Does the Holy Land Care About Face I Don't Believe It.

Beyond Black Reef Island, the winds over the South Sea howled.

Gray-black waves crashed against the reefs in one surge after another, shattering like countless rotten palms that clawed ceaselessly toward the shore through the darkness.

Wang Hao stood at the highest point of the reef island, his black robes snapping violently in the sea wind.

Behind him, the remaining experts of Great Xia were resting and regrouping.

Twenty-four experts of the Sky-Soaring Realm.

Eight Martial Gods.

That was all the usable strength Wang Hao currently had at his side.

It sounded like quite a force.

But on the chessboard of the Central Continent as it now stood, this much strength was not even enough to count as a complete chess piece.

Four of the Sixteen Sacred Lands had fallen, but twelve Sacred Lands remained.

And those twelve Sacred Lands were furious.

Utterly furious.

Ji Wushang was still alive.

Thunder Extremity Sacred Land had been saddled with so much blame that smoke was practically rising from its ancestors’ graves.

The Taiyin, Blood Lotus, Sword Mound, Mountains and Rivers, Boundless, Golden Vault, and other Sacred Lands had all been tormented by Wang Hao along the way. Their reputations lay in tatters, their resources had suffered massive losses, and their disciples were seething with resentment.

Of course, they hated Ji Wushang.

But Ji Wushang had already fled into the Dark Abyss of the South Sea.

They could not find him in the short term.

So they would look for someone else—someone easier to find.

Wang Hao.

Yin Jiuyou lay sprawled across a reef, his face looking even grimmer than the seawater.

“Your Majesty, I have a rather immature suggestion.”

Wang Hao did not turn around.

“Go on.”

Yin Jiuyou said with difficulty:

“How about we just don’t go back to the Central Continent?”

Everyone fell silent.

Han Shanyue frowned.

“Lord Yin, His Majesty is the ruler of Great Xia. How could he possibly not return to Great Xia?”

Yin Jiuyou shot him a look.

“General Han, you’re an excellent military commander, but you have no idea just how shameless those so-called righteous sects can be.”

Han Shanyue’s expression darkened.

“The twelve Sacred Lands just joined forces with His Majesty to deal Ji Wushang a heavy blow. Surely they wouldn’t turn on us now?”

The Demon Lord let out a cold laugh.

“They would.”

Xue Wuhen nodded as well.

“And they’ll do it soon.”

Han Shanyue looked toward Wang Hao.

At last, Wang Hao turned around.

His face was still pale.

He had consumed an enormous amount of energy by repeatedly activating the violet lightning dragon on the ninth level of the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, as well as forcibly disguising his aura as that of a Sacred Land.

But his gaze remained steady.

Steady as a bottomless well.

“The greatest virtue of the righteous sects is that before they do something wicked, they always find themselves a reason first.”

“The twelve Sacred Lands have too many reasons now.”

Yin Jiuyou immediately chimed in:

“For example, His Majesty colluded with the strange entities.”

“For example, His Majesty sowed discord among the Sacred Lands.”

“For example, His Majesty is hiding sinister artifacts.”

“For example, His Majesty has learned secrets he should never have known.”

Wang Hao nodded.

“And there’s one most important point.”

Everyone looked at him.

Wang Hao said calmly:

“I’m too strong.”

Everyone: “...”

The corners of Yin Jiuyou’s mouth twitched.

Although the statement sounded unbearably arrogant,

it happened to be true.

Wang Hao was far too young.

A second-stage Martial God.

Divine-grade martial techniques.

Two sinister artifacts.

Mysterious and unfathomable intelligence obtained through his sign-in system.

And the military power of Great Xia was growing stronger by the day.

Most troubling of all, the cunning Wang Hao had displayed during his battle with Ji Wushang had already gone beyond the bounds of what one would expect from an ordinary emperor.

The twelve Sacred Lands could accept a powerful dynasty.

But they might not be able to accept an emperor who was powerful, shameless, and exceptionally skilled at framing others.

Because once a man like that fully matured, the entire Central Continent would lose sleep.

The Demon Lord said in a deep voice:

“If they really intend to make a move, where are they most likely to do it?”

Yin Jiuyou immediately took out a map.

The black map unfurled in midair.

Between the southern part of the Central Continent and the borders of Great Xia, there were seven main routes.

Three passed through the territories controlled by the Sacred Lands.

Two skirted the edges of the forbidden wastelands.

One was by sea.

And the last was the old road of ancient Qin.

Yin Jiuyou pointed at the map, his voice low.

“Your Majesty, the Great Xia army of a million has already returned to Great Xia ahead of us.”

“The Dark Legion has also gone back to the City of Darkness.”

“We have too few men now. That only makes us a more conspicuous target.”

“If the Twelve Sacred Lands intend to intercept and kill us, they certainly won’t make a grand display of it.”

“They’ll send Transcendent Realm patriarchs.”

“There won’t be many of them.”

“But there will be enough to kill us.”

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

The Transcendent Realm.

That was a terrifying realm beyond the Martial God.

During the battle against Ji Wushang, Wang Hao had been able to maneuver among the various factions because the situation had been chaotic, and the Twelve Sacred Lands had all been focused on Ji Wushang.

But if Transcendent Realm experts from the Twelve Sacred Lands specifically set their sights on him, that would be an entirely different matter.

Han Shanyue tightened his grip on his battle-axe.

“This general will defend Your Majesty to the death and escort you safely back to Great Xia!”

Wang Hao glanced at him.

“If you die fighting, I still won’t make it back.”

Han Shanyue choked on his words.

Wang Hao’s tone remained calm.

“Loyalty is admirable.”

“But throwing your life away is not strategy.”

Han Shanyue lowered his head.

“This general is ashamed.”

Wang Hao stepped up to the map.

His finger did not fall upon any of the routes leading back to Great Xia.

Instead, it landed on a chaotic region in the southwest of the Central Continent, marked in black mist.

Along its border were four blood-red words:

Land of Sin.

Yin Jiuyou’s pupils contracted.

“Your Majesty, you can’t possibly be thinking…”

Wang Hao smiled.

Yin Jiuyou’s heart skipped a beat.

Whenever His Majesty smiled like that, someone was about to have a very bad day.

And usually, whoever was about to suffer did not even know why.

The Demon Lord stared at the map.

“The Land of Sin.”

“It is neither within the territory of the Sacred Lands…”

“Nor does it belong to any imperial dynasty.”

“The Nine Great Demonic Sects are entrenched there.”

“Murder and plunder, soul-refining and bone sacrifices, blood sacrifices of entire cities—they do everything.”

“Even the Twelve Sacred Lands are unwilling to venture deeply into that place without good reason.”

A strange look flickered through Xue Wuhen’s eyes.

“Does Your Majesty intend to lie low in the Land of Sin?”

Yin Jiuyou said tremulously,

“It’s called the Land of Sin, not a summer resort.”

Wang Hao replied blandly,

“Precisely because it is sinful, it suits me.”

Everyone: “…”

The New Emperor Sword flew out from the side, its blade humming excitedly.

“Master, let’s go! I like the Land of Sin! Just hearing the name tells me there’ll be lots of things to eat!”

Yin Jiuyou looked at it.

“Shut up. What can a sword possibly know about the dangers of the human world?”

The New Emperor Sword replied gloomily,

“I do know. My spirit was condensed from Master’s dark side.”

Yin Jiuyou: “…”

There was no coming back from that.

Wang Hao gazed at the Land of Sin.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

“The Twelve Sacred Lands want to kill me, but they cannot kill me openly.”

“Because Great Xia has just rendered great service in the battle against Ji Wushang.”

“Because the whole world knows I am a hero who fought against the aberrations.”

“So they need a place of chaos.”

Yin Jiuyou understood at once.

“The Land of Sin!”

Wang Hao nodded.

“They think the Land of Sin is the ideal place to kill me.”

“But I also think it is the perfect place to bury people.”

The Demon Lord’s brow twitched slightly.

“You intend to counterkill Sacred Land Transcendents?”

Wang Hao shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“With so few of us, facing Transcendent Realm experts head-on would be suicide.”

“So we cannot confront them directly.”

Han Shanyue asked in confusion,

“Then what does Your Majesty intend?”

Wang Hao lightly tapped the center of the Land of Sin with his fingertip.

“The Land of Sin has nine great demonic sects.”

“These sects have deep-seated grudges against the Twelve Sacred Lands.”

“The Sacred Lands see them as heretical fiends.”

“They see the Sacred Lands as sanctimonious hypocrites—and fat sheep ripe for the slaughter.”

“All they need is a spark.”

Yin Jiuyou swallowed.

“Your Majesty intends to lure the Sacred Lands’ Transcendence Realm experts there, then provoke a war between the nine demonic sects and the Twelve Sacred Lands?”

Wang Hao smiled.

“More precisely, we’ll make them believe that the Twelve Sacred Lands intend to take advantage of Ji Wushang’s grave injuries and the chaos in Central Continent to purge the Land of Sin while they can.”

The Demon Lord fell silent for a moment.

“That’s dirty.”

Wang Hao looked at him.

“But effective.”

The Demon Lord nodded.

“I like it.”

Han Shanyue felt his scalp tingle.

He came from a proper military background.

He feared neither battlefield formations nor charging into battle.

But His Majesty’s schemes...

This was no longer warfare.

This was using human hearts as blades, hatred as fire, and the entirety of Central Continent as a stove.

Whoever wasn’t cooked through got more fuel thrown beneath them.

Yin Jiuyou suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, what if the Twelve Sacred Lands don’t pursue us?”

Wang Hao’s smile deepened.

“Then all the better.”

“We return safely to Great Xia.”

Yin Jiuyou asked again, “And if they do pursue us, but don’t fall for it?”

Wang Hao looked around at everyone.

“Then we’ll make sure they have no choice but to fall for it.”

He raised a hand, and several items appeared in his palm.

A Thunder Extremity token.

A Lunar Yin jade talisman.

A remnant banner of the Blood Lotus.

A fragment of a broken sword from the Sword Ruins.

An array seal from the Mountain and River Sacred Land.

A broken lamp wick from the Boundless Sacred Land.

A piece of armor from the Golden Palace Sacred Land.

Everyone’s eyelids twitched at the sight.

Yin Jiuyou’s lips went dry.

“Your Majesty... when did you collect all these?”

Wang Hao replied casually, “Picked them up along the way.”

Yin Jiuyou closed his eyes.

He knew it.

Whenever His Majesty said “picked them up,” it usually meant someone else was about to suffer a terrible misfortune.

The Demon Lord picked up one of the Thunder Extremity tokens and examined it.

“It’s genuine.”

Wang Hao nodded.

“Genuine is better.”

Xue Wuhen hesitated before saying, “Your Majesty, the nine demonic sects of the Land of Sin aren’t fools.”

“They may not believe us so easily.”

Wang Hao said calmly, “That’s why we can’t merely leave behind evidence.”

“We must leave behind corpses as well.”

A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.

Wang Hao looked toward the South Sea.

“The Sacred Lands will send people.”

“And once they arrive, someone will surely die.”

“A dead man’s identity carries more conviction than a living man’s words.”

Yin Jiuyou murmured, “Your Majesty, this doesn’t sound like we’re fleeing for our lives.”

“It sounds like we’re heading to a feast.”

Wang Hao said evenly, “In life, one must learn to turn misfortune into celebration.”

Just then—

A faint tremor suddenly rippled through the distant sky.

The Demon Lord abruptly looked up.

“Someone’s coming.”

Xue Wuhen’s expression changed slightly.

“Their aura is powerful.”

Wang Hao narrowed his eyes.

The Sign-In Intelligence System had not issued an update, but his instincts had already caught a trace of killing intent.

It was faint.

Yet ice-cold.

Like a blade hidden behind the clouds.

Yin Jiuyou swiftly performed a divination. In the next instant, his face changed dramatically.

“Your Majesty—three Transcendence Realm auras!”

“And at least twenty Martial God Realm experts!”

Han Shanyue said furiously, “The Twelve Sacred Lands really have come!”

The Demon Lord sneered.

“They came quickly.”

But Wang Hao was not surprised.

“If they hadn’t come quickly, I would have been disappointed.”

Yin Jiuyou asked anxiously, “Your Majesty, what do we do now?”

Wang Hao took out the Calamity-Crossing Sea-Suppressing Vessel.

The small black-and-gold boat swelled rapidly in the wind.

One rune after another lit up along the Sea-Calming Vessel. Black water flowed beneath its hull, as though it were connected to some unknown underworld river.

“Board.”

Everyone immediately climbed aboard.

The Tribulation-Crossing Sea-Calming Vessel was not large, but it could easily carry twenty or thirty people.

Once the runes ignited, it did not take to the air. Instead, it glided across the black sea.

Its speed was not particularly astonishing.

Yet it was profoundly strange.

It seemed to merge with the shadow tides of the Southern Sea. Each surge of the waves propelled it dozens of miles forward.

Behind them, above Black Reef Island—

Three figures descended soundlessly.

One wore gray-white Daoist robes, his eyes cold and bright as stars.

Another carried an ancient sword on his back. His sword aura was restrained, yet it made the very void tremble.

The last wore a long robe patterned with blood-red markings, his presence as cold and sinister as a pool of blood.

They did not reveal their true faces.

But the source of their auras could not be concealed from true experts.

Lunar Yin.

Sword Ruins.

Blood Lotus.

Three Transcendent-realm experts from the three great sacred lands.

The old man in gray-white Daoist robes looked at the empty Black Reef Island and said blandly,

“They’ve escaped.”

The blood-robed elder snorted.

“Cautious little rat.”

The sword cultivator’s gaze settled on the distant sea.

“They fled across the sea.”

“They possess some kind of special treasure.”

The gray-white-robed elder spoke coldly.

“Wang Hao cannot be allowed to live.”

Killing intent surfaced in the blood-robed elder’s eyes.

“If he survives, the Twelve Sacred Lands will never know peace.”

The sword cultivator fell silent for a moment.

“We can kill him.”

“But we cannot leave any traces behind.”

The gray-white-robed elder nodded.

“The Land of Sin.”

“It is the right place.”

The blood-robed elder smiled.

“Perfect.”

“Let the Nine Demonic Sects take the blame.”

They thought their plan was foolproof.

What they did not know was that, aboard the Tribulation-Crossing Sea-Calming Vessel a hundred thousand miles away, Wang Hao was watching the water mirror Yin Jiuyou had set up.

Within the mirror, the vague figures of the three Transcendent experts flashed past.

Yin Jiuyou’s face turned deathly pale.

“Your Majesty, they truly are people from Lunar Yin, Sword Ruins, and Blood Lotus.”

Wang Hao’s gaze was amused.

“Only those three?”

“Thunder’s Zenith didn’t come?”

Yin Jiuyou gave a dry cough.

“The Thunder’s Zenith Sacred Lord is probably still coughing up blood right now.”

Wang Hao sighed.

“What a pity.”

No one said a word.

What a pity?

You had already turned the Thunder’s Zenith Sacred Land into the greatest sucker in the Central Continent!

Wang Hao put away the water mirror and looked into the distance.

There, at the far end of the black sea, the outline of a gray-red continent gradually emerged.

Blood clouds churned across the sky.

Baleful energy surged from the earth.

Mountain ranges as black as night lay across the land like the corpses of fallen dragons.

The Land of Sin.

They had arrived.

Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his black robes snapping in the wind.

At that moment, his gaze became unfathomably deep.

“Everyone.”

“From this moment on, I am no longer called Wang Hao.”

Yin Jiuyou asked,

“Then what should we call Your Majesty?”

Wang Hao smiled faintly.

“Lei Wuji.”

Everyone: “...”

Yin Jiuyou nearly choked on his breath.

“Thunder’s Zenith again?”

Wang Hao replied calmly,

“I’m used to it.”

“It’s convenient.”

The New Emperor Sword shouted excitedly,

“Excellent! Master is now Lei Wuji, the hidden ancestor of the Thunder’s Zenith Sacred Land!”

Wang Hao corrected it.

“No.”

“I am now an independent cultivator from the Land of Sin.”

“But I carry a secret Thunder’s Zenith Sacred Land token on me.”

“I have just defected from the Blood Lotus Sacred Land.”

“I was once hunted by the Lunar Yin Sacred Land.”

“And I may have stolen some sword intent from Sword Ruins.”

Everyone fell completely silent.

Han Shanyue held it in for a long while before finally managing to say,

“Your Majesty... has considered everything thoroughly.”

Yin Jiuyou looked toward the Land of Sin in the distance and suddenly felt that it was not they who had entered a den of demons.

Rather, it was the den of demons that was about to suffer a calamity.

The Calamity-Ferrying Sea-Calming Boat broke through the dark tide and slipped silently into the outskirts of the Land of Sin.

Behind it, the killing intent of three Transcendent Realm experts pursued close on its heels.

Ahead, the blood-red territory that had been claimed by the Nine Demonic Sects for a thousand years was slowly baring its fangs beneath the black clouds.

Wang Hao stood at the bow and said softly:

“The Holy Land wants to kill me.”

“The Demonic Sects want to devour people.”

“Since none of us are good people…”

“Then let’s see who can be more shameless.”

The sea wind swept past.

He smiled with gentle warmth.

And with equal danger.

…