"The Reincarnation Sect has betrayed us and taken away the prodigies of the major Holy Lands!"
"Ancestor, the Young Master has been taken!"
"Ancestor, stop fighting! The Saintess has been taken..."
Fearful voices reverberated across the battlefield, startling both warring sides and causing an immediate ceasefire.
Dongfang Wenda looked around. Indeed, he couldn’t spot any powerful individuals from the Reincarnation Sect. His heart sank. He quickly left the battlefield, heading towards the headquarters of the Court of Nine Saints.
He realized the severity of the situation and could only pray that Dongfang Zhantian had not been taken away.
The experts from the other Holy Lands also lost the will to continue the battle. They flew back to their respective headquarters. Soon, only the experts from the Eternal Temple remained on the battlefield.
"Pavilion Master, everything is under your control!" Soul Annihilation declared, his voice filled with deep admiration and reverence.
"Grand Elder, should we continue our pursuit?" Soul Bone asked, panting heavily. His body exuded such intense Evil Qi that the very Void seemed to recoil from him.
"No need. Return to headquarters!" Soul Annihilation waved his hand dismissively. Their objective was achieved, so there was no point in further entanglement with the other Holy Lands. It would be better to return to their ancestral land to build up their defenses and prevent retaliation from the major Holy Lands.
The hundreds of experts from the Eternal Temple obeyed and withdrew from the battlefield.
As soon as they departed, roars of fury erupted. A palpable rage burned intensely in the Void, scorching it and painting the sky crimson.
"Eternal Temple, I will fight you to the death!"
At the Saint Heaven Institute’s encampment, Elder Qiu Dao roared at the sky in despair. Overcome by fury, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his once greying hair instantly turned snow white. Dıscover more novels at NoveI-Fire.ɴet
The elders standing behind him wore grim expressions; the atmosphere was somber.
Han Shuo, who possessed the Supreme Emotionless Physique, had been abducted!
The prodigy with the greatest hope of achieving immortality in the Saint Heaven Institute was now gone.
"Ancestor, the Saintess is missing!"
At the Linglong Holy Land’s encampment, an Emperor Realm elder knelt on the ground, reporting in a voice choked with despair.
Ice Jade Soul, who had just landed, staggered upon hearing this, nearly collapsing. Her fists clenched, and her chest heaved violently, too enraged to speak.
Apart from the Saint Heaven Institute and Linglong Holy Land, many other Holy Lands, including the Jin Ding Inn, Beidou Palace, and the Lingdan Clan, also had numerous prodigies abducted.
Only Dongfang Zhantian of the Court of Nine Saints had not been taken.
"Great Ancestor, thankfully you anticipated that someone would try to abduct the Crown Prince and assigned me to protect him in secret. Otherwise..." an elder reported from within the spacious camp of the Court of Nine Saints.
This elder wore an ancient robe from the Second Era. He had white hair and a deeply wrinkled face, appearing as if he were on the brink of death. However, his eyes held a shrewd, unfathomable glint, hinting at a mind capable of masterminding grand strategies.
This man was Feng Conglong, the most renowned Prime Minister of the Court of Nine Saints, and also the second Origin Great Emperor Martial Artist.
"Who was it that acted?" Dongfang Wenda asked in a grave voice, breathing a sigh of relief as he looked at the unharmed Dongfang Zhantian.
"Ancestor, the one who acted was Great Emperor Reincarnation! Thankfully, Prime Minister Feng was here. Otherwise, I would have fallen victim too!" Dongfang Zhantian replied, his face pale with lingering fear. He bowed respectfully to Feng Conglong and said gratefully, "Thank you, Prime Minister Feng, for your aid!"
"Your Highness is too kind. It was merely my duty!" Feng Conglong said with a smile, helping Dongfang Zhantian up. A look of affection flashed in his eyes as he continued, "For the time being, you should stay with me to avoid any further plots!"
"Absolutely not!" Dongfang Wenda interjected, his brow furrowed in opposition.
Feng Conglong was taken aback, assuming Dongfang Wenda felt uneasy. He cupped his hands and asked, "Great Ancestor, do you intend to keep the Crown Prince by your side?"
Both were Origin Great Emperor Martial Artists. However, Dongfang Wenda was a prodigy of the First Era and a peak Great Emperor Realm cultivator, only one step away from the Supreme Emperor Realm. Being with Dongfang Wenda was indeed safer than being with Feng Conglong.
"Not exactly!" Dongfang Wenda shook his head, his voice tinged with sorrow. "This time, the Eternal Temple abducted a large number of prodigies. Next, they will undoubtedly focus on capturing Zhantian. It’s not safe for him to be with us, especially since Emperor Soul’s cultivation base is stronger than ours."
"You mean to..." Feng Conglong, also a quick-witted man, gestured upwards with his finger.
"That’s right," Dongfang Wenda said in a solemn tone, feeling deeply humiliated. "I plan to entrust Zhantian to Immortality Mountain. They are the only ones who can resist the Eternal Temple!"
He, as the ancestor of the Nine-fold Holy Land, a prominent figure of the First Era, couldn’t even protect his own descendant and had to send him to another power. In his eyes, this was a great humiliation.
"Alas! It seems there is no other way!" Feng Conglong sighed, patted Dongfang Zhantian’s shoulder, and then left the main tent.
"Ancestor..." Once Feng Conglong had departed, Dongfang Zhantian knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"Don’t cry!" Dongfang Wenda helped Dongfang Zhantian up, wiped away his tears, and said with a smile, "The men of the Dongfang family shed blood, not tears. When Jade Zun returns, I will send you to Immortality Mountain!
"Once you are at Immortality Mountain, you must restrain your temper, cultivate diligently, and strive to break through to the Immortal Realm as soon as possible!"
Dongfang Zhantian nodded firmly and declared with solemnity, "Rest assured, Ancestor, I will cultivate diligently!"
"I believe in you!" Dongfang Wenda said with a smile.
At the zenith of the Nine Heavens, Jade Zun and Emperor Soul were still locked in a fierce battle, which grew more intense by the moment. Devastating techniques filled the sky, and blood splattered everywhere.
Sword Qi and Blade Qi clashed, sending sparks flying as the Void fractured inch by inch.
Both were sent flying back over ten thousand miles, each coughing up a mouthful of blood. Their bodies were covered in grievous wounds, rendering them practically figures of blood.
The injuries they sustained were imbued with the Power of Laws, making them exceedingly difficult to heal. If they continued to fight, they would risk their lives.
"Jade Zun, you have been invincible for eight eras, yet I have finally caught up!" Emperor Soul spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and said with a smile, his tone calm as if they were not in battle but merely chatting.
"To damage your Dao foundation and lose your chance at immortality for ’it’—is ’it’ truly worthy of your devotion?" Jade Zun asked calmly, taking a deep breath.
"Of course!" Emperor Soul’s expression remained unchanged as he replied with reverence, "My master’s power is beyond your imagination! ’It’ has promised me that ’it’ will help me break through to the Immortal Realm!"
In truth, his strength, which had advanced by leaps and bounds to rival Jade Zun’s, actually stemmed from a punishment.
After the plan against the Qin Dynasty failed, his ’master’ descended. Using Emperor Soul’s own Dao foundation as the source, his ’master’ resorted to forcefully promoting his cultivation by an entire realm—akin to pulling up seedlings to hasten their growth.
The purpose was to seize the other prodigies during the opening of the Yellow Spring Supreme Mystic Realm.
"Foolish!" Jade Zun cursed angrily.
A ruined Dao foundation—how could it possibly be mended? Even those as powerful as the Ten Supremes could not restore a shattered Dao foundation. In his view, the one behind Emperor Soul was most likely just deceiving him.
"Haha, time will prove everything! But that’s assuming you live to see that day. Farewell!" Emperor Soul did not refute. Taking advantage of Jade Zun’s momentary distraction, he tore open the Void and vanished, leaving only an echo reverberating through the emptiness.
"A plan spanning nine eras... no one can prevent my master’s descent..."
Jade Zun remained silent, making no attempt to pursue. With a heavy heart, he flew towards Hanshui.