Wu Long watched Hua Ziyan, Shen Min and Wei Lan press the Senior Grand Elder he pointed out from the start as their target, relentlessly pursuing him in a sequence of attacks and not giving a moment to catch his breath.

‘Oh, they got him’

He thought some time later as he saw the man falter slightly as he retreated under Hua Ziyan’s fists, as a chakram he deflected hid another one from his view that left a deep gash on his leg. In the next moment a current of Spiritual Qi crushed into him as it pinned him down and broke his protective Spiritual Qi while the Spiritual Qi Fists continued to rain down on him.

“Great Job. In this environment with no Spiritual Qi around you are at a disadvantage if you choose a battle of attrition, since neither of you can replenish your reserves of Spiritual Qi while in battle, and Core Formation Realm practitioners have more of it by leaps and bounds from Foundation Building Realm cultivators, so pressing for a short decisive battle without saving up was a good choice”

Wu Long arrived next to the three beauties who smiled back at him.

“That said, your consumption rate was too fast so you cannot finish the rest off, don’t worry, there will be more opportunities to hone your skills, not to mention that you have already profited immensely from this time. For now, retreat to Ye Ling and take time to consolidate the experience”

He then said as he looked at Wu Mengqi, Cao Xiang and Cao Mei in the distance as well. A barrier wall fell down from the dome above, insulating the territory of the sect through which all six beauties that initiated the attack went through without any problems as Wu Long turned to the remaining sect members, a spear still in his hand.

“As for the rest…”

His eyes reflected paling faces of people, holding up their weapons with trembling hands, and a rain of light as the pillars of barriers that held in Grand Elders and Senior Grand Elders broke into pieces like shards of glass and then started to descend to the ground like small glowing particles.

—

*Clang!*

A loud metallic sound resounded in a lavishly decorated spacious hall.

A middle-aged man wearing luxurious robes with disheveled hair and overall appearance flew back, landing on his back, a crown falling not far from him and bouncing off with metallic sounds.

As he tried to get up, a blade was pressed to his neck, and he froze, looking up with hatred and spite. There was blood going down the side of his face and trickling down from the corner of his mouth. And deep in his eyes, a fear was lurking that the man struggled to not show.

“Returning alive was a surprise haa~ haa~ … , and it looks like you even got some tricks up your sleeve, haa~ … but you will not dare to kill me, Yen Tianlei”

The man said with rugged breath as he looked up at Old Yen.

“And why is that?”

“Because you don’t know what you are messing with, you idiot! Do you really think I was able to rise to the throne on my own? That the kings of this Kingdom rule it? Hahaha… you were too naive back then, and it seems you are not better now”

The man said with some triumph and condescension. Blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth beginning to coagulate as his lip was broken in the beginning of the fight.

“Are you perhaps talking about the Dawn Concealing Sect?”

Old Yen did not show any surprise, calmly looking down at the man on the floor.

“…?!?! How-… no, that’s not important, if you know, and still came for revenge then you are an even bigger fool than I though you were!”

“Who is the fool here? The one who came for revenge despite knowing that truth, or the one believing there is no reason that the former ignored it?”

Old Yen’s remark caused the man to pause as his eyes slightly widened.

“I-it can’t be! But they have no reason for them to support you over me!”

The man seemed to have come to a conclusion of his own. It could have been a manifestation of the worry he held all along, as a person whose rule, and even life itself was held in the hands of others. Being afraid of the day coming when he would be deemed no longer useful was in fact very normal, and thus the first thing his mind went to was exactly that scenario.

However, what puzzled him was that Old Yen was from the same generation as him, and they both were in the Foundation Building Realm. He would not live that much longer, so swapping in Old Yen did not have much merit in it.

“Haha… hahahaha!

If only it was that, then you might have been able to at least say that the day will come when I am in your place and someone else is in mine… a pity you will not be able to”

Old Yen laughed as he understood how miserable this man was all these years, sitting on that throne, constantly worrying that he would be replaced. For hundreds of years not able to sit still and enjoy the power he finally got. 𝑖𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

“Wha-… what do you mean?”

“It means that your precious backers are not the reason I do not fear repercussions”

He smiled and the man first looked puzzled as his face froze in unease, but then gradually confidence returned to his face.

“Hahaha! Then you will meet your demise not long after you kill me, dear nephew! Release me and I guarantee that I will spare you when they come here”

“Come here? Who will? Those Lust Cultivators?”

Old Yen chuckled as he asked, and the manner in which he asked the question, as well as a certain glint in his eyes made the smile of the man lying on the floor gradually melt as he looked into Old Yen’s eyes.

—

The sun was setting down as a beautiful translucent barrier of Spiritual Qi, with intricate and profound patterns moving along its surface, was covering a canyon. In the center of the dome was a canyon dead-end that was artificially widened with various majestic structures built within and on the walls of the canyon.

The sun’s rays no longer directly entered the canyon, only illuminating upper parts of eastern rocky walls over the edges of the western walls, the sharp line between the highlighted rocks and dark slowly climbing up as everything down below became darker and darker.

At the center of it was a square, with a large statue, of which upper part that peeked out of the canyon was also partially lit. The whole square’s flooring was dark, even though most of the paths leading up to it were made of white marble that still was quite visible in the twilight.

“Wu Long”

Several beauties approached the square, not entering it as not far from when they stopped the floor was littered with bodies and painted crimson that now looked just black, only parts of it reflecting the lit upper parts of the rocky walls of the canyon.

A young man sat atop a small mountain of corpses, looking absent-mindedly at the statue. As his name was called he stood up and turned to look in the direction of the beauties.

“Hm? Oh, I am done with the treasury and collecting everything of use, how are the rescued?”

“Still traumatized but those of them who are stronger began to organize them so they can leave here in groups, they are now gathered in the canyon path, preparing to move out”

“I see, thank you”

Wu Long smiled at Ye Ling and she smiled back at him.

“Are we done here then?”

She then asked and he nodded.

“Almost”

He then turned, and made a diagonal slash with the spear he held in his hand, and eight Spiritual Qi slashes like crescent moons started expanding from that one light motion, flying toward the statue, and hit it with loud sounds of crushed rocks.

The whole statue broke into pieces and the debris was sent flying by tyrannical wind that came along with the strikes. The chunks of rocks were lit by the sunlight as they went up into the air and then descended into darkness as they crashed into buildings and streets, raising clouds of dust. The dome that previously deprived the place of Spiritual Qi started to instead pump it inside.

Talismans that could be seen everywhere started burning, setting all of the buildings on fire as Wu Long walked toward the beauties, and they turned toward the exit to the sect, setting off into the distance.

The fire lit the canyon that became completely dark, its flames consuming everything within, becoming wilder and wilder as the dome above shattered, its pieces slowly falling to the ground like a shiny rain of light as they gradually broke down into smaller parts and eventually dissipated upon touching the ground.