When the name "Mu Yunyao" left Chen Chang'an's lips, an intense fluctuation erupted within the secret chamber. It was clear that these three words had struck Feng Xiu with shock and disbelief.
"You… you're her disciple?"
"Impossible!"
"She would never take a disciple!"
"Are you truly her disciple?"
The sheer intensity of Feng Xiu's reaction surprised even Chen Chang'an. Why was it so unthinkable that Mu Yunyao would have a disciple?
"Genuine as they come."
"I believe cooperating with my master would be far more reliable."
"What do you think?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
After Chen Chang'an finished speaking, Feng Xiu fell into silence, his thoughts inscrutable.
"Do you even know who your master truly is?"
"With her talent, she could have ascended to the upper realm long ago. Why has she remained in the Tai Xuan Realm?"
"And your master… she doesn’t seem bound by the Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man."
"She holds many secrets. Aren’t you the least bit curious?" Feng Xiu pressed.
"If I wanted to know, I’d ask her myself."
"She is my master."
Seeing Chen Chang'an's unwavering resolve, the chamber plunged into silence once more.
"Chen Chang'an, I gave you a chance. You refused it."
"Don’t blame me for what comes next."
After a moment, Feng Xiu's tone darkened.
As expected, this bastard couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Knew you were up to no good."
"Let’s see what tricks you’ve brought back from the Ancient Immortal Domain."
As Chen Chang'an spoke, the chamber was swallowed by darkness once again.
In the next instant, Chen Chang'an felt himself enveloped by a swirling black mist. The scenery around him shifted abruptly—he now stood within a black vortex, surrounded by an unsettling, inky liquid.
"Chen Chang'an, this is the price for your defiance."
"Once inside my Dark Domain, you’ll never leave."
Dark Domain?
It certainly lived up to its name.
Within this domain, Chen Chang'an finally saw Feng Xiu’s true face.
Feng Xiu appeared rather delicate, almost boyish—hardly the visage of a man consumed by ambition. But his eyes burned with greed and aggression.
"So this is your true form."
"You’ve been evading detection with this Dark Domain, haven’t you?"
"Interesting."
Chen Chang'an's calm demeanor startled Feng Xiu. Was he truly unafraid?
"Do you even understand what a domain is?"
"In my domain, I am the law."
"Your life and death are mine to decide."
"Will you still refuse me?" Feng Xiu hissed.
"Domains? I know a thing or two."
"But deciding my fate? You’re not qualified."
Feng Xiu sneered at Chen Chang'an’s arrogance. With a mere thought, he willed his domain to punish the insolent youth.
"Huh?"
"What’s happening?"
"My domain… why isn’t it affecting you?"
"Who… who are you?"
"You’re not from the Tai Xuan Realm. You can’t be!"
Feng Xiu’s mind reeled with shock. How could Chen Chang'an remain untouched within his Dark Domain? Worse—he couldn’t even harm him here!
Why?
How?
Feng Xiu had absolute faith in his Dark Domain. It was how he’d hidden in the Tai Xuan Realm undetected all this time. Yet now, his proudest ability had failed him.
"I told you—I am from the Tai Xuan Realm."
"And did you really think you were the only one with a domain?"
"Domains are powerful, but if yours is weaker than mine… well, the outcome changes."
"Absolute Domain!"
"Activate!"
With Chen Chang'an’s command, Feng Xiu’s Dark Domain shattered, replaced instantly by the overwhelming pressure of the Absolute Domain. The two now stood once more within the chamber.
"Now, this is my domain. Care to experience it?"
"A mere soul fragment, and you dare challenge me?"
"You must not know—my soul is a bit special."
"And my Absolute Domain? Even stronger." Chen Chang'an grinned.
Feng Xiu’s composure crumbled under the weight of Chen Chang'an’s domain. He’d never imagined his arrogance would lead him straight into the enemy’s hands.
"How… how did you master domain power?"
"This is impossible. Such abilities don’t exist in the Tai Xuan Realm."
"Who are you?"
Terror filled Feng Xiu’s eyes as he scrutinized Chen Chang'an. His curiosity about the young man’s identity was now eclipsed by dread. He’d made a fatal miscalculation.
"You’re from the Ancient Immortal Domain, aren’t you?"
"You came for me, didn’t you?" Feng Xiu demanded.
"Who I am no longer matters."
"As for the rest… you’ll discuss it with my master when she arrives." Chen Chang'an replied coolly.
"Your master?"
"Mu Yunyao is here?"
"Soon."
True to Chen Chang'an’s words, the moment Feng Xiu’s aura was fully exposed, Mu Yunyao appeared near the Fengxian Platform.
Surveying the grand formation around the platform, Mu Yunyao smirked. With a single palm strike, the formation shattered.
Pfft!
Long Wuqi and the others coughed up blood, their faces twisted in disbelief. The formation Feng Xiu had taught them—one they believed unbreakable in the Tai Xuan Realm—had been destroyed by sheer force.
"The formation… it’s gone?"
"My strength has returned!"
"Mine too!"
"Hahaha! Finally! This suffocating pressure is lifted!"
"Who… who broke the Fengxian Holy Land’s formation?"
Then, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Mu Yunyao… the legendary one?"
When Mu Yunyao stepped onto the Fengxian Platform, even Gu Fenghua’s heart trembled. He never expected her to appear.
"Senior?"
"Old Gu, who is she?"
"You don’t know?"
"Senior Mu Yunyao—the previous generation’s undisputed champion of the Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man."
Mu Yunyao, the former triple-crowned sovereign?
To many, the name was unfamiliar, though not entirely unheard of. Few, however, had ever seen her in person.
"Senior, you’ve come."
Gu Fenghua, Luo Yiyi, and others who had crossed paths with Mu Yunyao gazed at her with reverence.
After a brief glance at the crowd, Mu Yunyao’s eyes settled on Long Wuqi and his allies.
"Perish."