In Haitang Court, Xu Lai stood on the second-floor balcony, staring blankly at the night sky. He had already sensed the situation at the foot of the mountain—a battle that any Martial Artist would consider a 'master duel'—yet he had no interest in even giving it a glance. Only the entity suppressed under the ruined Taoist Temple deep within Jiuye Mountain could spark a bit of his curiosity.

But suddenly, Xu Lai let out a light "huh," turning his gaze toward the foot of the mountain. He saw that the battle between Tan Chang and the Jiang Family's shadows had reached a fervent peak.

But Tan Chang was a Martial Ancestor, after all. A Seventh Grade Boundary might seem only half a step higher than the pinnacle of Sixth Grade, but in reality, it was a world of difference.

Of the ten shadows, three had already perished. Yet Tan Chang's clothes were merely torn, without a single scratch on him.

The reason Xu Lai's attention was drawn was that the remaining seven shadows of the Jiang Family were not panicked. Instead, with indifferent expressions, they shifted left and right, forming a circle that enclosed Tan Chang.

A massive surge of Spiritual Energy rushed in, and their Boundaries soared. Although they still hadn't crossed the Grandmaster threshold, their strength had increased tremendously compared to five minutes ago. At the same time, the room turned bitterly cold as the sounds of ghostly wails and wolf howls echoed, and pools of blood began to seep out from the ground.

This was the Blood Slaughter Array. It burned the lifespan and vital essence of its casters, all for a brief moment of peak power.

Xu Lai was quite familiar with this Formation. Ten thousand years ago, when he had eradicated the Ancient Demon Clan in the Eastern Immortal Domain, seven million demons had joined to form this very array. It was that battle that solidified Baize's position as the Second Divine General of the Heavenly Court. She was its top strategist, with a pair of wise eyes that could see through all illusions and lies in the world, even penetrating the human heart. Against the seemingly unstoppable Blood Slaughter Array, Baize had found its fatal weakness through her deductions. From then on, the Ancient Demon Clan collapsed under the Heavenly Court's siege. Except for a few demon lords who fled, the rest were annihilated.

How could a small family in the Hua Country on Earth, an abandoned Cultivation Planet in a corner of the Universe, have mastered the Blood Slaughter Array? Even if it is just a crude copy, with form but no spirit.

Now, under Xu Lai's careful observation, even the brand the Jiang Family used to control the shadows bore traces of the shape used by the Ancient Demon Clan to control their subjects. He then thought about how the Seventh Divine General, Chang Nian Gu—who had mastered the laws of both time and space and was an excellent cook—was also from Earth.

A smile touched Xu Lai's lips. He suddenly realized that Earth was far from as simple as he had imagined. This planet hid many secrets.

"Interesting."

Stretching lazily, Xu Lai figured the days ahead wouldn't be too monotonous.

...

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The seven shadows roared in unison. Having formed the Blood Slaughter Array, their strength now bordered on the absolute limit of the Sixth Grade peak. With all seven attacking simultaneously, even Tan Chang found it difficult to parry their blows.

Luckily for him, Tan Chang had once been a shadow. He was deeply familiar with their assassination techniques and methods of attack. Otherwise, a newly-promoted Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor might very well have been defeated by this trick.

The shadows flickered between the void and the pool of blood. Their hair rapidly turned white, a change that corresponded with a frenzied increase in their strength. Surrounded by the Blood Slaughter Array, Tan Chang was no longer as composed as before. His complexion grew grim, and he was now injured.

Amidst the bloodshed, Tan Chang stomped his foot in irritation. "You forced my hand! Void... Thorn!"

As he spoke, the entire building began to shake violently, and horrifying cracks spiderwebbed across the walls. Tan Chang had finally unleashed his ultimate move. A three-meter-long claw wreathed in black mist pierced out from the void.

But this was just the beginning.

In the upper three grades of the Martial Dao, practitioners no longer focused on tempering the body and cultivating inner strength, as they did in the six middle and lower grades. Instead, they focused on comprehending the Heavenly Dao and Divine Skills. After becoming a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor, Tan Chang had refined the Void Thorn into his Innate Divine Ability.

This claw of mist was no longer a sneak attack; it expanded rapidly and then exploded with a BANG.

BOOM!

Amidst the deafening roar, the seven shadows were sent flying backward, each spitting out a mouthful of blood. The Formation had been forcibly shattered.

Back in Haitang Court, Xu Lai withdrew his gaze with some disinterest.

In the end, it was just a flawed imitation, not even one-billionth as effective as the true Blood Slaughter Array. Otherwise, Tan Chang would have died long ago and would have never been able to break it.

Without the Formation, the shadows were no longer a match for Tan Chang. With their lifespans greatly diminished and bodies severely injured, the fight ended quickly.

"HUFF..."

Tan Chang leaned against the wall, gasping heavily. Although he had slit all the shadows' throats, the explosion of the Void Thorn had inflicted a considerable backlash on him. It was extremely difficult for high-level Martial Artists to get injured, but when they did, the wounds were rarely minor and required a long time to recover.

He cursed, "The Blood Slaughter Array that helped the Jiang Family establish a foothold in Yanjing is nothing special after all."

"I, Tan Chang, a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor."

"I'll remember this debt. One day, I will return to the Jiang Family and let you dogs know what true cruelty is!" Tan Chang gritted his teeth, swearing fiercely as he bandaged his wounds.

He looked toward Mount Haitang and whispered, "With Senior Flower Fairy's help, reaching the Eighth Grade is just a matter of time!"

Xu Lai was taken aback.

Who is this Flower Fairy? I've never heard Tan Chang mention her before, but she sounds quite formidable.

...

「The Ruan Family.」

In the main hall, the family patriarch, Ruan Su, was seated in the chair of honor, with his eldest and second sons standing on either side.

Ruan Yinshan looked deeply displeased, but he dared not show his anger and could only force a smile. His eldest daughter had been driven from the family, and his second daughter had left of her own volition. On top of the failed marriage alliance, he and his wife had been constantly belittled by his elder brother, Ruan Qingshan, and his sister-in-law in recent days.

"Father, did you know? Haitang Court has been bought for the sky-high price of five hundred million!" Ruan Qingshan began with a smile.

"I'm aware."

Ruan Su's expression was complicated. He was dead set on moving into the villa complex at the foot of Mount Haitang, so he naturally kept an eye on the Tower King.

"Father, I have a friend who can get us a one-day stay in Haitang Court," Ruan Qingshan said, his eyes narrowing.

"Really?" Ruan Su gripped the armrests of his chair, overwhelmed with joy.

Haitang Court had been known as the 'Tower King' ever since its construction. The summit of Mount Haitang had always been private property and never open to the public. Photography was forbidden, so few had ever seen the true face of Haitang Court.

If I could stay there for just one day—no, even just a few hours—I would be able to boast about it to my old friends for ages!

"Father, Ruan Jin arranged it through his friends. He said that although it wasn't easy, it would all be worth it if you were happy," Ruan Qingshan said cheerily.

"Hmm, good," Ruan Su nodded in satisfaction.

"Father, Haitang Court already has an owner. If we're discovered, I'm afraid..." Ruan Yinshan began hesitantly.

"Heh, Second Brother," Ruan Qingshan said dismissively. "Instead of worrying about such things, you should think about how to educate your two 'wonderful' daughters. Dad has been so irritated by them that he can't even sleep well these days. It's only thoughtful Ruan Jin who thinks of ways to make our father happy."

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