The Batian Clan.
At this moment, their clan leader, Lie Tian, was summoning the entire clan, seemingly preparing for battle.
Lie Tian declared, "My people, surely you know the purpose of my summoning you today!"
"We do!"
The crowd responded in unison.
"Excellent!"
Lie Tian continued, "When our clan resided in the Taigu Immortal Realm, we were not particularly brilliant, as we were suppressed by a powerful clan, the Zhantian Clan! If it weren't for the Zhantian Clan's overwhelming power holding us back, our clan would undoubtedly be the strongest in the world!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd became indignant. Indeed, it was the Zhantian Clan's suppression that prevented them from becoming the foremost power.
In truth, they also understood that even without the Zhantian Clan, they wouldn't have been able to become the paramount power of Taigu.
However, this was currently overlooked.
At this moment, Lie Tian went on, "Therefore, only one of our Batian Clan and the Zhantian Clan can exist! If they, the Zhantian Clan, exist, then my Lie Tian Clan cannot; if my Lie Tian Clan exists, then the Zhantian Clan cannot!"
These words stirred the hearts of the crowd.
Indeed, this was the outcome they desired, yet in the Taigu Immortal Realm, such a lofty aspiration had never even been contemplated.
Because the gap between them was too immense, so vast that even they could not fathom it.
Lie Tian then said, "But now, an opportunity has arisen. In this era, the Zhantian Clan still exists. Although they are incredibly weakened, they still have the potential to rise. For the future of our Batian Clan, the Zhantian Clan will be our target for eradication!"
This statement deeply moved the crowd. Indeed, if they could eliminate the Zhantian Clan, they would be number one, the masters of this era.
In the current era, both the Immortal Clan and Sky City were still a considerable distance from the Batian Clan.
Once they annihilated this potential threat, the Zhantian Clan, the Batian Clan would indisputably be the first.
Then, they would find opportunities to gradually weaken the other two factions, and the world would ultimately belong to the Batian Clan, fulfilling their past regrets.
"Kill the Zhantian Clan!"
"Kill the Zhantian Clan!"
The crowd was incredibly excited, for this was the moment they had been waiting for.
At this point, Lie Tian instructed, "Very well, everyone, go and make your preparations. This matter must be handled in secret, not openly!"
The three clans had signed an agreement not to attack the Zhantian Clan. The reason was that if the Immortal Dao curse descended in the future, the three clans intended to push the Zhantian Clan forward to resist it, giving themselves a chance to escape.
However, the Batian Clan did not see it that way. In fact, no one understood the potential of the Zhantian Clan better than they did.
Once they made a slightest misstep, the Zhantian Clan could rise, and if they did, the three major factions would no longer be the dominant powers.
Therefore, at this juncture, for the future and hope of the Batian Clan, they decided to secretly eliminate this potential threat, the Zhantian Clan.
The rest would be considered later.
Thus, this time, the Batian Clan would handle it privately.
After all, the current Zhantian Clan was truly too weak, and the Batian Clan could easily annihilate them.
Of course, for Lie Tian, this event actually served two purposes. The first was to destroy the Zhantian Clan.
The second purpose was to obtain more slaves to reform the Great Thousand World.
And he had already identified his target: the alliance previously established by Yun Fan.
The alliance comprised many Saint Emperors. If they could eliminate these Saint Emperors, the Batian Clan's reformation would be completed ahead of schedule.
At that point, both Sky City and the Immortal Clan would be utterly incapable of confronting the Batian Clan. The Batian Clan would then become the first race to control the world since the Taigu Immortal Realm.
In this era, the Taigu Immortal Realm had long since perished, and all its powerful cultivators were dead.
Therefore, for the Batian Clan, this was a golden opportunity.
"We set out in three days! Annihilate the Zhantian Clan!"
"Yes!"
After the crowd dispersed, Lie Tian retired to his chambers.
"I never imagined that one day, I, Lie Tian, would have the chance to become the overlord of all realms!"
Lie Tian spoke with ambitious fervor.
One must recall that during the Taigu era, the Batian Clan had acted subserviently, even using the Zhantian Clan's name to conduct their affairs.
They had even been nearly annihilated by the Zhantian Clan.
Therefore, he harbored deep hatred for the Zhantian Clan.
In his view, the Zhantian Clan's dominance of the Taigu Immortal Realm was merely a matter of luck.
Now, that luck had fallen upon the Batian Clan, and it was their turn to dominate the Great Thousand World.
Thus, at this moment, Lie Tian was already impatient.
However, just then, a figure suddenly descended. The newcomer was none other than the Demon Emperor.
"Who are you?"
Lie Tian asked coldly. He sensed that the intruder's strength was not weak, a half-step Saint Venerable. Although far inferior to himself, in this era, such a being was undoubtedly in the second tier.
The Demon Emperor replied, "Of course, I've come to make a deal with you!"
"What deal?"
Lie Tian inquired coldly. With the Batian Clan's power, why would they need to engage in dealings? Yet, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity.
The Demon Emperor stated, "Submit to me, become my slave, and I will help you rule this era!"
"Ridiculous!"
Lie Tian sneered. "Who do you think you are to be worthy of my submission? You will not leave this place today!"
With that, he sealed off the surroundings. Simultaneously, he declared, "Even without you, I can still rule this world! Now, you can die in peace!"
Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor shook his head dismissively. "Apologies, you are not qualified to kill me!"
"Is that so?"
The next moment, Lie Tian attacked, lunging directly at the Demon Emperor. He was a powerful Saint Venerable; defeating a half-step Saint Venerable like the Demon Emperor should be a simple matter.
Indeed, in the next instant, he dispersed the Demon Emperor with a single move. After all, he was a Saint Venerable.
In this era, against anyone, he was capable of instant annihilation.
However, in the next moment, countless presences assaulted him. Lie Tian immediately gasped.
He finally understood that the person before him had not died but had disintegrated.
At this point, the Demon Emperor declared, "Through this recovery, I have become immortal and indestructible. You still cannot defeat me!"
Lie Tian refused to believe it, but in the next moment, he gasped again, not for any other reason than that he sensed something amiss.
Countless Immortal Dao curses appeared around him, surrounding him.
"Immortal Dao curse! So you are the Immortal Dao curse!"
Lie Tian was greatly alarmed. No matter what, he had never expected this being to be the Immortal Dao curse, which explained its terrifying nature.
The Demon Emperor replied, "That's right, but I am merely a part of the Immortal Dao curse!"
"When did the Immortal Dao curse descend?"
Lie Tian asked incredulously.
"I descended long ago. If it weren't for that brat from the Zhantian Clan, I would have already accomplished my goal of summoning the master. But it was precisely because of the appearance of that brat that my plan crumbled!"
The Demon Emperor disdainfully continued, "Fortunately, with the descent of you three foolish factions, you reformed the Immortal Dao power into Taigu Immortal Dao power, otherwise, I wouldn't have recovered my current strength so easily!"
Lie Tian's expression changed upon hearing this. He hadn't realized that their current predicament was a result of their own actions.
At this, the Demon Emperor stated, "From now on, you three factions will all become my puppets, and then it will be that brat's time to die!"
The Demon Emperor was furious. Although Yun Fan's strength was far inferior to his, ever since that near-devastating failure, he had been extremely wary of Yun Fan.
He would rather deal with these three foolish factions first than confront Yun Fan.
While he could devise ways to handle these three powerful factions, any slight misstep when facing Yun Fan could lead to disaster.
And he was the only Immortal Dao curse in this era capable of summoning the master, so he would not confront Yun Fan just yet.
If he were to fail, the Immortal Dao curse would truly become a relic of the past.
"Spare my Batian Clan, and my Batian Clan will no longer be your enemy, Immortal Dao curse?"
At this moment, Lie Tian pleaded for mercy. In truth, his words were already problematic; it wasn't that the Batian Clan would no longer be an enemy of the Immortal Dao curse, but rather that the Batian Clan had never been qualified to be an enemy of the Immortal Dao curse.
The Demon Emperor responded with a mocking smile, "Of course, but before that, your Batian Clan must become my puppet!"
"What?"
Lie Tian was shocked that the Demon Emperor had no intention of sparing the Batian Clan.
Although his strength surpassed the Demon Emperor's, the cruel reality was that he could not defeat the Demon Emperor.
Now, trapped by the Demon Emperor's Immortal Dao curse, even escape seemed a distant hope.
At this, Lie Tian angrily cursed, "Do not push your luck too far! My Batian Clan is not to be trifled with! We can go down in flames together!"
To become a puppet was impossible for him. One must understand that puppets and slaves were two different things.
Slaves still retained their thoughts, but puppets had no thoughts of their own. To become a puppet was no different from being dead.
However, the Demon Emperor declared, "You don't even have the right to bargain with me!"
The next moment, he directly unleashed the Immortal Dao curse, continuously attacking Lie Tian. The Immortal Dao curse itself had no offensive power, but anyone infected by it was doomed to die without any chance of survival.
Despite Lie Tian's fury, he could only fight against the Immortal Dao curse with all his might.
The Demon Emperor displayed a playful smile and gradually approached Lie Tian.
"It's time to acquire a powerful physique!"
...
Immortal Clan.
At this moment, Yun Fan had become a cultivator of the third realm of Saint Emperor.
He had been consolidating his cultivation, so he had forgotten to return and hadn't even left his room.
Because inadvertently, he had already broken through to the third realm of Saint Emperor. For him, this was undeniably excellent news.
Of course, Yun Fan knew that the majority of the credit for his breakthrough to the third realm of Saint Emperor belonged to Chi Cheng.
Subtly, he had siphoned off a portion of Chi Cheng's power, though it was a meager amount, so little that Chi Cheng hadn't even noticed.
But for Yun Fan, it was more than enough. With this small amount of power, he had broken through to the third realm without any pressure.
Upon emerging from seclusion, Yun Fan wore an expression of relief. Now he could return.
However, he could not let Chi Cheng know. Initially, he had considered Chi Cheng as one of his harem members.
But as time passed, Chi Cheng's possessiveness intensified, which made Yun Fan feel a deep sense of apprehension.
If this continued, Chi Cheng's condition would likely worsen, and he would be constantly with a woman who had gone berserk.
The critical point was that this woman's strength was so immense that she could kill him with ease, which was truly terrifying.
Therefore, at this moment, Yun Fan planned to slip away, lest he be killed by Chi Cheng one day.
One had to admit that being the man of Chi Cheng was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous professions in the Great Thousand World.
Just as he was preparing to escape, a figure blocked his path.
The one blocking him was none other than Chun Xian.
Upon seeing Chun Xian, Yun Fan froze in place, utterly surprised that this woman had appeared here.
She was undoubtedly arranged by Chi Cheng to monitor him.
"Young Master, where are you planning to go?"
Chun Xian was quite bold, quickly approaching him and acting intimately.
Yun Fan responded awkwardly, "Nowhere in particular, just taking a stroll!"
"Is that so?"
Chun Xian continued, "Your expression is quite flustered; are you perhaps trying to escape?"
"Not at all, I love it here so much that I'm reluctant to leave. How could I possibly escape?"
Hearing this, Chun Xian teased, "Don't lie to me. If you want to escape, it's not impossible. I can even help you!"
"What?"
Yun Fan looked at Chun Xian in confusion and asked, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
Chun Xian replied directly, her gaze towards Yun Fan at this moment utterly sincere, as if telling him she was not lying.
"Stop joking, I have no intention of leaving, and you don't need to test me!"
Yun Fan chuckled awkwardly.
However, Chun Xian gave him an exasperated look. Time was of the essence, and she was helpless.
Just then, Shui Xian arrived.
Shui Xian said to Yun Fan, "She's not lying to you. We all want to help you leave!"
"Why?"
Yun Fan asked, bewildered. After all, he was currently under Chi Cheng's control; why would her two disciples help him leave?
Unless they both intended to betray Chi Cheng, but betraying a Saint Venerable level powerhouse, their own master, seemed to require immense courage in Yun Fan's eyes.
Therefore, in his opinion, this was simply impossible.
"Don't overthink it, come with us! There's no time!"
The next moment, the two women grabbed Yun Fan and vanished from their original spot.
It was unclear how long they had been running.
At this point, the three finally breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully left the territory of the Immortal Clan.
Chun Xian then exclaimed, "That was thrilling! I never imagined that one day, we would so openly betray our master!"
"Alas!"
Shui Xian sighed. Since there was no turning back, they would have to see it through to the end.
Undoubtedly, her heart was filled with trepidation. If their master discovered them, they would surely die.
In fact, they had already planned everything: to apprehend Yun Fan outside and then send him back after he had passed the mortal tribulation.
Coincidentally, their master was in seclusion during this period, making it the perfect opportunity for them to capture Yun Fan.
Yet, Yun Fan was still foolishly believing that they were genuinely helping him.
At this, Chun Xian asked Shui Xian, "Who will go first?"
"You go first! I don't know how!"
Shui Xian said shyly.
"Hmph!"
Chun Xian retorted, "As if I know!"
"Ah! What should we do then?"
Shui Xian became anxious.
"What do you know?"
Yun Fan looked at the two women with confusion.
Chun Xian replied, "Little man, of course, we're going to take you down! You are the most crucial person for us to overcome the mortal tribulation! What do you think we know?"
"You..."
Yun Fan was stunned. He had never imagined that these two women had designs on him.
Shui Xian was more refined, saying apologetically to Yun Fan, "Young Master, we are also helpless. We implore you to help us! And please, do not mention this to our master afterward!"
"Wait a moment!"
Yun Fan said speechlessly, "Are you still planning to give me to your master?"
Undoubtedly, at this moment, Yun Fan felt a chill down his spine. After finally escaping, he had no intention of going back.
"Young Master, if you are not returned, and our master catches the three of us, we will all die!"
Chun Xian stated directly, revealing their helplessness and concerns.
But Yun Fan would not play the good guy this time. He declared, "No. If you want my help, you must let me go afterward. Otherwise, I won't help you!"
This was Yun Fan's condition, and indeed, his only condition, as he was about to pay with his body.
This was a considerable price, so he deserved some reward, didn't he? Who would do it for nothing?
At this, the two women fell into a dilemma.
"What should we do?"
Shui Xian transmitted mentally to Chun Xian.
Chun Xian replied, "Let's take him down first!"
"Alright!"
Shui Xian nodded. At this point, they could only go all out.
Indeed, in the next moment, while Yun Fan was still unaware, he was forcibly subdued by the two women.
In fact, the two women had no experience whatsoever, and it was only with Yun Fan's guidance that they successfully completed this challenge.
Afterward, Yun Fan embraced the two women.
"I know you desperately want to let me go, but you're afraid of your master's punishment!"
Yun Fan said.
"Mmm-hmm!"
The two women nodded, that was precisely their predicament. They were truly in a difficult situation.
Yun Fan continued, "But you absolutely cannot take me back again. Otherwise, if your master traces any clues, you will be in grave danger!"
"What's wrong?"
The two women looked at Yun Fan confusedly.
"Because your master has gone berserk!"
"What?"
The two women looked at Yun Fan in disbelief.
Then, Yun Fan explained the specific situation. Upon hearing it, the two women's expressions changed drastically. Even they hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
This scene had indeed frightened them.
At this, Yun Fan said, "So, the situation is now extremely dangerous!"
"What should we do then?"
The two women looked at Yun Fan helplessly.
Yun Fan suggested, "Now there are only two options: one is that you leave with me, and the other is that you send me back. But the risk is very high, so I don't support the second option!"
Upon hearing this, the two women wrestled with their decision internally. They dared to betray their master only in secret.
Open betrayal was out of the question.
But sending Yun Fan back now carried an even greater risk.
Just as they were contemplating their choice, a faint voice echoed.
"Actually, you have a third option: to die by my hand!"
The next moment, a figure emerged. It was none other than Chi Cheng.
"Master!"
The two women quickly covered themselves, who could have imagined Chi Cheng would arrive.
"You... weren't you in seclusion?"
Yun Fan stammered, his heart filled with dread.
Chi Cheng scoffed, "Although I was in seclusion, you dared to do something like this behind my back. Do you think I wouldn't know?"
"How is that possible?"
The two women refused to believe that Chi Cheng would know about their affair. Not to mention them, even Yun Fan didn't believe it.
In fact, even if the two women hadn't sought him out, he would have tried to escape, and he had already scouted the area.
Who could have imagined that Chi Cheng would show up at this crucial moment?
Chi Cheng declared, "Because I have left my aura on you, I can find you wherever you flee!"
At this moment, the two women were trembling, unsure of what to say.
Chi Cheng continued, "You two unfilial disciples, daring to covet my man, you must be tired of living!"
The two women didn't know how to respond. They felt they had done nothing wrong, but at this moment, even if they were innocent, they dared not speak.
Chi Cheng then declared, "No one is allowed to covet my man. Therefore, you must die. Will you take your own lives, or shall I assist you?"
Upon hearing this, the two women fell into despair. At this point, they began to believe Yun Fan's words.
That Chi Cheng had truly gone berserk. Their master, who was always good-tempered, had transformed into a tyrannical and violent being.
"Master, you have gone berserk!"
At this moment, Shui Xian boldly spoke. Even though she knew that saying so might result in her instant annihilation by her master, she had to voice the situation.
"Are you seeking death?"
The next moment, Chi Cheng grabbed Shui Xian's neck.
Instantly, Shui Xian felt as though she could no longer breathe.
Chun Xian was about to intercede when Chi Cheng grabbed her by the neck with her other hand.
"You two unfilial disciples, your master will send you on your way today!"
At this moment, Chi Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, preparing to deal with the two women.
At this critical juncture.
"Hold!"
Yun Fan immediately spoke, "If you want to kill them, kill me first!"
"Do you think I'm reluctant to kill you?"
Chi Cheng looked coldly at Yun Fan. Clearly, a woman in a frenzy would do anything.
However, Yun Fan showed no fear.
He said, "I merely wish to prevent you from making further mistakes. You have already gone berserk. If this continues, your Dao will be ruined!"
"I have not!"
Chi Cheng still refused to admit she had gone berserk. She believed she was perfectly normal and showed no abnormalities whatsoever.
But Yun Fan countered, "You may not have noticed it yourself, but think carefully. I ask you, are you the same person now as you were before?"
Chi Cheng froze. Although she didn't believe she had gone berserk, she had to admit that her current self was vastly different from her former self.
"That is because you and that bitch Fan Xian caused it! Therefore, you must all die!"