Chapter 1221: The Magnificent Lands, Sect Competition

For days on end, countless martial artists in the Central Plains continued to eagerly inquire about the forbidden-area mission “Longmen Inn,” hoping to find out who had obtained the treasures of the mysterious Desert Palace—the first “forbidden area” to appear in the martial world.
After Dongfang Bubai used his divine weapon to slaughter them, most of those who ventured into the desert were wiped out on the spot, leaving everyone in terror!
Since then, the whereabouts of the divine weapon have remained unknown!
The Xifeng Tower’s members were also ambushed and completely destroyed at that time, withdrawing from the competition for the divine weapon.
Afterward, several rumors spread among the martial world: some said the divine weapon was still in Dongfang Bubai’s hands, while others claimed that hundreds of top experts from the Wild Wolf Organization had invaded the desert and might have already captured Dongfang Bubai and seized the weapon. The latter rumor added some credibility to a third tale—that the Wild Wolf Organization had obtained the weapon and clashed with the leader of Jinxiu Heshan at Yan Town on the border, resulting in a fierce battle, with the divine weapon ultimately falling into Kai Xin’s hands.
However, since none of them could provide proof, the true outcome remained unknown, and all rumors stayed at the level of speculation.
Still, the news of Kai Xin appearing in the desert and entering the Desert Palace sparked widespread speculation, and it became a hope for many martial artists in the Central Plains—given that the power of the divine weapon had already been proven, it was better if it fell into Kai Xin’s hands rather than the Wild Wolf Organization’s, as at least the latter could not use its power to disrupt the Central Plains again.
This news further boosted Jinxiu Heshan’s reputation and Kai Xin’s prestige!
The ability to retrieve the divine weapon by outwitting enemies in a forbidden area, surrounded by top martial artists, was a feat of great wisdom and courage that impressed countless martial artists.
For days, rumors kept spreading: news came from both the Xifeng Tower and Jinxiu Heshan, stating that hundreds of top experts from the Wild Wolf Organization had been killed, leaving the rest fleeing in disarray from the Central Plains!
All martial artists in the Central Plains rejoiced at this news.
Jinxiu Heshan’s faction warehouse suddenly saw an increase of over a hundred sets of damaged top-grade divine weapons, along with dozens of materials for crafting such weapons and dozens of magical artifacts!
The availability of these advanced materials and top-grade weapons drove the members of Jinxiu Heshan wild with excitement; they waited every day for faction missions to accumulate contributions and exchange them for the highly coveted elite equipment.

When this news spread, many master blacksmiths in the Central Plains could no longer sit still—top-quality materials were extremely rare, even impossible to find in mines. Yet Jinxiu Heshan had acquired so many at once. If they could use them all, advancing to the rank of divine blacksmiths wasn’t impossible. In an instant, the martial world was in upheaval, with everyone paying close attention!

Just then, Jinxiu Heshan hosted its most spectacular event since its founding!

A competition!! A martial arts gathering!! An event exclusive to the Jinxiu Heshan gang.

Although it was just a gang’s martial arts gathering, and excluding the two supreme masters, Happy and Emperor One, the popularity of the competition didn’t decline at all—instead, it became even more intense.

Three days in advance, Jinxiu Heshan sent out invitations to all major gangs in the Central Plains, inviting their leaders to attend as spectators.

Some gang leaders who hadn’t received invitations, along with masters from the Dragon and Phoenix Lists and the Celebrity List, voluntarily sent messages expressing their desire to attend.

On the last day, the markets in the capital were extremely bustling, with streets filled with masters from all over. All the restaurants were packed!

Many players born in the capital stood on the balconies of the restaurants, clearly feeling that the streets were far more crowded than usual, with most of the people being strangers.

“If the capital could have this level of activity every day, there would be no need to worry about selling old stock that’s been stored away!”
“Haha…”
“That’s true.”
“I heard most people are heading to Jinxiu Heshan’s main hall. If they all come, the queues could stretch all the way outside the city…” Inside a restaurant, a group of martial artists by the window discussed this with deep emotion.

Suddenly, a sentence came from a man dressed in a scholar’s robe:
“It’s strange. This is just a competition among ordinary disciples of Jinxiu Heshan. Happy is hosting, Emperor One is absent, and the main characters aren’t even involved. So why do so many people travel thousands of miles to attend?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the others at the table shook their heads and laughed:
“Do you know who’s participating in Jinxiu Heshan’s competition this time?”
“Besides Happy and Emperor One, who else is worth watching?” The man in the scholar’s robe snapped his fan open, his face full of surprise: “Who’s strong or weak within Jinxiu Heshan? What does it matter to us? They’re not that great. At most, some lucky one might inherit the legacy of Tian Dao Song Que. Honestly, aside from that, there’s really nothing that can attract me.”

Everyone laughed again!

“Do you know how many people joined Jinxiu Heshan after Kai Xin announced that the winner of this great competition would inherit the legacy of Tian Dao Song Que?” The man across from him casually picked up a broad bean from his plate and tossed it into his mouth, chewing noisily.
“……”
Wenshi Shan was momentarily stunned.
“A full seven hundred thousand!”
The calm tone and astonishing figure finally moved Wenshi Shan.
It was difficult for outsiders to get information about a gang’s size, especially for one that was newly formed, with frequent changes in its membership.
“When Jinxiu Heshan drove out the Wild Wolves, there were only over one million three hundred thousand members… but now there are more than two million!”
“…It seems that their appeal was greater back when fighting the Wild Wolves.” Wenshi Shan curled his lips slightly upon hearing this figure.
The people at the table showed expressions of amusement and exasperation.
Wenshi Shan finally realized he was ignorant; it seemed everyone present knew everything about Jinxiu Heshan, and his own views were rather inappropriate. He slightly subdued his arrogant expression.
“Do you know why those over one million three hundred thousand people joined, and why those seven hundred thousand did?”
At first, Wenshi Shan paid little attention to his companion’s question and assumed, “Of course, the one million three hundred thousand joined to fight against the Wild Wolves… and those seven hundred thousand joined because of…” He suddenly stopped, his expression turning shocked, as if realizing something. He raised his voice abruptly, “Are you saying all these seven hundred thousand people joined just for Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy?!”
Seeing Wenshi Shan’s increasingly serious expression, the group smiled, knowing he had now realized the difference between seven hundred thousand and one million three hundred thousand.
No one answered, but Wenshi Shan got the answer from their expressions! His face grew even more solemn!
One million three hundred thousand martial artists who stepped forward to protect the Central Plains—whose skills varied greatly. But to compete for Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy, one had to possess considerable strength and be among the best in the Central Plains’ martial world…
“…Hiss!”
Thinking further, Wenshi Shan gasped in shock.
“Can it really be that extreme?!”
“Even if not all of those seven hundred thousand joined for Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy, the remaining number is still terrifying.”
“Our Xuanling Gate isn’t a small gang in the capital either. Do you know how many members left our gang within three days after Kai Xin announced that he would award Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy to Jinxiu Heshan’s strongest fighter?” The only woman in red at the table spoke up.
Wenshi Shan’s attention was immediately drawn.

“Sixty-three!”
“…” Before the man in the scholar’s robe could show his disapproval, the woman in red said with a bitter smile, “As soon as this group left, Xuanling Gate became an insignificant gang in the capital just four days later…”
“…”
This time, not only the man in the scholar’s robe but also everyone else present showed expressions of shock and confusion.
“Sixty-three people, including two vice leaders, thirteen elders, and most of the hall leaders—all were top experts from our Xuanling Gate… Yesterday, Jinxiu Heshan planned to offer an additional hundred magic weapons, a hundred Life and Death Dream Pills, and ten billion taels of gold as rewards for the top hundred in this competition. Our leader and the remaining experts planned to dissolve the sect and join Jinxiu Heshan.”
At the table, everyone paled at the news.
“I’ve never heard of this before…”
The man cracking broad beans stopped what he was doing, speaking in disbelief.
The woman in red smiled bitterly: “How could you possibly hear about it? This is an order from our leader, who has ordered it to be kept strictly secret.” As for those who left the sect, they practiced hard every day and never showed themselves outside. How could outsiders know?
The man cracking broad beans frowned and said, “I only heard that many top experts are joining Jinxiu Heshan this time. Those on the Dragon and Phoenix Rankings are quite powerful, right? Each of them has a sizable gang behind them, but almost all the lone wolves have joined Jinxiu Heshan… And more than a dozen who belonged to gangs have left their gangs to join Jinxiu Heshan. Now, Jinxiu Heshan has the most famous experts among the Dragon and Phoenix Rankings and the Celebrity List…”
“Besides our Xuanling Gate, there are many influential gangs in the Central Plains, yet they didn’t retain some of their top experts either…”
“Of course. The rewards offered by Kai Xin are too generous. The legacy of Tian Dao Song Que is equivalent to a top-tier, peerless martial arts secret manual. Whoever possesses it will surely become a supreme warrior who can dominate a region, or even reach the strength of an emperor. Any ambitious person would want to take a chance.”
“I heard that Gun Di Xue Long, who ranks third on the Dragon List, and Mo Feng, once the top expert on the Phoenix List, have also joined Jinxiu Heshan. Since the collapse of the Xiyi Gate, Mo Feng has been operating as a lone wolf. By joining Jinxiu Heshan this time, he seems determined to make a comeback and reclaim his place in the martial world! He directly sought out Kai Xin to inherit Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy!”
“Besides Mo Feng, Da She Wan, who ranks first on the Evil Path List, has also joined Jinxiu Heshan. What’s puzzling is that Kai Xin actually approved his application…”

“I know Orochimaru. He used to act recklessly and use any means necessary, but after joining Jinxiu Heshan, I heard he’s become much more restrained and doesn’t dare to stir up trouble. Perhaps Happy gave him a warning.”
“Only Happy might be able to bring this serpent under control…”
Listening to the conversation between the broad-shouldered man and the woman in red, the man in the scholar’s robe’s expression changed several times before he fell completely silent. Only then did he realize that after staying in seclusion for a month, the martial world had become utterly incomprehensible to him.