"Calling anyone to save you would be useless."
Shi Yutian was just about to smash "Shi Tian's" crown with one palm when he suddenly stopped, because the "Shi Tian" in his hand had already changed into another face.
It was a handsome man. The moment his features reverted to their original appearance, Shi Yutian's legs began to tremble.
"The Myriad Transformations Marvelous Visage Art?"
The neutral elders of the Lion Underworld Sect all recognized this disguise technique. It was a mid-grade Earth-tier secret art from the sect's library.
They had never expected this "Shi Tian" to be fake. Then where was their sect master, Shi Tian?
"Shi Yutian, did you enjoy yourself?"
At that moment, a voice that shook heaven and earth rang out across the plaza. The ground trembled violently, and a distant pavilion exploded with a deafening roar. A pillar of battle qi shot into the sky, piercing the ninth heaven.
Ye Qianqian looked over. That was exactly where she and Wang Ba had explored the previous night.
Winds and clouds surged above the plaza, and countless dark clouds blotted out heaven and earth. An elderly dried corpse tore through layer upon layer of clouds and stood high above the ninth heaven, looking down upon all living beings.
"Five-Turn Dou Venerate!!!"
Shock filled Ye Qianqian's eyes. The old man was precisely the dried-corpse elder she had seen in the underground world yesterday.
What shocked her even more was that this dried-corpse elder had only been a Second-Turn Dou Venerate yesterday, yet today his cultivation had risen to the fifth turn. It was simply inconceivable.
"Who... who are you?" Shi Yutian was frightened by the dried-corpse elder's aura.
"Me?" The dried-corpse elder raised the corner of his mouth and said with a smile, "Shi Yutian, how could you forget this sect master? This sect master is Shi Tian!"
The moment the dried-corpse elder spoke, everyone was stunned beyond words. How could the old man before them possibly be Shi Tian?
Shi Tian had originally been a man in the prime of his life, and he had also been a Six-Star Dou Venerate. Yet this old man claimed to be Shi Tian, the sect master of the Lion Underworld Sect. No one would believe him.
"No, impossible! How could you be Shi Tian? Shi Tian fell in cultivation after failing to break through to the Seven-Star Dou Venerate realm. You aren't Shi Tian! I don't believe it!" Shi Yutian was drenched in sweat, unable to accept the truth before him.
The dried-corpse elder gave a sinister chuckle. Standing in the sky, he pointed at Shi Yutian with one finger.
In an instant, Shi Yutian felt as if a mountain were pressing down on his back. The North Sea Profound Crystal Armor he wore shattered into powder with a crack, while his bones let out a series of brittle pops. His legs were crushed down, and he slammed to his knees.
"Ahhh!"
Under the pressure of that force, Shi Yutian's ears, eyes, nose, and mouth all began to bleed. He let out a horrific, inhuman wail.
A mighty Three-Star Dou Venerate who had once shaken the region was actually powerless beneath Shi Tian's casual point.
A disdainful smile appeared on Shi Tian's aged face as he looked at the battered and helpless Shi Yutian, as though he were looking at a weak old dog.
"Shi Yutian, this sect master truly did fall in cultivation. However, this sect master has encountered one fortuitous opportunity after another and is destined to become the future overlord of this world. How could I possibly be compared to trash like you? What are you, Shi Yutian? You actually want to seize this sect master's authority—with a worthless old dog like you?"
Shi Tian threw his head back and laughed wildly. Seeing Shi Yutian kneeling helplessly on the ground, he found the sight irritating. That same finger pressed down viciously through the air once more.
"Ah!"
Shi Yutian's body could no longer withstand the force. In an instant, he was crushed into a puddle of flesh, and vast amounts of blood sprayed in every direction.
"Hiss!" Everyone present was terrified, sucking in a cold breath. This arrogant and domineering bearing was Shi Tian's true nature!
They had originally thought that Shi Tian had suddenly changed, becoming gentle and courteous. It turned out that the Shi Tian from earlier had been an impostor.
"Ah, so it really is Sect Master Shi Tian!" The neutral elders present hurriedly knelt and kowtowed. Their earlier flattery of Shi Yutian had vanished without a trace, and now they were indescribably reverent toward Shi Tian.
"So it was the wise and mighty sect master who set a trap for Shi Yutian, waiting for that old dog to jump in! We were truly frightened for nothing just now. We were even thinking about how to rescue you!"
One Lion Underworld Sect elder spoke with dazzling eloquence. While fiercely condemning Shi Yutian's actions, he also sang praises of Shi Tian's glorious achievements.
Shi Tian sneered coldly. He flicked a finger at the elder who had been flattering him. With a bang, the elder's head exploded from his shoulders, frightening the other elders into hurriedly kneeling and begging for mercy.
"Please spare us, Sect Master! From beginning to end, we never colluded with Shi Yutian. We have always maintained a neutral stance. Please investigate clearly!"
Shi Tian snorted. "Remaining neutral is a hundred times more hateful. Shi Yutian committed treason and rebellion, yet you stood by and watched the show. Such fence-sitting behavior deserves death!"
Seeing that Shi Tian had completely decided to kill them, the elders no longer begged for mercy. Their eyes shifted, and they immediately fled in all directions.
They did not flee together in one direction. Instead, they scattered in every direction, thinking to themselves that no matter how powerful Shi Tian was, he could not possibly kill them all at once.
Unfortunately, they had no understanding whatsoever of Shi Tian's Five-Turn Dou Venerate cultivation. Once one reached the First to Ninth Turn realms, one could draw ever closer to a Saint's abilities.
Shi Tian threw his head back and laughed. He mobilized the laws of heaven and earth, freezing the surrounding space. Many people seemed to have crashed into a solid pane of transparent glass. No matter how desperately they unleashed their abilities, they could not break out of that space.
Thus, these people became like livestock kept in captivity. One after another, Shi Tian seized them through the air and clenched them into bloody pulp.
Those who remained cried out in despair, helplessly watching the others fall from the world one after another, knowing that they would be next.
Shi Tian's brutality and overwhelming power sent chills down the spines of the thousand or so sect leaders present. They all backed away repeatedly, terrified that his methods might affect them.
After killing all the more than twenty elders of the Lion Underworld Sect, Shi Tian looked down at the crowd and said:
"Today's Lion Underworld Sect ceremony was indeed hosted by this sect master, and I can also tell you its main purpose. From today onward, all of you will submit to my Lion Underworld Sect and become dogs beneath me, Shi Tian. If you perform well, this sect master might feed you a few bones. Otherwise..." Shi Tian pointed at the elders who had just died. "Otherwise, you will end up no different from them."
Now that Shi Tian had obtained the opportunity bestowed by the heavens, becoming a Saint was only a matter of time. What did he have left to wait for? He was already impatient to bring the entire Northwest Continent under his control.
"What?"
The sect masters of the various sects were all furious. Shi Tian was far too arrogant—he actually wanted to swallow up every sect's power across the Northwest Continent.
He even wanted to annex them unconditionally, leaving no room for negotiation. It was utterly unreasonable.
"Sect Master Shi Tian, aren't you relying a little too much on your strength to bully the weak? Our sects are all longstanding inheritances in the Northwest Region. By forcibly seizing everything like this, aren't you tarnishing the bearing expected of a strong expert?"
The speaker was the sect master of a renowned orthodox sect. He was deeply dissatisfied and outraged by Shi Tian's presumptuous words, so he decided to protest.
Many people agreed with his view and secretly supported him in spirit, but in the end, they could only regret what was about to happen.
"Bah!"
Shi Tian spat a glob of phlegm at the man. The sticky mass shot toward him with unstoppable force.
The man was scared out of his wits. He released all the power of a Nine-Star Dou Zong, gathering every bit of his battle qi into a massive battle-qi shield, yet he still could not withstand the power of Shi Tian's phlegm.
With a bang, the man's body exploded, leaving not even bones behind. Blood scattered through the sky like a torrential storm, splashing all over everyone nearby.
A genuine Nine-Star Dou Zong had been killed by a mouthful of Shi Tian's phlegm. Once again, this dealt a heavy blow to the sect leaders.
"Ah, I'm truly sorry. This sect master merely spat casually just now and accidentally took that sect master's life. I truly feel guilty and regretful!" Shi Tian sighed mournfully, offering a second of silence for that brainless fool who had stepped forward.
"Cough, cough."
At that moment, Shi Tian cleared his throat again and made as if to spit. Seeing the crowd's frightened, panic-stricken expressions, he immediately asked with a laugh, "Does anyone else have any questions?"
"No, no!"
Everyone hurriedly shook their heads, trembling with fear.
When one was beneath another's roof, one had no choice but to bow. Shi Tian was domineering and tyrannical, and his strength was so great that they did not even dare look up at him. To preserve their lives, they could only swallow their anger and submit.
"Good. Those who understand the times are wise. Your wisdom saved your lives. Don't worry, this sect master will not mistreat his dogs." Shi Tian gave a sinister smile before looking toward Ye Qianqian below. "However, this sect master still has to kill a few people who deserve to die first."
"You want to kill us?" Ye Qianqian stared at him coldly.
Shi Tian nodded. "That's right. You shouldn't have died, girl, but you made one mistake: you shouldn't have learned this sect master's secret."
The previous night, Ye Qianqian and Wang Ba had discovered that mysterious Years Stele. The inscription on that stele contained boundless power, and it was precisely the key to Shi Tian's sudden surge in strength.
Therefore, Shi Tian wanted to kill Ye Qianqian so that no one in this world would learn the secret of the Years Stele.
Ye Qianqian smiled. "You can't keep us here. Do you believe that?"
"This sect master doesn't." Shi Tian clasped his hands behind his back, looking as though the universe were in his grasp. "One Dou Zong peak, one One-Star Dou Venerate, and one Five-Star Dou Venerate. You're only a Three-Star Dou Venerate. Do you insects really think that this little bit of strength is enough to fight this sect master?"
"No, you're wrong." Ye Qianqian blinked and pointed at Saber. "She isn't at the Dou Zong peak."
"System, unlock Saber's Second Release state for me."
Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully unlocked it, consuming 100,000,000 Shock Points.
In an instant, Saber's strength began to rise continuously under the astonished gazes of everyone present.
Dou Zong peak, One-Star Dou Venerate, Two-Star Dou Venerate, Three-Star Dou Venerate, Four-Star Dou Venerate... Seven-Star Dou Venerate, Eight-Star Dou Venerate... It finally stopped only after reaching the Nine-Star Dou Venerate realm.
Ye Qianqian smiled. "She is a Nine-Star Dou Venerate."
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 50,000 Shock Points from Shi Tian.
Before you continue