At the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, several elders and the sect master were holding a council on the main peak.
"Sect Master, why did the Demon Sect suddenly attack the Jade Dragon Sword Sect? Do they want to spark another war between the righteous and demonic paths?"
"Exactly. Does that brat Zhou Qiong really have such nerve?"
"I heard he just came out of seclusion. Could his cultivation have broken through to the Middle Stage Martial Emperor?"
Seated at the head, Sect Master Ximen Tian waved his hand. "The disciples sent to gather information haven't returned yet. Let's discuss it when they return. Ximen Di has already reached Jade Dragon Mountain. He should have engaged the Demon Sect by now."
"Jade Dragon Mountain sent word that the Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King were leading the attack. Both are among the Twelve Demon Kings, and both have reached peak Martial King cultivation. Jade Dragon Mountain certainly can't withstand them, but the deputy sect master has already gone there. He can destroy those two with a flip of his hand."
Ximen Tian nodded as well. He had great confidence in his younger brother Ximen Di's strength. Even if several opponents of the same realm surrounded him, he could emerge unscathed. In the entire Demon Sect, only Zhou Qiong and the grand elder could threaten his brother.
Just as they were discussing matters,
A streak of red sword light broke through the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's mountain-protecting formation without eliciting the slightest reaction from it. The red light charged straight into the main peak's great hall.
"Who dares trespass upon our Ten Thousand Swords Sect?" A blue-robed elder stood up in the council hall, a longsword appearing in his hand.
The red sword light vanished, leaving a figure lying on the council hall's floor. Blood seeped from his entire body, his flesh a mangled mess, and his sword-like brows were tightly knitted. It was none other than Ximen Di, who had escaped using Sword Light Escape.
"Deputy Sect Master, how is this possible? Who did this to you? Did that brat Zhou Qiong act personally?"
The blue-robed elder hurried over to help Ximen Di up, taking out healing spirit pills and stuffing them into his mouth by the handful.
Ximen Di barely managed to open his eyes and swallow the healing spirit pills. Looking up, he spoke to Ximen Tian with difficulty. "Elder Brother, the Demon Sect's chief steward, Liansheng, has probably broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm."
With that, Ximen Di passed out. Ximen Tian's face turned livid. "Help the deputy sect master to the rear hall to rest. Fetch a Great Rejuvenation Pill from the pill hall and give it to him."
"Yes."
Ximen Tian looked in the direction of the Demon Sect and murmured quietly, "To force Ximen Di to use Sword Light Escape... it seems Liansheng really has broken through to Martial Sovereign. The continent will know no peace."
In the imperial study of a magnificent palace in the continent's east, a burly man in a golden dragon robe was reading memorials. Nobility suffused his features. He was Yuwen Tong, emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.
A eunuch stood beside him, bowing. "Your Majesty, word has arrived from the front lines. The Demon Sect's chief steward, Liansheng, is suspected to have broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm."
Hearing the news, Yuwen Tong gently closed the memorial. "Has Zhou Qiong come out of seclusion?"
"He has. I heard that as soon as he emerged, he punished the Demon Sect's third elder. He is suspected to have broken through as well."
Yuwen Tong knitted his brows tightly. "Zhou Qiong truly is a genius seen once in ten thousand years. He reached the pinnacle of the continent at twenty-one. Few throughout history have accomplished that. Liansheng isn't even thirty yet, either. Why does the Demon Sect have so many geniuses?"
"Your Majesty, if you weren't toiling day and night over affairs of state, you would have broken through long ago as well."
"Convey my decree. Mobilize a hundred thousand troops to garrison the border with the Demon Sect."
In the Golden Mountain Temple in the west, a bald, middle-aged man in a white kasaya was meditating inside the temple.
"Abbot, the Demon Sect's chief steward, Liansheng, is suspected to have broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm."
"Understood. You may leave."
That day, every force on the continent received the news: the Demon Sect had destroyed the Jade Dragon Sword Sect, and its chief steward was suspected to have broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm and had severely wounded Ximen Di.
At the Demon Sect's headquarters, Zhou Qiong sat upright on his devil dragon throne in the Heavenly Devil Hall. Liansheng still stood beside him, while the Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King reported the course of events below. Afterward, they withdrew from the hall.
"How long will you need to break through?"
"Reporting to the Sect Master, I can break through within the next two days."
"Go to the storehouse and take a Devil Origin Pill. Break through as soon as possible. There will be much to do in the future."
"Yes." Liansheng's figure vanished from the hall.
Zhou Qiong muttered to himself inwardly. This Sunflower Devil Canon really is formidable. Liansheng is at least twice as fast as before, and he hasn't even broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm yet. Once he does, his speed will probably rival mine. It seems all the cultivation arts the system provides are extraordinary. Unfortunately, its flaw is too glaring. I can't practice it at all.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: destroy a righteous sect. Rewards: one Life and Death Hand manual, one Black Dragon Flying Carriage, and one thousand Villain Points."
A rift suddenly opened in the sky above the Demon Sect, and a thousand-foot black dragon flew out, pulling an enormous flying carriage behind him. The carriage was as large as a small mountain and incomparably imposing, resembling the palace of a devil god.
"Who dares run wild in our Demon Sect?" The grand elder, who had been in seclusion, suddenly sensed a Martial Sovereign's presence and instantly appeared in the sky above the Demon Sect. A thousand-foot black dragon met his eyes. The Martial Sovereign's imposing presence emanated from him. This was a Martial Sovereign-level devil dragon.
But when he looked behind the dragon, the grand elder cried out in shock. What was he seeing? The devil dragon was actually pulling a flying carriage. That was a Martial Sovereign-level being!
There were only two known members of the beast races on the entire continent who had cultivated to Martial Sovereign: the Beast Emperor and the Sea King. The Sea King had already been in seclusion for over a hundred years. This might be the third demonic beast to break through to Martial Sovereign, yet he was actually pulling someone else's carriage. Just who could make him pull a carriage?
The devil dragon's imposing presence startled all the Demon Sect's higher-ups into coming out. The four hall masters, the Twelve Demon Kings, and the elders all wore looks of disbelief. Silver light even flashed in Liansheng's hand. If the devil dragon made any move, he would strike at once.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the Heavenly Devil Hall. "No need for alarm. This is my flying carriage. Tian Yi, drive the carriage to the rear mountain."
"Yes." A man dressed entirely in black and wearing a diamond mask answered from a corner. He flew toward the devil dragon's flying carriage, took the reins, and drove it toward the rear mountain. The devil dragon offered no resistance and obediently followed him there.
The Demon Kings, hall masters, and elders slowly dispersed, but shock was written all over every face. Their sect master actually had a Martial Sovereign-level devil dragon pulling his carriage. This was far beyond their understanding. And there were the legendary Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Divisions, which only the sect master could command. They had always been mysterious. Were there Martial Sovereign-level experts among them too?
In truth, Zhou Qiong was shocked as well. He had never expected the system to be so generous as to give him a Martial Sovereign-level devil dragon to pull his carriage. What he had originally cared about was the Life and Death Hand manual.
Name: Life and Death Hand Grade: Divine grade, elementary Properties: Commanded life and death. Could be fused. "Ding! Fuse?" "Fuse." "Fusing with Firmament Hand, 1%-30%-70%-100%. Fusion successful." Name: Firmament Life and Death Hand Grade: Divine grade, intermediate Properties: Could command life and death and control Yin and Yang Qi.
Zhou Qiong checked his own attributes.
Character: Zhou Qiong Position: Demon Sect Master Cultivation: Martial Sovereign (half strength) Cultivation arts: Heavenly Demon Scripture, Firmament Life and Death Hand, Heaven-Devouring Demon Art, first level, Gods and Devils Eye (incomplete).