Unrestricted Dao Lord

’Zhang Su... He’s going to Hengshan County too?’

Bai Jinghong’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Of course, he knew Zhang Su.

In fact, apart from the Inner Sect Stewards who had been dispatched to preside over the various prefectures and counties, there wasn’t a single Inner Sect Disciple present who didn’t know who Zhang Su was.

It was only recently that the battle between the Celestial Prides Yu Hualong and Shi Buyi had stolen the spotlight from Zhang Su within the Inner Sect.

Otherwise, the biggest topic of conversation in the Inner Sect would most likely still be the various stories surrounding Zhang Su and Wei Yunzhou.

Zhang Su paid no mind to the crowd’s gazes.

In truth, he was observing them as well.

He saw a few familiar faces, like Yu Jingjing from Bamboo Sword Peak.

However, Zhang Su also noticed the slightly older, weather-beaten Martial Artists.

These were all Inner Sect Stewards over thirty, some even over forty years old.

They might not have been as dazzling as the Inner Sect Disciples.

But in terms of pure combat strength, these Inner Sect Stewards over thirty were far more fearsome.

After all, once they became Inner Sect Stewards, they had more time and energy to focus on cultivating their Martial Techniques, thereby increasing their combat power.

Zhang Su patted Little Red Horse.

The horse was quite spirited, trotting around near Zhang Su.

Zhang Su, meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the ground and waited quietly.

About an hour later, more than ten figures emerged from the gate.

There were eleven figures in total. Each one wore a solemn expression, and their bodies all radiated a faint fluctuation of Inner Strength. They were clearly all Postnatal Realm Elders.

Among these Postnatal Realm Elders was an acquaintance of Zhang Su’s: Elder Wang Dakui of Little Stone Peak.

’I didn’t expect Wang Dakui to be going to Hengshan County this time. Master never mentioned it.’

’It must be the result of the discussions between the major Martial Veins over the past few days.’

Many of the disciples recognized these eleven figures.

Ten of the Elders were from the Sect’s Ten Great Martial Veins.

Roughly one Elder from each vein.

The extra one was Elder Tang Tianwen, from the Sect Leader’s own branch.

The fact that even an Elder from the Sect Leader’s branch was mobilized showed how much importance the Sect’s upper echelon placed on the mine in Hengshan County.

"We rest for a quarter of an hour, then depart!"

Elder Tang Tianwen issued the first command in a loud voice.

And so, everyone began their final preparations.

Just then, Wang Dakui walked to the side and beckoned to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su immediately stood up and went over to Wang Dakui.

"Greetings, Elder Wang."

Zhang Su bowed respectfully to Wang Dakui.

Wang Dakui waved his hand dismissively. "This all happened so suddenly. The Sect Leader made a last-minute decision that each of the Sect’s Ten Great Martial Veins must send one Postnatal Realm Elder to lead a team. I am representing Little Stone Peak."

Zhang Su couldn’t help but ask, "Elder Wang, in this conflict over the Hengshan County mine, will Postnatal Realm Martial Artists be allowed to fight?"

Wang Dakui shook his head. "Don’t worry, it hasn’t reached that point yet. Although neither the Guiyuan Sect nor the Five Elements Sect wants to give up the mine in Hengshan County, it’s not yet time for an all-out war between our two sects. Therefore, the scale of the conflict will be controlled."

"Martial Artists at Pill Force or higher from either sect are forbidden from participating! We Postnatal Realm Elders are only leading the teams to Hengshan County to ensure everything goes smoothly, but we won’t be fighting directly."

Zhang Su understood.

’It made sense that the two sects would control the scale of the conflict.’

’If Postnatal Realm or even Innate Realm masters were to fight at the drop of a hat, it would be a case of the snipe and the clam grappling while the fisherman reaps the rewards. Neither sect would stand to gain anything.’

’Pill Force...’

Zhang Su muttered to himself.

’He now had a rough idea why the restriction was set at a cultivation level below Pill Force.’

Inner Strength was divided into Outer Force, Inner Force, Huajin, Pill Force, and Gang Force.

Pill Force was also known as Embracing Pill.

If Outer Force, Inner Force, and Huajin were all about accumulating Inner Strength, then Embracing Pill was more focused on the explosive power of that Inner Strength.

Below Pill Force, a single unit of Inner Strength could at most unleash seventy to eighty percent of its power.

But upon successfully Embracing Pill and attaining Pill Force, that same unit of Inner Strength could erupt with several times, or even more than ten times, its original power.

This resulted in Danjin Martial Artists having astonishing combat power, creating a massive gap between them and Huajin Martial Artists.

For most Martial Artists, Embracing Pill was a threshold that was incredibly difficult to cross.

Every Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect was considered to have a certain degree of talent in the Martial Dao; otherwise, they would never have entered the Inner Sect.

But even so, most Inner Sect Disciples remained at the Huajin level for their entire lives, unable to achieve Embracing Pill.

If the two sects limited the conflict to below Pill Force, the level of danger would be significantly reduced.

Otherwise, if Danjin masters were to fight against Outer Force, Inner Force, and Huajin Martial Artists, a mere touch would be fatal, and a graze would mean serious injury. The losses both sects would suffer would be catastrophic.

That was a price neither sect could afford to pay.

"Although Danjin Martial Artists won’t be fighting, you’d better not underestimate Huajin Martial Artists, kid. A true Huajin Martial Artist isn’t some half-baked amateur like Wei Yunzhou. What’s more, the Five Elements Sect has plenty of older experts with astonishing combat power—Huajin masters who have no hope of advancing their cultivation and have instead focused all their energy on cultivating Martial Techniques."

"Before we left, Old Cripple asked me to look after you. I only have one demand for you: if you run into a Huajin Martial Artist, run! Don’t try to be a hero!"

Elder Wang Dakui warned Zhang Su earnestly.

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Wang. I will take it to heart!"

Zhang Su bowed to Wang Dakui, then returned to his spot.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly.

Everyone had more or less finished their preparations.

With a wave of his hand, Tang Tianwen leaped onto his horse.

"Depart!"

And so, under the leadership of the eleven Postnatal Realm Elders, the vast procession descended the mountain.

Although the Guiyuan Sect’s contingent was large and numerous,

every single person in the group was a Martial Artist, and each had a horse, so they traveled at great speed.

It took them only the better part of a day to reach Hengshan County.

The Guiyuan Sect had already sent some Inner Sect Stewards to arrive in Hengshan County ahead of time.

As a result, a base of operations had already been secured: a vast estate.

It was said to be the manor of a wealthy merchant from Hengshan County.

The interior was opulent, with carved beams and painted rafters.

As soon as the group entered the estate, several Inner Sect Stewards came forward to greet them.

"Inner Sect Steward Qin Shan pays his respects to the Elders!"

"Qin Shan, you’ve been in Hengshan County for some time. What’s the current situation here?"

Tang Tianwen asked immediately.

Qin Shan respectfully reported, "Replying to the Elder, the situation in Hengshan County is rather complex. Previously, both our Guiyuan Sect and the Five Elements Sect abided by our agreement and did not interfere in the county’s affairs. As a result, Hengshan County has been occupied by numerous Jianghu factions."

"These Jianghu factions are led by the Celestial Eagle Tower. The Tower itself isn’t a particularly cohesive force; it’s merely an inn that provides a resting place for Jianghu People and also deals in some intelligence. All sorts of characters from the Hengshan County Jianghu, the good, the bad, and the ugly, all frequent the Celestial Eagle Tower."

"The Tower Master’s real name is Chen Tianying, and he is a Huajin Martial Artist. Currently, quite a few Jianghu People are staying at the Celestial Eagle Tower, and there’s no shortage of other Huajin Martial Artists among them..."

Everyone listened to Qin Shan’s report.

Tang Tianwen’s gaze turned cold. "It was one thing in the past to tolerate those Jianghu Martial Artists, but we are about to clash with the Five Elements Sect over the mine. Having those Jianghu Martial Artists involved is a nuisance no matter how you look at it."

"Therefore, we need to clear the field!"

Tang Tianwen’s gaze swept over the crowd.

Many understood Tang Tianwen’s meaning.

’He was going to make an example of the Jianghu Martial Artists in Hengshan County!’

’Especially the Celestial Eagle Tower.’

’Now that the Guiyuan Sect was in Hengshan County, they wouldn’t allow the Celestial Eagle Tower to exist.’

"Zhou Peng, take some men to the Celestial Eagle Tower at once and disperse those Jianghu Martial Artists. If any refuse to leave, kill them without mercy!"

Tang Tianwen said coldly.

"This disciple obeys!"

Zhou Peng stood and accepted the order.

He had an ordinary appearance and carried a long saber. At first glance, he was completely unremarkable.

But Zhou Peng was a disciple from the Sect Leader’s branch with a Huajin Cultivation, and his strength was considerable.

"Elder Tang, will clearing out the Celestial Eagle Tower count for contribution points?"

An Elder from the Cyan Wood Peak branch suddenly asked.

"Of course it counts!"

At this, everyone understood.

"Bai Jinghong, you go as well."

"Yes, Elder."

Bai Jinghong stood up, and the Guardian by his side rose as well, never leaving his side.

"Yu Jingjing, you go too."

The Elder from Bamboo Sword Peak also spoke.

Yu Jingjing had come down the mountain to comprehend the transformations of Power. The Celestial Eagle Tower was full of Jianghu Martial Artists who weren’t particularly strong, making it a perfect opportunity for her to get some practice.

Many disciples were eager to go.

’Getting contribution points just for clearing out a bunch of Jianghu Martial Artists? This was a fantastic opportunity!’

’After all, Jianghu Martial Artists were much easier to deal with than the people from the Five Elements Sect.’

Just then, Wang Dakui also called out to Zhang Su, "Zhang Su, you go with them."

"Thank you, Elder Wang."

Zhang Su stood and bowed to Wang Dakui.

He was thanking Wang Dakui.

’After all, he wasn’t from one of the Martial Veins, and opportunities like this were usually prioritized for their disciples.’

Tang Tianwen said nothing, allowing the various Martial Veins to call out their disciples.

The final number wasn’t actually that large, just over thirty Martial Artists.

But among these thirty-odd Martial Artists, thirteen of them were Huajin Martial Artists.

’To deal with a mere Celestial Eagle Tower, that was more than enough!’

"Zhou Peng, you lead the team. Go quickly and return quickly!"

"As you command."

Zhou Peng immediately led the group of over thirty people away, heading straight for the Celestial Eagle Tower.

...

「Hengshan County, Celestial Eagle Tower.」

Although it was only dusk and not yet fully night, the Celestial Eagle Tower was already brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Many Jianghu People were gathered on the first floor.

SMASH.

A crisp sound rang out.

One of the Jianghu People, having had a bit to drink, violently slammed his cup on the ground and began shouting and cursing, "For how many years has Hengshan County been our playground, for us Jianghu People to roam free? Why is everyone so timid now? This is no way to live!"

"So what if the Guiyuan Sect and the Five Elements Sect are coming? We’ve knocked around the Jianghu for so many years, living with our lives on the line every day. Are we really supposed to be afraid of them?"

The Celestial Eagle Tower, which had been boisterous and noisy just a moment ago, instantly fell silent.

The news that the Five Elements Sect and the Guiyuan Sect were going to fight over the iron ore mine in Hengshan County had already caused a huge stir, and nearly every Jianghu Person in the Celestial Eagle Tower knew about it.

And they all knew that the days ahead for Jianghu People like them were probably going to be difficult.

BANG.

Just then, the main doors of the Celestial Eagle Tower were violently kicked open, and a group of Martial Artists in Guiyuan Sect attire surged in from outside.

"Guiyuan Sect business! Who is Chen Tianying? Get out here and answer!"

Although Zhou Peng’s voice wasn’t loud, it was resonant and powerful, and could be heard throughout the entire Celestial Eagle Tower.

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