The First Dispatch) It was precisely because the Zhan family directed Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu to conspire against the Eldest Young Master Mo, hoping to gain absolute control, that they ultimately suffered a major loss by overreaching. It was also out of sheer unwillingness to accept this failure that Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu instigated their subordinates to assassinate Mo Junye—everything began from that moment!
If one insists on attributing it to fate, then the only catalyst that altered the Zhan family’s smooth trajectory was precisely Mo Junye, that harbinger of misfortune! Therefore, the bringer of ill fate must be eradicated!
Especially during this period, Zhan Lunhui finally obtained the intelligence he most desired: at the very moment when six of the Zhan family’s guards were about to kill Mo Junye and Miao Xiaomiao, a peerless master suddenly appeared. This master deployed the Sword Control Art—a divine skill only usable by a Saint Venerable powerhouse—to annihilate all eight individuals present, saving Mo Junye and Miao Xiaomiao!
This incident, in itself, shouldn't have amounted to much. But the real issue lay in the fact that...
A mere day later, the grand strategy the Zhan family had meticulously planned for thousands of years suffered an unusually cruel blow at the final juncture of its near-complete success! This disaster resulted in the total collapse of the entire scheme, turning millennia of effort, the dedication of countless generations, and innumerable wasted resources, into ash in a single instant!
Another powerhouse, possessing unfathomable strength, had breached the underground world! First, they killed Zhan Tianji, destroying the scheme to reverse their destiny and shattering the Zhan family's millennia-old grand design.
Following that, measures were taken to eliminate two of the Zhan family’s younger generation, Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu. "Regardless of how Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu met their end, Zhan Lunhui absolutely refused to believe they were simply scared to death.
The reason was simple: the timing of their demise was too coincidental, occurring immediately after the arrival of that mysterious master..." Summarizing the bizarre events of these two days, the mysterious powerhouse causing trouble at the Zhan residence gradually coalesced in Zhan Lunhui’s mind as the same figure who had previously rescued Mo Junye and Miao Xiaomiao! This, he concluded, was essentially one person!
Because the Zhan family moved against Mo Junye, this person came for retribution! He believed the deaths of Zhan Qingfeng and his brother were also because they were the chief instigators of the assassination attempt on Mo Junye!
Zhan Lunhui arrived at the conclusion that everything stemmed from Mo Junye, the possessor of the Ethereal Physique! This mysterious master held Mo Junye in extremely high regard!
Therefore, if Mo Junye were killed, this person would surely resurface! Thus, upon receiving news of Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu’s deaths, Zhan Lunhui immediately issued a kill-on-sight order: Kill Mo Junye, the possessor of the Ethereal Physique, immediately!
Zhan Xiaoxiao, who had already accepted this mission, naturally did not hesitate and took the lead, commencing her operation at once! For Zhan Xiaoxiao, bullying the weak was not the focus, nor was debasing her own standing.
The process held no importance whatsoever; only the result mattered, only fulfilling Zhan Lunhui’s command was the priority! Now, the situation had truly reached a point of life-and-death peril!
Jun Moxie suddenly felt an intense sense of crisis in his sleep! And it was a lethal, death-threatening crisis!
He barely had time to open his eyes before he instinctively retreated into the world of the Hongjun Pagoda! Simultaneously, a sharp, piercing whistle echoed across heaven and earth: “Enemy attack!
Everyone be careful! The incoming person is a master!” The instant the sound faded, four exceptionally brilliant, dazzling streaks of sword light shot up from four different directions on the ground.
Though their vectors varied, their target was singular. These four beams of light seemed to instantaneously erect four pillars of light connecting heaven and earth, flying toward Zhan Xiaoxiao, the figure in black hovering in mid-air!
With a deafening roar, it seemed the very air between heaven and earth shuddered violently. An entire row of thirty to forty houses constituting Cao Guofeng’s residence collapsed neatly!
Dust billowed everywhere, and countless broken tiles and timber flew scattered across the sky, culminating in the rise of a massive mushroom cloud! The scale of the devastation surpassed even the explosion of an atomic bomb in that vicinity!
The entire compound, which was structured in three courtyards, plus a small garden, was utterly ruined by this single strike! The might of a Saint Venerable expert’s attack was truly this terrifying!
Through the swirling dust, several enraged roars erupted, and three even brighter sword lights pierced the smoke and shot upward. Cao Guofeng and the others burst out, joining the initial four streaks of light which had already reached maximum intensity.
Seven Saint Emperors struck simultaneously with full power! Their target was the masked figure in black hanging in the air!
The combined assault of the Seven Great Saint Emperors was sworn to eliminate this person! At this moment, the anger swelling within these seven was pushed to its absolute limit.
Especially Cao Guofeng, Bai Qifeng, and the two others who had been resting in their rooms; had they not maintained such high vigilance in recent days, resting through meditative cultivation instead of sleep, they likely would have met their deaths senselessly in this sudden, fatal assault! With this undeniable realization dawning, all seven were instantly enraged!
What deep, irreconcilable hatred could possibly warrant such a vicious attack? Especially Cao Guofeng, feeling the lingering terror, managed a thread of relief: Thank the heavens, thank goodness Mo Ye had strongly insisted on occupying the row of rooms nearest the wall; otherwise, had he remained in the original row, with his meager power, how could he possibly still be alive?
Seeing seven formidable long swords slashing toward her with the force of wind and thunder, the black-clad masked figure appeared utterly unconcerned. With a cold laugh, she suddenly spun in mid-air.
In the space before her, seven black palms, each the size of a millstone, clearly materialized! It was a direct, head-on confrontation using open hands!
Bang bang... A series of sounds of colliding formidable energies rang out.
While trading blows, the black-clad masked figure flipped backward, ascending to an even higher altitude. Her robes snapped loudly in the wind!
And the Seven Great Saint Emperors simultaneously plummeted toward the ground! The combined strength of seven united in attack yielded only an equal trade with the newcomer!
“The enemy's strength is astonishingly high! Definitely a Saint Venerable level master!
Even with our seven united, victory may not be assured!” As his body descended, Cao Guofeng’s mind swiftly made the most rational judgment: “Since direct confrontation is impossible, our only option is to focus entirely on defense and await rescue. The moment an opportunity arises, we must immediately take Mo Junye and leave.
His residence remains within the range of our mutual profound energy clash and is subject to mortal danger at any moment!” “This person’s target must be Mo Junye!” Bai Qifeng’s mind echoed the same thought. It appeared that Cao and Bai were not alone; in fact, the other five Saint Emperors held the identical view!
The seven Saint Emperors exchanged glances, and everyone instantly understood the others' thoughts. They were mentally prepared for the defensive strategy they were about to adopt.
“The courtyard is completely destroyed now, not a single servant escaped! Only these seven retain considerable combat strength.
Yet, though their expressions show alarm and caution, there is no hint of sorrow or grief...” Zhan Xiaoxiao mused. “It seems that brat with the Ethereal Physique is likely not dead yet.
Since he isn't dead, that means he wasn't residing in the row of houses just destroyed! In that case...” Zhan Xiaoxiao, having experienced countless battles and possessing vast experience, cycled through these thoughts in a flash while spinning in the air.
Suddenly, Zhan Xiaoxiao thrust both hands straight out, and with a swish, she swept down at high speed! Waves of immense, indestructible palm winds unleashed upon the remaining parts of the courtyard in an omnidirectional, indiscriminate bombardment!
Zhan Xiaoxiao had descended barely five zhang before her palms had already struck out over a hundred times in indiscriminate attack! And the attack showed no sign of stopping; it continued to accelerate!
“Bastard!” Cao Guofeng and the others’ eyes instantly turned red. The seven abandoned their agreed-upon strategy without discussion and flashed in front of the half-collapsed housing structure, staunchly and desperately resisting the incoming palm winds!
“So the brat is there...” Zhan Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up, and she spread both arms, diving down! The full-power assault of a Saint Venerable was terrifyingly sharp!
Cao Guofeng and the others, despite exerting their utmost efforts and coordinating their strength, still could not withstand it, falling back step by step! “We cannot wait any longer.
If we allow them to remain on the defensive like this, all seven of them might not survive!” Jun Moxie, having swapped his clothes for black within the Hongjun Pagoda, shot out in a blur! The Eldest Young Master absolutely could not stand by and watch Cao Guofeng and the others perish while protecting him!
A dark shadow flashed rapidly, instantly darting into the interior of a small room now reduced to rubble. Immediately after, he shot out through the back window with a bang, seemingly clutching something—it appeared to be the shape of a human body...
Then, with a swish, he shot rapidly away toward the distance! As he left, he called out a voice that sounded unusually ancient: “Please, Saint Emperor Cao and the others, hold that person back!
This old man will take Young Mo away first...” A wave of immediate relief washed over Cao Guofeng and the others. Although they still didn't know the identity of the newcomer, judging by his movement technique, he was undoubtedly an extremely capable master,