A final wisp of thought flickered through Elder Peng's mind before his divine soul avatar shattered instantaneously.
The four brothers of the Colossal Stone Clan, who had been on the verge of death moments ago, now surged with vigor. Their enormous bodies darted about, reaping the lives of Emperor Realm powerhouses around them as casually as cutting down leeks.
These were all elite martial artists that the Storm Cult Master had brought from Myriad Abyss Island, yet the four Colossal Stone Clan brothers held an overwhelming advantage in strength.
Under their frenzied onslaught, one Emperor Realm warrior after another fell like wheat beneath a madly swinging scythe.
As for Elder Mo, though a flash of inspiration had driven him to flee from a relatively safe angle, the pressure at his back had not eased in the slightest.
Without warning, Elder Mo's hurtling body seized to a halt. A flash of panic crossed his eyes as an equally towering giant suddenly materialized directly ahead, swinging a colossal weapon down upon his head with devastating force, the momentum shaking heaven and earth.
"No good—an ambush!" Elder Mo sucked in a cold breath and moved to change direction.
But in that brief hesitation, several more figures converged on him from every direction.
"Old man, where do you think you're going?" A taunting voice drifted over from the side.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures erupted from the void in rapid succession—none other than the remaining four brothers of the Colossal Stone Clan. Led by Da Shi, they encircled Elder Mo completely.
The four brothers' combined formation instantly sealed off this stretch of the void. Elder Mo immediately felt the surrounding space grow oppressive, as though four great mountains had locked every exit tight.
Elder Mo's face drained of color. He frantically urged his escape technique, attempting to burst through in a single desperate charge. But it was already far too late.
The void sealed by the four brothers' combined power left no blind spots whatsoever. The space on all four sides was as solid as stone, without the faintest gap for him to slip through.
"How is this possible?" Elder Mo was genuinely stunned. How could all eight brothers of the Colossal Stone Clan be in the Glass Royal City?
Hadn't they gone with
Was Jiang Chen really that overconfident? He hadn't brought the Vermilion Bird Divine Avian, and he'd left behind every last one of the eight Colossal Stone Clan brothers as well? Was Jiang Chen not afraid that the Storm Cult's main force would strike at him in the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect?
Or had Jiang Chen already deduced that the Storm Cult had no main force at the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect in the first place?
But if Jiang Chen had known all along that the Storm Cult's main force wasn't at the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect, why bother going there at all?
A chill shot through Elder Mo's heart as a terrifying thought flashed through his mind: "Could it be that Jiang Chen had calculated all of this from the very beginning? He never went to the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect at all? The so-called journey to the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect was nothing but a false message planted by the Glass Royal City—a smokescreen designed to deceive the Storm Cult?"
A sudden chill crept down Elder Mo's spine. If that was the case, then Jiang Chen was truly terrifying.
The Storm Cult had feinted east while striking west, making an open show of repairing the gallery road while sneaking through Chencang, believing they could launch a surprise assault on the Glass Royal City. But perhaps the other side had seen through everything from the start and was simply waiting for them to walk into the trap.
Elder Mo's heart hammered faster, an inexplicable dread welling up inside him.
At that moment, the four Colossal Stone Clan brothers had drawn close. Da Shi let out a strange chuckle: "Old man, still thinking about running?"
Elder Mo's expression shifted again. He pushed his spiritual sense to its absolute limit, searching for a sliver of hope.
"Don't bother. There's no escape."
The speaker was not one of the four Colossal Stone Clan brothers, but a voice that came from far away.
That voice made Elder Mo's pupils contract violently once more. He turned toward the source and saw Jiang Chen sitting with perfect composure atop a nearby rise.
"You… you're Jiang Chen?" Elder Mo suddenly recalled something.
"You've got decent eyes. I heard that old man over there boasting earlier—you said you're from Myriad Abyss Island?" Jiang Chen regarded Elder Mo with a faint smile.
Elder Mo cursed inwardly. He had felt even before that Elder Peng had been too careless to announce their origins. Back then, they had held the upper hand, so revealing their background, while risky, hadn't seemed too outrageous. But at this stage, having their identities exposed could very well bring serious trouble. After all, there was still a ban in place on Myriad Abyss Island—cultivators from the island were forbidden from entering the Human Domain without authorization.
What's more, they hadn't merely smuggled a handful of individuals across this time. They had sent wave after wave of troops sneaking into the Human Domain in secret. If word of this reached Myriad Abyss Island, the Xiahou Clan would inevitably face censure and might even invite catastrophic consequences.
Though panic churned inside him, Elder Mo snorted coldly: "Myriad Abyss Island? What nonsense! I am a reclusive cultivator from the Upper Eight Domains. Jiang Chen, if you truly aspire to lead all of humanity, you should show respect to us elder hermits!"
Jiang Chen nearly laughed out loud. The old man was lying through his teeth with a straight face.
"If you really were a senior expert from the Human Domain, I would indeed show you proper courtesy. Unfortunately, you are not. And neither is your Storm Cult." Jiang Chen shook his head with a light sigh.
"Tell me—what faction from Myriad Abyss Island do you belong to?" Jiang Chen's tone was flat and unhurried.
Elder Mo still refused to admit it: "Jiang Chen, rudeness toward us reclusive elders is one thing, but inventing this Myriad Abyss Island excuse? Who doesn't know that Myriad Abyss Island and the Human Domain have no dealings whatsoever?"
The old man was determined to deny everything to the bitter end.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly: "I had originally intended to give you a chance to live—if you confessed. Since you insist on denying it to the last, then you've chosen to resist to the very end. So be it. I'll send you and that old man to reunite in the netherworld!"
"Kill him!"
Jiang Chen issued the cold command, his fury fully ignited this time. The actions of these Storm Cult members had completely crossed every line he had.