All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

Before the sounds in his ears had ceased, Yang Pan turned to look at the sacrificial altar in the hall, where Shi Yingfeng was still asleep with a frown on his face.

Shi Yingfeng's injuries were no less severe than his, but he recovered relatively quickly because he possessed the Longevity Fruit, while his opponent had clearly not yet recovered.

His gaze swept around the entire ancestral hall. He had been too exhausted earlier to observe the situation carefully, nor had he paid attention to who had gathered the people here. Now that he had recovered, Yang Pan naturally wanted to find out.

The main hall occupies the majority of the ancestral hall, and inside the main hall is a side door. Two equally disheveled young men sit casually in front of the side door, like two guards. Clearly, there is an important person inside the room behind the side door.

Withdrawing his gaze, Yang Pan had no intention of probing the situation inside. However, he was fairly certain that the other party was probably not from the government, but most likely from some martial arts sect. He got up and carefully walked around the crowd lying in the hall, then left the ancestral hall.

Compared to the dilapidated and desolate state during the day, the ancestral hall at night has an even more eerie silence.

There were no lights outside the ancestral hall, and Yang Pan could only see the surrounding scenery by the faint moonlight. However, just as Yang Pan stepped out of the ancestral hall, a sudden low shout rang out.

"Who goes there!"

As the sound rang out, Yang Pan saw a dark figure leap out from the corner of the ancestral hall wall. The person moved quickly, taking only a few steps to get close.

Seeing that the other person's attire was similar to that of the two young guards inside the ancestral hall, Yang Pan breathed a sigh of relief: "I am Yang Pan, thank you for saving my life, hero."

The newcomer glanced at Yang Pan, his tense face relaxing as he waved his hand and said:

"I'm not some kind of great hero. It's not safe outside the ancestral hall. There are Beggar Clan disciples around to guard the area. Your wandering around could easily cause misunderstandings."

Beggars' Sect!

Upon hearing the newcomer identify himself as a member of the Beggars' Sect, Yang Pan's eyelids twitched. Since transmigrating, Yang Pan had mostly stayed in Tongjiang County, especially after martial law was declared in Tongjiang County, as he had been preoccupied with figuring out how to survive the chaos.

Gradually, he even forgot that he had transmigrated to the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes. This world has gangs, the Five Greats, the great hero Guo Jing, and many coveted martial arts manuals!

The previous night's escape had shown him the brutality of the fighting, which intensified his desire for martial arts. He never expected to encounter the Beggars' Sect now.

As the number one gang in the martial arts world, although the original work does not describe any other martial arts techniques of the Beggars' Clan besides the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

However, Yang Pan believed that given the Beggars' Sect's profound foundation, it must possess a wealth of martial arts techniques. If he could join the Beggars' Sect, he might be able to learn a skill even more powerful than Iron Shirt in the future.

Thinking of this, Yang Pan's face showed excitement.

"To think you're a member of the Beggars' Sect! I've long admired Chief Huang and Hero Guo for their steadfast defense of Xiangyang and their protection of the region! I've also long admired your sect for a long time. I wonder if I could join your sect?"

Without beating around the bush, Yang Pan directly revealed his thoughts. His idea was to take the plunge regardless of whether the other party agreed or not.

Moreover, as the number one gang in the martial arts world, the Beggars' Sect has a large number of disciples. Even if there are some requirements for joining the sect, it is impossible for them to have strict requirements on talent and aptitude. Otherwise, wouldn't every disciple in the Beggars' Sect be a martial arts prodigy?

When the visitors heard Yang Pan say he wanted to join the Beggars' Sect, they showed no surprise. Firstly, given the reputations of Chief Hong and Hero Guo, the Beggars' Sect indeed enjoyed a prestigious reputation in the martial arts world. Secondly, in just the past two days, quite a few people had already expressed their desire to join the Beggars' Sect.

"Brother Yang, it's not impossible for you to join my Beggars' Sect. However, our sect leader has already given orders that due to the current critical situation, we need to leave Anqing Prefecture before we can discuss anything further."

"Understood, thank you... May I ask how to address this gentleman?" Yang Pan suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked.

"Just call me Ma Wu," Ma Wu said, waving his hand.

"Thank you, Brother Ma Wu." Yang Pan clasped his hands in thanks, then exchanged a few more pleasantries with the other party before returning to the ancestral hall.

As night deepened, the ancestral hall gradually fell silent. Yang Pan returned to his previous spot, leaning against a wooden pillar with a relaxed expression, his mind preoccupied with his future plans. Although Ma Wu hadn't given a clear answer, Yang Pan felt he had a high probability of joining the Beggars' Sect.

To reiterate, the Beggars' Sect has too many disciples, or rather, too many low-level disciples. Ironically, the Beggars' Sect's reputation as the number one sect in the world is largely built upon this vast number of low-level disciples. Therefore, for the Beggars' Sect, perhaps the more low-level disciples they have, the more beneficial it will be.

As a low-level disciple, it's probably impossible for him to learn advanced techniques; only those in the middle or upper ranks of the sect would likely have the opportunity.

However, Yang Pan didn't care about this. As long as he joined the Beggars' Sect, even if he couldn't learn advanced techniques, he would still have a chance to learn some common techniques in the short term.

Moreover, he has already achieved immortality. In the future, once the era of Divine Condor ends, will he still be able to learn the Nine Yin Manual, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, and the Nine Yang Manual—all the top martial arts in the martial arts world?

For him right now, the most important thing is to survive in this world.

Time passed while they waited, and after a full day of rest, Shi Yingfeng had recovered. The two first asked the doctor about Huang Hui's condition.

Fortunately, Huang Hui's internal organs hadn't been damaged, and given his internal strength, the doctor was able to remove the rotten parts of his body, apply medicine, and bandage him. Huang Hui's condition stabilized after that. After resting for another day, on the morning of the third day after their arrival, Huang Hui was able to open his eyes and speak.

During this time, Yang Pan also saw the person in the inner room. The other party was indeed a high-ranking figure in the Beggars' Sect, whose attire and demeanor were different from those of the other Beggars' Sect disciples.

However, Yang Pan was unable to speak to the other party, because the other party was not paying much attention to the situation in the lobby.

After the people in the inner room came out, they left the ancestral hall. Not long after, a Beggar Clan disciple came in to inform everyone that they should prepare to leave.

......

Along the mountain path, a long procession of people, escorted by Beggars' Sect disciples, hurried towards Jiaxing. The procession was eerily silent; even with Beggars' Sect disciples present, everyone feared that any noise might attract the Mongols. Thus, the group remained remarkably quiet throughout, with only the soft echo of hurried footsteps on the ground.

Jiaxing Prefecture was located in the Liangzhe region. Although it was far from Anqing Prefecture, it was far from the Song-Mongol border, making it an extremely safe place for the surviving people.

Considering Huang Hui's serious injuries and inability to walk for the time being, Yang Pan specially found a broken cart in the village before leaving, put Huang Hui on the cart, and Yang Pan and Shi Yingfeng took turns pushing Huang Hui forward.

Looking at how his two junior brothers had taken such good care of him along the way, Huang Hui, a seven-foot-tall man, couldn't help but tear up. Yang Pan didn't say anything on the surface, but he was secretly delighted.

Feeling touched? Crying? I've been so good to you, junior brother. Once you settle in Jiaxing, shouldn't you reciprocate?

My junior brother doesn't ask for much, just to teach me the third level of the Iron Shirt technique...

They hurried along, their hearts pounding with anxiety. Finally, after three days of travel, they arrived in Jiaxing.

Looking at the towering city walls ahead, even though they were still far away, everyone seemed to see the city's prosperity and the long-awaited peace and stability.

"Everyone, stay close to us. Once we enter the city, do not make a sound. Our Beggars' Sect will temporarily accommodate you, but afterwards you will need to fend for yourselves, understand?"

At the front of the group, a Beggars' Sect disciple spoke loudly. After speaking, he turned around and continued leading the crowd into Jiaxing City without waiting for the reactions of the others.

Logically speaking, people in this era needed a travel permit to enter the city, but the city guards treated people differently based on their status. They basically wouldn't check people from the martial arts world or those who looked like laborers coming to the city to work.

The former is something you can't afford to offend, while the latter is unnecessary.

Therefore, when the Beggars' Sect disciples appeared at the city gate with their group, the guards did not stop them and let them pass directly. However, Yang Pan and his group of more than thirty people still attracted a lot of attention after entering the city.