The helicopter took off, heading towards Seven Star Ridge.
Within five minutes, it reached the airspace above Seven Star Ridge.
The ancient city walls stood majestically, their old, mottled surfaces recounting their history and past glory.
On a battlement, a figure stood with hands behind his back, overlooking the mountain range inside and outside the ancient city walls.
On the adjacent battlements on either side, fully armed soldiers stood guard, preventing martial artists from approaching and influencing the outcome of this battle.
Not far from the ancient city walls were several hilltops, where crowds of spectators were gathered.
The roads below the hilltops were blocked off, with soldiers from the Iron Blood Camp guarding and sealing them.
Chen Fan swallowed a pill and felt much better. He had the helicopter hover over a hilltop and slid down using a rope.
Everyone on the hilltop looked up in unison, including the Dawn Squad.
Seeing Chen Fan's torn and blood-stained clothes, Xiang Jingzhu's expression startled.
As soon as Chen Fan landed, Xiang Jingzhu and the others rushed forward.
"Chen... Officer, what happened?" Xiang Jingzhu asked anxiously.
Chen Fan waved his hand and asked, "Where is the commander?"
"Over there," Xiang Jingzhu pointed to a spot not far away, where a military tent had been set up as the defense command post for the day.
Chen Fan said to Qin Tianyou, "Come with me!"
"Yes!"
Chen Fan walked directly to the outside of the command post.
A man in his fifties, wearing a military uniform, stood there, guarded by escorts, watching in the direction of the city walls.
As Chen Fan and his party approached, they were immediately stopped by the guards.
"Qin Tianyou, surrender your weapons!"
Chen Fan said calmly.
Qin Tianyou's expression startled, but he immediately replied loudly with a "Yes" and strode forward.
The guards were about to intervene, but the commander waved his hand, looked deeply at Chen Fan, and said with a wry smile, "General Chen!"
"From now on, the defense of Seven Star Ridge will be taken over by Qin Tianyou. Specific matters will be communicated with the military headquarters. Until further orders are issued by the military headquarters, you are not allowed to leave or contact the outside world, do you understand?"
The original commander nodded, not resisting, but rather looking relieved and at ease, saying, "I knew this day would come."
He ordered his subordinates to cooperate, and Qin Tianyou took over all disposal matters for Seven Star Ridge today.
Xiang Jingzhu and the others were shocked and somewhat confused.
Chen Fan had no intention of explaining. He asked, "Where is Zuo Lizhou?"
"On Guan Cheng Ling to the south."
Xiang Jingzhu replied, "There are mostly martial arts practitioners there, hundreds or thousands of them!"
Chen Fan walked into the tent and said to Qin Tianyou, "Order the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Brigades of the Iron Blood Camp to assemble at the foot of Guan Cheng Ling and await orders."
"Yes!"
After giving the order, Chen Fan fell into thought.
"Officer?" Xiang Jingzhu asked, puzzled.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and said, "I was ambushed on the way here. I need to make a statement."
"Qin Tianyou!"
"Yes!"
"When I take the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Brigades to Guan Cheng Ling, deploy the armed helicopter squadron to fly over and lock onto Guan Cheng Ling. If there aren't enough planes, ask headquarters for reinforcements!"
"Yes!"
Qin Tianyou replied, but his scalp tingled slightly, and he said, "Boss, isn't the scale a bit too much?"
"There won't be a fight."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "However, they must be taught a lesson."
In fact, he could not do anything to Zuo Lizhou.
Even if Zuo Lizhou sent seven Grandmasters to assassinate him, he still couldn't do anything to Zuo Lizhou through official channels.
The Hero Alliance had many martial artists, and any arrest by the authorities would have too significant an impact.
The consequences of many martial artists causing trouble would be unbearable.
Despite this, he still had to make a statement.
This was both to disrupt Zuo Lizhou's plans and to disrupt the Brotherhood's plan.
Just then, his phone rang.
He took out his phone and saw that it was the call from Wu Zhao earlier.
A hint of playfulness on his face, Chen Fan walked to a secluded spot and pressed the answer button.
"Chen Tianjiao, you truly did not disappoint me. You actually invited Jing Wusheng to make a move, annihilating seven Grandmasters in one battle, enough to shake the martial arts world. Hahaha, well done!"
Chen Fan said calmly, "Zuo Lizhou is your superior, yet you are gloating?"
"Superior? He is not worthy."
Wu Zhao laughed, "At most, we are allies. We have different paths and cannot plan together. So-called allies are just a union of interests!"
"What exactly do you want?" Chen Fan asked.
"What do I want? That's a good question."
Wu Zhao said, "You and I are actually on the same path, just that you are outside and I am inside. So, if I really wanted to kill you, you would have died many times already!"
"Is that so?" Chen Fan sneered.
"I know you don't believe me, but it doesn't matter. I don't need you to believe."
Wu Zhao said, "I will give you a surprise, and I think we will meet very soon!"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Chen Fan asked coldly.
"Chen Tianjiao, I warned you to be careful before. Even if you don't appreciate it, you should at least have a better tone."
Wu Zhao laughed, "What I want to say is that this game of chess has reached the mid-game, and the exciting part has just begun!"
"Surviving under the seven Grandmasters has only qualified you to make a move!"
"You think too highly of yourself."
Chen Fan said.
"Then we'll see."
Wu Zhao said with a smile and hung up.
Chen Fan put down his phone and narrowed his eyes.
The exciting part has just begun?
What other cards did this Wu Zhao have up his sleeve? Was his goal really just Zuo Lizhou?
The situation still seemed shrouded in mist.
"Boss, Watanabe has arrived!"
Ye Cheng walked over and reported, "This battle is about to begin."
Chen Fan walked to the front of the hilltop and looked at the ancient city walls.
He saw several men in kimonos walking along the ancient city walls towards Xiao Kai's position on the higher ground.
It was already nine in the morning, and Watanabe Gui Ming was indeed a latecomer.
The highly anticipated Grandmaster battle was about to begin.
Of course, the so-called Grandmaster battle no longer held any appeal in Chen Fan's eyes.
Having personally fought seven Grandmasters to the death, such a scene was nothing special to him.
It was likely that for martial arts Grandmasters like Zuo Lizhou and Xin Beitian, this battle would also not hold much appeal.
Only those at the Huajin realm and below were eagerly anticipating this battle.
However, after such a long period of build-up, this battle still needed a conclusion.
On the hilltop, sounds of anticipation and discussion arose.
Looking up, many dignitaries stood there, waiting for the battle to begin.
Many of them were people Chen Fan knew, such as Wu Zhaoyang, Li Qian, and Li Xinhai, all present.
Wu Zhaoyang felt Chen Fan's gaze and nodded in acknowledgment.
However, his gaze was a little complex, seemingly carrying a hint of worry.
He quickly looked away. Wu Zhaoyang did not seem to intend to speak with him.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Watanabe Gui Ming, holding a samurai sword, walked towards Xiao Kai, who had been waiting for a long time.