Shocking the World Speculation, Seven Stars Assemble

Facing Hun Miesheng's boundless fury.

The Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master and the Great Heavenly Venerate both remained silent.

To be honest, Hun Miesheng's rebuke was entirely undeserved disaster for the two of them.

As Dou Saint powerhouses whose authority and status within the Hall of Souls were second only to Hun Miesheng's, they normally remained in secluded cultivation and rarely showed themselves unless something important happened.

Normally.

The Hall of Souls' affairs, great and small.

Were basically handled by people such as Second Heavenly Venerate Gu You.

This time.

Had the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking not revealed the top ten sects.

The two of them likely would not have known until the day they died that the Southern Continent and Eastern Continent, which they had regarded as barbaric, barren lands, contained two top-tier factions—Nanming Sect and Dongji Sect—guarded by Dou Saints.

Though they felt wronged.

They also understood that several factions posing an enormous threat to the Hall of Souls had suddenly appeared on the Dou Qi Continent, yet as the Hall of Souls' upper echelon, they knew nothing about them. Being scolded by the Hall Master was already getting off lightly.

If clan leader Hun Tiandi learned of this, they would be lucky to escape with their lives, let alone avoid losing a layer of skin.

On the other side.

Seeing his direct superiors being reprimanded.

Second Heavenly Venerate Gu You, who stood below, knowingly stepped forward.

He chose to take the blame for the Vice Hall Master and the Great Heavenly Venerate.

With a face full of terror, he cupped his hands toward Hun Miesheng and said, "Hall Master, please forgive me. For all these years, the branch halls outside Central Continent have been under this subordinate's management. I failed to arrange anyone to infiltrate Dongji Sect. It was this subordinate's negligence; the Vice Hall Master and Great Heavenly Venerate knew nothing of it."

Boom!

As Gu You's words fell.

Although he knew Gu You was making excuses for himself and the Great Heavenly Venerate.

The Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master, a Three-star Dou Saint, still released an exceedingly terrifying pressure upon Gu You. His eyes were icy as he said, "Gu You, you had better give us a reasonable explanation for this matter!"

Sensing the pressure upon him, which was not particularly heavy.

Gu You, who thoroughly understood the Vice Hall Master's intentions, immediately revealed a pained expression.

As he knelt on the ground and trembled, he manipulated the Dou Qi within his body, making his bones crackle.

"Reporting to the Hall Master, Vice Hall Master, and Great Heavenly Venerate!"

"According to the Eastern Continent Branch Hall's reports from past years, this subordinate discovered that they had sent people to approach Dongji Sect disciples more than once. However, the other side would not yield to either soft or hard tactics, and they even clashed with the branch hall."

"Because the sect is located at the heart of the Hurricane Canyon Forbidden Land, where defense is easy and attack is difficult, and because their true background was unknown."

"The Eastern Continent Branch Hall even attempted to have Dou Zong Protectors possess young geniuses, disguise their identities, and enter Dongji Sect to take the Entrance Examination..."

"Unfortunately, the final stage of Dongji Sect's Entrance Examination was an extremely bizarre Heart Refining Array. Everything within the array was incomparably realistic. The disciples sent by the branch hall lacked the necessary disposition and were ultimately eliminated by Dongji Sect."

"For some time afterward, although the branch hall had many frictions with Dongji Sect, its main mission was to collect Soul Bodies, so the infiltration plan was set aside..."

"As for Burning Flame Valley concealing its strength."

"We truly cannot be blamed. Old Ancestor Huoyun had not made a move for many years. Our understanding of him remained at the Mid-stage One-star Dou Saint level, while the strongest person from Burning Flame Valley active in public was merely its valley master, Tang Zhen, a Five-Star Dou Venerate."

After hearing Gu You's report.

Hun Miesheng glanced at the Hall of Souls Vice Hall Master.

Then he said coldly, "Leave Burning Flame Valley alone for now. We will deal with it after they reveal their trump card.

"As for that semi-hidden Dongji Sect that still recruits disciples from the outside, I do not care what price you pay. You must plant our people within it."

"This Hall Master needs to know!"

"What is the purpose of their deliberately concealing their cultivation all these years?"

Upon hearing this.

Gu You immediately said, "This subordinate obeys. One month from now will be Dongji Sect's annual Entrance Examination. This time, I will arrange for Dou Zun Experts and clan geniuses to go together. Unless we infiltrate Dongji Sect, we will not rest!"

Central Continent.

Atop the Pill Tower.

After seeing Dongji Sect's reward.

Tian Lei Zi, one of the Pill Tower Three Giants, could not help but say, "Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, do you think Nanming Sect and Dongji Sect might be the faction that placed that order with our Pill Tower?"

"I don't think so!"

Xuan Yi instinctively shook her head and said, "Although Nanming Sect and Dongji Sect are very strong, they do not seem to need such an enormous quantity of pills."

"That's true... One of these two sects is hidden from the world, while the other is semi-hidden. They have no enemies, so why would they need so many Healing Pills?"

Just as Tian Lei Zi muttered to himself and felt that Xuan Yi made sense.

Xuan Kongzi, who stood beside them, suddenly said, "Tian Lei Zi, Xuan Yi, did you notice that the pill reward for Fifth Place has already become ten Nine-Colored Pill Lightning Eighth-grade Pills?"

"We saw it."

"What is the problem with that?"

Meeting Tian Lei Zi and Xuan Yi's puzzled gazes.

Xuan Kongzi dropped a shocking statement. "I was thinking, could the pill rewards for the top four places on the Sect Ranking be, in order, Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills, Ninth-Grade Profound Pills, Ninth-Grade Golden Pills... and Emperor Pills?"

Rumble!

Xuan Kongzi's words were like a bolt of thunder.

Exploding instantly in Tian Lei Zi and Xuan Yi's minds.

After the two came back to their senses, they thought it over carefully and realized that Xuan Kongzi's words were not without reason.

"Xuan Kongzi..." Tian Lei Zi said with a face full of alarm. "Isn't that speculation far too terrifying? If there really are Emperor Pills, those people from the Ancient Clans will go completely insane!"

"The Dou Qi Continent has not produced a Dou Emperor powerhouse for ten thousand years."

"I hope my guess is wrong!" Xuan Kongzi said gravely. "Otherwise, if Emperor Pills appear, the Dou Qi Continent will inevitably suffer a great calamity..."

At the same time.

Far North, Meteor God Ice Plain.

Watching the Dongji Sect scene displayed on the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking.

As though he had thought of something, Lin Yuan suddenly asked the white-haired, youthful-faced Hall Master of Tian Quan Hall beside him, "Tian Quan, although this Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking only targets the Dou Qi Continent."

"The Flame Demon Clan cannot see it from their Barracks Base or the Flame Demon Battlefield."

"Moreover, any Flame Demon Clan members they send through the cracks in the Spatial Channel to infiltrate the Dou Qi Continent are killed by the Seven Star Palace in the small world sealing the Spatial Channel. Not a single one can return to the Flame Demon Clan and report intelligence about the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking."

"But the Seven Star Palace will soon be ranked."

"The Seven Star Palace is different from Nanming Sect and Dongji Sect."

"Together, those two sects only have a little over twenty Dou Saint combatants. If they spread out slightly, the Flame Demon Clan will not notice at all. But if every member of the Seven Star Palace gains one star of strength, the scene will be far too astonishing..."

Upon hearing this.

The Hall Master of Tian Quan Hall immediately understood Lin Yuan's meaning.

He instinctively said, "My lord is worried that once the Flame Demon Clan discovers the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking, they will take some mad action and disrupt the previous plan?"

"Correct."

Seeing Lin Yuan nod.

The Hall Master of Tian Quan Hall pondered for a moment.

Then he slowly said, "My lord, this subordinate believes that while the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking bestows its blessings, we should create some major disturbance to stir up the situation and confuse the enemy."

Facing the Hall Master of Tian Quan Hall's suggestion.

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. Quick to understand, he instantly came up with an idea.

Then.

With a thought.

He immediately took out six blue tokens gleaming with starlight.

Not long after the blue tokens appeared, six towering soul projections suddenly floated above them.

Upon seeing Lin Yuan.

The six soul projections almost simultaneously dropped to one knee and said with utmost respect, "Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang pay respects to Lord Ice Emperor!"