With a single punch, Beiming Fenghua’s body exploded in a spray of blood. What did it matter that she was a woman? Wu Tian didn’t care. To be his enemy was to be a dead man.

Yet, Wu Tian himself remained immaculate, untouched by the gore. He stood there quietly, his features delicate, his slender hands seemingly without an ounce of strength. No one could have possibly imagined the power that lay within him.

As Wu Tian stood silently, the spectating Immortal Seekers found it difficult to breathe. An inexplicable urge to kneel washed over them.

Everyone was dead. It was an outcome no one had expected. The mere thought of Wu Tian’s strength made the Immortal Seekers’ scalps tingle.

"May we leave?" one of them asked timidly.

"Yes, this has nothing to do with us. Can we go now?" another added.

"..."

The crowd of Immortal Seekers looked on, filled with apprehension.

"First, tell me who it was I killed," Wu Tian said calmly.

The surrounding Immortal Seekers exchanged glances. Who did Wu Tian kill? Heavenly King Zhufu and Beiming Fenghua, of course. But that can’t be right. If it were that simple, why would he ask us?

One of them came to a realization. "They were demons!" he declared.

"That’s right, they were demons!" The other Immortal Seekers quickly caught on.

"They were the demons, yet they had the audacity to call you one, Mr. Wu Tian! They must have fallen to the demonic path long ago!"

"Death was too good for them!"

"..."

Wu Tian nodded. "Very good. And who was Zhao Tianxia?"

The Immortal Seekers hesitated, looking at one another. There was no one else here to contradict them.

"He was a scoundrel!" one of them said through gritted teeth. "He violated my sister, and I... I wanted to tear him apart with my bare teeth!"

"He’s right!"

Years of pent-up resentment burst forth from the Immortal Seekers. Zhao Tianxia didn’t deserve to be called an Immortal Seeker. He didn’t even deserve to be called human—he was nothing but a beast!

It seemed the matter was concluded.

But it wasn’t.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

At that moment, a full hundred figures on Flying Swords tore through the sky, landing in a dense formation. A closer look revealed their composition. Of the hundred, eighty were Cultivators of the Fourth Realm, Heart Movement. Fifteen were of the Fifth Realm, Golden Core. The remaining five, however, were renowned figures, rumored to have reached the legendary Sixth Realm: Nascent Soul.

The so-called Nascent Soul realm is achieved when a lotus blooms above one’s Spirit Root. Within this lotus, a miniature version of oneself—an ’infant soul’—develops. This marks one’s true entry into the hallowed halls of Cultivation. Each Nascent Soul is unique and can even resemble legendary figures like Sun Wukong or Yang Jian. Of course, this is merely a resemblance, not the actual beings themselves. To manifest the real thing would be to defy the heavens.

The man in the lead had a long beard and wore a flowing robe, exuding the profound air of a sage. It felt as if his gaze could see through any secret.

"That’s Liu Tianji!"

"I know him! He’s one of the Elders of the Righteous Alliance. He’s incredibly powerful."

"He must be here to avenge Zhao Tianxia."

"It’s not just his status that’s impressive; his lineage is extraordinary."

"I’ve heard about that, too. From the saying, ’Zhuge Liang divided the world into three, while Liu Bowen unified the rivers and mountains.’ He’s a descendant of Liu Bowen."

"Indeed."

Seeing Liu Tianji and his contingent, the surrounding Immortal Seekers remembered what they had just said, and their faces turned pale. They knew the newcomers must have overheard them.

DRIP. DRIP.

Cold sweat trickled down their foreheads, their eyes wide with terror.

"But I don’t regret it!" one of the Immortal Seekers suddenly declared. "I’ve lived for two hundred years, and only now, after calling that beast Zhao Tianxia what he is, do I feel like my heart is finally light."

"Me too! This is what it means to truly live!"

"If you spend your life lying to yourself, you’re better off dead."

The Immortal Seekers had an epiphany. Sometimes, a long life wasn’t a life at all, but a mere existence as one of the walking dead. Zhao Tianxia was scum. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to say it?

"Elder Liu, give the order to kill them," one of the Righteous Alliance’s Hall Masters said with a cold smirk, folding his arms.

The Alliance Hierarch is currently in seclusion and will surely be furious to learn of Zhao Tianxia’s death. If we can avenge him, the Hall Master thought gleefully, the Hierarch will surely reward us handsomely when he emerges.

Understanding this, the others also chimed in, looking at Liu Tianji. "Elder, give the order."

"Yes, let us avenge Young Master Zhao!"

"..."

They urged him to act quickly, to stop waiting.

Amidst the clamor, Wu Tian’s expression was the calmest. He looked at Liu Tianji and suddenly spoke. "A descendant of Liu Bowen? Does your ancestor’s Biscuit Song not contain a verse that is passed down only to his heirs and never told to outsiders?"

"You..." Liu Tianji froze.

It was widely known that Liu Bowen’s works, the Jinling Pagoda Inscriptions and the Biscuit Song, had accurately predicted future events, even foretelling the war between the Dragon Country and Fusang. But it was true that there was one more line, a secret prophecy passed down only within the Liu Family. How can Wu Tian possibly know this? he wondered, utterly baffled.

Yuan Beizheng of Peach Blossom Spring was also present among the crowd. His words puzzled everyone. "Brother Tianji," he said, "take a close look at Mr. Wu Tian’s face."

His face? What’s wrong with his face? Everyone was confused.

Liu Tianji recognized Yuan Beizheng. He might be willing to kill others from Peach Blossom Spring, but not Yuan Beizheng. Following his advice, Liu Tianji turned his gaze back to Wu Tian, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper. An observant person would have noticed from his expression that he had seen something truly unbelievable in Wu Tian.

But the Hall Masters, eager to earn merit, paid no heed to the change in their Elder’s face.

"Elder, give the order!" one of the Hall Masters shouted, standing right beside Liu Tianji. He was the loudest of them all, practically vibrating with impatience to kill Wu Tian.

However, his eagerness was short-lived.

SLAP!

The sharp crack of a palm hitting flesh echoed through the clearing. Liu Tianji had viciously slapped the Hall Master across the face. The force of the blow was so immense that the man’s head swelled instantly, his neck snapped, and he fell to the ground.

Dead.

The crowd stared, stunned. What just happened?

Liu Tianji paid no mind to the Hall Master he had just killed. Instead, he stared at Wu Tian, his expression transforming into one of fervent excitement. He dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. "Liu Tianji, third-generation descendant of Liu Bowen, has finally found you! By my great-grandfather’s command, the Liu Family will follow you. Tianji pays his respects to his Lord!"

After speaking, Liu Tianji prostrated himself fully on the ground before Wu Tian.

The others rubbed their eyes, convinced they were seeing things. How could things have turned out this way?

The remaining Hall Masters were aghast.

"Elder, what are you doing?"

"Are you betraying the Righteous Alliance? Are you willingly siding with a demon?"

Unlike the one who had just died, these Hall Masters were also Nascent Soul experts. With the men behind them, they were confident they had the numbers to subdue Liu Tianji and still kill Wu Tian.

But then, Liu Tianji’s voice rang out. "All who are willing to follow me, step forward!"