"Ghost King, you have broken your promise." Tian Xuzi stood between the two, his gaze falling on the person hiding behind Wu Huan. Her appearance had not changed in the slightest, but her aura was so potent that even he felt uncomfortable. In just over a decade, she had reached a pinnacle that others could not achieve in a thousand years.
"Promise? I don't recall ever making any promises with you." Wu Huan's tone was cold and indifferent. "That was merely your own wishful thinking."
"So, the Ghost King has no intention of honoring the original agreement?"
"I told you, it was just your wishful thinking." Wu Huan took a step forward. "For years, I haven't left the Ghost Realm simply because I didn't want to. It wasn't because you restrained me. Now, I want to go for a walk, so I'm walking out. What, do you intend to force me back?"
Tian Xuzi frowned and looked at Xiao Man, "Are you only satisfied when you've destroyed the peace of the Cang Xuan Continent?"
"Senior, when has the Cang Xuan Continent ever been at peace?" Xiao Man retorted sarcastically. "Back then, the Qin clan was exterminated for the divine artifact Tong Tian Tower. The Tian Dun Sect, for seeking the truth, had its entire clan annihilated. Of the Four Great Sects, only the Tian Jian Sect and the Tian Xuan Sect remain. The Tian Jian Sect are mere running dogs. What role do you, the Tian Xuan Sect, play?"
Tian Xuzi's expression darkened, "Don't forget, you and Tian Ze..."
"My husband has been dead for fourteen years," Xiao Man interrupted.
A wave of sorrow immediately washed over Tian Xuzi. Tian Ze had suffered immense hardship for her, yet she dismissed all his sacrifices with a single statement of his death.
"I truly feel it was not worth it for Tian Ze."
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged, showing no hint of guilt. "Wu Huan, shall we go?"
"Let's." Wu Huan took Xiao Man's hand and walked directly towards Tian Xuzi. Tian Xuzi wanted to intervene, but the pressure from two Nascent Soul stage great cultivators rendered him immobile. Not only could he not stop them, he could not even move.
"Little girl, the Demon Lord is cunning, bloodthirsty, and fond of killing. Do you know the consequences if you release him?"
"The Demon Lord is cunning and bloodthirsty. Is the Tian Jian Sect a paragon of virtue? Is Yue Tian Xia a paragon of virtue? The Tian Ling Sect revels in hunting down the Qin clan's bloodline, using their blood to refine medicine, indiscriminately killing countless people in the process. The Yu Shou Sect was originally meant for taming beasts, but to find methods of controlling people, how many cultivators have they captured and refined into puppets? Why don't you condemn them?"
"But compared to the Demon Lord..."
"What, are you the pot calling the kettle black?" Xiao Man sneered. "I haven't even mentioned your Tian Xuan Sect. To protect yourselves, you've holed up in your shells, turning a blind eye to the suffering outside. Now, you come out playing the hero?"
"The primary responsibility of the Tian Xuan Sect..."
"Whatever your responsibilities are, they are of no concern to me," Xiao Man said calmly. "I also request that your sect does not obstruct my affairs. Regardless of what happens to this world in the future, or the fate of its people, since the Tian Xuan Sect chose to remain aloof, continue to reside in your celestial abode and remain your 'heavenly messengers'."
Tian Xuzi blinked slightly, "The Tian Xuan Sect..."
"You don't need to get involved. Close your sect's gates and live your own lives," Xiao Man said without looking back. "As for the outside world, just as you've covered your eyes and plugged your ears before, continue to do so!"
"Are you looking down on the Tian Xuan Sect?"
"Sect Leader, you jest. The Tian Xuan Sect has stood for so long, it naturally possesses capabilities. How could I dare to look down on it?" Xiao Man stopped. "My target is the Tian Jian Sect. If the Tian Xuan Sect wishes to follow in the footsteps of the Tian Dun Sect or the Qin clan, I wouldn't mind lending a hand."
"What sect was the Tian Dun Sect?"
Xiao Man turned and said to Tian Xuzi, "You don't even know of the Tian Dun Sect's existence, yet you dare to meddle in this matter? Go back and ask Tian Ze. The best course of action for the Tian Xuan Sect is to stay out of it and not get involved."
Tian Xuzi fell silent for a long time. It was only after Xiao Man and Wu Huan had disappeared that he recovered, "The Tian Dun Sect, what sect was that? From what that girl said, the Tian Dun Sect seemed to be a rather significant sect?"
Upon returning to the Tian Xuan Sect, Tian Xuzi immediately went to the peak of Cang Mountain to find Tian Ze.
As soon as he reached the summit, he felt the earth shake. Strange roars emanated from beneath the Prison Cliff. Tian Xuzi exclaimed in alarm, "This is bad! The seal has been broken! Those two were indeed after the seal!"
"Tian Ze, Tian Ze, where are you?"
Lei Tian Ze was sitting on the edge of a cliff. Hearing Tian Xuzi's calls, he immediately responded, "Sect Leader, I am here."
Tian Xuzi rushed over, "The seal is broken! The Demon Lord's seal is broken! We must stop them."
"We can't stop it," Tian Ze said calmly. "Once the seal is broken, the Demon Lord's soul will seek out other souls on its own. Even if we stop Nan Gongyu, we won't be able to retain the Demon Lord's soul."
"You... why did you let him go down?"
"I thought he would only meet his death down there, but I didn't expect him to be able to open the seal." Tian Ze's expression was composed and calm. "Since it has come to this, it's best to let nature take its course."
"Tian Ze, I ask you, do you know of the Tian Dun Sect?"
Tian Ze looked at Tian Xuzi in surprise. The Tian Dun Sect was a top secret. Even he had to painstakingly investigate to find out about it. He wondered how the Sect Leader had learned of it?
"I know some things."
"What sect was the Tian Dun Sect?"
"A great sect that was annihilated thousands of years ago. It can be considered the predecessor of the Yu Shou Sect," Tian Ze said slowly. "The Tian Dun Sect was one of the four ancient sects, along with the Tian Jian Sect, Tian Ling Sect, and Tian Xuan Sect. These four sects were collectively known as the Four Great Ancient Sects, and all of them possessed ancient inheritances."
"You mean, the Tian Dun Sect was one of the true Four Great Sects."
"The Four Great Sects of the past were inseparable and complementary. The Four Great Sects of today have lost two of their inheritances, leaving only the flawed Tian Jian Sect and the Tian Xuan Sect, which cannot actively engage in combat. They are incapable of making a significant impact."
Tian Xuzi's expression grew solemn, "Tian Ze, what exactly are you plotting? Why did you allow Xiao Man to rescue the Demon Lord?"
"Sect Leader, it wasn't I who allowed it," Tian Ze said with a wry smile. "I did everything I could, said everything I could, but Man'er is stubborn. Once she sets her mind on something, even ten oxen can't pull her back. Moreover, she is adept at winning people's hearts, and there are always those willing to risk their lives for her. I am powerless to stop her." Su Dan Novel Network
"Are we just going to let her release the Demon Lord?" Tian Xuzi said anxiously. "Once the Demon Lord is released, this world will be plunged into chaos, and the Cang Xuan Continent will not be far from its demise!"
As he spoke, several figures burst out from beneath the Prison Cliff. The leader was an old man, his clothes tattered, and he laughed heartily, "Hahaha, I am finally free!"
"Ancestor... where are you going?" Tian Xuzi watched the old man shoot into the sky and disappear, his face changing drastically. Immediately after, several more figures emerged. They were the villains who had been imprisoned beneath the Prison Cliff!