Chapter 461 - 458: Overlord-level Influence

Chapter 461: Chapter 458: Overlord-level Influence

Hearing this, Fang Han’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The faces of many young people from Qingyang County turned cold, and their eyes shifted toward the source of the voice.

On the eastern side of the basin, eight young men stood atop a protruding boulder.

They were all dressed in identical, dark blue martial attire, with a silver lightning bolt embroidered on their cuffs.

The leader was a tall, slender man of about twenty-five or twenty-six. His features could be considered handsome, but his narrow eyes held an undisguised arrogance.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the group from Qingyang County. A slight smirk touched his lips; he was the one who had just spoken.

"They’re from Thunderlight Pavilion in Donglu County."

Chen Wuhen spoke. The folding fan in his hand had stopped moving. His gaze fell upon their disciple’s robes, a glint of coldness in his eyes.

Thunderlight Pavilion was one of the top-level influences in Donglu County, with a status comparable to Qingyang County’s Seven Sects.

"Senior Brother is right. Letting some 20-year-old kid take the top spot on the Celestial Pride List? They’ve completely lost face."

Beside the tall, slender young man, another Thunderlight Pavilion disciple chimed in, his tone just as dismissive.

"I never thought Qingyang County’s younger generation had fallen this far."

Another one spoke up with a laugh, his gaze flicking toward the group from Qingyang County, his voice laced with mockery.

These words were like a torch, igniting the suppressed fury of Qingyang County’s youths.

"Qingyang County’s younger generation has fallen?"

A muscle twitched on the rugged face of Mad Saber from the Overlord Blade Sect, who was ranked third on the Qingyang County Celestial Pride List.

The massive, broad-bladed sword on his shoulder, as wide as a door panel, began to hum and tremble as if sensing the rage in its master’s heart.

"You pieces of trash from Donglu County dare to run your mouths?"

He spoke, his voice low, yet it boomed like distant thunder across the edge of the basin.

The gaze of the lead Thunderlight Pavilion disciple, Xue Wu, snapped toward him, a cold light flashing in his narrow eyes.

"Who did you call trash?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but it held a chilling quality.

"Whoever answers is the piece of trash."

Mad Saber grinned, but his smile held no warmth.

He shouldered his greatsword and took a step forward.

The step seemed casual, yet it was an undisguised provocation.

The faces of the young men from Thunderlight Pavilion turned grim.

A cold light glinted in Xue Wu’s eyes as his right hand went to the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

"Then let’s see who the real piece of trash is."

His voice was still level, but it couldn’t conceal the rage simmering just beneath the surface.

"You think I’m afraid?"

Mad Saber sneered and took another step forward.

The greatsword slid from his shoulder, its tip angled toward the ground. A faint aura of blade energy flowed along its surface.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

At the edge of the basin, youths from the other factions turned to watch.

Some watched with the excited eyes of a spectator, while others frowned in apparent annoyance.

"Enough."

A low voice sounded.

From behind the group from Thunderlight Pavilion, a middle-aged man in his fifties with a stern, square-jawed face walked out slowly.

He wore a dark blue robe, its cuffs also embroidered with the silver lightning bolt pattern, only his was far more intricate and detailed than the disciples’.

His gaze swept over Mad Saber before landing on Xue Wu. He said coolly,

"If you want to settle who’s better, do it inside."

"Yes, Elder Xue."

The disciples from Thunderlight Pavilion didn’t dare to argue and respectfully assented.

"Once we’re inside the Ancient Ruins, I’ll see just how tough you really are. How dare you look down on the younger generation of my Qingyang County."

Seeing that a fight was no longer imminent, Mad Saber put his blade away, but his eyes remained locked on Xue Wu.

"The feeling is mutual,"

Xue Wu said, a cold smirk touching his lips.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and it was as if real sparks flew between them.

An intangible tension, thick as gunpowder, hung in the air over the basin.

Just then, a slight commotion arose from the basin’s entrance.

Fang Han’s eyes shifted, and he looked up.

A group of a dozen or so people was walking slowly down the mountain path.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in his forties.

He wore a moon-white robe with intricate cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread at the hem. A longsword hung at his waist in a simple, unadorned Sword Scabbard.

He was handsome, with an elegant, almost ethereal air about him. His pace was unhurried, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through a garden.

Behind him followed twelve young disciples.

Seven young men and five young women, all in their twenties. They wore identical moon-white martial attire, with a light cyan wind pattern embroidered on their cuffs.

Their steps were steady and their auras restrained. They calmly scanned their surroundings not with curiosity or nervousness, but with the nonchalance of those accustomed to such sights.

"Which faction is this?"

A young man asked in a low, confused voice.

"Judging by their attire, they don’t seem to be from any of the nearby counties..."

Another young man chimed in, equally puzzled.

He knew they would be encountering people from the surrounding counties on this trip to the Ancient Ruins, so he had made a point to study the top-level influences in the region.

Around the edge of the basin, many young people stared at the newly arrived group, their eyes full of confusion.

They had never seen this kind of attire, nor had they ever heard of such a faction.

It wasn’t just the youths; even some of the older Martial Artists were frowning, unable to recognize the faction.

"Which faction is this?"

An Elder from one of Donglu County’s influences asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed as he watched the group.

"I have traveled between the surrounding counties for years, and I’ve never seen such attire..."

Another old man shook his head, his tone tinged with confusion.

"Could they be from outside the surrounding counties?"

Another person guessed.

Discussions began to break out, but few could offer any real answers.

Fang Han’s gaze fell on the group, and a flicker of confusion also crossed his eyes.

He had reviewed the Sect’s intelligence on all the major influences in the neighboring counties, but he had never seen this attire before.

"Vice Hall Master Chen."

He turned to Chen Wanjun, who was standing nearby. Seeing no confusion in the man’s eyes—in fact, he seemed to recognize them—Fang Han asked in a low voice,

"These people... what faction are they from?"

Chen Wanjun did not answer immediately.

He simply watched the group, his eyes, bright as the morning star, holding a gravity he couldn’t conceal.

After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice hushed:

"They are the Celestial Essence Sect, an Overlord-level Influence from a great distance away from Donglu County."

"Overlord-level Influence? Celestial Essence Sect?"

Fang Han’s brow twitched slightly. He had never heard the term ’Overlord-level Influence’ before.

"Vice Hall Master Chen, what is an Overlord-level Influence?"

Luo Yuntian had also heard Chen Wanjun and turned to him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Chen Wanjun was silent for a moment, then said slowly:

"An Overlord-level Influence is a powerful faction presided over by a Great Grandmaster—an expert who has surpassed the Grandmaster Realm."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Their influence isn’t limited to a single county. It radiates across several neighboring counties, or even further."

As soon as these words were spoken, Fang Han and Luo Yuntian looked at each other, both seeing the unconcealable shock in the other’s eyes.

In their eyes, a Grandmaster Powerhouse was already an existence of incomparable might. They never imagined that above the Grandmaster Realm, there was an even higher Realm: Great Grandmaster.

The Qingxuan Sect, as a top-level influence, only managed to bring Qingyang County into its sphere of influence by joining forces with six other factions.

But an Overlord-level Influence’s sphere of influence could actually cover several counties.

Their power was clear to see.

"Vice Hall Master Chen, this faction... where is it from?"

Fang Han asked.

"The Celestial Essence Sect is located in Celestial Essence County, several counties away from Donglu County. Its sphere of influence covers five surrounding counties."

Chen Wanjun’s gaze fell upon the group, his voice low.

"With the opening of the Ancient Ruins this time, I didn’t expect them to send people as well."

Fang Han was silent.

’An Overlord-level Influence that covers five counties...’ This gave him a new perspective on the world’s power structure.

The Seven Sects of Qingyang County were already behemoths in his eyes, but now he knew there were existences far more powerful than them.

On a gentle, slightly elevated slope on the eastern side of the basin, several figures stood scattered about.

Their attire was varied; some had Tokens hanging from their waists, others had embroidered crests. They were the lead Elders from the major influences of the neighboring Songquan County.

"That’s..."

An old man in a blue-gray Daoist robe, his hair and beard streaked with white, narrowed his eyes. His gaze fell on the group in moon-white, and his voice grew taut.

"The Celestial Essence Sect?"

"Elder Shi, what did you say? The Celestial Essence Sect?"

Beside him, a portly middle-aged man in a dark red brocade robe raised an eyebrow.

"There’s no mistake."

The old man known as Elder Shi was Shi Jing, an Elder from Songquan County’s Azure Pine Temple.

He nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the group.

"That attire, those patterns... I saw them once, over a decade ago. They belong to the Overlord-level Influence, the Celestial Essence Sect."

At his words, the expressions of the other Elders from Songquan County’s influences all grew stern.

"An Overlord-level Influence... why would they be interested in Ancient Ruins of this Level?"

Wei Song, an Elder from Songquan County’s Longquan Manor—a thin man with a sallow complexion—spoke in a low, perplexed voice.

"With the resources an Overlord-level Influence commands, they shouldn’t even give Ancient Ruins of this Level a second glance, right?"

"Who knows."

Shi Jing shook his head slightly.

"Perhaps it’s for their disciples’ training, or perhaps there’s something in these Ancient Ruins that interests them. The motives of an Overlord-level Influence are not for us to fathom."

After a slight pause, he sighed and continued speaking.

"With disciples from the Overlord-level Influence, the Celestial Essence Sect, present, it seems the younger generation from our counties will just be playing a supporting role."

"Elder Shi, it can’t be that bad, can it? The ones gathered here are the most outstanding of the younger generation from the five surrounding counties!"

Wei Song said, disagreeing.

"No matter how strong the Celestial Essence Sect’s disciples are, they shouldn’t be able to suppress the entire younger generation of our five counties, right?"

"You underestimate Overlord-level Influences. As disciples of such a power, the Celestial Essence Sect’s members have access to resources and Cultivation Techniques that far surpass those of our own disciples."

"Compared to the youths of our five counties, they aren’t just stronger—they’re likely stronger by more than a single measure."

Shi Jing said, shaking his head.

"By that logic, doesn’t it mean the best treasures in the ruins are going to be snatched up by the Celestial Essence Sect, an outside power from beyond our five counties?"

Another Elder said, his tone full of resentment.

These Ancient Ruins had practically been considered the exclusive domain of their five counties. The thought that an outside power would not only participate but also take the best treasures filled him with indignation.

"What can we do? An Overlord-level Influence with a Great Grandmaster presiding over it is not something we small, local factions can afford to provoke!"

Shi Jing said with a sigh.