“What? John Doe has also been assaulted?”

Xi Shaolin of the Xi family, who controlled the whole information network, received the news in no time.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

With a solemn look, Xi Shaolin immediately rushed to the manor’s back garden.

There was a lotus pond in the back garden of the Xi family’s manor. In the pavilion situated in the middle of the pond, Xi Fengling was sitting cross-legged on a golden carpet, facing a small wooden table stripped bare of ornaments. Above the table was a pot of smoldering spices.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard.

“What’s up?”

Xi Fengling opened her eyes and asked without turning around.

“John Doe was attacked.”

Xi Shaolin said, “It happened just now. The attacker’s figure was very similar to that of the young guru Qingshan, and their weapons looked the same. The man who had surprisingly great strength is very likely a guru!”

“Pack up and go to the uninhabited area in Kekaxili. I’ll follow on.”

…

In the capital…

Leaders of the Zhan family and the Qian family gathered together.

“Your Excellencies, the latest news: John Doe was ambushed on the periphery of the uninhabited area in Kekaxili. The attacker is highly likely the young guru, Qingshan!”

In a tea house, Elder Zhan and Patriarch Qian sat opposite each other.

“Qingshan ambushed John Doe?”

Patriarch Qian asked, “John Doe is not a guru. Why would he sneakily attack John Doe?”

“I kind of believe John Doe, that sly brat, attacked a guru by surprise, but I definitely won’t believe a guru would need to ambush that cunning fox.”

Elder Zhan’s face darkened as he murmured, “John Doe, that wicked bastard, is indeed a little shady, but he is not a person without morals. So, he shouldn’t have launched this surprise attack.”

“Um.”

Patriarch Qian nodded in agreement and said, “With insects buzzing and birds chirping, those fierce beasts in Wulin are also about to come out.”

“Ha ha.”

Elder Zhan put down the teacup on the table and grabbed the wine gourd hanging on his waist. Tilting back his head, he took a big gulp of Heaven Dew. Then he howled with laughter, rose to his feet, and said, “Let’s go. The two should have set off. It’s time to meet them. Let’s go to the uninhabited area and see if this young guru is a genuine talent!”

…

The Diwu Great Family in Nanjiang…

“Let’s go.”

Not long after Diwu Qian took the lead to set off, Diwu Mingchuan also called out toward the dark sky before flying away from the manor on his own.

People in the manor were confused. There was no one around, but whom was Diwu Mingchuan talking to?

However…

They didn’t see the black shadow flashing across the manor like a blast of wind when Diwu Mingchuan left. The shadow moved so rapidly that no one caught sight of it.

…

At the same time…

All the leaders of the eight factions and sixteen sects departed for the uninhabited area.

Different from other Wulin people, they were all powerful big shots. So it only took them one night to reach the uninhabited area. Since they had been occupied with so many affairs, they couldn’t start a few days in advance like the other Wulin people.

Besides, these people liked to go in a group.

For example…

Whenever the four patriarchs took action, they would contact each other beforehand and go together.

It was the same for the leaders of the eight factions.

The sixteen sects were divided into two or three small groups. After all, some sects didn’t enjoy establishing diplomatic relations with others.

Along the way…

They talked about the sneaky assault against John Doe.

“John Doe also works for the government. When handling issues in Wulin, he has always been particularly upright and outspoken. All the people he killed deserved to be damned. So, he will not do such a despicable thing.”

“I agree. John Doe didn’t create his reputation by force. Instead, his fame grows day by day. But it’s hard to say what this recent young guru is like. Maybe he had a grudge against John Doe, so he deliberately staged an ambush.”

“But there was no need for him to do that, right?”

“We can only check it out on the scene.”

“This battle is going to be interesting.”

…

On the Wulin online forum…

To welcome the forthcoming pitched battle, supporters of Fang Qiu and Qingshan occupied the entire home page of the forum.

“The Battle Is Coming; John Doe Will Win!”

“Invincible Guru, Qingshan, Will Demolish John Doe!”

One after another, posts compiled by them sprang up like mushrooms.

These supporters on two sides were sparing no effort to root for their idols.

However…

From beginning to end…

There were many more posts supporting Qingshan than John Doe.

After all…

Gurus were experts who existed only in legends. For these Wulin people, gurus were mysterious and extraordinary existences that gave the people unlimited imagination. Therefore, they had a near-mystic status in many people’s eyes!

Even when the raid against John Doe was heatedly discussed, sarcastic remarks would still appear in the posts that backed John Doe up.

Of course…

Though they quit accusing John Doe of attacking Qingshan on the sly, they began openly mocking John Doe, saying that his strength was far inferior to Qingshan’s and that John Doe did not deserve to fight with Qingshan if Qingshan had not taken the initiative to challenge him, and the like.

Undoubtedly…

He Gaoming and the others monitoring the forum saw these comments.

“Damn it! The oldest was ambushed, yet how could they still sneer at him like this?”

“How could these people be so thoroughly shameless?”

“No, I’ll strongly condemn them. How the hell can they mock the oldest?”

“That’s right. Brothers, let’s hurl insults back at them.”

All the brothers flew into a rage.

However…

Just as everyone was about to log into their forum accounts to counter the abusive words with rude remarks, He Gaoming, who had been silent till now, suddenly said, “Don’t do that!”

“Hmm?”

“He Gaoming? What do you mean?”

“The oldest has been ridiculed like this. How can we stand by and watch?”

Everyone spoke out one after another, looking especially aggrieved.

“We should calm down.”

He Gaoming let out a long breath and continued, “I’m also very angry and indignant, but this is not the time to quarrel with them.”

“Why?” One of them asked.

“Why?”

He Gaoming shook his head and explained, “Tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle. The oldest doesn’t usually pay much attention to the forum, but he will go and check it out if you quarrel with the others and cause a commotion. These sarcastic comments aimed at him and us will affect his combat status. In that case, he might be in no mood to fight energetically!”

“Besides, the oldest said he would prove his innocence with strength!”

“What we need to do is trust him.”

“As long as the oldest wins this battle, these bastards on the forum will have to zip their foul mouths.”

“But if he loses, our defensive remarks to get even with our opponents for him will make us a laughing stock. At that time, all of us will be teased whenever we visit the forum, so why bother?”

“Arguing with them is not good for us and the oldest. We only need to go to the scene quietly and cheer for our boss. I think that will be enough.”

“If we win, let’s celebrate it exuberantly. If not, let’s endure the defeat together!”

Subconsciously, the other brothers put down their phones.

They knew that He Gaoming was right. John Doe was their boss. If he was bullied, they should rally around him and give him their support instead of arguing with others!

…

People from various Wulin forces set off…

Meanwhile, led by Yun Yangzi, nine of the top ten on the Young and Talented Martial Arts Practitioner List gathered at the pre-arranged place and rushed to Kekaxili, the uninhabited area in Qinghai.

This night…

The entire Wulin was stirred.

Almost all the well-known Wulin figures were on their way to the uninhabited area of Kekaxili.

In addition to the four clans, eight factions, and sixteen sects, all independent cultivators in Wulin also headed toward the uninhabited area in a hurry, including Sword Fanatic and the Chic Cloud Pavilion’s elders and gurus.

Time flew by.

After the ambush, Fang Qiu immediately rushed to the uninhabited area without having any time to rest.

The others followed him into the uninhabited area.

In the blink of an eye…

The sky was already turning bright.

Many Wulin practitioners who had spent the night at the edge of the area woke up.

When they opened their eyes, they saw that the number of people had increased drastically from last night. Around them was a sea of people.

While sighing with emotion, they rushed into the uninhabited area, one after another.

After all…

The uninhabited area was overly expansive.

However, John Doe did not give them a specific location for the battle, so everyone could only try to get as close to the center of the uninhabited area as possible. It was going to be a fierce battle. The closer the contestants were to the center, the more daring and less prudent they would be in this combat.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon.

The battle still hadn’t begun.

There was a flat and broad desert land in the center of the uninhabited area.

This tract of sand was vast, an excellent place for this battle. All kinds of sandy and rocky areas were located several hundred meters away.

The wind was blowing gustily, and yellow sand flew up to the clouds.

In the center of the sandy area, a young man in a black robe was sitting cross-legged with a light-red wooden stick inserted into the dry and hard ground beside him.

This person was none other than Qingshan!

There was no one around.

Hundreds of meters away in the distance, the rock area was densely packed with people. Some sat on weathered rocks and rocky walls, while others were below. They had picked various places at different heights as their natural viewing platforms.

In some areas without rocks, many people were either standing or sitting. Some people brought stools, while others even brought whole stalls providing others with a large quantity of water, drinks, and cooked food.

Although the prices in their stalls were expensive, their business seemed to be quite good.

“Why hasn’t John Doe come yet?”

“Could it be that he could not find this place?”

“It’s possible. After all, this uninhabited area is vast.”

“I heard John Doe entered the uninhabited area last night. It seemed that he had been searching around. There is no marked place in this area, so the battlefield can’t be fixed in advance.”

“Since he is already here, he shouldn’t be far from us. Now that we’re all gathered here, he should be able to find us soon.”

There were many discussions going on among the crowd.

In the center of the sandy area…

Qingshan had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. Because the surroundings were empty and the sound of the wind was loud, he couldn’t hear what the onlookers were talking about.

Nevertheless, he didn’t care. He only wanted to adjust his state to the best before John Doe arrived. Although the sneak attack against him happened three days ago, it still affected him.

As a result, he despised and disdained John Doe in his heart, thinking that he would definitely interrogate John Doe when he came!