The Heritage of the Tianyuan Sect

"Two esteemed guests, please come inside!"

Seeing Yi Feng and the youth enter the establishment, the highly observant waiter hurried forward to greet them, respectfully leading them to a small table by the window in the main hall.

Even though the youth was dressed entirely in black and looked somewhat eccentric, in this bustling city, such sights were commonplace.

As they walked through the hall, hardly anyone paid them any mind.

Inside the tavern, the chatter was as heated as ever. There were well-dressed merchants sitting together, cultivators carrying weapons engaging in fervent discussions, and ordinary-looking travelers with their heads down, focusing on their meals.

The entire hall was exceedingly lively, a mingling of all sorts of people.

The seats Yi Feng and the black-clad youth took were quite good. The surrounding tables were mostly occupied by cultivators or martial artists, which satisfied them greatly.

Seeing the two seated, the waiter continued his enthusiastic reception.

"Are you two esteemed guests here to grab a bite or stay the night?"

Yi Feng replied with a smile, his tone casual.

"Serve us a few side dishes first, along with two pots of wine. Prepare a guest room for us later."

As he spoke, he placed a silver ingot on the table.

The waiter didn't ask any further questions. With an apologetic smile, he nodded repeatedly and took his leave.

Before long, the food and wine were laid out on the table, looking quite exquisite.

Having been seated for only a few breaths of time, both of them felt that this tavern was somewhat special. To be able to open a shop at the foot of the Tian Yuan Sect, the owner was certainly no ordinary person; even the waiter was exceptionally perceptive.

Yi Feng and the black-clad youth immediately began to eat and drink, acting completely normal while secretly paying attention to the conversations around them.

Sure enough, they caught wind of some rumors.

"I am but a humble man, but last night I had the fortune of witnessing the grandeur of the Fourth Elder of the Tian Yuan Sect. He was just as majestic and awe-inspiring as the rumors say. It truly fills one with endless admiration!"

"Oh? Brother Liu saw it too?"

"Naturally. Yesterday at dusk, the Fourth Elder led a group out of the city. Such a grand figure hasn't shown his face in a long time, so it naturally caused quite a stir. I just happened to be there and was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of his glory!"

"I wonder what happened to actually alarm even the Fourth Elder!"

"I'm ashamed to say, but such a major event is not something rogue cultivators like us can easily find out about."

...

Listening to the various remarks behind them, Yi Feng and the black-clad youth quietly exchanged glances.

Just as they expected, this bustling, down-to-earth tavern was the perfect place to gather information. Though it was just a common marketplace venue, news often spread the fastest in such places.

Only last night did the Fourth Elder of the Tian Yuan Sect launch a sneak attack on the New Sword Sect, and today people were already whispering about it. From the looks of it, coming here was the right choice.

Both Yi Feng and the black-clad youth were seasoned veterans of the martial world, so they weren't surprised in the slightest.

They maintained a calm demeanor the entire time, drawing no one's attention.

It wasn't until he heard the whispers behind him that Yi Feng feigned curiosity, turning around and cupping his fists in greeting.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists."

"May I ask, is this Tian Yuan Sect you speak of the strongest sect in the Yandang Mountains? And is that Fourth Elder truly as majestic as you say?"

"My brother and I are new to your esteemed land. I asked out of momentary curiosity, please forgive my intrusion."

His words were spoken with utmost politeness, and they perfectly established his identity.

His opening immediately won their goodwill and stirred a faint sense of superiority in the hearts of these locals. Immediately, someone smiled, cupped his fists in return, and leaned in to educate Yi Feng.

"You are too polite, fellow Daoist!"

"Since you are outsiders, it's perfectly understandable that you don't know the prestigious name of the Tian Yuan Sect's Fourth Elder."

"I happen to know a thing or two, so allow me to explain it to you."

"The Tian Yuan Sect is indeed the strongest sect in our Yandang Mountains, standing proudly as a high-tier fourth-grade sect and looking down upon everything within a radius of hundreds of miles! However, outsiders are unaware that the reason the Tian Yuan Sect can stand above the rest is not merely because of what is seen on the surface!"

Hearing this, Yi Feng feigned shock and astonishment, cupping his fists to ask for guidance.

"Not just on the surface?"

"Your words have left me quite puzzled. I hope you can enlighten me, brother."

His humble attitude made the people at the neighboring table look at him with even more appreciation, and their explanation became even more detailed.

"You are too polite."

"The world knows that a sect's grade is usually determined by its highest combat strength. Since the Tian Yuan Sect is a fourth-grade sect, ordinary people might think that the Sect Master is their sole supreme Heavenly Sun realm expert. But that is completely wrong!"

"To tell you the truth, the Tian Yuan Sect definitely has more than one Heavenly Sun realm expert. Besides the Sect Master, the four great elders are all Heavenly Sun realm masters. They were famous in their time, but sadly, they rarely make public appearances nowadays, which is why the outside world remains ignorant. However, in our Tian Yuan City, many fellow Daoists still remember the glory of the Tian Yuan Sect's Four Heroes from back in the day!"

"If you ever have the fortune to meet those lords, you must absolutely not show the slightest bit of disrespect or offense. Otherwise, it will bring about a monstrous disaster, and no one within hundreds of miles will be able to save you!"

Hearing this, Yi Feng nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with shock.

It wasn't until he turned back and sat down that his expression returned to normal, and he resumed eating and drinking. His acting was absolutely flawless, but it made the black-clad youth sharing his table hold back his laughter so hard that he nearly exposed them.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two entered their guest room.

The black-clad youth finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Covering his mouth, he collapsed onto the soft couch.

"Pfft..."

"Hahaha..."

Fortunately, Yi Feng shot him a warning glance in time, allowing him to barely suppress his laughter without alarming anyone else.

The two sat at a small table. The black-clad youth still wore a wicked grin, quietly gazing at Yi Feng with dancing eyebrows.

"I never would have thought! I never would have thought!"

"Brother, you look so honest and handsome with your thick eyebrows and big eyes. We've known each other for so many years, yet only today do I realize how skilled you are at fooling people! That acting and those little lines of yours, you made it look so real!"

The more he spoke, the harder it was to calm his laughter. Mimicking the tone of the people at the neighboring table, the youth made a funny face and almost burst out laughing again.

"If you ever have the fortune to meet those lords, you must absolutely not show the slightest bit of disrespect or offense. Otherwise, it will bring about a monstrous disaster, and no one within hundreds of miles will be able to save you!"

"Blah blah blah..."

Seeing his antics, Yi Feng almost couldn't hold back his own laughter.

To be fair, he couldn't blame his brother.

If those people from earlier knew that the supposedly terrifying Fourth Elder of legend had nearly been killed by the ignorant outsiders they were talking to, their jaws would probably drop to the floor.

After quite a while, the black-clad youth finally calmed his laughter. Lying on the soft couch with his legs crossed, he turned to look at Yi Feng with curiosity.

"Brother."

"Now that we've gathered enough intel, we know the enemy only has a few capable people. As long as we avoid them, we'll be fine. When are we going to start our guerrilla warfare?"

"This young master is already getting a bit impatient!"

Hearing this, Yi Feng replied with a smile.

"No rush."

"In guerrilla warfare, the main focus is on harassment and psychological attacks. The first battle must be entirely unpredictable to make the enemy fearful. The essence lies in slowly torturing the opponent's state of mind afterwards."

"Therefore, this first battle cannot be rushed. We will gather a bit more intel first, then rest and build up our strength. The best time to strike will be after nightfall, when the enemy has gone to sleep!"

After saying this, Yi Feng downed the clear tea in his cup in one gulp. Seeing his confident and composed demeanor, the black-clad youth lying on the couch also curled his lips into a faint smile.

Before long, everything was ready, and the exact location of the Tian Yuan Sect had been scoped out.

Seeing that it was only dusk.

The two brothers set up a restrictive formation behind the door, then laid down their heads and entered dreamland, sleeping incredibly soundly.

Meanwhile.

At the Heavenly Fate Sect, which was built against the mountainside, a lone figure had been waiting outside the main hall's doors for quite some time.

That person was none other than the Golden Saber Sect Master from that day, Jin Weiyuan. However, he had completely lost the majestic air and prestige of a sect master. Instead, he paced back and forth with a hunched back like a lowly lackey, an expectant smile plastered across his face.

It was not until the heavy doors finally opened that he stepped into the hall, his face brimming with anticipation, and bowed respectfully to the prominent figure seated upon the high throne.

Cousin!

I wonder how the battle went yesterday? With the Fourth Elder personally taking action, I presume the new Sword Sect has already been annihilated?

Yet, the moment the words left his mouth, a bone-chilling aura suddenly flooded the great hall.

Before Jin Weiyuan could even voice his confusion, a deep, furious shout thundered down upon him!

Bastard!

You dared to feed us fabricated intelligence and nearly caused our sect to suffer disastrous losses! What exactly are your intentions?!