“Any other questions?”
Yin Tianjue leaned back against the throne of skulls, propping his chin on one hand. His tone was so languid that he sounded as if he had just woken up.
“N-no, none…”
Luo Tianhong hurriedly shook his head, scrambled to his feet, and slunk back to his seat.
Seeing this, how could the other elders dare ask another question? One by one, they sat bolt upright, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Yet the storm raging in their hearts refused to calm.
Liu Qing and Shen Hao were dead!
Two guardians at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm had just died like that!
They had died at the hands of their own lord!
And their lord, after vanishing for three hundred years, had not only regained his youth and turned into a young man, but had also risen to an absurd level of cultivation—one so profound that even those in the Divine Transformation realm might have to look up to him!
What the hell had happened?
Could it be that during those three hundred years of secluded cultivation, their lord had not been healing his wounds and prolonging his life at all, but had secretly been comprehending some heaven-defying technique?
Or had their lord never suffered any serious injuries in the first place?
Had the claims that he was at death’s door and that his cultivation had plummeted all been smoke screens deliberately spread by him?
The thoughts raced through First Elder Luo Tianhong’s mind, and the more he considered them, the colder his back grew.
He remembered some of the thoughts he himself had entertained over the years. Although he had ultimately lacked the nerve to act on them, merely having such thoughts was enough to make him feel as though he were sitting on pins and needles.
Yin Tianjue looked down from his throne, taking in everyone’s reactions.
He knew exactly what these old foxes were thinking.
Of the twelve elders, there probably weren’t more than a few who had never harbored the slightest ulterior motive during the past three hundred years.
After all, when the original lord had entered seclusion following his grievous injuries, his cultivation had visibly deteriorated day by day. Anyone who saw the situation would have assumed that the massive ship known as the Heavenfall Sacred Hall was about to sink.
When disaster strikes, everyone flees in their own direction. That was only human nature.
Besides, the Heavenfall Sacred Hall was a demonic cultivation sect that had always respected strength above all else. Loyalty was a scarce commodity here.
But now, all of that was in the past.
Yin Tianjue slowly raised his right hand and lightly flicked a finger through the air.
An invisible force spread outward like ripples. The candle flames throughout the main hall leaped at the same time.
All twelve elders instantly felt an oppressive force descend upon them, so powerful that it suffocated them. It was as if an invisible hand had pressed down on their heads, making even breathing difficult.
“All right, stop overthinking things. I’ve been in seclusion for roughly three hundred years. Tell me, clearly and in full, what has happened in the Eastern Wilderness during that time. Pay particular attention to the Grand Void Sacred Ground—and to the fellow who fought me three hundred years ago!”
First Elder Luo Tianhong drew a deep breath, rose from his seat, and respectfully cupped his fists toward the throne.
“Reporting to the Hall Master, the situation in the Eastern Wilderness has changed completely over the past three hundred years.”
He raised his head. His aged face bore a complicated expression, touched with both emotion and bitterness.
“Let us begin with the Great Yin Dynasty. When the Hall Master entered seclusion three hundred years ago, Emperor Yin was merely at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Though he ruled over a dynasty’s fortune, he could only be considered one of the Eastern Wilderness’s first-rate experts. Compared with a supreme existence like you, a peak-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, he was nothing more than an ant.”
“Yet one hundred and eighty years after the Hall Master entered seclusion, the fortune of the Great Yin Dynasty suddenly surged. Borrowing the power of the people’s faith, Emperor Yin broke through his bottleneck in the imperial capital, Tianyin City, and entered the Divine Transformation realm in one fell swoop.”
At this point, Luo Tianhong lowered his voice.
“Emperor Yin was already extraordinarily talented, and he also possessed the Great Yin Imperial Seal, the dynasty’s guardian artifact. With it, he could draw upon the national fortune accumulated by the Great Yin Dynasty over several thousand years and channel it into himself. It is said that not long after breaking through to the Divine Transformation realm, he fought a wandering late-stage Divine Transformation expert who had traveled to the Eastern Wilderness. Relying on the support of the dynasty’s fortune, he actually subdued the man. These days, the entire Eastern Wilderness is saying that Emperor Yin, with the Imperial Seal in hand, can contend with peak-stage Divine Transformation experts. He’s become quite the legend!”
“Oh? He can contend with peak-stage Divine Transformation cultivators?”
From the system interface, Yin Tianjue already knew that he possessed another identity: Ancestor of the Great Yin Dynasty.
As for which generation of ancestor he was, far too much time had passed, and even the original owner’s memories offered no definite answer.
Over the years, the original owner had appeared to be the master of the Heavenfall Sacred Hall, but in secret, he had repeatedly assisted the Great Yin Dynasty, helping it grow step by step into what it was today.
He had not expected this generation’s Emperor Yin to be so impressive. Through his own abilities, he had entered the Divine Transformation realm and joined the ranks of the Eastern Wilderness’s true supreme experts. In doing so, he had fulfilled one of the original owner’s long-held wishes.
Now that Yin Tianjue had taken over this body, he only needed to look after the dynasty a little more in the future.
With Emperor Yin’s current cultivation and trump cards, there were already no forces in the entire Eastern Wilderness that would dare to target the Great Yin Dynasty recklessly.
Thinking this, Yin Tianjue curled his lips into a faint smile.
“So, does that mean I was only about as strong as he is now back then?”
Sweat immediately appeared on Luo Tianhong’s forehead.
“Surely the Hall Master jests! Emperor Yin may be powerful, but his strength relies on external aid. Compared with an unparalleled expert like you, who swept across the Eastern Wilderness purely through your own cultivation, he is on an entirely different level!”
“All right, all right. Stop flattering me and continue.”
“Yes, yes.” Luo Tianhong wiped away his sweat and continued. “Aside from the Great Yin Dynasty, the Eastern Wilderness’s four great sects have changed quite a bit as well. The leaders of the Profound Sword Sect, Hengyue Sect, Azure Cloud Sect, and Spirit Void Sect all broke through their bottlenecks within the span of a century, entering the late Nascent Soul realm. Daoist Chongxu, the leader of the Profound Sword Sect, has even been hailed as the foremost expert among the four great sects. His cultivation has already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and he is only one step away from the Divine Transformation realm. Now that the four great sects have joined forces, the strength of the righteous path’s upper echelon has been rising rapidly, and their influence in the Eastern Wilderness has grown increasingly formidable.”
At this point, the Second Elder took over, his voice tinged with solemnity.
“It isn’t just the four great sects. The two sacred grounds have produced some truly extraordinary figures as well. A saintess named Su Yu has emerged from the Jade Lake Sacred Ground. This girl possesses world-shaking talent, and her cultivation speed is terrifying. Though she is not even a hundred years old, she has already reached the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm and possesses several innate divine abilities. It is said that she once fought a peak-stage Nascent Soul expert. Not only did she fail to lose ground, she actually forced the other party to retreat using her innate divine abilities. The entire Eastern Wilderness now recognizes her as the undisputed future successor to the position of Jade Lake Sacred Lord.”
Yin Tianjue raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing this.
A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who was not even a hundred years old? Interesting.
According to the original owner’s memories, a genius like this would have ranked among the very best in the entire cultivation history of the Cangyuan Realm.
Of course, that was when compared with the past.
“A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator capable of fighting a peak-stage Nascent Soul expert… She’s passable, I suppose.”
Yin Tianjue offered his assessment in an indifferent tone.
Below the throne, everyone exchanged glances, the corners of their mouths twitching in unison.
A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who could go head-to-head with someone at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm was already an explosively talented prodigy throughout the entire Eastern Wilderness. Yet in the Hall Master’s eyes, she was merely “passable.”
Then again, after considering how unfathomable the Hall Master’s cultivation was now, and how he had killed two peak-stage Nascent Soul experts as easily as stepping on a pair of ants, they realized that he truly had the right to make such a comment.
The Third Elder stroked his graying beard, his expression growing even more solemn.
“As for the Grand Void Sacred Ground…”
The moment those four words were spoken, the temperature in the main hall seemed to drop several degrees.
The Grand Void Sacred Land—the Celestial Ruins Sacred Hall’s sworn enemy. Three hundred years ago, the battle that left the Hall Master gravely wounded had been fought against the Grand Void Saint Lord.
The Third Elder swallowed nervously and continued, forcing himself to speak. “The Grand Void Sacred Land has produced a Saint Son named Qin Futian. This man is even more extraordinary—he possesses the legendary Chaotic Constitution!”
“Oh? The Chaotic Constitution? Interesting!”
Yin Tianjue’s brows drew together slightly as he searched the original host’s memories for that name.
The Chaotic Constitution was one of the ten ancient Saintly Physiques. Those born with it were naturally attuned to the myriad Dao, allowing them to cultivate any technique with twice the results for half the effort. Their comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth was also eighteen streets ahead of that of ordinary people.
Throughout the cultivation history of the Cangyuan Realm, this constitution had appeared only a handful of times. Each time it emerged, it heralded the birth of an unparalleled powerhouse.