Outsmarting Oneself

When the ripples in the void settled, Liu Runan had already returned to the inner sect of the Falling God Palace.

After sending word, several elders appeared before him and led him through layers of deep palaces until he stood alone before an endless staircase in the profound depths.

Gazing up at the infinite steps, a path filled with starlight stretched straight into the heavens. At its end, above the faint clouds, the outline of a divine palace could be vaguely seen, shimmering with an extraordinarily sacred light that illuminated the Falling God Palace, and even the entire floating island, like a bright pearl.

The soul flame of Liu Changfeng, hidden within Liu Runan's sleeve, stared dumbfounded, utterly shaken.

"Father, is... is this the legendary Star Path leading to the Falling God Hall?"

Hearing this, Liu Runan lowered his gaze and coldly instructed via mental transmission.

"Indeed, this is the Starlight Long Path."

"Later, when paying respects to the Star Lord, it will be your great honor. You must not be in any way disrespectful, nor speak without permission. Follow my lead in everything and act according to the situation!"

Liu Changfeng hurriedly shut his mouth and nodded with reverence.

As he looked up at the Starlight Long Path, his eyes were filled with excitement and awe. Even as a former outer sect elder, he had only ever glimpsed this path from afar and never had the honor of observing it so closely as today.

The thought of being about to meet the Star Lord filled him with immense excitement.

This absolute overlord who ruled Lan Star possessed unparalleled authority and cultivation, enabling him to construct this ancient Starlight Path directly to the divine hall. He could truly be called the God of Lan Star!

Among the countless living beings and myriad cultivators, they were but insignificant dust beneath his gaze.

Even before meeting him, the various rumors Liu Changfeng had long heard churned in his heart. The pious excitement akin to meeting a deity finally allowed him to taste a sliver of the glory belonging to a great figure.

Before the Star Lord, a single individual was utterly insignificant!

When the Starlight Long Path lit up with a dazzling radiance, the clouds halfway up scattered, filling the sky with rosy light and the sound of ceremonial music, as if a divine road was opening, inspiring longing.

Liu Runan bowed respectfully and steadily began ascending the steps!

As he continuously climbed the Star Path, looking back revealed the full panorama of the floating island. Liu Changfeng, hidden in the sleeve, felt increasingly superior, his inner excitement now impossible to conceal.

Upon reaching the final step, he could no longer be bothered to glance at the so-called bustling floating island. His eyes held only the magnificent palace before him, resplendent with glazed light and myriad splendors.

The ancient jade immortal gate slowly opened.

An extremely terrifying aura rushed forth from the vast hall!

Whoosh!

Even hiding within the long sleeve, Liu Changfeng was buffeted by the fierce wind, his form swaying. He felt as if countless streams of Dao power surged past like torrents, making it difficult to keep his eyes open!

Forget his current ghostly state; even at his former peak with half-step to the Desolation Realm cultivation, he likely could not have stepped inside!

After the surge passed.

Liu Runan stepped steadily into the great hall. Many familiar elders sat quietly on both sides. The long Star Path was imbued with Dao power, with Dao rhythms flowing visibly everywhere. Being within it allowed one to comprehend myriad truths—it could be called the world's most powerful blessed land!

Within the sleeve, Liu Changfeng was stunned by what he saw!

He could hardly believe such a place existed in the world, a hall constructed from countless streams of Dao power, where even starlight was merely paving material. This could no longer be described as lavish; it was simply divine ground!

The foundation of the Falling God Hall was truly terrifying!

At this moment, Liu Changfeng finally understood the world of high-ranking great figures. He completely withdrew his aura, obediently staying in the sleeve, not daring to make a sound.

Liu Runan, however, was already accustomed to it and continued walking steadily forward.

Only when he stood before the nine-tiered immortal jade dragon platform, under the gaze of the elders and colleagues on both sides, did he respectfully bow and devoutly kowtow.

"Subordinate Liu Runan pays his respects to the Star Lord!"

On the immortal platform.

Silver-armored guards stood silently on both sides, their bodies showing not the slightest trace of aura, appearing almost like mortals, yet causing all the elders to dare not look directly at them.

In the center, a beaded curtain of glazed pearls obstructed the view, shimmering with various colors of Dao power. A faint figure sat silently behind it, its features obscured by an inscrutable, profound aura, making it difficult to discern the true visage.

Only a detached, icy voice drifted out leisurely.

"What is the matter?"

Just two words, yet a terrifying pressure spread throughout the Falling God Hall!

Liu Runan lowered his body further and "truthfully" recounted his misfortune.

"I report to the Star Lord."

"This subordinate is incompetent. Sun Er was captured by an outside cultivator, and my worthless son was also injured by him, surviving only as a remnant soul. Overestimating his ability, he sought help and led several outer sect elders to seek revenge, only to suffer near total annihilation!"

"This subordinate has damaged the prestige of the divine palace, causing the fall of several elders, all fallen to the vicious hands of the treacherous villain, yet I lack the strength to seek vengeance and wash away the shame. I beg the Star Lord to punish me!"

In just a few sentences, Yi Feng was portrayed as a murderous demon.

Whether it was the disgraceful acts of Liu Haotian and his son, or the truth behind the deaths of the outer sect elders, all were erased with a word, leaving only towering crimes placed upon Yi Feng's head.

With an opening move of skilled borrowing a knife to kill, Liu Runan's scheming nature was evident.

As his words fell, many elders heard them and glared in anger.

After just a few exchanged glances, killing intent began to slowly spill over!

No matter who the other party was, to dare repeatedly kill and injure disciples of the Falling God Palace, even causing the fall of many elders, this was truly audacious to the extreme, an unforgivable crime deserving only death!

Yet however great the fury, not a single person in the great hall made a sound.

All the elders sat quietly, respectfully awaiting the Star Lord's command.

Finally.

A voice tinged with doubt came from behind the beaded curtain.

"Did this truly happen?"

Liu Runan hurriedly put on a grief-stricken and indignant expression as he bowed, simultaneously producing the remnant soul from his sleeve.

"This subordinate would never dare speak falsely. The outer sect elders have already perished in the outer Northern Desert Barren Region. This matter is absolutely true!"

Liu Changfeng's remnant soul also nervously chimed in, extremely humble.

"May the Star Lord see clearly. It is this subordinate's incompetence that has brought shame upon the Falling God Palace. This subordinate deserves death ten thousand times over for this fault. But that this person remains free to this day is utterly unacceptable!"

Although somewhat inexperienced, Liu Changfeng was no ordinary fellow.

Hearing his father's lead, he knew they had to stick to framing Yi Feng. The matter of the possession attempt that led to the elders' total annihilation absolutely must not be revealed; they had to pin it all on Yi Feng.

After all, those useless fellows hadn't cultivated to the peak of the half-step to Desolation Realm and hadn't even condensed the basic rudimentary form of a second soul. Now, dead men tell no tales, so there was no need for worry.

This plan could be called seamless!

Father and son spoke one after the other, quietly awaiting the Star Lord's command.

Even though they dared not show a trace of expectation or secret glee on their faces, their hearts were filled with anticipation. Such a disgraceful incident was rare even in ten thousand years. The other elders were already enraged, and the Star Lord would certainly not sit idly by.

Once the Lord spoke.

With the divine palace's wrath, corpses would lie in the millions; killing a single cultivator would be as easy as turning over a hand.

Just as they were filled with anticipation.

From behind the beaded curtain came a calm utterance.

"Oh?"

"An outside cultivator actually possesses such strength? This matter is somewhat interesting. Summon this person to the divine palace. He might be able to accomplish something in the future."

As soon as the words fell, Liu Changfeng's heart skipped a beat in shock!

This isn't right...

Hearing of the Falling God Palace's significant losses, the Star Lord's tone sounded as if it were nothing, completely unconcerned about the dead outer sect elders, but instead interested in that cultivator.

Is it truly the strong who are respected?

This is a hundred times more ruthless than father!

Liu Runan was even more dumbfounded, instantly stupefied on the spot.

This outcome truly exceeded his expectations. Yet, the mere thought of Yi Feng coming to the Divine Palace made him think that his own disgraceful affair might be exposed. Even the possibility alone was enough to ruin his reputation!

Instantly, Liu Changfeng panicked.

He hurriedly spoke up, his words filled with grief and indignation!

"Star Lord..."

Who knew that before he could even finish his opening words, a calm voice had already come from behind the beaded curtain.

"Brother Nangong, the two of you are to proceed to the Northern Desert Barren Domain immediately. Find this person and bring him to the Divine Hall."

Even though the voice was steady, it carried a terrifying pressure unmatched by anyone else. With a single sentence, it silenced the entire hall. Though Liu Runan had a myriad of reasons, he could only swallow them back down.

The Star Lord had always been a man of his word; no one in the entire Lan Star could defy him!

Once the order was given, it was as immutable as fate!

The silver-armored guards standing silently on either side bowed in acknowledgment, then their figures dissipated.

"As you command."

No one saw their movements; the two terrifying figures had already vanished into the void.

Hearing the final, unchangeable result,

Liu Runan was completely frozen within the Starlight Grand Hall. His prostrate form dared not rise for a long time, his heart in utter turmoil, like a lake stirred up by a massive falling rock.

Liu Changfeng was utterly stunned. He never imagined things would turn out like this. What was supposed to be a perfect plan had backfired spectacularly?

It might even end up being a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot...

What if that cultivator really came to the Divine Palace and won the Star Lord's favor? If his enemy ended up in the same sect, how could he possibly live in peace from then on!

Sneaking back into his sleeve, Liu Changfeng grew more and more fearful the more he thought about it. He could only pray incessantly to the heavens for protection, begging that the cultivator would definitely not join the Divine Palace...