Below Tian Du Mountain, Jian Li, Yun Peng, and the others who escaped disaster were still ashen-faced, their shock far from subsided.

“What do we do now?” Gao Jing asked.

“We take it one step at a time,” Feng Yuan Ming managed a wry smile. “I never expected this operation to end in such a devastating failure.”

“……” Bi Yan Ming and the others also looked utterly dejected, glancing toward the silent Jian Li. For Jian Li and Yun Peng, this operation was the most crushing blow; Yun Ju and Xing Chen likely faced grim fates. Given Luo Jiang’s terrifying skill, Jian Li was almost certain Xing Chen had no chance of survival.

“Brother Jian Li!” Lu Tong steadily supported Jian Li, gazing at his old friend’s face, which seemed decades older. He didn't know what to say. Besides Jian Li, perhaps Lu Tong was the most heartbroken; Xing Chen, Yun Peng, and everyone else who died in the illusionary world were indirectly killed by him. Lu Tong felt nothing but guilt and sorrow, and could do nothing to change it.

“Say no more,” Jian Li sighed deeply after a long pause. “If Xing Chen and Yun Ju truly died in the Sanctuary Space, then we can only say it was fate.”

“Fate!” Yun Peng muttered. “Must our Yun family live forever under the shadow of the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword?”

“No!” Feng Qingtian clenched his fists and said solemnly, “I firmly believe that evil cannot triumph over good. Xing Chen won’t die so easily.” Han Yun Zhen and Xia Ya instinctively nodded, recalling everything they experienced with Xing Chen in the Yellow Springs World, which only strengthened Feng Qingtian’s assertion.

“Evil cannot triumph over good.” A resolute glint flashed in Jian Li’s mournful eyes. How could he not wish for his precious disciple to escape this calamity? But even if he died, they could not let their sacrifices be in vain. “You are right. No matter what, as long as our Dragon Shadow Villa remains, we must never allow the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword to continue wreaking havoc.”

“Brother Jian Li,” Lu Tong and Feng Yuan Ming and the others were at a loss for words. Given the current situation, was there anything left that could possibly stand against Luo Jiang, who wielded the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword?

Within the illusionary world, the horrific slaughter, the blood-red figure like a waking nightmare, had already turned everyone into jumpy birds.

“The immediate priority is to notify the Wanderer Worlds of the other continents about what happened on the Demon Dragon Continent, and swiftly summon all remaining experts to converge on the Demon Dragon Continent. We must discuss how to confront the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword together. I believe that by gathering the strength of the entire Wanderer World, there must be a way to defeat it.” Jian Li pondered for a long time before continuing, “And we must also immediately investigate Luo Jiang’s whereabouts. I suspect he has already left the illusionary world ahead of us. If he has truly left, something terrible must already be unfolding on the continent.”

“Yes, that’s the only way,” Yun Peng said solemnly. “We must also closely monitor the movements of the Brotherhood. I always find their actions in this incident perplexing; why go to such lengths to ensure Luo Jiang obtained the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword?”

“The Brotherhood must have a massive conspiracy,” Lu Tong mused, then hesitated. “Letting Luo Jiang get the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword might be intended to completely overturn the Wanderer World of the Demon Dragon Continent.”

“Not just the Demon Dragon Continent,” Jian Li’s face darkened. “If other factors are involved behind this, then the target might not just be the Demon Dragon Continent’s Wanderer World. It could be the entire Wanderer World of our Sacred Word Alliance, or even the entire Sacred Word Alliance itself could be fundamentally shaken, leading to utter ruin.”

“The entire Sacred Word Alliance?” Feng Yuan Ming and the others’ faces turned ashen.

“This matter must be reported to the Royal Family immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable,” Yun Peng exclaimed in alarm.

“Agreed! For now, we must pursue a dual strategy!” Jian Li stated firmly. “If all else fails, we must plead with the Royal Family to deploy the Heaven Demon Warriors. Perhaps only the Heaven Demon Warriors can defeat the current Luo Jiang.”

“But the main force of the Royal Army is currently gathered on Mistby Island, and the remaining Heaven Demon Warriors are needed to guard the Imperial City. I doubt they have the spare capacity to deal with Luo Jiang for us.”

“We can’t afford to worry about that right now,” Jian Li insisted. “Once the entire Wanderer World is plunged into chaos by Luo Jiang, it will be too late for anything.”

August was a time of refreshing autumn breezes and bountiful harvests. Outside Zu Yun City, the fiery Scarlet Liang trees, the Wild Fruits, and the Pine Needles were already laden with large, red and green fruits. A glance revealed a vibrant tapestry of red and green that brought immediate comfort. This year was a rare season of abundance.

On the tall city walls, the Lord of Zu Yun City, Luo Xuan, strolled leisurely with his subordinates, exuding an air of pure relaxation. Zu Yun City was an unremarkable settlement among the medium-to-small cities of the Demon Dragon Continent. Although its core occupied a modest area, the forests and farmlands surrounding it stretched across vast territories. Unlike other cities that vigorously pursued commerce and trade, the lords of Zu Yun City had always adhered to the creed of living off the mountains and waters, utilizing the expansive forests and fields around them to greatly develop agriculture, planting, and related industries. The people living here, while not fabulously wealthy, were certainly self-sufficient and carefree.

Of course, this peaceful existence was inseparable from the protection offered by City Lord Luo Xuan and his subordinates. Though few people on the Demon Dragon Continent knew of Zu Yun City, the Tong Yun Gang was a renowned major guild, ranking high within the continent. While slightly less powerful than super-guilds like the Azure Dragon Gang, White Tiger Alliance, or Black Tortoise Alliance, it was still counted among the top ten guilds on the Demon Dragon Continent.

The Guild Leader, Luo Xuan, who was also the City Lord of Zu Yun City, was one of the rare Grandmaster-level Daoists on the continent, ranking among the top ten Grandmaster experts in terms of strength. Aside from him, the four chief deputies were all formidable masters, each commanding a branch hall to guard one of the four cardinal directions of Zu Yun City, ensuring stability. This arrangement ensured that despite the vast territory and complex terrain surrounding Zu Yun City, bandits and robbers were rare occurrences.

This, in turn, guaranteed the residents a tranquil and comfortable environment in which they could fully dedicate themselves to their daily agricultural production.

It must be noted that among the numerous sects and guilds of the Mafa Continent, each possessed its own unique cultivation methodology. A successful and complete training system was fundamentally crucial to the long-term foundation of any guild or sect. Securing a foothold in the Mafa Continent, teeming with experts and contending warlords, was no easy feat. Therefore, besides production, the most vital daily activity for many guilds was training aimed at improving their overall combat capability. Only formidable fighting strength served as the fundamental guarantee for survival in the Mafa World.

The noon sun was somewhat scorching. Within the forest of scarlet Liang trees, countless figures darted back and forth, their faces alight with the joy of harvest mixed with glistening beads of sweat. Although agricultural production was traditionally the work of the common folk, during the busy farming season, the boundless Liang trees, Wild Fruits, and Pine Needles still kept them overwhelmed. At this time, the Tong Yun Gang’s training schedule required slight adjustments.

The younger, grassroots guild members were also deployed into production. Naturally, this served as a form of training as well. Numerous young, vigorous figures weaved through the dense jungle, pulling carts loaded with fruit behind them with incredible speed. The strong, healthy warriors were often met with thunderous cheers from the neighboring citizens engaged in labor—strength should be applied where it is most useful. Naturally, those assigned to assist the villagers were the young, lower-ranking guild members.

As for the guild’s main fighting force, the four branch halls each maintained an elite battle team of five thousand members. These teams trained intensely and relentlessly year-round, only pausing for actual combat or mission execution.

The open training grounds not far from the city walls were the location of their collective charges and maneuvers. Unaware visitors who happened upon this place were often stunned into silence by the astonishing roars and battle cries.

Training is combat; combat is training. For two centuries since its founding, the Tong Yun Gang has survived and developed into one of the top ten guilds on the Demon Dragon Continent solely due to its unique philosophy of training and fighting. At all times and in all places, members of the Tong Yun Gang maintained excellent physical condition and high fighting spirit.

To make the training more closely resemble actual combat, the four branch halls engaged in a full-scale mixed battle on the grounds every week. The scene resembled a large-scale clash between two armies on a battlefield. Of course, they maintained some restraint when striking, but injuries were inevitable. Thus, after every melee, a considerable supply of healing potions was invariably consumed.

However, Zu Yun City lacked nothing for healing potions. Thanks to the vast fields and dense forests, the medicinal herbs harvested annually filled four of the largest storage depots to capacity. Much of the surplus, unusable, was even burned as firewood. In that case, it was better to let these excess medicinal materials fulfill their true purpose.

Looking out at the feverish production outside the walls and the earth-shattering roars of combat inside the grounds, a calm smile touched Luo Xuan’s face. He remembered a time when he too was one of them, rising from a grassroots member to the current Guild Leader.

The thrilling and winding path by which he rose from over two hundred elite super-experts to claim the position of Guild Leader—if written into a biography of a wanderer, it would take three days and three nights to recount.

The Tong Yun Gang comprised four branch halls. Each hall had five thousand elite disciples, plus fifty elite leaders, each responsible for commanding one hundred elite disciples. These fifty elite leaders were overseen by five elite commanders, who, under the direction of the Branch Hall Masters, managed the daily affairs of the guild.

Unlike most guilds on the Mafa Continent, the successive leaders of the Tong Yun Gang were not chosen through hereditary succession but through a brutally competitive arena challenge. Any expert who achieved the rank of Elite Commander was qualified to step onto the stage to vie for supremacy.

This arena contest was held every five years. Naturally, it was not merely a martial arts competition; the trials included a variety of bizarre and difficult challenges that tested not only the contestants’ martial prowess but also their ability to adapt on the spot, their endurance, and their intellect. Without these qualities, it was almost impossible to succeed in the obstacle course arena. The final victor earned the right to challenge the incumbent Guild Leader. If the incumbent was defeated, the challenger would assume the leadership. Those defeated were not entirely without recourse; they were relegated to the Elder Hall to await the next opportunity to challenge.

This system ensured that every generation of Guild Leaders was an unparalleled figure of supreme skill and outstanding intellect. Because of this unique selection process, although the Tong Yun Gang had only existed for two hundred short years, it had developed at an astonishing pace into today’s Tiger-class guild, and this momentum showed every sign of accelerating further.

The main theme of the Tong Yun Gang had always been: the victor is king, the loser is outlaw; survival of the fittest.

Luo Xuan recalled being one of them twenty years ago, but that single participation completely altered the trajectory of his life, leading him to become the current Guild Leader of the Tong Yun Gang. The contest among two hundred and twenty guild super-elite experts was a fierce struggle of wit and might, where every tactic was employed.

At the time, as merely an Elite Leader, he withstood immense pressure to launch a forceful assault against the four powerful Branch Hall Masters who sat at the apex. Luo Xuan clearly recalled the moment—the ground-shaking, deafening cheers.

Each of the four Branch Hall Masters possessed unique, extraordinary skills. Wan Fei, the Divine Sparrow Hall Master, was adept in magic, a rare Grandmaster-level Mage on the continent. She not only possessed deep magical cultivation but had also trained in warrior skills, making her exceptionally agile—a true anomaly among Mages, a headache for anyone who faced her.

Chen Xian, the Flowing Light Hall Master, was a born Warrior. His mastery of the fast sword was such that one could count on their fingers the number of people on the Demon Dragon Continent who could withstand ten of his strikes.

Lan Zai, the Sky Craft Hall Master, was a Daoist like Luo Xuan himself. In terms of pure strength, they were evenly matched. If not for relying on a secret, inherited manual to forcibly boost his spiritual power, the outcome of their duel would have been hard to predict.

Qin Fang, the Deep Current Hall Master, possessed innate divine strength, and his Battle Aura cultivation was terrifyingly high. In a direct confrontation, few on the Demon Dragon Continent could surpass him in raw power. When Luo Xuan broke through the layers of ambush and assassination to reach the final arena, it shocked everyone. Then, in the final contest, he successively defeated the four Branch Hall Masters before finally besting the previous Guild Leader, Yu Fei. His reputation shook the Demon Dragon Continent. He not only inherited the leadership but also ascended to the ranks of one of the top ten Grandmaster Daoists on the continent. His standing within the guild reached an all-time high, the peak of his life.

Twenty years have passed, and relying on his formidable power, Luo Xuan still firmly held the Guild Leader’s seat. Perhaps weary of the constant struggle, Luo Xuan conceived the notion of retirement and stepping down, announcing that in the next competition, whoever could defeat the four Branch Hall Masters would automatically qualify for succession. Perhaps because of this declaration, for the past two years, everyone inside and outside the guild has been striving with all their might, eagerly anticipating the next arena contest to showcase their talents.

Luo Xuan frequently observed promising elite disciples within the guild. At this moment, he subconsciously gravitated toward the edge of the training ground. Clad in a snow-white Ghost Battle Armor, a Dragon-patterned blade hung diagonally at his waist, his long white beard framed a placid face, and his pair of azure eyes, clear as autumn water, seemed capable of seeing through all the dust and strife of the mortal world as he moved among those training in the field.

As if noticing Luo Xuan’s arrival, every training disciple instinctively paused slightly and bowed in salute. Luo Xuan was, by all accounts, one of the most beloved leaders in two centuries.

Whether the younger generation of disciples or the elder-level elite experts, they held a deep, heartfelt adoration and reverence for him. This stemmed not only from Luo Xuan’s exceptional skill but also from his far-reaching vision and foresight, coupled with his rare composure, magnanimity, and open-mindedness in dealing with people—qualities that even opposing guilds admired.

The elder’s arrival further ignited the fighting spirit of those on the field. Everyone wished to display their best selves before him. For a moment, the shouts roared like thunder. The atmosphere in the arena reached an unprecedented fever pitch.

Truly a fine group of young people, full of vigor and vitality. However, Luo Xuan’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to a sturdy figure in a small corner outside the main field—this was Lei Huan, the current Master of the Sky Craft Hall, a collateral descendant of the Lei family, one of the six great families of the Demon Dragon Continent. Though young, his cultivation had already reached the astonishing peak of the Scarlet Moon realm. Despite failing in his two previous attempts to break into the Demon Dragon World, his strength continued to increase at an alarming rate. He was the candidate Luo Xuan favored most: young and energetic, steady and capable, exuding an inherent, convincing authority—a natural leader. Luo Xuan trusted his judgment implicitly, but Lei Huan was still too young. Could his current strength allow him to defeat those old monsters in the Elder Hall? Perhaps in another decade, he would have his chance.

Just as Luo Xuan lowered his head in deep thought, suddenly! A heart-palpitating restlessness surged forth, piercing and cutting like needles against Luo Xuan’s mind. Relying on the sharp intuition characteristic of a Grandmaster-level Daoist, Luo Xuan sensed a powerful murderous aura rapidly approaching.

Ah! What is it? This killing intent—could it be the Woma Patriarch? Luo Xuan was horrified. That long-sealed memory hidden deep within his mind instantly erupted like the most terrifying nightmare.