The Battle
Meanwhile, outside the Holy Land, a massive fleet of flying vessels surged through the skies, accompanied by the deafening roars of semi-emperor grade beasts. Among them were the forces of the Hong Clan and the Hehuan Sect those who had attacked Han Ming once before. Their expressions were tense, many of them visibly uneasy and conflicted.
They weren't here out of their own volition but had been coerced by the Young Master of the Wu Clan, along with the Blood Moon Holy Land and the Immortal Feather Holy Land. Their role was to exert pressure on the Holy Land of the Immortal River. Should negotiations fail and tensions escalate, they were expected to engage in battle for real.
However, not all were fearful. Some among them held knowledge that others did not namely, that their forces were to serve as mere bait, used to lure out the strongest cultivators from the Holy Land of the Immortal River. Still, not every force had been told of this. Among them were those whose eyes shimmered with greed, for if the Holy Land of the Immortal River were to fall, its boundless treasures would be ripe for the taking.
Yet before any action could be taken, a blinding flash of teleportation light erupted before them. From within that radiant glow, Han Ming, Luo Yunhai, Zhao Honglong, and Bai Jingxian the Peak Masters of four sacred peaks stepped forward in unison.
All movements across the invading forces ceased at once.
An elder of the Wu Clan, standing atop a semi-emperor level beast, hurriedly clasped his hands in a respectful salute and called out in a deferential tone.
"Greetings to the Four Peak Masters."
But Han Ming didn't even glance in his direction. He raised a single finger, and in the next instant, a brilliant light engulfed the heavens. Everyone nearby was struck blind, their vision overwhelmed by the dazzling radiance. Those whose cultivation was beneath that of a Great Emperor instantly lost their sight.
Of course, none of the Great Emperors were present among this force every last one of them had already gathered within the Holy Land of the Immortal River.
Bai Jingxian wasted no time. He gathered his spiritual power and activated the massive entrapment and movement-sealing formation that had been prepared in advance. A wave of pressure spread out, sealing off the surrounding air. Not only did the enemies within find their movements restricted and their power greatly suppressed, but they were also unable to access their spatial rings while inside the formation.
With everything in place, the entire enemy force was now completely sealed within the array. Zhao Honglong grinned wickedly as he opened his spatial ring, drawing out countless Saint-grade weapons that floated ominously in the air.
"Take your brains with you... maybe in your next life, you won't be such fools."
He tossed the weapons into Bai Jingxian's formation and said coldly,
"Detonate."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions echoed with devastating force, their thunderous roars shaking the heavens. The shockwaves rippled out beyond the formation, causing the ground to tremble violently.
Even a single Saint-grade weapon, if detonated, could seriously injure a semi-emperor level cultivator. But this was tens of thousands of such weapons.
Within the entrapment formation, there was no escape. The sheer scale of the destruction left the trapped forces completely defenseless. Many were still dazed from the earlier blinding light and could not react in time.
Agonized screams erupted from every direction.
"Aaagh! Please, spare me! I was forced to come!"
"I don't want to die! No!"
"Someone! Anyone! Help me! Aaaaaagh!"
The formation had become a sea of blood. Severed limbs, scattered organs, and torrents of blood filled the air. The stench of iron and death clung to every breath.
"Why can't I open my spatial ring?!"
"Does anyone have a teleportation talisman?! Please!"
"Get me out! I'm begging you!"
"Don't leave me behind!"
But no matter how much they pleaded, no help would come. The screams, the cries for mercy, the desperate wails all of it was futile. And yet, in this moment of utter despair, they were the only things those people could still do.
The elder of the Wu Clan, desperately trying to defend himself, shouted out in protest.
"What are you doing? We only came to talk! Why would you commit such a cruel act?!"
BOOM!!
That was the last sound he ever made, before vanishing from existence.
Han Ming stood in silence, gazing at the scattered remnants of blood and flesh on the ground with an expression devoid of emotion. Beside him, Bai Jingxian glanced at the grisly scene, then let out a faint chuckle.
"This isn't your first time doing this, is it, boy?"
Han Ming merely returned the smile and gave a small nod. "Alright. Let's begin."
Raising his hand, Han Ming summoned a colossal concealment formation from the void. The formation rapidly expanded, blanketing the entire surrounding area and completely blocking the view from the outside world. Then, turning to the other three, he spoke in a calm but icy voice.
"Let's start refining them into puppets."
At his command, the four of them immediately got to work. Emperor-grade materials were withdrawn from their spatial rings. Luo Yunhai and Zhao Honglong controlled the flames for the puppet-refining process, while Bai Jingxian casually waved his hand, causing countless corpses, pools of blood, and shattered bones to rise into the air and swirl toward Han Ming.
Han Ming retrieved a puppet mold and, with a focused gaze, began to channel the materials into it. He controlled the remnants, merging them seamlessly into the frame. The roar of flame echoed through the skies, and the surrounding air filled with the stench of ash and molten metal.
Then came the howls soul-wrenching screams from the spirits of the slain Wu Clan elders.
"You monsters… You demonic fiends… How dare you use such vile techniques… Have you forgotten you call yourselves a Holy Land… AAAAAARGHHHHHH!"
Another voice cried out in fury.
"You demons… You'll taste the wrath of Young Master Wu soon enough!"
"I'll be waiting for you all in hell…"
But the four cultivators paid no heed to the cries of the dead. Each of them remained utterly expressionless, unmoved by the wrath or curses of the lingering souls.
As the refinement process continued, Bai Jingsen casually asked, "Aren't you worried about your disciples?"
Han Ming let out a soft laugh before replying in a relaxed tone, "You say that as if they could actually die within the Immortal River Holy Land. Hahaha!"
Luo Yunhai and Zhao Honglong, hearing his response, burst into amused laughter as well, while Bai Jingsen could only shake his head slightly, inwardly berating himself for asking such a foolish question in the first place.
Meanwhile, within the Immortal River Holy Land.
In the sky above, the powerful auras of forty-seven Great Emperors soared upward, blanketing the heavens in overwhelming pressure. Thirty-three of them hailed from the Wu Clan and other allied forces, while the remaining fourteen stood on the side of the Immortal River Holy Land. The sheer force of their presence spread across the entire land like an oppressive wave.
On the other side, aboard one of the Wu Clan's airships, a man named Wu Zhao was indulging himself with two women in blissful pleasure. The sound of flirtatious laughter echoed merrily from the lavish chamber.
"Brother Wu, I can't take it anymore… ah~" one of the women moaned in a soft, breathy voice.
"Husband, I can't move my waist anymore… it's gone numb," the other woman added with a playful tone.
At that moment, a maid in elegant attire stepped into the room, bowed respectfully, and reported in a deferential voice, "Young Master, everything is ready."
Wu Zhao chuckled softly, then rose to dress himself slowly, sweat still glistening on his skin. "Let's go. I'll bring you to see my new little slave girl… including your former fiancée."
The woman lying on the bed scowled with disgust. "Don't you dare call that wretched thing my fiancée!"
Wu Zhao laughed in his throat, then turned toward the other woman who was slipping on her clothes. "In that case, I'll take Sister Zhang to go see her beloved disciple instead."
The woman referred to as Sister Zhang scoffed with disdain. "I don't have a disciple that pathetic."
Wu Zhao chuckled with satisfaction. "Alright, alright, let's just pretend I didn't say anything, then."
He wrapped his arms around the waists of both women as they walked out of the chamber together, a sly grin playing on his handsome face. Once outside, his eyes flicked toward the thirty-three Great Emperors who were releasing immense pressure upon the Immortal River Holy Land.
But then, without warning...
A strange alert rang out inside his head.
[Ding!! Child of Destiny detected]
[Ding!! Child of Destiny detected]
...
...
[Ding!! Child of Destiny detected]
[Ding!! Daughter of Destiny detected]
[Ding!! Daughter of Destiny detected]
[Ding!! Daughter of Destiny detected]
[Ding!! Daughter of Destiny detected]
...
...
...
[Ding!! Daughter of Destiny detected]
Wu Zhao stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened slightly before a wicked smile crept across his lips.
"Heh heh... how very interesting. Lei Chen, oh Lei Chen... you've brought me to the greatest treasure of all."
Wu Zhao licked his lips in anticipation, his expression gleaming with excitement. Ever since he arrived in this world, his life had undergone a complete transformation.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary employee. Overworked, underpaid, oppressed, and scraping by each day with no hope for the future. In the end, he died from sheer exhaustion and overwork. But fate had not abandoned him. It granted him another life in a cultivation world. And not just that he was reborn as the son of a Great Emperor from the Wu Clan, with a mother who hailed from the Upper Realm.
His father was as powerful as a god, while his mother was a mysterious woman from a place beyond comprehension. Moreover, he had obtained the Villain System a system whose main function was to plunder the fate of the Children of Destiny.
With the power of the system and the authority of his clan, he lived without a care in the world. He possessed everything, killed anyone who stood in his way, and traveled across the lands crushing the futures of countless Children of Destiny while seizing their beautiful women for himself.
Until just a few weeks ago, the system had alerted him that there was still one Child of Destiny who had not yet died and that person was within the Immortal River Holy Land. His arrogance and overwhelming power made him care nothing for the fact that the place was an ancient sanctuary that had existed for countless eons or that its roots extended to the Upper Realm. If it dared oppose him, then it deserved nothing less than complete destruction.
What excited him even more, however, was the system's latest alert that numerous Children and Daughters of Destiny had gathered in this very place.
A smirk of disdain appeared on his face as he glanced around and spotted Mu Nansi. Her beauty was so stunning that he could barely contain himself. And she wasn't the only one. There was also Fu Yuechan, Yun Zhenying, Ling Ruhe, Ji Yiren so many alluring women in one place. But he held back his desire for now and shouted aloud.
"You filthy dog, Lei Chen! Where are you? Come out here!"
His gaze swept the crowd until it finally settled on his target. Lei Chen stood among the gathering, and beside him were two radiant beauties Rong Lixian and Su Baining. Wu Zhao licked his lips once more, then let out a mocking laugh.
"So you've still got lovely ladies by your side, huh?"
With those words, he pulled the two women beside him into his embrace. One was none other than Lei Chen's former fiancée, and the other was Lei Chen's former master.
All eyes turned toward Lei Chen. Yet he remained motionless, unmoved, his face calm and adorned with a faint smile. There was not even a flicker of emotion.
Seeing this, Wu Zhao burst into raucous laughter. "Hahaha! What, you're not going to beg me like last time?"
But before he could finish speaking, Lei Chen spoke up in an indifferent tone.
"Stop barking already... I can't understand a damn thing you're saying."