“A mere Seven-star Supreme? I could crush them with a flick of my finger!” Sima Xuance exuded confidence. After all, his power ranked among the top Elders of Cloudrise Holy Land. In the Fourth Star Ring, Nine-star Supremes were considered immensely powerful Elders within Cloudrise Holy Land.
Just then, a Black Flame Guard produced an Ancient Sphere from his spatial ring. Brilliant Spirit Runes pulsed across its surface, weaving into intricate threads of light. The Black Flame Guard’s face lit up with excitement as he turned to Sima Xuance. “Elder, behold! The Tai Chu Realm indeed harbors members of the Fox Clan!” This Ancient Sphere was a secret treasure of Cloudrise Holy Land, designed to activate upon sensing the Fox Clan’s aura. Now, the Divine Radiance emanating from the sphere burned with fierce intensity, a clear indication that Great Demons of the Supreme Realm or higher existed within the Tai Chu Realm.
Sima Xuance’s expression was one of absolute certainty. “As expected.”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Hundreds of Cloud Ships, moving with breathtaking speed, carved a majestic arc through the Dark Starry Sky. This wasn’t merely Cloudrise Holy Land’s elite; it was a vast armada, including their Black Flame Guard and forces from numerous subordinate realms! As they drew closer to the Tai Chu Realm, the oppressive power of the Dark Void grew denser, more palpable.
Sima Xuance and his retinue gazed towards the black maw of the Dark Void, where an endless torrent of Fallen Power surged. This was a cosmic force, a grand momentum that seemed to envelop the entire Star Sea. Even a powerhouse like Sima Xuance, after staring into the abyss for several breaths, felt his mind swayed, his spirit unsettled. “Wake up!” he commanded, using a secret art to rouse his dazed companions. A shiver of lingering dread ran through them all. “The closer we get to this Dark Void, the more terrifying its power becomes!” Sima Xuance declared.
“Indeed!” his subordinates echoed, their faces grim. “The Fallen Power engulfs the entire Star Sea; it’s a place even Ancient Ancestors fear.” Sima Xuance nodded. “This place is not fit for prolonged stay! Once we capture the Fox Clan’s White Robe Supreme and annihilate the Tai Chu Realm, we shall depart immediately!” His words were met with solemn nods. With a resounding boom, the hundreds of Cloud Ships accelerated, tearing through space.
***
Meanwhile, in the Tai Chu Realm, the various factions gathered near the Grand Dao Sect had yet to disperse. Though the invading forces of the Supreme Profound Sect, Dark Shadow Island, and Holy Alliance had been utterly wiped out, the onlookers remained steeped in a shock from which they couldn’t emerge. Experts from the Pill Fragrance Sect, Ancient Wang Family, and Cangmu Academy had all accepted the invitation from Dao Feng Old Ancestor and others to enter the Grand Dao Sect.
A grey-robed Elder from Cangmu Academy finally broke the silence, his voice laced with disbelief. “So, you’re telling me… you didn’t know Lu Xuan was the White Robe Supreme? That the White Robe Supreme was Lu Xuan?”
Dao Feng Old Ancestor and the Grand Dao Sect Master exchanged an awkward glance. “We… we didn’t know,” Dao Feng admitted, his face flushing. They remembered Lu Xuan’s casual hints, his repeated ‘confessions’ that had always been dismissed as humble jokes. But who could have believed it? How could the terrifying White Robe Supreme, who had rampaged across the Southern Wilds, be their own Azure Mystery Peak Master, Lu Xuan? It was only after Chen Changsheng, Wuwu, and Ye Chen explicitly confirmed it that they finally accepted the unbelievable truth. Such immense power, yet such an unassuming demeanor—it was all for his disciples! The revelation left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
Ancestor Yao Qingfeng of the Yao Family cleared his throat. “The Yao Family actually knew this a while ago. We simply chose not to reveal it.” All eyes turned to him. “How did the Yao Family come to know?” they pressed. Yao Qingfeng’s face twitched. “By sacrificing Ancestor Yao Chen and the entire Saint Son’s Lineage… that’s how we found out.” A collective silence descended upon the hall. Such a price for knowledge—perhaps ignorance was bliss.
The grey-robed Elder from the Pill Fragrance Sect sighed in admiration. “Lu Xuan’s disciples are truly heaven-defying! Who would have thought that two of them are connected to the Grand Dao Sect’s founder, Dao Yi?”
Dao Feng Old Ancestor’s expression was bitter. “We were completely unaware. To think Ancestor Chen Changsheng hid his true nature so profoundly!” The Grand Dao Sect Master secretly grumbled. He remembered Chen Changsheng, when he first joined the sect, sparring with Liu Xuan, Fang Yan, and Luo Lingkong, holding his own. ‘Good heavens… that obsession of the Ancestor was truly too sneaky!’
Just then, a thunderous boom ripped through the air! Crack! The void itself tore open, and space twisted violently! An utterly terrifying aura, one everyone recognized as belonging to the Supreme Realm, erupted from the sky. There were at least hundreds of Supreme auras! Everyone gasped in shock. Who could this be? And the strongest among them—an aura even more profound than Wuwu’s or Liu Ruyan’s had been—surpassed even a Seven-star Supreme! All eyes shot skyward. Boom! Boom! Boom! One after another, Cloud Ships burst forth from the Spatial Tears, their ancient hulls glowing with brilliant Dao Patterns that intertwined like streaks of lightning. The entire sky was bathed in a scorching, dazzling light, as if a hundred suns had appeared at once. The Supreme aura, vast as an abyss, deep as the sea, pressed down upon the entire Southern Wilds like an endless ocean.
At this moment, not just the Grand Dao Sect, but every living being across the entire Southern Wilds felt this terrifying presence. An aura that utterly dwarfed even a Quasi-Dao Supreme! Sima Xuance, clad in grey robes, stood at the prow of a Cloud Ship, scanning the Southern Wilds with a disdainful sneer. “A barbaric land, inhabited by low-grade beings!” His words ignited a furious uproar across the Southern Wilds. Never before had they been so openly and utterly scorned. ‘Low-grade beings’? The speaker was human, just like them! Did humanity truly have such a stark hierarchy? This was the contempt of the strong for the weak, laid bare. Yet, no one could retort. The overwhelming pressure of the Supreme aura had sealed their souls, paralyzed their Dao Foundations, and forced every living creature to their knees, like statues of mud and wood. This was the chasm of power! A Quasi-Dao Supreme facing a Nine-star Supreme was like a frog at the bottom of a well, gazing at the vast sky. Everyone was speechless, filled with bitter resentment. Even if they wanted to call out Lu Xuan’s name, they couldn’t! The enemy was simply too powerful!
Sima Xuance coldly gazed down, his expression growing increasingly grim as he failed to detect Lu Xuan’s aura. “White Robe Supreme, I give you three breaths! If you do not emerge, I shall annihilate this realm! I will refine it into a Star Core and all its sentient beings into puppets—” Before he could finish, Lu Xuan’s languid voice drifted through the air. “So eager to die?”
In an instant, Sima Xuance pinpointed the source of the voice: Azure Mystery Peak, within the Grand Dao Sect! His face lit up with savage excitement. “Haha! I’ve found you! White Robe Supreme, come out and face me!”
Lu Xuan slowly appeared atop Azure Mystery Peak, his white robes flowing gently. A faint Divine Radiance shimmered around him, his demeanor utterly Calm and Collected, perfectly at ease.
Immediately, countless Spiritual Senses and Divine Senses from across the Southern Wilds converged on Lu Xuan. He had become the entire Southern Wilds’ sole hope! The invaders were clearly hostile, their power far exceeding anything they had ever known! But as Sima Xuance looked at Lu Xuan’s utterly unbothered expression, his teeth gnashed in fury. “What are you putting on an act for?!” he snarled, enraged. “The Supreme Fox Clan is already a setting sun in the west, yet you dared to slaughter my Cloud City and kill my Cloudrise Holy Land people! Today, you will surely die!”