"Golden Saint Elder, what exactly are you doing?" Sword Dawn from the Heavenly Sword Sect shouted sternly.
The Golden Saint Elder had actually annihilated several Martial Saints from the Divine Fist Sect with a single strike?
"What am I doing? Can't you see I'm killing you all?"
"Golden Saint Elder, don't you know this means betraying Hell's Gate? I advise you to turn back now. Immediately slay the Chu family's Demon Emperor, and perhaps Hell's Gate might forgive you. You might even have a chance to join them and become a true authority there!" Gong Pu stared at the Golden Saint Elder and spoke gravely.
"Exactly! Your Heavenly Dragon Abyss was originally a subordinate force of Hell's Gate. Even if you broke through to Demon Emperor without their permission, they would likely spare your life rather than exterminate you completely!" Sword Dawn said coldly.
Now that Holy Light Elder had broken through to Demon Emperor, perhaps this was their chance to escape—but only if they could persuade him to act against the Chu family's Demon Emperor.
"Hahaha, you overestimate Hell's Gate too much! Anyone who doesn't follow their rules meets only one end—death! Isn't the Xiao family from the Profound Domain the clearest example? So I'm definitely betraying Hell's Gate! Moreover, haven't you realized yet? This was all a trap set by our Heavenly Dragon Abyss and the Chu family to wipe out all the Martial Saints from your factions in one go!"
At these words, the expressions of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Desolate God Pavilion members changed completely.
"You... you've sided with the Chu family?" Gong Pu exclaimed in shock, staring at the Golden Saint Elder in disbelief.
Had he lost his mind? Instead of currying favor with Hell's Gate, the overlords of the Mortal Realm, he chose to align with a minor family like the Chu clan?"Aren't you afraid Hell's Gate will come for retribution?"
"Hah, Hell's Gate? They can't even protect themselves right now—why would they care about us? And even if they come, I fear nothing!" The Golden Saint Elder narrowed his eyes, brandishing his imperial artifact as he charged toward the Desolate God Pavilion and Ten Thousand Swords Mountain forces.
"Ah! Golden Saint Elder, betraying Hell's Gate will bring you no good end!" Gong Pu roared before his body was completely shattered under the attack of the imperial artifact.
Martial Saints stood no chance against an Emperor-tier powerhouse. In mere moments, all the Martial Saints who had come to Heavenly Dragon Abyss fell by the Golden Saint Elder's hand—this would serve as Heavenly Dragon Abyss's pledge of allegiance to the Chu family.
Long Yuan nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't intervened—these small fry weren't worth his action. He had merely served as bait.
"Excellent. Next, we'll harvest the accumulated resources of these sects. However, we'll still need your assistance. Although the elders of those factions are dead, their foundations remain substantial, and there might still be some ancient powerhouses guarding them. The Chu family hasn't fully matured yet—they can't swallow so many massive forces all at once," Long Yuan said to the Golden Saint Elder.
"Understood. This junior will personally lead Heavenly Dragon Abyss's Demon Saints to assist the Chu family until they completely take over those five Saint-grade factions."
"Good. Then I'll take my leave now. As for this imperial artifact and the Emperor-tier talismans you hold, keep them for emergencies."
"Yes!" The Golden Saint Elder felt moved—he hadn't expected Long Yuan to still consider their safety.
Long Yuan collected the imperial artifacts brought by the other five factions—these would become part of the Chu family's foundation. Moreover, he believed that with the resources of those five Saint-grade factions and the Chrono Pagoda, the Chu family's strength would undergo a qualitative transformation in the coming period. They might not produce Martial Emperors yet, but at least several Martial Saints should emerge.
"The mission completion isn't far off."
Long Yuan then created a passage to the Dragon Blood Lake for Heavenly Dragon Abyss's Demon Saints—one unaffected by the dragon might in the blood. This act delighted the Demon Saints, who had feared he might forget.
"Though this dragon blood has endured many years, it's still enough to significantly refine the bloodlines of you Demon Saints. When one of you eventually becomes a Dragon God, this place can become Heavenly Dragon Abyss's eternal heritage site."
"Dragon God?" All the Demon Saints' hearts raced—this was something they'd never dared imagine before!
Long Yuan informed Chu Tianyang, who had already emerged from the Chrono Pagoda, leaving the acquisition of resources from the other Saint-grade factions to him. This time, only the first level of the Chrono Pagoda had been opened for one month, during which ten months passed inside. These ten months allowed Chu Tianyang to break through a minor realm, reaching mid-stage Martial Venerable. Given more time, he could progress further.
Upon learning what had transpired, Chu Tianyang immediately instructed Chu Jingyue to mobilize Chu family members to prepare for taking over the resources of these great holy lands.
"With the resources of these holy lands, we can definitely keep the Chrono Pagoda open for much longer!" The Chrono Pagoda was the Chu family's critical path to rapid strength improvement. Currently, apart from Chu Yunling, their Emperor-tier Beast Tamer, they only had two Martial Venerables—Chu Tianyang and Chu Jingyue. Thus, prolonged operation of the Chrono Pagoda became essential for their swift development.
The Chu family bustled with activity once again. Their large-scale operations piqued the curiosity of other forces across the Qian Region—the last time the Chu family mobilized like this was when they destroyed the region's former hegemon, the Beast Taming Sect. What were they planning this time?
Unfortunately, the Chu family disclosed nothing about this operation, leaving the Qian Region completely in the dark.
"The Beast God is truly extraordinary—he actually annihilated five holy lands around the Qian Region without anyone noticing!" Chu Zhan, Chu Feng, and some Chu family members flew toward the Divine Fist Sect's location under the guidance of a Demon Saint from Heavenly Dragon Abyss.
Five holy lands had been destroyed: the Divine Fist Sect, Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Desolate God Pavilion, Myriad Stars Mountain, and Severing Heaven Sect. Each possessed unique legacies—the Divine Fist Sect's fist techniques were exceptionally rare in the current era, rumored to even possess the mysterious "Ancient Heavenly Stele" inheritance recording supreme fist techniques from antiquity.
Chu Zhan and Chu Feng were particularly interested in the "Ancient Heavenly Stele," hence their visit to the Divine Fist Sect. Meanwhile, Chu Jianchen favored the "Sword Mountain" of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, so he chose that destination. Chu Zhennan of the Battle Saint Physique headed to the Severing Heaven Sect, while Chu Liuying set her sights on Myriad Stars Mountain—though her Starlight Glazed Physique had already advanced to the King-tier "Celestial Star King Body," it still aligned well with Myriad Stars Mountain's legacy, potentially offering her new opportunities.
In short, the Chu family dispatched nearly all its elders and powerhouses to these great holy lands. Acquiring resources was only one objective—more importantly, they sought to obtain these factions' powerful inheritances. The current Chu family couldn't afford to miss any chance to strengthen itself.
When Chu Zhan's group arrived at the Divine Fist Sect, its members remained unaware that their sect's elders had perished. Seeing intruders forcing their way in, the sect leader immediately led a group of elders out to confront the enemy with fierce momentum.