“You’ve all descended here today, haven’t you, for the Life Force in my Silent Destruction Sect’s hands?” The Silent Destruction Old Man looked at Lu Xuan, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
“For several epochs, my Silent Destruction Sect has provided nearly a third of the Southern Wilds’ total Life Force! Your Grand Dao Sect remained dormant for these past epochs, so you never partnered with us. But this epoch, with your sights set on the Supreme Path, you have no choice but to cooperate with my Silent Destruction Sect. After all, how could the lofty, renowned Grand Dao Sect possibly stoop to slaughtering living beings, killing the masses? White Robe Supreme, wouldn’t you agree? Someone always has to be the scapegoat for you outwardly glorious, yet inwardly hypocritical, factions, don’t they?”
The Silent Destruction Old Man was brimming with confidence. This was the secret to his Silent Destruction Sect’s rise. They merely bore the infamy for the Southern Wilds’ so-called righteous sects! After all, the Supreme Path requires Life Force; that’s an undeniable truth. All talk of morality is utter bullshit! Sacrifice others, not oneself! As long as one attains the Supreme Fruit Position, who cares who lives or dies?
Above the void, the magnates of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone fell silent. They couldn’t refute him. The Silent Destruction Old Man had been doing this for several epochs. Now, with the Silent Destruction Old Man tearing away this veil of hypocrisy, many powerful cultivators shook their heads. The path of cultivation was always thus: the strong were the butchers, the weak, their meat. This world was brutally realistic. The Supreme Path was paved with the blood and corpses of ants!
Just then, Ye Chen suddenly shook his head. “Silent Destruction Old Man, your perspective is too narrow. If attaining the Supreme Fruit Position requires the slaughter of living beings, then such a Supreme would be incomplete. My Master disdains it, and so do I.”
The Silent Destruction Old Man roared in fury, “Bullshit! Everyone in this world is a hypocrite, without exception! They preach benevolence and morality, yet secretly trade vast amounts of Life Force with us!”
Ye Chen scoffed, “A summer insect cannot comprehend ice!”
The Silent Destruction Old Man glared at Lu Xuan, his face contorted in a sneer. In past epochs, many factions had cursed him just like Ye Chen, but what did it matter? His Silent Destruction Sect had an irreplaceable purpose!
The Silent Destruction Old Man declared, “White Robe Supreme, my Silent Destruction Sect is the blade of the Southern Wilds. Now, the Southern Wilds cannot find a second blade like us. This is the source of my confidence!”
Lu Xuan scoffed. “A blade of bullshit! Aren’t you just a dog? Duan Hunsheng is your dog, and you’re the dog of the Southern Wilds’ other factions? A dog wagging its tail for scraps, what confidence can you speak of? What capital do you possess?”
As his words fell, the entire area plunged into a dead silence. Many powerful cultivators shook their heads in disbelief. If the Silent Destruction Old Man had just torn away the Southern Wilds’ veil of hypocrisy, then the White Robe Supreme had just torn away the Silent Destruction Old Man’s!
In an instant, the Silent Destruction Old Man was utterly enraged, his face twisted into a snarl. “White Robe Supreme, if you want war, then war it is! I’ll call for backup!”
Lu Xuan waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t waste my time. You have ten breaths.”
The Silent Destruction Old Man crushed several communication jade slips in his hand. Crack! Crack! Immediately, from the depths of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone, terrifying auras erupted. Ancient tombs cracked open, and several elders, covered in Eerie Power and Ominous Power, emerged. Their vitality was dim, and their bodies radiated a heavy aura of death. With a thought, these elders stepped into brilliant Spatial Array Patterns, instantly teleporting to the Twisted Jungle.
The void tore open! Space twisted! From the spatial rift, several deathly silent elders stepped out. Everyone was stunned. These decrepit old men were none other than the Founding Magnates who had opened the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone in ancient times! Five magnates! Including Xuanji Holy Lord, the six Founding Magnates of that era were all gathered in the Twisted Jungle! Though they appeared frail, as if a mere breeze could topple them, no one dared to underestimate them. Mysterious Quasi-Dao Supreme Dao patterns shimmered around them, and heaven-reaching oppressive power poured forth, causing the very heavens and earth to rumble. The five Founding Magnates slowly walked towards the Silent Destruction Old Man. With each step, brilliant starry sky Grand Daos manifested beneath their feet, appearing profoundly mysterious.
The Silent Destruction Old Man suddenly threw out five divine lights, which flew towards the five Founding Magnates. These were vast amounts of Life Force! Life Force obtained from slaughtering the human race of the Southern Wilds! The five Founding Magnates didn’t hesitate. Each caught a divine light, which instantly opened to reveal a towering pool of blood in the void. The five elders’ cloudy eyes instantly turned blood-red, and they began to greedily absorb it. Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! The five of them were like hungry ghosts starved for countless years, ravenously devouring the food.
Just then, “Ai…” Xuanji Holy Lord, clad in a purple dress, stood silently in the void, watching the five elders. She shook her head in disappointment, a faint sigh escaping her lips.
Instantly, the five Founding Magnates licked their cracked lips, looking up at Xuanji Holy Lord with a hint of surprise. “Baili?” they exclaimed. “How did you become like this?”
Xuanji Holy Lord didn’t speak. She knew they were asking about her cultivation. Because she had never devoured Life Force, her cultivation had fallen to the Eight-star Emperor Realm!
A grey-robed Founding Magnate sighed. “Baili, your meaningless adherence to principles will only lead to your death.” He held up the blood pool of Life Force, his cracked lips stained with crimson blood. “Just one sip, Baili, and you’ll understand the profound mystery of the blood of living beings. It’s like some worldly delicacies: they smell foul, but taste exquisite.”
Xuanji Holy Lord’s expression turned to disgust. She uttered only four words. “You have changed.”
Hearing this, the five Founding Magnates burst into laughter. “Baili, you are pure! You are noble! But what good does that do you?”
Xuanji Holy Lord sighed again. She no longer wished to speak with them. Their Daos diverged; there was no point in discussion. She merely felt a pang of regret. Back then, the six of them had joined forces to open the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone, hoping to find a way to suppress Eerie Power. Who could have imagined that along this path, some would simply lose their way?
At this moment, Lu Xuan shook his head faintly. “Baili, these are your partners? I don’t know what they were like in the past, but now, they’ve become nothing but trash.”
At these words, the five Founding Magnates instantly erupted in fury. The Silent Destruction Old Man pointed at Lu Xuan. “It’s him! Esteemed Magnates, help me eliminate him, and I will provide all the Life Force you need for the Supreme Path!”
The five Founding Magnates instantly revealed greedy expressions, looking down at Lu Xuan. “Ant, have you ever witnessed power infinitely close to a Supreme?”
Lu Xuan scoffed, then simply flicked his sleeve. A heaven-reaching divine radiance slashed out horizontally, its terrifying power shaking the void, like an boundless river surging forth.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Before the five Founding Magnates could even react, a bloody line appeared on each of their necks. They stared at Lu Xuan in utter shock, then touched their own necks. “How is this possible?”
The next instant, five bloody heads slid from their shoulders. Thud! Thud! Thud! Blood splattered! Instant kill!
Everyone present was petrified, staring at Lu Xuan with incredulous expressions. The five Founding Magnates… were instantly killed just like that?