"With Senior around, whether it's the Demon God or our Demonic Cult, we can never truly rest easy!"
"Even if Senior has already retired from the world, as long as we don't see you completely crippled, we will always feel uneasy."
"So... please spend your retirement here in Cloud City, Senior!"
Zhao Changsheng smiled faintly as he looked at Kong Yunzhang before him, a glint of ruthlessness surfacing in his eyes.
Yet in response to Zhao Changsheng's words, Kong Yunzhang showed neither sorrow nor joy. He merely looked at Zhao Changsheng calmly.
"This old man may be getting on in years, but surely I have not fallen so low as to be threatened by two juniors like you!"
"One Bone Forging, and one who has broken a single shackle—you think that is enough to threaten this old man?"
"It seems that after all these years, the Demonic Cult still cannot shake off that arrogant nature!"
Kong Yunzhang spoke calmly.
Zhao Changsheng smiled faintly. "With the strength of the two of us, not to mention threatening Senior, we are not even worthy of carrying your shoes. But..."
"Does Senior truly think that, since we dared to come here, there are only the two of us? Our Demonic Cult may look down upon the human race, but..."
"We are not all fools!"
Zhao Changsheng's smile deepened, and an exceedingly strong confidence radiated from his entire body.
It was as though everything had been firmly grasped in Zhao Changsheng's hand.
Kong Yunzhang gave Zhao Changsheng an indifferent glance, then shifted his gaze to Wang Lin and sighed softly.
"The moment you first came to Heaven and Earth Dojo, I could tell that you were not someone content with the status quo. Your heart was filled with ambition!"
"And for the sake of fulfilling that ambition, you would stop at nothing. That was why this old man did not take you into my sect. I simply never imagined that you were someone from the Heaven Vein."
Wang Lin smiled softly. "But isn't the world like this? You use me, I use you. So long as one can reach the end, everything is worth it!"
Kong Yunzhang fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"So, you have both made up your minds to completely cripple these old bones of mine today?"
Kong Yunzhang's voice was incomparably calm, but when Zhao Changsheng and Wang Lin heard his words, their expressions shifted slightly.
An immensely terrifying oppressive force suddenly emerged between heaven and earth.
It was as though within this tiny patch of heaven and earth stood an invisible mountain, slowly pressing down upon the two of them.
Their bodies began to tremble slightly, and even their expressions changed beneath that terrifying pressure.
Beads of sweat instantly seeped from beneath their skin, falling to the ground and dampening the floor.
At some point, Kong Yunzhang had risen to his feet.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his entire bearing changed in an instant. From the frail old man he had been before, he transformed into a figure brimming with the aura of a grandmaster.
"Let this old man take a look..."
"Within Cloud City, there are ten Shackle Realm experts and two Body Treasury experts. Outside Cloud City, two Golden Body experts are circling overhead!"
"With such a lineup... you could probably conquer a provincial capital of Great Xia with ease. Who would have thought that you would choose to strike at this old man instead?"
"It seems that although this old man is old, I still make your Demonic Cult wary!"
Kong Yunzhang seemed to be speaking to himself, but as his voice rang out, Zhao Changsheng's expression instantly turned incomparably ugly.
"You... your cultivation has not been crippled!!!"
Zhao Changsheng let out a shrill cry.
He stared at Kong Yunzhang in disbelief. Even under that terrifying pressure, Zhao Changsheng could not stop himself from speaking.
"Impossible! You were clearly heavily wounded by three Demon Kings joining forces, and demonic energy invaded your body. Even all of Great Xia has no one capable of dispelling the invasion of demonic energy. How can you still sense their presence?!"
Zhao Changsheng roared, his eyes filled entirely with disbelief.
Kong Yunzhang slowly looked at Zhao Changsheng, a trace of contempt appearing in his eyes.
"Sure enough, you Demonic Cult brats think no one else exists. Give you a little color, and you truly think you have calculated everything without omission."
"The Human Vein... truly is nothing but a pack of trash!!"
Kong Yunzhang spared no mercy in his criticism of Zhao Changsheng, causing Zhao Changsheng's pale face to turn green, then red.
His expression was exceptionally unsightly.
"But this old man is rather curious. You, a Heaven Vein fellow, following behind those fools from the Human Vein—were you not afraid of exposing your identity and being slapped to death by this old man?"
Kong Yunzhang looked at Wang Lin curiously.
Although Wang Lin was suppressed by that terrifying pressure and looked somewhat pained, his expression remained as calm as ever.
Only after hearing Kong Yunzhang's words did Wang Lin force a smile onto his face.
"This junior already said it: with my cultivation, I am not even worthy of carrying your shoes. But..."
Wang Lin slowly raised his head. When he looked at Kong Yunzhang, his gaze became incomparably strange.
"Our Heaven Vein is not like those fools from the Human Vein!"
"If I did not have absolute confidence, how could I possibly expose my identity as a member of the Heaven Vein?"
Kong Yunzhang's heart stirred slightly, and a feeling of unease instantly surfaced within him.
And almost at the exact moment Wang Lin's voice fell—
Within a forest near Cloud City, a black pillar of light shot into the sky!
An immensely terrifying aura surged through heaven and earth. Carrying a horrifying power, the pillar of light seemed poised to punch straight through the entire firmament.
Within that pitch-black pillar of light, an incomparably evil aura erupted in an instant.
Rumble!!!
In a flash, the winds and clouds changed color. The black pillar of light seemed to contain an unparalleled force. The instant it reached the heavens—
The once tranquil Sky Curtain seemed to have been ripped open with a savage gash, fully revealed before the eyes of everyone in Cloud City.
"This is..."
Kong Yunzhang's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at the savage crack in the Sky Curtain.
"The Gate of Reception! You Heaven Vein people... are you courting death?!!!"
Kong Yunzhang roared, and an immensely terrifying pressure instantly blanketed the entire world.
That strange expression remained on Wang Lin's face.
Faced with Kong Yunzhang's furious roar, Wang Lin gave an eerie laugh, instantly dropped to his knees, raised his head, and looked toward the savage opening in the heavens.
His face turned fanatical as he pressed his palms together, his gaze devout.
"Heaven Vein disciple Wang Lin... welcomes the descent of the Demon King!!"
A howl burst from Wang Lin's mouth.
"Senior Sister... do you think this is a coincidence?"
Within the rest area, Lan Linglong's faint voice sounded beside Kong Xin's ear.
"The Heaven and Earth Dojo is completely empty right now. If those people from the Demonic Cult came for Teacher... then now..."
Lan Linglong had not even finished speaking when a thin layer of frost instantly covered Kong Xin's face.
"They dare?!"
Kong Xin snarled softly, and a faint aura emerged from her body.
That barely perceptible aura alone caused the surrounding space to distort slightly.
At that moment, stormy waves had already risen within Kong Xin's heart.
For so many years, Kong Xin had always been accustomed to suppressing everything with force. Anything she disliked, any scheme or conspiracy—in Kong Xin's eyes, all of it could naturally be suppressed by absolute power!
And as it happened, this method had indeed worked well.
For all these years, as she guarded Demon Slaying City, whether it was Demons or the Demonic Cult, Kong Xin had always believed that her strength could suppress everything.
Thus, she had gradually stopped enjoying the use of her mind.
But now...
Listening to Lan Linglong's analysis, although Kong Xin did not enjoy thinking, she was by no means a fool. Naturally, she could see the pros and cons involved.
Coupled with her father's special identity, the Demonic Cult... truly might be targeting her father!
For a moment, a cold gleam flashed through Kong Xin's eyes.
"No, I need to go back and take a look. I'll leave Junior Disciple Brother to you!"
Irritation surged through Kong Xin's heart. After tossing out those words, her figure instantly vanished from the Martial Arts Training Hall.
Seeing this, Lan Linglong could not help smiling helplessly.
But just as she was about to look toward Lu Sheng, she sensed something and could not help looking outside the Martial Arts Training Hall's window.
The moment Lan Linglong saw the sight outside, her tranquil expression stiffened.
A savage crack had appeared out of thin air upon the Sky Curtain.
Beneath that crack stood a pitch-black pillar of light, carrying a terrifying force that seemed to be continuously forcing the crack wider.
"This is..."
Lan Linglong's voice could not help becoming faint and unsteady.
At the same time, Kong Xin had just left the Martial Arts Training Hall. Her figure floated in midair before slowly coming to a halt, and her eyes, filled with cold light, likewise turned toward the savage crack in the Sky Curtain.
Anger instantly appeared on her beautiful face.
"The Gate of Reception! How dare these Demonic Cult scum?!!!"
Kong Xin shouted furiously, took a step with her long legs, and instantly vanished between heaven and earth.
The sudden crack in the heavens and that enormously thick black pillar of light instantly drew the attention of countless people throughout Cloud City.
This included the Military and Martial Alliance, who were investigating the Demonic Cult incident.
When Commander Chen and Alliance Leader Yun saw the crack and pillar of light upon the Sky Curtain, both their hearts seemed to stop in that instant.
Before you continue