Qian Tong, as the Grand Elder of Shadow Moon Hall, had commanded tremendous prestige within the organization for many years. The old Hall Master spent most of his time in seclusion, hoping to penetrate the supreme mysteries of the Void King Realm, which meant that within Shadow Moon Hall, Qian Tong was essentially the equivalent of half a Hall Master.
On top of that, his own cultivation was extremely high, and Xie Chen had always been deeply wary of him.
Now, upon suddenly seeing Qian Tong appear, Xie Chen instinctively took several steps back, his face paling with alarm.
However, he quickly steadied himself, his expression turning vicious.
True, ten years ago he had been no match for Qian Tong — after all, his cultivation had been a full stage below — but now…
He drove out the deep-seated fear of Qian Tong that had taken root in his heart, replacing it with eagerness for a fight.
"Hm? Are we home already?" Qian Tong stepped out of the vortex and immediately spotted Tianyun City not far away. He burst into hearty laughter. "Finally home! I was bored to death in that wretched place."
Inside the Mysterious Realm Bead, everything had been peaceful and the spiritual energy was rich, but something had been missing that Qian Tong simply couldn't get used to.
Now, upon returning to his homeland and arriving once more at Tianyun City, Qian Tong's spirits soared.
"Good, good, good! Chang'er, Xuan'er, it's been years. Your cultivation has improved nicely — you're almost at the Void Return Stage Two, I see… Hmm? How did you get hurt?" Qian Tong's face darkened, thunderous fury materializing across his features. "Who did this to you?"
He still wasn't entirely clear on the situation at hand.
Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er stared at Qian Tong in a daze, unable to come back to their senses for a long time. After a good while, the two of them dropped to their knees at Qian Tong's feet with a thud.
"Elder Qian! Your disciple has failed your trust. I could not protect Shadow Moon Hall. Please punish me, Elder!" Wei Guchang pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice trembling as he shouted.
"Please punish me, Master!" Dong Xuan'er also prostrated herself on the ground, weeping softly.
Even when facing enemies several times their number, even on the brink of death, the two junior siblings hadn't so much as furrowed a brow. But now, upon seeing Qian Tong appear, their iron wills finally crumbled — like wronged children seeing a parent.
By now Qian Tong had realized something was wrong. His cold gaze swept the surroundings, lingering briefly on Xie Chen. He had a vague suspicion but didn't pursue it immediately. Instead, he raised a hand and lifted Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er to their feet with a wave of energy, speaking in a deep voice: "Stand up and tell me. Shadow Moon Hall… what happened?"
Qian Tong's expression was calm — yet it was the calm before a coming storm, filling the air with an inexplicable sense of suffocating oppression.
"Shadow Moon Hall… has been destroyed." Wei Guchang's voice was heavy with anguish.
"Destroyed?" Qian Tong's face darkened. "Who did this? Tell me everything."
"Yes!" Wei Guchang nodded respectfully and proceeded to explain the upheaval that had befallen Shadow Moon Hall in detail.
Two years ago, an enormous upheaval had suddenly struck the entire Dark Star. A mysterious power had surfaced, ruthlessly suppressing every major sect and clan on the planet. Those who refused to submit were exterminated without mercy. In an instant, the entire Dark Star was awash in blood and carnage. Countless cities were reduced to ruins overnight. Hundreds of millions of lives perished. Wailing filled the air on all sides. Corpses piled into mountains, and blood flowed in rivers.
Soon, the dark claws of that mysterious power reached toward Shadow Moon Hall. Before the might of this evil, the higher-ups of Shadow Moon Hall had no idea which way to turn.
Shadow Moon Hall had always been divided into two factions — a split that had already become apparent back when Qian Tong was still on the Dark Star. In the face of crisis, this division only grew more severe.
In the end, the faction advocating surrender, led by Xie Chen, prevailed.
Xie Chen and his followers launched a sneak attack on the old Hall Master and several leaders of the pro-war faction, inflicting devastating casualties and tearing Shadow Moon Hall apart.
Overnight, Shadow Moon Hall changed hands, and Xie Chen became its new Hall Master, pledging submission to that mysterious power.
The high-ranking martial artists who had once supported Qian Tong were almost all hunted down and killed. Fei Zhitu, who had been in Tianyun City, was imprisoned.
Only a handful of Shadow Moon Hall's elites managed to escape. The night before the incident, the old Hall Master — who had sensed something was coming — summoned Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er and ordered them to leave Shadow Moon Hall with the sect's supreme treasure, the Heavenly Moon Silver Disc.
For the past two years, the two had been living under assumed names, traveling from place to place in desperate hardship.
The reason they had come to the vicinity of Tianyun City on this trip was to rescue Fei Zhitu.
Xie Chen had spread word that today, the still-unsubmissive Fei Zhitu would be publicly beheaded in Tianyun City as a warning to others. That was why Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er had no choice but to show up.
Even knowing full well it was a trap, the two had plunged in without a moment's hesitation.
"The old Hall Master is dead? Old Fei is imprisoned?" Qian Tong's face was as dark as a blanket of storm clouds, and anyone could feel his sky-high fury.
"What about the Lingxiao Sect?" Yang Kai asked in a low voice. "Shadow Moon Hall suffered such a catastrophe — did the Lingxiao Sect not lend a hand?"
If the Lingxiao Sect truly hadn't lifted a finger, he would be sorely disappointed.
Back when Yang Kai had been in trouble, Qian Tong and Fei Zhitu had helped him on more than one occasion. The fact that Fei Zhitu's realm had fallen was partly related to Yang Kai as well.
However, thinking it through carefully, Ye Xiyun was stationed at the Lingxiao Sect, and given her temperament, it was impossible that she would simply stand by and do nothing.