"The Flying Spirit Gate really dares to be arrogant. Knowing that Elder Du has arrived, they still didn't come out to welcome him," said a group of more than ten people led by a disciple of the Flying Spirit Gate towards the hall. "Sect Master Deng, why bother with these formalities? Let's go have a look first." The person leading the group, wearing a grey robe with long hair, around fifty years old, had a hint of a sinister look in his eyes.
"So it really is the distinguished guests from the Ghost Martial Sect. My apologies for the late welcome," said several figures appearing, namely Li Lin and five elders.
"You are..." The leading elderly man in the grey robe and white hair immediately stopped, his gaze falling on Li Lin.
"This is our Sect Leader of the Flying Spirit Gate," Hu Nansheng said.
"Young Li Lin. Your demeanor is extraordinary; I presume you must be Elder Du of the Ghost Martial Sect," Li Lin said with a grand smile. Having already been informed by Soul-enticing Poison Duke Dong WuMing about him, Li Lin could guess that this man was the eightfold Martial General Du Yunshan that Dong WuMing had mentioned.
Surprised to be recognized, Du Yunshan was momentarily taken aback.
Li Lin quickly scanned the group. With a total of fifteen people, this group was indeed filled with experts. Apart from Du Yunshan, there seemed to be two others with the cultivation of Martial Generals, while the rest, without exception, were Martial Souls. Among them, a large man and three elders caught Li Lin's attention, specifically Sect Master Deng Fengliang of the Rakshasa Gate and three Rakshasa Gate elders, one of whom was the last to attack Li Qing.
The strength of this group, with three Martial Generals, one of whom was an eightfold Martial General, and the rest being Martial Souls, was enough to completely destroy the Flying Spirit Gate. However, with Soul-enticing Poison Duke Dong WuMing present, these people wouldn't gain much advantage, but the rest of the Flying Spirit Gate disciples would face a calamity.
Observing Du Yunshan, with his long grey robe and hair, exuding a cold aura and an overwhelmingly oppressive presence, it was clear he was a formidable practitioner.
"To be the Sect Leader of the Flying Spirit Gate at such a young age is indeed surprising. Our visit has disturbed you," Du Yunshan said lightly, his expression unchanging.
"This person is difficult to deal with," Li Lin thought to himself, then smiled and said, "Guests from afar, I must host you well regardless, please come inside."
"That would be great, then we shall impose," Du Yunshan replied lightly, following Li Lin into the hall.
Li Lin felt wary; Du Yunshan's powerful and unemotional demeanor made him a challenging opponent.
Once everyone was seated, Li Lin instructed his disciples to serve fine wine and delicacies, maintaining a smile without saying much.
"You are the Sect Leader of the Flying Spirit Gate. Why did you kill so many elders and disciples of my Rakshasa Gate previously? Killing people from my Rakshasa Gate is akin to killing people from the Ghost Martial Sect. I demand an explanation in front of Elder Du," Deng Fengliang couldn't hold back any longer, glaring at Li Lin.
"The Rakshasa Gate? My disciples from the Flying Spirit Gate haven't left our premises recently, so I'm not sure where this accusation of killing Rakshasa Gate disciples comes from," Li Lin feigned surprise, then asked in shock.
"You still dare to argue? It was within your Flying Spirit Gate that Elder Xu Fuguan was first killed, followed by Han Changsheng and numerous elders and disciples of my Rakshasa Gate. The Flying Spirit Gate has quite the audacity, not only disregarding my Rakshasa Gate but also the Ghost Martial Sect?" Deng Fengliang said angrily.
"Shameless," Li Lin cursed silently, finding Deng Fengliang's attempt to link the Rakshasa Gate with the Ghost Martial Sect despicable.
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"I also hope for an explanation from the Flying Spirit Gate regarding this matter, as this area falls under the Ghost Martial Sect's jurisdiction. We cannot overlook such incidents," Du Yunshan said, his face twitching slightly.
"Elder Du, may I ask you a question first?" Li Lin asked modestly.
"Of course," Du Yunshan found no reason to refuse.
"If someone uninvited barges into the Ghost Martial Sect, speaking disrespectfully, how would the Ghost Martial Sect deal with it?" Li Lin asked softly.
"Death without mercy," Du Yunshan replied coldly.
"Elder Du, as you've heard, the people from the Rakshasa Gate were killed within the Flying Spirit Gate. I recall now, a few days ago, some people came uninvited and were disrespectful towards our members. I thought they were from some rude mercenary group, so we killed them all. It turns out they were from the Rakshasa Gate. With the renown of the Ghost Martial Sect, isn't the Rakshasa Gate tarnishing your reputation?" Li Lin said lightly, looking at Deng Fengliang and Du Yunshan.
Upon hearing this, everyone from the Ghost Martial Sect was taken aback, not expecting the young man to be so sharp-tongued. In the ancient domain, power speaks for itself. The Rakshasa Gate had the power to barge into the Flying Spirit Gate without issue, but the problem now was that Li Lin had dragged the Ghost Martial Sect into the matter.
In the ancient domain, the Ghost Martial Sect is a renowned sect, established on a foundation of conduct possibly more refined than that of the Rakshasa Gate. While certain actions may be carried out in secret by these major sects, they cannot be openly discussed, much like the Rakshasa Gate's intrusion into the Flying Spirit Gate. If it were the Ghost Martial Sect, they might have simply destroyed the Flying Spirit Gate, but without a justified reason, the Ghost Martial Sect would have to act covertly.
This is because major sects have reputations to consider. Once a sect like the Ghost Martial Sect gains a certain level of power and reputation, it must be mindful of its reputation. A bad reputation would lead to wariness and exclusion from other powers. Despite the fact that all major sects and clans act similarly in secrecy, they still have to appear reasonable on the surface.
"Sect Master Deng, is this true?" Du Yunshan turned to look at Deng Fengliang, his face twitching slightly, his heart sinking at the realization that he had been dragged into the situation. If he openly defended the Rakshasa Gate now, it would damage the reputation of the Ghost Martial Sect, which is far more valuable than that of the Rakshasa Gate.
"This..." Deng Fengliang was startled and glared at Li Lin, then angrily said, "That's not true. Elder Xu of my Rakshasa Gate came to inquire about the circumstances after his cousin Huang Haibo was killed by the Flying Spirit Gate, only to be killed by the Flying Spirit Gate. My Rakshasa Gate came to ask why Elder Xu was killed, resulting in over a hundred disciples being slain by the Flying Spirit Gate."
"Huang Haibo was a traitorous elder of my Flying Spirit Gate, who conspired to kill the former Sect Leader of my Gate. His death at the hands of my Gate has nothing to do with your Rakshasa Gate. Did your Rakshasa Gate come to seek justice for conspiring with Huang Haibo against my Gate's former Sect Leader?" Li Lin suddenly shouted coldly, a chill enveloping Deng Fengliang.
"You know nothing of the heights of the sky or the depth of the earth. Today, I will destroy your Flying Spirit Gate," Deng Fengliang's eyes flashed with a killing intent, and with a cold huff, he leaped forward, his right fist unleashing fierce hot Qi towards Li Lin. The punch tore through the air, creating ripples in space and making the air crackle with its violent energy, spreading a scorching aura throughout the hall.
As Deng Fengliang made his move, Du Yunshan slightly raised his eyebrows but did not intervene.
Seeing the ferocious punch coming, Li Lin's first instinct was to flee, knowing he was no match for Deng Fengliang's eighth-level fire Martial Soul.
"Petty Martial Soul, get back," a cold voice suddenly rang out in the hall. Hearing this, Li Lin, initially ready to flee, immediately sat back down with a smile.
At that moment, dozens of black lights burst out towards Deng Fengliang's punch, tightly wrapping around it and detonating in mid-air.
"Pop pop pop..."
With each explosion, Deng Fengliang was forced to step back until a black light destroyed his punch's energy and burst into his fist.
"Bang bang!"
Deng Fengliang was thrown back, crashing into the wall behind the hall, spitting out blood.
With this sudden turn of events, everyone's faces filled with shock, and they all stood up in a defensive stance.
"May I know which esteemed person is speaking? Could you please show yourself?" Du Yunshan, ignoring Deng Fengliang, along with two other Martial Generals, looked towards the back of the hall, their expressions filled with astonishment.
"Du Yunshan, it's not your place to know who I am. You're not qualified. Go back and tell Old Ghost Dai that the Ghost Martial Sect need not interfere with the affairs of the Flying Spirit Gate, or else I might pay the Ghost Martial Sect a visit. As for the Rakshasa Gate, the Flying Spirit Gate will take over their duties. Whatever tribute the Rakshasa Gate was paying to the Ghost Martial Sect, the Flying Spirit Gate will continue to pay," a cold voice echoed throughout the hall, striking everyone like thunder, leaving them dazed and confused.