The situation was on the verge of spinning out of control when a faint voice suddenly cut in from the side: "Who exactly is Deputy Sect Master Chen saying is worn down with waiting?"

Chen Dongcheng had been struggling to keep up a show of composure, clinging to the faint hope that Wei Zhao could not escape the Ascend-in-a-Single-Step Formation—in which case he would still have a chance to turn the tables. But the moment he heard that voice, his legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed to the ground in fright.

"You... how did you get out?" Staring at Wei Zhao and his companions as they slowly drew near, Chen Dongcheng broke out in a cold sweat in an instant. If anyone present knew what it meant to fear Wei Zhao, it was unquestionably him; the others were merely shocked that the man had actually managed to kill a Nascent Soul monster—only he had experienced it firsthand, in the flesh.

"Curious, are you?" Wei Zhao smiled, swept a glance over the rest of the crowd, who were likewise dumbstruck, and said offhandedly, "I disposed of your Supreme Elder with a flick of my hand. As if a piddling Ascend-in-a-Single-Step Formation could hold me. Do you honestly believe that yourself? The reason I didn't come out before was simply that I was playing you all for fools!"

"......" A collective silence fell over the crowd. Not a single person dared meet Wei Zhao's eyes at that moment—and that was precisely the effect Wei Zhao was after. If he meant to take proper control of the North Island Cangwu Sect, what he needed now was not conciliation but an unmistakable display of authority!

From the moment Chen Jiu was killed, the rules of the entire North Island Cangwu Sect were destined to be rewritten—and the one to rewrite them could only be Wei Zhao.

"What are you all standing there gawking for? Hurry up and pay your respects to Martial-Uncle Grandmaster!" Xin Yi'an seized the moment to shoot the crowd a meaningful look.

"This disciple pays his respects to Martial-Uncle Grandmaster!" In an instant the whole assembly dropped to their knees in a great wave—from Golden Core elders down to ordinary disciples, whether of the native faction or the Chen clan faction, not a single one was excepted.

Even Chen Dongcheng and Lu Ping'an, the two most absolutely loyal henchmen of Chen Jiu, knelt along with everyone else. There was no help for it—circumstances were stronger than men. Had they dared offer the slightest resistance, Wei Zhao would not have minded making another example of them; he had killed even Chen Jiu without a second thought, so what were the two of them?

Wei Zhao glanced at the pair of them. In his heart he felt a touch of regret—he truly had not intended to let these two live. It was true they posed no real threat to him personally, but they were, after all, one peak late-stage Golden Core and one mid-stage Golden Core, and on top of that they had the Chen clan's connections and background on the North Island. If they nursed a grudge and stirred up trouble behind his back, that would be a nuisance one way or another.

A pity, then, that both of them were shrewd enough to read the room and refrain from making further trouble, giving Wei Zhao no excuse to dispose of them.

Though the present aim was to establish authority and lay down new rules, without sufficient cause even Wei Zhao could not simply kill at will; that would plunge the whole North Island Cangwu Sect into panic, and overreaching would only make matters worse.

"All right, everyone get up," Wei Zhao said, looking at the crowd prostrate across the ground.

"Thank you, Martial-Uncle Grandmaster." One after another the crowd rose to their feet, every one of them trembling with awe and dread. To them, Wei Zhao was now a fearsome presence standing above even the Supreme Elder Chen Jiu; they had been nervous and fearful even before Chen Jiu, so now it was naturally all the worse.

Most crucial of all, they did not know what sort of temper Wei Zhao had—was he magnanimous and reasonable, or a bloodthirsty tyrant?

If the former, so much the better; for the crowd, especially the disciples of the native faction, that would be no bad news at all. But if the latter, whether it brought fortune or calamity was very hard to say. Until they had taken his measure, it was best to keep their mouths shut—at a time like this, it paid to be the quiet one.

"One matter," Wei Zhao said. "A sect as large as the North Island Cangwu Sect cannot go a single day without a master. The Supreme Elder is gone now, and the Sect Master's whereabouts are unknown. Someone needs to step forward and oversee affairs great and small—surely you don't expect it to be me?"

The crowd exchanged glances, their eyes involuntarily coming to rest on Chen Dongcheng. By any reasonable reckoning, he was the most qualified candidate.

Chen Dongcheng felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles. He could not even dodge out of sight fast enough as it was; his greatest fear was being singled out by Wei Zhao. How could he possibly dare jump up and contend for power at a moment like this? Even courting death did not look like this!

"Then let it be this way: the position of Sect Master must not sit vacant. Since the opportunity has arisen, we may as well change Sect Masters while we are at it. I nominate Xin Yi'an." Wei Zhao spoke bluntly. Having Xin Yi'an manage the sect's affairs had been part of the plan all along; though raising it so abruptly was a little unexpected, and Xin Yi'an's original standing and strength fell far short of the mark, with the intimidating force Wei Zhao now commanded, who would dare breathe a word against it?

"Uh......" Sure enough, no one dared object to his face, though their expressions were somewhat odd. Xin Yi'an might be a Golden Core elder, but for an elder ranked at the very bottom to suddenly ascend to the position of Sect Master—that really was rising to the heavens in a single step!

"No objections? Then it is settled." Wei Zhao did not waste a single word of idle talk on the crowd and simply imposed his decision outright. With him looming over them, no one would dare resist; once everyone grew used to it, the matter would pass quietly enough.

"......" The crowd was left speechless. The maxim that the strong are honored was no empty saying; whatever decision Wei Zhao made, even if they nursed ten thousand grievances in their hearts, they would never dare show it. Besides, they all knew Xin Yi'an's character; reluctant as they were, having such a good-natured man rise to the top was for the vast majority no bad thing, and could be grudgingly accepted.

"Thank you, Martial-Uncle Grandmaster! This disciple will serve with all his heart and might, through fire and water!" Xin Yi'an, suppressing the wild joy in his heart, wept tears of gratitude. He was indeed a good-natured man who knew how to keep himself safe—but he was a good-natured man with ambition. Of course, he had never in his wildest dreams imagined that one day he might actually sit in the Sect Master's seat; but ambition, once planted, will grow.

"Good. Then what comes next is in your hands. If anything arises, come find me at the Heaven-Ascending Cliff." Wei Zhao did not linger. All he needed today was to show his face before the crowd and overawe them; how to handle the aftermath was Xin Yi'an's affair. If Xin Yi'an could not even manage that much, it would mean he was unequal to the task, and Wei Zhao could find someone more capable.

Sure enough, Xin Yi'an's performance did not disappoint Wei Zhao. Though his strength was only early Golden Core, the good-natured old man's ability to get things done was not to be underestimated. Within a few short days he had calmed the restless hearts of the people and succeeded in winning the support of a portion of the native faction's senior members and disciples.