On the other side, the black-robed man, possessing the Dao Heart Jade, was facing the same predicament as Du Yuemian.
At this moment, three figures appeared before him.
It was the Qi Sect group.
"You can stop here."
Leng Chi, their leader, walked slowly. Layers of air ripples surged around her body, accompanied by an invisible pressure.
"Qi Sect!"
Seeing the ripples in the air, the black-robed man recognized their identity.
"Since you know we are from the Qi Sect, why don't you hand over the Dao Heart Jade obediently?" Tian Meng, standing behind Leng Chi, grinned dismissively.
After all, the Qi Sect behind them was the foremost among the Four Great Sects of Tian'an Province.
The so-called Four Great Sects referred to one sect, one mountain, and two gates.
The foremost was the Qi Sect.
The second was Heavenly Sword Mountain.
Next came Dragon Gate.
And finally, Xingyi Gate.
Besides them, there were many smaller factions. These smaller factions naturally could not compare to these major sects.
"Heh!"
Hearing the arrogance in Tian Meng's words, the black-robed man sneered, his words equally dismissive: "The Qi Sect is indeed a top force in Tian'an Province. But if you look at China as a whole, hmph! It's just so-so!"
"En?"
Upon hearing this, Leng Chi's expression tightened, clearly noticing the implied meaning in his words.
However, Tian Meng behind her paid no attention and laughed heartily, "Hahaha! Such extreme arrogance, then let me show you the divine abilities of my Qi Sect."
With that, he charged forward. He clenched his palm into a fist, and true qi flowed over its surface, accompanied by a gust of strong wind wherever it passed.
This punch was full of momentum.
"Showy but unsubstantial!"
Facing the seemingly ferocious attack, the black-robed man casually waved his hand, and Tian Meng's punch was forcefully stopped, unable to advance an inch.
Tian Meng felt his right hand being drawn into an invisible vortex, unable to gather any strength.
"Come back here!"
Seeing this, Leng Chi extended her right hand and clawed inwards. A terrifying suction force emanated from her palm, pulling Tian Meng back.
"Th-thank you, Senior Sister, for your assistance!" Tian Meng stammered, beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
He had not expected the black-robed man before him to be so terrifying.
"Late stage Martial King!"
The black-robed man looked at Leng Chi, his expression no longer as relaxed as before. Moreover, he was somewhat shocked: "I didn't expect that among the younger generation of the Qi Sect, besides your young master, there would be someone with such strength. This is beyond my expectations."
"You surprise me too!"
Leng Chi did not become complacent with the black-robed man's praise. For through their brief exchange just now, she had also seen the other party's limit.
The other party was also a late-stage Martial King expert.
"Your Excellency, our objective is only the Dao Heart Jade. If you hand it over, our Qi Sect will naturally not make things difficult for you," Leng Chi said meaningfully.
She said "the Qi Sect will not make things difficult for him."
In other words, if the black-robed man insisted on not handing over the Dao Heart Jade, he would be hunted down by the entire Qi Sect.
Furthermore, the Qi Sect also had an advantage in terms of numbers present. Therefore, the black-robed man did not seem to have many choices.
"Oh! Is that so?"
At this moment, the black-robed man's tone shifted. He suddenly turned and spoke to the empty air: "If you guys don't make a move, I'll hand over this Dao Heart Jade."
You guys?
Hearing this, Tian Meng and Liu Lin's expressions changed drastically, and they quickly became alert to their surroundings.
In contrast, Leng Chi was extremely calm.
Clearly, she had already discovered the hidden individuals.
"Your Excellency has remarkably keen senses!"
At this moment, a voice that sounded somewhat familiar to Tian Meng and the others emerged.
"It's you!"
Seeing the arrivals, Liu Lin's face immediately turned grim.
That's right, it was Zhuang Jian and his group.
They had originally planned to perform a "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" act. However, the outcome seemed rather unsatisfactory.
"Are you sure you want to interfere?" Leng Chi stared at the group, her tone neither warm nor cold, very calm.
"The Dao Heart Jade was obtained by Your Excellency with great expense, yet your Qi Sect intends to resort to bandit tactics and seize it by force. We merely cannot stand by and watch injustice," Zhuang Jian said, looking at the Qi Sect members with a faint smile.
"Brother Jian is absolutely right!" Fan Tian echoed from the side.
Leng Chi looked at the two feigning sincerity, and a flicker of killing intent flashed in her eyes.
"Since that is the case, you all come at me together!"
She stomped the ground with one foot, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire area.
"You two, hold them off for me!" Leng Chi said to Tian Meng and the others, looking at Zhuang Jian and his group.
With that, she transformed into a beam of light and charged towards the black-robed man.
She wanted to snatch the Dao Heart Jade as quickly as possible.
Tian Meng and Liu Lin exchanged glances, and then blocked in front of Zhuang Jian and his group.
Their strength, like Zhuang Jian and Fan Tian, had reached the middle stage of the Martial King realm. Bu Qingyu and the other Fan, however, were only at the early stage of the Martial King realm.
Therefore, if they could simply hold back Zhuang Jian and his group, they could manage.
Liu Lin walked up to Zhuang Jian, his eyes filled with a hint of fervor as he looked at Bu Qingyu beside him: "They say the swordsmanship of Heavenly Sword Mountain is peerless. Today, let me see if it lives up to its reputation."
"As you wish!"
Zhuang Jian joined his index and middle fingers, and a sword condensed from true qi enveloped his fingertips. Without any further words, he attacked Liu Lin.
Bu Qingyu, following closely behind, also joined the fray.
Meanwhile, Tian Meng and Fan Tian, the two brothers, had already sounded the horn of battle.
...
"Divine Lord, everything is proceeding according to plan."
In Nangong Courtyard, a dark shadow guard knelt before Ye Ming and said respectfully.
"Good! You have done well!"
Ye Ming nodded, then reminded, "But you must remain vigilant at all times and prevent the situation from developing in an uncontrollable direction."
"Yes!"
"And what is the situation with the disputes on both sides?" Ye Ming asked.
"Regarding the Dao Heart Jade, the competition is extremely fierce. People from Heavenly Sword Mountain, Xingyi Gate, and the Qi Sect are all involved," the dark shadow guard elaborated.
"Qi Sect!"
Upon hearing this name, Ye Ming's expression tightened, and a cold aura permeated the air.
He had learned some information from Fang Junxue earlier, so he had always "kept in mind" the young master of the Qi Sect.
"That's right! It is indeed someone from the Qi Sect."
Sensing the coldness in the air, the dark shadow guard's expression tightened, and he said fearfully, "Divine Lord, have the people from the Qi Sect offended you? If so, your subordinate..."
"That's enough! Put aside the matter of the Qi Sect for now. We'll deal with it later," Ye Ming waved his hand, signaling him to stop.
The most important thing right now was not to focus on trivial matters like the Qi Sect.
"What about the Crimson Heart Fruit?" Ye Ming continued to ask.
"Since most people are attracted to the Dao Heart Jade, not many have come to contend for the Crimson Heart Fruit. However, among the contenders, there is a Gu Wu practitioner who has reached the late stage of the Martial King realm. He has also severely injured Du Yuemian with a sneak attack. It is likely that the Crimson Heart Fruit will fall into that person's hands before long."
"Sneak attack?"
Hearing this, Ye Ming's brow furrowed, but his emotions were not revealed.
"Yes! It was precisely due to that critical blow that Du Yuemian is likely in grave danger."
The dark shadow guard then recounted the subsequent events to Ye Ming.
"It seems you have found your original self!"
After listening, Ye Ming smiled with relief.