Li Tianming, his face filled with utter exasperation, counted a thick stack of talismans in his hand as they walked in.
"I heard rumors of my demise have spread throughout Grandhaven City?"
Banshu Qingping swept the room with a cold, piercing gaze.
His Void Refinement cultivation was extraordinary; though compared to the true powerhouses of Jade Mist Valley and the Sage Master Martial Academy, he might not even rank in the top ten.
Yet, the moment Banshu Qingping spoke, everyone's expression paled.
The inherent authority of the Prefecture Lord, along with the lingering prestige of Banshu Ao, who had died in Azure Cloud Prefecture, remained significant.
With a slight wave of his hand, he glanced left and right at the two experts representing the other major factions, before demanding of the crowd below, "Speak. What has happened?"
Banshu Qingping's heart burned with rage.
He knew full well that his recent assassination attempt was inextricably linked to Jade Mist Valley and the Sage Master Martial Academy.
With Banshu Ao dead and Banshu Weide reduced to a running dog for immortals, the Banshu family's status had plummeted drastically.
In the eyes of the other two major factions, they were an existence that could be slaughtered at will.
Even returning to the city, his heart pounded with trepidation. Yet, whenever he glanced at the masked Li Tianming beside him, a profound sense of security washed over him.
Although the Li Clan was far away, their backing meant he now had the support of the Li Clan, the Eternal Immortal Sect, the Zhangsun Clan, and the Xuanyuan Clan.
At the very least, he had gained a bit of leverage to wrestle with the other two major factions.
"I only hope we can evacuate at least some of the cultivators," Banshu Qingping thought to himself.
With his arrival, the cultivators of Grandhaven Prefecture finally had a backbone.
To his left and right, the Grand Elder and the Second Master, Zhang Jing, frowned as they listened to Banshu Qingping inquire about the cultivators' condition, acting as if the assassination attempt had never occurred.
Their hearts pounded wildly; they couldn't fathom how the Lord of Thunder from the Peerless Hall had failed to eliminate Banshu Qingping.
Even if he hadn't succeeded, Banshu Qingping should at least be injured—yet here he stood, completely unscathed!
Doubts festered in both of their minds.
Then, Banshu Qingping addressed the cultivators below:
"The Blood Moon draws near. As your Prefecture Lord, I have investigated the situation and am certain the Imperial Dynasty will not send reinforcements.
They are likely colluding with the forces in the Western Frontier; the letters from the Imperial Dynasty are nothing but lies."
"What?!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar erupted in the main hall.
"How is that possible? Why would the Imperial Dynasty deceive us? There are tens of millions of commoners in the Southern Frontier!"
"What basis does Prefecture Lord Banshu have for this? I refuse to believe it!"
"Before the official decree from the Imperial Dynasty arrived, my clan already sent someone braving the Western Frontier to investigate.
The Central Plains has troops stationed there, and the Empress has ordered us to await rescue before launching a counter-offensive into the Blood Moon.
Should I believe the Imperial Dynasty, or Your Excellency?"
"..."
Banshu Qingping's expression remained calm.
He knew such a truth was difficult for many to accept; even he had found it impossible to believe that the Imperial Dynasty would indulge the Blood Moon and the Peerless Hall.
He was already prepared to explain.
Verifying the truth would take at least two or three months, which should still leave them enough time.
Beside him, the Grand Elder and the Second Master exchanged a glance.
Though the two did not get along, seeing Banshu Qingping attempting to lead people away, they tacitly nodded at each other, countless calculations racing through their minds.
"Prefecture Lord Banshu, what you have just said is truly..."
The Grand Elder had barely finished his sentence.
Suddenly, his eyes bulged wide.
A sudden flash of bewilderment and utter loss filled the Second Master's beautiful face as she abruptly leaped backward.
Banshu Qingping was left completely dumbfounded.
The entire hall of cultivators, who had been intently watching the three leaders discuss matters, also froze in that exact instant.
They saw it.
The masked man, who had been following quietly behind Banshu Qingping, had—while everyone else was busy talking and scheming—slipped behind the Grand Elder and was fiddling with something.
Now, the back of the Grand Elder's chair was plastered with talisman papers.
He had even crouched down and tossed several talismans underneath the Grand Elder's chair.
Then, grabbing Banshu Qingping by the back of his collar, he violently launched them both into the air.
Everyone in the main hall looked up. Seeing the smiling mask looking down, a cold shout rang out: "Run."
"Immobilization Talisman!"
Yellow papers cascaded down into the hall.
It all happened far too fast; just moments ago, they were still arguing over whether the Imperial Dynasty was deceiving them, and now, the Prefecture Lord had been snatched away, and yellow papers were raining down.
By the time the Grand Elder registered what had happened, he suddenly felt the aura-concealing red leaves behind him fall away.
The sudden surge of Tier-4 talisman aura caused his eyes to practically pop out of their sockets.
"It's... talismans!!!"
As yellow papers drifted before his eyes, he found himself completely paralyzed.
Instantly activating his spiritual power, he looked toward the Second Master.
But all he saw was the Second Master's terrified eyes.
Between the two of them hung a yellow talisman.
Looking through the carved patterns on the side of the chair beneath the Grand Elder's rear, the Second Master saw red leaves fluttering away to reveal talisman papers underneath.
Talismans... all of them Tier-4.
She also saw the Grand Elder open his mouth.
No sound came out, but his lips mouthed... Save me.
Over twenty Tier-4 talismans.
Looking up, the masked man showering the hall with yellow papers spoke again: "Sealing Talisman."
The spiritual power of the talismans spread in all directions. The Second Master's originally fair complexion instantly turned as pale as paper. "Flee!!!"
This horrified shriek finally snapped the stunned crowd out of their bewilderment.
They only saw the terrified Second Master and the Grand Elder—pinned down by the Immobilization and Sealing Talismans, utterly unable to move, his face a mask of complete despair.
"Twenty-Four Vengeful Ghosts of the Underworld, manifest."
The talismans flared again.
Twenty-four vengeful ghosts—ranging from the Nascent Soul to the Divinity Transformation and Golden Core realms—materialized in an instant.
Surging with death qi, they formed an array that further suppressed the Grand Elder.
The cultivators in the main hall all turned to run, abandoning the previous discussion entirely.
Their faces twisted into ferocious grimaces, every inch of their bodies radiating the word 'panic'.
Turning on their heels, they unleashed their various divine abilities; they knew for a fact that those twenty-odd talisman papers beneath the Grand Elder's rear were definitely not simple objects.
"..."
In mid-air, Banshu Qingping blinked rapidly.
Their bodies shattered through the ceiling. Looking up, he saw the masked face; looking down, he saw the fleeing cultivators and the lone Grand Elder.
For the first time in his life, Banshu Qingping truly grasped just how spectacularly bad one person's situation could suddenly become.
Wait, what just happened? What was he trying to tell the hall full of cultivators just a moment ago???
He didn't know. As the cultivators fled and the twenty-four vengeful ghosts pounced on the Grand Elder, Li Tianming formed another talisman hand seal.
"Talisman Detonation to slay the enemy!"
"Execute!"
Yellow talismans drifted down. Everyone fled far away, activating various protective grand arrays to shield the main hall, screaming frantically, "Quick, form the array!"
Banshu Qingping looked up.
What he saw wasn't just runes, but two hundred artifacts and spiritual weapons pulled from a spatial ring.
Plastered with glowing yellow talismans, they rained down upon the main hall like falling meteors.
Inside the hall.
The Grand Elder didn't even have time to review his life. The sudden barrage of talismans had successfully suppressed his spiritual power.
He looked down at the glowing talismans drifting onto the floor, and looked up to see Banshu Qingping flying higher and higher, along with a sky full of meteors—the most beautiful meteor shower he had ever seen in his life.
How did this happen? He didn't know. His heart was a chaotic mix of emotions.
Placing talismans under a chair... what a despicable, low-class trick... Who is this masked man? I've never seen him...
To think Banshu Qingping could be so insidious... If you were going to make a move, why didn't you say anything first...
What did I say wrong, or what did I expose... Why were there no warning signs... I still have so many trump cards left! If you have the guts, fight me openly with spears and swords...
Soon after, these fleeting thoughts, much like the meteors, were forever drowned out by the brilliant flash and explosive spiritual power of the talismans.
Boom!