After all, the two helmsmen had not reached their current position within the Alliance Under Heaven through easy means, and they were naturally not going to stand by and watch the Great Li court destroy the Alliance Under Heaven in the future.
The two even privately thought they would probably need to exaggerate somewhat what the Great Li Tianjin Guards had done tonight, to give the Alliance's senior leadership a strong sense of crisis.
Of course, as for the Great Li martial artist, nothing more needed to be said. That someone had killed the Falling God Peak grandmaster and all four honored elders alone was all the senior leadership needed to hear. As long as the Alliance's top figures were not stupid, they would know exactly what that meant.
At that point, the Alliance Under Heaven's left helmsman seemed to think of something, and spoke again, "Honored elders, we still do not know the identity of the Great Li martial artist in Hundred Refinements City tonight. I also wonder whether the Great Li court will release information about who this person is."
"As it happens, we do have some informants within the Great Li Tianjin Guards. If they release any information about this person, we would naturally be happy to share it with the honored elders."
Hearing this, one of the Profound Yin Three Elders let out a cold laugh, and said with clear disdain, "Do you imagine Primal Yin Origin Sect has no informants within the Tianjin Guards? Do not concern yourself with that. Just remember what was instructed just now."
With that, the Profound Yin Three Elders turned to glance at the Silver Moon Sword Lord once more, saying, "The matter of Falling God Peak is settled. There is no reason for us to remain here. We take our leave first."
In the next instant, the three figures suddenly moved, becoming three cold winds that disappeared into the darkness of the night, racing down the hill.
The two Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen watched them go with narrowed eyes. The Profound Yin Three Elders' moods were unpredictable, and if this chance encounter had not happened, they would have preferred never to deal with them again.
It was only when the two Alliance Under Heaven helmsmen came to bid their farewell that he came back to himself, and looked at the two of them saying, "If you are able to learn the identity of the person who acted tonight, please be sure to inform this old one."
"Elder, rest assured. If we have any news we will send word to you at the first opportunity."
Both helmsmen answered, then the two parties parted ways and left the hilltop separately.
...
At the same time, Falling God Peak's Eighth Peak, Peak-Cleaving Summit.
In the night, the mountain's blood-red rock formations were craggy and jagged. The summit had no clouds or mist, but a formless sharpness seemed to hover around it, emanating an air of lethality.
At that moment, several Falling God Peak disciples who were trying to slip away passed through the Peak-Cleaving Summit gate, and found that the disciples guarding the mountain gate were drunk and fast asleep.
The passing disciples were utterly baffled. While disciples at every other peak of Falling God Peak were frantically trying to escape with their lives, Peak-Cleaving Summit looked as though nothing was happening, snoring away as if in perfect health.
One of the passing disciples had an unusual moment of charitable feeling, and on his way past gave the gate-guarding disciple a sharp slap to wake him up, shouting, "The Great Li Tianjin Guards is almost here, the sect is about to be destroyed, why are you people not running?"
With that, they did not stop any longer, having no spare time to explain further, and continued fleeing toward the outside of Falling God Peak's territory.
The Peak-Cleaving Summit gate guards came half-awake, instantly grabbed their swords and blades, and were ready to fight back against whoever had struck them.
But by the time they had come to their senses, whoever had woken them was long gone.
"Which peak's disciples thought they could come here and make a fool of us? This absolutely needs to be reported to the manager. Just because the Peak Master and elders are in seclusion does not mean we Peak-Cleaving Summit disciples are easy to push around."
The somewhat older among the gate guards was immediately furious, because he could vaguely tell from the clothing that the person who had struck them was dressed as a Falling God Peak disciple who had then run off.
"Martial Brother is right!"
Another disciple rubbed his own aching face, which had brought him a bit more sober, and furrowed his brow saying, "But did anyone else catch what they said when they hit us?"
"Something about 'the sect being destroyed' and 'we should run'?"
As he said it, he looked around at Peak-Cleaving Summit in every direction. In the darkness, everything was perfectly quiet, exactly as it had been before they had been woken up. Nothing appeared to have happened at all.
"Nonsense. Falling God Peak is a peak-tier martial world sect. Does anyone really think the Great Li court could bring us down with just a single Tianjin Guards? That kind of talk should not be repeated, or you will make people laugh their teeth out."
The older disciple hurried to warn this, then proceeded to pull the other along to keep drinking, saying, "Two more cups, and after our replacements arrive I will go and report to the manager. We will make sure they get what is coming to them."
Then they paid no further attention to the matter and resumed their drinking.
But very soon, several more fleeing disciples passed through the Peak-Cleaving Summit gate, and seeing the gate guards casually drinking as though nothing were happening, every one of them was shocked. Someone called out across the gate steps in bewilderment, "Are you people at Peak-Cleaving Summit planning to surrender to the Great Li court? At a time like this, you are still drinking?"
Hearing this, the Peak-Cleaving Summit gate guards were taken aback, and immediately stood up with a cold laugh, saying, "What surrender? Everything is perfectly fine here. Why are you people running so urgently in the middle of the night with packs on your backs, are you fleeing a famine?"
But as soon as those words were out, when they noticed just how bedraggled and disheveled the disciples at the gate looked, they suddenly began to sense that something was genuinely wrong.
At that point the disciple who had called out looked at Peak-Cleaving Summit with a peculiar expression, glanced up and down at it, then ventured carefully, "You cannot possibly not know that the grandmaster and all four honored elders are dead, and the Great Li Tianjin Guards is coming to destroy all of Falling God Peak right now?"
At those words, the gate guards were as though struck by lightning, and the wine cups in their hands fell and shattered on the ground.
"Is that true? You are not making fools of us?"
One of the gate-guarding disciples exclaimed in shock, while the fleeing disciples clicked their tongues in amazement, saying, "So you did not know. While you can still make it, go and save your lives."
With that, the fleeing disciples wasted no more time and quickly moved on.
Only the Peak-Cleaving Summit gate guards remained rooted in place for quite a while before coming back to themselves.
"Quickly, quickly, go and tell the manager, something terrible has happened!"
The older disciple's face went pale, and he called out urgently, then turned and ran through the gate. The remaining disciples, clearly badly frightened as well, immediately followed.
Before long, at a lavish courtyard on the mountainside of Peak-Cleaving Summit.
A middle-aged steward came racing up in a frantic dash and burst straight into the courtyard, shouting, "My lady, my lady, something terrible has happened, the sect is about to be destroyed."
In the room, a beautiful woman with disheveled hair and flushed skin was lying draped across a soft couch in a deep sleep, and was instantly startled awake by the commotion.
She blinked open her eyes in confusion, while the strongly built bare-chested man lying beside her was clearly more alert and immediately rolled off the couch, about to hide underneath it.
But at that moment the middle-aged steward had already pushed the door open and rushed in, and upon seeing the two of them in their state of undress, stood there for a moment.
But he had no time to bother with the sordid situation of these two. He looked directly at Lady Ni and said urgently, "My lady, quickly notify the Peak Master and elders in seclusion. The grandmaster and four honored elders are dead, the Great Li Tianjin Guards is coming right now."
Lady Ni, who had been about to lash out with a few choice words about the intrusion, heard this and her face drained of color at once. She cried out in alarm, "You only just said Hundred Refinements Peak had a problem. How has it come to all of Falling God Peak being finished in so short a time?"
"And the Falling God Peak grandmaster and honored elders actually died? How is that possible?"
The middle-aged steward's expression was troubled and deeply anxious. He tossed clothing to Lady Ni with one hand while urging her with the other, "My lady, do not ask. The disciples at every other peak are running for their lives. If you do not hurry, the Great Li Tianjin Guards will be at the foot of the mountain."
With that, the steward swept a look over this pair of adulterers before him, then clenched his teeth and suddenly turned directly toward the door and walked out.
The message had been delivered. He had done what he could for Peak-Cleaving Summit, and now he needed to save his own life.
Peak-Cleaving Summit had received the news too late. His only hope now was that he could still make it out in time.
"Wait, where are you going?"
Lady Ni's urgent voice came from behind him, but the middle-aged steward paid no attention whatsoever, and his figure quickly disappeared from the courtyard.
In the room, the strongly built man's face had gone completely pale. Being caught in the act by the steward had frightened him to the point of his legs going weak, and his mind right now held only one thought, that he was about to be slapped to pulp by the Peak Master.
He had not even taken in a word of what the steward had been saying.
At that point, Lady Ni watched the steward leave, and after a rapid shift of expression, her eyes suddenly went dark.
She slapped the strongly built man hard across the face, then started getting dressed, cursing as she did, "Useless wretch. When something real happens, not half as much use as you are in bed."
Still cursing, Lady Ni began gathering things in the room. Seeing the strongly built man still not moving, she cursed again, "Get dressed now. Peak-Cleaving Summit is finished. If you stay here instead of running, are you waiting to die?"
At those words, the strongly built man finally came to his senses, getting dressed while helping Lady Ni gather things.
Before long, the two of them, loaded with gold and valuables, slipped out of the courtyard under cover of darkness and fled straight down the mountain.
As for going and informing the Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master and elders who were still in seclusion, neither of them cared in the slightest about those old ones' lives at this point. Saving their own lives was naturally the priority.
At the same time, the news of Falling God Peak's crisis spread from one to ten and ten to a hundred throughout Peak-Cleaving Summit, and almost every disciple had now heard about it, and one by one they all began descending the mountain to flee.
Only the Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master and elders still in seclusion showed no sign of movement.
Some disciples, focused entirely on escaping, had not even thought to pass word to the Peak Master. After all, with the grandmaster and honored elders already dead, the Peak Master could not possibly protect them in any case.
Others assumed the Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master and elders must already be aware, and might even have left ahead of the disciples, so there was no need to report it.
The children and families of the Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master and elders, however, were in a frantic state.
While packing to flee, they felt their husbands and fathers could not possibly be so heartless as to escape without even passing word to them.
They immediately sent people to pass information to the seclusion site at the summit, but this had always been managed by Lady Ni, and the seclusion site was both a forbidden area of Peak-Cleaving Summit and extremely secretive.
Beyond the elders and Peak Master, almost no one else had ever been there, and at that moment simply could not find the entrance to the seclusion site.
With no other choice, everyone rang the alarm bell of Peak-Cleaving Summit, and in an instant the bell's sonorous cry rang out across the entire mountain.
And right at that moment, Sikong Xuan, who had taken Jade Wave Peak without a drop of blood being spilled, turned his attention there and brought Yumian Jiao and Ouyang Mingqi, along with part of the Tianjin Guards and Jade Wave Peak disciples, to the foot of Peak-Cleaving Summit.
Based on the reports coming in from every column, among all of Falling God Peak's entire sect, the Eighth Peak, Peak-Cleaving Summit, appeared to be the only one with any backbone whatsoever.
Not a single Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master or elder had fled, and not one had surrendered to the Great Li Tianjin Guards. They appeared to have made up their minds to hold their ground to the last and die alongside Falling God Peak.
"This old man had assumed Falling God Peak was full of people with no spine. This Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master is actually quite admirable. Even as an enemy, he is an opponent worthy of respect."
Sikong Xuan looked up toward the summit of Peak-Cleaving Summit, and a look of appreciation showed in his eyes.
Though at that moment many disciples were fleeing from Peak-Cleaving Summit, his martial cultivation was sufficient to sense the threads of powerful martial aura still faintly radiating from the summit.
Yumian Jiao and Ouyang Mingqi exchanged a glance beside him, but said nothing. Even in the face of Sikong Xuan's sarcastic jabs, they only treated them as though they had not heard.
Yumian Jiao's face was somewhat pale at that moment, clearly still affected by the injury from taking Sikong Xuan's palm before surrendering.
Of course, Sikong Xuan had not genuinely tried to kill her with it. He naturally understood that keeping these Falling God Peak figures alive would be more useful.
Beyond that, Fu Qiwen had later sent word that any Peak Master or elder who surrendered to the Tianjin Guards would be temporarily spared and could make amends through service.
So Sikong Xuan had no reason to kill anyone.
At that point Ouyang Mingqi thought for a moment, then let out a sigh, saying, "Martial Brother Yuwen's natural gifts were limited, but his obsession with martial cultivation and sheer perseverance were beyond most. Years of accumulation and a single closed-door breakthrough finally earned him the position of Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master."
"Honestly, I had not expected that among all the Peak Masters, he would be the one with the most backbone."
He then raised his head to look toward the summit, slowly shaking his head, saying, "Even now, Martial Brother Yuwen is still in seclusion before the enemy arrives, desperately trying to break through to a higher martial realm so he can resist."
"But unfortunately, the Great Li has produced an Eighth Prince. Even if he truly breaks through, it will ultimately change nothing."
At that moment, both Ouyang Mingqi and Yumian Jiao had naturally already learned from Sikong Xuan and the Tianjin Guards that the existence who had made his move in Hundred Refinements City was Li Musheng.
When they first heard that the terrifying martial artist who had single-handedly killed the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the four honored elders was in fact a Great Li prince of barely twenty years of age, both of them had assumed Sikong Xuan was joking, deliberately bluffing them.
But after hearing it confirmed by everyone in the Tianjin Guards, that it was the Commander himself who had issued the order to this effect, they had accepted that everything Sikong Xuan had said was actually the truth.
Throughout the journey, no matter how difficult it was to accept, they had slowly begun to take in this unbelievable reality, and with each passing moment their curiosity about this Eighth Prince only grew.