Chapter 3535 — The Entire Sect Turns Out

"Junior Brother Wang, what are you doing? Where's Third Junior Brother? Why aren't you with him?" The First Senior Brother stared blankly for a moment, then glared at Wang again. "Third Junior Brother has already gone to break the siege—what are you still panicking about?"

"It's bad! Master, First Senior Brother—Third Senior Brother seems to have been beaten to death by that Wei Zhao as well!" Wang gasped out, still short of breath.

"What?! Dead too?" Ironclad Ancestor was stunned. "How? Wasn't your Third Senior Brother a peak Heaven-rank master?"

"He was, but the other side has peak Heaven-rank masters too. I think Second Senior Brother is already dead! Even if not, he's in a bad way—Master, please send help at once to break the siege!" Wang pleaded.

"Master, let old Hou go take a look..." The First Senior Brother sprang to his feet, frantic with worry, scratching at his ears and cheeks, ready to charge off in support.

"You are the sect master and First Senior Brother. It's better that I go. I have already passed the seat to you—what you must do is keep your composure, not fly into a panic the moment something happens. You hold the fort; I'll go and be back shortly!" Ironclad Ancestor rose and followed Wang out.

All the way to the sect gate they went, and what Ironclad Ancestor saw there turned his face pale with shock: his second and third disciples lay on the ground, life or death unknown, while the rest of that crowd was still chatting and laughing at ease.

"Who killed my disciples? Dare you step forward?" Ironclad Ancestor roared in fury.

"And you are?" Wei Zhao stepped out and asked.

"I am Ironclad Ancestor, come to avenge my disciples!" Ironclad Ancestor glared at Wei Zhao. "You are that Wei Zhao?"

"That's right, I am Wei Zhao. But are you sure you've come alone to take revenge? Can you manage it?" Wei Zhao countered.

"Gah?!" Ironclad Ancestor had been blazing with rage, but it suddenly struck him: both his second and third disciples were dead, and he himself was only a peak Heaven-rank master—how could he be a match for these people?

The other side had one peak Heaven-rank and one late Heaven-rank at the pinnacle—two against one, they could pin him down with ease. Ironclad Ancestor's expression changed at once. "You... wait, hold your hand for now. Little Wang, go back and spread the word—tell your First Senior Brother to seek help from the various Heavenly Lords and Ancestors, and come together to seize this Wei Zhao!"

"Yes!" Wang answered and turned to run. Wei Zhao did not stop him, letting him go back—one comes, one dies; two come, two die. With so many peak Heaven-rank masters on his own side, and not a one of them yet used, why worry?

"You... wait a while, and when our forces arrive, we'll settle this once and for all!" Ironclad Ancestor had turned somewhat craven; knowing himself no match, he meant to stall for time.

"Oh, fine." Wei Zhao nodded indifferently. Let them wait—when all the masters of their sect had gathered, he would wipe them out in one sweep, sparing himself the trouble of hunting down the rest one by one after killing Ironclad Ancestor and having them flee in terror.

Ironclad Ancestor himself had not expected Wei Zhao to agree outright. What was going on here? This Wei Zhao looked a bit simple-minded, didn't he? If it were him, he would never have agreed—yet Wei Zhao had, the fool of fools!

At that thought, Ironclad Ancestor glanced at Wei Zhao and instinctively backed two steps. "Good—we shall fight fair. When my forces arrive, we'll brawl in a group. Single combat doesn't count as true heroes!"

"Oh, suit yourself. A group brawl then—our people will join in too!" Wei Zhao nodded.

"Good, no problem!" Ironclad Ancestor laughed inwardly. A pack of women—what are they worth? We'll smash them to pieces. Then I'll cut Wei Zhao down and drag all these pretty little women back to the Ironclad Sect, and I'll never want for company again!

After returning, Wang once more stumbled headlong into Ironclad Ancestor's chamber, coming before the First Senior Brother, the only one left there.

"Junior Brother Wang, what are you doing? Where's Master? Why have you come running back alone?" The First Senior Brother was astonished to see Wang back again. "Running back and forth like this—is this some kind of exercise?"

"No! First Senior Brother, it's bad! Do you know—Third Senior Brother is dead, and Master had no sooner gone than that Wei Zhao held him fast!" Wang said. "Master told me to hurry back and spread the word!"

"What? Third Junior Brother beaten to death too?" The First Senior Brother's eyes went wide. "Fine, I'll go myself! Just watch old Hou tear them apart!"

"Don't, First Senior Brother! Going yourself won't help—that Wei Zhao is truly formidable. Master said to seek aid from the Heavenly Lords and Ancestors, to ask them to ride out together against Wei Zhao!" Wang said hastily.

"What? Seek help from the Heavenly Lords and Ancestors too? Is Wei Zhao really that strong?" The First Senior Brother was taken aback. "Fine, wait here for me—old Hou will go and call them!"

In the Ironclad Sect, the sect master was not chosen for superior strength—that was not how it worked. The seat passed from one generation to the next; otherwise, with those peak Heaven-rank masters having their lifespans endlessly prolonged, when would there ever be a change of sect master?

The Ironclad Sect was vast, with disciples beyond counting, and one man sitting as sect master for too long grew weary indeed. So the seat passed generation to generation; the old sect masters were all Ancestor- or Heavenly Lord-level beings by then, and their standing within the sect was far from low.

Take Ironclad Ancestor's master, Ironclad Heavenly Lord—a dazzling figure long since at the pinnacle. And Ironclad Ancestor's fellow disciples were formidable too: Golden-Robed Ancestor, Silver-Robed Ancestor, Bronze-Robed Ancestor, Aluminium-Robed Ancestor—all peak Heaven-rank masters!

Of course, these titles were only assigned after someone among them inherited the sect master's seat. The heir was called Ironclad Ancestor; the others took other names. In the Ironclad Sect, it did not mean that "Ironclad" was the mightiest—it was merely a title.

The First Senior Brother searched the whole way and summoned every master of the Ironclad Sect: Ironclad Heavenly Lord, Aluminium Heavenly Lord, Golden-Robed Ancestor, Silver-Robed Ancestor, Bronze-Robed Ancestor, Aluminium-Robed Ancestor—and himself, seven peak Heaven-rank masters in all!

No one would ever have guessed that the Ironclad Sect harbored so many peak Heaven-rank masters—a fact unknown to any other sect or cultivator!

Had Wei Zhao known this beforehand, he would not have been so arrogant as to spare Ironclad Ancestor's life and wait for the others to arrive! As it stood, the enemy had eight peak masters, while Wei Zhao's side had only Tianchan, Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, Yu Ning, Xiao Jiu, Guan Xin, Wang Xinyan, Han Jingyi, Bingtang, Feng Xiaoxiao, and Xue Li—twelve Heaven-rank masters with Wei Zhao, eleven at the peak and one at the late Heaven-rank pinnacle.

The disparity was still great, and among them Han Jingyi and Guan Xin were hardly skilled in combat.