Forcing the Hand

"Cough, cough..." The bloody man finally came around. The woman in court dress had only aimed to forcibly suppress his injuries, reviving him so she could question him about what had happened. He was severely wounded and could not possibly recover so quickly. Though conscious, he remained exceedingly weak, coughing as if his heart, liver, and lungs were about to tear free, looking like a mortal on the verge of death from a grave illness. It was unclear what secret technique the woman in court dress had used; after reviving the bloody man, her own aura had grown utterly disordered, showing she had exhausted herself considerably. The Gatekeeper helped the heavily depleted woman to her feet before finally remembering to cleanse the gore from the bloody man. A wisp of spiritual power swept over the bloody man, washing away the blood and filth to reveal his features. Beneath the soiled blood was the face of a middle-aged man in his forties. He must have been quite plump originally, but now his entire left cheek had been cleaved away by some sharp weapon, exposing gleams of shattered white teeth. In addition, a long saber slash crossed the bridge of his nose, which had nearly split his head in two. The cut ran right beside his eyes—any higher, and he would have lost his sight. Both wounds were horrifying to behold, rendering his countenance truly ghastly, and everyone present could not help drawing a sharp breath. Earlier, fearful of interfering with the woman's efforts to save him, no one had dared probe the man with their spiritual sense or spiritual power. But upon seeing his true face now, someone in the crowd suddenly cried out in shock. "Senior Brother Liu, how could it be you?" A figure then darted out of the crowd, rushing to the wounded man's side. Someone instantly recognized the newcomer. "He is Qiao Jiang of the Xuling Sect!" "So this man is a disciple of the Xuling Sect as well! How did he end up in such a state?" Qiao Jiang pushed past the Gatekeeper and gently supported the cultivator surnamed Liu. "Senior Brother Liu, it is Qiao Jiang! We met before at Mount Dixuan—do you remember?" Qin Sang had long heard of the Xuling Sect's Mount Dixuan. Within the Xuling Sect stood a marvelous mountain named Mount Dixuan. It was said that this mountain did not rest on the surface, but was hidden deep underground—a mountain within a mountain. Beneath the Xuling Sect lay a subterranean fire vein reputed to be the largest in the Lesser Cold Domain, entirely under the sect's control. This subterranean fire vein was extraordinary; it converged beneath the sect's gate, where the earth had been hollowed out completely. Inside the subterranean cavern, a peculiar small mountain stood suspended directly above the fire vein. Touching neither the heavens above nor the earth below, it hovered in midair, baked and tempered day and night by the fire vein. Over countless years of evolution, the rock transformed, giving birth to a peculiar flame that resembled earth fire yet was distinctly different and far more potent. Supposedly, this flame could be used in forging magic treasures; when Core Formation cultivators of the Xuling Sect crafted magic treasures, drawing upon the flames of Mount Dixuan spared their own core fire. The Xuling Sect was adept in artifact crafting, and because of this marvelous flame, Mount Dixuan was hailed as the foundation of the sect! The jade slip Shopkeeper Wu had given Qin Sang contained a record of that Golden Core cultivator crafting an artifact atop Mount Dixuan with the aid of the wondrous fire. "Junior Brother Qiao..." The cultivator surnamed Liu finally recognized his fellow sect member, his voice feeble and whistling through his broken teeth. Seeing this, Qiao Jiang was overjoyed and urgently pressed, "Senior Brother Liu, what in the world happened? How did you sustain such terrible wounds?" "I... cough, cough..." Having just regained consciousness from his coma, a hint of confusion lingered in his eyes, and he fell into another violent bout of coughing. Qiao Jiang helped steady his breathing and quickly explained, "Senior Brother Liu, this is the trade fair... Just how many people from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance came? Speak quickly and tell us clearly! With so many fellow Daoists here, we can avenge you..." "Trade fair..." "Right, the trade fair!" The cultivator surnamed Liu seemed to awaken as if from a dream. Bracing against Qiao Jiang's palm, he pushed himself up abruptly and said urgently to the Gatekeeper, "Where is Master Pei Qin? Quick, invite Senior Pei to save them..." The onlookers were startled by his words. Only Core Formation cultivators were entitled to the honorific title of Master. The expert behind the trade fair was actually a Core Formation cultivator! No wonder they dared organize a trade fair in a place like this. Many also felt fortunate that they had curbed their greed and refrained from breaking the fair's rules. In the past, there had been no lack of troublemakers causing a scene at the fair, only for every last one to vanish without a trace—their fates were easy to imagine. What followed was a tremendous sense of security; their hanging hearts settled somewhat. If the sky fell, the tall would hold it up. At least with a Core Formation cultivator present, they had a pillar of support. Even if disaster struck, they would not be entirely powerless to fight back. Their gazes swept toward the passageway leading down to the hall's second subterranean level. Could the cave abode of this Core Formation cultivator named Pei Qin lie beneath the hall? Unexpectedly, the Gatekeeper gave a dry laugh. "Daoist friend, this humble one does not know any Pei Qin, nor do I know who you are speaking of..." Before the Gatekeeper could finish, the cultivator surnamed Liu drew a deep breath. He suddenly raised an arm high, gripping a gleaming token. Tilting his head back, he stirred his spiritual power and shouted in a raspy voice, "This disciple was accompanying Martial Uncle Fang and Master Shentu of the Yuling Sect when we were ambushed and besieged by multiple Golden Core cultivators of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance! The situation is dire! Martial Uncle Fang and Master Shentu are trapped, and ordered this disciple to rush to the trade fair and beseech Master Pei Qin to lend his aid! The message has been delivered—I beg Master to take heed!" His voice echoed throughout the entire hall. Having uttered all this in a single breath, the cultivator surnamed Liu exhausted the last of his strength. His body went limp, collapsing back into Qiao Jiang's arms as he lost consciousness once more. Clang! The token fell to the floor. Cast from profound iron, it bore an archaic character: "Han"! "You..." The Gatekeeper had not been able to stop him in time, and now stomped his foot in fury. The expressions of the crowd varied. Everyone had heard of the existence of this token; it was said that they were exceedingly rare, held by only a handful of individuals. To counter the Heaven-Traversing Alliance, the various sects of the Lesser Cold Domain had cast aside their prejudices and joined hands in full cooperation. To see the token was to stand before a Nascent Soul senior. In times of crisis, once invoked, no one was permitted to disobey—not even Golden Core cultivators—unless they no longer wished to survive in the Lesser Cold Domain. Judging from the Gatekeeper's attitude, he had clearly wanted to avoid disturbing his master and muddying their hands in this affair, only to be backed into a corner by the cultivator surnamed Liu right before everyone's eyes. The token carried immense weight and granted great authority. Yet it was not something that had to be obeyed without exception. If the cultivator surnamed Liu had approached in private and Pei Qin had no wish to intervene, he could easily have feigned ignorance, claiming never to have received the order, and simply slaughtered the messenger to erase all traces. With no evidence left behind, no one could hold him accountable. Unfortunately, today was the day of the trade fair. Dozens of people were present, including disciples from the Eight Righteous Sects and other sects, who had witnessed this with their own eyes. There was no concealing it. Unless... With so many people here, surely they wouldn't slaughter everyone to silence them? Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts filled with dread, not daring to make a reckless move. With so many Foundation Establishment experts present, they did not necessarily fear a single Core Formation cultivator. Yet on someone else's territory, none of them could be sure whether a terrifying killing formation lay hidden within the hall. Besides, they were a loose sheet of sand, incapable of standing united. The moment a chance appeared, each would surely flee for their own life, and the slowest would meet certain death. They could only hope that the Core Formation cultivator named Pei Qin was not a madman; otherwise, dying here would be a truly senseless end.