Chapter 400

Chapter 400: All Influenced by Zhang Yang

Inside the Zi Tian Pavilion, Jin Zhihong, Jin Zhihu, Jin Liuli, Ye Wolf, and others wore gloomy expressions.

The recent chain of events had hit them hard.

The Taixu Dynasty, which once reigned over the entire Western Desert with unmatched power, now seemed on the verge of collapse in a matter of mere days.

Outsiders could only see the surface.

They, however, understood the truth far better.

It had taken countless years and generations of effort to establish an intelligence network that reached into every corner of the Western Desert. To say that this network had been uprooted would be an understatement, it had suffered a devastating blow.

This was especially evident in the Cold Moon Dynasty.

They had infiltrated nearly every facet of it, but then Jin Liuli had lost the insider list within the Hunters’ Guild, allowing others to exploit the situation. Even agents not on the list ended up being implicated.

On top of that, Gu Qianhan’s exposure led to Gu Qianmu wiping out most of the Taixu Dynasty’s operatives in the Cold Moon Dynasty, resulting in a complete loss of control over the region.

The Crimson Flame Dynasty and the Four Major Holy Places were no exception.

Though they appeared inactive on the surface when the Taixu Dynasty had been overwhelmed, they had, in truth, launched relentless attacks in the shadows, via economic disruption, assassinations, and other covert methods.

The entire Taixu Dynasty now felt like it was in chaos.

Although they understood that the Taixu Dynasty remained powerful and still held the dominant position, it no longer had the strength to intimidate everyone. If the opposing forces ever united, the dynasty could very well be toppled.

This stark reality was completely at odds with their grand plan to conquer the Western Desert over the span of a millennium.

They came to a chilling realization: the most dangerous figure among them was not from within. But Zhang Yang as an outsider, he appeared to be the one most likely to unite various factions. Thus, their mission became clear: they needed to eliminate Zhang Yang in the Crimson Flame Imperial Capital.

However, they lacked the confidence to do so.

When Zhang Yang headed to the Zang Tian Pavilion, they immediately sensed complications. Though they intended to strike, Yan Mengqing followed him, leaving them feeling constrained. After all, this was the Crimson Flame Imperial Capital, Yan Mengqing’s presence meant there could be saints watching their every move. Moreover, they couldn’t risk giving the Crimson Flame Dynasty any leverage against them. Circumstances had changed.

Just as they gathered, frustrated and discussing how to kill Zhang Yang, Demon Sword Yi appeared.

Demon Sword Yi shouted, “Jin Zhihong, come out and finish the battle we left unfinished at Heavenly Reaching Mountain!”

Already irritated, Jin Zhihong was about to storm out.

“Be careful. Zhang Yang may be setting a trap,” Jin Zhihu warned in a deep voice. “Big Brother, you now possess the Holy Body and Holy Eyes, second only to His Majesty among our generation. If anything happens to you, it would be a huge loss for us.”

Jin Zhihong did not fear Demon Sword Yi, but he remained cautious about Zhang Yang.

Jin Zhihu promptly summoned the elite from the Creation Pavilion to engage in battle.

The Creation Pavilion specialized in merging Beast Souls with the human body, creating a half-human, half-beast state. This had once been the prized secret of the powerful Sacred King Guild in the Western Desert. After its destruction at the hands of the Taixu Dynasty, the royal family had acquired the technique and established the Creation Pavilion.

Countless geniuses had emerged from the Creation Pavilion, trained primarily postnatally.

By integrating a portion of a Beast Soul, the practitioner underwent significant transformation and overall enhancement.

However, as soon as one of the talents stepped into battle, a scream rang out.

“Jin Zhihong, come out! You think you can send a useless underling to fight me? Are you looking down on me or yourself? Even with the Holy Body and Holy Eyes, you’re not at an advantage against me. Sending trash out here, who do you think you’re insulting?”

It was still Demon Sword Yi’s voice.

Jin Zhihu remained composed and raised his hand; four powerful cultivators beside him sprang into action.

They were all formidable fighters in the Opening the Sky realm.

But then, four piercing screams echoed through the air.

“Jin Zhihong, are you done yet? If you keep sending nobodies, I swear I’ll curse your ancestors, and the Supreme Emperor, too!”

“Demon Sword Yi isn’t someone you can trifle with! I came here to challenge you out of respect. If you don’t come out now, don’t blame me for burning the Zi Tian Pavilion, just like our Lord of the Sacred Forest burned the Taixu Palace!”

Now they had truly stirred up trouble.

Though the morale of the Taixu Dynasty had been shaken, its deeply ingrained brutal and domineering nature was not something that could be shed overnight.

In an instant, a group of people surged out.

“What’s this? Didn’t we agree to come out one at a time? I haven’t had enough fun killing yet! Why don’t you all go back in so I can finish off a few more before you gang up on me?” Demon Sword Yi said with a grin.

This drew a chorus of furious roars from within the Zi Tian Pavilion. Jin Liuli nearly rushed out in anger.

More people poured out.

Demon Sword Yi immediately turned and ran.

As he fled, he shouted, “Help! I’m being attacked! The Taixu Dynasty is bullying me!”

“The Taixu Dynasty is shameless! So many of them attacking just one person!”

“They’re unreasonable! When they can’t win, they gang up on me!”

“Help!”

He was a powerful cultivator in the Opening the Sky realm, a standout among his generation, and his cries echoed for miles.

The rage within the Taixu Dynasty only grew, and many began attacking from a distance.

Then, others sprang into action.

“Brother Yi, don’t be afraid! I’m coming!”

“Brother, I’m here to back you up!”

“Who dares hurt my brother? I’ll take them down!”

“No one bullies our brother!”

From all around the street, people surged forward. Ignoring the protests of the Taixu Dynasty, they charged in a furious crowd.

It turned into a one-sided slaughter.

The experts inside the Zi Tian Pavilion didn’t dare deploy their immeasurable stage cultivators for fear of drawing the attention of the Crimson Flame Dynasty, a sign of just how much their once-unshakable arrogance had been diminished.

As a result, the group that rushed out consisted entirely of elite talents from the Taixu Dynasty’s four major pavilions, and every single one of them was massacred.

The scene was horrific.

Blood stained the streets.

Bodies were strewn everywhere.

This brutal sight completely enraged Jin Zhihong, Jin Zhihu, Jin Liuli, Ye Wolf, and the others inside the Zi Tian Pavilion.

“Slaughter them!”

“Do you think our Taixu Dynasty can be bullied so easily?!”

“Kill them all! I’ll take full responsibility!”

“The Taixu Dynasty will not be provoked by a group of rabble!”

Finally, cultivators at the immeasurable stage began to act.

But just as they moved, four additional groups of immeasurable stage cultivators arrived, unconcealed and proud of their affiliations. They were from the Four Major Holy Places.

Another massacre began.

Experts at the immeasurable stage possessed incredible vitality, making them extremely difficult to kill, yet over sixty of them were still slain.

At last, the Four Holy Sons appeared.

“Holy Sons, help me! The people from the Taixu Dynasty are bullying me!” Demon Sword Yi shouted dramatically. “I challenged them alone, and they sent an entire group to kill me. It’s outrageous! They nearly scared me to death and ruined my image! They must compensate me for this!”

Yun Tianhuang nodded seriously. “Brother Yi truly resembles a noble son of a forbidden land. To tarnish his image like this is beyond outrageous. Compensation is necessary.”

“I completely agree with Brother Yun,” added Lu Hengkong.

“I wholeheartedly support that,” said Jin Poxu. “Brother Yi is my comrade.”

Xue Jianyi sneered. “Anyone who dares to humiliate my friend must pay the price.”

The reaction from Jin Zhihong, Jin Zhihu, Jin Liuli, Ye Wolf, and the others was explosive, they were on the verge of losing control.

Especially Jin Liuli and Ye Wolf; the more they watched, the more familiar the scene felt.

You’re using your own fleeing image to demand compensation? How is this any different from that shameless Zhang Yang shaking hands to extort money?

And the Four Holy Sons, how despicable could they be? They had no real connection with Demon Sword Yi, yet now they were calling him “brother” and “friend” just to stir up trouble.

The real issue was that the Four Holy Sons seemed completely serious about backing Demon Sword Yi.

The people of the Taixu Dynasty were seething with rage.

Yun Tianhuang said casually, “What’s the matter? Don’t want to talk to us? Would you rather speak with the Lord of the Sacred Forest? Because if that’s the case, we can invite him to the conversation.”

The bullying was obvious. The Taixu Dynasty’s people truly wanted to retaliate, but the moment Zhang Yang’s name was mentioned, their fury visibly subsided.

They looked around, no one from the Crimson Flame Dynasty had shown up.

The Cold Moon Dynasty hadn’t intervened either.

This was what it meant when the major holy places of the Western Desert united against a single force.

If you’re unwilling to back down, then let’s fight.

For the first time, the once-dominant Four Major Pavilions of the Taixu Dynasty were forced to lower their heads before the people of the Western Desert.

Demon Sword Yi muttered, “That was too easy… Should I arrange a few more battles?”

The Four Holy Sons were speechless—this guy was unbelievably shameless. Yet when they glanced at one another, they found that… it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Yun Tianhuang mumbled, “Why do I feel like we’ve been influenced by Brother Zhang?”

With his sharp ears, Zhang Yang caught the comment and rolled his eyes. “Who misled you? I, the Lord of the Sacred Forest, am pure and innocent! How can you slander me like this?”

Just then, he noticed Yan Mengqing quietly nodding in agreement.