"Remnant Night Demon Sect?!"
Looking at those four blood-red characters hanging in the sky, the head of the Zi family, along with Zi Ling's parents and even her grandfather, all had their expressions change drastically, the terror in their eyes instantly reaching its peak.
Because all of them knew what the Remnant Night Demon Sect represented. It was once the number one demonic sect in the Eastern Sea, so powerful that no force could match it. Even the current Immortal Execution Archipelago was no match for the Remnant Night Demon Sect.
In its heyday, the Remnant Night Demon Sect had been at the height of its power. Setting aside the inconceivably powerful Sect Master, even the Demon Sect's four great Protectors each possessed strength on par with the sect masters of other peak forces.
Back then, the Eastern Sea had truly belonged to the Remnant Night Demon Sect. No force dared stand against them.
Until one day, the Sect Master suddenly died, and the four great Protectors turned on each other in a struggle for the position of Sect Master, tearing the sect apart from within. That colossus which had dominated the Eastern Sea for thousands of years finally relinquished its throne as overlord.
But despite the Remnant Night Demon Sect's collapse, everyone knew that the people of the Remnant Night Demon Sect remained the most feared individuals in the Eastern Sea.
In the Eastern Sea, no force was willing to casually provoke anyone from the Remnant Night Demon Sect, because anyone who did would be met with their frenzied retribution.
Even the Eastern Sea's most powerful current forces did not wish to offend the Remnant Night Demon Sect, because the four surviving Protectors were still extraordinarily terrifying existences. Fortunately, they were at odds with one another — had they joined forces, even the ever-strengthening Immortal Execution Archipelago might not have been their match.
And this black-robed elder before them possessed such terrifying strength. He was clearly no ordinary member of the Remnant Night Demon Sect. The fact that they had been disrespectful to him moments ago filled them with dread.
With a thud, the head of the Zi family suddenly dropped to one knee in midair, kowtowing and bowing to the black-robed elder, frantically apologizing: "I was blind and ignorant, unaware that the Senior hailed from the Remnant Night Demon Sect. Please, Senior, show your magnanimity and spare my family."
"Spare us, Senior! Spare us!"
At the same time, Zi Ling's parents also dropped to one knee in midair, apologizing to the black-robed elder in unison.
Watching her parents and this so-called family head, Zi Ling raised her slender eyebrows, a flash of contempt crossing her eyes.
She had never imagined that people of the Martial Lord realm could be so spineless. Before the weak, they acted as though they were invincible, strutting about with an air of superiority. Yet before the truly powerful, they would kowtow and grovel. Even if such people possessed strength, they were destined to achieve nothing of significance.
It had to be said that Zi Ling, who already held an extremely poor impression of the Zi family, now found her opinion of her own family to be even lower.
"Hmph. Trash is trash. It will be trash for the rest of its life."
"Relax, I won't kill you. You don't even have the qualification to die at my hands."
"However, seeing you loyal dogs of the Immortal Execution Archipelago, I can't help but say one thing — don't think that just because the Immortal Execution Archipelago currently reigns supreme over the Eastern Sea, it is truly invincible. There are plenty of people out there who can deal with them."
"Now scram. Speaking with trash like you is a complete waste of breath and beneath my dignity."
With a cold snort from the black-robed elder, the world around them shifted. In an instant, the sea of blood vanished, the bones disappeared, and the endless night gave way once more to clear skies stretching for ten thousand miles. The black-robed elder had vanished as well.
"Family Head, that old man's strength was too terrifying. Could it be that he was the one who killed the Sacred Flame Divine Bird? Could he be...?" Zi Ling's father asked after rising to his feet, his face still pale with lingering fear.
But the head of the Zi family did not answer after standing. Instead, he first wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then said to Zi Ling's mother, "Quick, we need to leave this place immediately. Return to the Eastern Sea at once."
The scene the Zi family had encountered, Chu Feng knew nothing of. At this moment, he stood atop the Void Tower, gazing in the direction where Zi Ling and the others had disappeared, his heart a tangled mess of emotions.
He still did not fully understand the Immortal Execution Archipelago, but just thinking about the fact that it was the Eastern Sea's supreme power — a force so mighty that even Martial Lord-level members of the Zi family treated it with utter reverence — gave him at least some idea of its terrifying strength.
Four years. Four years was far too tight a timeframe. If he truly had to face that colossal power in four years, his chances of victory could only be described as infinitesimally slim. But no matter what, he would do everything in his power to strengthen himself. Even if there was only the slimmest sliver of hope, he would seize it and never let go.
"Chu Feng, are you alright?" Zhang Tianyi's voice suddenly came from behind.
Turning around, he saw Zhang Tianyi, Qi Fengyang, Jiang Hengyuan, and the Demon Monkey King flying toward him. In the blink of an eye, they landed at the base of the Void Tower and asked after Chu Feng with worried expressions.
In response to their questions, Chu Feng did not hide anything, recounting the full truth without omission.
Upon learning the truth, everyone began to console Chu Feng, urging him to let go of Zi Ling. They all felt that against such a colossal power, Chu Feng had virtually no hope. Rather than missing Zi Ling endlessly, it would be better to release his attachment — after all, a long pain was worse than a short one.
But to their words, Chu Feng simply offered a faint smile and did not answer. He knew they meant well, but his mind was made up and nothing would sway it.
Because he knew that with Zi Ling's personality, she would absolutely follow through on what she said. So in four years, no matter what, he had to go. Even if, by then, he was still as weak as an ant and going would be tantamount to walking to his death, he had to go. He could not let Zi Ling die alone, all for his sake.
Moreover, though the future looked bleak, there was indeed a sliver of hope in Chu Feng's heart. Not for any other reason, but because of the Divine Thunder within his body. This Divine Thunder had an enormous appetite — so enormous that it had made Chu Feng suffer endlessly.
But given sufficient cultivation resources, the Divine Thunder could cause Chu Feng's cultivation to skyrocket in an incredibly short time.
And right now, the Emperor Tomb was an opportunity. Even at the outer perimeter of the Emperor Tomb, there were Essence Pools and treasures like the Ice and Fire Beads. Who knew what kinds of treasures might lie in the inner regions — perhaps even cultivation wonders that Chu Feng had never even heard of.
Several more days passed, and the ruler of the Jiang Dynasty finally descended upon Qingzhou, arriving at the Void Sect. Accompanying the ruler, however, were numerous experts from the Jiang Dynasty.
Just like Jiang Hengyuan, there were no fewer than nine individuals at the seventh level of the Heaven Martial realm — a number comparable to the old ancestor of the Spirit World Association, the genius Gu Tianchen, who had been famous across the Nine Provinces Continent a century ago.
This was proof enough that the Jiang Dynasty was indeed powerful. At the very least, on the Nine Provinces Continent, it was unrivaled.