A thunderous boom ripped the void.
A figure stepped out from the spatial rift, his body radiating a brilliant divine light, surging with boundless Emperor’s might. His dark robe billowed around him, and his face was cold, his eyes freezing as he gazed upon the world. Etched onto his chest were two ancient words: "Tianluo."
The Shadow Emperor Mo Ying made no effort to conceal his aura. The pressure of an Eight-star Great Emperor at the initial stage was vast as the sea, and every movement betrayed the supreme authority of a true overlord.
Several other figures appeared behind him, standing respectfully in his shadow.
In the next instant, Mo Ying’s divine sense swept across the surroundings, taking in the Great Emperors watching from a distance. His gaze was like lightning, chilling the low-star Emperors and making them tremble with fear.
"An Eight-star Great Emperor!" many low-star Emperors gasped. "Is this the one Xue Li Great Emperor spoke of? The Nineteenth Elder of the Tianluo Hall's main branch, the Shadow Emperor Mo Ying?"
Shock rippled through the crowd. The Nineteenth Elder of the Tianluo Hall had actually arrived!
Mo Ying turned his attention to the Cangxuan Old Ancestor and the others, his expression one of cold, ruthless disdain. He let out a cold snort and slowly spoke.
"I am Mo Ying, the Nineteenth Elder of the Tianluo Hall! I carry the Hall Master's decree and command the Grand Dao Sect to assist the Tianluo Hall in its affairs!"
The declaration landed like a peal of thunder, shaking the very fabric of the void.
Command the Grand Dao Sect to assist?
The powerful cultivators from various regions were stunned by the sheer audacity of the Shadow Emperor Mo Ying. This was, after all, the Grand Dao Sect’s territory!
The Cangxuan Old Ancestor let out a dry, dangerous laugh. "Interesting, interesting."
Lu Xuan’s lips curled into a slight smile. He was genuinely surprised. Seriously? Are all the Tianluo Hall guys this arrogant? The last one, Xue Li, got slapped to death by the Old Ancestor!
Ji Fuyao tilted her snow-white neck and instinctively moved closer to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan glanced at her and said calmly, "Relax. This is our home turf. Even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, he wouldn't get his way."
The Cangxuan Old Ancestor froze, then quickly pointed a finger toward the sky, subtly warning Lu Xuan not to speak so recklessly. The Grand Dao Sect revered the Heavenly Dao; how could one be so disrespectful to the Dao of Heaven?
From a distance, the Shadow Emperor Mo Ying looked down at the Cangxuan Old Ancestor with the supreme arrogance of a superior, clearly not taking the Six-star Emperor seriously.
"Cangxuan, you destroyed one of our Tianluo Hall branch temples and killed Xue Li Great Emperor from our main branch. We can overlook those matters... but Ji Fuyao must be handed over!"
Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s voice was cold. "Absolutely not!"
Mo Ying sneered. "Then let me show you the might of the Tianluo Hall."
He pointed at Ji Fuyao, then withdrew his gaze. With a sweep of his sleeve, his voice was utterly domineering yet respectful as he commanded, "I summon the Hall Master's Decree!"
As his voice faded, the Emperors behind Mo Ying spread out, their hands forming intricate spiritual seals. Profound, mysterious energy surged around them, and endless, brilliant Great Emperor Dao patterns began to converge in the sky.
Then, a corner of a decree slowly materialized above the void. It shone like a galaxy, gradually revealing its full form.
As the radiant decree coalesced, the sky was filled with an ancient, cryptic aura, carrying boundless spiritual runes and a trace of profound Dao Essence.
Witnessing this, all the powerful cultivators felt a chill in their hearts. Just how powerful was Duan Hunsheng, the Hall Master of the Tianluo Hall? The power emanating from his hand-written decree was already this terrifying, and it hadn't even fully unfolded yet!
Even the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s face paled slightly.
Though this radiant decree was merely written casually by the Hall Master Duan Hunsheng, it contained a sliver of his "Dao," making it equivalent to a full-power attack from such a peerless figure.
The Cangxuan Old Ancestor, a mere Six-star Great Emperor, was completely outmatched by the decree. A single star in the Emperor realm was a chasm separating heaven and earth! Although the Old Ancestor could borrow the power of Heaven and Earth to kill, he had already done so once and could not borrow the Heavenly Authority again in such a short time.
The Tianluo Hall Master was truly terrifying!
Gritting his teeth, the Cangxuan Old Ancestor commanded, "Everyone, stand behind me!"
Lu Xuan pulled Ji Fuyao back, slowly retreating behind the Old Ancestor. The Sect Master and the others also quickly took shelter behind the towering figure of the Cangxuan Old Ancestor, who stood firm like an unyielding mountain, ready to withstand the might of the Tianluo Hall Master's Decree.
Soon, the brilliant decree began to reveal the ancient characters written by the Hall Master. Each character was as dazzling as the sun, moon, and stars, spewing forth terrifying power that incinerated the firmament and refined the void.
Boom! With the appearance of every character, the void trembled, and space itself twisted.
Ji Fuyao only glanced at it before her eyes immediately streamed with tears and her soul felt a piercing pain. Her delicate body trembled, and she quickly leaned against Lu Xuan. "Master..." she whimpered, tears staining her face.
The Sect Master quickly warned her, "Fuyao, don't look! Even I can barely withstand this power!"
"Yes, Sect Master, I understand..." Ji Fuyao replied.
Lu Xuan frowned, injecting a wave of healing energy into her body. Only then did her eyes slowly recover.
Before long, the full text written by Duan Hunsheng was revealed in the sky.
"By the Order of Tianluo, Duan Hunsheng decrees: The Grand Dao Sect shall assist the Tianluo Hall and surrender Ji Fuyao! Do not err!"
Upon seeing this, the powerful cultivators watching from afar were utterly shocked. The Tianluo Hall Master was truly overbearing! The decree was issued as a direct command, treating the Grand Dao Sect as if it were a subordinate faction! They were clearly not taking the Grand Dao Sect seriously at all!
At this moment, every ancient character in the decree was condensed with "Dao and Will," pressing down on the Cangxuan Old Ancestor like an invisible mountain. A trickle of blood immediately spilled from his lips, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The Shadow Emperor Mo Ying sneered. "Cangxuan, a mere Six-star Emperor trying to withstand the Decree's might? Retreat now, or the power will annihilate you!"
Gritting his teeth, the Cangxuan Old Ancestor glared at the sky, his heart surging with endless fury. He immediately turned his head and roared toward the hidden depths of the Grand Dao Sect.
"I request the Ancestor of the Heaven Lineage to act! I am not his match!"
The sound was like a massive bell, reverberating across the world.
Lu Xuan was slightly taken aback. He remembered the Cangxuan Old Ancestor mentioning that the Grand Dao Sect had several lineages, and he was merely a weaker Emperor from the "Cang" lineage! Now he was calling for the "Heaven" lineage Ancestor! Lu Xuan wondered which Ancestor would emerge.
Lu Xuan shook his head slightly. Looks like I still know too little about the Grand Dao Sect!
Suddenly, a terrifying, peerless aura surged forth from the Grand Dao Sect’s hidden depths. Boundless divine light illuminated the void, and a vast river of golden spiritual energy, carrying the profound essence of the Grand Dao Scripture, tore through the sky.
Between Heaven and Earth, starlight flickered, and the mysterious aura of the Grand Dao Scripture was everywhere.
In the next instant, the terrifying golden spiritual energy materialized. A furious storm began to rage in the firmament.
The void was ripped open! Space twisted!
Everyone stared at this terrifying power. They could not see the person, only the overwhelming force!
Even the Shadow Emperor Mo Ying frowned slightly. This power made his heart tremble. He muttered, "Is this the strength of the Grand Dao Sect's 'Heaven' lineage Ancestor?"
Boom! The terrifying spiritual energy in the sky finally coalesced into a colossal, sky-reaching hand. The hand was as massive as a planet, swirling with terrifying Dao Essence, seemingly wielding the full momentum of Heaven and Earth.
When this giant hand appeared, the crushing pressure that had been bearing down on the Cangxuan Old Ancestor instantly scattered like smoke.
A furious voice boomed from the hidden depths of the Grand Dao Sect.
"What kind of bullshit Hall Master's Decree? What kind of crap Hall Master? To dare cause trouble on my Grand Dao Sect's territory with this level of power?"
As the voice faded, the colossal hand expanded further, growing larger and larger, until it spanned the entire sky like a mountain range.
Finally, it covered the Tianluo Hall Master's Decree entirely!
A single, world-shattering palm descended, like a falling star or a sinking continent, colliding with the decree. The resulting impact sent terrifying waves of energy surging through the void.
Crack! Hiss! In an instant, the brilliant decree that had dominated the sky began to collapse and disintegrate. The "Dao and Will" contained within the massive decree were violently torn apart.
Boom! Boom! Boom! In the void, the confrontation appeared to be a single punch against a piece of paper, but in reality, every breath was a clash of "Dao and Essence." Within the terrifying might, mysterious and terrifying energies continued to erupt.
But the Hall Master's Decree was ultimately defeated!
After a few breaths, only the colossal hand and endless annihilated Great Emperor Dao patterns remained in the sky, scattering like dust in a firework display.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
The world fell into a dead silence.
The powerful cultivators from all regions were dumbfounded, their hearts churning with monstrous waves of shock.
What just happened?
The terrifying Tianluo Hall Master's Decree, which they had viewed as supreme and transcendent, was instantly shattered and annihilated by a single, remote palm strike from the Grand Dao Sect's "Heaven" lineage Ancestor!
The Grand Dao Sect was far too terrifying!
A Great Emperor wearing a black hooded robe slowly spoke. "Heh. The Tianluo Hall overestimated itself. The Grand Dao Sect has simply been too low-key for ten thousand years, adhering to the Dao of Heaven and staying out of the Southern Wilds' power struggles. As a result, many of the region's hegemonic forces have forgotten just how terrifying the Grand Dao Sect truly is!"
Everyone’s hearts seized up. They tried to secretly probe the black-robed Emperor, but they couldn't sense a single thing.
At this moment, a Seven-star Great Emperor sighed. "Alas, it's true! In the past, all the old ancestors of the hegemonic forces who knew the Grand Dao Sect's true strength either went into seclusion or sealed themselves away. The later generations simply forgot about the existence of this behemoth in the Southern Wilds!"
The black-robed Emperor spoke again. "There are gaps even between hegemonic forces! The Supreme Profound Sect can be considered on the same level as the Grand Dao Sect, but factions like the Ancient Qin Family and the Tianluo Hall are simply not enough to stand against them..."
Everyone gasped, sucking in a cold breath. Today, they had accidentally learned too many secrets of the Southern Wilds!
The Great Emperors from the various intelligence forces were practically grinning from ear to ear. They had just witnessed the battle between the Tianluo Hall and the Grand Dao Sect firsthand, securing invaluable first-hand information. They already had their headlines planned for when they returned:
*SHOCKER! Tianluo Hall's Xue Li Great Emperor Instantly Killed!
*PAY ATTENTION! Tianluo Hall Master's Decree Annihilated with One Palm!
*Just How Deeply Has the Grand Dao Sect Hidden Its Strength?
*...
Moments later, everyone returned their gaze to the battlefield in the sky.
"How will the Tianluo Hall recover from this?" they wondered.