"The young master must have gone to the old Ziwei Sect headquarters. What should we do? Do we get involved, or not?"
One of the clan elders whispered.
The other four elders and the Patriarch were silent.
They understood that now was the moment to make the most difficult decision.
If they involved themselves in Ye Yunfei's affairs, they risked provoking the Tianliang Sacred Land, potentially bringing catastrophic consequences upon the Mao Clan. If they did nothing, they would be ungrateful, betraying the mountainous favor bestowed upon them by Zisheng Zhenjun.
"Recall those days," another elder sighed softly. "Maocity was besieged by armies from the Tan Family and the Thousand Sword Sect. We six were gravely wounded, on the verge of death. If our Benefactor had not appeared and aided our Mao Clan, our clan would have long been extinct. Later, the Benefactor even imparted to us numerous high-level techniques and secret arts. It is precisely because of him that our Mao Clan has flourished and reached today's scale. By this reasoning, Zisheng Zhenjun is not just our Benefactor; he is truly our Master! We cannot forget this."
"Well said," another elder chimed in. "I have always regarded the Benefactor as my master! This makes the young master our junior brother. How can we stand idly by while our junior brother is in peril?"
"But once our Mao Clan gets entangled in this," the Patriarch said gravely, "and the Tianliang Sacred Land discovers the relationship between our Mao Clan and the young master, there will be absolutely no place left for our Mao Clan in the entire Tianxiong Domain."
At this moment, the Patriarch and the five elders were in intense inner turmoil.
In truth, the six of them had long considered Zisheng Zhenjun their Master, their bond deep and profound. Ye Yunfei was, by extension, their junior brother.
"Let's do this," the Patriarch said after a pause, gritting his teeth. "We'll settle the clan's affairs, select a successor for the Patriarch position, then the six of us will disguise ourselves and, under new identities, go to assist the young master."
After a brief discussion, the five elders agreed to the Patriarch's proposal.
Thus, the Patriarch and the five elders immediately convened a group of the clan's high-ranking members, swiftly designated a successor for the next Patriarch, disguised themselves, and quietly departed from Mao City, heading towards the old Ziwei Sect headquarters.
Meanwhile...
A large force from the Tianliang Sacred Land was encamped within the mountainous region that housed the old Ziwei Sect headquarters.
Once, the old headquarters had been a lush, majestic area: towering mountains, countless ridges, dense forests teeming with birds and beasts. Now, it was utterly reduced to a scorched, blackened ruin. Mountain ranges were fractured, ridges shattered. All the dense forests within hundreds of *li* had been burned away, leaving everything charred. The ground was crisscrossed with fissures and ravines, dust hanging heavy in the air.
Upon their arrival, the Tianliang Sacred Land's forces had directly razed this once-thriving forested region.
After all, this was the very place where Ye Yunfei had first appeared, slain over a hundred savage wolves, and saved a dozen or so young men and women.
Therefore, after arriving in the Zhenying Sacred Kingdom, the Tianliang Sacred Land's forces had naturally come here first to search for clues. They then made it a temporary base, stationing their men here.
From a distance, over a dozen tents hovered mid-air, with patrol teams from the Tianliang Sacred Land circling the perimeter.
Suddenly, a green Flying Boat flashed across the sky, stopping just before this ravaged mountainous region.
Ye Yunfei stepped out of the vessel. Looking at the shattered, charred earth before him, his eyes turned icy cold.
"Today," he declared, his voice frosty and laden with terrifying killing intent, "blood shall be shed to bathe this region in red, to let the world know this: Those who dare trespass upon my Ziwei Sect shall die without mercy!"
Storing the Flying Boat, Ye Yunfei strode forward.
"Halt! Who goes there! Are you unaware that our Tianliang Sacred Land has garrisoned troops here?!" He had barely taken a few steps when a patrol squad rushed towards him, their leader barking a challenge.
BOOM!
With a casual wave of Ye Yunfei's hand, a peal of thunder split the clear sky. A dazzling bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, transforming into a tens-of-feet-long blade of pure thunder. The blade flashed, cutting the leader clean in half at the waist, leaving two charred, smoking pieces.
One after another, violent thunderclaps exploded. Each bolt targeted a single man. Shrieks of agony and despair filled the air. Some, bisected but not yet dead, fell to the ground, wailing in torment.
From afar, many of the Tianliang Sacred Land's soldiers witnessing this scene turned pale, faces etched with fear.
"Die!" Ye Yunfei's figure blurred. He appeared in front of another patrol team. Punches flew like lightning, one per opponent, cleaving through them like melons and vegetables. In the blink of an eye, dozens were slaughtered amidst demonic cries and bestial howls.
Drunk on the slaughter, Ye Yunfei's arms suddenly swelled, transforming into two colossal limbs, each stretching a hundred meters long, resembling two fierce Flood Dragons. They swept out left and right! The terrifying might of over thirteen hundred *Jiao* erupted forth, shaking heaven and earth wherever it passed. Tianliang Sacred Land soldiers who touched the arcs of energy shattered instantly, evaporating into nothingness.
Within mere breaths, thousands had been slain!
The force of over thirteen hundred *Jiao* was unbearable even for Heavenly Longevity Realm experts. How could these ordinary Tianliang Sacred Land soldiers possibly withstand it?
"Quick! Report to the five Supervisors! An enemy attack!" someone shrieked in the chaos.
At the same time, within one of the tents in the distance, five middle-aged men sat cross-legged.
All five were at the Heavenly Longevity Realm.
Within the Tianliang Sacred Land, a Heavenly Longevity Realm cultivator could be considered a mid-ranking figure.
"They say that kid is at the Early Stage Star-Gazing Realm, but his actual combat prowess is greater. He slew dozens of Star-Gazing Realm cultivators in a short time," one of the men spoke up.
"So what? He's just an Early Stage Star-Gazing Realm cultivator. No matter how strong he is, there's a limit. If I encountered him, I could slay him with one hand!" another middle-aged man sneered.
"Of course. We four are all at the Heavenly Longevity Realm. Star-Gazing Realms are like ants to us," a third man frowned. "The main issue is that the brat seems to have gone into hiding. We need to find him."
"That kid, learning of our Tianliang Sacred Land's forces arrival, must be scared out of his wits, holed up somewhere," the fourth man laughed. "He'd never show up willingly. But, with the might and influence of our Tianliang Sacred Land, he can't hide for long. We'll just wait. The moment we have news of his whereabouts, we'll go deal with him."
"Even if he's found," the fifth man interjected, "we probably won't get a turn. Elder Lü is personally leading a team right now, searching for the kid all over the Zhenying Sacred Kingdom. I hear Elder Lü even plans to take men to search nearby sacred kingdoms. If that yields nothing, the search will expand across the entire Tianxiong Domain. Our task is merely to garrison this spot."
Just then, deafening blasts of energy erupted from afar. A Tianliang Sacred Land disciple charged into the tent in a panic.
"It's trouble! Honorable Supervisors! An enemy is attacking us!"
"Who dares provoke our Tianliang Sacred Land!" All five Supervisors leaped to their feet, furious, and rushed out of the tent.
What they saw then froze their hearts. In the distance, a young man was striding towards them. Thick, crackling arcs of lightning constantly birthed around his body, lashing out in all directions. Each bolt unerringly struck down one of their Tianliang Sacred Land members, with no one able to withstand it.
Wherever the young man walked, the ground behind him was strewn with charred limbs and flesh, a hellscape of moans and screams. Numerous Tianliang Sacred Land members, utterly broken in spirit, were fleeing desperately.
Their forces were in complete disarray.
To the horror of the five Supervisors, at least half the Tianliang Sacred Land contingent stationed here had already been slaughtered.
And the time from when they first heard the energy blasts, received the report, and stepped out of the tent... was merely a few brief moments!
"How is this possible?!" The pupils of all five Tianliang Sacred Land Supervisors contracted, disbelief etched on their faces.