As a true warrior king, Lei Su could entirely control her emotions, her overbearing manner just that, a manner. Still, she allowed herself to go wild.
Mainly to support her cultivated image. Also, Bai Qi had proven himself worthy of the invitation to the [White Grove] sect. Despite not using a sword or any weapon, his character and strength were already something she could vouch for, dispelling her doubts about why she had entered the entire thing.
And offending some run-of-the-mill 4th-tier power as the [Go-Zan Sect] was a negligible matter, one which she wouldn't even consider as to report, not to mention if it helped her to get closer to what appeared to be a true rogue genius, something already described by Lei Guying but which Lei Su already started to feel herself.
***
With a renowned cultivator like Lei Su acting, one who was above in fame and level even to the [Go-Zan Sect] headmaster, Go Huang, Yuwen Dong couldn't even dare to interfere, wishing to disappear from the spot if he could. But he couldn't not, and as the one who had invited the now defeated champion, it was his place to step up and try to solve the situation,
But regretfully for him, he wouldn't even have the chance to draw out a plan, as a powerful aura swept over everyone present, including the suppressed Zan Guo and Go Dai, the latter unable to even withstand it as he dropped to his knees and puked blood, the injuries caused by Bai Qi aggravating further.
While one could say that it was Dongpo Ao's fault that he failed to maintain the lands and riches he had obtained by himself, showing too much trust in his own family, the latter simply incapable of following his steps as they should, no one could say he was dense.
From appearing when he had to releasing Bai Qi in an overbearing manner, from trying to convince the young genius of his friendliness to not interfering in the duel that Bai Qi was to fight, Dongpo Ao had once again shown that he was one to fear not only because of his cultivation but also because of his intelligence.
And now, having such a good chance, how could he miss it? No matter if he was a Warrior Emperor and Bai Qi was just a Warrior Lord, the powers behind the latter were all-powerful, so solving the issue between his family and city, or even getting the youngster ingratiated with him was something that Dongpo Ao would never miss. And he didn't.
"As an invited party, I suggest the [Go-Zan Sect] people to leave. Do not get implicated in an event where you were just a participant and have no more say than winning or losing." As his powerful aura subjugated everyone else present, Dongpo Ao controlled a small part of it to make both Zan Guo and Go Dai rise into the air before sending them towards outside the [Sima] manor, a clear indication that with their participation finished, they should either keep to themselves or leave the city entirely.
"As for most of us, who have arrived here to accompany young friend Bai Qi before retiring for more pressing matters, I should say the same." Dongpo Ao continued before inviting the unpredictable but present powerhouses, including his daughter and the city's cultivators to retire.
After letting, for a moment, the fact that nearly every one of the Warrior Kings and he himself had come just for Bai Qi's sake sink into the heads of the two noble families under his rule, he concluded, "Both the [Yuwen] and [Sima] local clans have always been a pillar of support for the [Eastern Inscription City], and while they had this undesired disagreement, I do hope that you will make peace after the relevant deeds are transferred, and look towards working together in the future, avoiding such incidents."
With his speech concluded, Dongpo Ao sent a powerful aura current to surround Bai Qi, taking him away as he left. Before he did, though, as no one had dared to even speak in his presence, maybe except for the outside powerhouses, but the latter had nothing to add and followed after him, he suddenly added, "Young Lady Sima, I congratulate you on having such keen advisors and the mind to choose a champion as Young Friend Bai Qi, and I hope that now that you have proven your worth as the successor of your father, you will rise to become one of the true pillars of the [Dongpo]'s. And until you do, I hope you allow us to help you as it should be."
While Dongpo Ao didn't specify if he meant the city, the clan, or just his closest family, his words were enough for Yuwen Dong to understand that the era of Sima Yijun had arrived, one in which no one could act against her without permission from Dongpo Ao himself, and if someone did, there would be repercussions. Yuwen Dong felt increasingly depressed as he realized that he not only had to give up the land lost today, but all the other conflicts and small gains he had previously won would have to be given to Sima Yijun.
***
Bai Qi was still angry about how the [Dongpo] had treated him, but he couldn't deny that Dongpo Ao had made an effort to smooth things over. It was evident that most of it was done to appease Bai Qi and his unexpected supporters, but it was still a significant gesture. If Bai Qi wanted to pursue rulership, he had to understand and accept such actions, regardless of his desire to seek revenge against someone's grandson.
As a result, Bai Qi didn't resist Dongpo Ao's influence and allowed himself to be escorted out of the Sima's grounds. He left his previous thoughts behind and focused on trying to understand the important matters that Dongpo Ao wanted to discuss.
Matters that would turn out to be the arrival of the two people he had met less than a week ago, with nearly two days before they would actually meet up.
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Neither Gao Xiulan nor Lei Guying had much to do after parting with Bai Qi. But on the other hand, they understood that if the latter had asked them for a week, they should give it to him, at least to show their sincerity in befriending and inviting him to their respective powers.
Granted, both the [Yuxuan] city and [White Grove] sect had sent someone to protect and monitor Bai Qi. Still, even the elders thought it would be better to wait a week if the objective was to be completed, especially now, when two significant powers were involved in the same matter. No one wanted to be the one to break the balance or affect prospects.
But, the plan had changed, and both groups rushed towards the [Eastern Inscription City], their previous restraint turning into a mix of worry and expectations.
For one, Bai Qi had not only been captured by the [Dongpo] clan, but another power suddenly interfered, one which neither the [Yuxuan] city nor [White Grove] could ignore, the [Pan Trade Company]. With these two, it was even unclear what could give them an opportunity or what could affect their overall plans. They rushed towards the city after learning, from a report from both of their people, that Dongpo Ao had broken his seclusion. He wasn't just a 1st level Warrior Emperor anymore, but an actual 3rd level one, and got involved in the matter as well!
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Grand Meeting room of the [Eastern Inscription] city's palace, two hours after [Sima] clan's events.
For the first time in ages, the [Throne] of the city lord was empty, as the actual lord, Dongpo Ao, still not present as on the rights of the host, would take a seat an arrangement of tables done in such a manner that no one could above others, with only his position at the head singling him as the host.
Granted, the rules of seating were still present, but with three different powers present, four including the [Dongpo], Dongpo Lian, under her father's orders, had arranged a square table, with each outer power facing the host as equals.
On the upper, closer to the throne side, the [Dongpo]'s clan sat; most of their powerhouses, including Minister Tang, Zhu Gao, Dongpo Lian, Dongpo Zan, and several high-level clan members or commanders around them.
To the right and left, equaling in seats and honors, the chair arranged in such a manner that neither side was above the other, even if it did go against the left and right hand etiquette, the cultivators of the [Yuxuan] city and [White Grove] sect sat. Both powers were represented by such an array that if not for their pretty peaceful intention of coming to the city to take Bai Qi with them for a planned visit of which he had already learned, even Dongpo Ao would have become nervous.
On the right, a young girl in brocade robes, with rich ornaments and the plaque of the city, occupied the spot. While just a Warrior Lord, no one would dare to call her out of her seat, not with an actual warrior Emperor sitting next to her.
Gao Zhuli may not have been well-known, but her aura as an Emperor was undeniably strong, even surpassing those of the 1st level Emperors who had previously visited the hall. As the sister of the current head of the Gao clan, which ruled over [Yuxuan] city, she had never been involved in conflicts and had not needed to be. Nonetheless, her aura was that of a warrior, contrary to her appearance as a woman in her thirties, with long flowing hair and a brocaded dress, who might typically be mistaken for a courtier. Nonetheless, with her cultivation and the fact that her daughter, the young Warrior Lord Gao Xiulan, was the second in line for the Gao clan, it was evident that she was not an easy woman to contend with.
With several Warrior Kings, of which the most renowned would be not Zhu Chen but another peak Warrior King called Du Ten, who had already made a few appearances in the war with the [Demon Worshipping] region but had come here under orders of Gao Tang, the current lord of [Yuxuan] city, there would be no one brave enough as to disrespect the group.
And it would be the same for the group on the left, where the same situation - a young Warrior King sat at the leader spot - while cultivators far above him acted as his escort. And while Lei Guiying from the [White Grove] sect was pretty renowned, with him having beaten people above his cultivation and standing, rivaling or even able to surpass someone as Go Zan, he wouldn't be able to sit in the seat of honor if not for the people near him.
Lei Su was already a renowned maverick and lauded as a future [Sword Empress] of the [White Grove], but even she was seated two spots away from their group's leader, Lei Guying. And the two in the spots in between were of such power and renown that no matter how brave someone was as to speak against a Warrior Lord being at the head, they wouldn't dare. After all, Lei Qiang was a renowned Warrior Emperor who had reached the peak of the 3rd level and was considered no less of a genius than his brother, Lei Zhi, the current keeper of [White Grove Sword], a 5th level Warrior Emperor, Lei Su's grandfather. With nearly a hundred years of age difference, Lei Qiang was just a few years older than Dongpo Ao and probably even more powerful than the latter. With his relationship with Lei Su, who would even dare to question something?
As for the man who occupied the third seat of honor on this side, he was only a Warrior King. Even if in a peak state, his renown could be said to be far below Lei Su, as well as his danger level. Or at least so it would appear in the open, as the people who actually knew about Lei Guying's mother-side [An] Clan's star, An Zhuo, this man, they would fear him more than anyone inside the room. While his deeds were mostly hidden, and his looks were always shrouded by the mysterious [Chaos-Mist Body] he had cultivated, only a few instances of him assassinating geniuses and even two weaker Warrior Emperors of the [Demon Worshipping] region had already reached the ears of many powerhouses, showing that his heaven-defying prowess had reached an impossible realm, in which he was undefeatable below the Warrior Emperor realm while not having achieved it.
An Zhuo's presence had surprised Dongpo Ao, whose consciousness had already roamed over the hall - far more than the other people present. After all, he had only learned a bit about the former. From that information, he could only consider that the very young - just 34 years old, with less than 27 years cultivated - junior could fight and win against the Warrior Emperors while being neither an old expert nor an Emperor himself. Even so, he had not allowed himself to show any emotion, knowing well that neither of the three Warrior Emperors present had failed to notice his look, which they didn't try to fight or contain only because of the rules between hosts and guests.
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In cultivation, some individuals would display a heaven-defying prowess, defeating opponents well above their level. This extraordinary ability, once seen in the Yellow Realm, often faded in higher realms. The secret levels of cultivation within each of the four parts of the Yellow Realm guaranteed such prowess, but certain weapons, skills, or cultivation methods could also yield similar results. Bai Qi was already an exception, with his volatile power only understood through his unique cultivation method, but still maintaining the 4-level prowess even as a Warrior Lord.
After all, even if some true geniuses could carry this prowess into the Warrior Lord realm, it would diminish with each level advanced. And became rarer and rarer, with it being nearly impossible to show in the Warrior King and Warrior Emperor stages. An Zhuo, who had never shown such prowess before, or perhaps hid it well, had astonished everyone as he assassinated two Warrior Emperors one after another. As a peak Warrior King, he defeated and even killed Warrior Emperors, an almost impossible feat!
Lower-tier powers attributed his success to the intervention of the heavens and gods, while a few discerning individuals suspected a secret method behind his rise. An Zhuo's unprecedented achievements and mysterious methods set him apart as a one-of-a-kind genius, far more dangerous than others.
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The fourth side of the square table, facing right across the host, was no less impressive than the others. While the occupants weren't of such high renown or power, the fact that the [Pan Trade Company] was represented by the latter's young master, Pan Tong, and counted with a - veiled but still evident - presence of a Warrior Emperor, plus a dozen of advanced Warrior Lords along a couple of Warrior Kings, including Protector Boling, whose half-transparent body and shadow marks attracted a lot of attention, made the 4-sided table appear more akin to war meeting than to the banquet it was supposed to be.
A banquet to welcome the three renowned powers held by the host, Dongpo Ao, as well as one too, on the latter's insistence, celebrate a young genius - Bai Qi, who had just proven his worth by defeating a renowned Warrior Lord as Go Zan while being two levels below in cultivation.
Funnily enough, even if it was Bai Qi the one who was celebrated, and the one that nearly every one of the present was in some degree related to, while Pan Tong claimed to be his friend and the other two powers declared their protection over him, Bai Qi wasn't even present in the hall, provoking not a small amount of discussions between the guests, even if done via qi-transmission, both the heads of the parties and the Warrior Emperors present following the traditions and waiting for the host side to speak first, even if they also wanted to know just where was Bai Qi, someone who not a few of them had seen arrive to the [City Hall], or even accompanied after leaving the [Sima] clan's grounds, before being singled out by Dongpo Ao and disappearing along the latter.