The nine Great Elders exchanged glances. One of them, taking the lead, looked at Wu Tian and bellowed, "Are you Wu Tian? With the Evil Alliance Hierarch in seclusion, the Underground World was once a place of light and peace. But because of your appearance, Young Master Zhao Tianxia died an untimely death, and you have annihilated countless people from the Righteous Path. You have turned right and wrong upside down. Now, come and meet your end!" His tone was sonorous and forceful, his voice roaring like a tiger through the forest, demanding that Wu Tian come forth to die.

"Light? Peace? Are you all blind?" Wu Tian laughed coldly, seeing the nine Great Elders so shamelessly ignore the suffering of those they oppressed. His laugh was intense, ringing with a metallic finality, and his words were as sharp as swords. "How dare you say such a thing?" His gaze grew even sharper.

Hearing this, the nine Great Elders frowned. Their massive Nascent Soul apparitions flared with anger, and an overwhelming pressure instantly coalesced, bearing down on Wu Tian with titanic force. An air of invincible confidence filled their eyes.

"Suffering? As long as our Righteous Alliance exists, there is no suffering in this world!" one shouted.

"Indeed! We of the Righteous Alliance cherish justice and rectitude, taking it as our duty to uphold the Righteous Path. Under our governance, how could any suffering exist?" another added.

"Besides, strength reigns supreme in this world," a third Elder said indifferently, standing atop his Flying Sword and looking down on Wu Tian from on high. "We suppress the Evil Alliance, granting these people an era of peace. For this great service, what does it matter if they serve as our punching bags a few times?"

The nine Great Elders’ formidable demeanor made the oppressed Immortal Seekers clench their jaws in anger.

"Good! Good! Good!" Wu Tian sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. "You suppress the Evil Alliance, so you believe you’ve performed a great service for the common people? And when you’re in a bad mood, it’s perfectly fine to beat and berate them as you please?"

Standing on their Flying Swords, the nine Great Elders nodded. One of them replied lightly, "That is precisely the logic. In ancient times, the Emperors on the surface world toiled for their nations, so it was only right for them to enjoy the finest food and sleep with the most beautiful women. The same principle applies here! We fight the Evil Alliance on behalf of the Immortal Seekers of the Underground World. So what if they have to endure a few of our kicks and punches?"

Wu Tian chuckled and turned to the Immortal Seekers who had suffered so much. "And what do you all think?"

His simple question made them gnash their teeth.

"The Immortal Seekers from the Evil Alliance are cruel and ruthless. They beat and curse us, and we are humiliated, but since good and evil cannot coexist, we still dare to fight back!"

"But when the Righteous Alliance beats and curses us, they use their ’righteousness’ to crush us!"

"That’s right! Fundamentally, the Righteous Alliance and the Evil Alliance are cut from the same cloth! One is just shameless, while the other is hypocritical."

Behind Wu Tian, the Immortal Seekers voiced their anger through clenched teeth.

"How dare you!" the nine Great Elders raged. Their towering pressure intensified as they tried to crush the Immortal Seekers behind Wu Tian, to teach them that some things should never be said.

"With me here, how could you possibly touch them?" Wu Tian smiled and waved his hand. His aura slammed into the Elders’ combined pressure, making the very Void tremble. The sky over the so-called Land of Great Brightness instantly churned with endless dark clouds as thunder boomed. The clash of their auras had turned the area into a hellscape.

Throughout it all, Wu Tian’s expression remained calm, a faint smile on his lips. The nine Great Elders, however, were frowning, with cold sweat beading on their foreheads. They looked ill, as if afflicted by some deep malady.

How can this be?

I have no idea.

The Elders were astonished, never expecting to be the ones suppressed. They had to pretend nothing was wrong, circulating their Yuan Energy to force a healthy, rosy color into their faces.

Seeing this, the Hall Masters assumed the nine Great Elders had the upper hand and began to cheer. "Elders, slay the demons and eliminate evil!"

"Slay the demons and eliminate evil!"

"Slay the demons and eliminate evil!"

"..."

The nine Great Elders felt a rising panic. Should we really attack? We have no confidence at all.

"We must stall him until the Alliance Hierarch comes out of seclusion," one Elder whispered to the others.

The eyes of the other eight Elders lit up. That was it. The Alliance Hierarch was due to emerge today. If they could just delay Wu Tian until then, this would all be over.

After exchanging a final glance, all nine Great Elders charged toward Wu Tian. The very winds and clouds seemed to change color as they unleashed their attacks.

"Three Talents Toward the Origin!"

"The Four Directions Submit!"

"Five Spirits Return to the Ancestral!"

"Transformative True-Suchness Sword!"

"Thousand Directions Residual Light Sword!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

These were Qionghua’s unique skills, techniques so powerful they seemed capable of slicing through the Void itself. Their combined power swept across the sky toward Wu Tian. Just watching from the sidelines, Yin Fengxue and the others were shocked to their core.

But a cold light flashed in Wu Tian’s eyes. He immediately retrieved the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss from his Nine Dragon Ring. With the sword in hand, he looked like a reborn Sword God as he met their charge head-on.

CLANG!

Ten figures clashed in midair with the speed of lightning. Ordinary Immortal Seekers could only perceive a blur of afterimages. A terrifying shockwave of energy swept out in all directions, causing the onlookers’ blood to churn in their chests.

As they fought, the nine Great Elders found themselves being gradually suppressed. They exchanged a hurried glance, understanding each other’s intent. They would try to stall Wu Tian with placating words until the Alliance Hierarch emerged.

"Wu Tian, let’s make peace!"

"Yes! Our Righteous Alliance will officially declare that you are not a demon!"

"The nine of us will jointly recommend you for the position of Vice-Hierarch!"

"Indeed!"

"..."

The nine Great Elders hoped to deceive him. They had wanted to simply stall for time, but Wu Tian was far too strong. They realized they might not be able to hold on. Their only choice was to try and trick him.

"Do you think everyone is as idiotic as the nine of you?" Wu Tian’s eyes turned ice-cold. "You may want to be the Zhao Family’s dogs, but not everyone else does!"

The smiles on the faces of the nine Great Elders instantly froze.

At the same time, Wu Tian unleashed a single sword strike—a technique from the Mystical Fantasy System. When this sword appeared, it stunned the world.

"What!"

The nine Great Elders stared, stupefied. How could such a powerful sword technique exist in this world? Before they could even process the thought, they lost the chance to ever think again. One by one, their heads tumbled from the sky. As blood rained down, nine Nascent Souls shot out from the headless bodies, turning into streaks of light as they tried to flee.

Wu Tian snorted coldly. How could he allow the Elders’ Nascent Souls to escape, only to cause more harm by possessing others? He aimed his sword at the nine fleeing lights, preparing to throw it.

The spectators were utterly stunned. The Hall Masters of the Righteous Alliance, in particular, looked on with eyes so wide they nearly popped from their sockets. Their Elders... dead, just like that? And this Wu Tian was so ruthless he wouldn’t even spare their Nascent Souls?

Just then, from the depths of Righteous City, a majestic voice like rolling thunder echoed out, and an immense pressure filled the entire space.

"I, the Emperor, command you to stop!"