“I was going to treat Elder Mu first and let you all live a little longer. But I suppose that’s too much to ask.”
Lu Xuan sighed, his voice carrying a casual indifference that belied the cosmic power he was about to unleash. He gave a lazy flick of his sleeve. A blinding streak of divine light, a bolt of pure energy, shot across the void like a celestial rainbow, heading straight for the two Six-star Great Emperors of the Heavenly Net Temple.
Swoosh! The two Great Emperors didn’t even have time to fully manifest their ultimate killing techniques. Their heads were instantly severed, flying through the air as blood erupted in a spectacular, gruesome spray. Two Emperor corpses plummeted from the sky, lifeless before they hit the ground. Instant annihilation. Two Six-star Great Emperors were dead just like that.
The world fell into a profound silence. Every eye was fixed on Lu Xuan. The remaining Heavenly Net Temple Great Emperors froze, their pupils shrinking to pinpricks. Beyond the shock, an immeasurable, primal terror gripped them.
A Five-star Great Emperor instantly killing a Six-star Great Emperor? It was impossible! They weren’t within the Grand Dao Sect’s territory, where one could borrow the authority of the world. How could anyone achieve such a feat of ‘slaying the superior’ across such a massive realm gap? A single star separated worlds; the difference was as vast as the heavens and the mud.
Elder Mu had only managed to hold on against the two Six-star Great Emperors for a brief moment, relying on the supreme power of the Grand Dao Scripture. If Lu Xuan had arrived a single breath later, Elder Mu would have been a corpse. Now, this man in white had completely shattered their understanding of cultivation.
Driven by panic, the remaining Heavenly Net Temple Great Emperors immediately retreated, tearing open the void to escape. This white-robed Great Emperor is too terrifying! they thought. They needed to call upon the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders—a Seven-star and an Eight-star Great Emperor, respectively—who could surely annihilate this man.
Boom! The void tore open, and spatial gales howled. Lu Xuan merely raised a casual eyebrow. “Then let them all die,” he muttered, “they’re annoying to look at.”
He flicked his sleeve again, and a divine rainbow shot into the sky, piercing the spatial rift. The next instant, agonizing screams echoed from within the rift. The corpses of the fleeing Heavenly Net Temple Great Emperors rained down, a shower of blood staining the sky crimson. They had all instantly perished.
Lu Xuan didn’t spare a glance backward, walking straight toward Elder Mu. Everyone watched him in stunned silence, utterly shaken.
Lu Xuan reached Elder Mu’s side and offered a gentle smile. “Elder Mu, let me treat your injuries.”
The shock on Elder Mu’s face was slow to fade. “Don’t call me Elder Mu,” he insisted, shaking his head. “I am unworthy. We should address each other as Fellow Daoists!”
Lu Xuan simply nodded in agreement.
Ji Fuyao, Ye Chen, and the others descended from the sky and approached Elder Mu. “Elder Mu!”
Elder Mu’s eyes were moist with relief upon seeing Ye Chen and the others unharmed. “It’s good that you’re safe! It’s all my fault for not being meticulous enough; I nearly caused a catastrophe!”
Everyone present felt a chill run down their spine. If Lu Xuan hadn’t intervened, they would all be dead. Ye Chen took out the Ancient Jade Slip. “Elder Mu, we worked together to capture the Dao Rhyme of the Bronze Ancient Palace.” The Dao Rhyme flowed like water within the slip, constantly shifting and evolving into profound, mysterious shapes.
Elder Mu’s eyes gleamed as he accepted the slip. He scanned Ye Chen, Liu Xuan, and the others, smiling broadly. “Excellent! Very good! You’ve all done well!”
Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and Fang Yan looked slightly embarrassed. “Elder Mu, Junior Brother Ye Chen captured this by himself.”
Elder Mu chuckled. “Still excellent. When we return to the sect, I will ensure the Sect Master increases your cultivation resources!” The true disciples bowed. “Thank you, Elder Mu!”
Elder Mu nodded, then turned to Lu Xuan. “Fellow Daoist, what is your name?”
“Lu Xuan,” he replied simply.
Elder Mu shook his head with a faint smile. “If you do not wish to reveal your true name, then so be it.”
Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao exchanged a look and smiled wryly. Master is too low-profile, they thought in unison. He’s revealed his name, and now no one believes him. We’re completely convinced.
Lu Xuan didn’t bother to explain further. He looked at Elder Mu. “Fellow Daoist, please turn around. I’ll be behind you.”
Elder Mu hesitated for a moment, then turned, sitting cross-legged with his back to Lu Xuan. The crowd respectfully dispersed. Lu Xuan also sat down and placed his hand on Elder Mu’s back. Clap! Elder Mu’s back was thin and bony.
With a thought, Lu Xuan channeled a mysterious, gentle medical Dao power into Elder Mu’s meridians. It felt like a spring breeze and a soft rain. Elder Mu slowly closed his eyes. This medical power was incredibly soothing; his entire body and soul were being cleansed. Injured meridians began to heal, and shattered bones emitted a brilliant light as they were reconstructed. It was a sensation he had never experienced—utterly profound!
Nearby, Ye Chen asked Ji Fuyao curiously, “Senior Sister, since when did Master also master the medical Dao?”
Ji Fuyao’s beautiful eyes shimmered. “Master is omnipotent.”
Ye Chen whispered, “I wonder what that medical power feels like? I have a strange feeling Elder Mu looks incredibly comfortable.”
Ji Fuyao’s delicate body trembled slightly, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She recalled the sheer bliss of being treated by Lu Xuan during her own healing. So comfortable... she thought.
Suddenly, a low, involuntary moan escaped Elder Mu’s ancient throat. “Mmm~”
Everyone instantly stared at Elder Mu in shock. What in the world is happening? Elder Mu’s old face flushed crimson. “Fellow Daoist, my apologies.” He was utterly bewildered. How could he, a revered Ancestor, make such a sound in front of so many disciples? His dignified image was ruined! But the medical power truly was too comfortable!
Lu Xuan frowned slightly. “Alright, I’ll use less force then.” Elder Mu nodded quickly.
A moment later, Elder Mu’s body began to tremble. He clenched his jaw tightly, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He was drenched. “Ah... ugh...” In a lapse of concentration, Elder Mu let out another soft gasp.
The crowd, which had started murmuring again, instantly fell silent. Everyone was staring intently at Elder Mu. His face burning red, Elder Mu cleared his throat, flicked his sleeve, and instantly erected countless seals and restrictions around himself and Lu Xuan. Endless, brilliant Dao patterns surged, completely isolating them from the outside world.
Seeing this, everyone struggled to hold back their laughter. Was it really that pleasurable? Liu Xuan couldn’t help but want to try it herself, though she regretted not being injured.
Ji Fuyao’s cheeks were flushed, and her delicate lips parted slightly. When Master treated her before, she had also... Ugh. It seemed it wasn’t just her problem, then. Elder Mu was a Five-star Great Emperor, and even he couldn’t maintain his composure! How could she be expected to?
A small wave of shyness washed over Ji Fuyao. She resolved to quietly tell Master later to keep her past reactions a secret. It would be too embarrassing otherwise!
Just then, muffled voices drifted out from the sealed space Elder Mu had created. Everyone strained their ears to listen.
“Go slower.”
“Is this better?”
“Be gentler.”
“Is this the right pressure?”
“Ah... ugh...”
A collective, suppressed wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. Anyone listening would think they were doing something completely different in there! They averted their eyes, trying desperately not to watch.
***
High above the void, the Tianxing Old Ancestor and the Cangxuan Old Ancestor, accompanied by the Sect Master and others, traversed the sky, making no effort to conceal their terrifying auras. Killing intent surged to the heavens! The Tianxing Old Ancestor’s Eight-star Emperor Realm pressure was like an endless ocean. Wherever he passed, divine rainbows blazed, the world trembled, and Great Emperor Dao patterns formed a vast, majestic firmament. The entire Southern Wilds was instantly shaken.
“The Heavenly Net Temple dispatched over a dozen Great Emperors to ambush Elder Mu and the genius disciples like Ye Chen!”
The news spread like wildfire, causing a massive uproar. It was a bombshell, comparable only to the recent appearance of the Bronze Ancient Palace. After more than a month, the Heavenly Net Temple had finally retaliated against the Grand Dao Sect!
Cultivators across the various states were stunned and debated heatedly. “The Heavenly Net Temple has gone mad! Ye Chen and the others are merely Profound Venerates, yet they sent a Five-star Great Emperor and three low-star Great Emperors! This completely breaks the unspoken rules! If Great Emperors start personally hunting down geniuses, no talent will ever rise in the Southern Wilds!”
“No one expected the Heavenly Net Temple’s revenge to be so swift and brutal! Elder Mu is only a Five-star Great Emperor; facing two Six-star Great Emperors, he must be facing certain doom!”
“The Heavenly Net Temple has truly enraged the Grand Dao Sect this time! I wonder what will become of the branch they used for this attack?”
The reactions from the Southern Wilds’ supreme powers varied. A Yao Family Old Ancestor frowned slightly. “I can’t believe that after the destruction of their Temple Master’s decree, that scoundrel still hasn’t learned his lesson? They severely underestimated the Grand Dao Sect!”
An Ancient Wang Family Great Emperor looked into the depths of the void, his gaze profound. “The appearance of the Bronze Ancient Palace has shattered the peace of the Southern Wilds! The conflict between the Heavenly Net Temple and the Grand Dao Sect is merely the prelude to the opening of the Ultimate Path.”
In Cangzhou, at the Cangmu Academy, Elder Cang Li was refining a pill when he heard the news. He nearly caused his cauldron to explode, slamming his hand down on his thigh in fury. “What a tragedy! What a terrible loss! The alchemy insights in Ye Chen’s head are priceless!”
After the last Pill Refining Exchange Conference, he had personally visited Azure Mystery Peak to exchange ideas with Ye Chen. The concepts and views Ye Chen had casually mentioned had yielded astonishing results in Cang Li’s subsequent experiments. If the Grand Dao Sect weren’t so far away, he would rush back immediately to consult with Ye Chen again.
A Six-star Emperor Realm Ancestor at the Cangmu Academy needed a Nine-Revolving Ice Soul Pill, giving Cang Li three years to refine it. Success would grant him a chance to attain Emperor status! Naturally, he treated the pill with utmost seriousness. Last time, Ye Chen’s profound theory—“Let Heaven and Earth be the furnace, and Creation the labor; let Yin and Yang be the fuel, and all things the copper!”—had profoundly enlightened Cang Li, allowing him to refine the formula and plan to incorporate several Ice-element Heaven and Earth Wonders. Unfortunately, such wonders were rare in the Southern Wilds, and he had yet to find any.
Elder Cang Li grumbled, “Alas, if Ye Chen is dead, I won’t be able to discuss the formula with that boy.”
***
Meanwhile, at the Ancient Qin Family’s main hall. The Old Ancestor, Qin Wuyang, had just brought back the sole surviving prodigy from the secret realm, Qin Wang. The Qin Family Patriarch and numerous elders had been waiting for a long time.
Qin Wang, dressed in luxurious brocade robes, sat in the main hall, unable to hide the joy in his heart as he bowed to the Patriarch and the elders. The Patriarch looked at Qin Wang with a complex expression. Since Qin Xiao was dead, Qin Wang was the only one left to take his place as the new Divine Son.
Qin Wuyang waved his sleeve. “Summon Nangong Baixue.”
Soon after, the Nangong Family Old Ancestor escorted Nangong Baixue into the hall. Qin Wang turned his head, staring at the graceful figure he had long coveted. In a sense, he was already intimately familiar with Nangong Baixue. After all, he had inherited all of Qin Xiao’s memories, and since escaping the underground palace, he occasionally reviewed the memory fragments of Qin Xiao and Nangong Baixue, indulging in certain activities that made his blood boil.
Nangong Baixue, wearing a long white dress and a white floral headpiece, walked slowly toward the hall. Two clear lines of tears streamed down her face, feigning immense sorrow. Her fair, beautiful legs were exposed just enough, straight as jade pillars, seemingly surpassing snow and frost in purity.
Qin Wang licked his lips, his heart pounding with excitement. He muttered under his breath, “Nangong Baixue is here. She was once my brother’s woman, but now she belongs to me. Brother, oh, brother, thank you.”