The tyrant of the Ghost Realm, Kui Yujiang, unified the fragmented Ghost Realm into an ironclad entity, but he was arrogant; those who submitted to him ultimately joined forces to bring about his downfall.
Xun Wuyou had to address the issue of strength before venturing into the Ghost Realm; otherwise, he would be overwhelmed by the collective might of the Ghost Realm. He wasn't Lin Tianxing and couldn't withstand a sea of enemies.
He wasn't afraid of the old ghost reappearing, after all, it would be a gift of power, and he would welcome it. What he feared was when the curse would erupt.
To kill the master... does that mean the one chosen by the Rusty Sword ultimately dies beneath it?
Were they unwilling to dig graves in the Ghost Realm, or did they go there only to meet untimely deaths?
If the old ghost was a legendary figure from the Ghost Realm, how could his sword have ended up in the Divine Land?
Questions plagued Xun Wuyou, causing him to frown in silence.
Just as Xun Wuyou hesitated, a voice broke through: "What are you daydreaming about, you idiot?"
With a flippant tone and steady footsteps, Jian Suifeng slapped Xun Wuyou's shoulder hard and laughed heartily, "Idiot, do you even know what idiot means?"
Xun Wuyou's face darkened to the point where ink could drip from it, gritting his teeth, "I don't f***ing know!"
"How could you not know?"
The voice of the Butterfly Monarch chimed in: "In the wilderness, the one shouting that I'm a big idiot must be you. My ears won't mistake it; explain yourself, idiot."
Xun Wuyou took a deep breath: "In my hometown, 'idiot' describes a person who is wise, brave, fearless, radiant, and great..."
Jian Suifeng was astonished: "So that's how it is! Then I must be an idiot!"
Yes, you must be an idiot! Xun Wuyou smiled with his lips but not with his eyes.
Jian Suifeng was easy to fool, but the Butterfly Monarch wasn't that naive, constantly praising Jian Suifeng as an idiot with a tilted neck.
The brief interlude passed quickly; Jian Suifeng felt elated, believing he had gained immense recognition. The earnest child turned to praise the Butterfly Monarch, and the two nearly ended up fighting.
Dongmen Xuande received the news and quickly appeared, his old face flushed with excitement.
With these two assisting him, along with the soon-to-arrive Yu Lijing from the Confucian Sect, the path of chivalry was as solid as a fortress.
However, he had a slight misjudgment regarding Xun Wuyou's capabilities, thinking he was a somewhat capable young man.
He could handle some minions, but facing the likes of the Three Respected Ones of Shouyu would be a different story.
Top innate experts could see that Xun Wuyou was likely an innate elite, while super-strong innate experts could determine Xun Wuyou's combat power; those of the same level could only gauge their depth through actual combat.
"Mr. Yu Yin, please rest assured. The Just Sword Hero will definitely intercept the rebellious Shen Yang," Jian Suifeng patted his chest and promised.
The Butterfly Monarch scoffed, too lazy to speak.
In terms of strength comparison, he still had the upper hand; if he couldn't withstand three to five moves from Shen Yang, how could Jian Suifeng?
Talking nonsense was fine, but in reality, they would need to join forces to have a chance; he had seen Xun Wuyou in action, and even with the combined strength of three, it was uncertain how much winning potential they had, but at least self-preservation wouldn't be a problem.
"Dongmen Xuande, there's something I've been puzzled about for a long time."
The Butterfly Monarch raised his neck: "Why does Shen Yang always go against the path of chivalry? Can you even count how many times this has happened?"
Dongmen Xuande smiled awkwardly; this statement was quite ironic.
However, he also understood the Butterfly Monarch's style of doing things, and he sighed: "The bird that sticks its head out gets shot; the soft persimmons are the ones that get squeezed. The path of chivalry is the weakest, so it's only natural for Shen Yang to attack."
He was straightforward, admitting his lack of strength, while Xun Wuyou raised the corner of his mouth, choosing not to comment.
The Butterfly Monarch spoke bluntly: "Then why are you still holding on? Disband the path of chivalry! You said it yourself, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. The only ones shouting about resisting Shouyu are you in the path of chivalry; it's not unreasonable for Shen Yang to attack you."
Dongmen Xuande could only smile bitterly, not arguing further, feeling powerless to dispute, and casually mentioned a few things, using the excuse of being busy with mundane matters to leave.
Jian Suifeng asked in confusion: "Isn't the path of chivalry empty now? What could there be to deal with?"
The Butterfly Monarch replied: "Are you stupid? Can't you see the evasion? The old man has a thin face."
Xun Wuyou thought: You know he has a thin face, yet you still stab him in the back; that's something.
"Hmph." The Butterfly Monarch said with a hint of annoyance: "If it weren't for Xiao Yue's request, there would be no way for me to intervene; this is a huge loss. How could Dongmen Xuande, such a big person, not have any insight?"
"What?" Jian Suifeng asked, puzzled.
"What else? Of course, it's about offering gold; the more money given, the stronger my combat power becomes." The Butterfly Monarch lazily waved his sleeve: "Hey, Xun Wuyou, why are you leaving? Don't you need to discuss strategies?"
The Butterfly Monarch's rule was to charge one hundred taels for a meeting and one thousand taels for a chat, with the catchphrase: I'm very expensive!
Xun Wuyou waved his hand: "You all discuss it; I'm going back to catch up on some sleep!"
Discuss what? Before Yu Lijing and the Confucian Sect's people arrive, there are only four who can fight; if a sea of enemies comes, any strategy would be nonsense.
Back in his room, Xun Wuyou organized his thoughts, sighed at his unfortunate fate, and fell asleep.
The early days were truly difficult; for Xun Wuyou, these few days felt longer than several centuries, as his strength couldn't keep up with the consumption, equivalent to going to battle with a rifle against cannons.
...
As the moon hid and the sun rose, a new day dawned. Around noon, Yu Lijing arrived with two hundred masters from the Confucian Sect, and Dongmen Xuande was overjoyed.
He personally welcomed them, which left the Butterfly Monarch feeling displeased; in terms of status, he was the top of the Northern Martial Arts world, even slightly above Yu Lijing, and this disparity in treatment was hard to accept.
So he closed the door to guests.
Jian Suifeng, in a fit of middle-school syndrome, insisted on praising Yu Lijing as an idiot, but the Butterfly Monarch managed to stop him, knowing full well what he meant.