"Brother Shen, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, my Han Family would have been completely destroyed!" Han Xu said gratefully to Shen Haoran. His gaze then shifted to the wreckage of the Han Family’s home, and his face fell again.

Shen Haoran looked at Han Xu, not knowing how to comfort him. ’Anyone who suddenly suffers the annihilation of their clan would have a hard time recovering.’

"Brother Han, he’s all yours," Shen Haoran said, tossing Lan Quetian in front of Han Xu.

Han Xu stared at Lan Quetian, a vicious look returning to his face. This was the man who had killed his grandfather. This was the man who had nearly annihilated his family. Han Xu raised his long saber and swung it at Lan Quetian without hesitation.

SPLURT...

In that instant, blood sprayed and a bloodcurdling scream erupted from Lan Quetian. Han Xu’s strike hadn’t been fatal. Letting him die so easily would be getting off too lightly. Han Xu had severed his tendons. With his Dantian already destroyed and his power crippled, he was now utterly useless—a fate more painful than death itself.

"You can spend the rest of your life atoning for what you did to my Han Family!" Han Xu snorted, then kicked him out of the family grounds.

After crippling Lan Quetian, Han Xu knelt once more before Han Feng’s body and bowed deeply. Shen Haoran and Murong Wanqing didn’t know what to say, so they simply stood quietly behind him, waiting for him to compose himself.

After a long moment, Han Xu finally rose to his feet. He gave another deep bow to Shen Haoran and Elder Bai, then asked softly, "What are your plans now?"

Hearing this, Shen Haoran stepped forward and patted Han Xu’s shoulder. "I promised Grandmaster Han I’d get you to the Third Elder of the Celestial Spirit Sect. I won’t leave until I know you’re safe."

Han Xu gave Shen Haoran a firm nod at his words, then turned to Elder Bai and Murong Wanqing. "What about you two?"

Murong Wanqing blinked and said, "I’m staying with my cousin!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

At this, Elder Bai’s face darkened. "Absolutely not," he objected. "The Patriarch is worried you’re in danger out here and ordered me to bring you back to the Clan! I let it slide when you used the search for the Profound Yellow Fruit as an excuse, but now that we have it, you must return with me!"

Hearing that Elder Bai wanted to take her home, Murong Wanqing immediately pouted. She latched onto Shen Haoran’s arm, her face a mask of misery. "Grandmaster Bai, I only just got to see Brother Haoran! Are you really so cruel as to separate us? Don’t you care about your Wanqing anymore?" As she spoke, she fixed her big, watery eyes on Elder Bai, deploying her ultimate weapon.

"You... you..." Elder Bai was clearly powerless against this tactic, so enraged he was left speechless.

Seeing this, Shen Haoran chuckled. "Elder Bai, why don’t you take the Profound Yellow Fruit back first? I’ll take good care of Wanqing." He, too, wanted her to stay. ’I still don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on with the Murong Clan, and I could use her help.’

"But..." Elder Bai started to say, but Murong Wanqing cut him off.

Murong Wanqing snatched a Profound Yellow Fruit from Shen Haoran, shoved it into Elder Bai’s hand, and said, "Oh, come on, Elder Bai, just head back first. I promise I won’t cause any trouble. Besides, with Brother Haoran here to protect me, no one can hurt me!"

Seeing Murong Wanqing so eager to see him go, Elder Bai could only let out a long sigh. He nodded at Shen Haoran, and with a flash, his figure vanished.

After Elder Bai left, Han Xu, with the help of Shen Haoran and Murong Wanqing, buried the members of the Han Family on the mountain behind the estate. Afterward, they prepared to set out for the Celestial Spirit Sect.

Although the Han Family was gone, its businesses remained. As one of the three major powers in Desert City, the Han Family’s assets were an enviable prize. Han Xu desperately wanted to protect them, but his current strength was far from sufficient. For now, he could only bide his time.

Standing on a cliff, he watched as other powers began to move into the Han Family’s territory below. He memorized each and every one of them, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. ’The day I return will be the day you are destroyed!’ After one last look at his family’s home, Han Xu turned and left without a backward glance.

...

「Three days later.」

Ling Feng, Duan Ruyan, and Shi Dahuo had recovered. When they heard that Shen Haoran and the others were heading to the Celestial Spirit Sect to find the Third Elder, the trio was delighted and promptly volunteered to lead the way. They all set off for the Celestial Spirit Sect...

The Celestial Spirit Sect was an Overlord-Level power in the Northern Domain. Among the "Two Sects, Two Valleys, and Eight Cities" of the region, the Celestial Spirit Sect’s strength could arguably rank first. A sect of such power was naturally situated in the area with the most abundant Spiritual Power in the Northern Domain—one of the region’s few forested canyons. And because of the sect, this canyon was named the Celestial Spirit Canyon.

After several days of trekking, Shen Haoran and the others finally arrived within the Celestial Spirit Sect’s sphere of influence. Ling Feng and Duan Ruyan changed into their Celestial Spirit Sect robes and led the group toward the main entrance.

As they made their way up the mountain to the sect’s main entrance, they found the area already swamped by a massive crowd.

"Why are there so many people?" Murong Wanqing asked, marveling at the sea of faces.

Hearing her, Ling Feng slapped his forehead as if he’d just remembered something. "Oh, man, I completely forgot! Today is the Celestial Spirit Sect’s triennial disciple recruitment day!"

"Recruiting disciples? No wonder there are so many people," Han Xu said with a nod. He couldn’t help but marvel. ’This is a Major Sect, after all. It’s incredible that so many people would show up for the recruitment.’

"Let’s go, I’ll take you inside," Ling Feng said, glancing around before leading Shen Haoran and the others toward a shortcut into the sect.

"Halt! The Celestial Spirit Sect is recruiting disciples today. Everyone must enter through the main gate!" But just as they were about to step onto the sect grounds, a disciple blocked their path.

’An Outer Disciple!’ Ling Feng’s brow furrowed when he saw who was blocking their way. The Celestial Spirit Sect was divided into an Outer and an Inner Sect. Outer Disciples typically wore light green robes, while Inner Sect Disciples wore dark green robes with their surname embroidered in gold thread on the chest. As Inner Sect Disciples, Ling Feng and Duan Ruyan had "Ling" and "Duan" embroidered on their chests, respectively.

"We’ve just returned from a mission, so there’s no need to block our path, is there?" Ling Feng said politely as he stepped forward.

"What, you think being Inner Sect Disciples means you can ignore the rules? We have orders from above: you must use the main entrance. Furthermore, unauthorized individuals are not to be brought into the sect," the Outer Disciple said haughtily.

At this, Ling Feng’s frown deepened. "Rules? Why has there never been such a rule during past recruitments? Or did you just make it up on the spot?" With that, Ling Feng unleashed his aura, bearing down on the Outer Disciple.

The disciple’s face paled under the pressure of Ling Feng’s aura, and he stumbled back a step. Ling Feng was an Inner Sect Disciple, while he was merely an Outer Disciple. The gap between them was as wide as a chasm.

Just then, however, a smooth, chilling voice sounded from behind the Outer Disciple. "I was the one who made that rule."