At Hundred Treasures Mountain in the Azure Cloud Region.
This vital logistics and supply base for the Li family, which controlled all the resources for the entire Azure Cloud Region and the Hall of Heavenly Principle's Light Division, was now facing its first invasion since its establishment.
A little over a dozen cultivators set foot on Hundred Treasures Mountain.
They were all from Skynet. Their leader was a peak Divinity Transformation expert who ranked fifth within the organization—Gu Yinming!
But the mountain was terrifyingly quiet.
"Stop! Just a few days ago, Hundred Treasures Mountain was bustling with cultivators. For it to be this quiet now… something isn't right!"
Gu Yinming was clad in black robes. The spiritual Qi around him flickered like burning black fire, and his gaunt frame radiated a sinister aura.
A black banner floated beside him, and several coffins trailed behind, marking him as an expert in controlling corpses and vengeful spirits.
His expression was grave as he raised a hand, halting the other members of Skynet in mid-air.
In an instant, he formed an incantation seal and activated a Primordial Spirit technique!
"Wandering souls of the eight directions, hear my command and appear!"
From all around, ghostly apparitions materialized in the air.
Gu Yinming began to question the spirits.
One of the spirits trembled as it answered, "Great Immortal, starting in the early hours of this morning, the immortal masters of Hundred Treasures Mountain began to depart one after another. I am but a lonely spirit. How would I be qualified to know the business of the immortal masters on this mountain?"
A thousand wandering ghosts, and not one of them could offer a clear explanation.
Just as Gu Yinming and the other Skynet agents were at a loss, a jade slip rose into the air from Hundred Treasures Mountain.
Golden characters appeared before their eyes.
[Gu Yinming, peak Divinity Transformation cultivator. Years ago, in Twinroads Prefecture, you brought disaster upon the mortal world, slaughtering an entire city to refine your Soul Banner. You were captured by the Imperial Capital's Immortal Enforcement Department and imprisoned for a thousand years. With Prince Qian's aid, you escaped your confinement.]
With his past laid bare, Gu Yinming's expression flickered between anger and shock.
A deep, resonant voice echoed from within Hundred Treasures Mountain!
"Get out of the Azure Cloud Region. Get out of the Eternal Sun and Duravia Trade Prefectures. From now on, when you see a member of my Li family, you will perform the nine kowtows. Otherwise…"
"You have lived for twenty thousand years. For the next thirty thousand, I will have you share the fate of the spirits in your Soul Banner—and never see the light of day again!"
The voice faded.
Through the lingering traces of spiritual power in the voice, Gu Yinming clearly sensed a young man sitting in the grand hall of Hundred Treasures Mountain—
Li Kuangren of the Li family!
That Li Kuangren was calmly drinking tea while a beautiful woman brewed more at his side—a perfect immortal couple who would remain unruffled even if Mount Tai were to collapse before them!
"My lord, there are only two of them, and they are both at the Nascent Soul realm! That Li Kuangren is at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and the woman has only just entered it. She must be his wife, Feng Mi. This is a psychological tactic—they're just trying to scare us!"
But Gu Yinming remained hesitant. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he recalled the series of explosions that had just echoed from the distant sky.
After a long moment of thought, he gritted his teeth. Ignoring the other cultivators at his side, he turned with a grim expression, ready to depart.
But as he turned, his expression soured.
Inside the grand hall of Hundred Treasures Mountain, Li Kuangren suddenly paused. He slowly set down his teacup, raised his head, and looked out from the hall as if his gaze were fixed directly on him!
A slow, leisurely voice echoed out.
"I said that when you see a member of my Li family, you are to perform the nine kowtows. You haven't bowed yet ."
"I…"
Gu Yinming clenched his fists. In his day, the mere mention of his name had struck terror into the hearts of the people of Twinroads Prefecture. Even in all his years of imprisonment, he had never suffered such humiliation!
How dare this Li family brat, a mere peak Nascent Soul cultivator, humiliate him like this?!!
And then, Gu Yinming stared at the calm, unconcerned young man in the grand hall. He bent at the waist… and bowed.
After completing the bow, he departed without looking back.
The other Skynet agents hurried after him. "Lord Gu… this…"
"Leave!"
Gu Yinming's expression was frantic. "A thousand years have passed; my past should have been long forgotten. The only ones who know are the Azure Dynasty's Immortal Enforcement Department! They've probably already reported this. Trap or no trap, if I'm delayed here, the Immortal Enforcement Department could show up!"
"We leave at once!"
However, a moment after Gu Yinming had departed, the jade slip that had just vanished reappeared, floating in the air.
The deep, arrogant voice of Li Kuangren echoed across the empty skies of Hundred Treasures Mountain.
"Hmph. Gu Yinming, what audacity. You have one more chance."
…
There was only silence.
After 15 minutes, "Gu Yinming, it seems you have a death wish!"
Inside the grand hall, Feng Mi, who was brewing the tea, was drenched in sweat, and Li Kuangren's hand, holding his teacup, trembled slightly. His expression, however, remained as placid as ever.
"Kuangren… are… are they gone yet?"
Hearing this, Li Kuangren's eyes darted to a bronze mirror at his side, which displayed the now-empty skies above Hundred Treasures Mountain.
Li Kuangren let out one final shout.
Then, he sent a voice transmission to Feng Mi. "We'll talk in an hour. He's at the peak of the Divinity Transformation realm. If he really decided to attack, it would be best to avoid a fight."
Meanwhile, hidden beneath the various formations of Hundred Treasures Mountain, cultivators from the Azure Cloud Region lay in wait. Their expressions were tense, yet held the grim resolve of those unafraid of a great battle.
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