8:00 PM.

Guangdong Martial Arts Hall.

The Martial Arts Hall was especially lively tonight. After the afternoon’s meeting, the massive venue had been swiftly converted into a grand ballroom. Outside, numerous vehicles were parked, as many prominent figures from Guangdong Prefecture had been invited to attend.

Inside the Martial Arts Hall, rows of long tables were draped in pristine white tablecloths. Exquisitely arranged pastry trays and fruit platters sat on the tables, creating a distinctly Western-style atmosphere. Waitstaff moved through the hall, attending to the guests’ every need.

"That portly old man over there, is that the Yuehai shipping magnate An Lirong? He’s a real big shot. The An Family has been in Guangdong for a century, right? They’re incredibly well-connected."

"The young woman next to An Lirong is Shen Lianzhi, the one they call the ’Southern Nightingale.’ They say she’s famous throughout the countries of the Southeast Sea Region. It’s impossible to get a ticket to her shows. I heard she’s going to perform a solo piece later tonight."

"And that tall woman, the ’Southern Number One Dan,’ Feng Mengshi! And over there, that old man in the floral shirt is Wang Ziming, the tycoon of Yuehai’s fishing industry..."

"The Four Great Sects really live up to their name. Their influence in Yuehai is terrifying. All these celebrities and major families have to show them respect. With the Giant Spirit Army backing them, there’s probably no one in all of Yuehai they can’t summon."

"And this is all just thanks to the prestige of those few elders from the Four Great Sects on the committee. The real shot-callers haven’t even shown up."

"I thought the Four Great Sects’ reputation would take a hit after that whole mess with Zhao Qi. How ridiculous that seems now. The influence of the Giant Spirit Army and the Four Great Sects is too deep-rooted to be shaken by one minor incident. From now on, we should just keep our heads down and play along."

"..."

Throughout the banquet hall, the masters and disciples of many Martial Arts Schools whispered among themselves, recognizing the many famous figures in attendance and marveling at the terrifying power and influence of the Four Great Sects.

Notably, the Giant Spirit Sect hadn’t sent anyone to this banquet. It was all organized on the prestige of the few leaders from the Four Great Sects who made up the Martial Arts Conference Committee.

According to the discussions from the afternoon meeting, the Martial Arts Association was to be reformed from a loose organization into a formal one. A committee, formed by the Four Great Sects and a few other powerful schools, would manage all the civilian martial arts halls in Yuehai.

In reality, however, all the power was held by the Four Great Sects.

With this change, all civilian martial arts halls would effectively become subordinate organizations to the Four Great Sects. And since the Four Great Sects were the most loyal supporters of the Giant Spirit Sect, this meant all civilian martial arts forces were now under the Giant Spirit Sect’s jurisdiction.

Anyone who had previously harbored any dissenting ideas now had no choice but to abandon them.

The four leaders from the Four Great Sects on the Martial Arts Conference Committee were currently the most celebrated figures in the hall.

The Four Great Sects were, in fact, divided into two tiers: the Military Department and the Jianghu.

The core experts and true upper echelon of the Four Great Sects actually held positions within the Giant Spirit Army, following the Giant Spirit Sect on campaigns across the land. Geniuses like the Ten Heroes were all destined to eventually join the military.

The slightly weaker members, on the other hand, would be sent down to manage the Jianghu affairs of the Four Great Sects.

The current leaders of the Martial Arts Association from the Four Great Sects were of this type. Although they were part of the Four Great Sects, they ultimately only managed Jianghu affairs. Within their own sects, their say was actually very limited.

But after the reformation of the Martial Arts Association, everything was different. Their power had skyrocketed. They now held sway over the entire Yuehai Martial Arts Realm, and their status had naturally soared along with it.

Before, with only their own influence in Yuehai, they could never have invited so many of the region’s top elites without invoking the names of their sects’ upper echelons.

But now, with the Martial Arts Association’s restructuring, even the elites they couldn’t invite before had no choice but to show them face.

The four committee members, led by the Mountain and River Sect elder Lu Wenshui, moved through the hall. Prominent figures from all circles came to offer toasts and chat, all with respectful attitudes. The four men were greatly enjoying the attention, each of them flushed and beaming with pride.

In truth, they weren’t concerned about Zhou Lie’s disappearance or the heavy losses among the Tenth Level members of the Four Great Sects. They were even secretly delighted by it.

After all, Zhou Lie had been their direct superior and had intended to cultivate the Martial Arts Association as his own power base. If he were here, all the attention would be on him, and he would have seized most of the power for himself. What place would be left for them?

The same was true for the Four Great Sects’ Ten Heroes; they were all destined for the military and, strictly speaking, not under their jurisdiction.

It was precisely because none of those people could make an appearance that they were able to bask in such glory.

As for Zhao Xuanqi? He wasn’t even a factor in their considerations.

No matter how strong he was, he was still just one man. What threat could he possibly pose to them?

The banquet continued for a while. At around nine o’clock, Lu Wenshui and the other three men ascended the stage together, preparing to give a speech.

They stood on the high platform in the center of the hall. The crowd fell silent. The stage lights shone down on them, creating a magnificent and imposing sight.

As the primary leader of the Martial Arts Association, Lu Wenshui picked up the microphone, ready to speak.

Suddenly, the unexpected happened.

High above, a shadow flew in from the distance, like a giant, tattered sack that had been tossed through the air.

’What is that?!’

THUD!!

While Lu Wenshui and the other three stood there, momentarily stunned, the shadow slammed onto the front of the high platform. The entire stage trembled slightly. The stage lights instantly illuminated the shadow, revealing its true form to everyone present.

It was a tall man in tattered clothes. His limbs were bent backward, twisted into a state that made one’s skin crawl. The blood on his body had long since dried and caked over, turning his skin a bruised, purplish-blue. His tongue lolled out, his eyes were wide and staring as if about to pop from their sockets, and his neck was limp. The man had clearly been dead for some time.

’A corpse?!’

An uproar erupted!

As the crowd got a clear look at the shadow, a shocked uproar erupted, punctuated by the screams of women terrified by the gruesome sight of the corpse.

’How could a corpse just fly in like that?! What is going on?!’

The entire hall was thrown into a panic. Clearly, something terrible had just happened.

’This is...’

At that moment, Lu Wenshui and the other three men on stage were closest to the body and could see it most clearly. They quickly identified the corpse.

’Zhou... Zhou Lie?!!’

The realization sent a chill down their spines. The radiant, beaming expressions they wore just moments ago vanished without a trace. Their eyes went wide with utter disbelief.

’Zhou Lie is dead?! Why is his body here?!’

WHOOSH!!

Just then, another whistling sound came from high up in the Martial Arts Hall—from the same direction the body had flown!

Everyone immediately looked up and witnessed an utterly shocking sight.

A massive, terrifying figure leaped down from the scaffolding holding the ceiling lights of the Martial Arts Hall. He spread his arms like the wings of a falcon, his huge frame resembling some kind of savage Fierce Beast.

From within the shadows, a pair of eyes, blazing with intense killing intent, shone so brightly they were soul-stealing, daring anyone to meet their gaze.

At that moment, the crowd felt as if they were seeing a winged tiger descending from the heavens. This was no creature of the real world, but a terrifying Fierce Beast from ancient mythology, come to devour everything in its path!