The elderly villager with dark, aged skin staggered, nearly falling. However, the young Doctor Jiang was quick to react, swiftly steadying him.

The villager, grateful, was about to speak when suddenly a thumb-sized red insect crawled out of his mouth. In an instant, the insect violently exploded.

The intense explosion engulfed the house and the surrounding three or four buildings in fierce flames.

Boom!

The horrific blast swept through the area, scattering debris and splinters everywhere. The nearby villagers were stunned.

Buzz!

At that moment, an immensely powerful presence descended from the sky, pressing down on everyone like a great mountain. The villagers looked towards the horizon and were astonished to see four figures standing on beams of light, hovering in mid-air.

"Immortals! We did not know immortals were visiting; forgive us for not greeting you from afar!"

The villagers were utterly terrified and immediately fell to their knees in worship. However, the four figures remained silent, their gazes fixed on the chaotic ruins left by the explosion.

"I've hidden here for sixty years, wanting nothing more than to live as a mortal... why... why must you come to find me! You killed my wife! You killed my child!"

A voice emerged from the ruins.

Debris, bricks, and wooden beams were blasted away by a surge of Spiritual Qi.

Doctor Jiang stood unharmed amid the destruction, his eyes cold and filled with deep resentment as he looked up at the four Golden Core cultivators from the Heaven Burning Sect.

The leader of the Heaven Burning Sect Golden Core cultivators, however, did not respond to his accusations but instead spoke on his own accord.

"Mo Ming, a Golden Core cultivator of the Nether Dao Sect, a close aide of the Overlord Shang Tianjue. After the collapse of the Nether Dao Sect, he vanished.

That Fireburn Insect just now also contained a Rot Soul Insect, specifically designed to counteract the technique you practice. Your strength has already been greatly diminished."

After finishing his statement, he calmly said, "Mo Ming, come with us."

Whoosh!

The four figures moved at once, closing in rapidly. Although Mo Ming was powerful, he was outnumbered; in the blink of an eye, he was subdued by the four.

"Who… who told you I was here! Who told you the weakness of my technique!"

Mo Ming, covered in blood, roared like a maddened beast. The four Golden Core cultivators remained silent.

A talisman struck Mo Ming, silencing him as he sank into a forced calm. In the blink of an eye, the four figures vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the chaos of Yun Family Village.

...

White Water River.

This great river, majestic and vast, originated in Yan Country, grew in strength through Yu Country, and finally surged eastward into the vast ocean.

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Many years ago, during a succession crisis in Yu Country, the ruler of Yan Country attempted to annex it. The then Grand General of Yu Country chose to fight halfway across the White Water River.

A brutal melee ensued. Ultimately, Yan Country was repelled, and Yu Country was also severely weakened. Both sides left hundreds of thousands of corpses along the White Water River and withdrew.

Since then, the White Water River Battlefield was born. Perhaps due to the dense malevolent energy, the waters flowing past this site also carried an intense chill.

At this moment, a figure sat meditating at the center of the White Water River Battlefield. The rolling river flowed swiftly beneath him. He floated above the water, undisturbed, the calm belying the storm within.

He was Shang Tianjue. He had been waiting for a long time again.

"Heaven Burning Sect must have captured Mo Ming by now. I'll wait here. I hope they don't take too long and waste my time."

Shang Tianjue remained composed.

Three days later, layered figures appeared on the horizon. An overwhelming aura descended from the sky as if to erase the entire battlefield from existence.

"They have finally arrived."

Shang Tianjue opened his eyes, a glint of cold light flashing within them.

An elderly man with graying temples and a hunched figure had appeared before him at some unknown moment.

"Shang Tianjue, it really is your aura," the old man said calmly.

"Old dog, you're still alive, that's great," Shang Tianjue smiled.

Shentu Jin's eyes darkened instantly. "Old dog." It had been many years since he had heard such a derogatory term. Except for Shang Tianjue, no one dared to address him that way.

Nearby, five Golden Core cultivators from the Heaven Burning Sect hovered in mid-air. Hearing Shang Tianjue's voice, their pupils shrank.

Such aggressiveness. So this was Shang Tianjue, the "Overlord"?

"Ignorant child, I shall teach you how to respect your elders!" Shentu Jin growled, his hand striking downwards fiercely.

A gigantic hand, some five zhangs in height and of a dull yellow hue, rose from the ground, aiming to grasp Shang Tianjue.

"Five hundred years have passed, and you are still weak," Shang Tianjue sneered.

With a fierce stomp, the rushing river water instantly froze. The gigantic earthen hand was also covered in frost. Before it could even reach Shang Tianjue, it burst violently into pieces, dissipating into Spiritual Qi.

Shentu Jin's eyes widened slightly. He sensed something amiss. His attack, although not at full strength, had possessed fifty percent of his power. How could Shang Tianjue so easily break it?

Could it be...

Shentu Jin bellowed and conjured a small tower, his magic treasure. "Earth Spirit Tower, slay him!" The magic treasure swelled in size upon catching the wind, quickly growing to over thirty feet tall as it loomed over Shang Tianjue.

"A mere top-grade magic treasure…" Shang Tianjue scoffed. He watched the descending Earth Spirit Tower and hurled a powerful punch at it.

With a loud bang, the tower shattered into pieces!

Shentu Jin spat out a mouthful of blood, his shock profound. "Your physical cultivation level…!"

He pointed a finger, and his lifebound magic treasure immediately flew out to protect him. But he realized that Shang Tianjue's figure had already disappeared from its original spot.

Suddenly, screams echoed from behind him.

Shentu Jin whirled around to see that the five Golden Core cultivators had exploded into five clouds of blood mist twinkling with golden threads. The blood mist condensed, eventually forming a pill of flowing blood and golden light, which Shang Tianjue swallowed in one gulp.

"Five Golden Cores, not too shabby," Shang Tianjue's complexion glowed with a flush of vitality. He turned to Shentu Jin with a cold smile, "Old dog, I have long coveted your Nascent Soul."

Shentu Jin felt a chill crawl up his scalp. He realized it now—Shang Tianjue had ascended to the Nascent Soul realm! He had grossly underestimated his opponent's level.

His mind raced with this revelation, quickly coming to the conclusion that he had likely fallen into Shang Tianjue's trap. This was not a case of the lion fighting the rabbit but rather the predator feigning a pig to devour the tiger.

Without a second thought, Shentu Jin employed an escape technique, turning to flee. In his early days when he first entered the Golden Core realm, Shang Tianjue was already formidable enough to make all other Golden Cores in his sect cower.

Now, as a Nascent Soul, he could easily grind even a well-known Nascent Soul cultivator like him into the dirt!

Shang Tianjue's peerless talent was something Shentu Jin, once a Nascent Soul ancestor of the Nether Dao Sect, knew better than anyone else.

"Thinking of running? Too late!"

Shang Tianjue's chilling voice suddenly rang out from behind. Before Shentu Jin could react, he shockingly found that his heart had already been pierced through by a powerful hand.