Chapter 109: Iron Head vs. Busty

After Hua Wuxi took his seat, the martial arts meeting of Henan Province officially began.

The sects under the Tiandao Alliance stood up to offer their respects, and as they did, several smaller sects followed suit.

However, many major sects not affiliated with the Tiandao Alliance did not make any moves. They saw no need to offer respect to Hua Wuxi. These sects, which included powerful factions, did not hide their discontent, and Huo Yuanzhen took note of this.

Hua Wuxi sat in his chair, full of confidence, surveying the crowd below. With so many martial artists gathered, he felt like the ruler of the martial arts world.

"Brothers of the martial arts community!"

Hua Wuxi spoke, and the room fell silent. Everyone wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Brothers, I have invited you all to Songshan today, and I'm sure many of you are already aware of the reasons. Recently, rumors have been circulating that Henan will soon be embroiled in war, that the Tiandao Alliance will be wiped out by the imperial army, and that our days are numbered."

No one in the crowd responded. This wasn't exactly a rumor—if war were to break out, the Tiandao Alliance, as the vanguard of Guan Tianzhao, would indeed be a primary target for the imperial government.

However, no one dared to challenge Hua Wuxi's words in such a setting.

"The truth is, there is no war. These so-called rumors are simply concocted by ill-intentioned people with the goal of destabilizing our Tiandao Alliance, weakening the righteous forces of Henan, and making way for their own rule over the martial arts world of Henan. Their intentions are treacherous and deserve to be punished!" Hua Wuxi suddenly stood up, facing the crowd. "Who is behind this scheme? The demonic sects! It is only those demons, always at odds with us righteous martial artists, who are plotting to harm us. Can we allow them to succeed?"

Some of the Tiandao Alliance sects immediately responded, "No!"

However, not many agreed outright, as many of the leaders had their own positions to uphold. They didn't blindly follow, but instead carefully observed the situation.

Hua Wuxi continued, "What we must do now is unite even more closely. We must leave no opportunity for the demonic sects to exploit. Let us unite the martial artists of Henan into a single force and make the Tiandao Alliance stronger than ever! We must fight together against the demonic sects!"

This time, no one spoke up in agreement. People were still watching each other's reactions.

Noticing the cold atmosphere, Hua Wuxi snorted and slowly walked to the central platform.

"This union is inevitable. Anyone who seeks to disrupt this unity is our enemy, a spy for the demonic sects! I, Hua Wuxi, will not spare them!"

His sharp gaze swept across the faces of the sect leaders. Many lowered their heads, unable to meet his gaze. Some, however, remained undaunted—after all, Hua Wuxi was only at the initial stage of the innate realm, not yet capable of overpowering some of the more powerful sect leaders present.

"Now, let's begin the registration. All those willing to join the Tiandao Alliance must sign up. Those who refuse to join will be considered our enemies! Start now!"

Hua Wuxi returned to his seat, and disciples of the Songshan Sect began to hand out paper and pens for registration.

The sects that were already part of the Tiandao Alliance immediately stood up and declared their willingness to join. The first to step forward was the leader of the Zhongyue Sect, Master Aomiao. Upon seeing Huo Yuanzhen in attendance, he assumed that Shaolin was also considering joining the Tiandao Alliance and feared losing his sect's position, so he hastily declared his support.

There were around fifty sects present, and about half of them were already part of the Tiandao Alliance. Many martial artists who had close ties with the Tiandao Alliance began calling upon their own sects to join.

With the efforts of those present, within half an hour, thirty-nine sects had already signed up.

The remaining ten or so sects were mostly major factions, and Shaolin, represented by Huo Yuanzhen, was the only one still hesitating.

Hua Wuxi, who had initially intended to approach the larger sects first, suddenly turned his attention to Huo Yuanzhen. "Shaolin Temple on Mount Shaoshi, do you wish to join the Tiandao Alliance?"

Everyone's gaze shifted to Huo Yuanzhen, eager to see how this small, lesser-known temple would respond to Hua Wuxi's question. Why had they not agreed yet?

Huo Yuanzhen, who had been planning his escape route, suddenly adopted a solemn expression. He faced Hua Wuxi and said, "Hua benefactor, as a Buddhist temple, Shaolin does not involve itself in such worldly matters."

A stir of whispers rippled through the room. This monk had directly refused Hua Wuxi—such courage!

Hua Wuxi's expression immediately darkened. "Shaolin abbot! You refuse to join the Tiandao Alliance—are you relying on the demonic sects behind you?"

His eyes fixed on Li Yuntian. "Yuntian, what did you see when you visited Shaolin a few days ago?"

Li Yuntian hesitated. He hadn't mentioned anything about Shaolin upon his return, but it was clear that Hua Wuxi already knew everything. Someone had betrayed them. If he didn't take a firm stance now, he might suffer the same fate as Meng Yuanzhang.

"Father, I saw the demonic sect's Holy Maiden, Ning Wanjuan, at Shaolin. I originally intended to capture her, but since it was on Shaolin's grounds, I was stopped by the monks. I don't know what happened to Ning Wanjuan after that."

"Hmph!" Hua Wuxi snorted coldly, signaling for Li Yuntian to step back. He turned back to Huo Yuanzhen. "It seems that you, Shaolin abbot, have been in league with the demonic sects for some time. You even stopped us from capturing their members. Your sinister intentions are clear. Now, you dare to come to Songshan to spy on our plans. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Before Huo Yuanzhen could respond, another sect leader spoke up, "Hua Alliance Leader, our Juedao Sect has urgent business to attend to. We will take our leave now and not disrupt the gathering."

Juedao Sect was a relatively large sect, and its leader, Gu Ming, was a martial artist at the early stage of the innate realm, nearly on par with Hua Wuxi. He had always been one to refuse giving Hua Wuxi face.

Hua Wuxi's expression instantly turned cold. "Gu Sect Leader, you think you can come and go as you please?"

"Well, what do you suggest, Hua Alliance Leader?" Gu Ming sneered. He had recently perfected several new sword techniques and felt confident in his abilities, no longer afraid of Hua Wuxi. He arrogantly challenged him.

"Ha! Good! Gu, you wish to challenge me? Then come up here! I've set up this platform precisely for dealing with those who betray the righteous path! Since you choose to stand against us, then you are my enemy. Come, face me!" Hua Wuxi declared, his voice booming with authority.

"Alright!" Gu Ming leaped into the air and landed on the platform.

Without another word, the two engaged in a fierce battle, swords clashing and hands flying. There was no holding back.

Seeing the battle unfold, Huo Yuanzhen realized that Hua Wuxi had indeed broken through to the next level. Gu Ming, despite being at the early stage of the innate realm for some time, was now being completely overpowered by Hua Wuxi.

With every movement of Hua Wuxi's, a white mist seemed to emanate from him—a clear sign that he had cultivated a special internal technique.

"Impossible... Hua Wuxi has broken through. I am no match for him. I must find a way to escape," Huo Yuanzhen thought.

The battle lasted less than five minutes before Hua Wuxi struck with a sword-infused palm, knocking Gu Ming to the ground with a blast of cold air.

Gu Ming, injured, immediately scrambled to get up, desperately pushing his inner energy to expel the freezing force.

"Hua Wuxi! You are ruthless! One day, I will come for revenge!" Gu Ming yelled, realizing he could no longer win. He leaped into the air and attempted to escape the arena.

But before he could make it far, a shower of arrows shot up into the air from outside. Gu Ming, still mid-air, was struck by arrows before he could dodge. He fell to the ground, his body riddled with arrows.

"Ha! Trying to run, huh? Let me tell you all—archers are waiting outside. Anyone who dares to leave this compound will meet the same fate as Gu Ming!" Hua Wuxi's voice rang out, filling the room with tension.

Those who had been considering resistance fell silent.

With Hua Wuxi's breakthrough, he was now the strongest in the room. He had set a trap, and anyone who dared oppose him was essentially courting death.

As the remaining sects fell in line, it was clear that the Tiandao Alliance was growing stronger, and soon, only the Beggar Sect and Shaolin remained uncommitted.

Hua Wuxi turned his gaze to the Beggar Sect leader. "Your Beggar Sect is a major faction, but I don't insist on your full participation. All I ask is that you join the Tiandao Alliance in name. You won't need to participate in the inner workings."

The Beggar Sect leader, hearing Hua Wuxi's suggestion, nodded. This was an acceptable outcome.

With the rest of the sects joining, only Huo Yuanzhen stood alone.

As he was about to make his move, suddenly a woman's voice rang out from outside, "A bunch of clowns, still here plotting their alliances while death approaches!"

A series of shrill screams followed. The hidden archers outside had been cut down in an instant.

Some cried out in panic, "It's them! The demonic sect! It's the colorful phoenix, Luo Caiyi!"

A massacre ensued outside. The demonic sect had arrived.

The atmosphere instantly became chaotic as everyone drew their weapons, preparing for battle.

Huo Yuanzhen's heart skipped a beat. The screams had come from behind him. This meant the archers had been neutralized.

This was his chance to escape.

Without hesitation, he kicked the sign in front of him and knocked over two Songshan disciples with swift palm strikes. Leaping into the air, he aimed for the wall.

As he leapt, a figure in colorful clothes appeared on the wall, attempting to enter the compound. The two collided mid-air.

Huo Yuanzhen felt his bald head crash into a soft object with remarkable elasticity.

His momentum halted, and he fell back down.

The woman in colorful attire let out a muffled groan, clutching her chest as she crouched on the wall. Though her face was hidden behind a veil, her trembling body clearly showed the pain she was in.

Huo Yuanzhen, feeling the cold light emanating from behind her veil, instinctively touched his shiny bald head. This is the peak of the Iron Head Skill!

This woman was doomed.