Chapter 239: Shaking Yuzhou's Martial World

Chapter 239: Shaking Yuzhou's Martial World

The Dai family was in complete chaos. The elders frantically fled, while the remaining Dai family warriors ran for their lives, not daring to stay a moment longer.

From their lofty positions, who would have thought that one day, someone would dare to kill their way into their home? Their Refining Divinity Elder, actually killed!

At this moment, all thoughts of the treasures in their vaults, the prestige of their lineage, and the glory of their clan were cast aside.

Each one of them cursed their lack of effort in cultivating movement techniques, wishing they could run faster from this nightmare.

When the Green Sky Flood Dragon Corpse appeared, they were shocked and terrified, but the presence of a Refining Divinity expert calmed their fears.

As expected, once the Refining Divinity Elder took action, the Green Sky Flood Dragon Corpse was suppressed.

But then...

That terrifying youth sliced through their Refining Divinity Elder with a few casual sword strikes.

In the blink of an eye, several Great Celestial elders were also cut down.

The remaining elders were so frightened that their souls almost left their bodies, and they vanished without a trace.

The entire Dai family was in disarray.

The outer warriors, guards, and servants of the Dai family stood stupefied as the esteemed elders and young masters of the clan fled in a mad panic.

They, too, needed no further urging and took off running.

Soon, the entire Dai clan's land was in chaos.

"Run! A calamity is upon us!"

"Escape! The Dai family is finished!"

"Son, run and hide! The Dai family is doomed!"

Shouts and cries of despair rang throughout the clan's lands, and the panic only intensified as news of the impending annihilation spread.

As a result, even more people fled.

As for Xu Yan, after looting the Dai family's treasury, he left without even bothering to search for their other hidden treasures.

He had ambushed and slain a Refining Divinity celestial from the Dai family. If Dai Sheng returned, he would not stand a chance against him!

Thus, he decided to make his escape while Dai Sheng was still absent, content with the riches he had acquired from a single vault.

The rage he felt from being pursued had also been mostly vented.

This time, he had not suffered a loss!

Although he had been chased, he had also toppled the Dai family in return.

As he departed, Xu Yan's sword light swept through the area, reducing everything in its path to ruins in an instant.

If not for the fact that almost everyone in the Dai clan's lands had fled, countless lives would have been lost.

Swish!

Xu Yan's figure flashed in the sky as he departed in a carefree manner.

The little jade dragon coiled around Xu Yan's wrist was completely stunned. When Xu Yan had declared his intention to destroy the Dai family, it had been scared out of its wits, but now, Xu Yan had actually accomplished the seemingly impossible feat.

He had slain a Refining Divinity celestial!

Even though it was an ambush, it was still a Refining Divinity celestial, a feat not easily achieved through sneak attacks alone.

Yet, Xu Yan had done it.

The little jade dragon now suspected that the martial arts Xu Yan cultivated were somewhat unusual.

He was clearly not a Refining Divinity celestial, yet he possessed a power similar to the soul force of a Refining Divinity cultivator, and it seemed even more profound and unique.

The little jade dragon could not fathom the mysteries behind it.

"You've wiped out the Dai family and killed their Refining Divinity celestial. Dai Sheng will definitely be furious, and the Jade Divine Sect and Su family might even deploy their Refining Divinity celestials to stop you!" the little jade dragon worriedly said.

"It's no big deal," Xu Yan replied nonchalantly. "They won't be able to catch me. Once I break through again, I'll crush them and turn their treasures into resources for my cultivation."

This time, his harvest was immense. Raiding the Dai family's treasury had yielded countless treasures, so many that he hadn't even had time to count them all.

Just the storage bags found in the vault numbered more than twenty.

Not to mention the tomes, spirit artifacts, and other objects that filled the vast treasury, all of which had stuffed the storage bags he carried to capacity.

If not for the fact that he had killed many people and acquired numerous storage bags, he wouldn't have been able to hold everything.

"My junior disciples won't lack resources for their cultivation anymore, and my junior sister won't lack spirit herbs for her pill refining either," Xu Yan thought excitedly.

There was no faster way to accumulate resources than by plundering a lineage's treasury.

With this haul, he could take his time returning to the Inner Realm, and with enough spirit objects, his parents and the others would be able to rapidly increase their strength as well.

After leaving the Dai family far behind, Xu Yan put on a set of carefully prepared clothes, manipulated his true yuan, altered his appearance, and even grew a few strands of beard on his chin.

His physique also changed, becoming more robust and sturdy.

He transformed his entire being, from his figure and appearance to his aura.

To return to the Inner Realm, he had to pass through the Spirit Realm Gate, and he wanted to conceal his identity to avoid exposing his movements, especially since there were guardians stationed at the Spirit Realm Gate.

The Jade Divine Sect and the Su family had pursued him for so long without revealing that he was from the Inner Realm, either because the guardians of the Spirit Realm Gate did not involve themselves in such conflicts or because they were restricted in some way.

It was also possible that they were simply unaware of the outside world's affairs, cut off from information.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that the guardians of the Spirit Realm Gate had not exposed his origins was a good thing.

However, when returning to the Inner Realm, he did not plan to use his real identity.

Instead, he would fabricate the identity of a Spirit Sect warrior.

As for which Spirit Sect he belonged to, well, the Spirit Realm was vast, and it was impossible for the guardians to know every sect.

He only needed to wear clothing bearing the insignia of a Spirit Sect.

This was the trick that Shen Haizhou had revealed to him—the distinguishing marks on the clothing of Spirit Sect disciples and lineage descendants. If a rogue cultivator didn't understand these subtleties, it would be extremely difficult for them to impersonate a Spirit Sect or lineage disciple.

Of course, there had been cases of rogue cultivators attempting to impersonate disciples of Spirit Sects or lineages, but they never ended well for the impostors.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, rogue cultivators would never dare to pretend to be disciples of Spirit Sects or lineages.

Xu Yan strolled casually towards the Spirit Realm Gate, ready to return to the Inner Realm.

As for the fallout from the Dai family's upheaval and how Dai Sheng would react, he didn't care in the slightest.

By now, Wen Yong had long fled from Yuzhou.

...

Dai Sheng was on his way to a certain place when a message suddenly reached him—Xu Yan had appeared there.

His expression changed instantly.

He reached out and crushed a bead on his body.

A pair of beads!

And the message conveyed by the shattered bead was that the Dai family was in danger!

Dai Sheng's face paled. Who would attack the Dai family?

He couldn't fathom who would dare to strike at this time.

At this moment, he no longer had the heart to seek revenge against Xu Yan. His figure flickered as he rushed back to the Dai family.

From beginning to end, Dai Sheng never once thought that Xu Yan was the one who had attacked his clan. In his opinion, although Xu Yan was indeed powerful, he couldn't possibly pose a threat to the Dai family.

After all, they still had a Refining Divinity celestial sitting in their clan.

Dai Sheng frantically rushed back to the Dai family, while some well-informed forces had already learned of the attack and the extensive damage to the Dai clan's lands.

Among them was Shen Haizhou, who had been keeping a close eye on the Dai family, and he was completely stunned by the news.

"This is too fierce!"

According to the information he had received so far, the Dai family's Refining Divinity celestial was dead, slain by Xu Yan!

Shen Haizhou's face was covered in cold sweat. A Refining Divinity celestial, just like that?

He had thought that even if Xu Yan used underhanded tactics and ambushes, he would only be able to injure the Refining Divinity celestial. Now, he wondered if he had overestimated Xu Yan.

But Xu Yan had actually killed the man!

"A Refining Divinity celestial... How long has it been since Yuzhou last lost a Refining Divinity celestial? And this is the first one to be killed by someone of a lower realm!

"The Jade Divine Sect and the Su family will probably have to take action now, won't they?"

Even if he didn't kill him, he would go insane and demand compensation from the Shen family.

At that time, the Shen family would only have two choices: first, compensate and settle the dispute; second, kill Dai Sheng!

Either way, it would cause a series of changes in the situation.

In order to ensure his own safety, Shen Haizhou decided to return to the clan and lay low for a while, only reappearing once he was certain that the news hadn't leaked.

Dai Sheng arrived to find the clan's land in ruins, with most of the buildings destroyed. One of the treasure vaults had been emptied.

His uncle, the Refining Divinity Elder who guarded the family's treasures, had been killed.

Dai Sheng's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "Who did this? Where is the enemy?"

With Dai Sheng's return, the clan elders finally found their pillar of support and returned, sobbing.

"It was Qing Tian Jiao! No, it was that young man!"

"He killed Uncle! He killed several of our elders!"

"My Dai family has suffered heavy losses. From now on, we will fall from our position as a second-rate aristocratic family!"

With only Dai Sheng remaining as a Refining Divinity Elder, the Dai family had fallen from second-rate to third-rate.

Unless Dai Sheng could break through to the mid-stage of Refining Divinity.

The ranking of aristocratic families was closely tied to their cultivation resources and influence.

The clan elders tearfully relayed the events to Dai Sheng, sparing no detail.

"Ah!"

Dai Sheng was nearly driven mad with rage.

It was that brat! How dare he dare to destroy the Dai family's land and kill his uncle in a sneak attack?

"I will tear him to pieces!" Dai Sheng gnashed his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with fury. He turned to leave, determined to find Xu Yan and kill him.

"Uncle, you can't go! If you leave and he comes back, what will we do then?"

"Yes, you can't go!"

The elders hastily tried to stop him.

If Dai Sheng left and that vicious young man returned, what would become of them?

Dai Sheng, who had been about to depart, froze in his tracks, breathing heavily. His eyes blazed with anger, but the elders' words held truth.

If that despicable youth returned while Dai Sheng was gone, it would truly be the end of the Dai family!

"Notify the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family. Tell them that the person they are pursuing is extremely dangerous!" Dai Sheng said through gritted teeth.

Once this news spread, the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family would surely take it seriously and do everything in their power to eliminate the threat at its source.

News of the attack on the Dai family and the death of their Refining Divinity Elder spread like wildfire throughout Yuzhou.

The entire martial arts world of Yuzhou was shaken by this development. A Refining Divinity Elder had fallen!

When was the last time a Refining Divinity Elder had perished in Yuzhou? It had been millennia, hadn't it? And the perpetrator of this attack, the one who had slain a member of the Dai family, was the same young man who had emerged from the Qing Tian Jiao tomb, the very person the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family had been pursuing.

The eyes of the martial arts world were now fixed on the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family.

Within the Jade Divine Sect, the Refining Divinity Elders gathered, their faces grave. They had initially believed that Xu Yan was merely a small rogue cultivator, but now they realized how formidable he was, having slain a Refining Divinity Elder of the Dai family.

Although it had been a sneak attack, it still showcased his skills and strength.

He must not be allowed to grow any further.

"This boy must die, or he will become a calamity!" the Sect Master of the Jade Divine Sect said in a deep voice.

"Contact the Su family. We will work together to find this boy and issue a kill order. We must spare no expense to ensure his death!" the Elders of the Jade Divine Sect agreed, their faces somber.

A similar scene unfolded within the Su family.

Ever since the Blood Demon incident, the Spirit Sects and aristocratic families had learned their lesson. They no longer underestimated rogue cultivators with potential threats, but instead, did everything in their power to eradicate them and breathe a sigh of relief.

The Blood Demon of yesteryear had been a lesson in the consequences of their arrogance. If the Spirit Sects and aristocratic families had joined forces to eliminate him in his infancy, the later catastrophe could have been averted.

The reason why Yuzhou's strength was relatively weak was linked to the Blood Demon incident. In that battle, once-powerful and ancient Spirit Sects and aristocratic families had been reduced to ashes.

The entire martial arts world of Yuzhou had been terrified, and the door to the Spirit Realm had been opened, allowing the Blood Demon to escape into the Inner Realm.

Now, with the emergence of Xu Yan, the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family felt a shadow hanging over them, fearing a repeat of the Blood Demon disaster.

In a certain mountain range in Yuzhou...

Hidden within was the Yuzhou branch of the Myriad Ages Alliance.

"Alliance Master, that rogue cultivator genius is incredibly powerful. He is exactly what our Myriad Ages Alliance needs," said a Myriad Ages Alliance member excitedly.

The Alliance Master of the Yuzhou branch was a slender, scholarly man of middle age.

"Send out orders to all Myriad Ages Alliance members in Yuzhou. Do everything in your power to find this genius's whereabouts before the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family do," the Alliance Master said gravely. "If necessary, I will take action myself!"

"Yes, Alliance Master!" the members chorused, their faces eager.

Such a young man, who had dared to destroy the Dai family and kill a Refining Divinity Elder, was extraordinary, even if it had been a sneak attack.

Unknowingly, their thoughts turned to a figure who had once struck fear into the hearts of the Spirit Sects and aristocratic families.

The Blood Demon!

The Demon Lord of the Blood Demon Path!

"Our Myriad Ages Alliance will not repeat the mistakes of the Blood Demon. We will succeed and fight for the rights of rogue cultivators, standing on equal footing with the Spirit Sects and aristocratic families!" the Alliance Master thought determinedly.

Xu Yan paid no heed to the reactions of the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family, nor to the upheaval in the martial arts world of Yuzhou. At that moment, he was on his way to the Spirit Realm Gate, preparing to return to the Inner Realm.

The Spirit Realm Gate was now within sight.

However, Xu Yan's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed an old woman staring at him.

She was a mid-stage Great Heavenly Man cultivator.

The old woman, known as Jing Po Po, was from the Water Star Palace. After Jiang Ming and Ping'er failed to return, Tang Jianyuan grew suspicious and sent her to the Inner Realm to retrieve the "bastard child."

As Jing Po Po made her way toward the Spirit Realm Gate, her eyebrows knitted together as she noticed someone else heading in the same direction. This person also seemed to be on their way to the Inner Realm.

Her gaze fell on the emblem on his chest, trying to identify which Spirit Sect he belonged to.

But her eyebrows furrowed further as she realized she didn't recognize the emblem.

Moreover, the emblem on his chest seemed somewhat crudely made.

How dare a rogue cultivator pretend to be from a Spirit Sect? Jing Po Po, being from the Water Star Palace, knew that while her sect was only a second-rate Spirit Sect in the Spirit Realm, it was far more influential than any sect in Yuzhou.

Aside from lacking a Refining Divinity late-stage cultivator, the Water Star Palace had more Refining Divinity cultivators than the Jade Divine Sect, and they were all more powerful.

As a veteran Heavenly Man cultivator, Jing Po Po had extensive experience in the martial arts world and had encountered impostors claiming to be from Spirit Sects before.

Other cultivators might not have been able to spot the flaws, but Jing Po Po's keen eye saw through Xu Yan's disguise, despite how realistic the Spirit Sect emblem on his clothes appeared.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end