Hearing this, the two elderly men said no more. Without delay, the Falling God Peak grandmaster took the two honored elders and descended the mountain toward Hundred Refinements City.
At the same time, on a hilltop several dozen miles from Hundred Refinements City, the Profound Yin Three Elders of Primal Yin Origin Sect, the two Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen and their followers, and the Great Yan Sword Sect's Silver Moon Sword Lord were all looking toward Hundred Refinements City in the distance.
The hilltop was deep in darkness and utterly still, and throughout the whole time not a single person had made a sound.
After a long while, the two Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen withdrew their gazes, looked at each other, and then hesitantly looked toward the white-robed elder, asking in low voices, "Elder, what is the situation in Hundred Refinements City? Why has everything gone so quiet after that sky-wide sea of fire disappeared?"
Hearing this, the white-robed elder furrowed his brow slightly and looked toward Hundred Refinements City, which had now fallen silent in the distance, but did not reply.
At that point one of the Profound Yin Three Elders suddenly spoke, "Since Falling God Peak has already had the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder make their move, the result goes without saying. That Great Li court martial artist has certainly already been dealt with."
Both helmsmen gave slight nods. Though they were too far from Hundred Refinements City to witness what was happening inside or to sense the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder's aura, after what they had seen before, they harbored the same thoughts as the Profound Yin Three Elders. How could anyone possibly be a match for an existence commanding such extraordinary power?
Among everyone present, only the Silver Moon Sword Lord was quiet and thoughtful, eyes on the sky ahead with a pondering expression.
Even though he also believed it was essentially impossible for something to have gone wrong with the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder, he kept feeling there was something slightly off somewhere.
At that point one of the Profound Yin Three Elders continued, narrowing his eyes, "Our coming here this time was not without its gains. Not only did we personally witness the Falling God Peak Honored Elders, who had never acted before, finally make their move, and see Falling God Peak's true and deepest reserves of strength."
"Beyond that, after this engagement, the Great Li court will have suffered serious losses in strength, and what follows will be the opportunity for us martial world sects. Perhaps the Great Li will become the next Great Wu."
At those words, the two Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen's expressions shifted. It was widely known that in the Great Wu, the martial world was strong and the court was weak.
If things unfolded as the Profound Yin Three Elders said, rather than the current situation where the martial world operated under the constraints of the Great Li court, the Great Li court would be the one deferring to the four great sects.
With that thought, a fire kindled in both of their hearts. But at that point the white-robed elder turned and glanced at the Profound Yin Three Elders with a cold smile, saying, "First you were talking about three sects joining together to destroy Falling God Peak, now you are making plans for the Great Li court. Your ambitions are not small. Though one does wonder whether you have the ability to match them."
Hearing this, the Profound Yin Three Elders' expressions went dark, and one of them said with cold menace, "Times have changed. Falling God Peak's foundation and strength clearly exceeded our expectations, and after tonight the Great Li court and Falling God Peak will inevitably be at each other's throats."
"An enemy of one's enemy is an ally. The previous plan naturally must be abandoned. Going forward, as long as the four great sects unite, the entire Great Li realm will answer to the martial world."
The white-robed elder narrowed his eyes but said nothing more.
There were things that were not his to decide. Whether the four great sects formed an alliance was for the Great Yan Sword Sect's sect master and elders to deliberate and determine.
He naturally had no standing to refute the Profound Yin Three Elders' words.
And besides, for the vast majority of the four sects' disciples, such an outcome was one they would welcome. He had no reason to go against the prevailing current.
With that thought, the white-robed elder shook his head, then glanced toward Hundred Refinements City one more time and prepared to withdraw his gaze and leave.
Though he still vaguely felt something was off about the situation at Hundred Refinements City, inwardly he understood clearly that with Honored Elder level presences guarding Falling God Peak, the Great Li Tianjin Guards's plan to destroy them this time was already destined to fail.
There was no real reason for him to stay any longer. He might as well return as quickly as possible and report the situation to his sect.
But right at that moment, one of the Alliance Under Heaven disciples suddenly cried out in surprise, pointing toward Hundred Refinements City, "What is happening over there?"
At those words, everyone, including both helmsmen, turned their heads and looked again toward Hundred Refinements City.
In an instant, everyone on the hilltop's expression changed sharply.
Before their eyes, the distant dark cloud layer in the sky, like a surging river, was moving at a visible speed, rapidly converging above Hundred Refinements City.
In just a short while, the entire sky above Hundred Refinements City was covered by a pressing blackness of dark clouds, lit from within by lightning and shaking thunder.
Compared to the scene before, where fire had scorched the sky and blazed with light in every direction, this was a spectacle of entirely the opposite kind.
"Could this be... the Falling God Peak Honored Elder who controls wind, and the Falling God Peak grandmaster who controls lightning, making their move?"
One of the Profound Yin Three Elders asked in a startled and uncertain voice.
This stunning display of atmospheric forces had come without any warning, and was clearly not natural weather.
This inevitably brought to their minds the other powerful existences within Falling God Peak who, like the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder, commanded extraordinary forces.
At those words, the left helmsman of the Alliance Under Heaven immediately furrowed his brow, saying in a puzzled voice, "The Scarlet Fire Honored Elder just now should have already dealt with the Great Li martial artist in Hundred Refinements City. By rights, Hundred Refinements City should no longer hold any threat to Falling God Peak. So why is the Falling God Peak grandmaster suddenly making a move now?"
At those words, everyone who had been watching Hundred Refinements City, including the white-robed elder, suddenly turned to look at the Alliance Under Heaven's left helmsman at the same instant.
For a moment, the entire dark hilltop went silent enough to hear a pin drop.
After a brief pause, the white-robed elder's expression shifted repeatedly, and he suddenly spoke, "That is why I felt something was off before. Thinking about it from another angle, if I were the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder and had been forced to act after losing a Peak Master, then after eliminating the Great Li perpetrator I would never stop there. I would seize the moment to purge the Great Li Tianjin Guards as well, turning it into a demonstration of Falling God Peak's might."
"But after the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder acted, Hundred Refinements City went too quiet. There was not even any sign of the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder departing..."
Hearing this, the Profound Yin Three Elders exchanged a look, and an expression of shocked uncertainty appeared in all of their eyes. Both Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen's expressions also became complicated and unsteady.
Clearly, they felt the white-robed elder's words were not without reason.
And at that point, the white-robed elder suddenly looked up at the sky and continued, "If it truly is the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the other honored elders making their move, then there is only one possibility..."
He looked around at everyone present, then said, "And that is that the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder has in all likelihood already met with trouble."