Dong Liujia didn’t care about Wu Xun’s death. Sure, they were sectmates, but Dong Liujia had always disliked his violent hooligan of a junior apprentice brother.

Still, Dong Liujia knew that Wu Xun’s death was sure to infuriate the entire sect.

After all, no matter how unlikable he was, he was still a monster in the top fifty of the Unfettered Ranking.

And it wasn’t just Wu Xun who’d died; thirteen other disciples had died with him. What Heavenly Sovereign-level faction could have shrugged off such a loss?

There’s no way... that Li Muchen is really from the Literati Continent! Dong Liujia was increasingly convinced of this conclusion. As for who he really is... I’ll likely get answers soon enough!

That very day, word spread throughout the Ancient Nine Luminaries City, causing a massive commotion.

“How could Li Muchen dare to strike the killing blow?”

“He’s finished this time! He’ll pay for what he’s done!”

“I would never have guessed that Xue Sheng and Wu Xun were dead.”

Many experts of the Five Great Continents had gathered in the city. All of them were startled by the news.

When experts of the same level fought in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, there was always room to negotiate so long as you refrained from killing your opponent.

But if someone died, it was sure to lead to irreconcilable enmity!

Everyone in the Ancient Nine Luminaries City knew how strong Li Muchen was, but now that he’d killed Xue Sheng and Wu Xun, he was finished. No matter how heaven-defying he was, he was doomed!

...

Lian Yue was still on her Divine Contemplation Lotus Platform when she heard the news. She sank into a daze, then transmitted, “Xia Rouyun, do you still like him?”

Xia Rouyun rubbed her forehead in apparent vexation, then charmed. “It’s really strange, but if anything, I like him even more!”

Lian Yue didn’t know what to say.

She gazed up at the dome of heaven. Unlike the rest of the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, star corpses floated in the skies over the ancient city. They came in varying sizes, and they were densely clustered. It seemed they’d existed in perpetuity.

A long, long time ago, multiple Heavenly Monarchs had tried to gather the star corpses, but in the end, all of them were eradicated by a strange, natural disaster.

Not one escaped.

Now, when Lian Yue gazed up at the hovering star corpses, something occurred to her.

On their way to the Ancient Nine Luminaries City, Granny Snake said that the Heart-Tempering Sword House had joined forces with three Heavenly Sovereign factions to set a trap in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.

But the target of this operation was still a mystery. Granny Snake’s lips were sealed.

This had piqued Lian Yue’s curiosity. The way she saw it, someone worthy of so much effort had to be a Heavenly Monarch at the very least.

But now, Lian Yue suddenly realized that she’d likely misjudged the situation. The real target of this operation is most likely Li Muchen!

Lian Yue’s brow furrowed. This meant trouble.

After all, she’d planned to find a chance to make a deal with Li Muchen. If Li Muchen was really the target of this death trap, how could she possibly get the opportunity?

No wonder Granny Snake told me to just focus on my cultivation. She must have known that we’d acquire the Toad Palace Pearl with ease once Li Muchen was dead.

Lian Yue couldn't help but sink deeper into silence. Logically speaking, Li Muchen was nothing to her. There was no bond between them, and there was no reason for her to care even if he died.

But deep within her heart, something didn’t quite feel right about all this.

Before long, Lian Yue understood. The reason for her discomfort was simple: Li Muchen was an Unfettered Realm cultivator, just like her! Yet he'd seized two Divine Contemplation Lotus Platforms with his own strength. That meant he was worthy of her respect.

She felt strange about the situation because she couldn’t bear to see such a dazzling member of her generation killed.

......

“How dare he kill Wu Xun, one of Limitless Palace’s most dazzling geniuses?! He’s seeking death!” Old Yao Kun Peng roared in anger, his whole body erupting with murderous intent. “I’ll avenge this grudge one hundred, no, one thousand times over!”

Bi Yunzi’s expression darkened. One of their legacy disciples, Xue Sheng, had died by Su Yi’s hand, too.

Granny Snake sighed. “Is it really alright to just do nothing?”

Su Yi attacked without the slightest reservation, but they could only endure. If things went on like this, who knew how many accidents would result?

After a moment’s silence, Fu Yong said, “Warn your sectmates to keep their distance. Don’t give him any opportunity to cause trouble.”

Old Yao Kun Peng was so angry that he laughed. “If he deliberately causes trouble, simply avoiding him won’t be enough!”

It was then that a figure walked into the hall. This was none other than Shang Wuhui.

He swept his gaze across the gathered old monsters, then laughed derisively. “A few kids died, that’s all, but you already can’t take it?”

“Shang Wuhui, what the hell do you mean by that?” Old Yao Kun Peng said icily. He naturally recognized Shang Wuhui, an old-timer of the Great Yin Divine Race.

Shang Wuhui raised his finger and pointed.

Kcch!!!

A streak of sword qi appeared, then pressed right up against Old Yao Kun Peng’s throat.

This sudden development left everyone visibly stricken. If he hadn’t decided to show mercy, Old Yao Kun Peng would be dead by now!

The most confusing part of all this was that Shang Wuhui wasn’t particularly powerful. They couldn’t understand how he’d done this.

“Who are you?” Old Yao Kun Peng’s face was ashen.

Fu Yong lowered his head. “Fellow Daoist Kun Peng, that’s the founder of our sect.”

Everyone was stunned, their eyes widening with shock.

Jiang Wuchen, the founder of the Heart-Tempering Sword House!

The Greatest of the Unthroned and an absolute legend of the Dao of the Sword!

Throughout the Eternal Heavens Domain, there wasn’t a single other Heavenly Monarch capable of contending with him!

That was why he was considered the Greatest of the Unthroned!

But all of these old monsters knew that Jiang Wuchen had long since ceased to exist. This was the Malevolent Sword Venerate!

The Malevolent Sword Venerate stood there, wearing Shang Wuhui’s face, his hands behind his back. He said calmly, “Going forward, all of you are to obey my orders. If you dare to disobey, I’ll kill you myself.”

The others’ expressions shifted, but none of them dared to argue.

This was because when their sects of origin sent them on this mission, they commanded them to follow the Heart-Tempering Sword House’s arrangements.

Now, its founder stood before them. How could they dare to disobey?

“So, you’ve come in person, Your Excellency. What are your orders?” asked Old Yao Kun Peng.

“No matter what happens, our plan does not change,” said the Malevolent Sword Venerate. “Even if Su Yi kills everyone in the city, you are not to attack without my orders!”

The group exchanged glances.

Granny Snake said, “Your Excellency, might I ask if the Sword-Bearer is reliable?”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate swung his sleeve through the air.

Bang!

Granny Snake flew backward, then slammed into the walls. Her face was full of alarm and bewilderment.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate said coldly, “Questioning the Sword-Bearer means you question my judgment. The next time you show such disrespect, you’ll pay for it with your life.”

Granny Snake lowered her head in silence.

Bi Yunzi and Old Yao Kun Peng exchanged glances. Both of them were astonished. The Malevolent Sword Venerate is just as vicious and tyrannical as the rumors say. He doesn’t care about your background. He’ll attack at the drop of a hat, without the slightest politeness!

“It’ll be another half month at most. Endure a while longer,” said the Malevolent Sword Venerate. He turned and strode out of the hall. “I’ll say it one more time. Anyone who disobeys dies!”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he’d faded into the distance.

The old monsters left in the hall exchanged glances, then inwardly sighed in relief. They felt as if a massive boulder had been lifted from their shoulders.

There was nothing for it. The Malevolent Sword Venerate was just too ferocious and terrifying!

......

Su Yi sat on his Divine Contemplation Lotus Platform, unaware of everything happening around him. His heart was completely immersed in contemplating the Dao.

He felt as if he sat amidst an endless starscape, and a highly unusual one at that. It was enveloped in dense currents of chaos power. Countless stars flowed within the current, flickering in and out of view.

Su Yi had never seen anything like it. It was as vast as primordial chaos itself, enormous beyond measure. Every star in it seemed unimaginably enormous.

When he sensed his surroundings, he found that every one of those stars had a starkly different aura of the Grand Dao.

There were trillions of them, representing trillions of powers of the Grand Dao!

For all of Su Yi’s vast breadth of experience, he couldn’t help but feel shaken. He almost suspected he’d somehow returned to the origin of all Daos.

As time passed, Su Yi slowly started to comprehend the situation.

The starry skies contained countless auras of the Grand Dao, but when he combed through them all carefully, he could sort them into nine categories.

These nine Grand Daos were each like a source, bubbling forth with countless smaller Daos, like a river splitting into countless streams.

There was no doubt about it. Those nine ancestral sources of the Grand Dao were the Laws of the Nine Luminaries, the sources of the countless Daos of the Stars. These were a set of supreme Laws counted among the Laws of Destiny!

Su Yi disregarded those smaller, assorted auras of the Grand Dao and tried to sense the Laws of the Nine Luminaries instead.

He had a strong premonition that the Laws of the Nine Luminaries were hidden inside the Starry Stele. It was just a question of whether or not he could find them.

A day passed in a flash.

This was the seventh day since the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone opened.

On that day, a Tide of Calamity, a natural disaster terrifying enough to scare even Heavenly Monarchs, swept across the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.

The skies darkened, and all manner of strange, calamitous powers arose. The countless Star Graves seemed to come to life, all of them undergoing strange transformations.

Those watching from the Ancient Nine Luminaries City saw nothing but an endless flood of calamitous power enveloping heaven and earth. They couldn’t see anything clearly.

The countless star corpses hovering over the city flickered. Mysterious power emanated from them, then rained down around the city, blocking the relentless Tide of Calamity outside.

Kaboom!

The Tide of Calamity slammed into the barrier, the sound going off like a thunderclap, again and again and again. It was enough to make one’s heart quiver with fright.

Even the Heavenly Monarchs of the Five Great Continents felt indescribable pressure.

They couldn’t even imagine what would have happened to them if they hadn’t sought refuge in the city in time.

Meanwhile, on the Divine Contemplation Lotus Platforms, the nine experts immersed in meditation sensed a strange, ancient power of the Grand Dao.

A strange chaos luster arose on the enormous, 3,300-foot-tall Starry Stele behind them.

It seemed the arrival of the Tide of Calamity had produced a strange resonance with the stele and lotus platforms.

The people seated atop them sensed it and knew they’d seized an incomparably rare and precious opportunity to contemplate the Dao!

But although none of them knew it, an unbelievable scene was unfolding in Su Yi’s heart.