Great Wilderness Cloud-Overturning Palm

The Hall of the Black Dragon Divine Guard.

The Third Elder sat slumped in his great chair, a full half-night having passed, yet his face still wore the horrified expression of a man whose world had been upended.

He could not believe that the illustrious Black Dragon Divine Guard had been utterly wiped out in the blink of an eye. What should have been an opportunity to attach themselves to the Divine Palace had suddenly turned into a sect-destroying tragedy.

His life had nearly collapsed; his face was ashen.

Just as he was in the depths of despair.

Suddenly!

A terrifying sense of oppression rushed over him, turning the predawn chill bone-piercing!

The Third Elder felt a cold wind shoot up his spine, his hair standing on end.

"Boom!"

A dreadful aura swept through the hall with a violent gust, so powerful that even he could barely withstand it. His beard and hair whipped about wildly, his face a mask of helpless struggle and panic.

Before the Third Elder could steady himself.

The gale abruptly ceased.

Spatial ripples had already spread through the hall, and two figures stepped out, one ahead of the other.

The one in front carried an air of scholarly elegance, walking slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. Without any overt action, his entire being exuded an overwhelming pressure that was impossible to look directly upon. This terrifying oppressive feeling far surpassed even that of the former Lord Yao.

It was pressure of a completely different level!

Without a word, he seemed to grasp the very momentum of heaven and earth; wherever he went, living beings made way!

Upon just this first glimpse.

The Third Elder was so frightened he hurriedly rose to his feet, his throat tight with tension.

Seeing the elder following behind this man—the very Divine Palace Deacon who had delivered the message earlier—standing with extreme reverence, head bowed and waiting quietly like a servant, only heightened his shock.

The Third Elder was utterly astonished and immediately dropped into a deep, fearful bow.

The visitor's identity was now glaringly obvious!

"Th-this humble one... pays his respects to the Elder!"

What exalted beings Divine Palace Deacons were! Visiting any outer sect, they would be honored guests of the highest esteem. For one to follow with such deference now meant the visitor could only be the legendary Divine Palace Elder, Liu Changfeng!

The Third Elder was filled with immense dread, unable to believe that a Divine Palace Elder had come in person.

Even though the other had not uttered a single word.

He was already terrified out of his wits, all his usual composure gone.

Noting this fearful obeisance.

Liu Changfeng's gaze swept down briefly. Standing steadily with hands behind his back, the opulent hall never entered his line of sight. Only an inscrutable voice, impossible to read for joy or anger, rang out.

"Where is my son now?"

A plain question, yet it carried the weight of a mountain!

It was indeed Elder Liu!

The legendary great figure of the Divine Palace was truly standing before him!

The Third Elder, frightened, bowed even lower and spilled everything he knew in one breath.

"R-reporting to the Elder!"

"We tracked the Young Master's aura and learned he was at the mining site in the Northern Desert Barren Domain. That site originally belonged to our sect, but for some reason, we lost contact. Yao... Yao Qianji went to respectfully welcome the Young Master on the Deacon's orders, but he never returned. The soul tablets of our entire sect shattered... not a single survivor..."

"Where the Young Master is now... this humble one truly does not know..."

Hearing this, a contemplative look flashed in Liu Changfeng's eyes.

"The mining site losing contact... likely indicates a change occurred long ago. It may have changed hands, or perhaps a natural disaster struck."

"Natural disasters are often fleeting. If one lasted too long, it would be a world-ending catastrophe, and the Divine Palace would have sensed it. I have heard no such news, so it is clearly not a natural disaster."

"Yao Qianji went to the mining site again, and the entire Black Dragon Divine Guard was wiped out. They must have been killed by the force that seized the mine. These people possess some capability."

"My son traveled to this remote place seeking Starfall Crystal Sand. He must have encountered them, which is why there has been no word from him until now."

In just a few words, he analyzed the crux of the matter.

The Third Elder felt as if hearing a morning bell and evening drum, many tangled thoughts suddenly clearing in his mind.

"The Elder is wise! The Elder is most wise!"

His eager flattery did not stir the slightest ripple in Liu Changfeng's eyes.

The old Deacon also looked on with reverence.

"Elder..."

"It seems the other party has some cultivation, no wonder there's been no news of the Young Master. But however ruthless they may be, they surely wouldn't dare show disrespect to the Young Master!"

"This subordinate is willing to go at once and respectfully escort the Young Master back!"

Only when these words were spoken did Liu Changfeng give a faint nod.

"Naturally."

"Tian'er's Soul Lamp remains safe and sound, which means those people fear the Divine Palace's prestige. My son, however unpromising he may be, is not someone just anyone can touch."

"Shortly, I will go personally to see for myself who these people are and where they come from."

His confident, steady words echoed, imbued with an unrivaled dominance.

Hearing this, the Third Elder's heart warmed with hope, and he hurriedly produced a star chart to curry favor.

"Elder!"

"This marks the Northern Desert Barren Domain. Though my cultivation is shallow, I can offer my meager strength to guide the way. From this day forward, I am willing to serve you faithfully!"

His ingratiating smile was somewhat forced, finally causing Liu Changfeng to look down upon him with a cold gaze.

With just one glance.

He saw through the man's intentions, his eyes turning indifferent.

"A man should know his own limits."

"Since your Black Dragon Divine Guard is nearly annihilated, this sect is destined to vanish from the world. You have no more value and should rest eternally with Yao Qianji."

The softly spoken words shocked the Third Elder, his face drastically changing.

"What!?"

Before he could utter another sound.

Liu Changfeng had already slowly extended his right hand, fingers curled like claws!

A suffocating pressure rushed forth. The Third Elder was lifted into the air like a chick, his face flushing red. Then, a crisp crack sounded—his throat shattered, and all movement ceased.

He fell to the ground with a thud, his face etched with unwillingness.

The once-prominent Black Dragon Divine Guard thus vanished from the world. Nearly ten thousand years of glory fell to the earth like dust, destined to fade without a trace over time.

In this world, the strong always reign supreme.

A single life is worth less than an ant.

The first light of dawn appeared.

Yet the hall was as silent as midnight. Master and servant from the Divine Palace tore through the void and departed, heading straight for the Northern Desert Barren Domain.

"Swish!"

Spatial ripples spread in the air as the two figures stepped out one after the other.

Liu Changfeng stood calmly in the sky, hands behind his back, looking down upon the sandy mining site below. No matter how the cultivators on the ground toiled, it failed to stir the slightest ripple in his eyes.

Having occupied a lofty position for millennia, he was nearly devoid of emotion. Such so-called suffering, in his view, was merely the natural order, the dictate of fate.

After surveying for only a few breaths.

The feeble cultivation levels of the ground-level cultivators were laid bare. Only then did confusion and disappointment intertwine in Liu Changfeng's eyes.

Could mere ants like these have annihilated the Black Dragon Divine Guard?

The confusion flashed briefly.

Liu Changfeng, anxious to find his son, did not dwell on it. He immediately released his divine sense.

Instantly.

An unprecedented pressure descended from the sky, enveloping the earth. The multitude of cultivators at the mine were shaken, their limbs frozen as if struck by a blizzard!

Within moments, all activity in the mining site ground to a complete halt.

Liu Haotian also froze in place, his eyes beginning to tremble!

Before he could turn his head.

Liu Changfeng, high in the sky, already had a rare flash of anger condensing on his face!

He pointed a finger into the void.

Liu Haotian was brought before him, a disheveled and grimy figure...

Seeing the Young Master so utterly changed.

The old Deacon was also shocked and furious, unable to suppress a trembling, gritted-teeth exclamation!

"Young Master...?"

"Young Master, you have suffered! This subordinate came too late!"

Liu Changfeng's face grew even darker, gloomy enough to drip water.

As a Divine Palace Elder, a figure of note across the entire Lan Star, for his son to be mistreated to this extent... This was not just an insult to his son, but a humiliation to Liu Changfeng himself!

Such brazen actions were a stain upon the Divine Palace's esteemed reputation!

Seeing his son's eyes redden, Liu Changfeng was already furious beyond restraint!

"Outrageous!"

"This is truly outrageous!"

"A mere ant dares to bully the son of this sovereign! Today, I shall make you remember that the wrath of the Divine Palace leaves millions of corpses in its wake!"

His furious roar shook the heavens, and a fierce gale swept across the sky!

Liu Changfeng mobilized his terrifying cultivation, launching a palm strike from the air that spanned ten thousand miles, descending like a mountain peak!

"Great Wasteland Cloud-Overturning Palm!"

In an instant.

The earth cracked, waves of yellow sand surged forth in an unbroken tide, the entire mining site was flattened, leaving only the terrifying palm imprint spanning ten thousand miles and corpses littering the ground!