The Three Great Guardians and the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou had long since departed for their decisive battle... He Zhiqiu had only left a letter in their stead. Finally, they each sent a messenger falcon towards the Holy Lands.
At the end of the message relayed to the Hidden World Immortal Palace, Zhan Mubai dictated these words: The glory of the Holy Land, since antiquity, has never been profaned by any; I, Zhan, shall defend this singular honor unto death! After a thousand years of fellowship, parting is inevitable; Mubai bids farewell today!
The soft couch swayed gently. Zhan Mubai, eyes slightly closed, felt the snippets of his entire life flash before him, though his eyes remained shut. Legend holds that when a person is about to die, their life passes before them like time flowing backward; it seemed his life’s end was imminent...
Zhan Mubai was not born of the direct lineage of the Zhan family, but was the issue of a concubine from a collateral branch; in his youth, he endured countless scornful glares; fortunately, his talent was supreme, and he bore all with patience and submission. By the age of eighteen, he finally triumphed in the family martial competition, stunning everyone with a singular, dazzling ascent.
With the sudden fame of Zhan Mubai came the recognition of the family elders, yet it also ignited the unified hostility of the Zhan family’s direct descendants. A series of persecutions led to the death of both his parents, and he suffered immense humiliation. Enduring sorrow and disgrace, he managed to escape the Zhan family by sheer chance. Subsequently, fate led him to a renowned master, and he trained assiduously day and night. Twenty years later, having reached the realm of the Third Grade of Divine Mystery, Zhan Mubai returned to the Zhan family to exact revenge; he killed every single person who had once oppressed him! Not one was spared!
Thinking of this, amidst the extreme agony inflicted by the torture known as Soul Refining of Yin and Yang, a sliver of pleased laughter still curved the corner of Zhan Mubai’s mouth.
He recalled the sheer ecstasy of watching the principal culprit—the one responsible for his family's ruin—tremble beneath him as his blood slowly drained out... He remembered the agonizing moans of that man's most beloved woman beneath him... That alabaster skin, those tears on her exquisitely contorted face... and finally, the brilliant, tragic splash of red as his own blade severed her neck, along with the disbelief in her eyes...
That sense of exhilaration...
In that instant, Zhan Mubai almost forgot all the suffering he was enduring!
That period was the pinnacle of his glory in life! Throughout the entire Zhan family, everyone dared not utter a sound in his presence. Zhan Mubai, relying on his superhuman strength and ruthless methods, secured absolute authority, becoming the youngest family head in the history of the Zhan clan!
Thereafter, Zhan Mubai led the Zhan family into the martial world, developing and expanding step by step, successfully elevating the Zhan family to a first-rate power of that era; it was at this point that he received the invitation from the Hidden World Immortal Palace, summoning him to enter for secluded cultivation.
With the backing of the three great Holy Lands, the development of the Zhan family accelerated relentlessly. Over several hundred years, extending to the present day, the Zhan family had long since become a formidable power! And Zhan Mubai himself had successively become a Venerable, a Saint, and a Saint Emperor, rising within the Hidden World Immortal Palace to the esteemed ranks of the Heavenly Saint Palace members!
A lifetime of glory, a lifetime of brilliance, a lifetime of unyielding arrogance!
Perhaps some things he had done were indeed wrong, but... so what? This world operates on the principle of the strong preying on the weak; there is nothing more to be said! His life, in summation, was a profit, not a loss; it was enough!
Zhan Mubai suffered, yet smiled... He half-reclined on the soft couch, allowing it to bear him as he moved step by agonizing step toward the end of his life. He did not dwell on this current battle; instead, he endlessly replayed moments from his life in his mind...
Take, for instance, the recent annihilation of the Chen family—was that wrong? No! The fault lay solely with the Chen family’s foundation being too weak! And for such a feeble family to witness the shameful deeds of a Saint Emperor like himself! Were they not deserving of death...? What else?
Only... the Battle for Seizing Heaven! The Battle of Heroes that I dreamed of for centuries—a battle destined to be recorded in human history! An ultimate war whose fame would echo across the continent for ten thousand ages, achieving eternal renown! I, Zhan Mubai... will not be there to witness it...
Perhaps this is the only, and the greatest, regret of my life...
Eighty li south of the city, there was a small hill. Crossing this small hill led to a massive mountain beyond.
Before the mountain, there lay a stretch of lush, emerald bamboo forest, swaying gently in the breeze. In front of the bamboo grove, however, was a vast, deliberately cleared open space.
In the center of the clearing stood a colossal stone stele, ten zhang high, inscribed with: "The Burial Ground of Thirty-Five Masters from the Three Great Holy Lands! Their Heroic Names Endure, Never to Be Forgotten!"
Almost everyone simultaneously halted their advance, their eyes spitting forth intense, burning rage!
The number of people who had arrived was neither more nor less than exactly thirty-five!
It seemed the opposition was perfectly aware of their movements! They even knew that Zhan Mubai would surely be among them!
The bamboo grove was silent, utterly devoid of life.
The enemy hadn't arrived yet!?
He Zhiqiu let out a cold, mocking laugh: "This stele is truly ridiculous!" He roared with laughter and leaped forward. He did not touch the original carvings, but instead channeled his profound technique on the reverse side, swiftly etching a few characters: The Burial Place of the Sovereign of Evil!
After a moment's thought, he inscribed a line of smaller text beneath it: The Sovereign of Evil, the epitome of shamelessness; lacking self-awareness, possessing the audacity to challenge the Glorious Holy Land: employing only ghostly tricks, devoid of true strength, ultimately defeated and dead, becoming an eternal laughingstock, mocked for ten thousand years.
Having finished carving, He Zhiqiu let out a sharp cry, re-channeling his profound technique. With a twist of both hands, the massive stele rotated completely, turning its back to reveal the side that was originally the front!
"Ha... Not bad, an eternal laughingstock, mocked for ten thousand years—Sovereign of Evil! Brother He, the words you've composed are truly satisfying to the soul! But why not erase the original words? Why go to the extra trouble of turning it over?" Hai Wuya chuckled. The other masters from the three great Holy Lands were instantly invigorated and cheered in unison.
He Zhiqiu smiled faintly: "Today's decisive battle is one of life and death; when it ends, only one side will leave alive. The way I've done this signifies that when the surviving party departs, it will be the moment they erase their own names from this stele! If we erased those words now, it would suggest we lack confidence in victory... Let them remain; it will be time enough to erase them after we have collected their corpses."
"Excellent, excellent! Brother He speaks the truth!" Hai Wuya laughed heartily: "This decisive battle, there is no possibility of our failure! Let that Sovereign of Evil taste the bitter fruit he brewed for himself right here!"
The masters of the Three Great Holy Lands roared their assent; their morale soared!
The last trace of deep darkness in the sky finally vanished completely.
In the East, the sky was already filled with the pale hue of dawn. The first light of morning was clearly about to break.
The inscription was set for sunrise in the East.
This was indeed the time stipulated by the Sovereign of Evil, but those from the side of the Three Great Holy Lands had also been eagerly anticipating this moment. After this moment passed, all mysteries would be resolved!
The mysterious enemy who had remained hidden would finally reveal his true face!
Whether the mysterious enemy was a terrifyingly powerful Tribulation Passing expert or someone else entirely, the dust would settle!
Therefore, they all waited quietly. Every single person here was a seasoned veteran, hardened by countless battles—not one was an inexperienced novice! They showed not the slightest impatience; only an air of serene composure! They had long since taken life and death in stride!
Even Zhan Mubai, who was enduring extreme pain, displayed a look of calm composure the moment the sun was about to emerge. Although that composure looked utterly comical on his half-red, half-green old face, it still revealed the unyielding resolve of the Zhan Saint Emperor!
Pairs of eyes, sharp as falcons, quietly focused on the bamboo grove before them.
They paid no attention to the other three directions.
There was no need to!
The first rays of dawn descended upon the earth, and the East finally brightened!
The sound of rustling footsteps was heard, rapid and uniform.
From the left and the right, two groups of people approached. Swift and light, they moved like two wisps of green smoke gliding across the ground, instantly reaching the front of the bamboo grove.
Each contingent numbered thirty-six men; the two teams totaled seventy-two people!
They advanced with such rigid order, eyes straight ahead, displaying the strict discipline of an army!
Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu watched the seventy-two figures, and their expressions slowly sank deeper and deeper. Without needing to look at each other, they knew the extent of their inexpressible shock!
It turned out the opposition was not just one person; their force was quite formidable, and moreover... every single person arriving was an elite master! The weakest among these seventy-two had reached the Third Level of Venerable; there were nineteen at the Fourth Level of Venerable, thirty-one at the First Level of Saint, and nearly twenty at the Second Level of Saint!
As for the two leading figures, they were powerful beings at the Third Level of Saint!
These seventy-two individuals alone constituted an extremely considerable and colossal force!
In this day and age, such a power existed? How had they managed to evade the notice of the Three Great Holy Lands? In fact, they had kept the entire world in the dark!
A force like this could not be amassed in just one or two years! It required long-term accumulation, needing at least two to three centuries to forge such an army!
How had they managed it?
For a moment, the assembled masters belonging to the Three Great Holy Lands looked at each other, all rendered speechless by the shock. If the opponents had been only one person—even if that person’s strength surpassed that of the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou, or perhaps even that peerless expert who had survived the Thunder Tribulation—while they might have been fearful, they would not have been so profoundly shaken!
When had so many peak masters emerged in the world? Which power did these people belong to? It was as if they had suddenly dropped from the sky; the Three Great Holy Lands knew absolutely nothing!
How was this possible? What was happening!
Under everyone's gaze, the seventy-two masters drew near. At a low command, they flawlessly reformed into two triangular formations, fanning out in a goose-wing pattern. Everyone stood respectfully, leaving a relatively wide passage in the center. They seemed to be awaiting someone... The space left open was the core position!
Could it be that the true leader had not yet arrived?
Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu exchanged glances, both feeling sweat collecting in their palms! The weight and tension in their hearts were so profound that even with centuries of experience, they could not fully suppress it!
The sound of uniform, rustling footsteps sounded again. From the distance, almost simultaneously, eight more contingents appeared.
Each team had roughly thirty or so people, all rapidly flying toward the opposing confrontation lines!
Even while moving at high speed, these eight teams maintained an unusually tight formation, flawless and unbroken! They were like eight sharp arrows, shooting rapidly toward this spot!
In a brief moment, they reached the immediate vicinity.
The leading figure called out sharply: "Array!"
Nearly three hundred people underwent a dizzying transformation of formations, perfectly merging with the original two smaller triangular arrays, evolving the entire structure into two large triangular formations! Still arranged in a goose-wing pattern.
The two figures leading were one clad in ink-black robes, the other in snow-white garments: The Prairie Eagle God Hawk Bo Kong, and the Raging Wind Sword God Wind Juan Yun!
However, by now, both of these men had advanced to the pinnacle of the Fourth Level of Saint, only a single step away from the Saint Emperor realm!
As for the eight teams they brought, every member's cultivation level was comparable to that of the previous two groups.
Including the commanders, the total count was three hundred and eight people!
Checking each one, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu nearly collapsed: Every single person was a master at or above the Venerable level! Among them were two Fourth Level Saints, six Third Level Saints, ninety Second Level Saints, and one hundred and seventy First Level Saints. Thirty-three Fourth Level Venerables, and seven Third Level Venerables!
This was simply unbelievable!
Were they trapped in the most terrifying nightmare?
Even the Three Great Holy Lands did not possess such a concentration of evenly matched masters! This unprecedentedly terrifying force was sufficient to sweep across the entire Profound Profound Continent, and perhaps... if the Heavenly Saint Palace did not intervene, this power would be enough to crush the Three Great Holy Lands! Its threat level had even surpassed that of the alien races!
After all, all Saint Emperor level experts were affiliated with the Heavenly Saint Palace!
When did such a force appear in the world?
The masters of the Holy Lands were all bewildered!
These people were still waiting, awaiting the arrival of their director! In other words, these people were all commanded by a single individual—an armed force belonging to someone!
This realization sent chills down the spines of all the Saint Emperors and Saints of the Three Great Holy Lands! This person, so patient and possessing such hidden strength... the Three Great Holy Lands were in peril!
Who was it they were waiting for?!
Whoever it was, they were undoubtedly a supreme warlord!
With a light laugh, two figures suddenly appeared in the green bamboo forest—a man and a woman, a pair of immortal lovers. Both were dressed in snow-white robes; the man handsome and dashing, like a jade tree in the wind; the woman peerlessly graceful, like a fairy descending to the mortal realm!
The two walked out from the verdant bamboo grove step by measured step.
Traversing the wide path specifically cleared by the two flanking formations, their silk robes draped loosely, they moved with leisurely elegance. They looked like a pair of golden boy and jade girl taking an outing.
The three hundred-plus masters flanking them all revealed looks of profound reverence upon seeing these two figures (||510.| Manual update!)—as if they were gazing upon the deities of their hearts!
Suddenly, Zhan Mubai, seated on the soft couch, gasped in shock, crying out as if he had seen a ghost: "Jun Moxie! That is Jun Moxie!..."
(Finally finished, continuing tomorrow. I need to go to sleep now, just drank two packets of herbal tea and I’m heading to bed to sweat it out... Uh, I will post a request for monthly votes for March shortly, which will include the update schedule for next month. I hope everyone will take a look, and here, please reserve your guaranteed monthly votes for next month.)