Yu Daohén bowed and respectfully greeted, "Master Hao, Master Tang, Master Nan, Master Xu, Master Ma, Immortal Wangyou."
Any one of these six individuals was someone he could not contend with.
The six nodded. Hao Tiánquán, the leader, said, "Young Master Yu, no need for formalities. Please sit down first."
Yu Daohén nodded and followed Liu Jizhan to find a seat.
"Director Liu, what is the current situation?" asked Nan Jīngshuò, who was slightly thinner.
Nan Jīngshuò, Ma Zhòng, and Xu Guàncāng had only arrived recently and did not know the current state of the battle.
Yu Daohén observed Nan Jīngshuò opposite him.
Nan Jīngshuò ranked seventh on the Black List. He belonged to no sect, was not very famous, and rarely made a move. No one even knew what his formidable ultimate moves were.
The only thing known was that the force behind him was the nation.
To be honest, Yu Daohén was somewhat puzzled as to how Nan Jīngshuò had made it onto the Black List.
As for Ma Zhòng, who looked fierce, and Xu Guàncāng, who was always smiling, Yu Daohén was not unfamiliar with them.
These two were renowned masters from the previous generation in the martial world. Especially Ma Zhòng, who was rumored to have fought evenly with Huang Yǒng, ranked eighth on the Black List, only losing by half a move. He was known as someone invincible below the Black List.
Although Xu Guàncāng did not have combat records as impressive as Ma Zhòng, his strength was not to be underestimated. Being ranked within the top ten of the Heaven List was enough to prove his considerable power.
However, both of them were lone wolves, without sects or organizations behind them. Yu Daohén did not expect the Spiritual Affairs Bureau to be able to invite these two to preside.
But it was also very possible that these two had already pledged allegiance to the nation.
Liu Jizhan sighed and began to speak, "Fortunately, the Formation Sect sent people in time to set up a barrier, which prevented a large number of evil spirits from escaping to other places."
"But this barrier also has a drawback, which is that the formation is of little use against evil spirits at the Shā Guǐ level or above. We can only rely on people to stop them. To surround such a large county town requires a full encirclement, which is already a huge drain. We currently do not have enough manpower; we can at most hold on for ten days."
"Ten days?" Nan Jīngshuò frowned. It seemed the situation was more serious than he had imagined.
Nan Jīngshuò asked with some confusion, "Have other sects not sent people to support us?"
Speaking of sending people, Liu Jizhan sighed even more helplessly, "People were sent to support us, but they were all disciples who did not even have the strength of the Earth List. They are completely unable to deal with Shā Guǐ, let alone Míng Guǐ. If it weren't for the disciples sent by the three major sects to support us, we wouldn't have lasted even three days."
Nan Jīngshuò thought for a moment and continued, "If that's the case, send people to notify other sects and ask them to send their elite disciples to support us. The reward and relocation expenses are not a problem."
Xu Guàncāng, who had been silent all along, identified the crux of the problem and spoke, "It's useless. Cultivating an elite disciple is not measured by money. Some small sects have only five or six disciples with Earth List strength, and even fewer masters with Heaven List strength, sometimes only one. This is the foundation of their sect's existence. Losing even one disciple can severely weaken a sect. Who would be willing to risk their sect's safety to provide support?"
After Xu Guàncāng said this, everyone present fell silent.
What Xu Guàncāng said was true. No one would put their sect in danger for money.
"Then what do we do now? We can't just wait like this," Nan Jīngshuò said.
As everyone was undecided, Xu Guàncāng spoke again, "There is still one method."
As soon as Xu Guàncāng finished speaking, everyone looked at him.
Yu Daohén was also somewhat puzzled. What method could Xu Guàncāng have to make other sects send their elite disciples to support them?
"The Three Sects Joint Order!" Xu Guàncāng slowly uttered the four words.
Upon hearing these four words, everyone present fell into silence.
The so-called Three Sects Joint Order meant the combination of three Grandmaster Tokens. The holders of these three Grandmaster Tokens were the three major sects of the present day: the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, the Celestial Master's Mansion, and the Northeast Spirit Mediums.
The reason for the current peace in the martial world was entirely due to the presence of these three major sects.
The function of these three Grandmaster Tokens was to issue commands to all sects in the martial world.
For example, if the nation issued any regulations, the three major sects would gather the three Grandmaster Tokens, summon all sects for a meeting, and inform them of what to do.
The Grandmaster Tokens were also used to mediate conflicts between two sects.
Therefore, the Grandmaster Tokens were not only symbols of authority but also symbols of power.
Hao Tiánquán, sitting in the middle, frowned and said, "Are you suggesting we use the Three Sects Joint Order to forcibly order sects to send their elite disciples to support us?"
Xu Guàncāng nodded, "That's right, that's what I mean."
Tang Jùnshēng on the side felt something was amiss and said, "But this could easily cause an uprising, and who knows what unimaginable consequences might arise."
Nan Jīngshuò, Cui Yìlíng, and others also agreed with Tang Jùnshēng's statement.
Suddenly demanding that they send elite disciples to support them would surely cause some sects to be dissatisfied, and perhaps they would even revolt together.
The current situation had already made them extremely stressed. If an uprising were to occur now, the consequences would be unbearable for them.