Thousands of miles away in Maple Forest City, the hundreds of thousands of martial artists within its walls no longer wore the elated expressions of survivors. Instead, every face was pale with terror as they all stared in a single direction.
From that direction, violent energy fluctuations surged outward, accompanied by deafening booms that rolled across the land.
Duan Yuanshan, the Old Drunkard, Qin Chaoyang, and the various Dao Source Realm patriarchs from the major families all stood atop the city walls, their gazes piercing through the void as though trying to discern some clue.
"City Lord, who is fighting over there?" Liang Pengle, the Liang Family patriarch, asked in a startled voice.
Duan Yuanshan considered for a moment, then said, "On my way back, I encountered Lord Chen and two others from the Heavenly Martial Holy Land. It's likely their doing."
"Lord Chen Wenhao, who visited our Maple Forest City before?" Xin Gaojie, the Xin Family patriarch, narrowed his eyes.
"The very same!"
"Then who is their enemy?" Xin Gaojie's face was full of shock.
Chen Wenhao and the other two were all Emperor Realm powerhouses. With all three joining forces, they were still locked in a ferocious, earth-shattering battle with the unknown enemy, unable to secure victory in any short amount of time.
That spoke volumes about just how formidable the enemy was.
"I don't know!" Duan Yuanshan shook his head.
Yet in that very moment, an image of Yang Kai unaccountably surfaced in his mind.
When the seven Dao Source Realm experts had taken Qin Yu to repair the seal, things had gone wrong. Zhuang Pan had fled at the critical moment, the Black Tortoise Seven Severance Formation had collapsed on its own, Du Lishen had died on the spot, and Qin Chaoyang had been gravely wounded and knocked unconscious.
Yang Kai, corroded by demonic energy, had stood motionless, seemingly on the verge of becoming a demon...
It was entirely possible that Yang Kai had lost his mind and turned into a demon.
But with his foundation, even if he had become a demon, could he stand against three Emperor Realm experts?
Duan Yuanshan shook his head, dispelling the absurd notion.
Besides, the eerie ancient demonic energy had now vanished completely, and the creatures that had been corrupted by it had all returned to normal. Yang Kai should have been no different.
Rumble...
A clap of thunder suddenly cracked across the sky, and with that sound, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be drawn by some unseen force, converging rapidly toward a specific direction.
"What's happening?" Xin Gaojie was the first to react, looking in astonishment toward a particular spot within Maple Forest City.
Duan Yuanshan turned his head as well. After watching for a moment, his face broke into a wide grin. "Someone within the city is about to break through to the Dao Source Realm! Whose disciple is it?"
The patriarchs exchanged bewildered glances and slowly shook their heads, indicating it wasn't one of their own.
"Go see! This is an auspicious sign — a great fortune following the city's catastrophe!" Duan Yuanshan called out, channeling his Source Qi into his voice so that every martial artist in the city could hear him clearly.
As the city lord, his priority at a time like this was to stabilize public morale, and this breakthrough phenomenon gave him the perfect opportunity to do so.
Regardless of who was breaking through, triggering a shift in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at a moment like this could only be good news for the surviving martial artists of Maple Forest City.
Before long, the group had flown to the finest cave dwelling in the city.
Outside the dwelling, an elderly woman, a beautiful middle-aged woman, and a young girl stood quietly guarding the entrance.
"Miss Xiao Qi?" Duan Yuanshan glanced at the young girl, a look of mild surprise on his face.
It was perfectly natural that he recognized Mo Xiaoqi. After all, they had fought together against the demons and the siege of demonic energy. Although Mo Xiaoqi's cultivation was only at the Void King Realm, third stage, Duan Yuanshan hadn't held her in the slightest contempt.
During their time together, he had discovered that this young girl harbored a rather mysterious background and that her knowledge and techniques were extraordinarily profound.
Most crucially, Mo Xiaoqi looked no older than sixteen or seventeen!
A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old at the Void King Realm, third stage — even a major sect like the Heavenly Martial Holy Land probably couldn't produce such a talent. Only the Star God Palace would have that possibility!
For a time, Duan Yuanshan had even suspected that Mo Xiaoqi was a secret disciple of the Star God Palace!
He certainly wouldn't dare look down on her.
"City Lord Duan, esteemed seniors." Mo Xiaoqi offered a slight smile and greeted the group.
"Miss Xiao Qi. The person breaking through..." Duan Yuanshan cut straight to the point.
"It's Shopkeeper Kang of the Spirit Pill Workshop," Mo Xiaoqi replied without any intention of hiding it.
"Kang Siran?" Duan Yuanshan's face was a mask of disbelief, and the patriarchs of the other families all widened their eyes as though they had heard something utterly impossible.
The Spirit Pill Workshop was an enterprise of the Purple Source Trading Company, and the powerful figures residing in Maple Forest City naturally knew of it and knew of Kang Siran as well.
But... precisely because they knew him inside and out, their faces were filled with confusion.
How could Kang Siran possibly break through to the Dao Source Realm?
His martial path had already reached its end, his aptitude sufficient only to carry him to the Void King Realm, third stage. Not to say he could never advance to the Dao Source Realm in his lifetime, but his chances were one in ten thousand at best!
Hearing that it was Kang Siran who had triggered this phenomenon with his breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm, everyone was utterly astonished.
A strange flicker passed through Duan Yuanshan's eyes, and he suddenly laughed. "So it's Shopkeeper Kang! Then we must offer our sincere congratulations."
There was an unmistakable note of disappointment in his voice.
Kang Siran had always lived in Maple Forest City, but given his origins and status, he didn't truly belong to the city. His breakthrough therefore wouldn't do much for Maple Forest City — and that was the reason behind Duan Yuanshan's shift in mood.