With a few simple words, whether true or not, Zuo Lizhou had controlled the entire venue. The dozen or so martial arts grandmasters present were all deeply shaken.
Of course, the momentum of the Hero Alliance and Zuo Lizhou's past reputation were also not to be ignored.
Otherwise, if an ordinary martial arts grandmaster had claimed to have touched the celestial-human barrier, most people present would not have believed him.
Chen Fan shifted his gaze to observe the reactions of the many martial arts grandmasters present.
He saw that both the monk and the Taoist had calm expressions and did not seem too surprised by Zuo Lizhou's words.
However, Shang Rulong's brow furrowed, and a hint of worry flickered in his eyes.
At this moment, Zuo Lizhou continued, "We are all fellow martial artists. If I have any insights in martial arts, I will not hide them!"
"Today, I summoned everyone here with the intention of discussing martial arts. Please wait a moment. After discussing important matters, we will undoubtedly spar a little."
"Resisting external enemies was the original intention of the Hero Alliance. And many of you present are already members of our Hero Alliance. If this meeting today can bring you some benefit, I, Zuo, will not shirk my responsibility!"
He paused and then continued, "Now, please allow me to state the second purpose of today's Hero Gathering."
He looked around, his gaze lingering on Chen Fan for a moment, and then said, "The second matter is to remind everyone."
"In recent times, our Hero Alliance has received intelligence that hidden cultivators have emerged, with considerable ambition and grand designs."
Many people fell silent upon hearing this.
The old man who had spoken earlier stood up and asked, "Is what Alliance Leader Zuo says true?"
Even the monk and the Taoist exchanged glances, and their faces showed great shock.
This piece of news seemed to be of far greater importance to them than the previous one.
Chen Fan scanned the many attendees and found that their reactions varied.
Some were deeply shocked and worried, while others seemed somewhat bewildered.
"Is the discovery of Alliance Leader Zuo accurate?" Wang Yucheng of the Wang family asked, "Can the information be confirmed further?"
Others looked towards Zuo Lizhou.
Zuo Lizhou nodded and said, "This matter was experienced by the Qianhe Sect. Many friends from the Qianhe Sect may not be familiar with it, so allow me to introduce them. The Qianhe Sect is located on Qianhe Mountain in Liangzhou. Although its reputation is not prominent, its Sect Leader Bai Rushan, who has reached the peak of Huajing cultivation, has his own origins and heritage. Sect Master Bai is here, so let him explain."
From among the crowd behind Zuo Lizhou, a middle-aged man wearing rather unusual Western-style clothing stood up, his face filled with worry, and cupped his hands in greeting.
All eyes turned to him.
"I am Bai Rushan. Greetings to all seniors and fellow martial artists!"
"It happened about half a month ago."
Bai Rushan said, "On that day, three people came to visit my sect. They were all dressed in rather old-fashioned clothes and claimed to be from Kunlun. Their words and attitudes were all arrogant, demanding that my sect hand over the Yunhe Sword left by our founding patriarch. They claimed the sword was a treasure of immense power, and that in our sect's hands, it was like casting pearls before swine."
"Naturally, I refused, and thus a conflict arose."
With a bitter expression, Bai Rushan continued, "Who knew that just one young woman among the three made a move, and easily defeated me. She injured countless of my disciples and thus stole our sect's treasured Yunhe Sword."
"The woman's attack was different from that of ordinary martial artists. After a grab in mid-air, her energy condensed into a colossal hand."
"Furthermore, she recited incantations, and with her divine will, she unleashed a bolt of lightning, which was extremely powerful. It was this lightning technique that defeated me!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, many faces showed fear.
The monk and the Taoist exchanged glances, their eyes revealing mutual shock.
At this moment, Zuo Lizhou exchanged a word with Bai Rushan and then said, "This is not an isolated incident. Besides Sect Master Bai, the Lishan Sect also had a similar encounter."
Soon, Yu Deyuan, the Sect Leader of the Lishan Sect, recounted their experience.
It was similar to the Qianhe Sect's encounter, but the attacker was not a young woman, but a middle-aged man.
This person did not use lightning techniques, but he manipulated objects in mid-air, a truly divine method. In less than ten moves, he injured Yu Deyuan, who had reached the Huajing cultivation, and forced Yu Deyuan to hand over the Sect Leader's ring.
"When that person attacked, he controlled seven flying shuttles, which were incredibly strange and unpredictable. After being hit by them, one would immediately suffer serious injuries, far more potent and troublesome than ordinary blades or hidden weapons, and impossible to defend against!"
"Moreover, after being struck, the wound would immediately feel a chilling cold that invaded the body, causing the body to stiffen instantly!"
Yu Deyuan explained, his expression ashamed and still deeply shaken by the memory.
Many people in the hall began to murmur.
Even many martial arts grandmasters showed shocked expressions.
Such methods were miraculous, unimaginable even to martial arts grandmasters, and for a moment, they felt uneasy and somewhat fearful.
Many martial arts grandmasters were aware of the existence of magical artifacts, but the kind described by Yu Deyuan shattered their preconceived notions about them.
Perhaps these should not be called magical artifacts but rather treasures.
"Currently, the only two sects known to have encountered cultivators seeking trouble are these two."
Zuo Lizhou stood up with his hands behind his back and said, "The Qianhe Sect encountered them about half a month ago, and the Lishan Sect about ten days ago. It can be confirmed that they are the same group of people, claiming to be from Kunlun."
"Regarding Kunlun, there are many legends. In our many myths and legends, Kunlun is the ancestral land of Daxia, where immortals reside."
"Immortals may not be immortals, but I have gathered various ancient texts and information and have long confirmed that Kunlun must have cultivator heritage."
"Ten days ago, the news of the two grandmasters preparing to fight had spread throughout the martial arts world. I suspect these cultivators might be coming to the capital."
He strode forward, his tone calm but exuding an undeniable aura of authority as the leader of the Hero Alliance. "The second purpose of my convening this Hero Gathering is to remind everyone to be cautious and to discuss a countermeasure!"
"When the Hero Alliance was first established, I reminded many fellow martial artists to be wary of cultivators!"
"Of course, you need not be overly anxious. While the methods of cultivators may be strange and unpredictable, our martial artists are not necessarily inferior to them. With the outward projection of energy, the intent of our fists shaking the heavens, and fist energy extending three Zhang, our enemies' magical artifacts may not be able to harm us!"
"However, Kunlun is a mysterious place, and it is possible there are even more powerful cultivators. Their descent into the world this time is for no small purpose, so we must be cautious!"
Many fell into deep thought.
Chen Fan was also greatly surprised.
From Zuo Lizhou's words, this Hero Gathering was not aimed at him or any specific individuals.
But by gathering so many martial artists, was Zuo Lizhou merely offering a good-hearted reminder?
"Thank you, Alliance Leader Zuo, for the reminder!"
A tall and thin middle-aged grandmaster stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "However, what is the true purpose of these cultivators? Has your alliance investigated?"
Alliance Leader Zuo shook his head. After hearing his disciple whisper something in his ear, he said, "So it is Sect Master Cai Quanda of the Cai family from Lingnan. I have long heard of Sect Master Cai's fame."
He nodded in greeting and said, "Sect Master Cai asks an excellent question. However, I cannot answer it. Only they themselves know the reasons behind the actions of these three visitors from Kunlun."
"However, cultivators have strange and unpredictable methods that are difficult to guard against. We must make preparations."