Ever since the cloaked figure appeared, Cao Jin had been like a puppet, utterly unable to resist, with not the slightest power to fight back.
By the time he finally stabilized his stance, his long hair had been severed clean at the roots. A chill breeze blew against the back of his head, flooding him with boundless rage and humiliation.
Yet no matter how fierce his anger or how overwhelming his sense of shame, he didn't even think of turning around.
He knew that if he looked back, only one word awaited him: death.
That mysterious cloaked figure could kill him with absolute ease.
How laughable that he'd threatened the other party with mutual destruction. Under the other's domain control, he was nothing but a lamb waiting for slaughter. If the figure could easily sever the hair at the back of his head, it could just as easily take his head.
In that moment, Cao Jin was equal parts humiliated and furious, yet he fled like a stray dog, scattering into the distance.
That mysterious cloaked figure was like a nightmare that had descended from nowhere—not only had it completely overturned his plans, but it had also thoroughly crushed his inflated sense of self-importance.
Hadn't he assumed that as a peak Saint Realm cultivator, he could run rampant through this fallen Myriad Phenomena Territory, doing whatever he pleased?
And Dangong Palace had never been known for its martial prowess in the Myriad Phenomena Territory.
So in his mind, Dangong Palace should have been a soft target, easy to push around.
Yet the very first "soft target" he tried to squeeze in the Myriad Phenomena Territory turned out to be a massive miscalculation. He'd kicked straight into an iron wall.
Not only had he failed to squeeze the soft target, he'd nearly gotten himself killed.
"Fortunately, that cloaked figure probably isn't from Dangong Palace. If he were, I doubt I'd live to see tomorrow."
Cao Jin felt both relieved and suspicious.
"Dangong Palace is just an obscure fourth-rate sect in the Myriad Phenomena Territory. Since when did they have such a powerful backer? An Imperial realm expert backing them?"
Cao Jin was deeply frustrated. He'd heard that the Myriad Phenomena Territory had no Imperial realm experts at all—that it was one of the weakest domains on the entire Divine Abyss Continent.
Yet the moment he arrived, he'd encountered an Imperial realm expert, and one who was far more powerful than himself.
If it had been an ordinary first-level Imperial realm cultivator, Cao Jin might not have been so afraid.
After all, he was one of the ten true inheritors of a First-Rank Sect, carrying countless treasures and boasting formidable strength.
But all his trump cards meant nothing before this mysterious cloaked figure—he hadn't even had a chance to use them. The other had simply deployed an Imperial domain and pinned him down completely.
Anyone who could wield an Imperial domain that effortlessly was, Cao Jin was certain, no mere first-level Imperial realm cultivator.
What shocked him most was that although the cloaked figure's entire body was undetectable, those deep eyes were remarkably clear—the person was obviously young!
This astounded Cao Jin even further.
Someone younger than himself who could wield an Imperial domain? Just the thought of it made Cao Jin's skin crawl.
"It must be my imagination. How could anyone be younger than me? I've seen plenty of top geniuses from the Upper Eight Domains—younger cultivators stronger than me exist, but not many. And which of them could wield an Imperial domain so effortlessly?"
Cao Jin turned the question over and over in his mind, but could find no answer.
As he was walking, someone came flying toward him at great speed. Cao Jin's expression shifted slightly at the sight—he didn't want to meet this person and turned to leave.
"Young Master Cao." The newcomer was none other than Wei Zikua, eleventh-rank Inspector of the Nine Suns Heavenly Sect. Seeing Cao Jin turn to flee, he quickly called out.
But Wei Zikua immediately understood why Cao Jin had been avoiding him.
At the sight of Cao Jin's hair—wildly disheveled, clearly sheared clean by some sharp blade—this normally elegant gentleman looked utterly wretched.
With Cao Jin's pride, he naturally didn't want Wei Zikua to see him in such a sorry state.
In that moment, Wei Zikua somewhat regretted calling out to Cao Jin.
"Young Master Cao, this... what happened?" Wei Zikua saw Cao Jin's dark expression and had no choice but to ask through gritted teeth.
"Inspector Wei, are you following me?" Cao Jin said, displeased.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." Wei Zikua waved his hands rapidly. "I was worried that Young Master Cao might act on impulse and forget the grand strategy the Sect has arranged."
"In Inspector Wei's eyes, is Cao the kind of person who disregards the big picture?" Cao Jin snapped, his frustration boiling over.
Inspector Wei cursed his own bad luck, deeply regretting his careless greeting. From the look of Cao Jin, he'd clearly taken a beating at Dangong Palace.
But that confused Wei Zikua. Among the six fourth-rate sects in the Myriad Phenomena Territory, Dangong Palace was universally acknowledged as the weakest in terms of martial strength.
This was common knowledge.
A century ago, Dangong Palace had had an ancient relic of an old palace master who had lived nearly two thousand years. His cultivation had been built up over the slow accumulation of years, barely reaching the ninth level of the Saint Realm.
But after that old palace master's lifespan was exhausted, Dangong Palace no longer had any Heavenly Saint-level experts.