“What kind of magnate targets us? If he’s so powerful, why doesn’t he go challenge Duan Hunsheng at the Heavenly Net Temple headquarters?”
The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders were consumed by both immense fear and burning indignation. Soldiers fight soldiers, kings fight kings! How could they have been so foolish as to think they could challenge a Southern Wilds Magnate and walk away unscathed?
It was clear that the power of the expert currently broadcasting across the Southern Wilds was unfathomable. As mere Seven-star and Eight-star Great Emperors, they were completely out of their depth.
Just then, Lu Xuan’s voice boomed once more.
“Next, the Heavenly Net Temple branches I intend to exterminate are: the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Baizhou, the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Fengzhou… and the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Yunzhou!”
The declaration landed like a thunderclap, shaking the various states of the Southern Wilds. Everyone was stunned. This supreme expert intended to publicly execute ten Heavenly Net Temple branches!
In this moment, the Heavenly Net Temple’s reputation was being ground into the dirt. For thousands of years, the Heavenly Net Temple had rampaged across the Southern Wilds, slaughtering countless major powers. Their infamy was widespread, yet few dared to stop them.
But now, an expert was going to wipe out ten of their branches, and the reason was simple: those ten branches had dared to send a Five-star Great Emperor to participate in the assassination attempt on his disciple, Ye Chen.
***
Inside the Heavenly Net Temple headquarters.
Duan Hunsheng’s face was ghastly, sinister black mist constantly swirling around his body. He snarled, “Damn Grand Dao Sect! I will remember this! Don’t think the Heavenly Net Temple is insignificant—we have backers too!”
He wanted to release his own defiant roar across the Southern Wilds, declaring that the Heavenly Net Temple did not fear the Grand Dao Sect and challenging them to attack the headquarters. But he lacked Lu Xuan’s transcendent secret art, unable to broadcast his voice across the region.
Duan Hunsheng was enraged! His killing intent and fury were a tidal wave ready to burst its banks.
At that moment, a low-star Emperor Elder in the hall muttered softly, “The Grand Dao Sect doesn’t seem as simple as they appear. Our Heavenly Net Temple…”
In an instant, Duan Hunsheng’s ears twitched. His figure blurred, and when he reappeared, he was standing directly in front of the low-star Emperor Elder. He slammed his palm down onto the man’s head.
Pfft!
The elder instantly dissolved into a mist of blood, his body and soul annihilated. He was dead!
The many elders present trembled, immediately lowering their heads, not daring to meet Duan Hunsheng’s eyes. The aura emanating from him was terrifying and heart-stopping.
Not far away, the Grand Elder and others sneered internally, showing no pity for the dead elder. They simply thought he was too stupid. Hadn’t he learned the Hall Master’s nature after all this time?
Duan Hunsheng was tyrannical and utterly fearless. Even if the magnate currently broadcasting across the Southern Wilds descended upon them, the Hall Master would never compromise.
Duan Hunsheng was unyielding, utterly fearless. Otherwise, how could he have been chosen by that ancient entity in the Ancient Desolation Restricted Zone to become the Hall Master of the Heavenly Net Temple headquarters?
That entity claimed to fear no hegemonic power in the Southern Wilds, whether they hailed from the Ancient Era, the present, or the future. This was the source of Duan Hunsheng’s confidence.
It was this very ruthlessness that allowed him to gather Great Emperors from various states over the last few millennia, establishing dozens of Heavenly Net Temple branches and slaughtering countless human powers.
At that moment, the endless mist of blood in the hall surged and was instantly absorbed into Duan Hunsheng’s body. He clenched his fist and snarled, “If anyone is afraid, you may leave the Heavenly Net Temple. But you will only leave as a corpse!”
Instantly, all thoughts of defection vanished from the elders’ minds. They felt that Duan Hunsheng had completely lost his sanity. If the Grand Dao Sect’s magnate truly attacked the headquarters, their only hope lay with the mysterious backer in the Ancient Desolation Restricted Zone.
Duan Hunsheng gnashed his teeth and continued his furious tirade, “The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders are truly worthless! Ten branch Great Emperors, plus a Five-star Great Emperor, failed to kill a Profound Venerate? Idiots! Trash! They’re a waste of spiritual energy while alive and a waste of good soil when dead! They deserve to die!”
***
Meanwhile, across the Southern Wilds, experts were buzzing with discussion. It seemed this powerful figure was determined to wipe out the ten Heavenly Net Temple branches. What was happening today was too shocking, too insane.
In the Supreme Profound Sect, Yuan Qingzi, Sect Master Wei Qianhan, and the Qin Family Old Ancestor all wore solemn expressions. However, Sect Master Wei Qianhan was not overly worried. After all, the Supreme Profound Sect had not directly dealt with the Heavenly Net Temple this time; it was Pill Saint Yunyang’s personal action.
Naturally, they wouldn’t allow this magnate to kill Pill Saint Yunyang, as the Supreme Profound Sect was not to be trifled with.
The most panicked person in the room was the Qin Family Old Ancestor, Qin Wuyang. The Supreme Profound Sect might not fear the Grand Dao Sect, but the Qin Family certainly did!
Damn it! Who could have predicted the Heavenly Net Temple was so useless that a Five-star Great Emperor failed to kill a mere Ye Chen?
Qin Wuyang looked at Yuan Qingzi and Sect Master Wei Qianhan. “Fellow Daoists, if the Grand Dao Sect attacks my Qin Family, will you offer support?”
Yuan Qingzi and Sect Master Wei Qianhan remained silent.
On the other side, human hegemonic powers like the Yao Family, the Pill Fragrance Sect, and the Ancient Wang Family were equally shaken.
How much hidden power did the Grand Dao Sect still possess? No one knew. Since the Grand Dao Sect’s founder abandoned the Supreme Position during the Ancient Era, they had barely intervened in the subsequent Supreme Paths. Time was merciless; surely most of their peak magnates had perished by this era?
Many human experts sighed. They were wary of the Grand Dao Sect, but its true strength remained a mystery.
However, the magnates of the various monster races, alien races, and restricted zones merely shook their heads, viewing Lu Xuan’s broadcast across the three thousand states of the Southern Wilds as a provocation.
A Blood Demon magnate sneered, “What is this? The Grand Dao Sect, which has kept a low profile for several eras, is finally preparing to contend for the Supreme Position this time?”
A Monster Race supreme expert declared, “In previous eras, my Monster Race also had the chance to attain the Supreme Position, only to fall short. Even if the Grand Dao Sect enters the world now, so what? My Monster Race possesses the strongest bloodline in the world!”
***
In the Ancient Desolation Restricted Zone.
The Heavenly Net Temple’s backer slept here. The Heavenly Net Temple was their “blade” in the outside world, and Duan Hunsheng was the bloodthirsty figure they had painstakingly cultivated. The Heavenly Net Temple’s millennia of slaughter in the Southern Wilds was all part of their plan.
In a great tomb, an ancient figure, his back to the heavens, looked toward the Grand Dao Sect. “A little interesting. A little interesting.”
Far from the great tomb, a stunningly beautiful woman sat cross-legged. Her three thousand feet of white hair cascaded like a waterfall, wrapping around her perfect body. Sinister Eerie Power and Ominous Power swirled around her like a dense mist.
Her face was cold, viewing all living things as mere grass. Her eyes were like cold stars, devoid of emotion. Her lips parted slightly, and she spoke slowly.
“Ye Chen… we will meet again! I hope that by then, I can suppress a portion of this Eerie Power and Ominous Power!”
***
Meanwhile, in Cangmu Academy, another hegemonic power in Yunzhou.
The Palace Master and the elders were ecstatic. The Grand Dao Sect’s expert destroying the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Yunzhou was a huge benefit to them. Yunzhou was a major state in the Southern Wilds, and Cangmu Academy had once reigned supreme until the Heavenly Net Temple branch appeared thousands of years ago, disrupting the balance.
Cangmu Academy had often considered eliminating the branch, but Duan Hunsheng’s boast of a backer in the Ancient Desolation Restricted Zone had always stalled their plans. Now, they could finally use the Grand Dao Sect’s hand to destroy it!
Heaven-tier Alchemist Cang Li was delighted. “If that magnate brings Ye Chen here when he destroys the Yunzhou Heavenly Net Temple branch, that would be perfect. I still want to discuss his ideas for refining the Nine Revolutions Ice Soul Pill.”
Lu Xuan’s declaration had stirred up a thousand waves. The Grand Dao Sect, silent for endless years, had re-entered the sight of the Southern Wilds’ three thousand states in this dramatic fashion.
In the ten states Lu Xuan had named—Baizhou, Fengzhou, Yunzhou—all human cultivators were now boiling with excitement. The Heavenly Net Temple’s branches were notorious for their evil deeds and bloodshed. Now, ten of them were about to be wiped out!
Many major powers were thrilled, and countless cultivators who had escaped the Heavenly Net Temple’s bloody purges were rushing to the scene to watch. The branches were doomed, and they no longer had anything to fear.
Near the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Yunzhou, a massive crowd of cultivators gathered, eager to witness the temple’s destruction. So many major powers in Yunzhou had fallen victim to the Heavenly Net Temple over the years. Now, an expert from the Grand Dao Sect was here to avenge them. This was immensely satisfying.
In the crowd, a young man walked with great difficulty, carrying a girl on his back. His name was Yang Guan, and the girl was his sister, Yang Ling’er.
Yang Guan’s clothes were thin and tattered, patched in many places, making him look poor. Yang Ling’er was bundled up in a thick cotton coat, her entire body curled against her brother’s back.
Their family, the Yang family, had been a small clan caught in the crossfire when the Yunzhou Heavenly Net Temple branch decided to exterminate a One-star Emperor-tier power. Everyone in the Yang family died except for the two siblings.
For years, Yang Guan had wandered with his sister, Yang Ling’er. Because his sister suffered from a severe ice affliction, Yang Guan had chosen to become an alchemist to find a cure. He clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm, and murmured, “Thank you, Senior from the Grand Dao Sect, for avenging our Yang family!”
Yang Ling’er blinked her bright eyes, frost forming on her eyebrows. “Brother, that Senior is so good to his disciple, fighting for him like this.”
Yang Guan gently wiped the frost from her brow, summoning a spiritual flame to warm her body. “Ling’er, are you still cold? I will definitely become a Heaven-tier Alchemist and refine the pill to cure your ice affliction!”
He held Yang Ling’er tightly.
Tears streamed down Yang Ling’er’s face. “Brother, if only we had such a powerful backer. You wouldn’t have to work so hard and push yourself every day.”
She knew her brother, Yang Guan, had mediocre alchemy talent, but he had chosen this path to save her, often using his spiritual fire to keep her warm. Yang Guan clenched his fist and sighed. How could a supreme magnate like that possibly have any connection to him?
There was no such thing as unearned favor in this world.
He would remember the magnate’s act of vengeance for his family and, when he became a Heaven-tier Alchemist, he would personally visit to express his gratitude. Now, only he and his sister remained of the Yang family; his sister was his entire world.
He wanted to break free from his poverty with his own two hands. But in this Southern Wilds, with a Great Era dawning and prodigies as numerous as cattle, how could Yang Guan, a common man with mediocre talent, rise from obscurity?
It was difficult. Difficult. More difficult than ascending to the heavens!
His years of wandering with his sister had matured his mind, but thinking of the long, arduous road ahead, shrouded in mist, Yang Guan clenched his fists again.
A wave of sorrow rose in his heart. He was a man at the mercy of fate.
His name was Yang Guan. His cultivation talent was ordinary, and his dream was to join Cangmu Academy’s Pill Institute, apprentice under Elder Cang Li, become a Heaven-tier Alchemist, and cure his sister’s ice affliction.
But his sister’s condition was worsening, threatening to erupt in the next few days. He didn’t know what to do.
With that thought, Yang Guan carried Yang Ling’er and joined the crowd of cultivators, all gazing toward the Heavenly Net Temple branch in Yunzhou, silently awaiting the arrival of the powerful figure who would destroy it.
At that moment, inside the Yunzhou Heavenly Net Temple branch, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders prepared to flee. However, Emperor-realm experts from Yunzhou, waiting in the shadows, struck, deploying a Heaven-Reaching Seal Formation to prevent their escape.
The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders looked ghastly, staring at the dense crowd in the distance. They snarled, “You dare to block the Heavenly Net Temple? Are you courting death?!”