Chapter 4497 — It Should Be Me

Hai Wuliang was now on a road with no turning back. The other escort agencies he could handle, but if he failed to bring down Qingtian Escort Agency and strip them of their first place, and actually let them take the throne as the supreme escort agency, then his future days would be anything but peaceful.

Accusing Wei Zhao of being a heretical cultivator had been a notion he hit upon only after watching the duel between Wei Zhao and Wu Baoliang. To be honest, he was not at all confident, but now that he was riding a tiger, he had no choice but to believe it firmly: Wei Zhao was a heretical cultivator!

"Very well." Wei Zhao smiled faintly, then raised his hand and launched a Wildfire Fist straight at the raised platform beneath Hai Wuliang's feet. The heavily and tightly warded platform shuddered violently, nearly throwing the unprepared Hai Wuliang off balance and making a spectacle of him. Only then did Wei Zhao say calmly, "This is called the Wildfire Fist. That move just now was called the Wildfire Thousand-Blast Fist. Satisfied now?"

The whole crowd erupted. The power of the Wildfire Thousand-Blast Fist had been too absurd, and it was exactly the same as Wu Baoliang's Wild Sand Thousand-Blast Fist, so it was perfectly natural that they had grown suspicious. But this Wildfire Fist required no discernment whatsoever to identify—it was standard fire-attribute martial technique.

"This... how is this possible?!" Hai Wuliang was on the verge of going mad.

No matter how many people came forward to clear Wei Zhao's name, no matter how many dazzling halos surrounded Wei Zhao, he could always find some way to argue against it. Even if in the end he could not destroy Wei Zhao and Qingtian Escort Agency, so long as he left public opinion feeling that suspicion still lingered, he would have gained. After all, he had nothing to lose.

But now, Wei Zhao had used an unmistakable fire-attribute martial technique, wiping out every doubt with pure action. What move could he possibly have left?

"What do you mean, possible or not? I am a cultivator with a fire-attribute spiritual root. That much is beyond doubt. If you still want to call me a heretical cultivator after this, then I suppose everyone here must be one too." Wei Zhao spoke calmly.

"Right, right—then we must all be heretical cultivators. I wonder if Chief Escort Hai is one as well?" Qi Wenmo laughed and chimed in, and the rest of the crowd followed with hoots and nods. Everyone knew it: this time Hai Wuliang had tried to harm others only to be trampled himself, and he had made a colossal fool of himself!

Hai Wuliang was truly beyond tears, wishing he could slap himself twice right there on the spot. Had he known this would happen, he never should have let that madness seize him and tried to expunge both Qingtian Escort Agency and Longzhou Escort Agency in one sweep.

Otherwise, on the strength of his merit in exposing Longzhou Escort Agency, not only could Four Seas Escort Agency have returned to the ranks of the five great agencies, he could at least have preserved a certain say in matters. Then even if Qi Mingyuan rose to become the new supreme escort chief, public opinion would not have dared to turn too hard against him on that account. He would have lost his former prestige, but things would not have been too bad.

As it stood now, although Four Seas Escort Agency had still barely clawed its way back into the five great agencies, everyone had seen him slander Qingtian Escort Agency with his own mouth. That alone was enough to cancel out entirely whatever merit he had earned by exposing Longzhou Escort Agency. If he ever tried to bring that merit up again in the future, not only would Qi Mingyuan refuse to accept it, even Zhao Bufan and the others would not.

Especially when facing Qi Mingyuan hereafter—he would naturally be in the wrong and a head shorter. Once Qi Mingyuan truly settled into the seat of supreme escort chief, who knew how much misery awaited him...

Yet even at this point of utter ruin, Hai Wuliang still would not give up. He actually intended to argue his own case and salvage the situation—except Qi Mingyuan was not about to give him any more chances.

"Chief Escort Hai, this session of the Southern Continent Escort Assembly has concluded. According to the rules, the chief judge of the new assembly should be me. The closing remarks—I believe it falls to me to announce them?" Qi Mingyuan laughed heartily, then shoved Hai Wuliang aside with one hand, sending the fellow staggering and nearly rolling right off the platform.

"I..." Blood surged in Hai Wuliang's veins, and he could barely keep himself from turning on the man right there. As supreme escort chief for so many years, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

But when he saw Qi Mingyuan's half-smiling expression and the amused looks in the eyes of Zhao Bufan and the others nearby, it was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head. He had no choice but to shut his mouth in defeat.

There was no help for it. These men clearly meant him no good, and they looked for all the world like they were just waiting for him to slip up.

If he really did lose his temper on the spot, not only would it do no good, he would probably not even be able to keep his place among the five great agencies. After all, times had changed. Four Seas Escort Agency was now a thing of the past, and as of today, the Southern Continent Escort Alliance had entered a new dynasty.

With no other choice, Hai Wuliang could only swallow his anger and slink off to the side. Better a live dog than a dead lion—even knowing his future would be hard, he would not give up his seat among the five great agencies. Otherwise, once the orders for Four Seas Escort Agency's vast enterprise shrank drastically, that would be no laughing matter; they might well splinter apart like the former Yuantong Escort Agency...

Hmph, this fellow certainly knows how to endure! Qi Mingyuan cast Hai Wuliang a glance tinged with regret, then paid him no further mind and began to read the closing remarks aloud to the whole assembly.

The closing remarks were much the same as at every previous assembly, with nothing particularly special about them. The only difference was that in the past it had always been Hai Wuliang who read those words, and now it was Qi Mingyuan.

At this moment, watching the high-spirited Qi Mingyuan atop the platform, everyone understood one thing: a new era for the Southern Continent Escort Alliance had begun!

A brand-new era belonging to Qingtian Escort Agency had burst onto the scene just like that. Whether the crowd believed it or not, accepted it or not, none of them could change this tide. The times would not change to suit their will; only by actively adapting to the times could they ensure they were not left behind.

The quicker-witted soon realized that the Demon Cold Sea Region's central status would inevitably be replaced by the Weihu Sea Region. After all, that was where Qingtian Escort Agency's headquarters stood, and barring any surprises, the next Southern Continent Escort Assembly would also be held in Weihu City. Grand spectacles like the present one, Demon Cold City would likely never see again.

The turning of an era came just that suddenly, catching everyone off guard, and yet on closer thought, it was only fitting.

"What a pity—we didn't get to take down that bastard Hai Wuliang!" Qi Wenmo watched his father dominate the stage with delight, while casting a rather disgruntled glance at Hai Wuliang, who had been shoved to the edge. (To be continued)