"Just what kind of people are those? They're all Spirit World Masters—and those wearing gray robes, are they really the legendary Gray-Robed Spirit World Masters? How can there be twenty of them? Twenty Gray-Robed Spirit World Masters!!!"
A sect disciple with considerable knowledge cried out in shock, and after that, exclamations erupted one after another. Every single person present had been awed by this group of unknown Spirit World Masters.
The six Guardian Elders of the Azure Dragon Sect had dark lines across their foreheads, their minds filled with unease. They were terrified—terrified that the arrival of these Spirit World Masters would spell trouble for their Azure Dragon Sect.
If a single white-robed Spirit World Master could bring an entire second-rate sect to heel, then a single Gray-Robed Spirit World Master could command several first-rate sects at once.
Now, what did these several hundred white-robed Spirit World Masters and twenty Gray-Robed Spirit World Masters represent? Never mind that they were merely a few hundred people in number—if they so wished, they could probably bring every sect in Qingzhou to their service, mobilizing tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of troops. That kind of rallying power was simply beyond imagination. How could such a group of towering figures be something that their tiny Azure Dragon Sect could afford to offend?
And it wasn't just the Azure Dragon Sect that was uneasy—virtually everyone was on edge. Even Gong Tianping, the City Lord of Xuan Wu City, and the sect masters of the various first-rate sects were no exception. Everyone was wondering where these important figures had come from and what had brought them here.
"Look! That insignia on their chests—they're from the Spirit World Guild!" Suddenly, a first-rate sect master cried out in alarm.
"The Spirit World Guild? The organization that gathers the most outstanding Spirit World Masters from across the Nine Provinces Continent, the overlord-level power of Jie Zhou—are they really from the Spirit World Guild?"
Hearing those words, every important figure in the VIP viewing stands couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath, and the shock that had already been written on their uneasy faces deepened further.
What was the Spirit World Guild? Ordinary people might not know, but the sect masters of the various factions were well aware—it was not merely the dominant power in Jie Zhou, but one of the strongest forces in all of the Nine Provinces.
Because the Spirit World Guild harbored the strongest Spirit World Masters across the Nine Provinces, every powerful faction went to great lengths to maintain good relations with it. Even the Jiang Dynasty, the supreme overlord of the Nine Provinces Continent, maintained close ties with the Spirit World Guild, conducting secret dealings with them.
If the Lingyun Sect was considered the foremost sect of Qingzhou, compared to the Spirit World Guild, it didn't even amount to a fart. The Spirit World Guild was the true colossus—one of the great powers that lorded over the entire continent.
What shocked people was this: how could such a formidable group of figures come to Qingzhou? How could they come to the Azure Dragon Sect? Hadn't they always looked down on Qingzhou, disdainful of setting foot here?
Under the cries of countless onlookers and the gaze of nearly a million eyes, the members of the Spirit World Guild stood upon that enormous Combat Platform, each of them completely shrouded in their Spirit World robes, their faces entirely hidden from view.
Suddenly, a white-robed Spirit World Master stepped forward, walking to the front of all the Spirit World Masters. Before the eyes of the crowd, he slowly raised both hands and lifted the brim of the hood that concealed his face.
In that instant, every gaze locked onto him, hearts beating in rhythm with his movements. People desperately wanted to know what kind of face lay beneath that hood—what the appearance of someone from the Spirit World Guild truly was.
"It's… it's actually him?" The moment the hood was pulled back, everyone from the Azure Dragon Sect couldn't help but cry out in astonishment, for they saw a face they knew all too well.
But compared to the shock and bewilderment of the disciples and elders, Gong Luyun's expression was far more dramatic. His brows were tightly knit, his eyes narrowed, his fists clenched, his entire body trembling—every inch of him radiating four words: absolute disbelief.
"Who… who exactly is this young man?" Under the disbelieving cries of countless people, under the utterly astonished stares of the crowd, those who didn't know the truth eagerly demanded answers.
"He… he… he is the young man who challenged Gong Luyun one year ago—the Azure Dragon Sect's Core Disciple, the very protagonist of today's duel—Chu Feng!!!"
"What? He's Chu Feng? Does that mean he became a Spirit World Master at such a young age? That he joined the Spirit World Guild at this age?"
"Is that true? You're not joking with me, are you? Wasn't Chu Feng supposed to be a waste? How could he have such a status, such a background?"
"There's no mistake—he's our Azure Dragon Sect's disciple, Chu Feng without a doubt!!!"
Once the name Chu Feng spread through the crowd, those who had never laid eyes on him were plunged into shock as well. And when another white-robed Spirit World Master stepped forward, lifted his hood, and spoke a single sentence, the people present were stunned all over again.
"Six Elders of the Protector Pavilion, what are you thinking?! Hurry up and receive the honored guests of our Azure Dragon Sect—the friends from the Spirit World Guild!!!" It was Zhuge Liuyun. At this moment, he was also wearing the insignia of the Spirit World Guild, and with his head held high, he pointed at the Six Elders of the Protector Pavilion and bellowed.
At that moment, the Six Elders of the Protector Pavilion had long since been thrown into confusion. Although they were the overseers of the Azure Dragon Sect, when had they ever witnessed a scene like this? They stood frozen in place, at a complete loss for what to do.
"You six old fools, are you still not going to come and receive the guests?!" Seeing this, Zhuge Liuyun shouted once more.
"At once!" This time, the Six Elders of the Protector Pavilion finally snapped back to reality. Not daring to hesitate, they scurried over with eager steps and respectfully ushered the members of the Spirit World Guild, along with Zhuge Liuyun, to the best seats in the VIP guest viewing area.
And although the faces of the Spirit World Guild's experts were concealed beneath their Spirit World robes so that no one could see their features, the nods they gave to the Six Elders of the Protector Pavilion showed that they did not look down on the elders, nor did they look down on the Azure Dragon Sect. On the contrary, they were quite courteous—they had truly come to the Azure Dragon Sect as guests.
"Heavens, they really are guests of the Azure Dragon Sect! But how could the Azure Dragon Sect have managed to invite such figures? Could it be because of this scheduled battle? Because of Chu Feng?"
"Incredible, truly incredible! Many people have been calling Chu Feng a useless nobody, but he's already become a Spirit World Master and has even joined one of the most powerful forces on the entire continent—the Spirit World Guild."
"People kept saying Chu Feng had no backing, but he went and brought over the overlord force of the Spirit Domain. In front of the Spirit World Guild, forget about Xuanwu City, forget about those first-rate sects—even the Qilin Manor and the Lingyun Sect probably wouldn't dare be too arrogant. Can you still call that having no backing? Can you still call that having no strength?"
At that moment, people sighed endlessly and exclaimed again and again. Many cast aside all restraint and voiced their admiration openly. As for those who had repeatedly belittled Chu Feng and believed he stood no chance, most of them hung their heads in silence.
In particular, Su Hen, the City Lord of Vermilion Bird City, had a look full of regret on his face. He sighed to himself in his heart: "I never imagined this Chu Feng was so formidable. Not only has he become a Spirit World Master, but he's also forged a connection with the Spirit World Guild, the overlord of the Spirit Domain. Had I known his talent was this heaven-defying, I should never have let Xiao Rou and Xiao Mei keep their distance from him."
P.S. Dear readers, you've been incredibly supportive—the solo-chapter vote count for chapter 234 has already surpassed 1,000! It looks like today is destined to be an eight-chapter update day. But don't let up—keep pushing, push it to the max! The all-time solo-chapter record for Shura is 2,000 votes. I want to see, on this Dragon Boat Festival day, how high you can push chapter 234. Can we break that record of 2,000?
Regardless of whether we break the record, I know 1,500 is absolutely no problem. Since the outcome is already settled, the Bee will naturally work as hard as possible to write. The Bee is clumsy-handed and not fast at typing—writing eight chapters in a single day is absolutely a limit, a real challenge. But since you've all been so supportive, I have no choice but to give it my all. I have to keep my word and not let you all down.
Keep pushing those votes up! If you have flowers, send them flying! If every chapter released today breaks a thousand votes, then tomorrow the Bee will keep working hard and commit to releasing five chapters tomorrow.
What are you all waiting for? Push it up together! Let everyone see the power of us Martial God readers! Let them see the dominance of us Martial God readers—go!