Divine Sect

On Blood Saber Peak, Lu Shaoyou tucked the Dragon Vein Earth Key into his robes and stood quietly.

The air still carried the venomous, resentful aura left behind when the Blood Saber Patriarch had self-destructed, along with his dying curse concerning the "Divine Sect."

Lu Shaoyou felt no fear toward the "Divine Sect" mentioned by his opponent. Instead, a trace of curiosity rose within him.

For it to make even the Great Gan Dynasty so wary, and to be capable of laying down such a heaven-shaking scheme as the "Sky Locking Array" in Azure Province, it was presumably no insignificant force.

Now this was somewhat interesting.

Otherwise, this land of Azure Province would have been far too dull.

At the very moment the Blood Saber Patriarch crushed the token.

Outside Azure Province, in a hidden place unknown to the world.

Clouds and mist curled through the air, immortal cranes flew in flocks, and towering crimson palaces floated above the sea of clouds. Their grandeur was immense, like a divine realm.

Within the grandest of those halls.

A man clad in an elaborate crimson Daoist robe sat cross-legged upon a throne, his handsome yet bewitching face framed by tightly shut eyes.

Not a trace of aura leaked from his body, yet he gave off the illusion that he had merged with heaven and earth itself, as though he were the master of this world.

Suddenly, his butterfly-wing lashes trembled slightly, and his eyes snapped open.

What sort of eyes were they?

Deep and indifferent, as though they contained the birth and death of stars and the cycle of all things, utterly devoid of human emotion.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

Buzz...

Space rippled faintly, and an ancient crimson token materialized out of thin air.

Yet the very next moment, a crack appeared on the token without warning.

Crack!

With a soft sound, the crack swiftly spread. The entire token turned into specks of light and scattered into the air.

The crimson-robed Daoist's brows finally furrowed slightly, and a ripple rose in those ancient, unchanging eyes.

This Blood God Token was the keepsake he had left years ago for that pawn in Azure Province's Blood Saber Sect. A faint connection existed between them.

It would never have been used unless the sect faced destruction and survival hung by a thread.

Something had happened in Azure Province?

As he pondered, a streak of light flew in from outside the hall. A young disciple clad in crimson armor rushed into the great hall with a panicked expression and dropped to one knee.

"Reporting to the Divine Lord! Disaster! The soul lamp of Xue Tianya, enshrined in the Soul Hall... has gone out!"

The instant those words fell, the air in the hall seemed to freeze solid.

At last, a distinct chill appeared on the crimson-robed Daoist's incomparably handsome face.

"I know."

His voice was calm and without the slightest ripple, giving no hint of joy or anger. Yet the disciple felt the blood throughout his body about to freeze, and hurriedly lowered his head even further.

"Transmit my decree." The crimson-robed Daoist's voice echoed through the empty hall, carrying unquestionable authority. "Summon the elders of the Blood River, Blood Baleful Intent, and Blood Demon Halls to deliberate in the Divine Sect's main hall."

"Also, activate the World-Breaking Star Disk. This Seat will personally make a trip to Azure Province."

Upon hearing this, the disciple abruptly raised his head, his face filled with horror.

The World-Breaking Star Disk? The Divine Lord was going in person?

What could possibly have happened to make the Divine Lord personally go at any cost?

He did not dare ask further questions and hurriedly accepted the order before leaving.

The empty hall returned to dead silence.

The crimson-robed Daoist slowly rose to his feet and walked to the edge of the hall. With his hands behind his back, his gaze seemed to pierce endless void and look toward Azure Province.

"The power of the blood calamity... the dragon vein... the Great Gan Dynasty..."

He murmured to himself, the coldness in his eyes growing ever deeper.

"Which ant dares ruin This Seat's great undertaking?"

Blood Saber Peak.

Not long after Lu Shaoyou crushed the token.

Two figures appeared before him like ghosts.

They were none other than Qin Wuya, Commander-in-Chief of the Demon Suppressing Division, and the Grey-robed Elder.

"Brother Lu, you..."

The moment Qin Wuya appeared and saw the scene before him, even with his composure, his words caught in his throat halfway through.

He looked at the mountain peak, half of which had been forcibly blasted down as though some colossal beast had taken a bite from it, then at the forbidden ground strewn with wreckage, where blood flowed into rivers.

Then he looked at Lu Shaoyou, standing unscathed amid the ruins, and the corner of his eye could not help twitching.

He had anticipated that Lu Shaoyou could deal with the Blood Saber Sect, but he had never anticipated this method.

This was not pulling out a nail. This was clearly flipping the entire mountain over!

The Grey-robed Elder beside him also looked at Lu Shaoyou with pure shock instead of his initial scrutiny.

"Here. The thing you wanted."

Ignoring their shock, Lu Shaoyou casually tossed over the Dragon Vein Earth Key.

Qin Wuya hurriedly caught it. Feeling the ancient and pure dragon vein aura emanating from the Earth Key, the shock on his face was instantly replaced by wild delight.

"Good! Good! Good!" He said "good" three times in succession. His gaze toward Lu Shaoyou was filled with undisguised admiration. "Brother Lu, you have rendered great merit this time! I knew I had not misjudged you!"

"Cut the nonsense." Lu Shaoyou said blandly. "Don't forget what you promised me."

"Of course!" Qin Wuya patted his chest in assurance, then his expression turned solemn. "Time is of the essence. With the Blood Saber Sect destroyed, the Demon Sect must already have received the news. Powerful experts may soon come to investigate. We must find the Qingzhou Ding before they do!"

He poured true qi into the Dragon Vein Earth Key, and the ancient bronze key immediately bloomed with a gentle azure glow.

Then, an illusory beam of light shot out from the Earth Key, pointing toward the distant northwest.

"Over there!" Qin Wuya's eyes flashed. "It is... Old Qingzhou City!"

"Old Qingzhou City?" Lu Shaoyou raised a brow.

"That's right." Qin Wuya nodded. "It was once the site of Azure Province's prefectural seat. Two hundred years ago, the Great Gan Dynasty and the Demon Sect fought a heaven-shaking battle there."

"The entire city was reduced to ruins. Since then, it has become a desolate dead land that no one cared to visit."

"I never expected the Qingzhou Ding to have been hidden there."

He put away the Earth Key and said gravely, "Go! We leave at once!"

As his words fell, Qin Wuya and the Grey-robed Elder exchanged a glance. The two acted simultaneously, and an invisible force enveloped Lu Shaoyou.

The three turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and speeding toward the northwest.

Their speed far surpassed any movement technique Lu Shaoyou had ever seen.

Clearly, these two great figures from the imperial dynasty had begun to wield their true strength.