Chapter 1476: Chapter 1513: Free-for-All
When Ding Fan and his companions appeared in the canyon, thirty-six cultivators saw the presence of Long Ren and Elder Xi, and immediately quieted down, standing solemnly with great respect as they spoke in unison to Long Ren:
"Greetings, Lake Master!"
"Greetings, Lake Master!"
"..."
Long Ren nodded slightly, then walked alone to a stone step in front, his expression becoming very grave, devoid of any previous mirth.
Ding Fan was a bit shocked witnessing this scene. Among the thirty-six cultivators, some were already white-haired elders, while others were burly middle-aged men, and even two middle-aged women whose elegance was unmistakable. However, none of them were below the Spirit Severing stage, and even those at the Spirit Severing Initial Stage were considered the lowest among them.
How could Ding Fan not be shocked? He hadn’t expected his virtuous brother to be the Lake Master of the Thirty-Six Caverns, and indeed, these Thirty-Six Caverns were extraordinary. It was evident that these cultivators were sect leaders, and such top-notch strength showed that the prowess of the Thirty-Six Caverns was formidable. Ding Fan estimated that it was probably one of the largest forces in the Donglai Continent, and typical forces would certainly not be a match against the Thirty-Six Caverns.
At this time, Ding Fan found himself in a corner below. Although he had been invited by Long Ren, he was still an outsider to the Thirty-Six Caverns. Even as Ding Fan appeared, he noticed many puzzled and curious glances cast his way. Clearly, gatherings of the Thirty-Six Caverns had no fixed seating, but their secrecy was well maintained.
It was apparent that besides the sect leaders of the Thirty-Six Caverns, there were no outsiders present. Ding Fan guessed that this must be a rule set by Long Ren. After all, the Thirty-Six Caverns were a massive organization, and as its Lake Master, Long Ren would naturally want to keep his movements confidential, especially since he traveled the martial world without a permanent abode.
After a while, Ding Fan ignored the odd looks from others and began to meditate on his own.
At that moment, Long Ren also sat cross-legged on the stone steps, his expression seeming more relaxed, and he spoke:
"Today, at the gathering of the Thirty-Six Caverns, if anyone has anything to say, please feel free to speak."
Upon hearing Long Ren’s words, a middle-aged man who seemed unable to keep still stepped forward and said to Long Ren with deep respect:
"Lake Master! Recently, the Wild Wolf Gang has been rampant. A few days ago, I fell into an ambush by several elders of the Wild Wolf Gang and was severely injured."
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, the rest of the group was deeply shocked. Apparently, they hadn’t anticipated the Wild Wolf Gang’s audacity in targeting a sect master. The middle-aged man was known to have a Spirit Severing Mid Stage cultivation, and that such a person could be injured was incredible! Many sect leaders had noticed the Wild Wolf Gang’s recent rampant activities, but it had been mainly conflicts with sect disciples, not targeting sect masters. The group was astonished hearing the man’s words, not expecting the Wild Wolf Gang to attack sect leaders!
Immediately, several other cultivators stepped forward and continued:
"The Wild Wolf Gang is truly detestable. Many of my disciples have been slain by the Wild Wolf Gang’s disciples! I even lost a core disciple. Initially, I thought our situation was the most serious, but I didn’t expect they even started targeting sect masters! This is outrageous!"
"My situation isn’t good either; many city territories of mine have been occupied by the Wild Wolf Gang’s forces. Lake Master, I think it’s time we show them a thing or two!"
"Indeed, many of my disciples often endure the harassment of the Wild Wolf Gang; we can’t let them run wild any longer!"
"Let’s show them the strength of our Thirty-Six Caverns! Otherwise, they underestimate us too much..."
...
Many cultivators stood up, expressing their anger to Long Ren about the Wild Wolf Gang.
Although Ding Fan was meditating, he listened attentively without missing a word, ensuring he missed nothing about the Wild Wolf Gang. After all, he intended to destroy the Wild Wolf Gang, and he needed to know his enemy and himself to overcome them. Ding Fan was shocked, realizing the Wild Wolf Gang had already made moves against the Thirty-Six Caverns.
It’s important to know that the Thirty-Six Caverns weren’t just any ordinary presence; what exactly did the Wild Wolf Gang intend!?
However, upon reflection, Ding Fan realized it matched the Wild Wolf Gang’s behavior. Previously, they even attempted to destroy Dancheng and control all the alchemists, which wasn’t something an ordinary sect would dare attempt. Now, the Wild Wolf Gang was targeting some sect leaders from the Thirty-Six Caverns, which was indeed audacious. Ding Fan pondered, what exactly was the Wild Wolf Gang trying to do?
Initially, they conspired with several sects to destroy his Dayang Sect, establishing the Wild Wolf Gang as a regional hegemon. Now, the Wild Wolf Gang continued with new actions one after another, each more shocking than the last. Ding Fan, after much thought, still couldn’t determine what the Wild Wolf Gang was aiming for. Finally, Ding Fan decided not to dwell on it, thinking that the cunning fox would eventually reveal its tail.
Although Ding Fan does not yet know what the Wild Wolf Gang’s plan is, he believes that in time, their intentions will become very clear.
Then Ding Fan sat cross-legged again and continued his cultivation...
At this moment, Long Ren heard the words of the crowd, and his expression unexpectedly grew heavier. He pondered whether it was really necessary to teach the Wild Wolf Gang a lesson. After all, the 36 Holes are not to be trifled with, especially since they had already provoked his sect leader. Just as Long Ren was about to speak, an elder cultivator stepped forward, a strange look flashing in his eyes as he said:
"I don’t quite agree. In recent years, the Wild Wolf Gang has developed very quickly, and their strength is not much less than our 36 Holes. Although they are just a sect, they have alliances with many sects. Clearly, the Wild Wolf Gang’s strength is no longer what it once was. Perhaps we should ally with them, combining strengths! That way, our 36 Holes could become the true leaders of Donglai Continent, or even the Cultivation World!"
The crowd was shocked by the elder’s words, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing. However, some cultivators seemed unsurprised, with calm expressions as if they had anticipated it.
"What are you talking about?! Ally with the Wild Wolf Gang? Does that mean we would acknowledge the Wild Wolf Gang as leaders?"
A middle-aged man, his momentum suddenly surging in anger, looked skeptically at the elder and said.
"What’s wrong with acknowledging the Wild Wolf Gang as leaders? From then on, we would be the largest organization in the Cultivation World, besides the Wild Wolf Gang!"
The elder said with an air of normalcy.
"Outrageous! Do you not have any respect for the Lake Master? Today, I will purge the sect for the sake of the Lake Master!"
Outraged by the elder’s words, the middle-aged man let his True Qi surge, and a Crescent Moon Scythe appeared in his hand. He spun and advanced swiftly toward the elder, the scythe spinning around him like a sharp circular blade, heading straight for the elder. Wind whistled and sand flew!
Long Ren did not intervene, clearly detecting a disrespectful undertone in the elder’s words. Watching as the middle-aged man charged at the elder, Long Ren chose not to stop it.
The crowd saw Lake Master Long Ren’s grim face and apparent unwillingness to intervene, their hearts tightening with tension and a mix of shock. Many among them, including Long Ren himself, felt an ominous foreboding.
The 36 Holes had existed for hundreds of years without such an event. To have two Cave Masters fight during a gathering was astonishing! Yet Long Ren still refrained from speaking. He knew that if the 36 Holes had problems now, suppressing them forcefully was not a good solution.
Boom boom boom!
The middle-aged man landed several punches on the elder, causing the elder to spit out a mouthful of blood, clearly heavily injured by the middle-aged man.
Ding Fan opened his eyes, surprised that a fight had erupted. He noticed that the middle-aged man was a Spirit Severing Late Stage cultivator while the elder was Spirit Severing Mid Stage, and clearly no match for the middle-aged man. The battle between Spirit Severing stage cultivators was quite shocking to Ding Fan.
Dust and debris filled the air, nearby trees were shattered by residual force, and even the mountain surfaces now had large holes.
Some of the onlooking cultivators were furious at the sight of the elder being hit, cursing as they moved to join the fight against the middle-aged man.
"You’re courting death! Get lost!"
Boom boom boom...
A loud noise echoed as the elders’ True Qi attacks reached the middle-aged man first. The manifestations included a lion, a crane, and fierce fists, creating a terrifying aura.
Before the elders’ attacks hit the middle-aged man, accomplices of the middle-aged man intercepted the assaults, and they too launched attacks toward the elders!
Boom boom boom...
The canyon resounded with the noise of battle, a chaotic melee, as all thirty-six sect leaders were drawn into the fray...
