WHILE YANG LUJIA and the controlled Left Minister were on their way to the Ghost Fire Sect's lair, his disciples were also awakened by the continuous knocks from the door of their master's courtyard. However, even after hearing the voice of the Sect Master, they shut their ears off to him.
In particular, for Long Guang, without his master, all he'd want to do was sleep.
"Why does it seem like Lu'er is not in his courtyard? Perhaps he's trying to cultivate? Really a poor child," the Sect Master muttered to himself. "Nevertheless, I only wanted to tell him if he could try to cultivate again. Maybe his talent was only suppressed. After all, that Zhuquan De, his grandfather, was a monster."
The Sect Master and Zhuquan De fought once, the former seeking guidance from the Supreme Elder. However, before he could even make a move, Zhuquan De slapped him to death. That old man even uttered some strange words that he couldn't decipher.
"You're very weak. Weaker than an atom, actually."
What's an atom? What's his cultivation? How come he is so strong that I can't even go near him? Let alone touch him, he had already made a strike before I could even move an inch. Those were all the thoughts of the Sect Master of the War Dragon Sect. Nevertheless, after that event, every time he'd see Zhuquan De, his eyes were filled with reverence, sparkling—an indication of idolatry. But what puzzled him was Zhuquan De's reaction every time he did this.
"What's with that look? You look like a child with an old face. For Pete's sake, you're a dignified Sect Master. Moreover, I don't wanna see those eyes again like that. Otherwise, I'll pluck the two of them out and donate them to a blind large loach and perform some kind of optical-or-I-don't-know surgery. I'll particularly use surgical tongs to remove them from your eye sockets." After saying the last sentence, Zhuquan De's expression shifted to excitement. "Why don't I put up a clinic here and help the mortals?"
Questions bombarded the Sect Master's mind after hearing some of those things from Zhuquan De. This old man had some weird things in his head that he could not understand.
Filled with those questions once more, the Sect Master seemed to forget his real purpose for coming here to see Yang Lujia. Some of the Peak Masters were actually trapped inside the array formation they repaired! One of the peak masters was even stripped of his clothes. Moreover, it happened in front of the sect's disciples due to the illusionary effect of the array formation.
Until now, that peak master didn't know what was going on. Fortunately, he looked like a pig. Otherwise, some female disciples would have feasted over his body. Well, such defilement is common in this world. After all, again, the only law they followed was to respect the strong. As long as the strong didn't know what they did against them, they would be left unpunished.
"Is this the Ghost Fire Sect? It's pretty odd," Yang Lujia said as he observed the sect from a distance.
In between two towering mountains sat the Ghost Fire Sect's lair, and the fog surrounding it brimmed with ghost qi. Without permission, anyone who touches the cloud of fog would have his soul trapped forever, unless the one who created the array formation with dense ghost qi allows it.
Yang Lujia saw through this disguise, however.
As his mental power tapped through the fog, he saw the true appearance of the place. It was originally a canyon, modified by the creation of a sect. Although the place was quite disconcerting for other people, it wasn't the case for those who belonged to the sect.
One could only enter the sect through a narrow passage at the back part of the canyon. Wrapped in a liquid-like but transparent layer of stealth, the disciples guarding the main gate didn't notice their entrance at all. There were also bats that were non-nocturnal around this tunnel-like passage. They were sleeping, and it left Yang Lujia in wonder.
Although Zhuquan De brought him to several places, he really didn't know much about the five realms at all. It went the same with the Ghost Fire Sect. Its overall structure gave him the idea of "horror houses" in circuses on Earth. The sweat from getting terrified and screaming really resembled the word "fire" in the sect's name.
Sensing powerful auras from within the sect, Yang Lujia was a bit stumped. There were three Mahayana Emperors, excluding the one with a different aura—which could be inferred that it was the one who accompanied Yan Xiao, the crown prince of the Flaming Dragon Empire.
During this time, the sect was in high spirits, celebrating the allegiance of the two parties. Some just drank wine and ate food. Some were trying to hug thick thighs and chitchat. And the rest were only in awe of the stupendous display and aura of the Flaming Dragon Empire people's golden robes that spoke a lot of dominance.
"Hahaha! This Sect Master is very pleased to welcome His Majesty's arrival and proposal of allegiance!" With him sliding his fingers down his beard that stretched to his shoulders, the burly old man talked with fervor.
Perfunctorily, the crown prince just lightly laughed. "The Sect Master is polite. In the future, you can call this young one Xiao'er."
"I dare not!"
Yan Xiao chuckled. "Well, I dare you, uncle."
Hearing the conversation, Yang Lujia was a bit taken aback by the crown prince's personality consistency. Worthy of being a noble prince from a large empire.
Yang Lujia's eyes penetrated through the barriers of the sect and locked his mental power on four people—the three Mahayana Emperors of the sect and the Mahayana Emperor from the crown prince's side.
"Your Majesty, I just sensed something strange," the empire's Mahayana Emperor reported through mind transmission.
Successfully, it caught the attention of Yan Xiao as his eyes flashed with a cold light. "What's the situation?"
"It's like someone's trying to contro—"
Before he finished his sentence, he choked. A glinting red line traced itself across his neck. Everyone saw the man's body fall to the ground, his eyes open but bleak. Before, there were cheers. At the moment, there was only silence.
A little while later, an ear-splitting roar resounded. All eyes converged on her. As soon as their gazes drifted towards where she was staring, there were only waves of disbelief.
Three Mahayana Emperors. Dead.
The killer used the same method. A straight slit in the throat. Cleanly done.
The Sect Master's eyes bulged, his legs quivering. Uttering a single word was even more difficult for him to do. Neither could he move from the scene that had just transpired. Even Yan Xiao couldn't stand still, staring at his strongest support from his empire. That was his only Mahayana Emperor, guarding him, but he died inexplicably. It's completely unprecedented.
Yan Xiao, his mind as nimble as it was, didn't dare stay longer in the place and turned around from the scene while giving signals to his remaining subordinates immediately.
"I didn't expect such a thing to happen," Yan Xiao muttered to himself. "Could it be them?"
Thinking about "them," his body trembled. The members of this organization never had regard for whoever they were sent to kill. Only the rewards could entice them. There were only a few times when they failed to kill their targets, but those were basically one in a million.
Their group was called the Assassination Organization.
As he saw the passageway of the sect, he sped up. To his misfortune, he encountered the being that made him petrified.
This young man, who looked younger than him, had looks beyond his own. He even had the urge to scratch his face in shame.
However, what took him aback was the man's gesture.
Yang Lujia raised his right hand and snapped his finger, smiling at the main protagonist of his game. It seemed like this prince wasn't an idiot after all, escaping at the right time and moment. Unlike some protagonists, who would continue to struggle even if their chances of winning were extremely slim.
Yan Xiao blankly looked around him after he heard that snap. That young man disappeared in front of him. Space was even distorted. A shout then woke him up from his appalled state. But, at this moment, he was stock-still.
"Sect Master of the Ghost Fire Sect, get out! Let this minister slaughter you and your disciples. I'll use all of you to increase my cultivation!" The ground shook with his voice. As though the earth was his throat, vibrating and trembling to produce sounds.
"The Left Minister of the Holy Flood Empire?!" The Sect Master disregarded the fleeing disciples and stared at the man in the sky. His expression then turned cold. "Why are you here? Are you the one who assassinated the sect's three ancestors?!"
"Hahaha! That's what you get for opposing the Holy Flood Empire explicitly!"
"You!" Veins popped out of the Sect Master's forehead as he clenched his fist. "Despicable fellow!"
"You look like a veiny toad, Sect Master of the Ghost Fire Sect. Look at your face. It's so ugly."
The Sect Master exploded in rage and revealed his peak cultivation in the Tribulation Transcending Realm. However, it still paled in comparison to the Left Minister's being a Mahayana Emperor.
This further terrified Yan Xiao. He just wanted to go home. I don't want to be here anymore.
Long Guang, on the other side, awoke from his enlarged crib and rubbed his eyes in the world Yang Lujia had created for him."Wer master? Skeri echi... chinimon... ske... ri... Long Guang... is keyrd..." With eyes filled with fear and anger, he wailed.
When Lin Diyu heard his second junior brother's cry, he was stoked. Their worlds were basically connected to each other. He just needed to use the teleportation channel of the Blood World.
Soon enough, he arrived in the world of his second junior brother. As soon as he saw his second junior brother loudly roaring with tears running down his cheeks, his expression softened, and he hurriedly ran to Long Guang's side.