"Something big has happened!"
"Oh no!"
"Disaster is coming!"
An elder from the Donglin Sect's Intelligence Department rushed into the master's practice area, his face pale with panic.
"Master, Snow Mountain Palace has been annihilated. The entire Eastern Region has been shaken. Should we send people to investigate?"
"What?!"
Elder Wang He, who was still present, widened his eyes in disbelief.
"How is that possible? Snow Mountain Palace is a force second only to the Six Holy Lands. It follows the body-refining path, something unique in the Eastern Region. It's located in a remote area and rarely provokes powerful enemies. How could it be wiped out?"
"It's absolutely true!"
"Not a single chicken or dog was spared!"
"The Snow Mountain Palace is completely empty!"
Hiss!
Elder Jiang felt his scalp go numb. A name surfaced in his mind—the Green Bull Demon Lord who had escaped from the Yin Ruins.
Fear flashed through his eyes.
He had expected chaos to descend upon the Eastern Region one day… but not this fast.
"Are we sending people?" someone asked.
Immortal Sect.
Zhenwu Sect.
Goddess Sect.
Experts from various factions were already rushing toward the scene.
"Go."
Chu Xun spoke in a deep voice.
The destruction of Snow Mountain Palace was an earth-shaking event. Donglin Sect could not remain absent.
He also knew clearly—at this moment, the only one Donglin Sect could send was himself.
"I'll go personally."
Elder Wang He hesitated.
"Why not stay out of this? Snow Mountain Palace is already destroyed. Even if we go now, it's too late to change anything."
"It doesn't matter," Chu Xun replied calmly.
"I just need to confirm something."
…
…
Snow Mountain Palace.
The north wind roared.
Snow fell endlessly.
Above the ruins stood one powerful figure after another, hands clasped behind their backs, silently overlooking the devastated land below. A sense of unease and desolation filled the air.
"It's really over…"
The master of Xuanwang Palace sighed, sorrow flickering in his eyes.
Though he and the Snow Mountain Palace master had been old rivals, they respected one another's integrity. Now, that old rival was gone—leaving only loss behind.
"The Green Bull Demon Lord has truly returned," the leader of Fuyue Sect said grimly, fear hidden deep in his gaze.
His faction was comparable to Snow Mountain Palace. Neither possessed a saint. Seeing such a force erased overnight sent chills through his spine.
Swish—swish—swish!
Figures arrived one after another.
They were the top powers of the Eastern Region—forces that governed territories and protected regions, just like Snow Mountain Palace. Now, witnessing its destruction, all of them felt a looming crisis.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, overwhelming auras descended.
Lu Nantian of Zhenwu Sect.
Qin Yu of the Immortal Dao Sect.
Dana of the Shenxing Sect.
Chu Yaoyao of the Goddess Palace.
Xiao Wuchang of Tianji Palace.
The Six Holy Lands arrived almost simultaneously.
Instantly, panic among the crowd subsided. Hope surged in their eyes, as if they had finally found their backbone.
Then—
"Bo."
Chu Xun of Donglin Sect stepped out of nothingness.
Reactions varied. Some were surprised. Some were quietly relieved. No one mentioned Xiao Rongyu—Chu Xun's cultivation was higher, and his voice carried equal weight.
"Hm?"
Chu Xun frowned slightly.
Though immune to heat and cold at his level, he felt an eerie chill here—not from the weather, but from the lingering murderous aura that had destroyed Snow Mountain Palace.
Biting.
Bone-deep.
A great sect.
Three Human Emperors.
Dozens of Venerables.
Countless princes and Dharma Realm cultivators.
Wiped out overnight.
Bloodstains still lingered in the sky.
"It's him."
"That's right."
Chu Xun narrowed his eyes.
He had come to confirm this—and now he was certain.
He had seen that red cauldron once in Tianyun Kingdom. The residual aura here was identical.
The other Holy Land masters reached the same conclusion, their pupils contracting.
"It's definitely the Green Bull Demon Lord!"
The leader of Fuyue Sect spoke urgently,
"The Six Holy Lands have ruled the Eastern Region for years. Now the Demon Cult has resurfaced—please discuss countermeasures and join forces against it!"
Join forces?
Lu Nantian.
Qin Yu.
Chu Yaoyao.
They stood silently in the air.
They almost wanted to laugh.
In the Yin Ruins, the Green Bull Demon Lord—sealed for hundreds of years, weakened to the extreme—had still forced eight peak Human Emperors into retreat.
Now?
He had sacrificed countless lives.
Facing him again would mean only one thing—death.
"This matter is beyond our control," Lu Nantian said coldly.
The leaders of Xuanwang Palace and Fuyue Sect felt their hearts sink.
"If we're all slaughtered by the Green Bull Demon Lord," someone shouted angrily,
"do you really think the Six Holy Lands will escape then?!"
The master of Tianji Palace spoke calmly,
"What's the rush? The Green Bull Demon Lord already has his opponent. We only need to protect ourselves."
"What do you mean?"
Confusion spread.
Then—
An overwhelming pressure descended.
Time froze.
Space solidified.
Even Human Emperors—most of them above the seventh realm—felt suffocated.
They stared in horror as an old man holding a Heavenly Secret Plate emerged from nothingness.
"Saint!"
"Saint!"
Even Chu Xun's pupils shrank.
The Saint of the Eastern Region had appeared.
"Greetings, Senior!"
Following Xiao Wuchang's bow, the leaders of all major forces awakened from their shock and hurriedly saluted, fear and awe intermingling.
"Hm."
The old man nodded gently and stepped forward, stopping above Snow Mountain Palace.
He tossed the Heavenly Secret Plate into the air.
Boom!
It expanded and pressed downward, as if overturning the heavens.
Only then did everyone see its true form.
The front was engraved with the Innate Eight Trigrams and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.
The back depicted the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and lakes.
It contained heaven and earth itself.
Residual blood and qi were absorbed into the plate. The pointer spun wildly—then abruptly locked onto a single direction.
"Everyone," the saint said gently,
"it's time to act."
Rainbow lights flashed.
Saintly figures hidden in the void surged forth, racing toward the direction indicated by the Heavenly Secret Plate.
Shua—shua—shua!
The masters of Xuanwang Palace, Fuyue Sect, and the other top forces were horrified.
Saints had already been here—watching from the shadows.
And now—
The hunt had begun.