“Father, can you hurry back in time?
“No, you can’t!
“But I’m gonna die!
“I’m the Third Prince of the Wind Snow Temple. When I die, it’s fine to make tens of thousands of people be buried with me, isn’t it?
“But could I really do that?
“What on earth should I do? What choice should I make?”
Nan Feng was extremely flustered at this moment. He even began to regret what he had done in the past.
When he descended to the inferior world, he overlooked that world, treating all the living things there as his toys.
That time, he was in an A-grade relic.
He came across Zhang Mu and his wife. An ancient Griffin was about to be killed by Zhang Mu. But before death befell, it only needed a little energy to make a breakthrough. Nan Feng wanted to see the Griffin make the breakthrough, so he tossed over a sixth-tier herb. In an instant, the Griffin stepped into a higher realm, and its power was greatly enhanced. Zhang Mu was already drained from the previous fight and attempted to escape with his wife. But Nan Feng wanted to see something more interesting, so he blocked Zhang Mu’s way out.
The world was his oyster. Those weaker than him were all humble nobodies. As the Third Prince of the Wind Snow Temple, Nan Feng did not need to explain what he wanted to do to the world.
At the end, when Zhang Mu watched his wife die in his arms, his bloodshot eyes were filled with distinct hatred.
“Have I got myself a foe?”
Nan Feng found it entertaining, so he spared Zhang Mu’s life. At that time, there happened to be a disparity in strength between the Wind Snow School and the Heavenly Knights Sect. The idea of developing his force also intrigued Nan Feng. Step by step, his Wind Snow School became stronger and gradually overtook the Heavenly Knights Sect. Then, the Wind Snow School subdued all the other forces and became a magnate holding the five worldlets in awe.
Zhang Mu was a very good sparring partner, a very entertaining toy.
But Nan Feng didn’t expect that Zhang Mu would later be a half-step to the Elixir Realm. He was also the extremely powerful kind at that level. Nan Feng couldn’t kill him. They fought all the way to the Kunlun Mountain Range. Nan Feng activated his precious treasure to jump into the Kunlun Immortal World. He then yelled, “Welcome to the Kunlun Immortal World.”
He had reached the Elixir Realm Last-Stage and was very close to the Peak-Stage. Thus, he just teased Zhang Mu and let him off.
“He makes a good toy. It would be a shame to kill him so soon, wouldn’t it?” he thought to himself.
Just like that, he watched Zhang Mu grow stronger little by little, but he was still far from being a threat to him.
Finally, one day, Zhang Mu also reached the Elixir Realm Last-Stage.
“It turns out that his aptitude is quite good. Now he is also at the Last-Stage.
“He’s battled me two times. And both times, he actually managed to escape. Bravo.”
But could this intimidate Nan Feng?
No. His power was not enough, far from enough. Even if Nan Feng gave him several decades to cultivate, it would still be impossible.
That was all because Nan Feng’s father was a Grand Master.
Other than the other seven Grand Masters, no one on this planet could be a threat to him.
Thus, Zhang Mu and Nan Feng had been playing a game… a game that Zhang Mu would never win in this life.
But now…
“I, Nan Feng, have actually lost to a toy of mine, haven’t I?”
He instantly freaked out.
Listening to Zhang Mu’s countdown, he knew very well that his time of death was coming.
“You’re courting death!”
Elder Bu and the other five elders looked at one another. Then, they picked up their weapons and rushed over with unstoppable momentum.
Were they going to face death unflinchingly?
No, they were just trying their luck.
“Buzz!”
Without waiting for Zhang Han’s instruction, Zi Yan instantly conjured a 1,000-feet-long Sea Moon Fan.
It swooshed past, taking the lives of six cultivators at the peak of the Elixir Realm.
The dead silence descended on the field again.
“One!”
Zhang Mu’s voice was even colder, and his murderous intent had permeated the whole place.
As that word came out, the hearts of the tens of thousands of disciples of the Wind Snow Temple trembled violently.
They felt as if they were pinned to the guillotine, waiting for someone to announce their death penalty.
Just as Zhang Mu was about to say something more…
Nan Feng suddenly became crestfallen. He lowered his proud head and said with immense bitterness, “Zhang Mu, you won.”
“Bang!”
His body abruptly turned into a mist of blood and drifted away with the wind.
“Third Prince… is dead?
“He is dead!”
The tens of thousands of disciples of the Wind Snow Temple were suddenly at a loss.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Some disciples that had adopted a nonchalant attitude towards this matter immediately came to their senses. Knowing that things were not going well, they quickly retreated, hoping to exit the place.
Shi Fenghou was the fastest. His speed was already eight times faster than the speed of sound.
Standing in the distance, Shi Fenghou still could not get over the shock.
“The Wind Snow Temple has also met its downfall, hasn’t it?”
Back then, when he was a member of the Wind Snow School, he was proud and full of pep. However, when he met Zhang Han, the unbeatable devil king, he got ground down.
After coming to the Wind Snow Temple, he eventually made his name known. However, the feud between Zhang Mu and Nan Feng that had lasted a century drew Zhang Hanyang’s wife out.
Then, he was ground down again.
He was thoroughly… ground down.
Shi Fenghou was kind of scared out of his wits. However, he felt that this was all reasonable. An eye for an eye. Nan Feng’s death was totally justified.
The disciples who ran fast had arrived at the periphery of the battlefield in less than half a minute.
The fact that they had come back to their senses so quickly proved that they were just onlookers who were on alert throughout the whole process.
But those people only made less than 20% of all the disciples.
“The entire Wind Snow Temple is about to be destroyed. I’ll give you about 20 seconds. Try your best to escape. If you can’t, you’ll die.”
Zhang Mu’s voice spread far away.
“Swoosh!”
Many people turned pale. They quickly ran away.
The scene of tens of thousands of people escaping was kind of mind-boggling.
But the most terrified ones were those disciples who hadn’t fled before.
They only had about 20 seconds.
They could hardly escape to the safe area in such a short time. But, at least, there was a chance.
It was no exaggeration to say that only the people in the peripheral area could escape. The thousands of people who had just approached Nan Feng did not have a chance.
Zhang Mu’s way of doing things was quite chivalrous. He had given many people the first chance to run away when he did the countdown.
And in the minute when Nan Feng committed suicide, Shi Fenghou and many others took flight. That was their second chance.
At the third time, Zhang Mu gave everyone another 20 seconds to run away. That was their last chance.
Nan Feng’s subordinates who had stayed near him were most shocked by his death. They ran the slowest. But many innocent people also escaped as Zhang Mu expected them to do. If some couldn’t run fast enough and got killed, they could only blame their fate.
“Run, run now!”
“Ahhhh!”
Cries of shock and roars of fury reverberated in the entire Wind Snow Temple.
At this moment, Dong Chen looked at Zhang Han and coughed softly.
Seeing Zhang Han nod, he flew to the side of the field to set up defensive formations in the treasure vaults, herb fields, and places where cultivation resources were stored.
“Time is up.”
Zhang Mu slowly opened his eyes.
“Attack, with one hand. Launch the attack horizontally and dissipate the power in seven seconds,” Zhang Han grabbed Zi Yan’s left hand and reminded her.
“Okay.”
Zi Yan waved her right hand and launched an attack.
The Sea Moon Fan reappeared.
It swept from left to right. In seven seconds, about 10,000 people who were near Nan Feng a moment ago were killed.
After that, the huge fan slowly dissolved.
Yet, the remaining energy wave only began to sweep in all directions.
The great halls collapsed one after another under the impact. Except for the herb fields and treasure vaults that were protected by formations, the other buildings in the area were reduced to a mess.
Looking at the remaining 10,000 people who were running away, Zhang Han sighed softly in his head.
The master of the Wind Snow Temple did not show up. Therefore, even though the buildings of the sect were destroyed, as long as he showed up and recruited disciples again, the Wind Snow Temple would still exist, only that its size would be much smaller.
In the Cultivation World, there was no distinction between good and evil in battles between sects. The goal was always to destroy the other side, without leaving any remnants. Because there were always some members who were loyal to their sect. They would try every means to get revenge. If they were allowed to live, they would be future trouble.
But this battle could also be regarded as a way to settle the grudge between Zhang Mu and Nan Feng.
Now that Zhang Mu let those disciples off, Zhang Han decided that he should let it be. Nan Feng and his force had been eradicated. Except for the master of the Wind Snow Temple who had not yet been dealt with, no one else could be a threat to him. In this world, Zi Yan could surpass the rules of cultivation. Zhang Han had also just started his cultivation in the Elixir Realm. And he believed that he would be able to fight against those Grand Masters in the Fake Yuan Ying Realm in some time.
“Launch three more strikes.”
Zhang Han instructed Zi Yan to move forward. Her fan swept across every corner of the field, killing the few greedy disciples.
Zi Yan only had a shallow understanding of the effect of her attack.
For example, if she raised both of her hands and exerted all her strength, she would conjure up a fan more than 2,000 feet in length. If with one hand and half of her energy, she would summon a fan more than 1,000 feet long. If she merely moved her fingers slightly, the fan would be less than 100 feet long. Hence, this power of hers could be performed in several phases. She actually found it quite easy to control.
She also felt that those Elixir Realm cultivators were easy to deal with.
“Am I now a cultivator in the Yuan Ying Realm?”
Zi Yan was overjoyed inwardly. Even the corners of her mouth curved into a smile without her noticing.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Han also smiled.
At first, Zi Yan had no interest in cultivation. But later, Mengmeng began to cultivate. Seeing that Zhang Han took Mengmeng to explore the relics and other wonderful places, Zi Yan began to feel anxious. After being depressed for some days, she could no longer curb her longing to cultivate. In the end, she broke through to the Yuan Ying Realm overnight.
Her cultivation couldn’t have been simpler.
Even Zhang Han, who was extremely lucky and talented, had to spend years cultivating before reaching this realm. However, in Zi Yan’s case, it only took her a few days of contemplation to reach that level.
“Honey, you’re so awesome. Even I feel a little stressed,” Zhang Han whispered in Zi Yan’s ear.
“Haha.”
Zi Yan was in a good mood. A moment later, she realized what he meant. She bit her lip and said, “Whoever comes at me will get swatted.”
She didn’t care where her power came from or what her real identity was. She was Zhang Han’s wife and Mengmeng’s mother. That was all that mattered to her.
“Well, let’s take the loot,” Zhang Han smiled and said to the others.
“Whiz, whiz, whiz!”
Dong Chen was really fast. He disappeared out of sight in the blink of an eye. In no time, he already entered a treasure vault and began to pocket everything he saw.
It could be imagined that it would be very difficult to make him take out the things that he had already put into his pocket.
Mu Xue, Zhao Feng, Mengmeng, and Little Hei soon went to collect treasures as well.
Some people adopted a cleverer strategy. For instance, Jiang Yanlan did nothing but follow behind Mengmeng and Little Hei. She was sure that the places Little Hei would go had the best treasures.
“Dad, you’ve had your revenge,” Zhang Guangyou stood beside Zhang Mu and said in a low voice.
“Yes, I’ve had my revenge.”
Zhang Mu seemed to have aged a few years in one day. He was not joyful at all. Instead, he was gripped by faint sadness. He felt rather empty. At this moment, he had fallen into a daze.
All he could think about was that he was destined to die alone.
His love of life had already perished. He could no longer have her anymore.
“What should I do with my life then?”
“Alas…”
In the end, all his words came out as a sigh.
“The Kunlun Immortal World is just the tip of the iceberg. The next place we are going to explore is the vast cosmos,” Zhang Han said softly.
That drew Zhang Mu out of his reverie. He was stunned for a short moment. But then, he shook his head slightly and gazed at the sky in the distance, not speaking for a long time.
The dozens of people searched the entire Wind Snow Temple for resources. Their haul was indeed massive.
The more than 10,000 people in the distance watched them looting the sect with their own eyes. Their fear and astonishment could no longer be described with words. About an hour later, murmurs of discussion finally broke out across the field.
“Has our Wind Snow Temple been destroyed?”
“That’s right. The entire Wind Snow Temple has been reduced to ruins. All the members of the Third Prince’s force have died. Master, our master hasn’t returned yet. But is he… no match for them as well?”
“That can’t be! When our master comes back, he will definitely suppress them. As long as he is still alive, our Wind Snow Temple is not really destroyed.”
“But the Wind Snow Temple already has such a strong enemy. If they come to attack us again, how can we resist? Zhang Mu had given us multiple chances to run, otherwise, we would have all died there. I really don’t dare to stay in the Wind Snow Temple any longer. Older Martial Brother and Younger Martial Sister, come with me to join the Blue Cloud Sect. Although that sect is small, it stands aloof from the disputes in the world. We can gain experience in the Bone Demon World. There are also enough resources for us to cultivate. I, I really don’t want to go on like this.”
“The enemy is indeed too horrible. The horror they can inspire is suffocating.” An Eldest Martial Brother said in a trembling voice, “Zhang Hanyang can kill the Elixir Realm cultivators in the inferior world. As soon as he entered the Kunlun Mountains, he could fight against Li Qingyan. If he continues to cultivate like this, very soon, no one in the world can possibly keep him in check. In addition to his own power, he also has an even stronger wife. She is completely unstoppable. In front of her, the Heaven-earth Formation is as fragile as a piece of paper. Even if a Grand Master were here, he might not be able to defeat her.”
Many people were flustered. A great number of the disciples considered quitting the sect. Cultivators usually would fight for their own benefits. But no one was willing to fight a battle that they had utterly no odds to win.
Shi Fenghou watched the other party for a while and then rubbed his forehead.
“The Wind Snow Temple has been eliminated. When our master comes back in a while, he probably can’t do anything to Zi Yan, either. Otherwise, Zhang Hanyang wouldn’t have brought her and his daughter here. Destroyed. It’s all been destroyed. I’d better go to join another sect and continue to make money and pay my debt.”
Thinking of the more than one million crystal stones he owed Zhang Han, Shi Fenghou started to have a headache.
At the same time—
On the highest peak near the Northernmost Sea—
When Zi Yan’s Sea Moon Fan fell and smashed the Heaven-earth Formation, Nan Qinghai’s face changed. A trace of disbelief flashed across his eyes.
“The sect’s protective formation has been undermined?
“What’s happening?”
“Everyone, I have something urgent to do. I’ll take my leave now.”
After informing the others, Nan Qinghai spun around and quickly departed.
Seeing that he flew away so fast, the others were slightly taken aback.
“Eh? Why did Nan Qinghai go back in such a hurry? Did something happen?”
“I just noticed that he looked a little worried. Interesting. I’ll go and have a look.”
“I suppose it has nothing to do with the Light Gate in his sect.”
“I’m going back too. The disappearance of the passages is just trivial. Now, we shall just wait and see if the rules of the world will change.”
The gathering came to an end. Having nothing better to do, two of the Yuan Ying Grand Masters followed Nan Qinghai at a distance and flew toward the Wind Snow Temple.
Their speed was extremely fast. In less than three hours, they had crossed about half of the East Domain and arrived near the Wind Snow Temple.
“Hiss!”
“The Wind Snow Temple has become ruins?”
“Who did this? How startling! Is it those guys from the South Domain?”
“This is something.”
“Hahaha, Nan Qinghai looks as if he has swallowed shit.”
At the sight of the ruins, the two Grand Masters in the Yuan Ying Realm were a little surprised, but then they started to savor Nan Qinghai’s misfortune as any other onlookers did.
The Grand Masters were not all friendly to one another. When they saw the wrecked Wind Snow Temple, they found it nothing but interesting.
“Eh? Some people are still in the Wind Snow Temple. They’re several cultivators at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage.”
They darted their eyes to Zhang Mu and the others.
Nan Qinghai did the same thing.
When he approached the sect in the air, he was surrounded by a mist that stretched 1,000 meters into the distance. His energy was surging. His rage was flaring.
“Who is it?”
A cold questioning voice sounded.
Hearing that voice, many disciples who were standing with their backs to him came to their senses and looked back in shock.
“Master!”
“Master is back!”
“It’s Zhang Mu who did this! Master, Third Prince is dead. More than 10,000 disciples have just been killed. Zhang Mu has brought his men here and attacked us!”
“Master, that woman is extraordinarily strong. She broke our Heaven-earth Formation with just one stroke.”
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.”
Suddenly, the more than 10,000 remaining disciples of the Wind Snow Temple were on their mettle. Their eyes flickered back and forth between Zhang Mu and Nan Qinghai.
“He is here!”
Mu Xue, Little Hei, Mengmeng, Dong Chen, and the others all gathered around Zhang Han.
“It’s you who broke the Heaven-earth Formation of my Wind Snow Temple, right?”
Nan Qinghai was floating in the air, a kilometer away from them. His eyes were cold and piercing, as though filled with blue light. He was looking steadily at Zi Yan.
Waves of soul attacks were quietly unleashed.
Nan Qinghai was sounding Zi Yan out.
However…
He had chosen the wrong target.
Zhang Han had no intention to say anything at first. But as he noted that Nan Qinghai was targeting Zi Yan, he furrowed his brows and put his right hand forward before dropping it.
He cast the Qing Ming Steal!
Boom!
The huge seal directly shattered the little energy Nan Qinghai had released in secret.
“Don’t make a fool of yourself with your cheap tricks,” Zhang Han said flatly.
His words immediately caused an uproar on the scene.
Shi Fenghou licked his dry lips and muttered, “He hasn’t changed a bit. Even in the face of a Grand Master, he is still so pompous. Phew….”
Many disciples of the Wind Snow Temple were also discussing the matter animatedly.
“Is that man Zhang Hanyang?”
“No matter how strong he is, now that he dares to talk to a Grand Master like that, he is either really powerful or really ignorant.”
“I figure it’s the former case.”
Nan Qinghai was incensed at the moment. How could such a nobody make that kind of remark to him? No one had ever dared to take that disrespectful tone with him, let alone saying those words.
“Are you Zhang Hanyang?”
Nan Qinghai looked Zi Yan up and down. He couldn’t see through her, so he didn’t make any moves. Instead, he turned to Zhang Han and posed that question.
However, Zhang Han acted like he had not heard him at all.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
“Yes, he is Zhang Hanyang.”
The two Grand Masters in the Yuan Ying Realm hiding in the sky at the rear were making their own comments.
“He looks just ordinary.”
“His aura is strong. From that strike he just launched, I can tell that his cultivation is probably at the Elixir Realm Early-Stage. But he is already able to fight against that youngster named Li Qingyan. That means he can challenge those in higher realms. He is exceptionally talented.”
“But they don’t seem to have any way to deal with Nan Qinghai, do they?”
Since none of the people in Zhang Han’s team had reached the Peak of the Elixir Realm, the two Grand Masters couldn’t imagine how they could fight against Nan Qinghai.
“I heard from those disciples of the Wind Snow Temple that Zhang Hanyang’s wife broke the Heaven-earth Formation and killed more than 10,000 people, including Nan Feng. How did she achieve that? I haven’t sensed any aura from her. Is she also in the Yuan Ying Realm? No, that can’t be. In the Kunlun Immortal World, there are two female Yuan Ying cultivators in the West Domain. The South Domain and North Domain each have one female Yuan Ying cultivator. The eight Yuan Ying cultivators in the East Domain are all men. And we have met those female Yuan Ying cultivators. Could she… come from the King’s Domain?”
“Is she the Palace Master of the Black White Palace, one of the top three Giants in the King’s Domain? If she is really that Palace Master, things will get really interesting.”
Under their gazes, Nan Qinghai couldn’t wait to get even with them. A ferocious grin crept over his mouth.
“This is the first time in a century that the Heaven-earth Formation of the Snow Wind Palace has been broken. And never has my Wind Snow Temple been wrecked like this. It’s all your doing, isn’t it? In that case, let me see what power you have on earth.”
“Swoosh!”
A bell appeared in Nan Qinghai’s right hand. He began to shake it. Sound waves visible to the naked eye quickly swept the place.
He planned to crush the souls of these people in front of him.
“The fifth style of the Heavenly Demon—the Dark Blood Seal!”
Zhang Han’s eyes became a little solemn as he performed the fifth style, which was also a supernatural power.
He had spent a year to comprehend it, which was the fusion of the Heavenly Demon’s Blood and the Blood Shock Pluto Incantation.
At this moment, that style finally debuted.
As he exerted all his strength, a circular blood-colored mark with a diameter of more than 10 meters appeared out of thin air. The lines engraved on it were emitting an air of desolation, mystery, and bloodthirstiness.
“Retreat!”
“This move is bizarre!”
The disciples of the Wind Snow Temple who were close to the battlefield felt that their veins were pulsing at the same frequency as the strange mark. They felt extremely uncomfortable and increasingly wearier.
Alarmed, they had no choice but to rapidly retreat another one-third of a mile.
