Chapter 57: Hidden Agendas

At this moment, the news that the Xuantian Sect was about to attack the Myriad Thunder Valley spread like wildfire.

Major sects were all greatly shocked upon hearing this news.

The formidable reputation of the Xuantian Sect was like thunder ringing in their ears.

However, over the past year since the last disciple-recruitment ceremony, the Xuantian Sect had seemed shrouded in a layer of mist. Aside from occasional reports of disciples venturing out to procure supplies, there had been no further movement.

Some said they were quietly accumulating strength to heal the wounds from the previous great battle;

Others guessed that Ye Chentian might be in seclusion, striving to break through to a higher realm, intending to deter the Eastern Region with absolute strength.

Yet no one expected that their very first move after a year of silence would be to strike directly at the Myriad Thunder Valley, the Nether Gu Palace, and the Azure Peak Sword Sect.

These three sects were under the protection of the Eastern Region Immortal Alliance. Who would dare to touch them?

"In just a year, no matter how high their disciples' innate talent is, could they possibly have undergone a complete rebirth?" An elder of a sect stroked his beard and pondered, his eyes filled with perplexity as he whispered to the disciple beside him, "Is the Xuantian Sect rushing to their deaths? With the Myriad Thunder Valley backed by the Immortal Alliance, is it somewhere they can easily shake?"

Another person nearby retorted, "Do not underestimate Ye Chentian's methods of training disciples. During the recruitment ceremony back then, those youngsters had already shown their extraordinary edge. Nourished by the spiritual veins of the Xuantian Sect over this past year, who knows to what extent they have grown."

"In my view, these three major sects are likely to suffer this time."

"The four disciples under Ye Chentian's command are said to be absolute monsters! Su Wan's Innate Sword Body matched with the fragment of the Tai'a Sword, and Xiao Yi who can go head-to-head with Deity Transformation realm experts using dual alien flames... This is no mere trial; they are clearly setting out to flatten the Myriad Thunder Valley!" another cultivator chimed in.

"The Eastern Region is about to undergo a drastic change. Ye Chentian's move is intended to establish his prestige through battle. He is declaring to the entire Eastern Region that the Xuantian Sect has risen, and he will use the blood of the Myriad Thunder Valley to tell all sects—whoever provokes them dies."

The news spread like winged things across the thirty-three prefectures of the Great Qian Dynasty overnight.

More sects dispatched personnel to the vicinity of the Myriad Thunder Valley to observe the battle. After all, this battle concerned the future trajectory of the Eastern Region.

Deep within the Myriad Thunder Valley, thunder-patterned iron pillars stood like a forest. Hundreds of iron pillars wove a mysterious array in mid-air, enveloping the entire valley in a humming sound.

Arcs of lightning leapt between the iron pillars, emitting crackling noises as if countless bolts of thunder were imprisoned within them.

Lei Qianjun, the eldest son of Lei Quantian, stood upon the high platform at the eye of the array. He had a robust physique, and his face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Lei Quantian's, save for an added trace of ferocity between his brows.

As his fingertips swept across the thunder-patterned compass before him, the needle on the dial spun wildly, every tremor triggering flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.

He sneered coldly at the compass, "You scum of the Xuantian Sect, come on! Let you taste the might of my Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Array, and let my father see that I am far superior to that dead ghost of an elder brother of mine!"

"Valley Master, the people from the Nether Gu Palace have arrived!" A guard hurried forward to report.

Before the words had faded, a nauseating, fishy stench drifted over on the wind.

Lei Qianjun frowned and looked out to see Yin Jiuniang stepping through the mist, leading a hundred disciples in black robes.

She was attired in a dark gauze dress, the cuffs embroidered with silver gu patterns. Her eyes and brows carried a bewitching allure similar to Yin Rou's, yet with a darker, more sinister edge than Yin Rou.

Around the waist of every disciple hung a writhing flesh pouch, from which the gu insects inside emitted a faint, gnawing sound that made one's scalp tingle.

Nine black coffins were carried at the center of the procession. The black qi seeping from the coffins corroded deep pits into the ground upon contact, clearly revealing that they housed extremely malicious and toxic entities.

"Valley Master Lei is in high spirits indeed. This Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Array you've set up is even more overbearing than what your father deployed back then." Yin Jiuniang's voice carried a hint of laziness, yet exuded a bone-chilling coldness.

"I just wonder if it can block the Burning Heaven Emperor Flame of the Xuantian Sect's Xiao Yi? After all, your dear brother back then fell precisely by those flames."

She deliberately emphasized the word "brother," a trace of mockery flashing in her eyes.

Lei Qianjun's expression darkened. He slammed his palm onto the compass, and a thunderclap exploded across the air, "Do not boost the enemy's prestige! My array draws upon the earth's core thunder vein; even a Deity Transformation expert would shed a layer of skin here! As for those nine coffins you inherited from Yin Rou, you'd better make sure you actually release the corpse fiends instead of being killed by others beforehand."

He glared furiously at Yin Jiuniang, cursing inwardly, "You woman, truly as obnoxious as your elder sister! Once the Xuantian Sect is dealt with, I will find an opportunity to settle accounts with your Nether Gu Palace!"

Just as the two were bickering, a piercing sound of swords suddenly tore through the sky, clear yet laden with a murderous aura.

The disciples of the Azure Peak Sword Sect crowded around as they escorted Xie Mingyuan forward.

Xie Mingyuan's eyes flashed with a paranoid light.

"My Seven Swords of Azure Peak have already set up the 'Death-Defying Sword Array' on the western cliff. As long as Su Wan dares to come, I will ensure he tastes the agony of a thousand arrows piercing his heart," Xie Mingyuan said in a hoarse voice, his knuckles turning white from gripping the sword hilt fiercely as a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

"Su Wan! Xuantian Sect! The blood debt owed to the Azure Peak Sword Sect shall be repaid in blood today! The Death-Defying Sword Array will surely ensure none of you return alive!"

"You think mere scraps of a sword array by the Seven Swords of Azure Peak can do anything? If you truly encounter Xiao Yi's dual alien flames, even your sword bones will likely be burned to fly ash," Lei Quantian sneered, his tone filled with utter disdain.

Xie Mingyuan clutched his broken sword tightly, his knuckles turning pale, "What do you know? The Death-Defying Sword Array is driven by the natal vital essence of the seven disciples, and the sword technique 'Sword Locking the Universe' can deploy a nine-layered sword net, with sword threads interweaving like an inescapable snare. Back then, even Deity Transformation cultivators could be slain by it."

"This Death-Defying Sword Array is our Azure Peak Sword Sect's trump card. For today, the seven of us have long since prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice!"

"Besides, the Immortal Alliance is also here to assist in the battle today." He lowered his gaze, sweeping it toward the horizon with a trace of hard-to-detect reliance.

Yin Jiuniang suddenly chuckled softly, "Sect Master Xie is certainly well-informed. I hear that the Eastern Region Immortal Alliance has dispatched three Deity Transformation elders this time, along with that one-eyed consultant—rumored to have slain a late-stage Deity Transformation demonic entity three hundred years ago, whose signature 'Spirit-Corroding Miasma' can corrode immortal bones."

Her heart was filled with conflicting thoughts, "With members of the Immortal Alliance present, the Xuantian Sect is bound to fail. It's just that the people of the Immortal Alliance are naturally greedy; when the spoils are divided afterward, we must calculate things very carefully."