He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.

Watching several figures fall into the sea of sand, the soul flame hidden within Liu Changfeng's sleeve spoke out in confusion.

"Father..."

"That man remains completely unaware his death is imminent, still sipping tea. Once the grand formation is complete later and you personally activate it, he will surely be defeated with a single strike."

"But isn't sending these elders to buy time a bit redundant?"

Hearing this, Liu Runan smiled faintly and spoke.

"Hmph."

"You are still too young, just like these outer sect elders, too trusting of the words of others."

"If the goal were simply to kill this man, setting up an ambush with a formation would be easy, and there would be no need for these mediocre talents to act as cannon fodder to delay. But what I, this old man, want is to capture him alive. Only by setting up the Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation can this be achieved, and only this way!"

As soon as the words fell, Liu Changfeng's soul flame, startled, flew out from the sleeve.

The immature face outlined by the blue flames was filled with shock and astonishment!

"Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation?!"

"Father, that's an ancient formation capable of sealing all living beings! If it's set up here, once complete, it will absolutely capture that man. But won't these elders also be sealed inside?"

"They are not at the Desolation Realm. It's impossible for them to hold out for long within the Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation; they will likely perish right there!"

"If this gets back to the Divine Fall Palace, how will we explain it?!"

Looking at the trembling, horrified soul flame, Liu Runan lowered his gaze, his eyes cold.

"So what if these mediocrities perish?"

"They already bear the crime of negligence. A full day of investigating the murderer yielded no news. Are they even worthy of being called Divine Fall Palace elders? If not for the utter incompetence of these mediocrities, how could they have alarmed me, this old man, to personally intervene?"

"The prestige of our Divine Fall Palace has been repeatedly damaged. They can never escape the immense blame for this. Now, their deaths can be considered fitting!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Changfeng was stunned. His murmuring voice already held a tremor.

"But... but these elders are at the Half-Step Desolation Realm. Losing several at once would truly be a great loss for our Divine Fall Palace..."

Even though he had long known his father acted with decisive resolve, hearing such icy words now made it hard for him to comprehend momentarily. It felt as if he was facing not his familiar father, but an indifferent, emotionless superior.

Liu Changfeng was utterly shaken and dumbfounded, unable to continue speaking.

Seeing his son's soul flame in such a discomposed state, Liu Runan glanced down at the sandy sea below.

A flash of helpless frustration at his son's failure to meet expectations passed through his eyes, quickly replaced by an expression of complete indifference!

"Their deaths, worthy of being called a loss? Worthy of being called 'perishing'??"

"Changfeng, since childhood you have enjoyed endless resources, bolstered by a sea of precious materials, which allowed you to reach your previous realm. But your vision has never matched your status. It has remained stagnant for over ten thousand years. This really should not be."

"Perhaps only when you have witnessed the vast sea of stars will you understand that a Half-Step Desolation Realm cultivator is as insignificant as dust in the boundless universe, utterly unremarkable."

"The Great Dao is long and endless. Unlike these mediocrities, your path is still very long. You must never focus only on the present."

As he spoke, Liu Runan looked down at the soul flame, his eyes now piercingly cold.

"Later, as long as you successfully seize a body and step into the Desolation Realm, even if this matter reaches the Star Lord's ears, he will absolutely not inquire further. No one within the Divine Fall Palace, from top to bottom, will dare voice any dissent."

"These people are merely mediocrities who could never advance further in their lifetimes. Exchanging them for your entry into the Desolation Realm—what is there to regret?"

"The strong are revered. This is the truth!"

Liu Changfeng was completely stunned by these words, his pupils trembling incessantly.

He had heard the phrase "the strong are revered" many times before, but never once had he felt its weight as profoundly as he did today. So, at an absolute level of strength, one could truly disregard everything, and even the Star Lord would turn a blind eye.

The cruelty and reality of this world were now laid bare before his eyes, bloody and raw.

Tens of thousands of years of mental cultivation suddenly elevated severalfold. In an instant, Liu Changfeng was deeply moved.

"Thank you for your guidance, Father. This child will remember it in his heart!"

At this moment.

He no longer had any interest in looking back at the sandy sea below. Even if he felt some regret that these elders he once worked with were about to die, such mundane emotions seemed to be gradually fading.

None of this was his fault.

If one must blame someone, blame these elders for their shallow cultivation and lack of foundation!

Whether these cannon fodder or that hateful unfamiliar cultivator, they would all become stepping stones, paving the way for his path of cultivation!

After waiting quietly in the air for only a few breaths, a hint of indifference also appeared in Liu Changfeng's eyes.

Watching his father unleash terrifying cultivation, various profound ancient runes materializing, finally made Liu Changfeng's eyes gleam with excitement. Just the initial hand seals and their imposing aura were already beyond his reach!

This was his father's trump card. This was the supreme Great Dao he should aspire to!

In just a few breaths.

Liu Runan's withered hands executed several hand seals. Runes continuously manifested in the sky, operating and arranging themselves in an abstruse and profound manner, even stirring the very momentum of heaven and earth!

The formation was not yet complete, but its power was already terrifyingly immense.

Even as a mere spectator, Liu Changfeng felt he was broadening his horizons, as if returning to his childhood, gazing at his father's figure with full admiration. Even though that figure had aged, it radiated an aura that made him increasingly reverent.

Simultaneously, anticipation continuously rose to the surface of his soul flame face.

The Desolation Realm was within reach!

Just at this moment of shared excitement between father and son.

Suddenly!

A chorus of agonized wails rose from the ground!

"Argh..."

"How can there be such a terrifying Desolation Realm expert in the outer reaches of the Divine Land?! Who in the world are you?!"

"This is impossible!"

"Elder Liu, save us!"

Even though the voices were very faint, they could not escape the detection of Liu Runan and his son.

It sounded like the outer sect elders had been completely wiped out...?

Father and son exchanged a quiet glance. Liu Runan's spellcasting hands froze mid-air. The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward, as they stared at each other wide-eyed, completely baffled.

How long had it been? Ten breaths?

That was far too fast!

The formation wasn't even set up yet, and the cannon fodder had already sacrificed themselves. No matter how strong the opponent was, it shouldn't be possible for several Half-Step Desolation Realm experts to fall in the blink of an eye!

Damn it...

Forget a bunch of outer sect elders; even a herd of pigs wouldn't be slaughtered that quickly by anyone.

Before father and son could finish their internal cursing, a terrifying sword aura shot up into the sky!

Whoosh!

Instantly, both felt a chill in their hearts!

Things had reached this point; they were in a bind. The cannon fodder died too quickly. How could they set up the Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation now? But if they didn't set up the formation, were they really going to fight head-on?

A head-on fight might not be something to fear, but capturing the target alive would be extremely difficult.

A life dilemma had struck unexpectedly. Things seemed a bit off. Father and son hung stiffly in the air, wearing expressions of awkward constipation.

They hurriedly looked down at the sandy sea, their gazes suddenly becoming cautious and wary...