The atmosphere in the grand hall gradually turned solemn and icy with the appearance of Lord Saint Yang. Whether they were the lords of the various Immortal Dynasties or the masters of the Immortal Realms, no one spoke, and no one dared to speak. In their hearts, they all hoped Lord Saint Yang would teach that Sha Xiang Domain Master—who they saw as nothing but a fat pig—a harsh lesson.
However...
Lord Saint Yang's face was stern, his expression profound. He merely stared at Sha Xiang Domain Master without uttering a word.
Meanwhile, Sha Xiang Domain Master kept his eyes closed, humming a little tune to himself, feigning ignorance.
After a moment like this, one of the Immortal Dynasty lords couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "Domain Lord, the Grand Elder, Lord Saint Yang... has returned."
"Hmm?"
Finally.
Sha Xiang Domain Master stopped humming, opened his eyes, and upon seeing Lord Saint Yang, pretended to be greatly surprised. "Oh my! Isn't this Grand Elder Lord Saint Yang? When did you return, venerable elder? Why didn't you send word ahead of time? I could have prepared a feast to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey!"
"No need! Do not trouble yourself, Domain Lord!" Lord Saint Yang seemed to have no desire to waste words with Sha Xiang Domain Master and cut straight to the point. "May I ask if the Domain Lord is aware of the events that have transpired in our Lingluo Heavenly Domain?"
"What events?" Sha Xiang Domain Master gnawed on a large beef leg, tore off a chunk of raw meat with force, and chewed it directly. "Is it about the opening of the Ancestral Realm? That matter has already been arranged, and..."
Before Sha Xiang could finish, Lord Saint Yang interrupted sharply, "This old man is not referring to the opening of the Ancestral Realm."
"Then what is it?"
"It is the matter of that heaven-and-earth-defying criminal disciple, You Di, returning from the dead!"
"Ah, you mean that." Sha Xiang Domain Master grabbed a wine jar with his large hand, took several gulps, and exhaled a breath of liquor. "Such a major event, of course I've heard of it."
"Since the Domain Lord is already aware, why have you remained inactive until now?"
"Aren't we waiting for the decree from the Nine Heavens?"
"You Di brings calamity to the Great Dao, harms all living beings, and is intolerable to heaven and earth. Such a criminal deserves death by all. Even if the Nine Heavens have not issued a decree, we, as Immortal officials of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, have the duty, nay, the responsibility, to eliminate this scourge for the people..."
This time, Lord Saint Yang's words were also cut short by Sha Xiang Domain Master. "Yes, yes, yes. Everything you say, venerable elder, is correct. But the problem is, no one actually knows if You Di has truly returned from the dead, right? What if it's false news? Then all our efforts would be for nothing."
Lord Saint Yang shouted, "High Immortal Qingqing of the Eternal Life Pavilion and Old Master Kaishan have already come forward to confirm that the criminal You Di has most likely returned!"
"This... Grand Elder, you are an elder of great seniority. How can you also believe such rumors? Let's not even discuss whether You Di has actually returned from the dead. Even if he has truly returned, so what? The rumors say he is a criminal threatening the Great Dao and all living beings, but they are just rumors. Such things are only to be listened to. How can you take them seriously, elder?"
"This old man indeed does not know if the rumors are true. This old man only knows that there is no smoke without fire. Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, we, as practitioners of the Immortal Dao, cannot let him go." Lord Saint Yang declared with righteous fervor, "For a criminal who threatens the Great Dao and all living beings, we would rather kill by mistake than let a single one escape."
"Grand Elder, isn't that statement of yours a bit too... extreme?" Sha Xiang Domain Master said. "We haven't even verified the truth of the matter, and you already want to exterminate him. How unjust would that be for him!"
"Unjust? Hahahaha!"
Suddenly.
Lord Saint Yang burst into loud laughter, his mirth causing the entire grand hall to tremble violently. After his laughter subsided, he roared, "How many Immortals did that criminal You Di slaughter in the Ancient Era? How many innocent people died by his hand? That You Di destroyed our Immortal Dynasties, burned our Nine Heavens, and is irreconcilably opposed to our Nine Heavens Immortal Path. He deserves death by all! Even cutting him into a thousand pieces would not quell the hatred in this old man's heart!"
"Grand Elder, you said it yourself—that was in the Ancient Era. Now it's already the Present Era, tens of thousands of years later. Those events happened so long ago. How can you, elder, still not let them go?" Sha Xiang ate his meat and drank his wine, speaking nonchalantly. "Let's be honest. Among those who mingle in the Great Desolation, who hasn't killed a person or two? If you don't kill, you get killed. If we keep clinging to such trivial matters, isn't that rather lacking in magnanimity?"
"How dare you!" Lord Saint Yang flew into a rage, his face flushing red as he glared furiously at Sha Xiang Domain Master. "Do you know that the previous Domain Lord of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain was killed by that criminal You Di?"
"I have heard about that. And I also heard that your most beloved disciple back then was also killed by You Di, wasn't he? If I recall correctly, even you, venerable elder, seemed to have... at the hands of You Di..."
When Sha Xiang said this, the expressions of all the Immortal Dynasty lords and Immortal Realm masters in the grand hall changed drastically.
They all knew this matter was a painful wound in Lord Saint Yang's heart. Even after all this time, no one dared to mention it in front of him, because the events of that year were not only Lord Saint Yang's pain but also the greatest humiliation he had ever suffered in his life.
Back then.
You Di was not yet You Di; he was still the Chixiao Monarch who had destroyed the Immortal Dynasties.
He had just entered the Great Desolation and was living in seclusion in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
Not long after, for some reason, his identity as the Chixiao Monarch was exposed, and he was soon hunted by the Immortal Dao. The Immortal Court Residence of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain was the first to lead the siege against You Di. To this day, the memory of that battle remained fresh in the minds of many present in the hall, as quite a few of the current Immortal Dynasty lords and Immortal Realm masters had participated in the siege.
They all clearly remembered how terrifying the battle had been when they besieged You Di back then.
If they could go back to that time, none of the Immortal Dynasty people present would ever have gone to besiege You Di.
Because it was truly too horrifying.
Even now, the mere recollection sent shivers down their spines.
In that battle, the Domain Lord of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain died. Lord Saint Yang's most beloved disciple also died—and it was You Di who, right before Lord Saint Yang's eyes, slapped that beloved disciple into nothingness, reducing him to ashes.
Moreover, Lord Saint Yang himself had been beaten by You Di until only half his life remained.
The reason that battle was considered Lord Saint Yang's greatest humiliation was that he had been the one to lead the siege against You Di. He had been the one shouting the loudest slogans, the one holding high the banner of the Immortal Dao, swearing to exterminate You Di.
And the result?
Not only was he publicly hung up and given a thorough beating by You Di—a real, vicious beating, slap after slap, until Lord Saint Yang was covered in blood—but You Di also crippled his limbs, finally turning him into a human stump.
This was a pain Lord Saint Yang could never erase in this lifetime, the greatest humiliation he had suffered in his hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation. He could not forget it. He would never forget.