The 14th day of the eighth month in the third year of Fengtian.

Tianguang County, Jinding Sect, was bustling with activity.

A series of greetings rang out, and many martial arts figures arrived.

"Senior brother, I'm so bored!"

At the entrance to the Golden Cauldron Sect, Cao Tengfei and Jiang Xue stood to one side.

Whenever guests arrive, Cao Tengfei greets them with a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they had someone lead the guests inside.

"Junior sister, why don't you go for a stroll?"

Cao Tengfei looked at Jiang Xue helplessly.

Originally, it was he and another junior brother who were supposed to greet the guests.

Jiang Xue insisted on helping, but naturally, she only made things worse.

"Senior brother, do you dislike me?"

"Junior sister, I am... Master Duan, welcome, welcome!"

Upon seeing someone approaching, Cao Tengfei immediately stepped forward.

The visitor was Duan Chenyao, the renowned rogue cultivator from Tianguang County, also known as Iron Palm.

He was also one of the few eighth-rank aerial martial artists among the rogue cultivators.

Following Duan Chenyao, three other rogue cultivators from Tianguang County—the Wandering Swordsman Wei Yuan, the White-haired Old Man Yan Shou, and the Cold River Guest Qi Feng—arrived one after another.

Compared to the other four major powers in Tianguang County, the Golden Cauldron Sect has the best reputation in the martial arts world and the best relationship with independent cultivators.

All of this is because the Golden Cauldron Sect controls 90% of the pill business in Tianguang County.

It is precisely because of its various unique elixirs that the Golden Cauldron Sect is able to remain aloof and not participate in the conflicts of the martial world.

Just as the banquet was about to begin, four consecutive "Greetings" came from the mountain gate.

"The Hai family, Hai Wubo, Third Master Hai has arrived!"

"The Wang family, Wang Tongxun, Second Master Wang has arrived!"

"The Shahe Gang, He Yishen, the great hero He has arrived!"

"Li Zhi, the great hero of the Purple Lightning Sword Sect, has arrived!"

As the four figures arrived together, an old man with white hair and a youthful face flew out from the mountain gate and landed steadily there.

"Greetings, Master!"

Cao Tengfei and Jiang Xue stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Tengfei, Xiaoxue, you've worked hard!"

"Master, it's not tiring at all!"

Danyangzi nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the mountain gate.

Today is his 70th birthday, and the other four major powers of Tianguang County have come together, which makes him feel both honored and troubled.

The four major powers do not have a good relationship.

The Hai and Wang families are engaged in open and covert struggles in officialdom, while the Shahe Gang and the Zidian Sword Sect are constantly clashing in the martial arts world.

If we're not careful, they might actually start a fight.

At the mountain gate, four groups of people walked up the mountain side by side.

Although only four names were called, there were certainly more than just four people who came to offer their birthday wishes.

"Four of you, please come in?"

"Senior Danyangzi, you're too kind!"

"How could I allow you to personally greet me, senior?"

Upon seeing Danyangzi, Hai Wubo and the other three quickened their pace and stepped forward.

Although Danyangzi's status was comparable to theirs, his seniority was higher than that of Hai Wubo and the other three.

"Senior brother, I'm off!"

Without waiting for Cao Tengfei's reply, Jiang Xue ran towards the sect.

Cao Tengfei took a closer look and naturally understood why Jiang Xue was running away.

Among the four major forces, there are all individuals who are heroic and dignified.

Hai Jia Hai Fukang, Wang Jia Wang Teng, Sha Hebang Sha Fanyun, Zi Dian Jian Zong Lei Xiaohan.

These four men were the ones who openly pursued Jiang Xue in Tianguang County.

Others, even if they liked Jiang Xue, dared not say it outright.

"Senior Brother Cao, is Xiaoxue in the sect?"

"Haifukang, is it you who calls Xiaoxue?"

"Wang Teng, are you looking for trouble?"

"If you're not convinced, let's have a go!"

The older generation can still maintain their composure, but these young people cannot.

These two idiots are already fighting before they've even seen anyone. No wonder Junior Sister Jiang looks down on them.

Cao Tengfei stepped forward and separated the two, saying, "Today is my master's birthday..."

"Lord Ye, Commander of the Zhenwu Commandery of Guang County, has arrived!"

Just then, the sound of greetings rang out again.

The people who were climbing the mountain all looked down.

A slightly overweight middle-aged man walked over. He was dressed in casual clothes and not wearing his official robes.

"Brother Fan, it's your 70th birthday, and I don't have anything good to give you."

Ye Changfeng said with a smile, "What do you think of the position of leader of the Tianguang County Martial Arts Alliance? I'll give it to you if you like."

Upon hearing his words, the martial arts figures standing around him perked up.

"Ye Changfeng, you've gone too far!"

"Ye Changfeng, are you here to cause trouble?"

"Arrogant!"

"With so many fellow martial artists here, how dare you act so presumptuously!"

Before Fan Danyang could speak, Hai Wubo and the other three spoke first.

"Lord Ye, I'm already this old, please don't joke with me!"

"Hahaha, Brother Fan is so smart, he saw right away that I was joking."

"Lord Ye, please come in!"

"Let's drink! Let's drink!"

Ye Changfeng walked past the four people and stood shoulder to shoulder with Danyangzi.

......

"What a shrewd Ye Changfeng! How dare he be so arrogant!"

"Brother Hai, if you think he's arrogant, just go up and beat him up."

Wang Tongxun said with a smile, "As long as you make a move, I'll be the first to stand up and help you."

"Hmph, Wang Tongxun, do you think I'm a fool?"

Hai Wubo glanced sideways at Wang Tongxun.

"Do you even have a brain?"

Wang Tongxun smiled and looked at Hai Wubo.

"Hmph, just you wait until Danyangzi's birthday banquet is over!"

......

"I thought there was more to come, but it ended just like that!"

"But this Commander Ye is truly formidable, daring to openly provoke the five major powers!"

Do you think the Martial Arts Alliance can be established?

"We think it's useless; we need to see how the big shots vie for power!"

The martial artists were all discussing it.

"Elder Yan, what's your opinion on the Martial Arts Alliance matter?"

"No need to look, it's impossible!"

"Why is Elder Yan so certain? I see Ye Changfeng coming with great force; he doesn't seem like someone who's easy to deal with."

Duan Chenyao and the other two looked at Yan Shou.

"All talk and no action; this commander probably doesn't even want to establish the Martial Arts Alliance himself."

"The reason he did this might be to create a false impression for Lord Nangong."

"Perhaps the five major powers have already reached an agreement with him."

"Old Yan really saw things from afar!"

"Mr. Yan's insight is brilliant."

"I even considered going to see Ye Changfeng, but after hearing what Elder Yan said, it all became clear!"

"It's just a matter of being a few years older!"

Yan Shou sighed, "The martial world is becoming increasingly turbulent. We should stay in touch more often in the future, otherwise, if we die one day, no one will even know!"

......

Just as the banquet was in progress, a member of the Shahe Gang walked straight up to He Yishen.

"Vice Chief, news has come from Guangnan County: Hall Master Qian has been murdered!"

Upon hearing this news, He Yishen's face turned terribly gloomy.

The Shahe Gang, under its leader, is also divided into factions.

The deceased Qian Decai was one of his men.

"Elder Fan, there's an urgent matter at the gang that I need to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"

After saying that, He Yishen got up and left without waiting for Fan Danyang's reply.

......

"Boss, according to the information, that Li Fan is only in his early twenties."

"Should we investigate his background first?"

"I agree!"

After Liu Mou, the deputy leader of the Shahe Gang, finished speaking, Chen Qing, the leader of the Qinglong Hall, immediately expressed his approval.

"Did my Black Tiger Hall leader of the Shahe Gang die in vain?"

He Yishen looked around with a somber expression. "In this martial world, there are plenty of young-looking martial artists."

"And there's no guarantee that Li Fan might be some old geezer in disguise."

"If the Shahe Gang is so easily intimidated, how will they maintain their standing in the underworld?"

"Yi Shen, don't worry, I only suggested that we investigate first, I didn't say we wouldn't take revenge!"

Liu Mou calmly replied, "It's not too late to take revenge after we've investigated the matter thoroughly!"

"Hmph, by the time you find out who it is, they'll have already run away!"

He Yishen stood up and looked at Sha Tongtian, the leader of the Shahe Gang, "Leader, please give the order immediately. I will take my men and set off immediately to bring back Li Fan's head."

"Go and kill everyone connected to Li Fan."

Sha Tongtian waved his hand and said, "Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be killed without mercy!"

Within the territory of Tianguang County, apart from the other four major powers, no one can touch the Shahe Gang.

This is an attitude, and also a taboo subject.

"Yes, sir!"

......