Hearing the cry of the Western Holy Mother, the crowd immediately turned their eyes toward the banners upon the field, comparing the standards of the various clans with the flags held by the disciples of the No-Heaven Chan Sect. At once, they discovered that the banners borne by the No-Heaven Chan Sect were far larger than those of the other factions—extravagantly ostentatious, overpowering the gathering and completely stealing the attention from every other sect present. Yet for the Western Holy Mother to liken those grand banners to funeral streamers was itself an insult of the highest order.
The disciples of the No-Heaven Chan Sect were instantly enraged, pointing at the Western Holy Mother and loudly denouncing her insolence. Seeing his old adversary arrive at the assembly, the No-Heaven Chan Master was unsurprised; after all, the Five Immortals had already come ahead to scout the grounds. Raising a hand, he signaled his followers to silence before striding forward with large steps. Pressing his palms together, he spoke coldly:
"So, it is you. The Demon Mother of the Western Holy Cult herself has graced us with her presence. This poor monk failed to welcome you properly—pray forgive my discourtesy."
The followers of the Western Holy Cult immediately bristled with fury, pointing back at the Chan Master and rebuking his rudeness. The Western Holy Mother raised her own hand, calming her disciples at once. Her expression did not change in the slightest. Though the No-Heaven Chan Master had mocked her as a demoness, she seemed wholly unbothered, replying coolly:
"This Holy Mother wanders the world freely and dares not accept such grand courtesies from the venerable Chan Master. Yet your sect's banners tower here so arrogantly, standing apart from all others. Raising funeral streamers so brazenly before the world—what exactly are your intentions?"
Unexpectedly, the No-Heaven Chan Master threw back his head and roared with laughter.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! And what if I do raise funeral banners? What can you possibly do about it?"
Suddenly his expression hardened, and in a voice ringing with righteous indignation he shouted:
"Demoness! You murdered Master Liaoyin! Do you truly think no one in this world can bring you to justice?"
Pausing, he swept his gaze across the assembled heroes before proclaiming boldly:
"Master Liaoyin has passed into the Western Paradise, and all beneath heaven mourn his loss. Today, with the heroes of the realm gathered here, this poor monk shall make his declaration before all under heaven: on the twentieth day of this month, I shall battle the Demon Mother of the Western Holy Cult at Huangshan Palace! Heroes of the martial world are welcome to witness the event!"
With those bombastic words, the No-Heaven Chan Master seized control of the mood of the gathering, manipulating the sentiments of the jianghu with practiced ease. The Western Holy Mother had effectively walked into a trap of her own making, and in but a moment she was painted as the public enemy of the martial world.
Chief Judge Cui, seeing the two rivals unexpectedly converge upon the assembly and fearing they would overshadow the event entirely, hurried forward and positioned himself between them. In a booming voice he declared:
"Both of you—today is the Heroes' Gathering hosted by the River Transport Clans. If you wish to duel, then let it be settled at Huangshan Palace on the twentieth."
Though inwardly furious, the Western Holy Mother knew that losing control now would ruin her greater plans. Thus she restrained herself, her tone unexpectedly calm and gentle.
"Very well. This Holy Mother also came today to address the heroes gathered here. May I speak?"
Chief Judge Cui turned toward Zeng Qiang, leader of the Salt Clan. Zeng Qiang nodded and replied:
"Since the No-Heaven Chan Master may address the heroes of the realm, the Holy Mother of the Western Holy Cult may speak as well."
The Western Holy Mother inclined her head slightly.
"Many thanks, Clan Leader Zeng. The Western Holy Cult first wishes to congratulate the Heroes' Gathering on its success."
She then bowed respectfully toward the assembled martial heroes and announced in a clear voice:
"The Western Holy Cult bears no enmity toward Shaolin Temple. On that day, Master Liaoyin slandered our faith before the public, calling our teachings deceitful and corrupt. As leader of the Western Holy Cult, how could I tolerate such humiliation? I merely demanded that Master Liaoyin apologize. Yet he refused and continued to press the matter. Left with no alternative, I was forced to duel him. Alas, fists and palms have no eyes, and thus tragedy occurred."
After Master Liaoyin's passing, waves spread throughout the martial world—both inevitable and accidental alike. Numerous wandering swordsmen and major sects stirred restlessly, eager to exploit the situation. Some sought fame; others sought domination of the jianghu itself. Yet because the Western Holy Mother's martial arts were extraordinarily formidable, none dared challenge her directly. At such a moment, the No-Heaven Chan Master boldly declared before all under heaven that he would avenge Master Liaoyin. In a martial world where righteousness and evil were said to stand irreconcilably opposed, he thereby seized the power of narrative itself, guiding public opinion to his advantage. Thus the Western Holy Mother was gradually cast as the enemy of the martial world, while the No-Heaven Chan Master appeared as the embodiment of justice and righteousness.
How could the Western Holy Mother permit him to twist the truth so openly?
Anyone could speak. Yet in the martial world, few possessed the ability to control the narrative once they spoke. Whoever commanded that power often determined the future direction of the jianghu itself. Thus, their struggle for influence today was only natural. Those experienced in the martial world all understood that jianghu was not merely a place of bloodshed and combat; it was equally a realm of human relationships and worldly schemes. The righteous were not always righteous, and the wicked were not necessarily wholly evil. One could not simply condemn an entire faction with a single stroke.
The Western Holy Mother had risked coming to the Heroes' Gathering despite the danger of being attacked by the assembled masses. Why? Simply to clear her name of the rumors surrounding Master Liaoyin's death. By lowering her posture and speaking with measured gentleness, she hoped the heroes present would understand the true sequence of events rather than blindly trust the words of the No-Heaven Chan Master alone.
Soon murmurs spread among the crowd. Many began quietly agreeing with portions of the Western Holy Mother's explanation, no longer wholly supporting the No-Heaven Chan Master.
Yet at that very moment, Wu Tian stepped out from the crowd and shouted angrily:
"What utter nonsense! Master Liaoyin was an enlightened holy monk—how dare your Western Holy Cult slander him!"
Wu Tian's words were like pouring oil upon flames, causing the tension to blaze even fiercer.
The followers of both sides glared at one another with drawn swords and tightened fists. One side was eager to charge forward once more; the other stood fully prepared for battle. Behind the Western Holy Mother, the Holy Maiden Peach Blossom immediately stepped forth and cried sharply:
"Ignorant brat! How dare you insult our holy faith!"
Wu Tian strode boldly forward, pointing directly at the Western Holy Mother as he thundered:
"Your sect murdered the holy monk—this is known throughout the realm! How can you deny it with mere words?"
The instant those words left his mouth, it was already too late to retract them.
At such provocation, how could the Western Holy Mother's expression not change? How could she not be enraged?
Suddenly, a figure flashed forward.
In the blink of an eye, she was already standing before Wu Tian. Her palm struck forth. Startled, Wu Tian raised his own hand to block, but the Western Holy Mother reversed her strike with astonishing speed. Her palm carried hidden force and perfectly stored momentum.
Smack!
First came a resounding slap across his face, venting her fury. Then, in the same flowing motion, she unleashed another palm strike that sent Wu Tian flying backward.
The movement was swift as lightning, marvelous in its precision.
Seeing Wu Tian hurled away, Wu Di and Wu Ren immediately leapt forward to catch him. Yet the force behind the Western Holy Mother's strike was overwhelming, and the three of them tumbled to the ground together.