The Heavenly Origin Dao Realm.
Inside the World Lord Divine Hall, Gantian leisurely savored a cup of Dao-enlightenment tea brewed with water from a Chaos Divine Spring.
He had no concerns whatsoever about Mo Chen's mission.
In his eyes, the outcome had long been decided: a late Hunyuan Wuji cultivator leading eleven Hunyuan Wuji cultivators to exterminate a pack of rats hiding on the outskirts.
All he had to do now was wait.
Wait for Mo Chen to return with that captive named Cang Yu and the talisman of considerable power, then report his success.
Just then.
Without warning, Gantian's movements stopped.
The hand holding his teacup trembled slightly in midair.
The next instant.
Deep within the Divine Hall stood a row of Life-Soul Lamps representing the Heavenly Origin Dao Realm's core fighting force. The brightest lamp in the foremost row—the one representing Mo Chen—went out with a soft puff, without the slightest warning.
Immediately afterward, as though in a chain reaction.
The eleven Life-Soul Lamps behind it went out one after another, all within the same instant.
Their light had not dimmed, nor had their flames flickered.
Instead, they had instantly and utterly turned a deathly grayish white.
It was as though the masters represented by these Life-Soul Lamps had all been erased from existence at the same moment by an irresistible force.
Crack!
The chaos-jade cup slipped from Gantian's hand, struck the floor, and shattered into powder.
He sprang to his feet, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock and disbelief.
A chill he had not felt for countless epochs surged wildly from the depths of his heart.
"Mo Chen... is dead?"
"Twelve Hunyuan Wuji cultivators... all dead?"
"How is that possible... how could this happen?!"
Gantian stared fixedly at the extinguished Life-Soul Lamps, his handsome face twisting with