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Chapter 87: Striking
After Zhao Jiudou took charge of the Zhao Family, he made significant moves. The ancestral ground of the long-standing enemy, the Li Family, was breached by sand monsters, resulting in the destruction of the Li Family. Seizing the opportunity, the Zhao Family emerged and coerced the remaining cultivators of the Li Family, extracting substantial benefits from them. All the possessions taken by the Li Family from the Zhao Family in the past were recovered one by one.
The disappearance of those remaining Li Family cultivators was attributed to Zhao Jiudou's clandestine actions. His ruthlessness made many people wary. Presently, Zhao Jiudou's reputation within the Zhao Family had reached its peak, even surpassing the family head, Zhao Yanbei. Even if Zhao Yanbei returned to the Zhao Family at this time, it was uncertain whether he could do anything to Zhao Jiudou. Apart from forces with Foundation Building cultivators, the surrounding cultivator factions were reluctant to provoke him easily.
As a long-standing enemy of the Zhao Family, the Taiyi Sect, if not for Zhao Family's current focus on extracting benefits from the Li Family, Zhao Jiudou's momentum would have already clashed with the Taiyi Sect.
Meng Zhang glanced at Zhao Jiudou, feeling cautious but not overly concerned. Zhao Yanbei, the family head of the Zhao Family, and many Refining Qi stage Zhao Family cultivators were still serving hard labor in the Singing Sand Mountain. Regardless of Zhao Jiudou's completion of Refining Qi stage, the Taiyi Sect also had a Spirit General, Deep Earth, at the Refining Qi stage. Deep Earth's power at its peak was comparable to that of a Gold Core stage cultivator. Even if its current strength hadn't fully recovered, it was not something Zhao Jiudou could handle. Deep Earth, being the most crucial trump card, was something Meng Zhang did not want to use easily, which allowed the Zhao Family cultivators to be arrogant.
After Meng Zhang and the others sat on the cushions for a while, guests from various factions began to enter the square and take their seats.
It was only when the beautiful celestial music started playing that the noisy square began to quiet down. Several figures flew over from not far away, accompanied by the melodious music, and slowly landed on the high platform.
As these figures appeared, the once boisterous square became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone's respectful gazes were directed towards the high platform, whether genuine or pretentious, showing their respect and fear for the Foundation Building cultivators.
Among the Foundation Building cultivators standing in the middle was an old man with white hair. "I am Xu Yishan from the Forest Mountain School. I believe there is no need for introductions, as all of you should already know me."
"Next to me are Brother Ruan from Golden Blade Sect, Daoist Guang Hong from Forest Spring Watch, and Aunt Jin from Qiaoshou Sect. They are all renowned figures, and I don't need to introduce them further."
Speaking until here, Xu Yishan politely arched his hand towards the crowd below and then waved to the person beside him. "This time, I want to introduce to you our disciple, Lin Shenpo."
"Thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, Lin Shenpo has successfully reached the Foundation Building stage and has become one of us."
"This dharma meeting is not only to celebrate Lin Shenpo's success in Foundation Building but also to share some cultivation experiences with everyone."
As Xu Yishan spoke, a middle-aged man with a cold gaze and expression walked forward and stood in front of him. He respectfully saluted the crowd below before stepping back behind Xu Yishan. Throughout the whole process, there was no expression on his face, even on such a joyous occasion as his own Foundation Building dharma meeting.
"Lin Shenpo has always been like this. Everyone should not take offense. He usually focuses on cultivating and seldom interacts with outsiders," Xu Yishan explained casually.
"Enough with the chitchat; let's not waste any more time. Since you all came to participate in this dharma meeting, I believe you must be looking forward to Lin Shenpo's teachings," Xu Yishan continued. As Xu Yishan was speaking, two figures flew over from a distance. "Brother Xu, we were delayed on the way, and we're sorry for arriving late," their voices rang out before the two figures arrived above the scene.
Upon seeing the two people, the faces of several Foundation Building cultivators on the high platform changed slightly. Even Lin Shenpo, who usually maintained his composure, raised an eyebrow.
"We are truly sorry for being late, Brother Xu. Today is a joyous day for your Forest Mountain School, and yet, we come as uninvited guests," one of them said.
"The two of you are guests that we at Forest Mountain School are honored to have. There's no need for other pleasantries," Xu Yishan said warmly.
"That's right, with two experts from Twin Success Valley present, Forest Mountain School shines even brighter," added another Foundation Building cultivator on the high platform.
"Brother Xu, we rarely have the opportunity to visit, so we must take advantage of today and spend some quality time together," they said.
The two Foundation Building cultivators were known to most people present, Dan Yihu, the new foreign affairs elder of Twin Success Valley, and Shan Ying, the enforcement elder of Twin Success Valley.
"Daoist Guang Hong from Forest Spring Watch is also here; what a rare guest," Dan Yihu said with a playful smile as he looked towards Guang Hong Daoist.
"Lin Shenpo is related to my family's Lin Clan and is considered our kinsman. Naturally, I have to join the celebration of his Foundation Building dharma meeting," Guang Hong Daoist calmly replied, not backing down.
"Ah, I almost forgot, Daoist Guang Hong is also a descendant of the Lin Clan."
"As the saying goes, spilled water cannot be retrieved. Since Lin Shenpo's ancestors have already left the Lin Clan, your ties to the Lin Clan are not significant, so there's no need to linger on it," Dan Yihu said, and Guang Hong Daoist lowered his gaze, choosing not to argue.
"But, considering the old ties, it's also understandable for Daoist Guang Hong to attend," Dan Yihu added.
"Coming here as guests, Twin Success Valley's presence is an honor for Forest Mountain School. We dare not be negligent," Xu Yishan replied with a smile.
The people sitting on the square maintained silence while several Foundation Building cultivators conversed. Some perceptive individuals sensed the underlying tension in the conversation, which aligned with the information Li Xuan had shared with Meng Zhang earlier. Consequently, Meng Zhang had a rough idea of the situation.
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