Predator Grass was generally not very strong, capable of preying only on weak demon beasts. The Predator Grass that had caught him was merely at the initial Spirit Aperture stage.
Therefore, the special secretion it released had not affected Lin Tian too greatly.
Spiritual Power surged within Lin Tian. With a single sword strike, he cleaved the Predator Grass in two and escaped smoothly.
"Help..."
Lin Tian faintly heard someone calling for help. He had not wanted to meddle in other people's business; the Zhou Clan was currently hunting him, and he did not want anyone to know his whereabouts.
However, Lin Tian also urgently needed someone to tell him where he was.
Sword in hand, Lin Tian quickly found the cultivator who had cried out. Those Predator Grasses could not stop him at all; any that dared attack him became corpses.
With one swing of his sword, Lin Tian directly sliced the Predator Grass into upper and lower halves. Its "mouth" fell to the ground, and Lin Tian pried it open to reveal the cultivator inside.
This was a cultivator at the initial Spirit Aperture stage, now extremely weak. Without hesitation, Lin Tian used the Soul Searching Technique.
Very quickly, Lin Tian learned that his current location was a million li away from the Monster Mountain Range. For the time being, he was safe.
Because of the soul search, the cultivator became even weaker and hovered at death's door. Lin Tian killed him, ending his suffering.
The cultivator's eyes widened. You fucking saved me, searched my soul, and then killed me? If I'd known, I never would have called for help. Instead of help, I brought in a hungry wolf. What the fucking hell.
Lin Tian decided not to leave this forest for now. There were quite a few cultivators within it, and he planned to grind levels for a while first.
At the very least, he had to break through to the Cycle Realm and master the Demon God Core's second form before leaving.
Zhou Qiongtian was far too powerful. Lin Tian was still far too weak. Once he broke through to the Cycle Realm, he would head to a secret realm. If he could obtain that expert's inheritance, Lin Tian's strength would greatly increase.
Cultivators rarely came to this forest, so Lin Tian would not easily expose himself.
Lin Tian immediately spread out his divine sense and carefully searched for prey. Feather Ascension Realm demon beasts lived in the depths of this forest, so he was exceedingly cautious.
Several days later, at the Zhou Clan.
Zhou Qiongtian had fully absorbed that small bottle of Lightning Tribulation Liquid. The Law of Lightning within his body had grown somewhat stronger, his physical body had been greatly enhanced, and he had cultivated Lightning Step to the minor mastery stage.
Zhou Qiongtian's cultivation had broken through to the Cycle Mid Stage. Relying solely on his physical body, Zhou Qiongtian could battle Feather Ascension Realm experts. Even ordinary Feather Ascension Mid Stage cultivators were no match for him.
Zhou Qiongtian had also made progress in other areas, and his strength had improved considerably.
Zhou Qiongtian left the Zhou Clan to search for suitable prospects and prepare to establish a force. The System's mission reward deeply tempted him.
Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect.
Inside the main hall, many cultivators had gathered. The weakest among them were Saint Realm experts, and there were even Supreme experts present!
These people represented different factions: the Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect, Violet Heaven Holy Land, Crimson Flame Divine Sect, Azure Profound Divine Palace, and more. Quite a few were superpowers.
"Is this information accurate? The Zhou Clan's two Supremes and ten Saint Kings have fallen, and the Savage Great Emperor has vanished." The Holy Lord of Violet Heaven Holy Land frowned as he asked, his tone deeply uneasy.
"Heh, would I deceive you over news like this? Their Soul Lamps have gone out. The spy I planted in the Zhou Clan told me personally." The sect master of the Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect chuckled.
The Zhou Clan's upper ranks had never expected that a traitor lurked among them, passing on the news that the Soul Lamps of the Zhou Clan's experts had gone out—a matter that should have been sealed away.
No wall remained airtight forever, not even the Zhou Clan's.
"Brother Mystic Heaven actually planted a spy in the Zhou Clan? How surprising. He was never discovered—Brother Mystic Heaven truly hides his depths well!"
"Still, the Savage Great Emperor has merely disappeared. We do not know whether he is dead! What if the Savage Great Emperor returns?"
The Holy Lord of Violet Heaven still looked worried and fearful. The strongest expert of Violet Heaven Holy Land was only a Saint King. A single Supreme Elder from the Zhou Clan could destroy Violet Heaven Holy Land, and the Holy Lord of Violet Heaven did not dare gamble.
"Heh, Holy Lord of Violet Heaven, has the Zhou Clan scared the courage out of you? Your Holy Son's Twin Pupils were gouged out—don't you want to take them back? With Twin Pupils, Violet Heaven Holy Land may very well produce a Supreme expert and become a superpower!"
At those words, the Holy Lord of Violet Heaven revealed a tempted expression, though anger and helplessness lay in his eyes.
Violet Heaven Holy Land had finally been blessed by good fortune, producing a peerless genius born with Twin Pupils, only for the Savage Great Emperor to gouge them out. How could the Holy Lord of Violet Heaven not be enraged?
But Violet Heaven Holy Land was merely a small holy land and did not dare defy the Zhou Clan's orders.
The Savage Great Emperor was no kind soul. Although the Zhou Clan was a righteous-path force, the Savage Great Emperor had awakened to the Demonic Path, using bloody force to suppress other superpowers and invade other continents. He was demonic through and through.
If the Savage Great Emperor had not been too powerful, the superpowers would have long since beaten him to death with random clubs.
"This is an unprecedented opportunity. The Zhou Clan has occupied the position of overlord of the Azure World for too long. It is time for them to yield it. The Zhou Clan monopolizes far too many resources."
"The Zhou Clan now has only three Supremes. Everyone present, if we join forces, the Zhou Clan as it stands will find it difficult to resist."
"If the Savage Great Emperor returns, he will surely have been grievously injured by the Great Unity Wind, and his strength will have declined. If we join hands, with so many Saint Kings and Supremes, we may not be unable to contend against him."
"Furthermore, we can seize the Savage Great Emperor's children as leverage. With them in our hands, even if he returns, he will not dare act rashly. The Savage Great Emperor is famed for doting on his children."
"We may not be unable to break through to the Great Emperor realm. Why can Zhou Kuang do it while we cannot? If one of us breaks through to the Great Emperor realm, then even if Zhou Kuang returns, what can he do?"
"Strike while the iron is hot. Those here who wish to join me, raise your hands." The sect master of the Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect spoke.
Very quickly, representatives from many factions raised their hands. They looked at those who had not raised theirs with unfriendly gazes.
The cultivators who had not raised their hands felt their scalps tingle beneath those stares. In the end, they sighed and raised their hands.
They had learned this information and discovered the intentions of the Mystic Heaven Hegemony Sect and the other factions. How could they possibly remain aloof and preserve themselves?
If they stubbornly refused, what awaited them might be a joint crusade by numerous factions.
None of their factions could withstand the combined forces of these several powers. In the end, they could only agree.
"Good. Since everyone agrees, let us begin discussing the detailed plan."
"First, we must find out what the Zhou Clan's other upper ranks think about the Savage Great Emperor's disappearance. We do not know whether these higher-ups have a way to contact the Savage Great Emperor."
"The Savage Great Emperor must have left contingencies behind in the Zhou Clan. We must find out what those contingencies are. The spy I arranged will also work with us from within and without the Zhou Clan to gather information."
"And then there are the Savage Great Emperor's three children. We must find a way to capture them—alive, preferably!"
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