Heaven's Punishment, under no circumstances, was meant to be a battlefield. On the great continent, humans could roam freely, graze their flocks, or relocate as they pleased—such liberty was theirs. But in the Forest of Heaven's Punishment, there was only one way: to stay! Humanity boasted tens of millions of families, yet we competitors of Heaven's Punishment had only this single home. After reaching an agreement, the nine of us brothers agreed to guard the seal, old and new! While it was for the peace of the continent, it was also to ensure that Heaven’s Punishment remained a pure sanctuary for the Xuan Beasts!
We only believed that our personal, wholehearted sacrifice would guarantee a millennium of peace for Heaven's Punishment. How could we have imagined that, right before our eyes, the actions of the Twenty and the people of Jiujiang would utterly overturn everything? What is the reason for this? Was the solemn vow made back then merely a scrap of paper? Are we, the Xuan Beasts of this generation, truly so easy to bully?
The burly man leading them looked extremely pale, his demeanor somewhat listless, yet his words were piercingly aggressive. His two eyes radiated points of furious rage, coldly scorning the twenty figures opposite him, clearly signaling that if words failed, a fight would commence immediately, leaving no room for negotiation.
Evidently, the opponents' prior disregard for the safety of Heaven's Punishment by forcibly initiating a conflict there had completely enraged her!
Saint Emperor Lu misunderstood. The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou is our common great enemy; until this man is eliminated, the crisis facing the entire continent cannot be resolved. As for the matter Saint Emperor Lu inquired about, there are many hidden twists within it, which we can explain later. After all, everyone here is injured and needs to return quickly to recuperate. Such minor matters can be clarified completely when we meet next time. Cao’s expression became somewhat awkward, and he forced a smile. Minor matter? Cao Guofeng, you are truly shameless! Is our Heaven’s Punishment merely a triviality in your eyes? You are still wasting time with eloquent phrasing here, attempting to confuse the issue! What I demand is not your so-called explanations; what I want is an honest accounting!
The great man’s demeanor turned stern, and he said in a low voice, “If you cannot give me a truthful account today, then the twenty of you shall remain in Yinba. Even if you are Saint Emperor experts, do you think you can come to this perilous land of Heaven's Punishment and deliberately twist right and wrong?”
This Saint Emperor of Heaven's Punishment truly has a fiery temper!
Jun Mo Xie, remaining invisible, secretly marveled. Although these fellows are simple-minded and straightforward—easily tricked or taken advantage of—once they become truly serious, they are utterly reckless, like men with true backbone!
Cao Guofeng chuckled, “Brother Lu, if you had uttered those words three hundred years ago, I might genuinely have had to consider my survival. But… after three hundred and seventy-five years of draining our vital energies, if you now expect to keep the twenty of us here, hah, even though we are all wounded, it is still impossible, isn't it? Conversely, if we push ourselves and worsen our injuries, which side do you think has a greater chance of leaving here alive?”
Beside him, another person snickered, “Brother Lu speaks of 'times change.' The days when Heaven's Punishment, with its Saint Emperor and Eight Venerables, held the world in awe are long gone. We are all old acquaintances; why can’t we sit down and talk things through properly? Must it truly end in violence? Fighting a meaningless battle—can your current strength in Heaven's Punishment truly claim any victory?”
Saint Emperor Lu’s face shifted, his voice chilling, “Well said. Are you implying that because we were stronger before, you relied on us to do your bidding? And now that Heaven's Punishment is weaker, we should allow you to mold and crush us at will? To be treated as mere meat?
Although that was precisely what they implied, some things are simply better left unsaid. By stating it so plainly, it caused the faces of several Saint Emperors and Saint Kings to flush with embarrassment.
After all, the nine Saint Kings of Heaven's Punishment had devoted themselves wholeheartedly to guarding the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou for so many years, and…
This was clearly doing them a favor. Not only had they failed to uphold the promises made earlier, but now that Heaven's Punishment held less immediate value, they intended to discard them like old shoes. This action was indefensible by any measure. Even the most sanctimonious Saint Extreme experts must retain a final shred of dignity.
“Might makes right. The fact that the strength of the Perilous Land of Heaven's Punishment is not what it once was is an undeniable reality, isn't it, Saint Emperor Lu has always been forthright and would never deny this point, correct?”
The man in white fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke languidly, “The rules of the Jianghu have been thus for ten millennia. Regarding camaraderie… in this iron-blooded Jianghu, Saint Emperor Lu, do you not think that is merely a joke?”
“Whitey, are you speaking on behalf of the Misty Illusory Mansion with those words?” Saint Emperor Lu stepped forward, his eyes suddenly blazing with divine light as he fixed his gaze upon the man’s face, his hair and beard bristling instantly. “This White is not overly talented, but at present, within the Illusory Mansion, I rank among the foremost figures!” The man in white hesitated slightly, but still lifted his chin and spoke. His statement was tantamount to openly admitting that what he had just said represented the entire stance of the Misty Illusory Mansion!
“Good! Good! Good!” Saint Emperor Lu nodded heavily, repeating the word three times. His gaze, as if solid matter, swept over the others, “The representatives of the Three Great Sacred Lands, is this also your consensus?”
Everyone exchanged glances. After a long, long silence, no one spoke. The representative from the Misty Illusory Mansion had spoken decisively. If they retreated now, they would offend the Misty Illusory Mansion. If they agreed, they would offend the Forest of Heaven's Punishment.
For a moment, they were caught between a rock and a hard place, each cursing the ‘Brother White’ in their minds for driving them to the edge of a cliff, leaving them with no way forward or back!
Yet, these individuals also recalled how, some time ago, their younger generations had targeted Heaven's Punishment, even surrounding and beating the current Beast Emperor, Venerable Mei, to death. This old hatred and resentment could never be reconciled! Now that these predecessors from Heaven's Punishment had reappeared, concealing their intentions was utterly impossible; it was better to be frank and lay their cards on the table.
Moreover, the Forest of Heaven's Punishment was severely weakened, and these nine predecessor Beast Kings were all close to running on fumes, while the younger Beast Kings were weak in strength… perhaps there was no need to worry too much…
With this thought, they opted for a stony silence, which served as tacit agreement.
Seeing the embarrassment and shame on their faces, yet hearing no reply, Saint Emperor Lu let out a cold, mournful laugh, “Good, very good, truly very good! My nine brothers and I have labored diligently for nearly four hundred years for a vague, ethereal promise. Now, even our own primordial spirits and true forms have been honed into heavy swords. Under the impact of the seal, we have indeed become the dregs of exhausted strength—that is an undeniable fact. Since your Three Great Sacred Lands and the Misty Illusory Mansion believe that the current Heaven's Punishment amounts to nothing, then… this sovereign has no face left to demand any explanation! If that is the case, our humble Forest of Heaven's Punishment cannot accommodate such great deities as yourselves! You are welcome to leave, Lu will not see you off!”
After delivering these words, he suddenly glared, “From this day forward, any bond of affection or debt between us is severed! Our Heaven's Punishment will no longer participate in any affairs of the Xuanxuan Continent—even the Battle for the Heavens will have nothing to do with us! Ten thousand years of affection and obligation shall be wiped clean, as if they never existed! Henceforth, we are strangers walking separate paths in life and death! Anyone from the human race who presumptuously trespasses upon the Perilous Land of Heaven's Punishment will face whatever fate befalls them!”
His speech was delivered with absolute finality, even overflowing with righteous indignation. A pain originating from the very core of his being was plainly evident! Furthermore, the underlying meaning was clear: from now on, they were no longer friends, nor were they allies… but enemies!
In just a few terse sentences, the five peak powers of the Xuanxuan Continent had completely fractured. However, fundamentally speaking, this outcome could not be blamed on Saint Emperor Lu’s impulsiveness!
Saint Emperor Lu and his eight brothers were filled with boundless sorrow and indignation!
Back then, four sides had made solemn, fervent promises to guarantee the safety of the Forest of Heaven's Punishment, providing extremely generous terms in return. That was why the nine Beast Kings willingly sacrificed themselves, entering the mystic formation laid out by the Illusory Mansion to diligently guard the seal and fully resist the assault of the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou!
During that expedition into the forbidden zone, the highest cultivation among the nine Beast Kings, Saint Emperor Lu, possessed the strength of the Saint Emperor level! The remaining eight Beast Kings were all at the Saint King level! Among them, three had even reached the second layer of the Saint King realm!
But over these nearly four hundred years, the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou tormented them almost ceaselessly, day and night, and these nine individuals were dragged along in that torment for centuries! Normally, such high-intensity confrontation would be the easiest way to advance one’s power, but being situated at such a critical location as the seal, they were barred from any improvement! Not only could they not improve, but it caused immense damage to their bodies—damage that was nearly irreparable!
The inherent power of the nine Beast Kings was constantly absorbed by the seal’s energy to maintain its normal operation! Thus, even though they practiced cultivation day and night, it was insufficient to offset the seal’s consumption! If only their power was being absorbed, that might have been manageable, but coupled with the relentless assaults of the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou, the seal’s demands grew day by day! In the last few years, they had reached a wretched state where their very souls were severely damaged!
For almost four centuries, not only had these Xuan Beast seniors made no progress in their cultivation, but compared to before, their power had actually receded significantly! Moreover, they carried permanent, irreparable injuries! This was an internal drain, equivalent to a loss of lifespan and a depletion of the soul! This was a damage that no existing spiritual elixir on the Xuanxuan Continent could possibly replenish!
A full three hundred and seventy-five years elapsed!
The younger generation experts of the Three Great Sacred Lands from back then had now become Saint Kings! Many of the experts who were at the Saint King level back then had now successfully advanced to the Saint Emperor level! But these nine brothers had wasted three hundred and seventy-five years only to end up in this state!
Just this alone was a massive loss. They never expected the sheer audacity of the others: once the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou broke free and the seal lost its efficacy, these people immediately turned hostile! They performed a complete betrayal!
Not only did they fail to uphold the promises made back then, but they intended to initiate a war within Heaven's Punishment! The most despicable deceit, the most shameless response, delivered with words that chilled the heart to the extreme—all the solemn promises made by the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Illusory Mansion turned out to be nothing more than an empty document! A colossal joke, not funny at all!
Fortunately, for some unknown reason, the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou had remained high in the sky since his release and had not landed. Otherwise, this region spanning thousands of miles would likely have already been reduced to a desolate ruin!