It was not until Shang Fu, Gongyang Ying, and others entered the Batian Ancient Tower that the crowd burst into an uproar, with discussions flying left and right.
Meanwhile, in a secluded street nearby, Guo Zixia said with eyes full of hatred, "Sikong Jing, I must kill him."
Just then, Junior Sister Lan’s hand joined his, but she asked with a touch of fear, "Senior Brother Guo, Sikong Jing has lost an arm, yet why does he seem even more terrifying now?"
This left everyone looking extremely troubled, a deep sense of crisis looming over them.
Guo Zixia forced himself to stay calm and replied indifferently, "I was ambushed just now. Sikong Jing is not as terrifying as you think, but he is indeed beyond my expectations. He must be at least at the Third Realm of Dao Inquiry."
"That means we have one more opponent to deal with."
"However, as long as he does not ally with Chou Zhan, there is nothing to fear."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in understanding, their expressions somewhat relieved.
Regardless of how formidable Sikong Jing was, he was just one person. He had deep grudges with all Three Great Academies; the strongest possible ally he could have was Chou Zhan, who, along with the Beichou Sword Sect, was the only force that could afford to defy the Three Great Academies.
Whether it was the Feiling Sect or any other sect, none would dare to offend the Three Great Academies, let alone side with Sikong Jing.
However, Junior Sister Lan still expressed her concern, "Senior Brother Guo, although Chou Zhan is a sword fanatic and is extremely solitary, he might just hit it off with Sikong Jing and really pull him into an alliance."
In response, a cold light flickered in Guo Zixia’s eyes, and he scoffed, "Chou Zhan probably won’t be able to make it to Zhanwu City."
At these words, the crowd’s gaze froze in confusion.
"The Beichou Sword Sect is too powerful. Despite their small numbers, they have always been a major thorn in the side of our Three Great Academies."
"Aside from Overlord Commerce in East Plain Northern Land, they are the only ones who have Martial Battle Realm level experts. None of the academies want the Beichou Sword Sect to grow any stronger, so the exceptionally talented Chou Zhan must die."
"He must not leave East Plain Northern Land, and he must not acquire more cultivation resources."
As Guo Zixia spoke, everyone stared at him in disbelief before they came to an understanding.
The Beichou Sword Sect was the strongest martial sect in East Plain Northern Land, even regarded as the most formidable power in martial arts; their actions, just like Chou Zhan’s, were solitary and quirky, always disregarding the Three Great Academies.
What was more terrifying was that they possessed Martial Battle Realm level experts who could be considered an existence above any force.
It goes without saying that the Three Great Academies eagerly wished to rid themselves of such a power.
Junior Sister Lan whispered, "But Senior Brother Guo, if we make a move against Chou Zhan, the Beichou Sword Sect will go mad."
When the Beichou Sword Sect went mad, nobody could stand in their way; the Heavenly Dao Academy would surely pay a heavy price.
And according to Senior Brother Guo’s implications, it was the righteous followers from their Heavenly Dao Academy that were out to assassinate Chou Zhan.
If the Beichou Sword Sect discovered even the slightest clue, the trouble would be enormous.
Guo Zixia laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"Since we’re taking action, we naturally won’t let the Beichou Sword Sect find out. Just be at ease."
"You should know about the incident where the Elder Su’s treasure was contested, and the ones from Heavenly Dao Sacred Land stayed at our Heavenly Dao Academy for half a day... During that half day, a demon beast of the Martial Battle Realm just happened to appear in our Heavenly Dao Academy."
At these words, the core students of the Heavenly Dao Academy opened their mouths in shock.
They were well aware of the visit by Heavenly Dao Sacred Land to Central Plains, and that during the half-day stay, Heavenly Dao Sacred Land had bestowed Heavenly Dao Academy with a Martial Battle Realm demon beast.
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao Academy must have arranged for this Martial Battle Realm demon beast to attack and kill Chou Zhan and the experts from the Beichou Sword Sect, who would have no idea where the demon beast came from.
Of course, that also meant they couldn’t link it back to Heavenly Dao Academy.
Thinking of this, all the Heavenly Dao Students were incredibly excited. It seemed highly likely that Chou Zhan was dead.
Guo Zixia continued, "At the same time, I’ve received a reward from a powerful figure of the Heavenly Dao Sacred Land."
"In any case, even if Chou Zhan did not die and comes back, even if Sikong Jing truly teams up with Chou Zhan, it will still be somewhat tricky, but we are very confident we can blast both of them away together."
As Guo Zixia spoke, a shiver ran through all the Heavenly Dao Academy students, and a bright light flashed in their eyes.
So there was a reward; no wonder Senior Brother Guo, even after being pounded by Sikong Jing, could remain so confident.
"Let’s go, it’s time for us to enter the Batian Ancient Tower," Guo Zixia said without further ado.
However, just as he was stepping forward in triumph, Junior Sister Lan hurriedly reminded him, "Senior Brother Guo, you should change your clothes first."
At her words, Guo Zixia’s face, which had been full of handsomeness, darkened again, his teeth clenching with a grinding sound. Recalling the humiliating state Sikong Jing had put him in, he couldn’t help but seethe with rage...
He hated looking foolish in front of women who admired him; it was his Achilles’ heel.
Inside the Ancient Building of Overlord Commerce, Sikong Jing was led by the staff to the banquet hall.
At that moment, there were already about twenty people there.
When he stepped in, all eyes turned to him at once.
Many were puzzled, especially when their gaze fell on the sleeve where his arm was missing, raising eyebrows in unison.
In their minds, they couldn’t recall any one-armed Martial Arts Geniuses.
While everyone was puzzled, a young man approached him with a light laugh and asked, "I’m Zheng Gu of the Wuchuan Sect from the War Martial Region. May I ask how to address you?"
As Zheng Gu spoke, everyone around pricked their ears, their minds racing through the names of the top fifty on the Thousand Tyrant List.
In response, Sikong Jing introduced himself with an air of nonchalance, "Sikong Jing."
As soon as the three words were spoken, the entire banquet hall suddenly fell silent, the atmosphere freezing over!
Every pupil sharply constricted, Zheng Gu’s mouth fell open and he promptly dropped his smile.
He turned around and walked away without a word, as if he had seen the plague.
Clearly, this name held no appeal for him to make any association.
The next moment, there was a "boom" as a resounding explosion echoed in the hall, and it was not just from one person. These outbursts of energy came with dragon roars and were filled with killing intent.
An icy voice rang out as several figures stood up, their gaze fixed intently on Sikong Jing.
Sikong Jing glanced back to see that those who had stood up were all dressed as students from the Holy Dragon General Academy, and the tall, burly man who called out his name was emanating an aura of the Demon Dragon Technique.
With a slight smile, Sikong Jing calmly asked, "Holy Dragon Academy’s number one talent, Fu Jiaoxing?"
Fu Jiaoxing, ranked third on the Thousand Tyrant List, was indeed the top genius of Holy Dragon Academy.
His reputation was outstanding, with some saying that once he mounted a Demon Dragon, not even Chou Zhan would be his match, and naturally, Fu Jiaoxing had full hostility towards Sikong Jing, who had always resisted Holy Dragon Academy.
However, Fu Jiaoxing soon subdued his energy and spoke coldly, "That’s right. Since you know who I am, why don’t you come over and pay respects to me, your Senior Brother... my dear Junior Brother Sikong."