Chapter 266: Wrath Unleashed

Shi Li’s face was deathly pale as he slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant. The divine resonance of the Great Dao had nearly shaken his soul from his body, leaving him trembling in terror. “Fifteenth Brother, what are you doing?!” Beside him, Shi Yuan, far more composed, roared in question. His cultivation was profound, and he employed a soundwave technique akin to the “True Roar of the Beast,” jolting Shi Li awake lest he lose his senses and “speak recklessly.”

Shi Li finally regained his wits, his face devoid of color. He realized he was sitting on the ground, his palms slick with sweat, the golden phoenix-wood chair beneath him shattered into splinters. His entire body was icy, gripped by an overwhelming dread. “Fif… fifteenth, what… what are you trying to do?” The moment he spoke, he heard his own voice tremble.

The great hall was filled with a chilling aura. After so many years, the Fifteenth Master remained as terrifying as ever—just a single shout had nearly shattered their Dao hearts. It was utterly horrifying.

“Still asking what I’m doing? Answer me—where is my Hao’er?” The Fifteenth Master, a man of immense power known as the Great Demon God, had sensed something amiss in an instant. Many broke into cold sweat; his spiritual perception was unnaturally sharp, filling them with dread. Had the events of the past been uncovered?

Originally, they had planned to placate the Fifteenth Master, buying time until the Martial King emerged from seclusion and reinforcements arrived. But now, it was clear—the Fifteenth Master was sharper than any of them. The moment he returned, he had spotted the flaws, instantly piercing through their deception. His intuition was terrifyingly precise.

“Hao’er is not in the estate. He will return in due time,” one of the clan elders said.

Shi Yuan remained steady. “Ziling and his wife went to the Western Frontier. Naturally, Hao’er followed. I expect they’ll return in half a month. Zhongtian, we understand—you’ve been away for years, longing for your descendants. But be patient. You will see them.”

“Fifteenth Brother, you… this is outrageous! Regardless, I am still your elder. That shout of yours nearly shattered my divine soul!” Shi Li steadied himself and rose from the ground.

“Have you all grown old, or do you still see me as a child?” The Fifteenth Master’s expression was calm, but the pressure in his voice was even more terrifying—like a dormant volcano, its destructive heat already spreading, ready to erupt at any moment.

“What… what are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Shi Li staggered backward, his legs trembling uncontrollably. Though this man was his junior, Shi Li felt like the lesser one, cowering before the Great Demon God, suffocated by fear.

The hall fell into silence as everyone watched Shi Li retreat in terror. Some pitied him; others felt only shame that he had been reduced to such a state.

“Speak. What happened to my Ziling? Where is my Hao’er?” The Fifteenth Master did not lash out, his voice growing even calmer as he surveyed them all. By now, he was certain—something terrible had happened. Otherwise, why would they be so nervous, so fearful of him?

Moreover, none of his old brothers—those who shared his temperament—had appeared. Even the elders he was close to were absent. This was anything but normal.

The Fifteenth Master was not just a powerhouse with peerless archery skills—his mind was sharp. Otherwise, he would never have achieved what he had, nor survived the claws of a fully grown *pixiu*.

The hall was deathly silent, tension thick in the air. Had the Martial King emerged from seclusion? The Great Demon God had already uncovered traces of the truth. There was no hiding it now.

“Younger generations, leave us,” an elder commanded.

In the next moment, the children were ushered out by the old servants without delay.

Lies were pointless now. The Great Demon God saw through everything. The only thing left was to stall for time and wait for reinforcements.

“Fifteenth Brother, some misunderstandings arose in the past, causing Ziling to resent us and leave the Martial King’s Estate,” Shi Yuan said.

“How deep could a ‘misunderstanding’ be? Did my Ziling perish? Is my child still alive?” The Fifteenth Master’s eyes flashed with cold lightning, pinning them all under his gaze.

The crowd recoiled, feeling as if an ancient primordial beast were glaring at them, its murderous aura flooding the space.

“Ziling is not dead. He took Hao’er and left,” an elder said.

“If he’s not dead, where is he? Has he appeared in all these years?” The Fifteenth Master’s voice rose, his fury barely contained.

“They… should still be alive,” one of the more straightforward elders admitted.

The others knew it was over. Such an uncertain answer would only provoke a storm.

And it did.

The Fifteenth Master erupted. His own flesh and blood—whether they lived or died, whether they even still existed—was uncertain. All these years trapped in that dire place, what had kept him going was the thought of Ziling and Hao’er. They were his hope, his reason to survive. And now, this was the news he received?

“Tell me—are they alive or dead?!” The Great Demon God’s roar shook the hall, its structure cracking apart.

But it was precisely this outburst that activated the hidden formations within the hall, their blinding light trapping the Fifteenth Master at the center. Coiling around him were flood dragons and *bixie* beasts.

“Good. Very good. You lured me here not just to stall me but to set up a killing array—to murder me as well?!” The Fifteenth Master’s rage was incandescent. Beams of light shot from his eyes, dense with runes that filled the air like thunder.

Those in the hall scrambled back, fleeing the moment the array activated. Even trapped, the Great Demon God was a terror—once enraged, he would overturn everything.

“Fifteenth Brother, calm yourself. Listen to us,” Shi Yuan urged.

“You trap me with the clan’s three great killing arrays, set up a death trap, and now you ask me to be calm? Are you mocking me?” The Fifteenth Master’s voice was even, but the pressure emanating from him struck their hearts like a hammer.

Everyone staggered back in horror.

“We only feared you might act rashly. This way, we can all speak calmly,” Shi Yuan said.

“Zhongtian, don’t act recklessly. Things may not be as bad as you think,” Shi Li added, finally regaining some composure.

“Don’t act recklessly? Are you threatening me? My Ziling and his wife—my Hao’er—their fates unknown, and you dare speak to me like this?” the Fifteenth Master roared.

“It’s precisely because you’re furious that we took these measures. Do not act rashly,” Shi Li said.

The only comfort he had was that their preparations had been thorough. The three ancestral killing arrays were activated, sealing the area—and the Great Demon God stood right at their heart.

These were no ordinary formations. They were the essence of the clan’s ancestral arrays, far beyond what Shi Ziling had once dismantled.

“Ziling’s fate unknown, Hao’er missing, and you speak so lightly? Warning me as if I’m some fool to be deceived?!” The Fifteenth Master bellowed.

**BOOM!**

The entire Martial King’s Estate trembled. The Great Demon God’s single arm blazed with light as he pressed against the void, radiant auspicious energy erupting. A golden-winged roc took flight, its aura that of a primordial predator.

Blinding golden light flooded the space. Everyone was aghast—what was happening?

The Great Demon God’s eyes were terrifying. The beams they shot were runes, actively dismantling the killing array. The golden roc circled, shredding the attacks aimed at him, grinding them to nothing.

His pupils shimmered with runes, more fearsome than any treasure. They truly were unraveling the great formation. Stars and celestial bodies seemed to emerge from his gaze—no, they were runes, forming these astral bodies to crush the array.

**BOOM!**

The heavens seemed to split. The hall exploded. Everyone scrambled back in panic.

**THUD!**

Like a deity descending, the Fifteenth Master stepped out of the killing array, his eyes now clear of stars as he scanned the crowd.

Some, sensing disaster, immediately fled. Others stood frozen in shock. The clan’s three great killing arrays—how had they failed to contain him?

“None of you will leave!” The Fifteenth Master’s roar shook the palace complex. A shockwave erupted, sending those attempting to flee flying like they’d been struck by lightning. They crashed into buildings, coughing blood.

“You—!” Shi Li was petrified. Though he was of a higher generation, fear consumed him now.

“These formations—did you think I didn’t know them? I’ve studied them deeper than any of you. Who told you they were unbreakable? They can all be shattered!” The Fifteenth Master’s voice was icy.

With a mere gesture, he summoned Shi Li through the air like plucking a chick, ready to seize him in his palm.

“No!” Shi Li screamed, scrambling to evade.

**BAM!**

He was yanked back uncontrollably, landing in the Fifteenth Master’s grasp, lifted like a ragdoll.

“Fifteenth Brother, this is insubordination! You cannot treat me like this!” he shrieked.

“Speak. What happened back then?” the Fifteenth Master demanded.

Staring into that domineering face—missing an arm yet still towering like a war god—Shi Li trembled. This fear was soul-deep, not mere cowardice.

“**SPEAK!**”

A single word, yet it made Shi Li cough blood. In desperation, he gritted his teeth—and self-destructed, vanishing into motes of light.

“A Substitute Death Talisman. Such a rare treasure, requiring endless resources to forge—and you wasted one.” The Fifteenth Master’s voice was frigid.

He knew now—the situation was grave. They would rather die than fall into his hands. Whatever sin they had committed, it was unforgivable.

A pang of dread struck him. Ziling… Shi Hao… what had happened to them?

In the next moment, Shi Yuan transformed into a streak of light and fled.

“None of you will escape today!” The Fifteenth Master’s roar destabilized the fading light, causing blood to rain down.

Simultaneously, he flung nine great banners with his single arm. They unfurled with a mighty snap, sealing the Martial King’s Estate from all directions.

The others paled. The Great Demon God had locked down the entire estate—this was terrifying!

Shi Li and Shi Yuan, though having fled the scene, were still trapped within the estate. They shuddered, praying for reinforcements to arrive swiftly.

“**SCATTER!**”

The Fifteenth Master did not immediately slaughter them, but his Dao voice was thunder, sending everyone flying, blood spraying from their mouths.

He strode forward, his brow glowing as divine flames erupted, illuminating the void like a god seated upon his forehead. His divine sense expanded, enveloping the entire estate, seeping into every corner—even places warded with restrictions were laid bare.

“You dare imprison your own clansmen?!” the Fifteenth Master thundered. Not only had he found Shi Li and Shi Yuan again, but he also discovered his old brothers and elders—those who had shared his temperament—locked away.

“**OPEN!**”

With a single command, several underground chambers shattered. Stone doors and restrictions exploded into dust.

He truly was like a deity—nothing could stop him. Even his voice alone carried such power.

“Fifteenth Brother… is it really you?!” The elders emerging from the underground chambers were stunned, tears streaming down their faces.

“You… you’re truly alive?” The Fifteenth Master’s reappearance was beyond their wildest hopes. These were his sworn brothers from back then—laughing and weeping in joy.

“I knew it. Only the Fifteenth Brother’s return could make that bastard Shi Li panic and fumble so badly,” one laughed, his body trembling with emotion.