The deafening roar of the Azure Dragon echoed through the grand hall. "The Sect Master has decreed—whoever dares to stir chaos within the Great Zhao shall meet this end."
Sun Tiexin and Yang Fulin's faces turned ashen, their eyes wide with despair. With a heavy thud, both men fell to their knees, kowtowing again and again before Nangong Wan. "Your Majesty, please spare us! We were blind and foolish! We will take our own lives to atone—only, we beg that Your Majesty spare our families!"
Nangong Wan looked down at them, a complicated glint flickering in her eyes. After a brief silence, she finally gave a faint nod. "Granted."
The two exchanged a final look, then gave a bitter smile. Without hesitation, they drew their long swords from their waists and slashed across their throats.
Blood splattered across the golden bricks of the court floor. The sight silenced the entire assembly—no official dared even to breathe too loudly.
Nangong Wan took a deep breath and swept her gaze over the gathered ministers. Her calm voice carried an unquestionable weight. "Does anyone else wish to speak?"
The hall was utterly silent.
Several days later, in the Horn Constellation Realm—
Atop a mist-shrouded mountain stood the Hundred Formation Monastery. Its towering gates were wreathed in spiritual light, the air thick with the hum of countless formation lines. Ordinary martial cultivators could not even approach its perimeter.
Deep within the monastery, a woman in white sat cross-legged upon a jade-green stone dais. Her long black hair flowed like a waterfall, and her peerless face carried an icy detachment that could freeze hearts at a glance.
This woman was Yu Hongluan—the senior sister of Qin Mingcheng and the true master of the Hundred Formation Monastery.
Though she appeared young, her cultivation ran unfathomably deep. Her methods were ruthless, and even the oldest powers of the Horn Constellation Realm regarded her with fear and respect.
"Bang!"
The monastery doors burst open, and a middle-aged man stumbled inside—it was Li Tong, Qin Mingcheng's eldest disciple.
Grief twisted his features as he fell to his knees before the stone platform. "Martial Aunt… Master has been killed in the Wasteland Realm!"
Yu Hongluan's eyes snapped open, a flicker of surprise flashing in their depths. "Who did it?"
"It was the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, Yang Cheng!" Li Tong said through clenched teeth. "That man not only killed Master, but also beheaded Su Lingchen and the Night Owl. What's worse, rumors say he was born with divine understanding—proficient in the Sword Dao, Fist Dao, and Blade Dao—and even a master of formations…"
He continued reciting the intelligence and rumors surrounding Yang Cheng.
"Oh?" Yu Hongluan raised an eyebrow, the first hint of gravity appearing in her expression. "At such a young age, and already possessing such abilities?"
She fell into brief contemplation, but before she could speak again, a disciple of the Chen clan was announced.
"Let him in," Yu Hongluan ordered.
A man in gray robes entered and bowed deeply. "Master Yu, my clan's ancestor requests your presence."
At that same moment, far away in the Wasteland Realm—
Yang Cheng sat in quiet meditation, his breathing steady as the world around him fell silent.
Then, lines of radiant golden text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Five hundred years ago, the Horn Constellation Realm's prodigy, Chen Wangxu, began cultivating the Dragon Nirvana Demonic Art.]
[According to the system's calculations, given Chen Wangxu's talent, he is on the verge of success—soon to transform into a demonic dragon and ascend to the Shattering God Realm.]
[The Dragon Nirvana Demonic Art is immensely powerful. If Chen Wangxu is allowed to continue evolving, it will bring great disaster to the Wasteland Realm.]
[New Mission Issued: Prevent Chen Wangxu from completing his demonic transformation.]
[Reward: Four-Star Shura Sword Domain.]
"Chen Wangxu cultivating the Dragon Nirvana Demonic Art?"
Yang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly. He had heard of this technique in his previous life.
Before his rebirth, Chen Wangxu had already become a mighty Refining God expert.
But now, Chen Wangxu was not even twenty years old.
Without hesitation, Yang Cheng's figure blurred and vanished from the manor, his divine sense locking onto the Horn Constellation Realm.
Horn Constellation Realm—
Within the grand Chen family estate, countless guests filled the halls.
At the head seat sat Chen Xuanshan, the Chen clan's patriarch, his aura profound and vast. Beside him was Chen Juefeng, the clan leader. Both men wore wide smiles as they welcomed Yu Hongluan's arrival.
"Master Yu, your esteemed presence truly brings light to our humble home," Chen Xuanshan said with a genial laugh, stroking his beard.
Yu Hongluan gave a slight nod, her tone calm and composed. "There's no need for formalities, Patriarch Chen. I wonder what matter was important enough to summon me here today?"
Chen Xuanshan sighed deeply. "To tell you the truth, it concerns the Great Zhao Empire. The elder my Chen clan sent there was recently slain by Dao Wuyin of Mount Reincarnation. That man has grown far too arrogant. If he's not eliminated, every power of the Horn Constellation Realm with holdings in Great Zhao will suffer."
Yu Hongluan's brows knit slightly. "Dao Wuyin? After Yang Cheng killed my junior brother Qin Mingcheng, Dao Wuyin fought him. Technically speaking, Mount Reincarnation and my Hundred Formation Monastery have no direct enmity."
"You're mistaken."
Chen Juefeng shook his head. "Dao Wuyin and Yang Cheng are both cultivators from the Wasteland Realm—they share the same breath and stench. How could they ever be our allies? Master Yu, if you're willing to act, my Chen clan will spare no resources in support. As long as Dao Wuyin dies, we can divide the spoils of Great Zhao together!"
Yu Hongluan's lips curled into a cold smile. "Very well. But what I seek is not profit—it's the dignity of the Hundred Formation Monastery. Qin Mingcheng died by Yang Cheng's hand, so I'll kill Dao Wuyin, who is of similar strength. Then all of the Wasteland Realm will learn that those who touch the disciples of my Hundred Formation Monastery will pay with their lives."
She paused, confidence glinting in her eyes. "I'll issue a public challenge at Jinbian Lake. Once Dao Wuyin falls, our shame will be washed away—and the spoils of Great Zhao will be ours to take. Why not?"
Chen Xuanshan laughed heartily, clapping his hands. "Magnificent! With Master Yu taking the field, Dao Wuyin's death is certain!"
Just as his laughter echoed through the hall, a furious shout rang out from outside the estate.
"Yang Cheng! You dare trespass into my Chen clan!"
Everyone turned toward the sound. At the gate, a youth in a blue robe walked in with steady, unhurried steps—it was Yang Cheng himself.
"Yang Cheng?"
The moment they saw him, every guest and Chen clan member froze. They had all seen depictions of him before—this was undoubtedly the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
Shock rippled through the crowd. None of them expected him to appear here, right in the Chen family's stronghold.
Then, as realization struck, rage flared like wildfire.
"Yang Cheng, do you take my Chen clan for the Ouyang clan?" someone shouted, voice full of fury.
The Ouyang clan's strongest expert was merely at the peak of the Insight God Realm. But the Chen clan's patriarch himself was a Yin God expert—an entirely different level.
However, someone else reacted even more violently.
Li Tong suddenly sprang to his feet, eyes bloodshot and burning with hatred. "You! You killed my master?"
Yu Hongluan narrowed her gaze slightly, finally getting a good look at Yang Cheng.
So this was the boy who killed Qin Mingcheng? Outwardly ordinary, yet the calm in his bearing held unfathomable depth—like a quiet sea that could swallow all storms.
"So what if I killed your master?" Yang Cheng's voice was soft, but his words struck like thunder.
"Courting death!"
Li Tong roared, his aura exploding. His body shot up by three feet, blood energy boiling like molten iron, surging through his veins with a thunderous rush. As he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracked and popped like firecrackers.
He raised his left arm, and seven streaks of silvery light shimmered across his fist—like the Big Dipper blazing in the heavens. Intricate array patterns weaved and interlocked, and faintly, threads of starlight from the Ninth Heaven poured into his strike.
"Seven Stars Converge!"
He stepped forward, his right foot crashing onto the stone floor. The blue slate beneath him splintered instantly, spiderweb cracks spreading outward.
With a deep growl, he threw his right fist forward. The punch tore through the air with a howling gust, the seven lights flaring brightly and condensing into seven dazzling stars. They revolved along the path of the Dipper, spinning with violent momentum, compressing the very air into visible rippling waves.
"What a strike—Tianshu immobilizes, Tiansxuan locks the meridians, Tianji shatters the bones…"
"By the heavens, this Seven-Star Formation Pattern can evolve into seven distinct killing moves!"
Gasps erupted from the onlookers among the Chen clan.
Even before the fist landed, an invisible pressure swept over the entire hall. It was as if the sky itself was collapsing, forcing the air from everyone's lungs.
The shockwave at the leading edge of the punch condensed into the phantom of a colossal star beast. Its mouth opened wide, as though ready to devour the heavens and earth. The sheer might of the attack made a distant bronze bell tremble violently, the ringing so loud it made everyone's eardrums ache.
That one punch—its power was enough to rival a Yin God cultivator's full-force strike.