Murong Tu was the shame of the Murong family. For years, he had lived a life of glory, never once having been openly threatened as he was today.

Li Hentian possessed the cultivation of the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm, a world-renowned fiend. When he uttered threats against Murong Tu, although the latter was highly displeased, he could somewhat tolerate it, knowing Li Hentian’s fierce temperament.

However, Ji Changkong’s brazen arrogance was something Murong Tu found almost unbearable.

Including Li Hentian, the energies of four Eight Trigrams Heaven Masters subtly encircled him. Here in Xuanyuan Valley, these four Heaven Masters all seemed to take orders from Ji Changkong, hinting that if Murong Tu dared to make a move, they would unleash total slaughter without hesitation.

Furious to the point of bitterness, Murong Tu still hesitated under the veiled threats of the four Eight Trigrams Heaven Masters, including Li Hentian. Under the gaze of the public, he dared not immediately lash out and attack the deeply disliked Ji Changkong.

Li Hentian alone was a powerhouse at the peak of the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm; Murong Tu had no confidence in defeating him. Furthermore, Gui Die and Gui Hai were both at the Eight Trigrams Heaven Master realm—Gui Die could already let her spirit wander through the sun and moon, and her strength was not inferior to Murong Tu’s—not to mention Mu Luo, who was lurking in the shadows.

With the four of them combined, if Murong Tu truly dared to strike, it would be a direct path to self-destruction.

Thus, the usually arrogant and high-spirited Murong Tu, though his face was extremely ugly under the threats from Li Hentian and Ji Changkong, did not explode in anger immediately. He simply stared fixedly at Ji Changkong, his eyes spitting fire.

After a while, Murong Tu gradually calmed down. He glanced at Li Hentian, then at Ji Changkong, and ground out through clenched teeth, "Today's humiliation will surely be repaid in the days to come!"

Frowning slightly, Ji Changkong’s expression turned cold. He said lightly, "As long as your Murong family dares to make a move, we will see the fight through to the end. We shall see whose might is greater: your Murong family's, or Xuanyuan Valley’s!"

This was Ji Changkong’s first formal challenge to the Seven Great Families. Having obtained the strength and resources of the Ghost Sect, the Ji family now genuinely possessed the power to contend with the Seven Great Families and the Six Great Sects. Therefore, when dealing with figures like Murong Tu and Huangfu Jingwei, Ji Changkong felt no need to shrink back.

"Good! A true hero emerges in youth!" Murong Tu nodded grimly, turned, and began walking out of Xuanyuan Valley.

Murong Hui, Gong Haitao, and the other members of the Murong family stared at the Ji family members inside Xuanyuan Valley with deep hatred. In their hearts, the Ji family had now become the Murong family’s true enemy. "This… this…" Huangfu Jingwei looked utterly astonished, raising a hand as if to say something to Murong Tu, but finding no words.

He truly had not expected that even with the Murong family head, Murong Tu, present, Ji Changkong would still dare to show such disrespect. For some inexplicable reason, watching Murong Tu retreat so shamefacedly, Huangfu Jingwei felt a flicker of schadenfreude, thinking to himself that he wasn't the only one who got snubbed when dealing with the Ji family.

Bai Tuhai, Chen Yihui, and the others all wore long faces, sighing as they watched Ji Changkong. They knew that after this public confrontation, there would be absolutely no chance of cooperation between the Ji and Murong families; from now on, the two factions would be irreconcilable enemies, destined to cause trouble sooner or later.

As fellow Heaven Master sects within Shuiyun Garden, the continuous strife between the Ji and Murong families was detrimental to Shuiyun Garden, especially at a time when external threats loomed.

"Jie jie… jie jiejie…"

Just then, piercing, strange laughter echoed from outside Xuanyuan Valley, the sound soaring through the heavens and making listeners’ eardrums ache.

Murong Tu and his entourage, who had just left Xuanyuan Valley, suddenly turned back in haste. The leader was Murong Tu, who, upon reaching the valley entrance, immediately roared, "The outsiders are here!"

Those gathered at the entrance of Xuanyuan Valley, who had been enjoying the spectacle, heard Murong Tu’s words, and their expressions instantly contorted in terror. They scrambled to retreat back into the valley.

In an instant, Xuanyuan Valley descended into chaos, filled with shouts and cries. The leaders of the major sects rushed to gather their family and sect members in response to the sudden potential upheaval. "How many have come?" Chen Yihui asked anxiously.

"Several Eight Trigrams Heaven Masters. It seems the Black Rock Cliff side has mobilized a large force this time," Murong Tu said with a grim face, glancing at Ji Changkong and Li Hentian. He scoffed, "I wonder if Xuanyuan Valley can hold out."

"Since the people from Black Rock Cliff dare to come, they must be confident in wiping out Xuanyuan Valley. This time we are in serious trouble," Ji Changkong replied, completely ignoring Murong Tu as he frowned deeply, speaking to Li Hentian, Gui Die, and Gui Hai.

"Keep those with lower cultivation inside the valley. Those at the Five Elements Heaven Realm and above will meet them at the entrance!" Li Hentian said gravely.

"Second Grand-uncle, Third Grand-uncle, arrange for the valley masters to come out. Uncle Bai, please assist with the arrangements as well. The enemy dares to invade so heavily, knowing we are based here; their strength must be greater than we imagine. This will be a bitter fight! We must give it our all!" Ji Changkong shouted.

Ji Yuxing, Ji Yusheng, Chen Yihui, Bai Lunhai, and the others, setting aside any question of leadership, nodded in unison and went off to make arrangements, gathering the valley’s masters to surround the perimeter, ready to face the attack of the Dark King and the other outsiders.

Clusters of thick black clouds suddenly converged above Xuanyuan Valley, and in a single moment, daylight seemed to turn into night, plunging Xuanyuan Valley into darkness.

Beams of starlight materialized out of thin air, piercing through the dense clouds and shooting down toward Xuanyuan Valley.

The starlight glittered brilliantly, causing the dimmed Xuanyuan Valley to suddenly brighten again. However, as the beams of starlight struck those who were frantically gathering their disciples, screams erupted.

An immense pressure enveloped the entire Xuanyuan Valley. Those whose power was insufficient, struck by the starlight, cried out incessantly. The low-ranking Heaven Masters at the Three Talents Heaven Realm, unable to dodge in time, were utterly mangled by the light beams.

Hundreds upon hundreds of starlight rays descended from the sky, inflicting massive casualties upon the people in Xuanyuan Valley in an instant.

The masters from the various families and sects, already in disarray, became even more frantic as disciples were killed, shouting loudly.

The sounds of women weeping, the screams of those struck, and the commanding shouts of clan leaders and masters converged, filling Xuanyuan Valley with immense clamor.

As the starlight continued to fall, within the thick black clouds, streaks of blood-red light began to pour down, accompanied by drops of multi-colored liquid falling from the clouds. Some people struck by these drops began to rot; others suddenly lost control of the vital energy within their bodies.

Still others became instantly frenzied, losing all reason and beginning to attack their friends and family nearby in a state of hysteria… In that fleeting moment, dozens in Xuanyuan Valley were hit, and many died on the spot.

The enemy had not chosen to attack from the valley entrance but had struck directly from above, clearly intending to target all the masters gathered within Xuanyuan Valley.

By this time, many people in Xuanyuan Valley were dead, yet they hadn't even seen the appearance of the attackers.

"Be careful, don't cluster together!" Ji Changkong yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the noise in the valley; few could hear him. "Disperse! Retreat to the caves in the back mountain, or find cover in buildings!" Li Hentian’s icy voice suddenly resonated throughout the entire Xuanyuan Valley; the noise within could not suppress his sound.

Li Hentian’s chilling voice had a steadying effect on the chaotic Xuanyuan Valley. The members of the various families, who were frantically unsure what to do, began to follow Li Hentian’s instructions, seeking nearby structures for cover against the bombardment from above.

Gui Die and Gui Hai flew to the side of the Ghost Sect members, sending out legions of vengeful spirits that formed a defensive layer, shielding the Ghost Sect and some Ji family members in the center. Although many vengeful spirits were lost, this formation managed to block the attack across a small area. "Be careful of the poison! Get into the back mountain caves quickly!" Ji Changkong shouted toward the Ji family members.

Ji Yuxing, Ji Yusheng, and the others knew what to do. Aided by Gui Die and Gui Hai, they hurried toward the caves in the back mountain cliffs, escaping the threat from the skies.

"Find the source of the attack!" Mu Luo's cold voice sounded near Ji Changkong's ear. Suddenly calm, Ji Changkong violently entered the State of Self-Realization. At this moment, the chaos in the valley became a scene unrelated to him; his emotions stilled, his mind as placid as water, and his spirit began to fly toward the outside of Xuanyuan Valley, attempting to locate every hidden assailant.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, his mind jolted. The spirit that had flown out to scout the situation was blocked by an invisible barrier. His spirit could not penetrate the obstruction of that layer of defense and was almost shattered by the rebound.

There were layers of spiritual defense preventing divine sense from peering outside Xuanyuan Valley!

Slightly startled, but his face remaining as calm as still water, Ji Changkong did not lose heart. His eyes followed the figures fleeing toward the back mountain cliffs. His spirit flowed slowly along the trajectory of the Star Cloud Soul Refining Art. The wisp of his divine soul that had ventured out turned a few times in his mind before returning to its original state, fully recovered.

The scorching Wheel of the Blazing Sun suddenly flew from Li Hentian's hand, releasing waves of fiery radiance that caused the temperature inside Xuanyuan Valley to soar rapidly.

The Wheel of the Blazing Sun flew toward the thick black clouds above Xuanyuan Valley. Wherever it passed, beams of starlight were scattered, and the falling multi-colored water droplets were instantly dissolved into wisps of smoke by the blazing light from the wheel.

Seeing Li Hentian deploy his divine weapon, Gui Die and Gui Hai exchanged a glance and tossed their Soul-Summoning Banners and Mourning Clubs into the sky. As the weapons ascended, vengeful spirits materialized upon them, wrapping the banners and clubs entirely in spectral forms.

Mu Luo looked up at the sky. After a moment of hesitation, he did not immediately use his own divine weapon. Instead, he quietly positioned himself at the entrance leading to the back mountain cliffs, helping the Ji family members fend off the threats from above.

With Mu Luo, an Eight Trigrams Heaven Master, providing escort, the Ji family suffered no losses as they retreated toward the back mountain cliffs, quickly disappearing one by one into the dense network of rock caves, thus escaping the aerial assault.

Above Xuanyuan Valley, black clouds rolled in oppressively, and dense attacks rained down from the darkness.

Just then, deep underground, a series of booming sounds began to resonate. The earth trembled violently, making it difficult for many people to stand. Deep, bottomless fissures split open the ground, swallowing many people whole.

"Zheng Jieshi, the Lord of Luoxia Island! It’s him, underground! It was this same person who struck secretly underground during our Chen family’s Spiritual Treasure Assembly!" Chen Yihui, suspended in mid-air, cried out loudly.

During the Spiritual Treasure Assembly, massive chasms had also split the earth, from which numerous experts from the Mani Cult flew out, plundering spiritual treasures buried deep within the ruins of the Spiritual Treasure Hall.

Seeing the earth-shattering movements emanating from beneath Xuanyuan Valley, Chen Yihui’s face changed abruptly, and she urgently called out. "Haha! Miss Chen is indeed sharp-witted; she knows this Island Lord is deep beneath the earth."

Zheng Jieshi's booming laughter echoed from the fissures that had opened in the ground.

As soon as Zheng Jieshi’s voice sounded, several figures materialized within the layers of black clouds.

The Dark King, Lan Lin from Lanyuan Garden, the Sect Master of the La family, Huang Mu from the Shadowless Sect, Luo Tiefu, and an Eight Trigrams Heaven Master whose body was churning with blood energy—clearly an expert from the Blood Pool branch—along with other top experts like those from Flowing Cloud Sea Peak who could stand proud in the Void Seven Stars Heaven Realm, all revealed themselves.

Several experts from the Myriad Poisons Gate shook vials and jars, pouring their multi-colored liquids into the black clouds, transforming them into drops of poisonous water descending upon Xuanyuan Valley.

This group, situated atop the thick black clouds, watched the chaotic Xuanyuan Valley below with cold eyes. "Heh heh, everyone in Xuanyuan Valley today will soon become a pile of corpses," the Dark King sneered coldly, his voice echoing throughout the valley. "Gui Die, Gui Hai, you killed my Shadowless Sect members in the Gray Ash Mountain Range. Did you think you could escape our pursuit even by fleeing to Xuanyuan Valley?" On the black clouds, Huang Mu, the Sect Master of the Shadowless Sect, looked down at Gui Die and Gui Hai, then glanced at Ji Changkong and scoffed, "It's a pity the Ji family was just beginning to rise; they will be wiped out immediately!" With Huang Mu and Luo Tieku appearing, Ji Changkong’s heart sank; he suddenly realized this battle was going to be difficult.

Both Huang Mu and Luo Tieku were experts at the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm. During the Spiritual Treasure Assembly, the Shadowless Sect, Luoxia Island, and the Mani Cult had joined forces against the Chen family; the three factions already had established ties, so their gathering at Xuanyuan Valley this time was entirely logical.

With Huang Mu and Luo Tieku present, plus the expert from the Blood Pool branch, the opposing side now had seven Eight Trigrams Heaven Masters, far exceeding Xuanyuan Valley's current strength. No wonder this group dared to attack Xuanyuan Valley so brazenly.

Glancing at the Ji family members who had already retreated into the caves, Ji Changkong’s expression turned grim, his eyes filled with worry. With enemies in the sky and Zheng Jieshi lurking underground, this battle was incredibly perilous.