Clang! Clang! Clang...
Suddenly, from deep within the Zhao Imperial Clan, loud peals, each bearing a mournful wail, reverberated outward from the floating island.
The phantom of a massive blood-red bell slowly took shape above the floating island.
The bell tolled nine times in all!
At the same time, the great sects, factions, and lineages of Flying Moon Province, which was under the Zhao Imperial Clan's rule, could all hear the mournful tolling.
"Nine tolls of the bell, an imperial clan withers away!"
Above a massive mountain gate, a man whose cultivation had reached the Saint Emperor Realm manifested.
He looked toward the Zhao Imperial Clan, his gaze trembling. Both hands hidden beneath his sleeves shook uncontrollably.
The Bloodline Bell was no great secret, and as the master of a first-tier sect, he naturally knew what those tolls meant.
Nine tolls of the bell, an imperial clan withers away. It meant that more than ninety percent of the Zhao Imperial Clan's bloodline in Flying Moon Province had perished.
If an imperial clan's bloodline was wiped out entirely, the bell would toll continuously for an entire day and night!
Who could have slaughtered the Zhao Imperial Clan, one of the twelve greatest powers standing at the pinnacle of the Black-Yellow Realm, until fewer than one in ten of its bloodline remained?
"Report!!!"
As he stood rooted to the spot, bewildered and terrified, an urgent voice rang out.
A moment later, someone stumbled and scrambled forward before dropping to his knees.
The man's face was deathly pale, as though he had heard something horrifying. His voice trembled as he said, "S-sect master! The Devil Race has appeared! Many nearby sects have already come under attack by the Devil Race. Without exception, they were utterly helpless to resist, and blood flowed like rivers through their sects! Now members of the Devil Race are already coming for our Heavenly Severance Nine Sects!"
"What? The Devil Race?" The man clearly did not believe it.
Hadn't the Devil Race already been exterminated?
Even if they hadn't been exterminated, they had all been suppressed within the Realm Sea.
How could the Devil Race appear in Flying Moon Province?
The Bloodline Bell, the tolling, the Zhao Imperial Clan, the Devil Race!
In the space of a lightning flash, the man connected them all, and a chilling sensation ran through him.
Only the other twelve imperial clans could have dealt the Zhao Imperial Clan such a devastating blow.
But clearly, even if there were disputes between imperial clans, they would never be severe enough to reach this point.
Other than them, then, only the Devil Race in the entire Black-Yellow Realm could have done it.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Just then, the man suddenly noticed dozens of communication stones in his storage ring vibrating at once.
That meant at least dozens of people were contacting him at the same time.
How bizarre!
He felt as though his scalp was about to burst!
Before he could take the communication stones out of his storage ring, he abruptly raised his head.
From the far end of his vision, an evil presence that made him instinctively want to vomit suddenly reached him.
The awareness flowing through his bloodline told him that this... was Devil Qi.
"Activate the sect's grand formation at full power!!"
The man's terrified voice came out so hoarse it no longer sounded human.
A person's voice would only change like that when their terror reached a certain point.
Buzz!
Soon, an enormous formation encompassing the entire mountain gate took shape.
The instant the formation successfully activated, ferocious devilish figures radiating powerful presences appeared outside the Heavenly Severance Nine Sects, surrounding the entire mountain gate.
He even... saw some members of the Devil Race clutching human corpses and tearing at them with their teeth. Judging by the scraps of clothing left on those corpses, some belonged to their Heavenly Severance Nine Sects.
They were even elders of esteemed status!
The color gradually drained from the man's face, and the despair in his eyes deepened.
Even the Zhao Imperial Clan couldn't withstand the Devil Race's attack. What could a mere first-tier sect like theirs use to stop them?
The Eternal Imperial Palace!
Behind the crowd, five figures stood in the air.
They were Su Ting and the other four.
The clansmen below were not the only ones watching the images Su Ya and the others sent back; they were watching too.
As they watched sect after sect and lineage after lineage fall, and tens of thousands of humans die at the hands of the Devil Race, their eyes showed not the slightest ripple.
This was the Black-Yellow Realm's tribulation!
If Su Chen had not displayed his divine might, their Su Imperial Clan would have been the first imperial clan the Devil Race washed in blood.
These people no longer deserved their protection and help.
The Su Imperial Clan was already being merciful by not taking this opportunity to stab them again.
Just then, Su Ting suddenly lowered his head and took out a communication stone.
After listening to its contents, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
The person who had contacted him was none other than Su Chen, the Su Imperial Clan's ancestor.
The moment had finally come!
"All Great Emperors of the Su Imperial Clan, heed my command!"
Su Ting's figure appeared before everyone, and his voice boomed like thunder over the square.
As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining Emperor Realm experts appeared one after another, apart from Su Ya and the others who had already gone out ahead of them.
Or rather, they had already been nearby; they had merely been hiding in the void.
"Follow me to the Liu Imperial Clan to demand justice!"
With that, Su Ting was the first to charge out of the grand formation.
As the foremost imperial clan, the Liu Imperial Clan had not only failed to set an example, but had even turned around and made false accusations, seeking to condemn the Su Imperial Clan.
How could they stand for that?
"Justice!"
"Justice!"
Not only the Great Emperors, but all the Su clansmen below also began to shout.
In the space of a few breaths, Su Shuang'er and several others went out after him, followed by all the remaining Great Emperors of the Su Clan.
"The Liu Imperial Clan is truly despicable! If my strength weren't so meager, I'd want to go and see it with my own eyes too!"
Someone in the crowd spoke indignantly.
"Oh, come on. We just need to stay out of the way. The clan leader and the others have their own plans. If we went and the two sides really came to blows, we'd become the clan leader's and the others' weak spot!"
Seeing this, someone immediately spoke up to console him.
"All right..."
Three Talents Province!
The Yuwen Imperial Clan, the third-greatest imperial clan in the Black-Yellow Realm, had built its entire clan atop a divine pillar that reached the heavens.
Countless magnificent buildings, pavilions, and island terraces lay half-hidden in the clouds and mist, looking like an immortal palace among the clouds.
At that moment, in the courtyard of one of the Yuwen Imperial Clan's palaces, a beautiful mature woman was watering rows of exotic flowers and plants with spirit spring water.
She wore a bright red silk dress with a low neckline, offering a faint glimpse of the valley between her snowy peaks.
Her face was like a lotus, with willow-like brows and a pair of naturally alluring eyes that captivated the heart. Her skin was as delicate as a young girl's, soft enough to break at a touch.
Her long black hair was arranged in a beauty's bun, and the corners of her scarlet lips were slightly raised. She appeared to be in a very good mood.
Just then, the woman suddenly felt a pair of large, broad, powerful hands encircle her waist.
Those large hands exerted some force, pulling her backward until her back struck a solid chest.
A hot breath brushed her ear at the same time.
"How annoying, in broad daylight..."
Before she could finish, the woman's expression changed in an instant, and panic appeared on her face.
This feeling, this presence-something's wrong!