Zuo Lizhou's words brought a sense of relief to many martial artists.
The actions of Zuo Lizhou, the leader of the Hero Alliance, in shouldering the responsibility of resisting Yin Yazhi and his ilk, and bearing all the pressure, were indeed admirable.
At the very least, the numerous small families and forces without Grandmaster level martial artists no longer feared being abandoned as pawns by the Hero Alliance.
Yin Yazhi and his companions did not seem like easy opponents. The flying dagger he unleashed earlier left no chance of resistance for anyone below the Grandmaster level.
Chen Fan watched Zuo Lizhou, standing proudly with extraordinary bearing, but his expression grew somewhat subtle.
He felt that there was something unusual about all of this.
"Zuo Lizhou, I give you some face, and you dare to get on my nerves?"
Yin Yazhi sneered upon hearing this and said.
"As the Alliance Leader, Zuo will surely not retreat!"
Zuo Lizhou said in a deep voice.
"Very well, Zuo Lizhou, I shall send you on your way now!"
"Martial cultivation, to me, is merely a trivial path. Today, I shall let you all witness how high the heavens are and how thick the earth is!"
Yin Yazhi sneered and took a step forward.
A chilling aura surged, causing the temperature of the entire Dragon Subduing Manor to drop several degrees.
Without any apparent movement, Yin Yazhi suddenly reached out and grabbed.
A black mist suddenly rose from his body, swirling and rushing towards the sky.
A terrifying pressure appeared, enveloping everything.
Zuo Lizhou's expression changed slightly.
On the main seat, Xin Beitian also stood up, staring intently at Yin Yazhi.
"Go!"
Yin Yazhi waved his hand, and the black smoke billowed, spreading in all directions.
Amidst the black smoke, caws of crows began to sound, noisy and chaotic, yet carrying an unsettling omen.
Within the black smoke, masses of cold and sinister energy condensed into clusters, forming into crows, as if flying from the depths of the netherworld, their chilling aura engulfing everything.
The martial artists' faces changed in unison, and they quickly retreated, leaving the training ground to maintain a distance.
The crows pounced towards Zuo Lizhou.
Zuo Lizhou shouted in a deep voice, "Disciples of the Hero Alliance, retreat further away!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, channeling his True Qi outwards, circulating around his body like a massive vortex.
He moved swiftly, his internal energy striking one after another, like a storm, scattering the clusters of black smoke and shattering the approaching crows.
Under the black smoke, he strode forward, charging towards Yin Yazhi himself.
"Magic and artifacts are merely heretical paths. The power of martial arts is the foundation!"
Zuo Lizhou declared, his voice clear and resolute, advancing fearlessly!
The black smoke swirled and flowed, and more crows appeared, swarming towards Zuo Lizhou.
Chen Fan, Chongxu Zi, and Master Huixing retreated to the edge of the training ground.
Observing this exchange, Chongxu Zi's expression became solemn. "Refining Yin Sha Qi to transform into crow forms, Yin Yazhi's cultivation is very wicked."
"Amitabha, such heretics should be jointly eliminated."
Master Huixing said, "Daoist Chongxu, shall you and I step forward to assist Alliance Leader Zuo?"
Chongxu Zi was somewhat surprised. "Let's wait and see. Alliance Leader Zuo's martial cultivation is astonishing; perhaps he won't need our help!"
Master Huixing nodded, but his brow remained furrowed with worry.
He truly possessed a compassionate heart and was extremely wary of evil cultists like Yin Yazhi.
The other martial artists, below the Grandmaster level, all wore expressions of concern.
Yin Yazhi's objective had been made clear: to infiltrate the major martial arts families and sects, and seize their ancestral treasures.
If Zuo Lizhou could not stop him, there would not be many people in the martial world capable of resisting Yin Yazhi.
The black smoke obscured their vision, but the Grandmaster level martial artists could still see clearly. Zuo Lizhou, charging forward, shattered countless crows with a punch, his fist like a rainbow.
But at this moment, Yin Yazhi sneered and pressed his palm forward.
Within his palm, a ball of Yin Sha Qi swirled, condensing into patterns and textures, and actually blocked Zuo Lizhou's punch.
Zuo Lizhou rapidly retreated, black mist creeping up his arm, threatening to engulf him entirely.
Yin Yazhi's body trembled, seemingly having suffered some damage as well.
"Chen Tianjiao."
In Chen Fan's ear, Shang Wushuang's voice emerged. She whispered, "Zuo Lizhou's martial cultivation is so strong, can you resist it?"
Chen Fan glanced at Shang Wushuang and replied, "Hard to say. We'll only know after a fight!"
On the surface, Zuo Lizhou's martial cultivation far surpassed his own.
However, his battles were never about who had stronger cultivation or greater strength.
He always focused on the outcome, growing stronger with each fight in life-and-death combat, using every means to kill his opponents.
As the Lord of the Night, he had slain countless powerhouses in the underground world, many of whom were ranked much higher than him in the beginning.
"Who exactly is this Yin Yazhi?" Shang Wushuang asked.
Chen Fan still shook his head. "If you all don't understand, how can I know? We'll find out by watching. Be careful."
Shang Wushuang nodded. "Are you planning to intervene?"
"Of course not. I'm waiting to see the outcome," Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "I have a feeling that everything we're seeing might just be a performance."
"You mean?"
Shang Wushuang's expression jolted.
Chen Fan said, "But I'm not entirely sure. Let's wait and see."
He had harbored this suspicion since Yin Yazhi's appearance, but he couldn't be certain if this guess was accurate.
Perhaps he was mistaken about Zuo Lizhou.
Everyone's attention was focused on the unfolding situation.
"Die for me!"
After repelling Zuo Lizhou, Yin Yazhi suddenly shook his hand, and a black banner unfurled, like dark clouds.
The training ground where the two were fighting was already shrouded in dark clouds, and as the black banner opened, it completely blocked the line of sight.
Even Grandmaster level martial artists could not clearly see the scene of Zuo Lizhou and Yin Yazhi's exchange.
The Dragon Subduing Manor seemed to have suddenly plunged into darkness.
Beneath the black banner, terrifying power and True Qi fluctuations surged like tides, erupting again and again.
"What kind of artifact is this? It seems very strange?"
"The situation seems disadvantageous for Alliance Leader Zuo?"
"What should we do? Should we all join forces and help Alliance Leader Zuo fight?"
"Such heretics can be attacked together!"
"..."
Many martial artists spoke up, restless.
After all, the outcome of this battle concerned the future of the entire martial world, and many were considering their options.
The black banner billowed like the tide, its intense energy fluctuations engulfing the entire training ground.
Yet, despite their suggestions, no one dared to be the first to rush in and join Zuo Lizhou in battle.
After more than ten seconds, the banner suddenly contracted and rolled into a ball.
A figure shot out, shouting, "Go!"
It was Yin Yazhi.
Crows formed from Yin Sha Qi supported his body, and he flashed away, heading straight for the edge of the training ground.
Long Ya and Huan Die reacted quickly, leaping up together and following Yin Yazhi.
In the direction Yin Yazhi was heading, over a dozen martial artists, caught off guard, quickly scattered.
"Die!"
Yin Yazhi sneered, his palm slightly open, and crows flew out, engulfing those martial artists.
Panicked cries, the vibration of internal energy, muffled groans, and screams echoed.
More than half of the dozen martial artists fell.
Yin Yazhi did not stop, wrapped in black smoke, and with his two disciples, he vanished in an instant.
This battle concluded rather anticlimactically!