"Is that Yan Shouyi? Although I've seen him on livestreams a couple of times and heard many of his deeds, seeing him in person feels quite different!"
"He's younger and more mature and steady than I imagined. No wonder he's reached his current position. He and the Heavenly Master are truly hard to distinguish."
"I heard that Yan Shouyi finished rectifying the folk sects a few days ago. Now that the Heavenly Master has suddenly summoned us, it's probably to completely resolve the conflict between the two factions."
Inside the Heavenly Master Hall, minor sect leaders who didn't understand the inside story were murmuring.
Their understanding of the Xuanmen was still stuck on the conflict between the two factions, completely unaware that a greater crisis had already arrived.
Just like the situation with the folk sects back then, there were huge divisions among the leaders of the major sects.
Some believed that even with the Folk Sect Scripture, the folk sects were still insignificant and could not be called major sects.
But others believed that the conflicts and disputes should be resolved as soon as possible, and the disciples of both factions should return to the righteous path.
The reasons for both were the same as those of the folk sect successors back then.
However, what they were thinking about was all in the past.
"Silence!"
Zhang Shan's stern reprimand immediately quieted the sect leaders.
Zhao Chengxiang, standing behind Zhang Taisheng, the leader of the Wudang Sect, secretly exchanged a look with Yan Shouyi as a greeting.
At this moment, Yu Lumenming slowly spoke:
"I believe all sect leaders already know that Yan Shouyi has gained the recognition of all forces in the folk sects and become the leader of the folk cult."
The crowd did not answer, waiting for Yu Lumenming's next words.
"During the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony last year, Yan Shouyi and I competed for the position of Heavenly Master. In the end, neither of us truly fought, but he voluntarily gave up the position of Heavenly Master to me and went to rectify the folk sects himself. Whether it's the recognition of the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script or what my master said before he passed away, I can assure everyone that Yan Shouyi is a trustworthy ally. The folk sects led by him will surely prosper and coexist peacefully with our major sects."
"Therefore, in the name of the Heavenly Master, I acknowledge the status of the folk sects within the Xuanmen!"
"If any of you have any objections, you can raise them now!"
The sect leaders looked at each other, none daring to be the first to speak.
Some of them opposed acknowledging the status of the folk sects, but they were insignificant, and their words would be useless.
Moreover, top sects like Wudang and Maoshan had already voiced their support for Yan Shouyi, making their stance clear.
If they spoke up now, wouldn't they be making a fool of themselves?
Seeing that no one spoke, Yu Lumenming smiled slightly, "In that case, everyone approves of the folk sects and Yan Shouyi?"
Yan Shouyi let out a sigh of relief, and his slightly uneasy heart finally settled.
Although he had expected this outcome, he was still a little nervous.
Now, the reconciliation between the two factions was an inevitable trend. No one wanted to stand in the way of the wheels of history, as they would only be crushed into a pulp and be damned for eternity.
He smiled, stood up, clasped his hands towards the sect leaders, presenting himself entirely as a junior. This provided some comfort to those sect leaders who were dissatisfied with Yan Shouyi.
A sect leader raised a question, "Heavenly Master, did you summon us here in such a hurry just for this matter?"
Everyone felt a strange sensation. If they were to announce the status of the folk cult, it should have been more solemn. Moreover, looking at the current situation, there was no need to summon everyone so urgently.
Yu Lumenming retracted his smile and said in a deep voice, "Naturally not. I, the Heavenly Master, have an important matter to announce, but the prerequisite is that the conflict between the two factions must be resolved first."
Only after resolving the conflict between the two factions could everyone work together to deal with the National Teacher.
Yu Lumenming looked at Yan Shouyi and said, "Old Yan, you speak."
"Okay."
Yan Shouyi stood up, walked out from his seat, and went to the center of the Heavenly Master Hall, looking around at the sect leaders.
His voice was loud, but his tone was somewhat heavy.
"All sect leaders should have heard of the New Xuan Mountain Sect. This folk sect organization is notorious for its evil deeds. They forced the Old Heavenly Master to his death, massacred the Emei Sect, and were solely responsible for instigating the conflict between the two factions, causing chaos throughout the land and unrest in the Xuanmen!"
A sect leader interjected, "We all know the leader of the New Xuan Mountain Sect, the actor Li Genmiao. He is the son of Li Chongxi, the leader of the Xinghuo Gang!"
The crowd began to murmur, and their anger was subtly shifting back towards the folk sects.
Yan Shouyi immediately retorted, "Li Genmiao is merely a puppet! The true mastermind is the National Teacher of the Kingdom of Qingjiang a thousand years ago. He is a descendant of Lu Ban!"
The crowd suddenly fell silent. Kingdom of Qingjiang, National Teacher – this explanation was difficult for them to grasp immediately.
"Alas!"
Yan Shouyi sighed and slowly said, "During the period of the Ten Kingdoms, there was a small country called Qingjiang in the Xichuan region. This small country was later destroyed, but their National Teacher survived and has been searching for a way to break the fated calamity of the folk sect successors. In order to achieve immortality, he committed many heinous acts. Not long ago, after I perfected the Folk Sect Scripture in the Changbai Mountains, the National Teacher suddenly appeared, intending to snatch the Folk Sect Scripture to control all the folk sect successors in the world!"
"The National Teacher is an extremely selfish, power-hungry, and deeply calculating individual. He has been biding his time for a thousand years, waiting for this moment! When we were in the Changbai Mountains, he abandoned the puppet body of Li Genmiao and returned to his own body. After he recovered his strength, even the Old Heavenly Master reincarnated would not be his match!"
The crowd was shocked. What kind of monstrous being was this National Teacher, that even the Old Heavenly Master was no match for him?
After all, the Old Heavenly Master was widely recognized as the strongest on Earth!
But upon reflection, this National Teacher had lived for thousands of years, while the Old Heavenly Master had only lived for a short time. It seemed natural for the National Teacher to be powerful.
Zhang Taisheng, the leader of the Wudang Sect, frowned, "If the National Teacher is so powerful, where is he now? Why hasn't he attacked us yet?"
"At the Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountains, my brother sacrificed himself to help me seize half of the National Teacher's cultivation. I paid the price of serious injury to severely wound the National Teacher, but he still managed to escape!" Yan Shouyi explained. "The National Teacher has waited for a thousand years, and he will definitely not miss this opportunity, so he will return sooner or later! Therefore, I need to unite the strength of both factions to eliminate the National Teacher, otherwise, the consequences will be endless!"
The sect leaders discussed again.
The matter was actually quite simple: a thousand-year-old great demon had appeared in the Xuanmen. This person was extremely evil, and if he was not eliminated, everyone would die eventually.
However, the sect leaders did not have a deep understanding of the National Teacher's strength. Some of them even believed that such a grand mobilization was unnecessary.
One sect leader even questioned, "Chairman Yan, you say that even the Heavenly Master is no match for the National Teacher, and yet you say you severely wounded and drove away the National Teacher. Doesn't that mean you are now more powerful than the Heavenly Master?"