth Immortals led by Zhan Zhiming, and over twenty Heaven-Destined Prodigies with Earth Immortal-level strength led by Lian Hao, Shang Gong, and Zhongxing.
Plus a dozen-plus formidable Ancient Earth Immortals, and over ten fierce Chixiao People with Earth Immortal Cultivation Level led by him.
This lineup could not be described as anything less than powerful. It would not be an exaggeration to say they could wipe out the Mountain-River Branch Hall today. Even if the Mountain-River Branch Hall's hundred thousand disciples gathered on Fengxu Mountain, their strength was too weak; they simply could not contend with Earth Immortals. To put it plainly, with Lian Hao's Frozen Ice Creation alone, the area within a hundred meters became a completely frozen world. Dharma Aspect Grand Venerables couldn't even move, so how could they fight him?
The dozen-plus Chixiao People of the Mountain-River Branch Hall were also no match for Tan Tong and his dozen-plus Chixiao People. Liu Yue's strength might be profound and unfathomable, but no matter how profound, she likely could not withstand the powerful lineup the Mingyu Branch Hall had brought today.
A courtesy visit?
If it were really just a simple courtesy visit, why would the Mingyu Branch Hall bring so many experts?
"Brother Feng Xu, fellow Chixiao brothers, it really has been a long time!"
Tan Tong's appearance was not as aged as Old Master Feng Xu's; he looked like a radiant middle-aged man. Dressed in luxurious robes, with a steady temperament and quite the air of a grandmaster, he walked forward slowly, cupped his hands in salute, and greeted the Chixiao People of the Mountain-River Branch Hall with a smile on his face, appearing very amiable.
Since Tan Tong's intentions were clearly hostile, the Chixiao People of the Mountain-River Branch Hall naturally had no pleasant expressions for him. However, Feng Xu still nodded in acknowledgment and returned the salute. After all, in the ancient era, they had all been Chixiao brothers who had shed blood together. Even if they became enemies in the Present Era, even if they were about to fight each other, Old Master Feng Xu would do what should be done, and not a single courtesy would be omitted. Not only that, he invited them into the grand hall and arranged seats for them.
Of course.
In this setting, very few had the right to sit down.
On the Mingyu Branch Hall side, only Tan Tong and his dozen-plus Chixiao People, along with the dozen-plus Ancient Earth Immortals, took their seats. Apart from them, the over twenty false Earth Immortals, and even the twenty Heaven-Destined Prodigies, including Lian Hao, Shang Gong, and Zhongxing, could only stand.
It was the same on the Mountain-River Branch Hall side. After Old Master Feng Xu, Grand Elder Luo Yi, and the other Chixiao People sat down, the hundred-plus Elders of the Mountain-River Branch Hall also stood obediently. This included even a Heaven-Proud Daughter as profound and unfathomable as Liu Yue. Although she was the grand-disciple of Old Master Black Buddha, in terms of seniority, she was merely a junior.
However.
Apart from the old Chixiao People who had sat down on both sides, there seemed to be another young man currently sitting in a chair.
It was a man in white robes.
A young man who possessed no Cultivation Level, no Creation, nothing at all, whose physical body looked frail and weak. He leaned slightly to one side, resting against the right armrest, legs crossed casually, drinking wine sip by sip.
Seeing this man.
The expressions of Old Master Feng Xu, the other Chixiao People, and Liu Yue all changed slightly. Earlier, they had been so focused on dealing with the people from the Mingyu Branch Hall that they had completely forgotten about this person. They had thought this person would have the sense to leave on his own, but who could have imagined that this imposter pretending to be the Monarch was still sitting inside the grand hall.
What to do?
Chase him away now?
It was too late for that.
Now that the people from the Mingyu Branch Hall were in the grand hall, suddenly chasing him away—what would that look like?
It would be far too ridiculous and absurd.
But if they didn't chase him away, what then?
Just let him continue impersonating the Monarch here?
In this kind of situation, and right in front of the Mingyu Branch Hall?
Wouldn't that be a laughingstock? Those who knew would think he came of his own accord; those who didn't would think the Mountain-River Branch Hall was afraid, so they invited someone to impersonate the Monarch to bolster their courage.
Moreover, this fellow was still sitting in the chair right now. By the looks of it, he really intended to keep up the impersonation.
Liu Yue looked at Old Master Feng Xu. For a moment, Old Master Feng Xu also didn't know what to do.
At this moment, the people from the Mingyu Branch Hall also seemed to have noticed Gu Qingfeng's presence. Seeing him sitting in the chair, they were all quite curious in their hearts.