Chapter 52: The Alliance Banquet

This banquet was being held in secret, so very few people knew about it. The venue was an auxiliary residence of the City Lord’s Estate, and everyone attending had arrived through secret passages. Among them were Luo Haiji, City Lord of Luochuan City; Bai Mingjian, Patriarch of the Bai Clan; Ai Meimei, Matriarch of the Ai Clan; two of the Bai Clan’s four guardians; three of its eight elders; and nearly all the important members of the Ai Clan. There were also a few smaller clans.

Although Tian Xi was the owner of the auction house, the power backing her was extraordinary. If she were willing to help, the matter would be easy to resolve. Sending even a Third Heaven Realm expert to take charge would be enough to crush almost anyone.

The problem was that if those great powers became involved, the matter would no longer be a dispute between these clans. Thus, in the early years of the Hongmeng Continent, an unwritten rule had quietly taken shape and continued to be observed.

Regional disputes were the business of the region itself. Outsiders were not allowed to interfere—or, at the very least, were expected to interfere as little as possible.

After all, the continent was only so large, and its factions were intricately connected. It was entirely possible that some branch of a major power had ties to a minor faction. If every conflict immediately summoned the slaughter of two great powers, the entire continent would descend into chaos.

There had once been a similar incident. Two minor clans had engaged in a large-scale conflict over certain interests.

At first, the situation had seemed straightforward. One clan had overwhelmed the other, inflicting heavy losses.

Unexpectedly, however, a woman from an insignificant branch of the weaker clan turned out to be the daughter of an elder from a major sect.

At first, the elder had opposed the marriage. But the young man in question had proved himself worthy. Though still young, he possessed considerable talent. The sect therefore planned to nurture him as a key disciple and eventually agreed to the marriage.

Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse. The young man became involved in the conflict, and the weaker clan quickly regained the upper hand.

As the flames spread, the allied forces behind the two minor clans joined the struggle one after another. In the end, the war even reached a first-rate sect.

Eventually, someone perceptive recognized the true source of the problem. But the fighting could not continue forever. It had not only reshuffled several mid-level powers; it had nearly shaken the foundations of some major sects.

Fortunately, a supreme expert with sufficient authority stepped forward to mediate, finally bringing the dispute to an end.

Afterward, many factions took the incident as a warning. They would no longer casually interfere in conflicts between minor clans. At most, they would provide some resources and support. As for sending people, that was out of the question.

There were no records indicating which sects had been involved.

Tian Xi held the same view. More importantly, she might not even have had the authority to make such a decision.

But Lan Bing had returned that very day.

Mengyao had no lessons during this period. When she heard that Mo Xuan was going to the banquet, she felt uneasy and decided to accompany him. If necessary, she could also help cover for him.

“You finally arrived! And who is this?” Tian Xi recognized Mo Xuan at the entrance of the auction house—the agreed meeting place—but she did not recognize the woman behind him.

“Hello. My name is Lan Bing. I’m his elder sister!” Lan Bing’s claim of being his sister naturally did not mean they were related by blood. At most, she could be considered his cousin.

“Pleased to meet you. You must be the supreme potion master he mentioned.” Tian Xi smiled sweetly.

“No, I’ve only sold potions here twice.” Lan Bing felt somewhat embarrassed.

“Indeed, a renowned master produces outstanding disciples!” Tian Xi’s eyes flickered with a meaningful expression. She had not expected that most of the supreme potions auctioned here had actually been made by Mo Xuan.

Mo Xuan said nothing further.

The three of them then proceeded to the City Lord’s Estate together.

Lan Bing fully supported Mo Xuan in tonight’s matter. After all, she too would be leaving soon. If anything happened to the Mo Clan afterward, having a few allies would certainly be beneficial.

It had happened only a month earlier.

Chen Kaishan, the ancestor of the Chen Clan, had been in a forest beside Illusory Creek Town, a place that belonged to the Mo Clan.

According to rumor, he had died at the hands of an expert standing beside Mo Xuan.

Even so, the great clans attending the banquet still had little confidence in Mo Xuan and the expert at his side.

Mo Xuan had come only because Tian Xi had invited him. Otherwise, he would never have attended.

Even if he could truly help the Mo Clan, he still would not have come.

After all, he had already troubled Tian Xi for quite some time. It was only right that he help shoulder some of her worries.

Tian Xi could not conveniently participate in the conflict here. Yet someone had invited her, and that was when she thought of Mo Xuan. His assistance might not be extensive, but it should be enough to resolve the problem.

Just as expected.

When Tian Xi first introduced Mo Xuan to City Lord Luo Haiji, the man had barely paid him any attention. A supreme potion master was naturally an exceedingly rare figure, but given the current situation, that was not what they lacked.

Seeing this, Tian Xi felt somewhat guilty.

“Really? He’s a supreme potion master. Could it be that, as City Lord, you don’t even understand the importance of a potion master?”

“Heh. Thank you for coming to the alliance meeting, young brother. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first.” Luo Haiji sounded impatient.

“Tch. He’s a City Lord, yet his judgment is terrible. No wonder his cultivation has remained stuck at that level.” Lan Bing spoke only one sentence, and she did so with equal indifference.

To be honest, if not for Mo Xuan, she would not have deigned to associate with these people.

Tian Xi smiled faintly and stepped aside, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

Only then did Luo Haiji notice the woman behind Mo Xuan. Looking closely, he saw that she was indeed quite young, yet her cultivation was already approaching his own. She was at the tenth level of the Earth Profound Realm. With such strength, she would be treated as an honored guest in any clan.

“May I ask what you mean by that, miss?” After seeing Lan Bing, Luo Haiji gradually began to take Mo Xuan seriously, though most of his attention remained focused on Lan Bing.

“You explain it. I can’t be bothered.” Lan Bing pushed the matter directly onto Mo Xuan.

Mo Xuan understood her intention. An expert of her level was naturally reluctant to act personally. But after being ignored earlier, he could not simply say, “Since we are unwelcome, I think we should leave.”

“Fine. I’ll do as you say.”

The two had just turned to leave when men sent by the City Lord blocked their path.

“Now that you’re here, you think you can simply leave whenever you please?” Luo Haiji barked. “Do you take this place for somewhere you can come and go as you wish?”

The commotion attracted everyone’s attention. One of the Bai Clan’s guardians, Bai Qianqian, had met Mo Xuan only the day before. Seeing what was happening, she naturally could not stand by and do nothing. She hurried forward and pleaded, “My lord, please show them some leniency. Don’t lose your temper. They came here with good intentions, hoping to help.”

When Bai Clan Patriarch Bai Mingjian saw one of his guardians pleading on Mo Xuan’s behalf, he quickly came over and asked what had happened.

The City Lord naturally refused. The families attending the alliance meeting all possessed deep foundations, yet Mo Xuan and the woman beside him were being far too arrogant.

Even if he was a supreme potion master, what use was that under the present circumstances? He had been offered a way to preserve his dignity, yet he had refused it. As City Lord, Luo Haiji was naturally furious. In his eyes, Mo Xuan’s strength was practically irrelevant.

“Seize them!”

Four Earth Profound Realm experts immediately stepped forward—two at the tenth level and two at the eighth. They not only blocked the pair’s path but also surrounded them from all sides.

It seemed that a peaceful resolution was impossible.

Lan Bing merely sneered. Although she was only at the tenth level of the Earth Profound Realm, she did not take these people seriously at all. Even without revealing her full strength, dealing with them would be easy.

She was just about to act when Mo Xuan grabbed her.

“We didn’t come here to fight. Go easy on them.”

“Hmph. I don’t care.”

Lan Bing did not even draw a weapon. Relying solely on her keen movements and her ability to identify openings, she defeated all four men in only twenty exchanges.

“With strength like that, you still thought you could keep us here? I really wonder where you found the confidence.”

Lan Bing could not help mocking them.

These four men were among the City Lord’s Estate’s strongest fighters. Each one of them was formidable on his own, yet all four had been defeated within minutes.

Even Luo Haiji, a peak expert at the eleventh level of the Earth Profound Realm, could not have accomplished that so effortlessly. Everyone therefore began to guess the truth: this woman was probably the mysterious expert rumored to be standing beside Mo Xuan.

The scene had naturally been witnessed by the other two major clans and several lesser families. None of the patriarchs present could have dealt with those four men as casually as Lan Bing had.

Thus, no one dared say anything.

The Bai Clan Patriarch was secretly delighted. Fortunately, the Bai Clan’s chief guardian had spoken up for Mo Xuan earlier. Although she had failed to persuade the City Lord, her action itself demonstrated the Bai Clan’s recognition of him.

The City Lord no longer dared to stop them. Yet he was still the ruler of an entire city. If he personally stepped forward now, would that not be humiliating?

“Everyone has come here in good faith to form an alliance. It is best that we seek harmony. Why don’t both sides take a step back?” Tian Xi said. “What do you think?”

As the person who had brought them together, Tian Xi could not simply ignore the matter. She made a small concession. Moreover, she did business here and could not afford to let relations deteriorate too badly.

Lan Bing paid these people no attention. She listened only to Mo Xuan.

The City Lord was an intelligent man. He could see that Mo Xuan was the one who had to make the decision, so he promptly apologized.

Since Mo Xuan had already shown goodwill, it would have been inappropriate to refuse to give him face. That was why the two were allowed to stay.

Of course, the City Lord also remembered Mo Xuan’s earlier words. In the end, he asked him, “Since you are a potion master, young brother, do you have any way to resolve this problem?”

Mo Xuan naturally knew the answer. In his early years, the City Lord had likely been too eager to advance his cultivation, causing accumulated internal injuries that eventually halted his progress.

An ordinary potion master could naturally identify these symptoms, but they would not know how to treat them. A supreme potion master was different. Supreme potions represented a dividing line between ordinary potions and true mastery, and the difference between the two was enormous.

Lan Bing was not the only one capable of solving the problem. Even Mo Xuan could do it. Knowing that Lan Bing would not bother, he decided to handle it himself.

However, he had no intention of preparing the necessary materials.

Halfway through the banquet, everyone remembered the earlier incident involving the Le Clan. It had served as a warning. If these clans did not unite, they would inevitably be swallowed up one by one.

The City Lord was included as well. Although this territory fell under the jurisdiction of the Kaiser Kingdom, the kingdom did not care who truly ruled the land or controlled its every blade of grass. As long as the required taxes were paid according to the established proportion, that was all that mattered.

“Hahaha! You actually think that joining forces will make you a match for us?”

Three figures appeared. Judging by their clothing, they were the three stewards of the Chen Clan. Each clan had its own hierarchy, and these three stewards occupied positions similar to the Bai Clan’s guardians.

“This aura… They’re all at the Earth Nether Realm!”

Several patriarchs below, including City Lord Luo, were astonished when they sensed their cultivation.