Accompanied by a series of piercing screams, the members of the Jade Blade Sect fell into pools of blood, one after another. The area became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The surrounding onlookers, both human and demon alike, were scared into silence, terrified of getting involved. They swiftly retreated; such a terrifying spectacle held no entertainment value.

Luo Xiu expressionlessly glanced over the corpses before turning toward his companions. Killing a bunch of rabble from the Upper Realm didn't cause the slightest ripple in his heart.

Meanwhile, the wolf and pig demons had been mercilessly slaughtered by Yao Ritian. The Pig Dragon eyed their corpses, its mouth watering, eager to feast upon them.

Kuang Pi and Xiao Luanzi, however, were at each other's throats, the tension between them palpable.

"Well well, Bear Lord. Long time no see," Xiao Luanzi sneered. "How about you hack off a paw for me to nibble on?"

Kuang Pi snorted coldly. "Some demons have nine heads but can't seem to find a single brain among them."

At these words, Xiao Luanzi's aura surged violently, cracking the ground beneath his feet. "Today, your bear paw is mine!"

Not to be outdone, Kuang Pi shot back, "And your nine heads might barely be enough to get stuck in my teeth!"

Just then, Luo Xiu stepped between them, instantly halting the clash of their fearsome auras.

"Boss, look at him!" Xiao Luanzi cried, rushing over to hug Luo Xiu's leg with a look of pure grievance. "This dumb bear is so damn arrogant! Let's slaughter him and eat bear paws!"

Luo Xiu shot him a look. "That's enough out of you. Isn't that massive pig enough for you to eat?" He then addressed them both. "I don't care what grievances you had in the past. You're on the same side now. Either find a place to fight it out and then drink and eat together afterward, or just behave yourselves."

Kuang Pi and Xiao Luanzi both huffed and turned away from each other.

Xiao Luanzi muttered under his breath, "I'm not accepting him as a brother, not unless he returns the Immortal Jade Grass he stole from me."

This instantly enraged Kuang Pi. "And what about the Transformation Path Flower you snatched from me? You don't mention that, do you! I ate the Immortal Jade Grass ages ago. If you want it, go dig for it in a latrine!"

Xiao Luanzi clenched his tiny fists, gritting his teeth. "You've got a lot of nerve, Bear Lord. I demand a duel!"

"Bring it on!" Kuang Pi laughed heartily. "Who's afraid of who!"

Luo Xiu shook his head helplessly and used his left eye to open a gateway to the Land of Lawlessness. "Alright, you two. If you want to fight, go do it in there. I'll be the referee."

One is my sworn brother, the other a follower from long ago. I can't play favorites, so I have to be impartial. He couldn't be bothered to persuade them further. They're grown men, for god's sake. A petty grudge can be settled with a single fight.

...

Watching Luo Xiu and his companions disappear into the mysterious portal, the tense Huo Hangku finally let out a breath of relief. Beside him, Huo Qian looked at the corpses of the Jade Blade Sect members on the ground, her face full of helplessness.

"Father, what should we do now?"

Huo Hangku looked up at the Array between the mountain peaks, his eyelids drooping as he muttered, "Lingtian Plateau was bloodbathed by Pink years ago, but Pink has long since left this world... If I'm not mistaken, the Lingtian Plateau must have the backing of the Celestial Realm."

He spoke as if to himself, yet also as if explaining to his daughter. Huo Qian listened, completely confused. What is he trying to say?

Huo Hangku turned his gaze to the bodies of Yu Qingfeng and Yao Yi. With a gentle wave of his hand, two strange beams of spirit light flew into their corpses. Moments later, the two men's eyes shot open. They were alive.

It turned out that Huo Hangku had held back when he'd struck them, placing them in a state of suspended animation. He had been terrified that Luo Xiu would notice, so he'd remained tense the entire time. Only when Luo Xiu vanished into the portal did he finally relax.

In the ensuing silence, Huo Hangku said to the revived men, "You will still die, but I've bought you a little more time." He leaned in, his voice low. "But you must understand—the one who killed you was not me. It was him!"

Yu Qingfeng's expression was grim. "What exactly do you mean?" he asked coldly.

"I want you to try and pass through this Array into the Upper Realm," Huo Hangku said plainly. "Report this to Emperor Xian of the Lingtian Plateau."

Yao Yi chuckled. "And why should we help you?"

"Don't you want revenge?" Huo Hangku countered.

"And finding Emperor Xian will get us revenge?" Yu Qingfeng scoffed. "Why would a person of her stature care about ants like us?"

A faint smile touched Huo Hangku's lips. "I'm not certain, but I'd say there's at least a fifty percent chance. Besides, we have no other options. We have to take this gamble."

Huo Hangku then stepped forward and whispered into their ears.

A moment later, Yu Qingfeng and Yao Yi screamed as Huo Hangku threw them toward the Array in the sky. Their bodies had barely touched the formation before they exploded into a mist of blood. Their Blood Essence Vitality and souls were instantly absorbed by the Array.

Huo Qian watched the blood mist dissipate in the sky, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Father, what are you trying to accomplish?"

"If all goes well," Huo Hangku explained, "their souls will pass through this Array and reach Emperor Xian in the Upper Realm. I studied this formation years ago. It truly connects to the Lingtian Plateau."

"And then what?" Huo Qian asked.

"The Azure Emperor was once invincible. Why do you think he was ultimately defeated and killed?"

Huo Qian shook her head, clueless.

"Because he was betrayed by his own family," Huo Hangku stated. "By his own parents, his sister, and his brother!"

Huo Qian's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Very few people know this," Huo Hangku continued. "And based on my earlier probing, I suspect the Azure Emperor himself doesn't know who betrayed him."

Hearing this, Huo Qian quickly understood her father's true intentions. "So, you intend to let Emperor Xian know that the Azure Emperor has reappeared in the Lower Realm? You want to use her to kill him?"

A faint smirk played on Huo Hangku's lips. "As long as the Azure Emperor lives, the ones who betrayed him will never know a day of peace. If I were Emperor Xian and I learned of the Azure Emperor's return, I would certainly take action to eliminate this threat myself. If everything goes smoothly, we'll get to see quite a show when she personally descends to the Lower Realm."

...

...

「The Upper Realm」

On the Lingtian Plateau, an elderly man in a brocade robe hurried toward an ancient stone gate.

"Her Highness the Princess! The Ten Thousand Spirits Formation has just absorbed two more souls!"

No response came from behind the stone gate.

The brocade-robed elder continued, "It was Yu Qingfeng, the Sect Leader of the Jade Blade Sect, and the Great Elder, Yao Yi. They said they had something to report to you." He paused, then added, "It's about... the Azure Emperor."

In the pitch-black chamber beyond, a pair of brilliant eyes snapped open. In that instant, space itself seemed to freeze.

Outside, the elder felt a crushing weight descend upon his body and soul, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"Tian'er has returned?" a voice, cool and detached, drifted from the other side of the gate. Though bone-chillingly cold, it was as melodious as the music of the heavens. "How many people know?"

"This old servant does not know how many are aware, Your Highness," the man replied. "Do you wish to personally—"

"Hmph."

A cold snort interrupted him. The next moment, the stone gate shattered into dust, and a graceful figure shrouded in a cyan mist slowly emerged.

"This dear brother of mine... he really deserves to die."

Kneeling on the ground, the old man trembled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

An immaculate jade-white hand slowly extended from the mist, its palm aimed at the elder's head.

"And since you are loyal to him," the voice declared, "you deserve to die as well."

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