After staying in Tianya Valley for an ancient hour, Gu An left with Blood Prison Great Saint and Yang Jian, while Li Lingtian stayed behind in Tianya Valley, as he was about to head south and venture out to sea.
If nothing unexpected happened, at least in Li Lingtian’s view, it would be very difficult for him to see Gu An and Yang Jian again in his lifetime.
When they parted, Li Lingtian asked Gu An to convey a message to Ji Xiaoyu, speaking words of blessings.
“Master, is there really no power in the world willing to come out and stop the Great Cold Demon Sect?”
Blood Prison Great Saint asked with a tone full of emotion.
In his world, there existed no force as formidable.
Yang Jian also looked towards Gu An, unworried as long as his martial master was calm.
Gu An responded, “How can there not be? Many led the charge towards the Soul Calming Pagoda, only to fall due to lack of strength.”
He spoke the truth; every now and then, a group of cultivators and demons would assault the Soul Calming Pagoda, and even if they perished, others would follow their will.
Whether the world was good or evil, it was hard to say, but one thing was certain—there existed real justice, and some cultivators deemed it more important than eternal life.
Gu An looked into the distance.
Great Cold Demon Sect, you’d better have something worth my fear, or even the Holy King can’t protect you.
What would the Holy Court do if angered? Kill if necessary, or simply flee to Outer Heaven!
If no trouble came knocking, Gu An naturally preferred to stay low in the Supreme Sect.
But when trouble came knocking uninvited, he wouldn’t swallow his pride!
Along the way, having killed numerous madmen, Gu An was always aware of how terrifying his ability to seize life was; in anyone else’s hands, it would have caused catastrophe across the world.
He managed restraint because that was who he was; everyone had their path, and he only wished to walk his without guilt.
However, the more chaotic the world became, the more he desired to unleash slaughter.
He wanted to kill the people of the Great Cold Demon Sect!
…
Across the tumultuous seas lay the Sea Breaking Rift, splitting the ocean in two, beside which stood the towering Soul Calming Pagoda, its top seeming to touch the sky.
The sky brimmed with stifling thunderclouds, with occasional muffled thunder.
At the first level of the Soul Calming Pagoda,
the Life-Seizing Immortal sat on a lotus throne, flanked by three individuals, none inferior in presence, while hundreds of Great Cold Demon Sect cultivators stood in the hall, creating a cheerful ambiance with laughter, looking nothing like demon cultivators, adorned in splendid garments and dignified demeanors, some even appearing ethereal and wise.
A woman in red next to the Life-Seizing Immortal opened her eyes, turned to him, and asked, “Brother, how much longer must we wait? Are there still beings in this mortal region that the four of us cannot subdue?”
The other two Carefree Primordial Immortals opened their eyes, their expressions indifferent, eyes fixed on the Life-Seizing Immortal.
Life-Seizing Immortal slowly opened his eyes, saying, “Caution is the parent of safety. Bai Hong’s death was too peculiar, we must not be careless, remember what this land hides.”
The three Carefree Primordial Immortals fell silent; having lived for hundreds of thousands of years and weathered many storms, they shed their arrogance upon hearing Life-Seizing Immortal’s words.
Indeed, the greater the power, the greater the caution required.
At this moment, someone in the hall stepped forward and loudly said, “Venerable Masters, why not ignite another disaster to test the limits of that mysterious being and drive more people away, lest they hinder us?”
With these words, the hall erupted with agreement and cries for revenge for Bai Hong.
Life-Seizing Immortal’s gaze turned to the first speaker, a blue-robed Daoist with a treasure sword at his waist and a folding fan in hand, his inherent sword intent formidable even just standing there.
“Qingxin, what would you like to do?” asked the Life-Seizing Immortal.
Silence followed in the hall.
With a smirk, Qingxin the Daoist replied, “I wield a sword capable of slicing oceans and moons alike. How about I cleave that continent in half with a single strike?”
After speaking, he raised his arms, turned to face the crowd, prompting applause and cheers in the hall.
The majority of cultivators present felt no pressure but rather a playful curiosity to see who would dare oppose the Great Cold Demon Sect!
Were it another mortal region, they might have worried, but here, like tigers among chickens, where was the reason to fear?
Watching Qingxin display such vigor, the other three Carefree Primordial Immortals smiled, having watched him grow up and master Daoist sorcery, now capable of standing on his own, they were naturally pleased.
After a moment’s hesitation, Life-Seizing Immortal slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Qingxin’s smile grew larger, declaring, “In that case, I will go now. Fellow disciples, come and enjoy the spectacle with me.”
The Life-Seizing Immortal added, “Do not stray far.”
“Master, rest assured!”
Qingxin saluted with his hands, turned, and left, followed by a throng.
The woman in red turned to the Life-Seizing Immortal, saying, “Now’s a good time for you to speak up and accelerate the process, after all, delay could lead to problems.”
Life-Seizing Immortal hesitated again, then slowly nodded.
…
In Supreme Sect, within a bright hall,
all Elders gathered, including Lu Lingjun and Nine-Finger Divine Lord, most frowning in concern.
Lv Baitian, sitting in the Sect Leader’s seat and flanked by five Supreme Elders, appeared equally at a loss.
Vice Sect Leader Ji Hantian spoke out, “Sect Leader, just say what you’re thinking so we can prepare in advance. We can’t possibly wait until a catastrophe is upon us to start considering our response.”
At this, other Elders also spoke up, urging Lv Baitian.
Lv Baitian took a deep breath and said, “I fear that once we retreat, our connection with Sword Venerable Fudao will be irreversibly severed.”
A few agreed with him.
An Elder stood up and argued, “Survival is the most important thing. So far, none of us have even seen Sword Venerable Fudao, let alone understand his views on the matter. Moreover, we simply cannot compare ourselves to Sword Venerable Fudao—if he wants to flee, he can, his Dao level is beyond ours.”
This sentiment was echoed by others, considering not only themselves but also their disciples and descendants, each backed by influential families or intricate networks.
The current Supreme Sect comprised millions of disciples, and the number scattered across various places was immeasurable!
Gu Zong also sighed, unusually not supporting Lv Baitian this time.
Lu Lingjun also wished for the Supreme Sect to evacuate; her reluctance to leave Supreme Sect stemmed from concern for the people of the Third Medicine Valley, hoping they wouldn’t perish in this impending catastrophe.
Lv Baitian’s expression turned extremely grim as he took another deep breath and declared, “If so, those who want to leave may do so. However, Supreme Sect must remain on this continent, empty or not. This is our stance, without Sword Venerable Fudao, there would be no Supreme Sect today!”
As he spoke these words, he relaxed.
A smile appeared on his face, the decision lifting the burden from his shoulders.
It would be death at worst.
His statement caused an uproar in the hall.
“Sect Leader, think again!”
“If it really comes to it, why not ask the elder in front of the Heaven-Cutting Axe for advice? You can’t make such arbitrary decisions.”
“Yes, what does it mean to say the Sect can be empty but not leave? Where does that leave our dignity?”
“The Sect is a whole; we must advance or retreat together!”
“Sect Leader, let’s leave together. We can ask Sword Venerable Fudao to join us.”
Lv Baitian, listening to their words, felt their hypocrisy.
A bunch of cowards afraid to take responsibility and scared to die!
As he was about to speak, a voice suddenly echoed through the heavens and earth:
“From today, my disciple, Qingxin the Daoist, will annihilate one region each day. Worldly beings, your time is running out. Today, let’s see which region’s creatures are most pitiable, unfortunate enough to be the first annihilated.”
As the Life-Seizing Immortal’s voice faded, a chill ran through everyone in the hall.
They were not frightened by his words, but felt a terrifying sword intent targeting them.
More precisely, every sentient being on the continent was terrified by this sword intent.