Chapter 45: The Conspiracy of the Three Major Factions

Meanwhile, Su Wan launched an offensive against Xie Qinghan.

"Tai'e: Sun Piercing!"

Su Wan's toes stepped into the void as the phantom of the broken Tai'e sword suddenly solidified behind her. Seventy-two thunder-drawing runes climbed along the spine of the sword, intertwining with the imperial dragon aura into a dazzling sword Qi that shot straight toward Xie Qinghan.

The blue-purple sword Qi tore through the toxic web, the thunder light and the imperial sword Qi intertwining and pulverizing the all-encompassing sword shadows before hurtling fiercely toward Xie Qinghan.

Seeing that Lei and Yin had already turned to ashes, a trace of panic flashed in Xie Qinghan's eyes, and as the sword Qi hurtled toward him, a brief flutter of panic stirred in his heart.

"Mere Void-Practioners, how dare you act presumptuously before the supreme treasure of the Azure Peak Sword Sect? White Jade Wall, rise!"

The white jade wall, rippling with clear brilliance, suddenly expanded to a size of over ten feet, forming an airtight defensive barrier.

In his opinion, the shield formed by his White Jade Wall was a supreme treasure capable of withstanding three full-force blows from a Unity-realm cultivator, let alone the attacks of a Void-realm cultivator.

However, Su Wan's sword Qi had already arrived.

The gloomy blue luster of the White Jade Wall rapidly dimmed in the face of the imperial dragon energy. In less than the span of a single breath, the defensive supreme treasure, famed as one of the top three in the Eastern Domain, cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.

The White Jade Wall dropped with a heavy clatter, shattering into dozens of pieces.

"Impossible!" Xie Qinghan coughed up a mouthful of blood violently, only to see that Su Wan's sword Qi had already pierced the shield. The phantom of the Tai'e sword, carrying the momentum to sever through eternity, slashed directly toward his glabella.

With a soft, muffled thud, the sword Qi pierced through his glabella without obstruction, and the imperial sword energy exploded within his body, tearing him into dust.

"The Profound Thunder Turtle Shell! That is a Earth-grade high-tier spirit treasure! It took a full-strength blow from a fifth-layer Unity expert head-on! And—and it just burned to ashes like that?"

"And the Myriad Gu Mother Nest! Three years ago in the battle of Black Wind Ridge, Yin Qianrou relied on this Gu nest to take the combined strike of three third-layer Unity cultivators head-on without losing a single strand of hair! Now... now it's like it was made of paper?"

"That—that is the Heaven-Incinerating Emperor Flame? No! There is also the Southern Ming Primordial Fire! Two different divine flames originating from the same person, and even fused into a joint force... Th-this is the characteristic of an Ancient Battle Body!"

"A few breaths... not even three breaths! These Unity-realm experts were actually killed by someone in the Void-realm? And they had Earth-grade high-tier spirit treasures and natal defensive Gus, yet they just... just turned to ash?"

"Innate Sword Body! It must be the Innate Sword Body!"

"I once saw illustrations in the sect's secret records. Only the Innate Sword Body can summon the phantom of the Tai'e Holy Sword! That is an ancient holy sword, an existence that has slain immortals!"

"The Great Qian Dynasty is about to undergo a drastic change!"

The surrounding watching cultivators were instantly seized with shock.

After killing the three of them, Su Wan and Xiao Yi flashed away immediately.

The Great Qian Dynasty, Myriad Thunder Valley.

At this moment, the helmsmen of the three major factions of the Great Qian Dynasty had all gathered here.

"My son Jinxian's natal thunder pearl has shattered, and the final image transmitted from the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm is the two-colored divine flame of that brat Xiao Yi from the Profound Heaven Sect! This hatred is irreconcilable!"

Lei Xiaotian clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. The teacup on the desk was shattered to pieces by him, and the grief of losing a son churned violently within his chest.

Lei Jingxian was his most valued and only son, raised since childhood with the resources of the Myriad Thunder Valley. He was undoubtedly the prime candidate for the future Valley Master, but he never expected him to fall at the hands of a Void-realm cultivator. This grievance was simply hard for him to swallow!

"Qianrou's natal fine-silk Gu has also been destroyed. In the aura transmitted back by her soul, besides that Heaven-Incinerating Emperor Flame, there is also a sword cultivator named Su Wan. These two little beasts must be subjected to the Myriad Gu Heart-Devouring torture to appease the hatred in my heart."

Yin Mei, the Palace Master of the Nether Gu Palace, lightly shook her bone fan. The blood-colored Gu worm patterns on the fan surface wriggled under the candlelight, a hint of sinister venom flashing deep within her eyes.

Yin Qianrou was her proudest disciple, and that fine-silk Gu was nurtured at the cost of half her lifetime's efforts. Now that she had actually perished within the secret realm, it filled her with towering rage.

"The projection from the sword casket of my sect's disciple Xie Qinghan shows that he was killed by Su Wan. Ye Chentian of the Profound Heaven Sect dared to teach such rebellious disciples; I will surely obliterate them!"

Xie Xuan, the master of the Azure Peak Sword Sect, stroked his beard. The Azure Nether Sword at his fingertip hummed, and the sword pressure of the ninth-layer Unity realm caused the wooden beams of the private room to shed dust. Within his heart, there was both regret for Xie Qinghan and a furious rage regarding the dignity of the Azure Peak Sword Sect.

Qinghan was a once-in-a-century genius of the sword sect, yet he died at the hands of a disciple from an obscure sect. If word got out, it would only become a laughingstock.

The three of them looked at each other, a fierce and ruthless glint flashing in all their eyes.

"Fellow daoists, the Profound Heaven Sect is about to hold its disciple-recruitment grand ceremony soon. Ye Chentian intends to widely recruit disciples to establish his prestige; we shall simply go on that very day to exact our revenge!"

"I will lead a hundred Void-realm elders of the Myriad Thunder Valley, and the two of you can also bring the elite forces of your respective sects by then. When the time comes, our three forces will strike out simultaneously, and we will surely leave not even a dog or chicken alive in the Profound Heaven Sect!" Lei Xiaotian spoke first.

Yin Mei chuckled lightly, feeling that this plan fit her intentions precisely.

"Valley Master Lei has a brilliant scheme. The recruitment ceremony will be crowded and noisy, which is just right for showing the whole world the consequences of offending our three major factions."

Xie Xuan nodded, feeling satisfied with this plan.

"It is settled then."

The three of them raised their cups, the wine within rippling with a bloody gleam, as a conspiracy targeting the Profound Heaven Sect quietly brewed.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the plaza outside the mountain gate of the Profound Heaven Sect was already a hubbub of voices.

Cultivators from all corners of the Great Qian Dynasty crowded the mountain paths, waiting to witness the opening of the disciple-recruitment grand ceremony.

Just then, Xiao Yi and Su Wan had just teleported out from the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm, only to be slightly stunned by the magnificent sight before them.

The flame patterns around Xiao Yi's body had condensed into substance, and the spiritual power of the ninth-layer Void realm caused scorch marks to appear wherever he walked. He felt deeply emotional:

Through three months of bitter cultivation in the secret realm, not only had the two different divine flames merged into one, but his Heaven-Incinerating Battle Body had also broken through its bottleneck, finally granting him the strength to share burdens for his master.

On Su Wan's Flowing Light Purple Electric Sword, the phantom of the broken Tai'e sword was becoming increasingly clear. The imperial dragon energy and thunder patterns intertwined into a protective barrier, setting off her eighth-layer Void realm aura to appear solemn and inviolable. As her fingertips gently brushed the hilt of the sword, she felt a quiet sense of fortune in her heart.

The recognition of the broken Tai'e sword had greatly increased her strength, so facing powerful enemies in the future, she would finally be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with her senior brother.

"Master." The two quickly walked toward Ye Chentian, who was standing on the high platform.

Standing beside Ye Chentian was a young girl dressed in a moon-white dress skirt. Her skin was as flawless and white as ice and jade, and a faint mist gathered between her brows—she was none other than the newly accepted disciple, Luo Ningshuang.

When she saw the two-colored fire crystal in the palm of Xiao Yi's hand, a trace of amazement flashed across the depths of her eyes.

The destructive power contained within that flame actually caused the Cold River Holy Body within her to resonate slightly, and she thought to herself: Is this the Heaven-Incinerating Emperor Flame capable of burning mountains and boiling seas? It truly lives up to its reputation.

Then, seeing the imperial sword Qi circulating on Su Wan's sword added even more awe—rumored to be the Innate Sword Body capable of severing the laws of heaven and earth, slaying gods and exterminating immortals.

She had never expected that her senior brother and senior sister would be so powerful!

"This is Luo Ningshuang, your junior sister," Ye Chentian introduced, "Endowed with the Cold River Holy Body, she has already reached the sixth layer of the Void realm."

Luo Ningshuang hurriedly bowed, her voice as clear and crisp as a spring: "Greetings, Senior Brother Xiao; greetings, Senior Sister Su."

The two nodded in acknowledgment.

"Master, there is a matter we must report to you."

"At the Netherworld Cold Pool in the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm, we encountered Lei Jingxian of the Myriad Thunder Valley, Yin Qianrou of the Nether Gu Palace, and Xie Qinghan of the Azure Peak Sword Sect."

"They provoked us proactively, attempting to snatch Senior Brother's Southern Ming Primordial Fire and the broken Tai'e sword I obtained," Su Wan said with a trace of lingering worry in her eyes.

She raised her gaze to look at Ye Chentian, the worry in her eyes having been replaced by firmness: "We had no choice but to fight back, and beheaded all three of them."

After listening, Ye Chentian merely flicked his fingertips with spiritual power.

He looked at Su Wan and Xiao Yi without a single ripple of fluctuation in his eyes, bearing instead a hint of approval: "Well done."

"Those who dare to touch the people of my Profound Heaven Sect must have the resolve to bear the consequences."

"If they dare to come and seek revenge, it will just happen to show them who the true master of the Great Qian Dynasty is."

Ye Chentian did not take these matters to heart at all.

If these factions dared to come seeking revenge, he could obliterate them with a wave of his hand.