Rebel

The first to bear the brunt was the Formation-Breaking Sect, renowned for its formations but somewhat lacking in offensive power.

Outside Formation-Breaking Mountain, Lie Tianxiong stood suspended in the air, his saintly might descending like a prison and shrouding the entire area.

The sect master of the Formation-Breaking Sect, Chen Tieshan, had already reached the King Realm.

Yet at this moment, he gazed at the figure outside the mountain gate, who resembled a flame demon god. Feeling the suffocating saintly might, his face was filled with bitterness and struggle.

Should they resist to the bitter end? Their protective mountain formation could hold out for half a day at most.

Was the legacy they had maintained for thousands of years really going to be severed today?

“Chen Tieshan.”

Lie Tianxiong’s voice was not loud, yet it struck the hearts of every Formation-Breaking Sect disciple like a heavy hammer.

“Surrender, or be annihilated.”

There were no unnecessary words—only a naked threat, yet one backed by an irresistible force.

Chen Tieshan clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms as blood trickled between his fingers.

He looked around at the pale, despairing faces surrounding him.

In the end, it was as though all his strength had been drained away. Slowly, he relaxed his fists and faced the figure outside the mountain gate, painfully bending the spine that had never bowed to anyone before.

“The Formation-Breaking Sect… is willing to surrender.”

The news spread, and Xuan Province was shaken!

A sect with an ancient and enduring legacy had actually knelt and surrendered before a Saint’s forces without even lasting a full day!

The might of a Saint was truly terrifying!

Next, riding high on his victory, Lie Tianxiong directed his forces toward the Heavenly Evolution Sect.

In just a few days, four of Xuan Province’s seven great sects had already fallen!

The forces of the Burning Heaven Palace expanded like a snowball rolling downhill, its territory multiplying several times over. The resources and ancient texts it seized were beyond count.

After subjugating several sects in succession, Lie Tianxiong’s ambition reached its peak.

That day, in the main hall of the Burning Heaven Palace, Lie Tianxiong sat upon the highest seat, saintly might permeating the air.

His gaze swept across the elders and generals below before finally settling on the Second Elder.

In his eyes, the Second Elder was his most loyal and capable subordinate.

“Second Elder,” Lie Tianxiong said, his voice filled with absolute confidence. “Send a message to the Azure Profound Sect. Considering the favor Shi Wanshan once did me, I will give them one chance.

“Within three days, they must submit to my Burning Heaven Palace and send all peak masters and elders above the Heavenly Human Realm to serve under my command. Together, they will attack the Myriad Laws Pavilion!

“Once I destroy the Myriad Laws Pavilion and unify Xuan Province, I will permit the Azure Profound Sect to become the second-ranked power in Xuan Province and share in the glory and riches!”

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone’s eyes focused on the Second Elder.

According to their usual custom, the Second Elder would have immediately bowed and accepted the order. But this time, he remained standing where he was, completely motionless.

His posture was straight, his expression calm and utterly free of ripples. There was neither respect nor agreement in his eyes.

After a moment, the Second Elder slowly spoke.

“Palace Master, this course of action is inappropriate. We should not make enemies on too many fronts.

“The Azure Profound Sect’s strength is unknown. Forcing them to submit without knowing what we are dealing with will only create another enemy. That would hinder our attack on the Myriad Laws Pavilion and make the great cause of unifying Xuan Province even more difficult.”

Lie Tianxiong’s expression darkened at once, and a trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes.

He had never expected that the Second Elder, the man he trusted most, would actually contradict him.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he turned to the First Elder and spoke coldly.

“First Elder, since the Second Elder is so hesitant and shortsighted, you will handle this matter instead! Go to the Azure Profound Sect at once and deliver this Saint’s decree. There must be no mistakes!”

However, to Lie Tianxiong’s astonishment, the First Elder—who had always obeyed his every command and possessed a temper as fiery as fire—also stood rooted to the spot.

A trace of struggle appeared on his face, but he did not move.

“First Elder?!”

Lie Tianxiong’s voice rose sharply, filled with disbelief and fury.

His saintly might spread uncontrollably, pressing down upon the entire Sacred Flame Hall until not a sound could be heard. The air itself seemed on the verge of freezing.

Two trusted elders had defied his orders in full view of everyone?

This was practically a challenge to the supreme authority he had only just established!

Just as the fury in Lie Tianxiong’s chest was about to erupt and he was preparing to rebuke them harshly, the silent Second Elder suddenly let out a quiet sigh.

“Alas…”

The sigh was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

It carried an indescribably complicated emotion: regret, helplessness, and perhaps even a trace of pity.

The Second Elder slowly raised his head and calmly looked at Lie Tianxiong, who sat high upon the throne, his face slightly twisted with anger.

Then, in a steady voice—one clear enough for every speck of dust in the hall to hear—he spoke.

“Palace Master…”

He paused. Each word that followed seemed to carry the weight of a thousand jun.

“Why must you insist on rebelling?”

“Rebelling…?”

Lie Tianxiong froze at first, as though he did not understand the meaning of the word.

Then an utterly absurd feeling surged through him, immediately followed by overwhelming fury at the sheer insult.

“Presumptuous!”

He abruptly rose from the holy throne. Crimson-gold sacred flames erupted around him, scorching and distorting the mural behind him that symbolized the supreme authority of the Burning Heaven Palace.

His terrifying saintly might surged outward like a tangible tsunami, crushing everything in its path.

“Second Elder! Have you grown senile?! I am the master of the Burning Heaven Palace, the future ruler of Xuan Province!

“You claim that I am rebelling? Against whom?! Is there anyone left in Xuan Province who is worthy of making me rebel?!”

Furious to the point of laughter, he tremblingly pointed at the Second Elder standing below with his hands at his sides, then swept his gaze over the First Elder, who likewise remained motionless.

His eyes then passed over the old veterans of the Burning Heaven Palace, whose expressions had suddenly become strange.

“Good! Very good! It seems I have been too merciful lately, allowing you to forget what respect and hierarchy mean, and what the rules are!”

Killing intent surged in Lie Tianxiong’s eyes. He had decided to use the cruelest means possible to purge the sect and reestablish his authority.

He would start with this senile old fool who did not know his place!

However, just as he gathered his saintly power and prepared to suppress—or even kill—the Second Elder with a single palm strike…

“Heh.”

A soft chuckle carrying faint mockery suddenly rang out from a corner of the main hall.

It had not come from the Second Elder, nor from the First Elder.

Instead, it had come from the Fourth Elder in the line of elders on the left, a man normally known for his silence and reserved nature, who was in charge of administering punishment!

The saintly power in Lie Tianxiong’s hand abruptly stalled. He whipped his head around in disbelief.

Under his gaze, the Fourth Elder slowly raised his head. Where was the submissiveness and rigidity he had always displayed?

Only an almost indifferent calm remained, with a trace of derision still hanging at the corners of his mouth.

That chuckle was like a signal.

“Heh heh…”

“Alas…”

One after another, the Third Elder, Fifth Elder, Transmission Elder, Steward Elder, and the rest of the trusted veterans whom Lie Tianxiong had relied on as his own arms and legs, slowly raised their heads.

Their faces no longer held the awe, fanaticism, or feigned loyalty they had shown in the past.

There was only a shared, icy calm.

It was the detached scrutiny of people looking down from above, as though they were watching a play.

Even the elite guards of the Burning Heaven Palace standing by the entrance—who should have been the most loyal and reliable of all—straightened their spines.

Their hands rested on the hilts of their swords, their gazes sharp as blades. They gradually formed an encircling formation, faintly trapping Lie Tianxiong within the area around the throne at the center of the hall.