I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

The chaos at Wan'an Temple was no small matter. Patrol troops from the capital rushed to the scene. Although they were driven back by the masters of the four major sects, who had mostly recovered their martial arts skills, the entire city was at risk of being placed under martial law and all city gates being sealed off at any time.

As dawn approached, Song Qingshu, Yu Lianzhou, and others led the heroes toward the West Gate. After a fierce battle, they finally broke through. After traveling only a few miles, they were met by horses and carriages that Yang Xiao had prepared in advance.

Seeing that they had escaped from the cage, everyone was overjoyed, but when they recalled the humiliation they had suffered over the past few months and the fellow disciples who had died in battle, they couldn't help but shed tears.

"So Young Hero Song is already the leader of the Huashan Sect. My apologies."

Upon hearing the news, Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin Temple, He Taichong, the leader of Kunlun Temple, and the Five Elders of Kongtong Temple all came forward to offer their congratulations.

Song Qingshu already possessed the Huashan Patriarch's Token, and this time he disregarded the danger and personally went to Dadu to help everyone escape their predicament. If it weren't for him and Yu Lianzhou and others from the Wudang Sect, the four major sects would have relied entirely on the Ming Cult for rescue, and the martial arts world of the Central Plains would never have been able to hold its head high again.

Only Abbess Miejue of the Emei Sect remained cold-faced. Back at Wan'an Temple, she had learned about the situation from Zhou Zhiruo. If only the Demonic Sect came to rescue her, she would rather die than leave.

To make things easier, Fan Yao borrowed the Wudang Sect's token from Yu Lianzhou, only saying that he was ordered to save people. He neither revealed his Ming Cult identity nor deliberately provoked Abbess Miejue to take the antidote.

Therefore, Abbess Miejue was only struck by Crane Pen Weng's palm. Although she was seriously injured, it was not fatal. The incident of her jumping off the tower to her death did not happen again.

"Today, we are fortunate to have been saved by the Wudang Sect, Huashan Sect, and Ming Cult. Otherwise, the fate of the four major sects would have been uncertain. We are deeply grateful and will not thank them enough. We would appreciate guidance from Sect Leader Song and Sect Leader Zhang on what to do next."

In the martial arts world, status is paramount. Although Song Qingshu comes from Wudang and is still young, since he has already taken charge of the Huashan Sect, he has a status comparable to the leaders of the various sects present.

"This place is only a few miles from the capital, and since everyone's strength has not fully recovered, it would be better to go to the sparsely populated northwest for a while. We can find a remote wilderness to recuperate for a period of time before making any further plans."

The six major sects are all located south of Dadu. If the Tartar troops want to pursue them, they will inevitably head south. This counterintuitive approach is considered very ingenious by everyone.

With no further objections, the heroes mounted their horses and headed northwest. Once they found a secluded valley and confirmed that there were no pursuers behind them, they ordered their followers to rest on the spot.

“Miss Zhou, I will never forget the kindness of a meal you gave me on the banks of the Han River years ago.”

Having rushed here and endured months of wandering, the members of the four major sects were exhausted. However, they could not forget the proper rules, so each sect dispersed to rest.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Wuji arrived at the location of the Emei Sect and revealed his identity to Zhou Zhiruo.

"You you are"

Before Zhou Zhiruo could answer, the Emei abbess angrily shouted, "Great demon of the Demonic Sect, stop trying to deceive my disciples with sweet words!"

"Zhiruo, if he dares to speak to you again, draw your sword and stab him without mercy!"

Despite her injuries not yet healed, Abbess Miejue's shouts were quite loud, attracting the attention of people from other sects. Zhang Wuji wanted to explain but couldn't bring himself to do so, so he could only turn around and leave.

Wei Yixiao coldly replied, "Our leader still remembers the kindness of a single meal, yet some self-proclaimed righteous people don't even care about a life-saving favor. Our Demonic Sect might not be able to do such things."

Seeing this, the monk Kongwen, Zhang Songxi, and others were afraid that the two sides might start arguing again, so they quickly stepped forward to mediate.

After all, the lives of the Shaolin monk Kongxing, the Kunlun sect's He Taichong, and the few fingers of the Five Elders of Kongtong were all lost to the Tartar court. Therefore, uniting against a common enemy is the only logical course of action. Abbess Miejue's power has not fully recovered, and she believes the Heaven-Slaying Sword is in Zhao Min's hands; reclaiming the Emei sect's most prized possession is paramount.

With the intervention of the monk Kongzhi, he temporarily suppressed his anger, glared fiercely at Wei Yixiao, and said nothing more.

When Yang Xiao heard the words "sweet words to deceive my disciples," he felt somewhat like he was being indirectly insulted.

In the past, one could have ignored her words and perhaps even made sarcastic remarks, but now the top priority for the Ming Cult was to unite the martial arts world of the Central Plains to overthrow the Mongol court. Therefore, he and Fan Yao stepped forward and pulled Wei Yixiao away without arguing.

"Right Envoy Fan, I have something to ask you."

After a while, the commotion gradually subsided, and Song Qingshu found Fan Yao, hoping to get more clues about the Fairness Cult.

"Sect Leader Song, you're too kind. Please speak freely."

Fan Yao had been hiding in the Prince of Ruyang's mansion for many years. Now that he had finally returned to the Ming Cult and had a wise leader like Zhang Wuji, the Ming Cult, which had been divided for more than 20 years, was on the verge of revival. Naturally, he was extremely gratified.

As for Song Qingshu, who captured Cheng Kun alive, Zhang Wuji and Yang Xiao had mentioned him several times during this period, and they also had great respect for him.

"I learned a lot about the history of the Fairness Church from Left Envoy Yang before."

Song Qingshu briefly explained the matter. After listening, Fan Yao's eyes showed a look of nostalgia. At that time, the Ming Cult was at its zenith, and its leader, Yang Dingtian, was unparalleled. Who could have imagined that it would ultimately be defeated by love?

"That's right, back then, Leader Yang did order me to investigate the Fairness Cult."

After many years, and having no connection with the internal affairs of the Ming Cult, Fan Yao recalled carefully and simply said, "When Master Yi was in charge of our cult, he had many grudges with the Fair and Just Cult. However, due to the fact that the cult was in dire need of rebuilding, he had no choice but to endure it for the time being."

"When Master Yang came to power, our sect finally caught its breath and naturally went to settle accounts with them. However, by then, the people of the Fairness Sect had already disappeared from the martial arts world. I searched for a long time, but in the end, I only got some rumors."

Just then, Xiao Zhao came up and handed over the dried rations that had been roasted over a fire. Although Fan Yao was not as flustered as he had been when they first met, he was still momentarily dazed and thought to himself, "She looks just like her, so much like her."

Xiao Zhao was somewhat frightened by his gaze last time, so she timidly bowed and immediately turned to leave.

"Sect Leader Song, what is this young girl's name, and what is her background?"

Song Qingshu knew that Fan Yao had been infatuated with the Purple-Robed Dragon King Dai Qisi when he was young, but his love was unrequited. He recognized Xiao Zhao's face and was sure that she was thinking of Dai Qisi, but it was not convenient to reveal this relationship at the moment.

"Her name is Xiao Zhao. She was originally Yang Zuo Shi's maid. After the battle at Bright Peak, she has been by my side ever since."

Fan Yao was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Sect Leader Song, I was being rude. Let's continue discussing the Fairness Sect."

"Back then, I came from the Western Regions to the Central Plains on the orders of the Yang Sect Leader, and then returned from the Central Plains to the Western Regions, but I never found any clues."

"Originally, we thought we would return empty-handed, but then news suddenly arrived that Daoist Baisun had been surrounded and killed by several chivalrous warriors." (End of Chapter)