"Are you really planning to surrender?" Jia Tianlong felt somewhat surprised.
"Surrender is surrender, but who surrenders to whom, that's not certain yet!" The door master's eyes narrowed slightly, casually resting his hand on the hilt of his sword as he spoke slowly.
"What do you mean by that?" Jia Tianlong's face darkened, and he gestured for his men to surround Wang Juechu.
Instantly, his Iron Guards surged forward, surrounding Wang Juechu in a semicircular formation, their crossbows with gleaming blue bolts aimed at him.
Thinking that his men would unleash a barrage of bolts at Wang Juechu upon his command, Jia Tianlong was prepared to do just that.
"Do you think that after our sect moved its headquarters to the Sunset Peak, we never considered the possibility of external invasion and being unable to resist?" The door master showed no sign of concern at the sight of the crossbows, his tone carrying a hint of threat.
Hearing this, Jia Tianlong felt a sinking sensation in his heart, a premonition of something ominous. He didn't interrupt, letting the door master continue speaking.
"The one who moved our sect to this place was the seventh generation door master, Li. Not only was he highly talented, but he was also skilled in the arts of architecture and mechanism. He chose the Sunset Peak as our headquarters for two reasons: firstly, because of its treacherous terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack; secondly, because within the belly of the mountain lies a vast natural cavern formed by heaven and earth. This cave is extraordinarily large, occupying two-thirds of the entire Sunset Peak. Seeing this marvel, Li devised a plan. Using his knowledge of architecture and the terrain of the cavern, he turned the entire mountain into a natural pitfall. Now, as long as someone triggers the mechanisms he set up in advance, the entire mountain will collapse, burying everyone on it." After finishing his speech, the door master fell silent, his icy gaze sweeping over the crowd in front of him.
Jia Tianlong was somewhat stunned after hearing this. While he naturally didn't believe the door master's words, for a moment, he didn't know how to refute the threat.
Others on the peak who heard this were also in turmoil, murmuring among themselves. Some of the more astute individuals began inching towards the only path down the mountain, preparing to flee at the first sign of trouble.
"Silence! Anyone who causes chaos or tries to flee will be killed without mercy!" Jia Tianlong quickly regained his composure, realizing that if he didn't stop the panic, the situation would spiral out of control. Without hesitation, he issued a stern order.
Jia Tianlong's order was swiftly carried out by his trusted subordinates. After executing several cowardly individuals who attempted to flee, the others were intimidated into silence, and the unrest subsided.
However, Jia Tianlong knew that this calm was only superficial and temporary. If he couldn't quickly confirm whether the door master's words were true, both his own men and those from other factions wouldn't stay here peacefully. At the slightest hint of trouble, they would all scatter.
"You wouldn't expect us to believe your words based solely on what you say, would you?" Jia Tianlong suppressed his anger, determined to personally expose the door master's deception.
"Of course not. I have evidence that you can see for yourselves. But listen carefully, if anyone sees my evidence and plans to flee or continue the attack, I will activate all the mechanisms and we will all perish together." Wang Juechu's words were full of killing intent, unmistakably threatening.
Observing the door master's expression closely, Jia Tianlong tried to find any flaws or signs of guilt. Unfortunately, the man remained as cold as ice, showing no trace of vulnerability.
This made him murmur in his heart as well. Could it be that the door master's words were not mere deceit, but that there really was such a formidable trap?
"Activate mechanism number two!" Wang Juechu suddenly turned his head towards the main hall and loudly commanded.
Then, he turned his head to one side, staring at a smaller stone hall, ignoring Jia Tianlong.
Seeing the door master's strange behavior, the people from the Wolf Gang also paid attention, gathering their gaze in that direction, curious to see what unusual event would occur.
As the people of the Wolf Gang grew increasingly uneasy, two individuals dressed in flowing water robes, unnoticed by others, were murmuring quietly on the outskirts of the crowd.
"Han Li, do you think what our master said is true or false? Could it be that the Sunset Peak is really hollow? I've been here a few times before, why have I never sensed anything amiss?"
"Could it be that Master Wang is deceiving them, trying to buy time?"
"Or..."
One of the young men, not getting any response from the silent youth beside him, continued to bombard him with questions, seemingly eager to have his doubts resolved.
These two individuals were none other than Han Li and Li Feiyu, who had originally set out to find Elder Li.
