The sky was just beginning to lighten outside the city of Flaming Rage.
Two figures stood on the ground, gazing at the towering and massive city in the distance. Though Flaming Rage was considered a small city within the Southcloud Nation, it was still a city guarded by the incarnations of Cosmic Gods and Chaos Realm experts, a gathering place for countless cultivators. Spanning a vast area of a hundred billion miles, it housed countless cultivators within its walls.
“The cities of the Southcloud Nation are built rather extravagantly,” remarked the gaunt, green-haired elder with a faint smile. “A pity it will soon become a city of the dead.”
“To be offered in a blood sacrifice by our Black Fiend Abyss is their fortune,” the white-robed, saintly man beside him said with a warm smile. His eyes held a mesmerizing allure, as if they were the most beautiful things in the world, drawing others to gaze into them involuntarily.
“White Cloud Demon Lord, we’ll be relying on you this time,” the gaunt elder said solemnly.
“Haha, it’s but a trivial matter. Since the Sect Master himself has given the order, I naturally won’t neglect it,” the white-robed man replied with a smile.
“Good.” The gaunt elder waved his hand.
Whoosh.
A dense crowd of experts appeared out of thin air—twenty Chaos Realm overlords and over ten thousand Unity Realm warriors. The sheer number of Unity Realm cultivators, all clad in armor, gave the impression of an overwhelming tide. Clearly, they were prepared to form battle formations.
“We pay our respects to the Ancestor and White Cloud Demon Lord!” the twenty Chaos Realm overlords intoned respectfully, followed by the ten thousand Unity Realm soldiers in unison. They all understood the status of the two figures before them—both were high-ranking members of the sect. The Ancestor was, of course, a Cosmic God, while White Cloud Demon Lord was one of the many Demon Lords of the sect. Those honored with the title of “Demon Lord” were all tenth-level Chaos Realm experts, capable of rivaling Cosmic Gods.
In the Heart Realm Continent, some third-rate minor nations had only a single Cosmic God. The Black Fiend Abyss could easily send a single Demon Lord to wreak havoc in such a nation.
“Mm.” The gaunt elder nodded. “This blood sacrifice will be led by White Cloud Demon Lord. You are to carry it out flawlessly in the cities of the Southcloud Nation, serving as a warning to them and the surrounding four nations.”
“Yes!” they all responded in unison, brimming with confidence.
Even the black-horned, burly warrior known as Chen Wu was excited. “The Southcloud Nation is relatively powerful, and the Black Fiend Abyss is taking this seriously. When we destroyed cities in the Flaming Sun Nation, we only needed to send one or two Chaos Realm experts. But this time, White Cloud Demon Lord himself is leading us, along with twenty Chaos Realm experts—five of whom are ninth-level! Excellent. We’ll crush Flaming Rage City without resistance. Marquis Flaming Rage… I’ve waited far too long for this day. Soon, very soon, it will begin! I can’t wait to see the despair on your face.”
“Mm.” The white-robed saintly man calmly issued his orders. “According to our intelligence, the only notable experts in Flaming Rage City are Marquis Flaming Rage and the incarnation of Emperor Chunyu.”
“Marquis Flaming Rage is in his estate, while Emperor Chunyu’s incarnation is in the Southcloud Sacred Hall. Both possess peak eighth-level strength, and with the support of formations, they can barely reach ninth-level.”
“Blood Bat, Chen Wu, the two of you will lead your Chaos Realm subordinates to besiege Marquis Flaming Rage and eliminate him swiftly.”
“The remaining Chaos Realm experts will surround Emperor Chunyu’s incarnation. Once you succeed, immediately reinforce the other group.”
“As for the Unity Realm warriors… spread out and slaughter everyone in Flaming Rage City.”
“And I will oversee the blood sacrifice.”
The white-robed man’s status was far too exalted for him to dirty his hands personally. Logically, such a strong force wasn’t necessary for a mere city blood sacrifice. This was primarily a show of force—to intimidate the surrounding four nations and ensure no mishaps occurred. Hence, a Demon Lord was personally leading the operation. The Black Fiend Abyss would tolerate no mistakes.
“Yes!” the assembled forces responded in unison.
“Then I shall begin?” the gaunt elder chuckled. The white-robed man nodded.
The elder flipped his hand, revealing a scroll. With a wave—
Whoosh.
The scroll vanished, only to reappear as a massive painting hovering above Flaming Rage City. An invisible force enveloped the entire city, including the group outside its walls.
**Spatial Lock!**
Using a treasure, the space around Flaming Rage City was completely sealed. Not even dimensional teleportation could breach it.
The enormous painting gradually faded into nothingness, and the entire space containing Flaming Rage City vanished. From this moment onward, the city could not be seen, touched, or entered—as if it had been isolated in a separate dimension, much like the hidden abode of Ninecloud Emperor, which even the Sacred Master could not locate.
Now, Flaming Rage City was similarly sealed away.
Within the locked space, outside the city, the white-robed saintly man observed the scene and calmly commanded, “Begin.”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Teams of experts teleported away in flashes. The two strongest groups of Chaos Realm experts headed for Marquis Flaming Rage’s estate and the Southcloud Sacred Hall, respectively.
—
In the capital of the Southcloud Nation, within a dimly lit hall of the imperial palace…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures swiftly appeared, entering and taking their seats.
Seated upon the throne was a small, slender man in pale yellow robes. His nose was sharp, and his eyes were deep and unfathomable. Despite his slight frame, he seemed to merge seamlessly with the surrounding void—as if he were the void itself. The invisible pressure radiating from him made all present hold their breaths. He was the sect master of the Southcloud Sacred Sect, one of the ten great sects of the Heart Realm Continent.
“Your Majesty.”
The atmosphere was heavy as everyone watched the monarch.
The Southcloud Monarch’s deep eyes gazed into the distance as he waved his hand. A circular mirror materialized in the air, faintly illuminating the endless void. Soon, the mirror displayed the scene unfolding in Flaming Rage City.
“A blood sacrifice.”
“By the Black Fiend Abyss.”
The three Emperors and five Kings present all wore grim expressions. The five Kings here were all tenth-level Chaos Realm experts.
“No!”
Old Mother Yingshan’s incarnation, permanently stationed in the capital, stared anxiously at the mirror. This treasure, known as the **Heaven-Gazing Mirror**, could observe any location in the Heart Realm Continent. Very few places could block its sight—even spatially locked regions where long-distance teleportation was impossible could still be viewed.
It was an exceedingly precious treasure.
“Your Majesty!” Old Mother Yingshan rose urgently. “This is Flaming Rage City—my Yingshan Clan’s city! We cannot just stand by and—”
The Southcloud Monarch remained silent, his deep eyes fixed on the mirror.
“My Yingshan descendant, Ying Shan Xueying, is in that city! His talent is extraordinary—he is certain to become a King!” Old Mother Yingshan pleaded.
“What can be done?” the Southcloud Monarch finally spoke, his voice low and cold. “Should I intervene? If I break the unspoken rules, I would be slapping the faces of the three Sect Masters of the Black Fiend Abyss! Enraged, they would all act, and the result would be a war engulfing the entire Southcloud Nation. The casualties would be beyond reckoning.”
Old Mother Yingshan fell silent.
She understood.
She knew all too well.
Though the Southcloud Monarch had built the nation into a prosperous and thriving realm, the Heart Realm Continent was, at its core, a world where strength reigned supreme. The three Sect Masters of the Black Fiend Abyss were terrifying demonic overlords who plagued the entire continent. Even the six ancient nations could not eradicate them. The four nations bordering the Black Fiend Abyss lived under their shadow.
By comparison, the Southcloud Nation had it best.
The Flaming Sun Nation suffered frequent massacres, though the Black Fiend Abyss avoided “draining the pond completely.” The Cosmic Gods of the Flaming Sun Nation dared not resist.
The Hookblade Nation, with its fierce and tyrannical ruler, dared to clash with both the six ancient nations and the Black Fiend Abyss. But the pride of these powers was not so easily challenged, and the Hookblade Nation had suffered numerous calamities throughout its history. Still, the Black Fiend Abyss found it a tough nut to crack and usually avoided direct conflict—only striking hard when necessary to teach a lesson.
The Maple Nest Nation, closest to the Summerflame Ancient Nation, had long since submitted to its protection. Sheltered by the Summerflame, it suffered fewer attacks from the Black Fiend Abyss, though they still occurred.
After all…
The Black Fiend Abyss feared no one—not even the Summerflame Ancient Nation. They dared to wreak havoc within its borders.
Only the Southcloud Nation suffered the least. The Southcloud Monarch was powerful, well-connected, and even maintained covert ties with the three Sect Masters of the Black Fiend Abyss. Yet despite this, the Black Fiend Abyss would occasionally demand a blood sacrifice—usually targeting a minor city within the Southcloud Nation.
This was the unspoken rule.
Both sides adhered to it. The Black Fiend Abyss maintained its prestige, while the Southcloud Nation preserved its overall stability and prosperity.
“But… but…” Old Mother Yingshan stared at the mirror, where the white-robed saintly man now sat cross-legged in midair, a black bottle floating before him. She recognized him instantly—White Cloud Demon Lord, a high-ranking figure of the Black Fiend Abyss. “But my Yingshan descendants… and that little Xueying boy…”
Her heart ached.
Aside from the main family, the Yingshan Clan had only six branch families. Flaming Rage City housed one of them. So many Yingshan descendants, and that prodigiously talented Xueying boy…
“How could this happen? How?” Old Mother Yingshan seethed with grief and fury. She wanted to charge in and fight.
But she knew.
Under the spatial lock, she couldn’t even locate Flaming Rage City. In the entire Southcloud Nation, only the Southcloud Monarch—capable of the **Great Void Teleportation Art**—could breach it. Yet the monarch would never risk shattering relations with the three Sect Masters over this.
“Damn it… damn it all.” The Southcloud Monarch’s eyes were calm, like an unfathomably deep ocean concealing endless fury beneath the surface.
His city.
His people.
Were being slaughtered, offered in a blood sacrifice.
How could he not rage?
But sometimes… one had to endure. Against the Black Fiend Abyss, he had to endure. Against the six ancient nations, he had to endure.
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