Zhou Wentao and others, along with the City God of Liyang City and a group of deities, felt no surprise at this, as if they had already known it.
A hint of disappointment even appeared on their faces.
"I thought you had mastered something extraordinary, but I didn't expect it to be just this."
The City God of Liyang City gently shook his head, the disappointment on his face deepening.
Evidently, they had not expected that such a grand display by various factions would ultimately yield only what was already known.
While this information might be earth-shattering to outsiders, beings of their status and position had known it for two to three hundred years.
It was precisely for this reason that they not only felt no surprise but were deeply disappointed.
"As expected... as expected..."
Upon seeing everyone's reaction, Chen Mujin couldn't help but offer a bitter smile. "You all knew this beforehand. It seems quite a few have already secretly pledged allegiance to that faction!"
He smiled bitterly, as if he had foreseen everything and was merely seeking confirmation of his suspicions.
Amidst his laughter, Zhang Qingyang and the other two's expressions turned incredibly grim, so dark they seemed to drip with water.
Their grand aspirations of making a name for themselves and soaring to prominence to enact their vengeance were shattered in an instant.
The three of them also understood that after hearing these matters today, they would absolutely not see the light of the next day.
For those in positions of power to know certain things, if lesser individuals were to learn of them, it would only lead to their utter destruction.
"Such a grand mobilization for merely this. We have all miscalculated!"
Zhou Wentao sighed, his expression gradually turning cold.
He glanced at Zhang Qingyang and the others beside him. Without a word from him, his guards sprang into action.
The figures of two martial artists blurred into afterimages, appearing before the three in an instant. With a flash of cold steel, their long sabers were drawn from their scabbards.
However, in the very next moment, Zhang Qingyang and the other two vanished amidst a burst of formation patterns, reappearing behind Chen Mujin.
"In my divine hall, you still wish to commit murder? You clearly do not hold me, your City God, in much regard!" Chen Mujin said in a deep voice.
As his words fell, a powerful divine might erupted from him. Although he had been away from his divine position for a hundred years, his prior accumulations remained.
However, having just awakened from slumber, coupled with the sparse incense offerings at the City God's Pavilion for a century, the divine power accumulated in his statue had dwindled.
At this moment, despite the divine might emanating from Chen Mujin, he was somewhat outwardly strong but inwardly weak. If it came to a real fight, even with the amplification of celestial power, he would still be unable to exert much force.
Not to mention that a hundred years ago, he was merely a cultivator at the mid-stage of the second realm.
"Why is this necessary?" Zhou Wentao sighed and then shook his head.
The third-realm consecrated experts behind him immediately stepped forward, their internal magic power surging out and converging in their palms.
A thunder bead condensed by sorcery floated and then shot forward. It was not something that the weakened Chen Mujin could easily block, let alone someone of the same third realm.
Seeing this, the City God of Linfu County was about to fully activate the local formation. However, the moment he had the thought, he found that he had lost contact with most of the formation.
Without needing to think, he knew it must be the work of the people before him, causing most of the formations in this area to become inoperable.
Chen Mujin's face became solemn. Although he knew he could not block it, he still took a determined step forward.
But at that very moment, a figure suddenly appeared before him. Divine power surged from within his body, and amidst the dazzling divine light, a small tripod with four sides and four feet materialized.
The incoming thunder bead, as if summoned, fell directly into the small tripod. Then, thunderous roars echoed throughout the hall, like deafening thunderclaps by one's ears.
However, apart from the sound, no further movement occurred. An attack containing the power of the third realm was thus neutralized.
"Disciple of Nine Profound Sect?" The City God of Liyang City frowned, his expression becoming solemn.
He sensed a divine cultivation realm on the youth before him that was no weaker than his own, and in some aspects, even superior.
The only difference was that the other party had not condensed a divine spark to assume a divine position, thus lacking various divine abilities and not being subject to certain celestial restrictions.
Within the main hall, several figures silently appeared: Ji Yuan, Lin Yubai, and eight inner disciples of the Nine Profound Sect.
"A mere group of inner disciples dares to get involved in this matter?" Zhou Wentao furrowed his brow slightly, a hint of anger in his eyes.
Perhaps he felt that these young disciples were being foolish, meddling without understanding the situation, disregarding the grand scheme that countless people had painstakingly maintained.
"Even if the elders of the sect were here, they would certainly approve of our decision." Lin Yubai grinned and slowly took two steps forward.
Behind him, the eight inner disciples took their positions, their auras faintly connected, clearly having prepared some sort of combined technique.
They had been lurking in the main hall for a long time and had naturally overheard the preceding conversation. At this moment, their eyes held a degree of anger.
What grand scheme? It was merely an attempt to ensure their own status remained unaffected.
Those high-sounding words and those self-righteous faces were truly sickening!
"You don't understand anything, so retreat now. I guarantee that no one will be held accountable for today's events." Zhou Wentao said slowly, not wanting to clash with the Nine Profound Sect disciples before him.
A group of disciples merely at the second realm. Apart from the one at the peak of the third realm, he did not consider them a hindrance.
However, behind them stood a colossal entity. Even if the Prefect himself were to appear, he would not dare to offend them lightly.
Otherwise, if nine Golden Core Grand Cultivators attacked in unison, combined with the Nine Profound Sect's millennium of heritage and influence, even the court controlling a prefecture would not claim to be able to suppress them.
Should such a situation arise, only the Lord of the Prefecture could resolve such a calamity.
"Do you understand what the common people, sacrificed in the name of the grand scheme, truly desire?" Jiang Yunzhou snorted, his aura strengthening further.
With these words, Zhou Wentao understood that there was nothing more to discuss between them, and a conflict was inevitable.
He cast a glance to the side. On his own, it was somewhat difficult to make a decision. The Nine Profound Sect's retaliation was something even the Prefect could not afford.
Sensing his gaze, the City God of Liyang City nodded slightly. He and the four mountain deities behind him released their divine might almost simultaneously.