Yao Clan in Upheaval

Yao Clan, Imperial City.

A towering stone monument stood here, rising into the clouds like a pillar supporting the heavens—majestic, imposing, ancient, and upright, inspiring reverence in all who saw it.

It was the Yao Clan's Clan Monument. Countless glowing names were engraved upon it, glittering like stars. Every name represented a Yao Clan disciple. Unlike those from the branch families, only those recorded upon it were recognized as true members of the Yao Clan.

Nearly every Yao Clan disciple worked toward this goal, taking it as the purpose of their life and a source of pride.

There were only three ways to have one's name engraved upon the Clan Monument: possess a Dou Di Bloodline Level of Fourth Grade or above, become a Seventh-Rank Alchemist, or make contributions to the clan.

This was also the foundation that had allowed the Yao Clan to endure until today.

Anyone whose name was left upon it would leave behind a Soul Imprint, through which their life signs could be observed.

Today.

Yao Ding's name on the Clan Monument suddenly dimmed. The Soul Imprint he had left behind dispersed at once, signifying his death.

"Buzz!"

Almost the instant Yao Ding's name went dark, a figure appeared before the monument. He bore not the slightest aura of an expert, yet merely standing in the void caused the Heaven and Earth Energy and clouds surrounding him to freeze in place, as though enveloped by an invisible domain that rendered them incapable of movement.

The newcomer was an elderly man with graying hair. His slightly clouded eyes stared silently at the spot where Yao Ding's name had been.

Those recorded in that section were all young members of this generation with considerable Bloodline Talent. Yao Ding could not have been over thirty, and at his age, he should have still been studying within Imperial City. How could he have suddenly died?

The Yao Clan placed tremendous importance on nurturing its younger generation, especially those with strong Dou Di bloodlines. Before reaching the Dou Zong realm, they would never be allowed out to train. Even when they did train, powerful experts would be assigned to protect them. It was impossible for one of them to die so silently.

He frowned slightly. An immense, invisible wave of Soul Power instantly enveloped the entire Imperial City, alarming several people in the process.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, several figures appeared directly beside the old man. They bowed respectfully. "Clan Leader!"

The old man was none other than the current Yao Clan Leader, Yao Dan.

His gaze swept over one of them, and his voice sank. "One of the younger generation has suddenly died. Investigate thoroughly!"

"?!"

Yao Wangui, the Elder in charge of the Yao Clan's punishments, froze briefly before turning toward the Clan Monument. Among the circle of names glimmering with golden light, one name had gone completely dark. He immediately understood the gravity of the matter, his expression turning cold as he said in a deep voice, "Understood!"

The next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Pill Cauldron City.

As Yao Nong lifted the Space Barrier, a field of ruins entered everyone's sight. Everything within had been reduced to Scorched Earth; not even a single human figure could be seen. This showed just how terrifying the destructive power of the Thunder Fire Pill was. Especially when it erupted inside the cage formed by the Space Barrier, no one below the Dou Zong realm could possibly have survived.

Yao Shan arrived belatedly. Looking at the residence reduced to ruins, his expression became incredibly ugly. At the same time, he looked at his old friend Yao Nong in disbelief and demanded, "You did this?"

There was no one else present, and he had personally witnessed Yao Nong lift the Space Barrier just now. It was impossible not to suspect him.

"My disciple wished to avenge his parents. As his teacher, I naturally had to lend him a hand. That is all."

Yao Nong looked calmly at his old friend and explained softly.

"...That brat?"

Yao Yan's figure surfaced in Yao Shan's mind. The confusion in his eyes deepened, and he even roared at Yao Nong, "Do you know what you've done?"

He could not understand what madness had seized his old friend. Just to supposedly help his disciple take revenge, he had slaughtered everyone in Yao Ding's residence. Even if Yao Shan wanted to suppress the matter, he could not. Moreover, Yao Ding was one of the younger generation whose name was on the Clan Monument. This matter would certainly alarm the clan's Elders.

As an accomplice, Yao Nong would surely receive severe punishment. His cultivation might even be crippled, and he could be expelled from the Yao Clan!

Was such a tremendous price worth paying?!

He was utterly baffled and could not understand what Yao Nong had been thinking.

Yao Shan's expression shifted uncertainly. After a moment, he continued, "If your disciple had any conflict with Yao Ding, you could have asked me for help. Why did it have to come to this? And where is your disciple now? Do not even think of letting him escape. With the abilities of the clan Elders, he cannot get away!"

If they could capture Yao Yan, Yao Nong might still be saved.

"Of course I know. That is why I must take one final step for him."

Yao Nong suddenly bowed in respect to Yao Shan. A faint smile of relief appeared on his face as he spoke slowly.

He had grown somewhat tired over the years. Compared to continuing to cling to life, death was actually a kind of release. It was better than remaining under Hun Xuzi's control, with his life and death in another's hands. It was a pity he would not get to see Yao Yan's future. With that brat's talent, his future would surely be magnificent. At the same time, he was curious what expressions the Yao Clan would wear when they encountered Yao Yan in the future.

It should be quite interesting.

As his words fell, terrifying Dou Qi fluctuations erupted from his body. Even space itself began to twist and tremble.

"?!"

Yao Shan's heart lurched. He had not expected his old friend to be so absolute. To help his disciple leave, he was willing to self-detonate and throw the surrounding Space Power into chaos. But there was no use thinking about that now. Compared to tracking down Yao Yan, stopping Yao Nong was what he needed to do. Otherwise, if a Half-Step Dou Zun self-detonated within the city, it would be enough to destroy everything.

With the power of a Three-Star Dou Zun, he sealed the space around Yao Nong. Seeing Destructive Power spread around Yao Nong's body, his eyes nearly split with fury as he roared, "You really have gone mad!!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

At the same time, more than a dozen Dou Zong-level experts flew out from the city. All of them stared at the scene in confusion, unable to make sense of what was happening.

"Boom!"

Yao Nong stood amid the ruins, the Dou Qi around him already violent to the extreme. In the next instant, terrifying Destructive Power tore apart his body. He held nothing back. His body and soul alike exploded in an instant, transforming into Destructive Power that swept through everything.

The ruins, already ravaged by the Thunder Fire Pill, suffered another devastating blow.

This time, however, the destructive force was even more terrifying. Even space became fragile, and black, savage Spatial Cracks spread outward in every direction, filling everyone with dread.

"Damn it!!"

Yao Shan roared. He did not understand what madness had taken his old friend, much less what kind of power that boy named Yao Yan possessed to make his old friend stake everything on him.

He struggled to resist the Destructive Power as it eroded space.

The Dou Zong-level experts around him flew over one after another, assisting Yao Shan in blocking the erupting Destructive Power and preventing it from reaching the city below. Every one of them wore an expression of fear. They had yet to understand what had happened before Yao Nong self-detonated.

"Hold the line!"

Yao Shan growled with difficulty. He could not allow this Destructive Power to spread, or Pill Cauldron City would be destroyed in an instant.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, space trembled. A transparent giant hand descended over the Destructive Power unleashed by Yao Nong. With a gentle clench, it directly erased that terrifying force, smoothing over the surrounding Space Cracks as well. At the same time, a dignified figure appeared before everyone's eyes and said coldly, "Who can give me an explanation?!"

An invisible Dou Sheng pressure instantly spread outward, forcing everyone in the entire city to kneel. This included Yao Shan and the others, who had been flying in midair. Unable to bear the pressure, they all fell to the ground and knelt, incapable of looking up at the Saint's face.

The newcomer was naturally Yao Wangui, the Yao Clan Elder responsible for punishments.

His mood was terrible. Someone had dared to cause trouble in the Medicine World, and on such a massive scale at that. This was undoubtedly a slap to his face, making it difficult for him to answer to Clan Leader Yao Dan. After all, he had been in control of the Medicine World all these years, yet such an enormous joke had occurred!

Yes, a joke.

Compared with Yao Ding's death, Yao Wangui cared more about the Medicine World's rules being broken. He felt that his authority had been challenged.

The entire city fell silent.

A moment later.

Yao Shan struggled to raise his head and said, "Everything happened too suddenly. We do not know the precise circumstances either. I ask Elder to calm his anger!"

"This old man gives you half an hour!"

Yao Wangui's tone was cold, as though he were looking at an ant. The moment his words fell, his figure disappeared from the sky. At the same time, the Dou Sheng pressure covering the city vanished, leaving everyone staring at one another before slowly rising to their feet and beginning to whisper among themselves.

Even now, most people still did not know what had happened.