With that single strike unleashed, a considerable amount of true qi had been expended. Huang Tian sat cross-legged where he was to regulate his breathing. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as the spiritual qi between heaven and earth rapidly surged toward him.
Seeing this, Tie Chong and the others dared not step forward to disturb him. Marveling in awe, they merely walked over to the edge of the immense trench that had been gouged into the earth.
Looking at the deep, long chasm that still emanated sharp, fierce blade qi, everyone drew in a sharp breath.
"This single slash was like cleaving a hole straight through the sky! It wasn't even aimed at me, yet I was so terrified I couldn't keep my qi and blood under control and nearly suffered a cultivation deviation. If that move had come down right at me, I reckon that before the blade astral qi even fell, I'd have been sliced clean in half..."
"Haha, Old Guan, why would a butcher's cleaver like that ever be needed to kill you? The Battalion Commander could blow you to bits with a single breath!"
"That's true enough. When the Battalion Commander faced the ambush by Zhang Yu and the others from the Feihong Sect earlier, didn't he blow them to smithereens with a single sonic Lion's Roar technique?"
"Get out of here! We're all men of the Martial Restraint Guard—why would the Battalion Commander ever lay a hand on us!"
"The Battalion Commander was already terrifyingly strong to begin with. Now that he's had an epiphany and seems to have grasped a new move, his strength must be on another level entirely..."
"..."
As the men whispered among themselves, Huang Tian regulated his breathing while toggling open the mental switch of his ability.
Whoosh—
Countless voices flooded into his ears, and voice lines of various colors came into view.
As usual, he started by checking the black voice lines that concerned him the most.
Selecting the deepest, darkest line, he shifted his gaze. Traversing space, an image unfolded before him:
Inside a guest room of a tavern.
A man and a woman sat opposite each other. The man's face was lined with wrinkles; he was short and as withered as dry firewood, his gaze chilling and sharp.
The woman wore a light purple dress. She possessed bewitching, alluring beauty.
The woman in the purple dress furrowed her brows slightly and spoke, "Elder Duan, my subordinates and I have searched Funing County for days, but we haven't found the slightest trace of information regarding the Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler. Could this so-called Void Realm divine armament be a rumor intentionally fabricated by someone?
"Could the goal be to draw a crowd to Qin Province so not everyone rushes to Yong Province to fight over the Thundering Lightning-Chasing Divine Sword?"
Elder Duan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It's unlikely someone would do that. The truly top experts—the first-rank peak Grandmasters—have almost all rushed to Yong Province. Not a single one has come to Kunyun yet. Of course, they could be hiding their presence and haven't been detected.
"Even so, this shows that if someone were deliberately spreading false rumors about the Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler, the trick failed completely. Those with real power have gone to Yong Province to contend for the divine armament, while only those of lesser strength have come to Qin Province."
The purple-dressed woman sighed. "Then if no one is scheming in the shadows, is this divine armament real or fake after all? Who was the first to spread the word that a divine armament was appearing in Funing County?"
Elder Duan shook his head. "Unknown. It can no longer be traced. Rumor only has it that someone spotted a heavy ruler streaking across the sky, suspected to be the Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler."
"Could it be that some lower-three-ranks martial artists or ordinary people without training lacked the discernment and mistook a Grandmaster flying through the air for a Void Realm divine armament?"
"That... is hard to say."
Elder Duan had a bit of a headache as well, because similar farces had occurred multiple times throughout the history of various nations. By now, no one was certain whether this Juntian Ocean-Subduing Ruler was real or fictitious.
"However, I've received word that the Qin provincial capital will soon dispatch two more second-rank Grandmasters to Kunyun to stabilize the situation while searching for the divine armament. Since they are coming, they may well have acquired certain intel. Let us wait in Funing a bit longer."
Elder Duan continued, "If we can't find the divine armament, perhaps they will be able to once they arrive. When the time comes, we can simply vie with them for it."
The purple-dressed woman said worriedly, "The Great Gan imperial court already has a second-rank Grandmaster overseeing Funing. If several more arrive, how can we hope to contend against them?"
Elder Duan laughed heartily. "Do not worry. A message arrived from the Sacred Cult stating that our Holy Son Yin's secret art is on the verge of completion, and he will arrive in Qin Province within days. Once Holy Son Yin arrives, suppressing two or three second-rank Grandmasters will be effortless—he could even stand against a first-rank peak Grandmaster!"
"Holy Son Yin?!"
The woman in the purple dress let out an exclamation of surprise.
The Demonic Cult had five lineages, and each lineage master was a Celestial Being expert. Above the lineage masters stood the Cult Master.
The Demonic Cult Master had taken seven disciples in total, among whom were a pair of brothers named Xiahou Yang and Xiahou Yin.
The elder possessed peerless talent and had broken through to the first-rank peak Grandmaster realm early on, devoting himself entirely to seeking the opportunity to become a Celestial Being; the members of the Demonic Cult called him Holy Son Yang.
The younger was known as Holy Son Yin. Though his natural talent was slightly inferior, he had still broken through to the second-rank Grandmaster realm. Over the past few years, he had been cultivating a formidable secret art. Who would have thought he was finally about to master it and emerge from secluded cultivation!
"Heh, once Holy Son Yin arrives in Kunyun, what dogshit Martial Restraint Guard or Six Doors? We will slaughter them all!
"And that Huang Tian—to dare kill a Grandmaster of our Sacred Cult, he deserves death above all!
"When the time comes, we will certainly ask Holy Son Yin to capture him and torment him thoroughly—flaying his skin, tearing out his sinews, and slicing him into a thousand pieces! Finally, we'll sever his head and hang it before the Martial Restraint Guard government office in Kunyun Commandery seat, so the world can see the fate of offending our Sacred Cult!!"
The purple-dressed woman gave a soft laugh. "With Holy Son Yin taking action, success is guaranteed."
Unless the provincial capital dispatched a first-rank Grandmaster to Kunyun Commandery as reinforcements, virtually no one could stop him.
The crux of the matter was that Holy Son Yin had been in seclusion for years, his whereabouts long absent from public sight. If he slipped into Kunyun alone in secret, the authorities would not notice him anytime soon—and by the time they did, it would essentially be too late... The Demonic Cult intended to take them by surprise and strike when unprepared.
In short:
"We need only await Holy Son Yin's arrival. Once he is here, we can act without restraint!"
Elder Duan spoke with resounding conviction, a broad smile plastered across his face, as if he could already envision the severed heads of Huang Tian and the others.
Whoosh—
Retracting his gaze, Huang Tian felt no ripples in his heart and looked along another black line.
Before long, he had finished viewing over a dozen black lines.
He did not watch every scene for an hour. Enemies harboring killing intent toward him who were beneath notice were skipped after a single glance; only those possessing fourth-rank strength or higher warranted a closer look.
After looking through them, he was somewhat surprised.
Surprisingly, people from Kunyun's Four Great Sects were virtually nowhere to be seen. By all logic, the Four Great Sects should have been wishing for his prompt demise right about now...
Lost in thought, Huang Tian rose to his feet and beckoned over Tie Chong, who was standing on standby in the distance.
"I have been immersed in cultivation for several days. Tell me everything that has happened in the outside world."
Tie Chong hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Battalion Commander! The biggest news would have to be that after you wiped out the Feihong Sect, the sect masters of the Guiyuan Sect and the other three sects suffered cultivation deviations one after another and died of illness."
Indeed, the Guiyuan Sect and the rest of the Four Great Sects had neither banded together to deploy four Grandmasters in an attempt to forcefully kill Huang Tian, nor had they relocated their sects out of Kunyun or Qin Province. Instead, each had lost a sect master!
The fact that four powerful sect masters—figures who stood above tens of millions of people—had all "succumbed to illness" simultaneously stirred up a sensation no less shocking than Huang Tian annihilating the Feihong Sect single-handedly!
Because this signified that the Four Great Sects had caved completely. Without putting up the slightest struggle, they offered their faces to be slapped, utterly stripped of their past demeanor as overlords of Kunyun Commandery!
Moreover, it wasn't just the sect masters who had "succumbed to illness"; certain elders from several sects had followed suit and "died of illness" as well.
It was as if some bizarre ailment were specifically spreading among fourth-rank experts. Across the Four Great Sects, nearly ten fourth-rank martial artists had died!
Decisive!
Shameless!
Such had been Tie Chong's thoughts upon first hearing the news. He felt the Four Great Sects were truly adept at bending with the wind, completely unconcerned with becoming laughingstocks to the outside world.
Looking at Huang Tian with boundless reverence, he said, "Your divine might is awe-inspiring, Commander—single-handedly terrifying the four sects into bowing their heads! Outside, everyone is spreading the word that you are the most powerful Grandmaster in Kunyun Commandery. Your fame resounds far and wide!"
Huang Tian gave a noncommittal smile. "The true masters are all hiding in Funing County."
Just like Elder Duan and the purple-dressed woman he had observed with his ability: the former was a second-rank elder of the Demonic Cult, and the latter was a third-rank Grandmaster. In addition, the imperial court had a second-rank Grandmaster stationed in Funing, and more experts arriving from other commanderies were bound to be lurking in the shadows...
Truth be told, Elder Duan was solely preoccupied with the divine armament and lacked the confidence to take Huang Tian down; otherwise, he would have long since rushed to the Feihong Sect compound to capture and execute him.
"Is there anything else?"
Tie Chong pondered for a moment and answered, "Then there is the matter of the Feihong Sect's treasures you had us transport. Word arrived from the commandery seat saying the road was completely clear, with no one daring to pillage. All the treasures reached the commandery seat safely; the majority were delivered to your residence, while a smaller portion was placed into our Martial Restraint Guard's Storehouse Bureau.
"Additionally, letters arrived from Assistant Commissioner Yu and Pacification Commissioner Bai asking when you would return. They said the situation is turbulent and remaining outside for an extended period isn't safe. Of course, they do not intend to recall you by force—all actions are left to your discretion."
With Huang Tian's formidable prestige after slaying the Demonic Cult's Grandmaster Pei Guan and wiping out the Feihong Sect, only someone who had eaten the gall of a bear and leopard would dare rob his spoils along the way.
"When to return... No rush. I still have a few places to visit."
Huang Tian reflected for a moment. Among the Four Great Sects, the sect masters and elders who had colluded with the Feihong Sect had all been pressured to death, and those who remained were trembling in fear. He no longer had ample justification to go and annihilate their sects. Still, having offended him, the matter naturally could not be let go so easily. He had to make them bleed, and in particular, he needed to take a good look at the martial techniques preserved within their sects.
At this point, he was rather glad the Four Great Sects had not been frightened into fleeing and relocating; otherwise, those martial techniques would have been difficult to view.
"You... aren't planning to continue..."
The words "annihilating sects" were left unsaid, but the horrified expression on Tie Chong's face could not be concealed.
"I know what I'm doing."
Huang Tian glanced at him. "Besides, am I really that terrifying?"
Tie Chong stumbled back two steps and gave a forced chuckle. "Commander, you are amiable, approachable, and good to your subordinates. How could you possibly be terrifying?"
Huang Tian waved a hand noncommittally. "Go feed my dragon horse well."
"Yes!" Tie Chong led his men to feed the horse with a heavy heart.
Less than half an hour later, a warrior reported that the dragon horse had finished feeding.
Huang Tian nodded, led the horse over, slung the quiver across his back, hitched the dark-gold staff to his waist, and secured a large bundle onto the saddle.
He instructed Tie Chong, "If possible, do your best to transport the texts from the Feihong Sect's Scripture Pavilion to the commandery seat to enrich the collection in the government Book Pavilion."
"This humble subordinate understands," Tie Chong responded. "Commander, should I take some men along with you?"
"No need. Just handle the remaining matters here at the Feihong Sect."
Huang Tian looked into the distance. "I'm off!"
With a long neigh, the dragon horse's hooves flew, bolting out of the Feihong Sect compound in the blink of an eye and galloping into the distance.
Huang Tian had no intention of concealing his movements. The moment he left the compound, he was spotted by the scouts sent by various factions stationed in the small town. Every one of them tensed up immediately, and numerous carrier pigeons and hawks took to the sky.
Then, several riders mounted fast horses and trailed far behind Huang Tian, hoping to see where he was heading. If he was returning to the commandery seat, all was well; but if he was headed for the headquarters of the other Four Great Sects...
Huang Tian couldn't be bothered with the tails following him. He focused on traveling, swallowing pills and circulating his qi to temper his qi and blood along the way.
Thus, after more than half a day and over a thousand li covered, he was less than a hundred li from the headquarters of the Guiyuan Sect, one of the Four Great Sects.
Now everyone knew with certainty that Huang Tian was heading straight for the Guiyuan Sect.
Even more messenger birds took flight in all directions, while the Guiyuan Sect was thrown into total chaos and panic over Huang Tian's impending arrival.
With a mournful face, newly appointed Sect Master Wu Jiamin sought out Supreme Elder Wu Xuefeng.
"Granduncle, that god of slaughter is coming! What should we do? Should we hurry and flee?!"
Though Wu Xuefeng was flustered as well, he maintained a facade of composure and berated him, "Remember, you are now the master of a sect! How can you display such a cowardly demeanor and make a laughingstock of yourself for nothing!"
Thoroughly scolded, Wu Jiamin hung his head in silence. At this moment, he truly wished he had never assumed the mantle of sect master and were merely an inconspicuous elder instead. That way, he would still have a chance to slip away unnoticed. But now, his every move was watched by everyone.
How could Wu Xuefeng fail to see through his thoughts? Frowning, he said, "Do not panic excessively. He may not necessarily be coming to kill. In my observation, his actions clearly distinguish gratitude and grievances. Since Wu Dingwen and the others are already dead, he shouldn't take his anger out on us."
Hearing this, Wu Jiamin felt slightly reassured, but a trace of worry lingered. "If he isn't coming to exterminate the sect, why is he heading straight for us?"
Wu Xuefeng pondered and said, "Perhaps it is for compensation."
"Compensation? Yes, compensation!"
Wu Jiamin caught on immediately, his eyes lighting up. "If bleeding some wealth can settle the score, it is indeed well worth it! Granduncle, how about we compensate him with one Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pill and three five-hundred-year spirit herbs?"
"Not enough!" Wu Xuefeng said decisively. "If we are to offer compensation, we must show sincerity. Add another Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pill and four more spirit herbs. Rest assured, this old man will provide the extra items."
Two Precious Elephant Sacred Fetus Pills and seven spirit herbs several centuries old—even Wu Xuefeng felt immense heartache parting with them.
Still, heartache was heartache; failing to part with wealth would lead to catastrophic loss!
Compared to the extermination of the sect, bleeding a little was far preferable.
Wu Xuefeng walked to his private treasury, retrieved the items, and handed them to Wu Jiamin. "If he arrives at our door, present the gift of apology immediately. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Wu Jiamin carefully stowed away the precious pills and spirit herbs and turned to leave. Halfway out, a question suddenly struck him.
Why am I the one presenting the apology to Huang Tian? Is Granduncle not going to show his face?
In the simple courtyard, watching Wu Jiamin's receding back, Wu Xuefeng quickly packed a small bundle and darted out into the continuous green mountains outside the courtyard.
"A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. It is better for this old man to take shelter outside first!"
Chapter 112