"No 'buts'!" Zhou Ye cut him off coldly. "If you don't want to die by my hand right now, then you'd better do exactly as I say. Besides, don't think that little bastard is invincible. Do you really believe he has much strength left while he's distracted trying to contain me?"

As he finished speaking, a sharp, cold glint flared in his murky, aged eyes. His figure flashed and vanished. The next moment, he reappeared directly above the Mystic Sect Formation that had trapped the two Innate Early Stage experts.

"Hmph! Break!"

With a cold snort that echoed through the air, Zhou Ye revealed a pure black Qimen short spear that had appeared in his palm at some unknown moment. He channeled immense True Qi into the weapon, making it pulsate with ripples of dark, serpentine light. Then, with a fierce flick of his wrist, he sent the spear plummeting like a dark meteor to smash into the Formation.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Instantly, a deafening roar thundered across the area as the Formation violently exploded, sending people flying and eliciting screams of pain. Immediately after, two figures shot out from the smoke with a WHOOSH. They were, of course, the two Innate Early Stage experts Chen Fei had previously trapped. Only now... they were free.

"Deputy Hall Master Zhou, Old Kang... Wait, what is that... HISS!"

"What in the world is..."

As soon as the two men appeared, they couldn't help but gasp in shock and horror. When they broke free and got their first look at the surroundings, the scene that greeted them was so unbelievable they both drew a sharp breath in unison.

Whether it was Dominating Black Arm Saber Kang Zhouxue, who was covered in blood and staring about with panic and fear, or the colossal Flame Serpent in mid-air that could rival an elephant in size, the sight made their knees go weak.

What in the hell is going on?! Are we dreaming?

"Shut up!" Zhou Ye's chilling roar echoed once more. His face was savage as he glared at the two men, his tone grim. "You two, work with Protector Kang and stop that brat! Otherwise, I'll personally twist off your heads—Damn it!"

He cut himself off, cursing aloud as a terrifying, scorching pressure suddenly crushed down on him from behind.

HISS!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The massive Flame Serpent coiled in mid-air tilted its head back and let out a soul-shaking roar. Immediately, pillars of crimson light erupted from the ground below, enveloping both Zhou Ye and the serpent and dragging them into the vortex of light in a matter of moments.

"Minor Chi Snake Sword Formation—attack mode!" Chen Fei declared, his expression frigid as he stood a short distance away. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. With a wave of his finger and the pinch of a seal, the flames swirling around him erupted violently. The Minor Chi Snake Sword Formation thundered to life, unleashing waves of Sword Qi so terrifying that all onlookers scrambled back at least ten meters.

However, as they stumbled back in horror, the reality of what had just occurred finally sank in. They subconsciously clutched their throats, their faces and eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Deputy... Deputy Hall Master Zhou... he... he was actually...?!

A shockwave of terror, potent as a plague, could no longer be suppressed, and a dead silence fell over the trembling crowd.

Deputy Hall Master Zhou... He's an Innate Mid-Stage Expert! But now... he was trapped in an instant?

I'll deal with you later.

Amid this terrifyingly shocking atmosphere, Chen Fei—the creator of this chaos—merely shot a cold glance at the Minor Chi Snake Sword Formation, now fully in its attack mode, before dismissing it from his mind. He knew that even with the formidable strength of a Mid Innate Ancient Martial Artist, his opponent couldn't possibly break through one of his trump cards without a tremendous effort. The time it would take for the man to escape would be more than enough for him to get a few things done.

With this in mind, his pitch-black, crystal-clear eyes slowly lifted. He looked at the three terrified Innate Early Stage experts as a faint trace of killing intent began to emanate from him.

"All three of you, come at me together."

「Dozens of miles from the Headquarters of Tiger Leopard Hall」

Beneath a cliffside waterfall, a voice stammered urgently, "Lord... Lord Qing... Lord Qing Hu! Something terrible has happened!"

An old man with a powerful, muscular build and white hair sat there. His body, covered in countless scars and bulging veins, looked ferocious. But most striking were his eyes. They remained shut as if he were blind, only occasionally revealing a sliver of murky white, giving him an otherworldly aura. He was sitting bare-chested directly beneath the thunderous waterfall, allowing the immense weight of the water to crash down upon him. It was then that a trembling, panic-stricken voice could be heard approaching from the distance.

The old man slowly turned his head.

"What is it?" he asked indifferently. His eyes remained shut, but his voice carried far.

The messenger yelled, "Lord Qing Hu, it's terrible! Someone is attacking our headquarters! Protector Wang has been killed, and Protector Kang is gravely injured! Deputy Hall Master Zhou is there, but he seems to be no match for the intruder! He sent me to summon you!"

"Killed?" the white-haired old man murmured, a hint of surprise in his voice. He seemed stunned to hear that even Zhou Ye was outmatched. Then, without a change in his expression, he rose from beneath the relentless torrent and stepped out of the waterfall's reach.

WHOOSH.

He casually threw a long robe over his shoulders, and his powerful, dragon-like physique came into full view.

He's so tall! He must be at least two meters! the messenger thought.

"Lead the way," the old man commanded in his calm, aged voice.

「Meanwhile, deep within the Tiger Leopard Hall」

In a secret chamber, a short, withered figure was quietly tinkering with an assortment of bottles and jars.

Just then, someone burst in frantically, fell to his knees with a THUD, and stammered, "Hall Master! Lord Luo Zun! There's trouble! Someone is attacking the Tiger Leopard Hall!"

This short, withered figure was none other than Luo Zun, the founder and current Hall Master of the Tiger Leopard Hall. Throughout the martial world, he was infamous for his brutality and had even earned the horrifying moniker "Deranged." He was a trembling old man with fewer than ten strands of wispy hair on his head and a face covered in a deep web of wrinkles. He looked ancient, as if one foot was already in the grave, yet the vital energy and life force flowing through him were so dense they were unnerving, almost bizarre.

"A disturbance?"

Luo Zun paused. His hands slowed as he gradually lifted his head, revealing a sinister, ghastly face like wrinkled tree bark. "What happened?" he asked indifferently. "Tell me slowly. Where are Zhou Ye and the others?"

"Yes, Hall Master." The messenger dared not meet Luo Zun's terrifying eyes. Keeping his head bowed, he quickly recounted the events unfolding outside.

After listening, Luo Zun's cold eyes flickered. He placed the glass beaker of strange black liquid back on the table. "Very well. I understand."

He then made a dismissive gesture.

"Yes," the messenger said without hesitation. He scrambled out of the secret chamber as if terrified, not daring to linger for a second longer, lest he see something he shouldn't and bring disaster upon himself.

Not long after the messenger departed, the door to the secret chamber slammed shut without warning. A sinister shadow materialized in a dark corner, its form and features completely obscured. Only a strange, cackling voice could be heard. "Jyejyejye... that must have been the energy fluctuation from earlier. To think such a noteworthy fluctuation of Spiritual Energy could be found in this secular world. Interesting. I wonder if it's one of *them*."

"Spiritual Energy fluctuation?" Luo Zun said coldly. "You mean to say that boy is a Qi Practitioner?"

"What else could he be?" the voice cackled again. "Protector Luo, do you really believe that some Ancient Martial Artist in his twenties could be so exceptional in this secular world? Don't think so highly of these lesser beings. Jyejyejye... Hahaha!"

Luo Zun's brow furrowed at the words, and a fierce glint flashed in his murky, aged eyes.

The cackling voice immediately sounded again. "What's wrong, Protector Luo? Are you displeased with me?" The shadow had clearly noticed the fleeting, fierce light in Luo Zun's eyes.

"Protector Luo... Luo Zun. I think you need to get one thing straight," an eerie laugh echoed from the darkness. "The Black Demon Palace is what raised you from a nobody to someone with your current power and status. We gave you all of this. Do you understand? Jyejyejye..."

Luo Zun's expression changed abruptly. "...I wouldn't dare, Hundred Ghosts Elder. I believe you are mistaken," he said in a low voice.

"A mistake, is it? Then let's call it a mistake," the voice sneered. "However, Protector Luo, I should remind you of something. The experiment you are currently conducting... many important figures over there are eagerly awaiting its results. So I advise you to speed things up. Some of those people have very little patience."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.