Inside the Xuanming Immortal Palace, with Mu Xiao, their linchpin, dead, everyone else was utterly despairing.
One by one, as they looked at Ye Yun in the pit, their eyes trembled, finding it hard to believe that Senior Mu Xiao, whose cultivation was second only to the Palace Master, had been ended by him with a single sword strike.
Those elders in the Dao Refining realm, and even the half-step Dao Refining elders, couldn't help but swallow. Did this legendary Ye Yun possess such strength?!
"Palace Master... could it be that he was indeed killed by him?"
They hadn't believed it before, but reality no longer allowed them to doubt.
The Seven Saints Imperial Heaven Formation was shattered with one blow, and the Vice Palace Master under the Heaven and Earth Unity Formation was suppressed with one strike. Who else in the world possessed such power?!
"Damn it, I don't care who it is, I'm not waiting here to die!"
One of the elders cursed inwardly and immediately turned to flee. In front of this god of slaughter, Ye Yun, he dared not linger for another second.
As one elder desperately fled, the rest followed suit. These people, who had sworn to live and die with the Immortal Palace in the past, were now running faster than each other.
The thousands of cultivators who had originally surrounded Ye Yun scattered in all directions, a true dispersion like birds and beasts.
"They're running really fast, am I that terrifying?"
Ye Yun looked at the fleeing crowd and shook his head with a look of helplessness. He had thought he could have a good fight here, but it seemed there were few truly loyal individuals.
However, since no one dared to stop him anymore, Ye Yun didn't linger. His vast spiritual sense enveloped all parts of the Immortal Palace, and he quickly located the place with the densest Xuanqi.
Xuanming Immortal Palace, the forbidden grounds behind the mountain.
"Who are you, how dare you trespass into the forbidden grounds?!"
The guards here were diligent and responsible. They still had no idea what had happened outside. As Ye Yun approached, several guards in the Life and Death realm surrounded him, their eyes filled with killing intent.
Ye Yun ignored them and walked step by step towards the entrance of the forbidden grounds.
This angered the other guards. One of them coldly snorted and said with a drawn sword,
"You're seeking death!"
He lunged towards Ye Yun. Ye Yun calmly waved his hand, and a silver light shot out, instantly piercing the man's head. There was no chance for resistance.
Then, two more attacked. The result was the same. The silver light, which seemed to cut through space, was like a grim reaper harvesting lives, and their heads were pierced in the same instant.
Ye Yun still paid them no mind, his attention not on them at all. Even so, it made the remaining few pale with fear. This killing was swift and decisive, and the intruder's cultivation was clearly above the Dao Refining realm.
"Are... are we still going to attack?"
The few guards retreated in fear, one of them looking at the captain in charge, his voice trembling as he asked.
The captain's face darkened. He said irritably, "Attack my ass! I only get tens of thousands of spirit stones a month, why should I risk my life?"
The others looked at each other upon hearing this and finally nodded in unison.
"Captain, you have wisdom!"
Most of them had also guessed that something had happened to the Immortal Palace, so there was no need to continue guarding the forbidden grounds.
Immediately, the few of them turned and fled, for fear that Ye Yun might casually take their lives if they were any slower.
In fact, Ye Yun was too lazy to bother with them. Ever since he entered this place, his attention had been completely captivated by the peculiar aura within the forbidden grounds.
Before long, Ye Yun found the silver lotus, which seemed not to belong to this world, in the center of the forbidden grounds.
On a huge circular stone platform, a lotus as transparent as crystal was enshrined. Beneath its delicate form, one could feel the boundless power contained within, as if it were the center of this world.
"Nine Revolutions Sacred Lotus, this should be it."
Ye Yun considered himself to have seen countless treasures, but the power contained in this lotus was truly unparalleled on the continent.
The more this was the case, the more Ye Yun looked forward to what kind of treasure could be returned with the Nine Revolutions Sacred Lotus as the foundation.
Ye Yun quickly took out a jade box and placed the Nine Revolutions Sacred Lotus inside. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell upon a golden skeleton in the corner.
"Hmm? This place actually has the remains of a Saint?"
The aura lingering from these bones, though weaker than the remains of Sword Saint Feiyue from that day, had indeed reached the level of a Saint.
However, with the Xuanming Immortal Palace having a Saint Ancestor, he wasn't surprised. He just didn't expect the bones to be placed here.
Ye Yun stepped forward and saw a line of vigorous calligraphy on the rock in front of him.
[The path to immortality is hopeless, life is meaningless. This Saint waits here for the demise of the Heavenly Dao!]
The people of the Xuanming Immortal Palace clearly did not understand the specific meaning of these words. They only knew that their ancestor seemed to be waiting for something here, so they did not choose to bury him.
Upon seeing these words, Ye Yun understood at once. Hopeless path to immortality referred to the Heavenly Domain's blockade of the Profound Heaven Continent. Heavenly Dao most likely referred to the Heavenly Dao Divine Palace.
"It seems there are quite a few Saints who had similar encounters to Sword Saint Feiyue..."
It was indeed a despairing thought. A peerless prodigy, filled with hope, pursued the path to becoming an immortal, only to be dismissed by the Heavenly Domain with a word of unworthiness, their life confined to the lower realm.
If he put himself in their shoes from his past life, it was as desperate as a country bumpkin scholar getting into Tsinghua, Peking, or even Fudan University, only to be suddenly told that his humble background actually disqualified him from attending university.
Not even given a chance to change their fate, such domineering yet helpless actions were a form of torture for prodigies.
And if he were to speak of the number one prodigy on the current continent, it would undoubtedly be himself. In no long time, he too would face this nearly despair-inducing dominance...
"Heavenly Dao Divine Palace..."
Unconsciously, Ye Yun's gaze sharpened.
Others might fear it, but he, having grown up under the red flag, lacked nothing in his spirit of resistance, and he also possessed the strength to resist!
"Heavenly Domain... wait, I will be there soon!"
Ye Yun looked up at the sky above. Since no one in the past ten thousand years could resist, he would be the one to break it all.
With that, he got up to leave. However, he was not leaving the Immortal Palace. Although the Nine Revolutions Sacred Lotus was obtained, there were still many other good things in the Immortal Palace.
A full hour later, Ye Yun had taken all the rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures from the Xuanming Immortal Palace's treasure vault and the countless profound techniques from the scripture pavilion into his possession, finally feeling satisfied.
Thus, the Xuanming Immortal Palace was considered completely ruined. As he bid farewell, Ye Yun took one last look around, a smile appearing on his face.
"I really want to know what expression young Mu Yangtuo would have if he knew about this in the underworld."
It could be said that the Xuanming Immortal Palace's foundation, built over thousands of years, was destroyed by a single act of robbery.
...
Half a day later, on Qingyun Peak of the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect.
Chen Lingyi stared blankly at Ye Yun, who was handing her the Nine Revolutions Sacred Lotus.
"Master... you're too fast?"
It had only been a day since her master left. Normally, this time would not even be enough for travel, yet her master had already brought the item back, it was like a dream.
To the point that Gu Lan, who was waiting nearby, was stunned and asked in surprise.
"Elder Ye, the Xuanming Immortal Palace, it..."
"Destroyed."
"But their Seven Saints Imperial Heaven Formation..."
"Shattered."
"What about the other formations?"
"All broken."
"Elder Ye, you're truly a freak..."
"Thank you for the compliment."