A wave of shock rippled through the powerful cultivators of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone. In what felt like no time at all, Xuanji Holy Lord had rocketed from an Eight-star Great Emperor to a Two-rotation Quasi-Dao Supreme! The sheer velocity of her breakthrough was staggering! This, they knew, could only be the handiwork of the White Robe Supreme! Truly, the White Robe Supreme's power was beyond comprehension!
Just then, the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Powers, their faces etched with newfound apprehension, turned to Xuanji Holy Lord. “Xuanji Holy Lord,” one ventured, “perhaps we can discuss this peacefully.” This was not their domain, and without the protective legacy of their Supreme Progenitors, they were vulnerable. Against the combined might of so many magnates from the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone, they stood no chance. Without their collective power to hold her back, Xuanji Holy Lord was virtually unstoppable.
Boom! A blinding divine radiance erupted, and another Three-rotation Quasi-Dao Supreme was utterly annihilated, his body exploding into a fine mist of blood and bone. His very essence, his Divine Soul, was erased from existence! A sickening thud followed as Xuanji Holy Lord's jade palm struck, detonating another powerful cultivator into a grotesque spray of gore. Panic seized the faces of the remaining Old Ancestors from the Three Great Powers. Their gazes, now desperate, fixed on Xuanji Holy Lord.
“Xuanji Holy Lord, this has all been a grave misunderstanding,” the Cloud Sword Sect's Old Ancestor stammered, “We withdraw our claim to your cultivation technique!”
“The Ancient Chen Family also withdraws!”
“And the Ancient Luo Family! We yield!”
Xuanji Holy Lord's transcendent features remained utterly impassive, betraying not a hint of emotion. Heavenly Fire Supreme and Heavenly Splendor Supreme exchanged a glance, then turned to Xuanji Holy Lord. “Holy Lord,” Heavenly Fire Supreme asked, “what is your command?”
Xuanji Holy Lord's reply was a single, chilling word: “Kill.”
At her command, the cultivators from the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone surged forward with renewed, bloodthirsty fervor. Overwhelming power erupted, Eerie Power and Ominous Power intertwining to form swirling storms that relentlessly engulfed the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Powers. Xuanji Holy Lord’s ethereal figure, a vision of deadly grace, swept through the chaos like a harbinger of death. Wherever her path led, Quasi-Dao Supremes crumbled, their bodies plummeting lifelessly from the sky.
The Cloud Sword Sect's Old Ancestor, his face contorted in a desperate snarl, bellowed, “Xuanji Holy Lord, the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone may be formidable, but if our Cloud Sword Sect unleashes the full power of our Supreme Progenitor's legacy, do you truly believe you can withstand it?!” The Ancient Chen Family's Old Ancestor roared, “Show some restraint! If we all perish here today, my Chen Family will pursue vengeance to the ends of the cosmos!”
Xuanji Holy Lord offered no response, her focus absolute. This was no battle; it was a massacre, a whirlwind of destruction that left nothing but ruin in its wake. Xuanji Holy Lord, in this moment, was truly invincible.
Within half an hour, every single Old Ancestor from the Three Great Powers had been utterly annihilated.
Heavenly Fire Supreme, Heavenly Splendor Supreme, and their brethren from the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone knelt before Xuanji Holy Lord. “Holy Lord,” Heavenly Fire Supreme reported, “we have fulfilled your command. However, the Eerie Power within us is becoming volatile; we require assistance in suppressing it.”
Xuanji Holy Lord's exquisite jade palm swept through the air. The power of the Dao of Eerie Scripture flowed forth like a cleansing breeze, a profound and mysterious energy that instantly quelled the rampaging Forbidden Power within the cultivators of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone. Their internal worlds underwent a profound and unprecedented transformation.
Heavenly Fire Supreme gasped, “Holy Lord! A portion of the Forbidden Power within us... it has actually converted into pure spiritual energy!”
Xuanji Holy Lord calmly recited a spiritual incantation, a fragment of the Dao of Eerie Scripture itself. “Cultivate this incantation,” she instructed, “and you will be able to suppress the Forbidden Power within you. Its deeper mysteries and benefits are for you to uncover.”
Moments later, Xuanji Holy Lord swept her hand across the ravaged void, effortlessly gathering the numerous scattered Storage Rings. She then distributed a portion to her loyal cultivators from the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone. “I will remain here to continue my cultivation,” she stated. “You may do the same.”
“As you command, Holy Lord!”
With a soft boom, Xuanji Holy Lord, her purple robes swirling, descended into the heart of the eerie abyss. After meticulously repairing the protective formations, she vanished from sight, resuming her solitary cultivation to consolidate her newfound power.
Simultaneously, a storm of outrage erupted across the Eastern Wilds. The Three Great Powers were incandescent with fury at the annihilation of over a dozen of their Old Ancestors. Every single Old Ancestor they had dispatched had been utterly wiped out! Their initial intent was merely to exert pressure on Xuanji Holy Lord. Never in their wildest nightmares did they imagine she would slaughter them all. Such a devastating loss was unprecedented in the long history of the Eastern Wilds. The Three Great Powers communicated, their collective disbelief palpable. Their losses this time were simply too immense! Each faction had lost several Three-rotation Quasi-Dao Supremes!
Within the ancestral lands of the Cloud Sword Sect, a colossal sword, vast as a minor domain, hung suspended, its ancient power thrumming. Beneath its shadow, Old Ancestor Yun Xiaoyao's face was a mask of icy fury, sword intent swirling violently around him. “This is utterly preposterous!” he snarled. “Could it be that Xuanji Holy Lord and Ji Yue Old Ancestor colluded to ensnare and destroy our Cloud Sword Sect?”
The other Old Ancestors wore grim expressions. “I believe we must remain calm,” one advised. “The domain gate has yet to open, so for Xuanji Holy Lord to enter the Eastern Wilds implies either the Ji Family's direct involvement, or that she has a powerful backer we don't know about! Regardless of whether it's the Ji Family or some other force behind Xuanji Holy Lord, it's clear now that our Cloud Sword Sect cannot afford to provoke them! There's a disturbing strangeness to this entire affair.”
Yun Xiaoyao's brow furrowed. “Indeed, it's highly suspicious. Xuanji Holy Lord acts with an almost arrogant impunity.”
Just then, Old Ancestor Yun Xiaoyao's communication jade slip vibrated incessantly. He injected his divine sense, and Ji Yue Old Ancestor's enraged voice immediately blared forth. “Yun Xiaoyao!” Ji Yue Old Ancestor roared. “Your Three Great Powers have been hounding Xuanji Holy Lord for days! You still haven't managed to subdue her?!”
A flicker of irritation crossed Yun Xiaoyao's face. Did Ji Yue Old Ancestor truly believe the Cloud Sword Sect was his personal subordinate to order around? The audacity! While the Cloud Sword Sect, a Supreme-tier faction in its own right, held a healthy respect for the Ji Family's power, they were certainly not subservient. A true sword cultivator would rather break than bend! Yun Xiaoyao scoffed. “Ji Yue, I'm beginning to suspect you're the one colluding with Xuanji Holy Lord.”
Ji Yue Old Ancestor's voice turned frigid. “Nonsense! Are you implying you knew I intended to bring Xuanji Holy Lord into the Ji Family?”
Yun Xiaoyao retorted icily, “Then how do you explain the complete annihilation of all our Old Ancestors in the eerie abyss? Don't tell me the Ji Family was secretly pulling the strings!”
Ji Yue Old Ancestor's voice faltered. He had never, in his wildest calculations, anticipated such a devastating outcome! After a brief, stunned silence, Ji Yue Old Ancestor's brow furrowed. “Could it be,” he mused, “that Xuanji Holy Lord is allied with the power that annihilated the Sikong Family?” Yun Xiaoyao was momentarily taken aback. Ji Yue Old Ancestor's voice deepened. “Truth be told, I have no idea how Xuanji Holy Lord entered the Eastern Wilds. Even I cannot breach the domain gate.”
Yun Xiaoyao frowned. “Is that truly the case?”
Ji Yue Old Ancestor pondered for a moment. “Your three factions need not concern yourselves further with this matter!” he declared. “My Ji Family will handle it personally!”
With that, Ji Yue Old Ancestor abruptly ended the communication, his face now etched with profound solemnity. He had gravely underestimated Xuanji Holy Lord! He had been utterly deceived by her presence! Her arrival in the Eastern Wilds clearly harbored a deeper, hidden agenda! In recent days, Ji Yue Old Ancestor had relentlessly activated his ancestral artifact, successfully transmitting messages to Old Ancestors Ji Ruhai and Ji Qianshan. Those two formidable Old Ancestors had already pinpointed the Tai Chu Realm's location and would descend upon it within days! The thought made Ji Yue Old Ancestor's brow furrow. “Time is running out for me,” he muttered. “I must expedite my marriage to Xuanji Holy Lord, otherwise, once the two Old Ancestors arrive, they might simply seize her for themselves!”