The newcomer was none other than Gu Ai, who'd escaped from the Earthly Flaming Tiger during the battle at the Lake of Heavenly Despair.
Gu Ai had led nine other Emperor-level experts of the Gu Clan to the Lake of Heavenly Despair to eliminate Ling Xiao.
Every single Emperor-level expert was the Gu Clan's strongest elite.
But in the end, he was the only one who'd managed to escape. Even the eighth-grade Lightning Serpent had been killed.
That battle had been the most unforgettable defeat of Gu Ai's life.
He'd returned to the clan and started investigating how the Gu Clan had offended such a powerful enemy.
He'd personally witnessed the battle between Ling Xiao and Wu Bufan that day, so he was well aware of Ling Xiao's potential. Once he broke through to the Emperor-level, no one would be able to stop him unless a Saint-level expert made a move. Moreover, he had the assistance of many powerful experts by his side, so his forces were no weaker than the Gu Clan's.
He couldn't understand why the Gu Clan had been so foolish as to offend such a powerful young man with limitless potential.
It was better that he didn't understand. Now that he did, he was so angry that he almost rolled his eyes.
It turned out that they'd lost a total of ten Emperor-level experts because of a lousy spear that was difficult to control.
Such a price had hurt the foundation of the Gu Clan.
Regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, Gu Ai had directly placed the blame on Gu An.
He felt that if Gu An hadn't issued the Ancient Slaughter Order, they wouldn't have offended such a powerful enemy.
Now that Gu An had established his own forces, it would be even more difficult for the Gu Clan to eliminate him. They had to change their strategy to deal with him.
Gu Ai couldn't vent his anger, so Gu An became the first target for him to vent his anger on.
Gu Ai's status in the Gu Clan was very high. As soon as he spoke, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed.
Gu An's face was livid and filled with indignation, while Gu Ben was extremely pleased. The two of them had completely different expressions.
Gu Ai ignored Gu An's expression and spoke coldly, "The position of Patriarch will be temporarily taken over by Gu Ben!"
"Former Patriarch, please step aside!" Gu Ben said to Gu An with joy in his eyes.
He and Gu An were of the same generation, yet he actually called Gu An "Old Patriarch". This was truly a great mockery towards Gu An.
"You … you guys … Wow!"
Gu An was so angry that he couldn't speak. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
Gu Ai did not have the slightest bit of pity in her heart. "How can someone with such a temperament be the head of a family? Take him away and make him face the wall for a hundred years as punishment!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately rushed over and carried Gu An out.
Gu Ben boldly sat on the Patriarch's seat, his face full of joy.
However, he did not show any signs of complacency. Instead, he announced to the crowd, "I have something to tell you. The Gu Clan is going to form an alliance with the Ghost Sect by marriage. The granddaughter of the Gu Clan, Gu Xiaohe, will marry Gui Zi, a member of the new generation of the Ghost Sect. I have already reached an agreement with the Ghost Sect. The Ghost Sect has agreed to accompany us to the Proud Smiling Palace to meet Ling Xiao on the day of the opening ceremony of the Proud Smiling Palace. What do you think?"
Gu Ai spoke up from the side, "My Clan's Rank Eight Thunder Snake was also killed by Ling Xiao. If you think you can go against him, you can object."
As soon as these words came out, the Gu Clan's Elders were once again shocked.
They all knew that Gu Ai had led the Gu Family's Grand Supreme Elder to kill Ling Xiao, but in the end, he was the only one who returned. They didn't know that even the eighth rank Lightning Snake, the guardian spirit beast of the Gu Family, didn't return.
At this moment, they all felt a sense of fear.
Without hesitation, they all agreed to Gu Ben's proposal. Just like that, the alliance between the Gu Clan and the Ghost Sect was confirmed.
They confirmed that they would take back the Ancient Killing Token and no longer pursue Ling Xiao. They were even prepared to make peace with Ling Xiao.
If this matter were to spread, the Gu Clan's prestige would be greatly affected.
However, Gu Ai had no choice but to make this decision.
Although the Gu Clan's foundation was somewhat shaken, they were not afraid to fight to the death with Ling Xiao.
However, the Gu Clan's vitality would be greatly damaged, and its foundation would be completely shaken. When that time came, the Gu Clan would fall out of the Eighteen Great Forces, and even be replaced by other forces.
This was not a situation that Gu Ai wanted to see.
He would rather let Ling Xiao live well than fight to the death with Ling Xiao.
Therefore, Gu Ai hoped that during the ceremony of the Proud Smiling Palace, he would join hands with the Ghost Sect to reconcile with Ling Xiao.
He believed that Ling Xiao would be tactful and not dare to completely fall out with the two great forces.
…
In the space of the Black Demon Sect, they existed in a pitch-black land of rubble.
This place was filled with darkness. Occasionally, a cold wind would blow, making people feel cold. Occasionally, skeletons could be seen on the ground. These skeletons didn't only belong to spirit beasts, there were also human skeletons. It was as if this place was hell on earth. No one could feel any vitality, only a strong sense of desolation and death.
There were nearly a hundred bare mountain rocks here, and in the tallest stone mountain, waves of Death Qi constantly lingered. It was as if one could hear wailing sounds, as if there were countless wronged souls crying out, making people feel incomparably gloomy and terrifying.
There was a grand hall there. The hall was like a ferocious beast from the Desolate Era, bringing with it an incomparable pressure. Huge skeletons of Spirit Beasts were hanging on the eaves of the hall, looking extremely sinister and frightening.
Inside the hall, there were three people kneeling on the ground, looking very respectful.
In the center of the hall, there was a virtual shadow sitting on the seat of honor. Yes, it was a virtual shadow, not a physical body.
This virtual shadow was the avatar of the Black Demon Sect's master, Black Demon.
The person kneeling below him was the disciple of the Black Demon Sect, Eagle King. Beside him was a man who was a little younger than him, but his aura was much stronger. This man had reached the peak of the Middle Stage Xuan Emperor, and could take another step forward at any time to reach the realm of the High Stage Xuan Emperor.
This person was the senior brother of Eagle King, and also the leader of the Wolf Eagle Secret Guard, Ye Lang.
Beside the two of them was an old man. The wrinkles on his old face were folded into layers, like the bark of an old tree. It was so rough and ferocious, and there were still a few strands of white hair on his bald head that had not completely fallen off, making him look very comical. There was a deep knife wound on one side of his face, and one of his eyes was even blinded.
Timid people would be scared silly by this old man's old face.
If the Cruel Leopard was here, he would definitely recognize this person. He was one of his brothers, and also the main leader who participated in the betrayal. The scar on this person's face was left by the Cruel Leopard when he counterattacked.
This person's name was Shi Yidao. When he betrayed the Savage Leopard, he had also reached the high-level Mystic Thearch Realm, and he was the right-hand man that the Savage Leopard relied on the most. Now, he was no longer at the Mystic Thearch Realm, and he had already become a Saint, so he could enjoy a longer lifespan.
"Why are you so anxious to summon me?" Black Demon said indifferently from the seat of honor.
Although the Black Demon was only a divine sense, he had the strength of a Saint, which made people feel that his strength was unfathomable!
As the chief disciple of the Black Demon Sect, Ye Lang was the first to speak, "Master, Ling Xiao has already established the Proud Smiling Palace. He has sent out invitations, and plans to hold the opening ceremony in a few months. This disciple thinks that we can't let that kid continue to be arrogant. Master, please let this disciple bring people to destroy the Proud Smiling Palace!"
Eagle King also took the opportunity to say, "Yes, if we let the Proud Smiling Palace continue to be arrogant, where is the dignity of our Demon Sect, and where is the dignity of Master!"
Eagle King still remembered that more than a year ago, he almost lost his life in the Death Mountain Range. He had swallowed this resentment for a long time, and he wanted to immediately bring people to kill the Proud Smiling Palace, and kill everyone from the Proud Smiling Palace. Especially that kid who was only a High Stage Celestial Master, he wanted to tear him into a thousand pieces!
After he escaped, it wasn't that he didn't want to immediately go back to find trouble with Ling Xiao, but he didn't have the ability to do so. His master's real body was always not in the sect, and he didn't know where he went to cultivate, so he couldn't startle his master unless it was absolutely necessary.
His master didn't order them to kill Ling Xiao and the others, so he, Eagle King, didn't dare to make the decision, and the old fellows in the sect might not listen to him.
Today, when his senior brother returned, he would have the chance to see his master again. He hoped that he could persuade his master to send people to destroy the Proud Smiling Palace and kill that little thief Ling Xiao.
Black Demon was silent for a moment, then looked at Shi Yidao and said, "Martial Uncle Shi, do you have the same idea as them?"
Shi Yidao replied, "Yes, since Mad Tooth is not dead, and even broke through to the Saint Stage, then we can't let him live, in case he becomes a threat in the future!"
The hatred on Shi Yidao's face was engraved in his heart for the rest of his life. Although that person was already killed, as that person's best brother, Mad Tooth, was still alive, so he would let Mad Tooth have a taste of that hatred!
Black Demon said, "Since that's the case, then go and destroy the Proud Smiling Palace, but … they have the help of a Level Eight Transformation Spirit Beast, so it won't be easy to destroy them. Night Wolf, go and invite the Four Horned Demon Cow out, and say that this is the Sect Leader's idea, this battle can only be won, not lost!"
After saying that, Black Demon's figure gradually became blurry.
The three of them said at the same time, "Farewell Master (Sect Leader)."
"This is great, with the help of the Four Horned Demon Cow, those idiots from the Proud Smiling Palace will definitely be destroyed!" The Eagle King shouted excitedly.
Night Wolf looked at him coldly and said, "Although Master agreed to let us destroy the Proud Smiling Palace, we can't help Sha Tian and the Gu Family get rid of this eyesore for nothing. We need to wait for them to fight, then we can annihilate them in one fell swoop."
"Night Wolf is right, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. We can only be the oriole and reap the benefits!" Shi Yidao echoed.
The Eagle King said, "But they took our high-grade crystal mine, if it falls into the hands of others …"
"It's ours, no one can touch it!" Night Wolf didn't wait for him to finish and immediately interrupted.
Looking at his cold and confident eyes, it gave people a feeling that there was no doubt.
The Eagle King also swallowed the words he wanted to say, and thought to himself, "Alright, then let those bastards live for a few more days!"