Chapter 1825 - 669: Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch (2)
Do they... need to kneel?
Indeed, some of them knelt down.
But there were also those who forcibly straightened their backs, not wanting to diminish the reputation of the Xizhou Jianghu.
This left Su Mo, who had just arrived, somewhat bewildered.
It was customary for brothers from Nanhai to kneel.
But why on earth would these Xizhou martial artists kneel?
He gently shook his head:
"All of you, stand up. There’s no need for such formality."
With these words, those present finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the ground.
Shui Wuchang and others came forward to pay respects.
Su Mo lightly waved his hand, signaling them to wait.
Then he looked at the crowd present, and the old man’s words surfaced in his mind.
Even without the old man’s words, Su Mo had intended to consolidate the people’s hearts.
But now, with these words, Su Mo found himself hesitating.
Instinctively, he didn’t want to follow Dongmen Yong’s suggestion.
However, the thought only flickered in his mind before he smiled wryly.
The first one who wanted to do this was clearly himself.
When he appeared to stop the Eight Sects and Nine Peaks experts, saving the Xizhou Jianghu, this idea had already emerged.
Even though he didn’t want Dongmen Yong’s scheme to succeed.
Su Mo could very well do the opposite.
But, Dongmen Yong’s words were not wrong; now was indeed the time to seek Xizhou Jianghu’s assistance.
Su Mo himself might not fear Jinglong Association’s retribution.
Yet, any additional force against Jinglong Association was valuable.
He immediately steadied his thoughts, spoke softly, and chuckled:
"Do you all realize you’ve already stirred up a tremendous calamity?"
The people present were waiting for him to speak and didn’t expect that his first words would be this.
Among the experts in the Xizhou Jianghu, they looked at each other in confusion.
Then a voice suddenly sounded from within the crowd:
"Elder Su, your martial arts are supreme, your status extraordinary.
"What is the purpose of this endeavor?
"What is the Eight Sects and Nine Peaks all about?
"And the Jinglong Association... what exactly are they?
"Surely you cannot be unaware.
"Now you say we’ve caused a tremendous calamity, clearly it is related to this matter.
"Why not explain it clearly here, so we can understand the crux of it?"
The crowd naturally parted, and the one who walked out was Bo Yan.
Beside Bo Yan, the old beggar who had disappeared earlier was back.
Leaning against Bo Yan, he looked up at Su Mo, seemingly scrutinizing him.
After Bo Yan finished speaking, the old beggar said:
"That night, it was Su Supreme in black clothes and mask who frightened us two old fellows?"
Su Mo smiled wryly:
"At that time, my identity was inconvenient to reveal; I hope you two can forgive me.
"As for Jinglong Association, the Eight Sects and Nine Peaks...
"It’s a long story.
"It must start from before the fall of the Da Xuan Dynasty.
"Today, everyone present is not only attendees but also survivors.
"I shall share these secrets with you all."
With that, he paused slightly, then began to speak at great length.
He had an in-depth knowledge of Jinglong Association.
Thus commenced from the founding of Jinglong Association, intending to overthrow the Da Xuan Dynasty.
The content was substantial; Su Mo had to keep it concise, but even so, it took him over an hour to finish.
All present listened to this with alarm.
The origin of Jinglong Association was vast, their hundreds of years of accumulation inconceivable.
And their foundation was right here in Xizhou.
Yet none of the Xizhou martial artists knew about it.
Originally thought that the esteemed Jinglong Hall was merely a dog under Jinglong Association’s table.
Apart from being shocked by the vast and terrifying nature of Jinglong Association, everyone was also awed by Su Mo’s Inner Strength.
The open ground in front of Weiyang Palace was not small.
Su Mo’s words, powered by Inner Strength, were clearly delivered into everyone’s ears without being deafening.
This control over Inner Strength, with each word, filled them with awe.
He spoke for over an hour without changing his expression.
This man was indeed a martial arts master, rare in the world!
And at that moment, Su Mo said:
"Jinglong Association is entrenched in Xizhou, hidden but ever controlling Xizhou’s situation.
"Today you have witnessed, the Eight Sects and Nine Peaks.
"They are all dogs under Jinglong Association!
"But that’s not all.
"Jinglong Association has a total of thirteen Jing Huang.
"The higher their rank, the more terrifying they are.
"Today present are the eighth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth... this battle is a great victory.
"But the First Shock to the Fifth Shock are yet to show themselves.
"They hide in the shadows; naturally, they won’t ignore today’s events.
"They will certainly come for revenge later.
"Even more so... as Sikong Hua Ji said, they may bathe Xizhou in blood again, changing the Jianghu’s pattern once more.
"From his words, it’s clear such things have happened before.
"Even though you all live by chance today, who can say what the future holds?
"Isn’t this... a tremendous calamity?"
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped collectively.
If this isn’t a tremendous calamity, what is?
Aside from Su Mo leading the Nanhai Group, who else here can withstand the retribution of such a fearsome organization?
Bo Yan furrowed his brows and spoke:
"Elder Su, your martial arts are supreme, intelligence and strategy unmatched.