Chapter 159: Disaster Strikes the Three Major Factions

Xiao Yu and the others vanished from the bar, yet Xiao Yu's voice continued to echo within the establishment.

The ordinary patrons had no inkling of what the War King mentioned by Xiao Yu actually signified. Upon hearing it, however, the middle-aged man looked on with profound reverence, and even bowed respectfully toward the direction where Xiao Yu and his companions had departed.

Straightening his back, the middle-aged man looked at Long Hao, who was wailing bitterly, and let out a helpless sigh. Feeling entirely exasperated with this young master of his, he watched as several covert guards pulled themselves up from the ground and approached him. At a hand gesture from the middle-aged man, the guards supported Long Hao and quickly left the place, returning to the Long estate.

Back at the Long residence, resentment still simmered in Long Hao's heart. He sought out the current head of the Long family, his grandfather Long Hao, and recounted the day's events with heavy exaggeration and fabrication. As for why the incident happened in the first place and the identity of the person who struck him, Long Hao deliberately omitted every single detail.

Hearing that his grandson had actually been beaten, Long Hao flew into a rage. He immediately summoned the covert guards assigned to protect Long Hao that day to inquire about the situation.

"I ordered you to protect the young master in secret, so why did something like this still happen to him? Could it be that you were derelict in your duty?"

In the grand hall of the Long estate, Long Hao glared with burning anger at the covert guards kneeling on one knee before him, shouting furiously.

"Please calm your anger, Master. We were not derelict in our duties, but the person involved... is simply someone our Long family cannot afford to cross," the middle-aged man said with a helpless expression.

"Cannot afford to cross? As the head of the four major families, my Long family's name is known to all in Yanjing! Is there really anyone our Long family cannot afford to cross?"

"This... Master, what if the person who struck the young master was Xiao Yu?" Seeing Long Hao's intense fury, the middle-aged man had no choice but to utter the name Xiao Yu.

"I don't care what kind of Xiao or Yu he is, I only know that this person dared to lay a hand on the descendant of the Long family! Then he shall... Wait, what did you say? Xiao Yu?"

Upon hearing the name Xiao Yu, Long Hao was still consumed by intense rage, but in a fraction of a second, realization dawned on him, and he asked with uncertainty.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded helplessly.

"This brat! Not only did he return to Yanjing without giving me a heads-up, but he even beat up my descendant. Humph, once I get my hands on you, you'll be in for a rough time!"

After confirming that the perpetrator was Xiao Yu, Long Hao's anger gradually subsided. He knew Xiao Yu's character well; Xiao Yu would never strike an ordinary person without reason, especially knowing that Long Hao was his grandson.

"Sigh, tell me everything that happened today," Long Hao said calmly with a sigh.

At the middle-aged man's prompt, he recounted the entire series of events from that day. Hearing the narration, Long Hao finally realized that the fault entirely lay with young Long Hao.

"It seems that my habitual indulgence of him has turned him into such a person. What Xiao Yu said was right; if Long Hao is allowed to continue like this, he will ruin the reputation of the entire Long family." Long Hao frowned, then continued, "You few, keep a close eye on Long Hao. Do not let him leave the house for a while and make him reflect deeply at home! If he dares to sneak out, break his legs!"

Hearing this, the covert guards kept their heads lowered in silence.

"Very well, you may withdraw. Just do as I say." Long Hao waved a hand dismissively at them.

The guards bowed deeply to Long Hao before retreating from the grand hall.

......

Back at the Martial Arts Alliance, Xiao Yu and the others returned directly after leaving the bar. It was already late into the night, so they bid each other farewell and returned to their respective rooms.

The long night stretched ahead; such peaceful and serene days brought a profound sense of comfort to Xiao Yu. To him, this kind of life had once been an extreme luxury. He had originally thought that after resigning from his post and returning to his hometown, he could live a quiet and ordinary life. Yet, the successive events that occurred upon his return to Fengcheng left him with unspoken grievances.

Following its previous failure, the Law Enforcement Hall seemed to have dropped its pursuit of Xiao Yu, allowing him and his companions to spend a few tranquil days within the Martial Arts Alliance.

By day, at the request of Gu Jian and Lu Yinning, Xiao Yu gladly took them to tour various scenic spots across Yanjing. Only this time, the group had expanded from four people to five.

Indeed, because of Gu Jian playing the hero to save the damsel in distress at the bar that night, the young woman harbored deep gratitude and other romantic sentiments toward him.

Over the past few days, their relationship had blossomed rapidly, and they were inseparable wherever they went. Through Gu Jian's introduction, Xiao Yu learned that the young woman actually belonged to the Wu family.

The Wu family was also a prominent household in Yanjing. Although they could not compare to behemoths like the Long family, they still held a solid standing in Yanjing.

The woman was named Wu Qian, the youngest daughter of Wu Bangguo, the current head of the Wu family. Seeing the deep affection that had sprouted between the two in just a few days, Xiao Yu could not help feeling happy for Gu Jian.

During their days at the Martial Arts Alliance, the group lived a carefree and leisurely life. Through continuous cultivation, bolstered by the effects of the Jade Dew Pill provided by Xuan Yuanjian, Gu Jian and Lu Yinning saw their powers recover rapidly. Although they had not yet returned to their absolute peak, they had successfully regained the realm of Martial Kings.

Such peaceful days, however, did not last long. One day, a small golden sword came flying from the horizon and landed squarely in the hand of Gu Jian, who was cultivating in the courtyard.

When Gu Jian looked at the small golden sword in his hand, his expression underwent a drastic change. He hurriedly halted his cultivation techniques and sought out Xiao Yu and the others.

"Brother Gu, what is the matter that has you so flustered?" Xiao Yu asked with a puzzled look, seeing Gu Jian uncharacteristically losing his composure. This was the first time he had seen Gu Jian display such panic since they met.

"It's bad! Something has happened to the Myriad Sword Sect!" Without waiting, Gu Jian handed the small sword to Xiao Yu and said with anxious urgency, "This is my master's token, as well as the symbol of the Myriad Sword Sect Master's identity. My master never parts with it, yet now, this object has suddenly appeared here. This must be a message sent to me by my master!"

Hearing Gu Jian's words, Xiao Yu also furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to speak, another figure stumbled into the courtyard running in haste. It was Lu Yinning.

"Something has happened to the Heaven Dao Alliance!"

A single stone stirred a thousand ripples. To Xiao Yu's astonishment, not only Gu Jian, but now even Lu Yinning had received a message from his sect. It seemed this matter could not be false.

What baffled Xiao Yu, however, was that whether it was the Heaven Dao Alliance or the Myriad Sword Sect, both were top-tier sects within the ancient martial arts world. For these two major factions to encounter catastrophe simultaneously made Xiao Yu sense the presence of a deep conspiracy.

At that very moment, a powerful aura surged into the sky from the room where Xuan Yuanjian resided. Immediately afterward, Xuan Yuanjian's figure burst through the roof, soared into the firmament, and vanished into the void after a few rapid flashes.

Witnessing this scene, profound shock gripped the hearts of Xiao Yu and the other two. At that instant, a grim realization dawned upon all three of them simultaneously:

Had the Xuan Yuan family also fallen into peril?