The Falling Cloud Sect Master? Zhang Kun, who had been cursing, froze when he heard Chen Fan say that. Putting on an act!
The Falling Cloud Sect Master was far stronger than their Zhang Lineage's ancestor. Why would she come to a little place like this? Besides, his father had gone to the Falling Cloud Sect, and the Sect Master would surely receive him in person!
Then, seeing the unfamiliar woman beside Chen Fan, he frowned... They had even hired someone to act!
But when the Zhang Lineage's fifth elder saw Yun Lan in person, he was dumbfounded. She really had come! What an honor!
Just who was Chen Fan? Drenched in sweat, he opened his mouth, but bitterness left him unable to speak... Fear filled his heart, because he could already imagine the consequences... regardless of the reason!
Meanwhile, Yun Lan casually glanced at Zhang Kun with her beautiful eyes.
"Great Emperor, he is not a disciple of my Falling Cloud Sect."
She knew Chen Fan had called her out to confront them, even going out of his way to ask a question he already knew the answer to, not to show off, but to sever this connection completely. Otherwise, word might spread and become a rumor, and that would never do.
Especially between major powers, there could be no gossip or even the slightest unfounded whisper. Otherwise, the Falling Cloud Sect would always be the one to suffer losses and repercussions.
Chen Daye was rather bewildered and had no idea what they were talking about. Bai Fengyao, meanwhile, planted both hands on her hips and held her head high, her chest out! Her master would back her up on everything she had said earlier!
Great Emperor? Zhang Kun laughed, but his kidney hurt. He silently watched them work together to show off. These were all tricks he had long since tired of playing.
He snorted coldly. "Whether I'm a Falling Cloud Sect disciple isn't for you to decide..."
At the same time, there was a thud.
The fifth elder dropped straight to his knees and kowtowed. Those two words, "Great Emperor," had shattered his defenses.
"Zhang Yi, fifth elder of the Zhang Lineage, pays his respects to the Falling Cloud Sect Master."
He did not even dare raise his head. A Sage was treating Chen Fan with the utmost respect. Her words carried immense credibility!
Even if he did not believe it in his heart, that disbelief seemed pale and powerless now. Unbelievable!
A chill instantly ran down Zhang Kun's back. His expression froze, and his hair stood on end...
Yun Lan was unconcerned.
She ignored Zhang Yi.
"Oh," she said. "Then tell me, who gets to decide?"
Zhang Kun turned his head with difficulty. "Junior Zhang Kun pays his respects to the Falling Cloud Sect Master!"
He might not believe anyone else, but he believed the fifth elder.
"Of course, you decide."
Who knew why the Falling Cloud Sect Master had come here? Could it be because of Chen Fan? That thought frightened him so badly that his face turned deathly pale.
"Wrong. The Great Emperor decides!" Yun Lan brought her pressure crashing down, sending both men flying.
Chen Daye watched in a daze, his eyelids twitching wildly. Was this woman really the Falling Cloud Sect Master? Was the young master a Great Emperor? He dared neither ask nor speak.
"Please calm your anger, Master of the Falling Cloud Sect. You're right. We had eyes but failed to see." Zhang Yi did not dare resist at all, trembling all over.
What a joke. He could not even defeat someone in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Before a top-tier Sage, he had even less room for temper.
But Yun Lan's repeated use of "Great Emperor" was practically scaring him to death. How could he dare look up at Chen Fan?
Zhang Kun was furious but dared not speak. Everything I say is wrong!
But his status and backing were clearly stronger.
Clutching his kidney, he hurriedly explained, "Master of the Falling Cloud Sect, this is a misunderstanding! My father is Zhang Yuanba!"
He announced his family background. He was the son of the Zhang Lineage's patriarch! How could the Falling Cloud Sect Master attack him?
Yun Lan's expression immediately turned cold.
"Your father, Zhang Yuanba, is already dead..."
"Impossible! How could my father be dead?!" Zhang Kun roared. Then his face turned deathly pale. His father had gone to the Falling Cloud Sect, yet its Sect Master was here. Could it really be...
Zhang Yi's heart sank, his expression turning extremely ugly.
Yun Lan ignored him. "Remember, in your next life, don't take matters into your own hands before anything is settled."
Chen Fan had called her out so that she, the Sect Master, would personally purge these parasites as well. After all, nothing had been settled, yet they dared spout such nonsense! The first stroke had not even been drawn, yet he was already calling himself a disciple of her Falling Cloud Sect!
That was also a blow to the Falling Cloud Sect's prestige, a stain upon it.
Then she swept out a palm.
In the final moments of their lives, even time seemed to slow.
Zhang Kun and Zhang Yi had no time to react. Faces full of terror, pupils dilated and muscles trembling, they watched the Sage's palm strike, the fluctuations of spiritual power visible to the naked eye, strands of golden energy weaving together into one great slap!
Unbelievable! Indescribable, impossible to resist. Everything was futile, and their escape speed was no better than a turtle's.
Their left hands, right hands, and both legs moved in slow motion. Even their souls seemed trapped in a mire.
Yun Lan had actually attacked them without the slightest regard for their Zhang Lineage. Could that girl really not have been boasting...
The Falling Cloud Sect really had become subordinate to a Chen Lineage! And Chen Fan was even an Emperor Realm expert...
Otherwise, how could Chen Fan command the leader of the Heavenly Abyss Domain's foremost sect...
Boom.
The next instant, both men were reduced to flying ash.
Chen Daye's mouth hung wide open! Even Zhang Yi, who was in the Dao Palace Realm, could not withstand that slap. She had to be an expert! The Falling Cloud Sect Master...
The Chen Lineage had actually... developed to such a degree behind his back!
Suddenly, the spirit stones and other resources he had obtained for free lost their appeal. Compared to strength and backing, these things seemed insignificant.
Chen Fan was fairly satisfied with what he saw. With Yun Lan having purged these parasites, no one would believe any rumors that spread.
Then, with a casual wave, seven Saint Realm puppets appeared around him.
They gleamed with cold light, devoid of emotion.
"Great Emperor, what are these?" Yun Lan froze at the sight.
Chen Fan said, "Master of the Falling Cloud Sect, weren't you afraid the Zhang Lineage would retaliate in secret and assassinate your sect's core disciples? These are seven Saint Realm puppets. In addition, I'll give you another two thousand Tribulation Transcendence Realm puppets. Are you confident you can wipe out the Zhang Lineage?"
Having gone this far, they had to strike first to gain the upper hand. They could not give the Zhang Lineage a chance to recover and retaliate.
Generally speaking, sects were unwilling to offend top-tier lineages partly because of their strength, but more importantly because their internal structures were vast and complex.
Unless they were wiped out completely in one stroke, they could easily be given a chance to rise from the ashes! And retaliate in secret.
Well, the Chen Lineage's undercover agents counted as an example of this too.
The key was that wealth and strength could, on a certain level, be converted into one another and serve as mutual checks and balances. For example: hiring others, or being hired.
Exchanging certain benefits for a female emperor master followed the same principle.
To break all of this, they naturally had to shatter that balance. Once the losses were reduced to an acceptable range, it would crumble without an assault.
And even though he was in the Emperor Realm, he was still only one person. Wiping out the Zhang Lineage's top forces would be easy, but that would merely lower the rank of its influence and send it into decline.
What they needed now, however, was to sweep away every Zhang Lineage branch throughout the Heavenly Abyss Domain! They had to leave no hidden dangers, lest they be stabbed in the back.
At his words, Yun Lan's beautiful eyes grew fervent. Seven Saint Realm puppets! They rivaled the Falling Cloud Sect's top fighting forces! Not to mention another two thousand Tribulation Transcendence Realm puppets!
Even the Falling Cloud Sect did not have that many. It had only a fraction of that number, because Tribulation Transcendence Realm experts were not cabbages.
So this was Chen Fan's plan: erase the Zhang Lineage through absolute strength... But that was the Heavenly Abyss Domain's foremost lineage. To erase it completely...
"Great Emperor, Yun Lan will not fail you!"
It was not necessarily impossible.
With enough experts to cover everything, any fish that slipped through the net and sought revenge would ultimately be an extremely small minority.
And having killed Zhang Yuanba, she could not simply sit and wait for death. Resolving this quickly seemed the best approach.
Chen Daye opened his mouth, stunned! At this level, he had absolutely no room to speak! Just listening made his head buzz.
Was this really the leader of the Falling Cloud Sect, the Heavenly Abyss Domain's foremost sect?
Chen Fan grunted in acknowledgment. "Master of the Falling Cloud Sect, make the arrangements for this. As for me, I'll go meet the other sects..."
After all, quite a few sects were subordinate to the Zhang Lineage. But taking down sects would not require so many people. He alone was enough.
Yun Lan smiled. "Great Emperor, you can simply call me Yun Lan."
Chen Fan did not dwell on the form of address and turned to look at Chen Daye beside him.
"First Elder, let's head back."
At those words, Chen Daye trembled all over, jolting sharply.
Great Void Province.
Weiyang Domain.
The Yang Lineage.
A line of guards stood watch outside a cold, secluded little hall, and a large padlock hung from the door bolt.
Inside the room, a frail woman sat lonely and anguished, her hands and feet all bound in chains.
Her soul was sealed as well.
"Fan'er, I don't deserve to be your mother..."
Her name was Yang Lingqing.