Chapter 880: There Are Still Good People in the World

(Double monthly tickets, the month is almost over, don't waste them if you don't vote, begging for monthly tickets.)

The Forbidden Canyon.

Void infinite.

On this very day, news suddenly spread in all directions.

At a gathering place for rogue cultivators, someone shouted: "Have you heard? The major powers of the Forbidden Canyon—Six Directions Mountain, Tiger Soul Cave, Firm Rock Cliff... these great forces are going to build a Void City in the central region, welcoming all rogue cultivators to come and exchange."

As these words were spoken, someone laughed: "So kind-hearted? They wouldn't be trying to recruit us, would they?"

"Hahaha, that wouldn't be bad either! These major powers all have 16-path experts. If we could really join, though it's not as good as the Forbidden Lands, not everyone can enter the Forbidden Lands anyway. What's wrong with joining these forces?"

"True!"

"Is the news confirmed?"

"Confirmed!"

Someone shouted: "The major powers have sent people to spread the word far and wide. With multiple forces joining hands, they guarantee at least two 16-path or above experts will be stationed in the city at all times, preventing locust attacks, forbidding private fights within the city, and only allowing life-and-death duels on the arena!"

"Going through all this trouble, do they have any demands or intentions?"

Someone still questioned: Do rogue cultivators have such good intentions?

If it were the Forbidden Lands, there would be no need to worry.

"I heard these powers are locked in fierce conflict, each wanting to become the overlord of the Forbidden Canyon, and now they're recruiting people!"

Someone chuckled: "I heard that each faction is vigorously recruiting experts above the 8-path, but unfortunately, the requirements are too high! Really, cultivators like us with just two or three paths are beneath their notice!"

This time, although the Forbidden Lands called for only 8-path and above experts to attend the Forbidden Lands gathering, such a major event—even if one couldn't participate—being on the periphery to hear the results firsthand was still worthwhile.

In the dead inner world, after countless years, such lively opportunities were rare.

At this moment, more and more people were rushing toward this place.

Hearing that fellow skilled in gathering news speak of this, a newcomer asked curiously: "What are the major powers in the Forbidden Canyon? How strong are they exactly?"

"No need to mention the Four Forbidden Lands!"

That expert skilled in gathering news,

laughed heartily: "Aside from the Four Forbidden Lands, the entire Forbidden Canyon had many territories before, but with constant warfare recently, many territories have vanished, some swallowed up..."

"Currently, across the Forbidden Canyon, Six Directions Mountain dominates the northeastern region, with Black Tomb as its sovereign. It's said to be an 18-path expert who subdued Snow Dragon Mountain and Blade Valley, both with 16-path experts, ruling the northeast!"

"In the southeast, Tiger Soul Cave holds sway. Previously, Tiger Soul Cave seemed to have two tiger clan experts as cave masters. Some days ago, it's said they were routed by two newly promoted 16-path experts. Whether those two died or fled, the remaining members of Tiger Soul Cave surrendered to these two!"

"In the southwest, Heavenly Silkworm Ridge and Firm Rock Cliff dominate, each with one 16-path expert..."

"In the southeast, the area around Heaven's Dome Mountain is too dangerous. Not only does the Human Sovereign of the Ten Thousand Realms stir there, but King Wen and his ilk also frequently roam... There are no major powers in that region!"

"Looking at it now, these few are the strongest, with Six Directions Mountain being the most powerful..."

"Black Tomb of Six Directions Mountain? Never heard of him!"

Someone was puzzled; others knew a bit more.

Black Tomb, who is that?

"This Black Tomb is said to be a ruthless and merciless fellow. I heard that Six Directions Mountain originally had six experts—Gui, Mu, Yu, and others—whom I think many of you have heard of. It's said they were killed by this man, who then impersonated them and founded Six Directions Mountain... Later, with the support of the Forbidden Lands, so the story goes, he gained a foothold and took over several other major powers in the northeast... Now, this Black Tomb is considered a notable figure in the Forbidden Canyon!"

"So, the 16-path experts among the four factions number only six or seven? Not too many!"

"That's not all; there are about ten, I think. Some are unclear about their whereabouts... There were more before, but in recent days, several seem to have been killed..."

"So the fighting here is pretty brutal!"

"These are all big shots. Look at us, wandering the four directions, with hardly anyone bothering about us..."

...

A crowd of people, talking endlessly, all chattering.

Now, there were many rogue cultivators in the Forbidden Canyon.

And here in the Forbidden Canyon, the major powers were building Void City, planning to recruit rogue cultivators—some people were indeed interested!

Not just ordinary rogue cultivators, but also void beasts roaming the void, and demons who secretly killed to seize paths—all had interest.

Some overlord-level experts even had their eyes on the strong of the Forbidden Canyon.

In this world, there was no shortage of experts who secretly killed others to seize the power of the path.

Nor was there a shortage of void beasts, ancient and immensely powerful, that roamed the void and might devour any territory they saw.

At this moment, the Forbidden Canyon was in chaos!

Every day, rogue cultivators disappeared.

No one cared, no one paid attention.

But everyone was very vigilant.

Somewhat familiar rogue cultivators would band together in groups; even a small number wouldn't do, for fear of being killed. Usually, they moved in groups of dozens.

Now, hearing that the powers of the Forbidden Canyon had jointly built Void City, many became interested.

Let's go take a look!

Since it wasn't built by a single faction but by multiple powers joining hands, there shouldn't be much danger.

...

The central zone of the Four Forbidden Lands.

Here, there were originally only a few small territories, but now they had long vanished.

In the dark void, a massive city floated in the air.

Pavilions, towers, flowers, grass, trees—things rarely seen elsewhere—were all present here.

Above the city, two large characters shimmered with radiance—the name of the city: Bright!

Those two characters gleamed with light.

The City of Brightness cast its glow over heaven and earth, driving away darkness, driving away danger, filling one with a sense of ease and joy—this was a city of light.

The apocalypse had lasted too long; in truth, rogue cultivators yearned for light.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so eager to leave the Heavenly Gate and return to the Ten Thousand Realms.

Above that massive city, the sun and moon also hung.

They revolved!

The alternation of sun and moon, truly making one feel the exchange of heaven and earth!

This great City of Brightness was built in a single day.

It stood in this void!

And now.

Within the City of Brightness, many experts were present, from all sides, eyeing each other with hostility, but each occupying their own area, no conflict breaking out.

The four major powers each held their own corner.

The region of the Six Directions Mountain.

The Blade Master’s mouth remained open, staring at the sky, when suddenly he said, “I’m a little afraid!”

Beside him, Snow Dragon transmitted a message: “Shut up! I’m afraid too! Don’t say it, don’t think about it, in this place… why bring that up? It gives me the creeps!”

How could it not give one the creeps?

This City of Light… was terrifying!

That alternation of sun and moon… damn it, those were someone’s eyes.

This City of Light was itself a world.

Su Yu had failed to lure enough strong beings with the tea tree in the myriad realms, but today, here… he had done something monumental—his flesh transformed into a world, taking the form of a giant city, which was now the City of Light.

Were they afraid?

Those in the know were all afraid.

This was no City of Light; it was the greatest black pit!

And within the city, there were many houses and courtyards.

Prepared for the strong!

In truth… those were acupoints—every house stood atop an acupoint, utterly devouring people without spitting out bones!

If you moved in… hah… just wait for death!

If you didn’t surrender and merge with the Dao, you were finished!

That was the true horror!

Snow Dragon and others in the know had originally thought to build a city, recruit rogue cultivators, or resort to assassination, trickery, and deceit.

But Su Yu—no, he didn’t need that!

He simply transformed into the world itself!

In his world, who could escape?

And it was utterly silent!

He himself became the world, seamless and flawless—unless a master at the level of a Forbidden Land Lord swept through, even a First-Class cultivator would find it hard to detect anything amiss.

And such a city was actually called the City of Light!

That was the most chilling part!

Moreover, now many strong beings from the Six Directions Mountain were scattered abroad, loudly proclaiming how wonderful this place was, urging everyone to come quickly.

Watching Su Yu’s methods, Snow Dragon and the others all felt their teeth ache.

This was truly ruthless!

Not only did he make you come to him willingly, but he also made you enter his world and his acupoints of your own accord—ask yourself, aren’t you afraid?

It was like a lamb walking straight into the tiger’s mouth!

He even saved the trouble of travel!

As the two were transmitting messages, Su Yu’s voice suddenly rang in their ears: “Go, southeast—a void beast is slaughtering rogue cultivators. Kill it for me, make it flashy, damn it!”

Su Yu’s voice was furious!

Looking for death?

Killing here was just scaring off those rogue cultivators!

Damned bastards!

“Master of the Calamity, kill or capture?”

“Kill, grind its bones to dust!”

Su Yu’s tone was filled with murderous intent—how infuriating!

He had spent no small effort to build and promote the City of Light, and these small fry dared to snatch food from his tiger’s mouth? Were they insane?

A mere Second-Class void beast—who did it think it was?

The Blade Master said nothing more, sensing Su Yu’s fury!

This place was his private preserve.

All rogue cultivators were already marked by Su Yu!

To kill nearby now was nothing short of suicide!

The next moment, the two vanished.

An instant later, a blade light illuminated heaven and earth. A colossal beast was cleaved in two, and then a freezing force swept across, sealing the beast’s corpse in ice!

Even its Dao was frozen and shattered!

The Blade Master’s cold shout resounded in all directions: “How dare you! This is the City of Light, jointly built by the major powers of the Forbidden Canyon, a resting place for rogue cultivators. Within a radius of three terrestrial yuan, if any assassination or devouring occurs again, there will be no mercy!”

Snow Dragon’s voice was equally icy: “A bunch of reckless fools! If this happens again near the City of Light, we will show no leniency! If you have disputes, enter the city and settle them on the arena. If you dare act recklessly again, don’t blame the Forbidden Canyon for overwhelming you with numbers and wiping you out!”

Two First-Class strong beings had erupted, personally killing a Second-Class void beast. Suddenly, in the distance, a stir arose.

It felt… quite good, didn’t it?

The area was actually forbidden from violence!

This was somewhat similar to a Forbidden Land, and even Forbidden Lands sometimes didn’t bother to intervene, as long as you didn’t trespass!

…

At that moment.

In the void.

A long-haired man with sword-like brows stood with his hands behind his back, looking in that direction, somewhat surprised. He smiled and said, “Interesting. Those rogue cultivators really want to build a City of Light?”

Then he turned to the old man beside him, “Kong’er, the Black Tomb you mentioned last time—is that the leader of the Six Directions Mountain?”

“Yes, Father!”

The one beside him was none other than Jian Kong from the Heavenly Dome Mountain, and the one he called Father was naturally the Sword Venerable, the head of the Heavenly Dome Mountain’s War Hall, a top-tier powerhouse.

Now, the Sword Venerable nodded slightly: “Not bad, they’ve become a force to reckon with! Now establishing this City of Light can attract even more rogue cultivators from outside… However, a tall tree catches the wind. Setting roots here may not be a good thing! Not to mention the powerful outsiders, the other three Forbidden Lands may not be willing to see them grow so quickly!”

A force like the Six Directions Mountain, with three First-Class cultivators, wasn’t much.

But if it grew stronger, even showing signs of uniting, with over a dozen First-Class… even the Forbidden Lands would have to suppress it. Too strong was not a good thing; it could easily lead to trouble.

He smiled, then suddenly furrowed his sword-like brows, looking into the distance, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Far away, a powerhouse exuding boiling death energy strode through the void.

“Nether Soil?”

The Sword Venerable was somewhat surprised—Nether Soil from the Dead Spirit Hell had actually come!

In the distant place, Nether Soil, with death energy boiling, also looked this way, smiled, and appeared fair and clean—if not for the strong death energy, one would never guess he cultivated the Dead Spirit Dao.

He looked at the Sword Venerable and nodded slightly: “Greetings, Sword Venerable!”

The Sword Sovereign gazed across the void: “You, from the Nether Hell, what business have you here?”

“Just came to have a look at the Forbidden Canyon. Never thought that after all these years, it would become the core of your sect!”

He chuckled, and there was another matter—one of his top-tier subordinates, Qu, had not returned for some time. Word had it that this fellow might have gone off to take control of the Tiger Soul Cave himself, which was rather puzzling!

What was Qu up to?

He was supposed to be contacting certain factions, not personally acting as a rogue lord.

Coupled with the uproar over the Radiant City, he also wanted to see for himself, since it involved the Forbidden Canyon.

At that moment, he spotted the Radiant City glowing in the distance, and saw the Blade Master and his men killing. He smiled, his tone not somber but rather grand and imposing: “This Radiant City is quite interesting… Driving away those bloodthirsty void beasts here—aren’t they afraid of courting trouble?”

The Sword Sovereign said calmly, “The four houses of Radiant City have joined forces; their combat strength is not weak. Even a great tyrant would find it hard to defeat them. What trouble could there be?”

The Nether Earth Emperor said nothing, smiled, and stepped through the void: “Fellow Daoist, care to join me?”

“No need.”

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

The Nether Earth Emperor took a step, black light spilling from beneath his feet, vanishing instantly. When he reappeared, he was millions of miles away.

Before long, he hovered above the Radiant City.

There were people in the city, but at that moment, no one saw him.

Suddenly, someone in the city changed color.

Qu!

A top-tier expert!

No, it was… an Emperor!

The Nether Earth Emperor!

Qu’s body went limp with terror. One of the Four Direction Emperors, the Eastern Emperor—the strongest among them—had actually come here!

In the city, not only Qu but several top-tier experts also sensed it faintly, their faces turning pale in panic!

A supreme powerhouse!

Just then, a faint will spread through their minds: “What are you afraid of? Hold steady, don’t show any weakness! Qu, say what I taught you. What does it matter? If this guy picks a fight… kill him!”

It was Su Yu’s voice!

At that moment, Su Yu’s voice was grand and fierce, even more terrifying than the Nether Earth Emperor’s.

Suddenly, everyone felt much more at ease.

That was true.

The Calamity Lord might not fear this opponent.

The Calamity Lord had opened his own world, and now, a month had passed since the meeting at Six Peaks Mountain. Over that month, Six Peaks Mountain had rapidly consolidated its surroundings, conquering countless territories.

They had subdued 5 top-tier experts and 36 second-tier experts.

Now, the entire Six Peaks Mountain had exactly 10 top-tier and 54 second-tier experts—a truly massive force.

Not only that, but Qu and Shang had both recovered to 18 Paths of power.

Moreover, others had also improved.

Several second-tier experts were now close to the top tier, ready to break through at any moment.

The Blade Master and Snow Dragon had also reached 17 Paths of power.

This was unimaginable before. After the 16th Path, they had never thought they could advance further, but now, in just over a month, they had gained one Path.

As for Su Yu, no one knew what realm he had reached.

But since Qu could recover to 18 Paths, it meant Su Yu had gained at least one Path as well.

At the very least, he was at 27 Paths… probably more!

They had subdued 5 top-tier, dozens of second-tier, and over a hundred third- and fourth-tier experts—more than last time. They had also killed several top-tier experts, and though they were only devoured, not fused, the gains were still considerable.

Several strong ones privately guessed that Black Tomb had reached at least 28 Paths!

…

At that moment, a trace of Su Yu’s will surfaced.

He did not look at the void, nor at the Nether Earth Emperor.

But he silently sensed.

Very strong!

This was the strongest Emperor of the Nether Hell, the mightiest of the Four Direction Emperors. Su Yu roughly judged that he was not weaker than himself, and Su Yu had indeed reached 28 Paths.

This time, he had nearly taken the entire Forbidden Canyon, yet only reached 28 Paths.

That was why Su Yu had set his sights on those outsiders.

He needed to continue fusing Paths, to grow stronger!

At least to 30 Paths!

At that moment, Su Yu cursed inwardly—what was this? Why had the Nether Earth Emperor come here?

Not only that, but he also sensed a powerful sword aura!

Perhaps even stronger than the Nether Earth Emperor—the Sword Sovereign!

29 Paths, or 30?

Surely not above 30 Paths!

If one truly reached 30 Paths, some would go off to open their own forbidden lands!

The Sword Sovereign was probably the strongest under the Sky Dome Lord of Sky Dome Mountain!

Both of them had come to Radiant City, which left Su Yu speechless.

If only one had come!

One might be killed or merged into his world. Even if he killed him, Su Yu would gain at least one Path. If merged… perhaps even more!

There were few in the entire world above 28 Paths.

Now, two had come at once.

At this level, Su Yu no longer cared about Jian Kong’s 22 Paths.

Were these people idle?

Why did they have to come to his place?

Su Yu cursed under his breath—it was not good to act. If he did, the commotion would be enormous, and the four forbidden lands might all notice. He might not even be able to capture and kill them for sure, and would instead expose himself prematurely!

As for tempting them to surrender—forget it!

The Sword Sovereign might be possible, but the Nether Earth Emperor was not. Su Yu suspected that the Nether Earth Emperor had already merged into the Nether Lord’s world, controlling one of its powerful Nether Paths.

If so, the Nether Lord was far stronger than Su Yu.

He couldn't possibly have sided with Su Yu!

As he was thinking, a figure descended from the high sky. There were people all around, yet no one saw him.

The Netherworld Emperor landed, his feet touching the city's roads, feeling a strange sensation.

He looked up at the sky, at the sun and moon, and suddenly felt as if the sun and moon were also looking at him.

He floated up again, drifting near the sun and moon, took a closer look, and frowned slightly. It was merely a simple light spell condensed into form, not some treasure.

Why did it feel like this thing was watching him?

He glanced around. The moment he stepped into this Radiant City, he had sensed something eerie, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where.

"How amusing!"

He chuckled softly. Never mind, it was just a city. He couldn't be bothered to investigate further. He sensed Qu's presence and, in an instant, vanished from his spot, reappearing before Qu.

By then, Qu had barely regained his composure. Seeing someone appear before him, he quickly knelt on one knee: "Qu greets the Emperor!"

The Netherworld Emperor nodded slightly, looking at Qu with a frown. "Why are you here? I ordered you to subdue the Six Directions Mountain and bring the northeastern domain's factions under control. Instead, you ran off to the Tiger Soul Cave. Both cave masters of Tiger Soul Cave are dead? Did you kill them?"

Qu hurriedly replied, "It wasn't me... No, that Earth Tiger was killed by Black Tomb of Six Directions Mountain, and the Sky Tiger was ambushed by the Blade Master and his group. I saw Tiger Soul Cave on the verge of collapse and had to step in, to prevent Six Directions Mountain from becoming the sole power!"

"Hmm?"

The Netherworld Emperor stared at him, frowning. "Do you have a grudge against Six Directions Mountain?"

"No!" Qu explained, "Emperor, it's not a grudge. It's that Black Tomb of Six Directions Mountain is arrogant. I went to him before, asking him to pledge allegiance to the Netherworld Hell, and that fellow—that fellow not only refused but insulted me, saying the Netherworld Hell was nothing and couldn't control him..."

The Netherworld Emperor frowned slightly. "Are you trying to stir trouble? He's a rogue cultivator—would he dare say such a thing?"

Qu looked a bit embarrassed but gritted his teeth. "He's very arrogant, not just toward me but also toward Shang of the Falling Soul Valley. He humiliated her too. So Shang and I couldn't swallow that insult. We both joined Tiger Soul Cave... specifically to deal with him and prevent him from unifying the Forbidden Canyon!"

The Netherworld Emperor raised an eyebrow. "Where is he? How dare he provoke the Netherworld Hell!"

Qu hesitated, still unwilling to let it go, but afraid the Emperor might stir up trouble. He gritted his teeth and said, "Emperor, he... is from the Heavenly Dome Mountain! So the forbidden lands hold no fear for him. That's why I had no choice but to act against him personally..."

"Hmm?"

The Netherworld Emperor was taken aback. He suddenly looked into the distance. So that's it!

So that's why the Sword Venerable came here. So Six Directions Mountain was a force nurtured by Heavenly Dome Mountain!

No wonder Black Tomb showed no respect to the Netherworld Hell.

At that moment, the Netherworld Emperor felt relieved, but still frowned. "Nonsense! A strongman from a forbidden land acting as a local lord—that's against the rules!"

Qu said resentfully, "Emperor, I know, but the insult he dealt me... Besides, the forbidden lands wouldn't want him to dominate either, would they? If he succeeds, it won't be a good thing. Emperor, keeping him in check is a good choice!"

"Then you should have reported to me!" the Netherworld Emperor said flatly. "Do you dare act recklessly?"

Qu looked aggrieved, lowering his head. "I just can't accept... the way he spoke to me! Emperor, I am after all a strongman of the forbidden lands, a subordinate of the Netherworld Lord. How could I let someone from Heavenly Dome Mountain push me around?"

The Netherworld Emperor was speechless.

True, as a 18-Dao strongman and a member of the Netherworld Hell, Qu was no pushover. Being humiliated like that, it was no wonder he couldn't let it go.

He just hadn't expected Black Tomb to be from Heavenly Dome Mountain.

Qu quickly added, "Emperor, let me stay here and continue. I'm afraid I can't defeat him... Unless the Emperor could just crush him with a single slap. If the Emperor is worried about Heavenly Dome Mountain... and doesn't want to bully the weak... then could the Emperor send two more strongmen above 16 Dao to help me?"

The Netherworld Emperor laughed. "You refuse to return, disobeying orders, and now you want me to send two more strongmen to assist you?"

What was he thinking?

"Lord, I'm not defying orders..." Qu hurriedly argued, "Lord, it's because Black Tomb's side has at least three strongmen above 16 Dao, while I only have two. Shang's combat ability is weak, and she's from Falling Soul Valley—she's been wanting to leave recently... Lord, if she leaves, I'll be isolated. Tiger Soul Cave will fall, and soon the Heavenly Silkworm Territory and the Firm Rock Cliff might not be able to withstand him. If he conquers them, the entire Forbidden Canyon will truly be under his sole rule!"

The Netherworld Emperor pondered for a moment, then probed and asked, "Where is he now?"

"I don't know," Qu shook his head. "Haven't seen him lately. Not sure if he's made another breakthrough. That guy is very powerful. I wonder if Heavenly Dome Mountain has given him more benefits..."

As he spoke, a figure appeared in the distance.

The Netherworld Emperor looked over and nodded slightly.

The Sword Venerable!

So these two had come as well.

They were looking for Black Tomb, weren't they?

Six Directions Mountain—who would have thought it belonged to Heavenly Dome Mountain?

The Netherworld Emperor was also surprised.

In the distance, the Sword Venerable nodded slightly, glanced around, found it odd, but said nothing. Soon, the two flew toward the region of Six Directions Mountain.

Seeing this, the Netherworld Emperor became even more certain—it was indeed people from Heavenly Dome Mountain.

And Black Tomb's status was not low.

The Sword Venerable had come personally to see him.

The Netherworld Emperor raised an eyebrow, looked at Qu, and said softly, "Forget it. I wanted to avenge you—the Netherworld Hell's people are not to be humiliated lightly. But since the Sword Venerable of Heavenly Dome Mountain is here, punishing Black Tomb now, if the Sword Venerable intervenes and causes a war with Heavenly Dome Mountain, it would be disadvantageous for our master."

He weighed the situation and chose to back down.

No need!

The Netherworld Lord was having a hard time. The Heavenly Dome Mountain Lord was currently focused on the Human Emperor, so he generally didn't meddle. But picking a fight for no reason—the Heavenly Dome Lord was not to be trifled with.

Even the Netherworld Lord had said that the two heavens were not united. As things stood, he might not be able to defeat that one; they were probably evenly matched.

To provoke Heavenly Dome Mountain over an 18-Dao strongman was unwise.

But the Netherworld Hell's face couldn't be lost!

He looked in that direction, then back at Qu, and said flatly, "Enough. You fool, handling a task has spawned so many complications. But what you said has merit—we can't let Six Directions Mountain dominate the Forbidden Canyon. Very well, I'll arrange for Black Dragon to come and assist you later!"

Qu's face changed. "Emperor, really?"

"Of course!"

Qu was overjoyed. "Brother Black Dragon had the power of 22 Dao before. He might be even stronger now. I never thought the Emperor would send him to help me... Thank you, Emperor. Qu will die for the Emperor!"

The Netherworld Emperor nodded slightly, saying nothing. He was just watching the Sword Venerable, who had come with his son, Sword Void. He suspected the Sword Venerable might leave Sword Void behind—another 22-Dao strongman.

In that case... although the Netherworld Hell was established later, it had no shortage of strongmen. Sending one wasn't out of the question!

Sending someone weaker would be useless.

This Black Dragon, also with 22-Dao power, would be just right—at least enough to block Sword Void.

...

At the same time.

The Six Directions Mountain's residence in the city was extremely luxurious.

Just as the Sword Venerable appeared, a figure shot through the air. Jin Feng saw the two, his face changed, and he quickly knelt on one knee. "May I ask... are you strongmen from Heavenly Dome Mountain?"

The Sword Lord was slightly startled, then smiled. "You are..."

"Your subordinate, Jin Feng, one of the Six Directions Mountain commanders!"

Jin Feng hurriedly said, "Lord Black Tomb has mentioned you several times; he said you are a guest elder of the Heavenly Dome Mountain. I saw that your sword aura is incomparably sharp—dare I ask... are you Senior Jian Kong of the Heavenly Dome Mountain's War Hall?"

Jian Kong, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh. "I am Jian Kong. I didn't expect Brother Black Tomb to have spoken of me. This is my father..."

*Thump!*

Jin Feng stumbled back, terrified. "Is... is it the Sword Lord?"

Jian Kong chuckled. "Yes! You are Jin Feng? Could it be... the one from Snow Dragon Mountain before?"

"Yes... I managed to break through by luck..."

Jin Feng looked at the two, especially the Sword Lord, with a face full of fear, and quickly said, "Sister Snow Dragon and the Blade Lord will return soon... Lord Black Tomb... he... he is not here at the moment. He said he wanted to take advantage of this time to find a place to break through... My lords, this... I will try to contact Lord Black Tomb..."

Jian Kong was surprised. "Break through?"

As he spoke, he looked at his father and transmitted a message: "This Black Tomb, last time he still had sixteen great paths unbroken. Perhaps he has made some gains recently and is seeking an isolated place to break through in secret. Our timing is unfortunate!"

"No matter!"

The Sword Lord was unconcerned. He hadn't come specifically to find Black Tomb; he was passing by and decided to look in. Secondly, he needed to go to the Eternal Life Mountain.

This was the Mountain Lord's command—to go to the Eternal Life Mountain and make arrangements. Because of the Three-Month Meeting, the Mountain Lord would participate, but he did not wish to leave the Human Emperor's Heavenly Gate. He wanted the Sword Lord to negotiate with the Eternal Life Mountain Lord about moving the Eternal Life Mountain near the Heavenly Dome Mountain on that day.

That way, the Heavenly Dome Mountain Lord could attend without neglecting his watch over the Human Emperor!

The Sword Lord could only carry out the Mountain Lord's decision. But it was no small task! The Eternal Life Mountain might not be willing to get too close to the Heavenly Dome Mountain!

Of course, the Mountain Lord was stubborn—if he weren't, he wouldn't have kept such a tight watch on the Human Emperor! The Eternal Life Mountain Lord would have to think carefully: if he refused to move nearby, would the Heavenly Dome Mountain Lord lose his temper? If he truly did, among the Four Forbidden Lands, only the Lord of the Dead could contend with him!

Mulling over these thoughts, the Sword Lord was not disappointed at missing Black Tomb. He had only come along because his son mentioned that the man might have the potential to become a powerhouse, even surpassing twenty-five paths. Now it seemed Black Tomb had managed the Six Directions Mountain well.

He had also seen Snow Dragon and the Blade Lord strike earlier, both wielding the power of seventeen paths. He hadn't expected a hidden sixteenth-path cultivator like Jin Feng, plus Black Tomb himself—that made four cultivators above the sixteenth path!

Very impressive! For a loose cultivator to gather four first-rate experts was beyond imagination.

At that moment, the Sword Lord smiled. "Since he's not here, so be it. I need to go to the Eternal Life Mountain; Kong'er, you stay here. I won't wait. Tell Black Tomb to keep a low profile, but not to worry too much. Since he's willing to join the Heavenly Dome Mountain, we don't mind stepping in for some trivial matters..."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Jin Feng immediately knelt and bowed, overjoyed, then quickly added, "My lord, I... I have an impertinent request..."

The Sword Lord smiled. "You've stepped into the sixteenth path; there's no need to be so humble. Speak, what is it?"

"My lord, it's like this. Lord Black Tomb, in order to unify the Northeast Domain, had some conflicts with the Dead Spirit Hell and the Falling Soul Valley... Originally, both factions wanted to recruit Lord Black Tomb, but he refused!"

Jin Feng spoke rapidly. "Lord Black Tomb said that the Dead Spirit Hell cannot be provoked, and the Falling Soul Valley is too ambitious... So, on that day, in his capacity as a guest elder of the Heavenly Dome Mountain, he rejected the envoys from both sides... But those two never let up and kept causing us trouble!"

Jin Feng said indignantly, "When we were about to take down the Tiger Soul Cave, they suddenly attacked us, took over the Tiger Soul Cave themselves, and have been opposing us ever since. Recently, they even said they would recruit experts from the Forbidden Lands to deal with us... Sword Lord, how can we fight against the Forbidden Lands?"

The Sword Lord frowned slightly!

So that's it! No wonder the Netherworld had come.

But for mere peripheral loose cultivator disputes, an Eastern Great Emperor like him had come in person—truly shameless!

The Sword Lord understood Jin Feng's meaning. In truth, he had to admit they were lucky. If he hadn't known about this and left, the Netherworld might have killed these people.

Thinking this, the Sword Lord nodded slightly and smiled. "A trivial matter! What business do the Forbidden Lands have meddling in loose cultivator disputes? As for the Dead Spirit Hell, with its mixed quality and cultivation of the Dead Spirit Path, they have no shame!"

With that, he turned his gaze into the distance, and a burst of sword aura erupted. His voice was calm: "The Six Directions Mountain was founded by a guest elder of the Heavenly Dome Mountain! Let the younger generation's conflicts remain among the younger generation! At our level, we should not interfere!"

...

In the distance.

The Netherworld frowned slightly. This Sword Lord was truly shameless! Threatening me!

For an eighteenth-path cultivator, he, a top-tier powerhouse, had come in person and now threatened me. If I hadn't come, would he have personally slain Qu? Very likely!

No wonder!

The Netherworld Great Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly and said coolly, "Naturally! Let the younger generation fight their own battles! Fellow Daoist Sword Lord, with our status, there's no need to meddle in such matters!"

The Sword Lord's cold voice echoed: "That would be best!"

It was just a trivial matter. How could the Netherworld be so brazen? If I hadn't happened to pass by, would you have killed someone? Shameless wretch!

The Sword Lord sneered inwardly but didn't want to be too direct—that would be a complete break.

Meanwhile, the Netherworld Great Emperor cursed under his breath. Shameless! Had the Heavenly Dome Mountain fallen to such a state?

He no longer bothered with the Sword Lord and looked at Qu, frowning slightly. "That side is not to be trifled with. I sensed another sixteenth-path cultivator..."

"Yes!" Qu quickly replied. "That's Jin Feng; he's also broken through! They have four in total! We only have two, which is why we've been at a disadvantage..."

The Netherworld glanced at Shang, who was cowering, and smiled. "On my way back, if I pass by the Falling Soul Valley, I'll mention your situation and see if they'll send someone to help. Originally, it was just a loose cultivator battle, and we didn't pay it much mind. Who would have thought... the Heavenly Dome Mountain would be so shameless! Even the Sword Lord got personally involved. If I hadn't come, you two would have been in danger today!"

Qu and Shang both changed expression drastically!

The Netherworld smiled. "No matter. As long as I'm here, he won't dare act recklessly. However..."

He turned his head and glanced, snorting. "Shameless indeed. I guessed he would leave Jian Kong behind, and he did. Even if the Black Dragon comes, he can only hold off Jian Kong... Very well, I'll go to the Falling Soul Valley myself! Although the Dead Spirit Hell is hostile to all the Forbidden Lands, the Heavenly Dome Mountain is no better—even more domineering than my Dead Spirit Hell!"

I've set up a WeChat public account [Book Friends' Base Camp] to give everyone year-end benefits! Go check it out!

Since that's the case, don't blame me for personally intervening and sending someone to help!

Shameless!

The more he thought about it, the more speechless he became. He had truly never seen the Sword Lord so shameless! A cultivator with at least twenty-eight paths of power, meddling in a dispute among eighteenth-path cultivators!

Seeing the Sword Lord fly away directly but leaving Jian Kong behind, he sneered and also stepped into the void and departed.

Originally, he had only come because he found it strange that Qu refused to return and wanted to check things out.

Now that he knows the full story, there is nothing more to worry about.

Yet the actions of the Heaven Dome Mountain made him wonder if there was some issue—setting that aside for now, blocking the Six Directions Mountain from dominating this land was the right move. Qu did well, otherwise this Forbidden Canyon would truly have become a prize in Heaven Dome Mountain’s grasp!

The next moment, the Netherworld Emperor vanished, and his voice echoed in Qu and Shang’s ears: “You did well in stopping the Six Directions Mountain from unifying the Forbidden Canyon, but the Sword Venerable has personally intervened. Avoid conflict for now… When the time truly comes, you may invoke the Forbidden Land’s name to recruit powerful warriors!”

“Thank you, Emperor!”

Qu was overjoyed—invoking the Forbidden Land’s name to recruit the strong… My heavens, unimaginable!

Originally, everyone had little faith in these factions.

But if they could invoke the Forbidden Land’s name, the rogue cultivators would have no doubts left.

Because unless one was mad, no one would dare to commit evil deeds near a Forbidden Land under its banner!

At this moment, Qu could hardly believe it!

The Netherworld not only didn’t capture him, but kept him, promised to increase his forces, and allowed him to invoke the Forbidden Land’s name… My heavens, this world has gone mad!

Qu was utterly stunned!

What exactly happened?

Everything they said was done according to Su Yu’s instructions—of course, they hadn’t heard the conversation between the Sword Venerable and the Netherworld.

They naturally didn’t know that, sometimes, a little guidance could easily breed misunderstandings!

…

Meanwhile.

In the sky, the sun and moon seemed to have become crescent moons, blooming with laughter.

“What a coincidence!”

Su Yu’s mood suddenly soared with delight!

Those two—how did they come together!

How wonderful!

He had guessed they wouldn’t exchange much, but he never expected they wouldn’t exchange at all—just one threat to each other, then they parted ways.

“Hahaha, there will be more reinforcements… at least first-rank!”

Su Yu was ecstatic!

I’ve struck it rich—now, I love first-rank the most!

But this Sword Void—should I melt him down?

At this moment, Su Yu hadn’t made up his mind, but his heart was brimming with joy—I can even use the Forbidden Land’s name to crazily attract strong warriors—how satisfying!

“Sword Venerable, Netherworld… such good people!”

Su Yu murmured to himself, how wonderful!