Although Zhao Chengxiang suffered a crushing defeat, he harbored no resentment towards Yan Shouyi.
This encounter had allowed him to recognize the gap between himself and Yan Shouyi. Furthermore, it served two purposes.
First, it showcased Yan Shouyi's might and the Grand Tutor's power to everyone present, fostering unity against a common enemy.
Second, although Zhao Chengxiang lost, his Yin Yang Tai Chi Fist also demonstrated its prowess. From this day forward, the leaders of renowned sects would know that Zhao Chengxiang was no insignificant figure.
Zhao Chengxiang was confident that with enough time, he could reach the pinnacle of the Xuanmen.
"I'll treat you to skewers and beer later," Yan Shouyi said with a smile.
Zhao Chengxiang snorted, "It'll take at least two meals to mend my wounded soul."
"Alright, I'll have Xiao Long find some little sisters to accompany you, how about that?"
"Uh, this..."
In front of so many people, Zhao Chengxiang's face immediately turned red. He pushed Yan Shouyi's hand away and declared righteously, "Am I, Zhao Chengxiang, such a lecherous person? I read the Spring and Autumn Annals. I ask Brother Yan to conduct himself with decorum!"
"Oh, I see! I was too abrupt," Yan Shouyi chuckled.
Zhao Chengxiang then leaned in and whispered, "I was joking. You better keep your word. I'll come find you in Rongcheng in a few days."
"Okay, okay, absolutely," Yan Shouyi repeatedly nodded, secretly thinking that Zhao Chengxiang, this seemingly upright fellow, had finally fallen!
Has only I remained a good man in this world?!
Yan Shouyi felt guilty for using Zhao Chengxiang to foster unity between the two factions. Therefore, if Zhao Chengxiang truly came to Rongcheng to find him, he would make proper arrangements to compensate for his debt.
At this moment, Zhang Taisheng, the sect leader of Wudang, gently clapped his hands and praised,
"President Yan is truly a gifted prodigy, worthy of uniting the folk sects. We have all witnessed your strength just now; we are all convinced!" Da Feng Novel Network
With Zhang Taisheng leading the way, the other sect leaders also lowered their pride and applauded Yan Shouyi, acknowledging his power.
Yan Shouyi waved his hands in response with a smile, not showing any arrogance for the strength he had displayed.
"Alright, everyone, please be quiet."
Yu Lumen raised his hand, and everyone quickly quieted down. He then spoke sternly, "Now that you have all witnessed Yan Shouyi's might, you should understand the terror of the Grand Tutor. Therefore, the two factions should put aside all past grievances and unite to eliminate the Grand Tutor and uphold righteousness."
"Are there any confirmed reports of the Grand Tutor's current whereabouts? How can we cooperate?" Nun Guan Yun asked with a frown.
The conversation had finally begun to flow smoothly.
Yu Lumen replied, "We have received confirmed intelligence that the Grand Tutor is currently hiding in Xichuan, very close to Mount Emei."
Nun Guan Yun's expression darkened, "He's at Mount Emei? Alas... the Emei sect suffered a devastating blow last time and has yet to recover its strength. Their control over the surrounding areas has drastically decreased. We didn't even detect the presence of this devil, the Grand Tutor, hiding nearby."
After the Emei sect was annihilated, the surviving disciples numbered only a few hundred, most of whom were outer disciples sent out to other regions, their strength completely inadequate.
The Emei sect's strength had now declined to that of a second-rate sect. If it weren't for Nun Guan Yun's presence, even third-rate sects would dare to cause trouble for them.
Because of this, the Emei sect was severely short-handed and had to recall disciples previously stationed around Mount Emei, hence their complete unawareness of the Grand Tutor hiding in Xichuan.
"Reverend Mother, there is no need to panic," Yu Lumen comforted her. "The Grand Tutor is severely injured and has not yet recovered. He is more afraid of exposure now and will not actively attack the Emei sect."
"Strike while the iron is hot! We should immediately organize our forces and march to Xichuan!" said Mao Xiaosan, the sect leader of Maoshan, with righteous indignation.
The other sect leaders began to discuss.
The Grand Tutor was now considered the primary devil. Whoever could kill him would achieve eternal fame.
Perhaps, in the afterlife, their evaluation of him would even surpass that of the current Heavenly Master, Yu Lumen.
The sect leaders of the third-rate sects were immensely covetous of this opportunity.
"Sect Leader Mao is right, there's no time to delay!" Yan Shouyi exclaimed. "However, organizing forces will take time. I suggest everyone gather in Xichuan after seven days. I will bring the elite forces of the Minjiao, and I urge all sect leaders to send their strongest warriors. We must not underestimate our enemy!"
Yu Lumen supported him, "Let it be as Yan Shouyi suggested!"
The sect leaders understood each other, clearly having reached a consensus before the meeting began.
One was the leader of the Minjiao, and the other was a Heavenly Master of the Xuanmen, both considered the leading figures of their respective factions.
With their consensus reached, this cooperation was already a done deal.
No one objected.
On the contrary, all the sect leaders were eager to participate in this plan to eliminate the Grand Tutor, not out of a desire to cooperate with the Minjiao, but a desire to kill the Grand Tutor themselves.
With the consensus reached, the subsequent arrangements became much simpler.
Yan Shouyi and Yu Lumen discussed the details of the encirclement and suppression plan with everyone. After the plan was roughly finalized, the sect leaders did not stand on ceremony and directly took their vehicles down the mountain to return to their respective sect strongholds to make preparations.
Seven days later would be the decisive battle.
It would undoubtedly be a bloody conflict, but also a challenge filled with opportunity.
Yan Shouyi and Yu Lumen bid farewell to each sect leader as they descended the mountain.
Yuan Jianxin also left with the sect leader of the Laoshan sect.
After all the sect leaders had departed, Yan Shouyi let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, when I faced the Grand Tutor at Changbai Mountain, I had almost no power to resist. The Grand Tutor's strength was overwhelming, and I once despaired."
Yan Shouyi patted the Zanpakuto floating beside him and sighed, "It was thanks to Xiao Long sacrificing himself to help me absorb half of the Grand Tutor's malevolent energy that I managed to heavily injure him by fighting with all my might. Therefore, I know very well that if the entire Xuanmen does not exert its full effort, wanting to kill the Grand Tutor would be mere wishful thinking. Now that everyone has reached a consensus, a great weight has been lifted from my heart."
Yu Lumen comforted him, "Righteousness has always triumphed over evil. In seven days, it will be the Grand Tutor's demise."
"I hope so."
Yan Shouyi smiled slightly and said, "I should head back after seeing off the sect leaders."
"Go ahead. Take the child's soul back, and we'll meet in Xichuan in seven days," Yu Lumen nodded.
Yan Shouyi wasted no more words. He returned to his residence, packed his belongings, collected the child's soul from Liu Yiren, and then bid farewell to Longhu Mountain. Together with Luo Ning, he returned to Rongcheng.
On the way back to Rongcheng, the journey was smooth, with no unusual occurrences. The two successfully returned to Rongcheng.
The first thing Yan Shouyi did upon returning to Rongcheng was to issue red-letter notices to the Xinghuo Gang, Changlin Army, Hongya Cave, and Wushen Mountain:
All factions are requested to dispatch elite teams to assemble in Xichuan in seven days. At that time, the Minjiao will join forces with the renowned sects to jointly hunt down the devil, the Grand Tutor!
The day of the great decisive battle was fast approaching!!