With this in mind, they all completely let go of their displeasure, dedicating their full attention to helping Yu Zhenzi accomplish this task.
For matters concerning his future, Deng Zhong considered even more comprehensively. He whispered, "However, even if we can temporarily overpower these people, I'm afraid they won't be dedicated. Any sign of trouble, these people may scatter like birds, or change their loyalties on a whim."
His worry was not without reason; if these people could easily set aside the matter of the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, they would also easily betray them in the future.
"Hehe, and what of it?" Yu Zhenzi said contemptuously, seemingly unconcerned about this matter.
"The so-called 'strong wind knows the sturdy grass, loyal ministers are known in troubled times'. Without these people as a foil, how could our loyalty be highlighted?" Yu Zhenzi laughed.
Ever since Pei Xuanjing revealed his might, Yu Zhenzi had completely submitted to him, casting aside his former face-saving pride and considering himself Pei Xuanjing's most loyal subordinate.
In his heart, he even maliciously thought that once Pei Xuanjing encountered any setbacks in the future, these people would waver, while he would remain unswerving; wouldn't this further highlight his loyalty?
Upon hearing this, Deng Zhong had a sudden realization. He then heard Yu Zhenzi murmur, "Besides, do you really think there is anyone in this world who could pose a threat to Pei Xuanjing?" Yu Zhenzi's faith in Pei Xuanjing was perhaps even greater than Pei Xuanjing's in himself.
In Yu Zhenzi's view, Pei Xuanjing currently possessed tremendous strength, plus the support and cooperation from the forces represented by Taoist Qingxu and Bai Xiaosheng. This was a powerful force enough to shock the world.
Once he helped Pei Xuanjing absorb the forces originally belonging to the Shenxiao Sect, he would have filled the final gap in Pei Xuanjing's strength puzzle.
With the cooperation of these three forces, not to mention taking over the whole martial world, even upsetting the Great Ming royal family's rule was not improbable.
Just as Yu Zhenzi was envisioning the future, others were also discussing this matter.
At the Mire Sect's headquarters, Sect Leader Zhao Baiyang listened to his disciple Yu Yiyao's report.
"Master, your foresight is truly awe-inspiring. The Lord of Shenxiao Gate did indeed prove to be a man who has more bark than bite. This attempted ambush not only failed to kill Pei Xuanjing, but he was killed on the spot instead," Yu Yiyao said, looking at her Master with adoration.
She had originally thought that even if the Lord of Shenxiao Gate'S attempt to ambush Pei Xuanjing failed, and Pei Xuanjing managed to narrowly escape, he would still be injured.
But she hadn't expected the result to be completely different from her anticipation. This time, Pei Xuanjing didn't die or get injured in the face of the Shenxiao Gate Master's ambush. Instead, he slew the master who had intended to ambush him on the spot.
After hearing this news, Yu Yiyao was stunned for a long time. The man was indeed as her Master had said, reaching a level equal to her Master's.
Of course, this was due in large part to Bai Xiaosheng completely concealing his and Taoist Qingxu's involvement when spreading the news, which put Pei Xuanjing in the spotlight, making his achievement in this battle seem even more terrifying.
Regardless, at this moment, she, Yu Yiyao, no longer harbored any thoughts of competing with him.
While Yu Yiyao was praising her Master's prophetic insight, the Maitreya Sect Leader Zhao Baiyang, the subject of her praise and compliments, was not pleased. On the contrary, his face bore a serious expression.
"If possible, I would rather that my prediction this time failed. However, unexpectedly, my words indeed turned prophetic," said Zhao Baiyang.
"Master, what do you mean?" Yu Yiyao asked in confusion. "Technically speaking, although the Lord of Shenxiao Gate has cooperated with us, there have also been conflicts between us. Pei Xuanjing killing him this time is like removing a trouble for us."
The forces in the martial world are limited, and conflicts and collisions are inevitable between the different factions.
Even though the Mire Sect and the Shenxiao Gate had collaborated during Ning King's rebellion, and jointly caused an uprising in the Northwest Dao, it did not mean that they were close. Instead, there were many differences between the two sides.
Otherwise, upon hearing the news of Ning King's death, Shenxiao Gate's first reaction was to recall their top experts from the Northwest Dao.
On one hand, because he knew Zhu Chenhao's death meant all the plans were ruined; on the other hand, he was worried that Zhao Baiyang, the Maitreya Sect Leader, might harbor ill-will towards them.
In the end, just as he had suspected, Zhao Baiyang withdrew, leaving many Northwest Dao forces to take the blame, thereby allowing the Shenxiao Gate Master to fortunately escape a disaster.
Glancing at the slightly confused Yu Yiyao, Zhao Baiyang shook his head and said, "The late Lord of Shenxiao Gate was just a wolf at best, but the current Pei Xuanjing is a tiger. Even if this tiger is still somewhat weak. it is bevond anv comoarison to a wolf."
Despite the Shenxiao Gate Master's strength, he was not taken seriously by Zhao Baiyang.
In his view, perhaps due to hiding for too long in the shadows, the Gate Master had become too cautious and lost the courage to truly fight. The Gate Master's thoughts and considerations rested only on the immediate gains and losses. He was not a formidable character.
Pei Xuanjing, on the other hand, was different. Zhao Baiyang had high regard for him, yet Pei Xuanjing consistently exceeded his expectations, which surprised Zhao Baiyang immensely.
While it wasn't modest, he saw a reflection of his own rise in Pei Xuanjing, perhaps even more impressive than his own..
He saw Pei Xuanjing as a young tiger, not because he underestimated Pei Xuanjing's strength. Being able to kill the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, he would never take him lightly.
When he called him 'young', he meant that his rise was too brief, and he didn't have the backing of any major force.
So even though he now has a tremendous power, he lacks in many other aspects, and all these deficiencies require time to rectify.
Of course, all of this is based on the assumption under which he was unaware that Pei Xuanjing had arranged for Yu Zhenzi to take over the forces left by the Lord of Shenxiao Gate. If he knew this, perhaps Zhao Baiyang wouldn't have said such a thing.
"I see!" Yu Yiyao's expression grew gravely serious.
She didn't have as many considerations as Zhao Baiyang. Hearng her master's words, she simply compared and deduced that Pei Xuanjing, who was able to kill the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, was naturally stronger than the former.
Moreover, this Pei Xuanjing also held a significant number of grudges with their Mire Sect, and would likely become the Mire Sect's nemesis now or in future.
"Hehe." Zhao Baiyang laughed faintly, to the bewildered gaze of Yu Yiyao, and said confidently, "As expected of the adversary chosen by me, perhaps it is time for me to meet him."
As for the growth of Pei Xuanjing, Zhao Baiyang initially had the idea of preparing an opponent for himself.
After all, if he really didn't want Pei Xuanjing to grow into his current state, back then at the Wild Mountain Ancient Temple, even at the risk of being injured, he could undoubtedly have killed Pei Xuanjing. This point is beyond doubt.
"Master, do you plan to involve him in that matter?" Yu Yiyao was surprised as she heard her master's words.
"Indeed, he is entirely qualified to participate in it. As a sign of respect, I will personally invite him, and by the way, see how much he has grown."
As the leader of the Mire Sect for over tens of yeas, Zhao Baiyang had done many things that others couldn't understand. No one knew what he was planning, what his real goal was, not even Yu Yiyao.
Yu Yiyao only knew that her master was not at all concerned about the Northwest Dao, even after the years of failing plans, he simply laughed it off.
And not long ago, her master had revealed a plan that nearly made Yu Yiyao speechless with astonishment.
The beginning of spring, the time of warm weather and blooming flowers.
Pei Xuanjing, wearing a green shirt and the Shenxiao Sword hanging from his waist, leisurely traveled the official road on his horse.
Suddenly, the clear sky was shrouded with dark clouds, making the weather appear dismal.
"Hmm, it seems that the task of obtaining the Netherworld Book won't be as simple as depicted in the human life simulation." He looked at the gloomy sky and muttered to himself.
After the Netherworld Book started acting up, Pei Xuanjing descended from Shenxiao Mountain and followed the clues. It took him a whole month to arrive here.
To avoid drawing attention, Pei Xuanjing did not wear a Daoist robe but just a green shirt. As per his youthful face, he looked like a young nobleman taking his first adventure in the martial world.
Oddly enough, when he arrived here in this picturesque place, the usually restless Netherworld Book suddenly fell silent, as if there had never been an aberration.
Pei Xuanjing searched here for several days. If he had not accidentally felt a slight response from the Netherworld Book, he was about to give up.
Today, the usually sunny sky suddenly became gloomy. Pei Xuanjing had a hunch that something was about to happen.
After all, judging by the season, even if it was about to rain, the weather would not become this strange.
Boom!
There were rumblings of spring thunder in the sky, echoing from the distance.
With the sound of thunder, the page of Netherworld Book in Pei Xuanjing's arms also had a movement.
The originally icy and silent Netherworld Book started to slowly get hotter and hotter, constantly quaking as if urging Pei Xuanjing to move forward.
After determining a direction, he urged his horse to move forward.
The sound of thunder was getting closer, and a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Pei Xuanjing had travelled about tens of miles, winding around to a hidden valley.
The entrance of the valley was shielded by rising mist, the dense fog made it impossible to see the scenery inside the valley.
Even with Pei Xuanjing's sharp perception, he was still blocked by the mist and couldn't perceive anything.
As Pei Xuanjing arrived, he found that a group of people was already gathered here.
"Ah, it's her?" A look of surprise appeared in Pei Xuanjing's eyes.
There were about a dozen people in the group, all of whom were about the same age as Pei Xuanjing, likely the new generation of martial artists in the martial world.
To his astonishment, Pei Xuanjing recognized one of them.
She was Li Yuzhen, the young lady of Li family from Longxi, who he had once met in the blessed land of the forbidden place in Anping Prefecture.
Ever since Pei Xuanjing left Anping Prefecture, they had never met again all these years.
However, Pei Xuanjing was aware that she had not only broken through to the realm of third-grade grandmaster, but also made it to the Potential Dragon List issued by Bai Xiaosheng.
Why is she here?
And why are these people gathering here for?
Are there people from the netherworld among them, or do they also know about the Netherworld Book?
Pei Xuanjing was a bit confused as it had no hint of these people's appearance in his life simulation.
At the same time Pei Xuanjing was guessing their purpose, they naturally discovered the arrival of Pei Xuanjing.
Of course, this was because Pei Xuanjing did not try to conceal his presence, otherwise it would have been very easy for him to avoid their detection.
"What? It's him!" Surprise flashed in Li Yuzhen's eyes as she looked at Pei Xuanjing.
This man, who she only had a fleeting encounter with, had left a deep impression on her.
Although he seemed quite ordinary when they first met, in the following period, his actions had continuously shocked the world, making it impossible for her to forget him.
"Yuzhen, do you know him?" An young man standing next to her asked Li Yuzhen.
His tone was gentle and he seemed polite, and combined with his decent face, he seemed like a young gentleman.
Immediately, everyone's eyes fell on Li Yuzhen.
They had gathered here with a specific purpose.
Originally, they were very alert to Pei Xuanjing, a stranger who suddenly appeared, and some even planned to drive him away.
But seeing Li Yuzhen's reaction, it seemed that she knew this man, which made some feeling hesitant.
Li Yuzhen was one of the leaders in their group. If she wanted to invite this man to join, it would be hard for them to refuse.
However, having one more person join might dilute some people's shares. This was indeed a dilemma..