"Excellent, victory!"
"Taiyi Holy Land is invincible!"
"Holy Son is invincible!"
As the last enemy fell to Xu Chuan's blade, a tsunami-like cheer erupted from Taiyi Holy Land.
They celebrated Taiyi Holy Land, they celebrated Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan, with his own might, had brought this farce to a complete end.
At this moment, he was the god in everyone's hearts!
With Xu Chuan here, Taiyi Holy Land would never face trouble!
"Well done!"
"Hahaha!"
Xuan Sa was overjoyed.
Anyone would be proud to see such an exceptional talent emerge under their leadership.
Xuan Sa was no exception.
Unable to contain his excitement, the Holy Lord himself stepped forward and embraced Xu Chuan.
Xue Sanjian and Zhu Rufeng stared at the scene as if they had seen a ghost.
It had been years since they had seen Xuan Sa act this way.
But they soon understood.
Since becoming the Holy Lord of Taiyi, Xuan Sa had shouldered too many responsibilities.
Though Taiyi Holy Land appeared to be the foremost in the Eastern Domain, basking in glory,
countless petty and troublesome matters lay hidden beneath the surface, awaiting his attention.
Not only were many forces in the Eastern Domain eyeing Taiyi Holy Land's position, eager to usurp it,
but there was also the lurking threat of demon invasion, which Taiyi Holy Land was tasked with guarding against.
Given Xuan Sa's talent, he should not have remained at the peak of the Half-Emperor realm.
However, to protect Taiyi Holy Land, he had abandoned his aspirations of traveling further in Xuantian and breaking through to the next level.
For countless years, day in and day out, he had guarded Taiyi Holy Land.
Yet, everyone harbored a desire to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and break through to the Emperor realm, and Xuan Sa was no different.
Now, Xu Chuan's arrival had not only made him stronger,
but had also brought him the opportunity to break through to the Emperor realm.
He was immensely grateful to Xu Chuan.
His actions were perfectly understandable.
After giving Xu Chuan a firm hug, Xuan Sa realized his behavior might have been inappropriate and released him.
With a smile on his face, he said, "If only your master wasn't in seclusion, he would be even more excited than I am!"
"Good lad, you haven't shamed us!"
"From now on, if you claim second in Xuantian, who would dare claim first?"
Even after some time had passed, Xuan Sa was still in awe of Xu Chuan's strength.
He was simply too powerful!
He even doubted whether he, after breaking through to the first-order Emperor realm, could defeat Xu Chuan!
After all, the power displayed by Li Yan and Hou Qinglin after their fusion far surpassed that of an ordinary first-order Emperor.
Yet, Xu Chuan had still managed to cut them down.
"The Holy Lord is too kind!"
Xu Chuan replied humbly.
These were but empty titles, and he cared not for them.
As long as he grew stronger himself, what could he not obtain?
Xu Chuan understood this perfectly and had no interest in chasing fame or fortune.
However,
after today's battle, Taiyi Holy Land's reputation had been thoroughly established.
Furthermore, it had dealt a severe blow to the martial arts world of the Central Domain.
From this day forward, no one would dare to covet the Emperor's opportunity or plot against Taiyi Holy Land.
Otherwise, they would have to face Xu Chuan's utterly ruthless methods!
"Holy Lord, since the matter is concluded, I shall take my leave!"
"I had a few insights during the recent battle, and I must go into seclusion to digest them!"
Xu Chuan stated.
The battle just now had been the most exhilarating he had fought since his rise!
He had not only exerted his full learning to its limits but had also become more adept at applying martial arts rules.
However, to say he had insights was a pretense.
The real reason he was eager to return was that when he had killed Li Yan, he had taken the opportunity to perform a soul-searching technique on his nascent soul.
From it, he had obtained something that greatly piqued his interest!
He was impatient to study it!
If his suspicions were correct, his strength could be further enhanced.
This was why he was so keen to return to seclusion.
"Very well, you may go. Don't delay. We are here to handle things!"
Xuan Sa nodded.
Xu Chuan had already done more than enough.
The subsequent matters were for him to handle.
He looked down, observing the disciples and elders of Taiyi Holy Land already beginning to clear the battlefield.
With so many cultivators having perished here, their bodies naturally needed to be collected.
Moreover, these cultivators were not weak, and the items they carried, though beneath Xu Chuan's notice, were undeniably valuable treasures for the disciples below!
Thus, they were both cleaning and scavenging.
With Xuan Sa's permission, Xu Chuan nodded, preparing to depart.
"Ah!"
Just then, a scream drew everyone's attention.
A disciple, it seemed, had stepped on something.
A bloody pattern appeared beneath his feet.
He was engulfed by a stream of crimson light.
His body began to melt, starting from his feet.
Upon witnessing this, the disciple's face contorted with terror.
"Your Highness, Holy Lord, save me!"
He reached out, pleading for help from Xu Chuan and the others.
Xu Chuan frowned and, with a pull, yanked the disciple out of the crimson light.
However, his legs had already vanished completely.
Looking at these bloody patterns, Xu Chuan felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
"Everyone, withdraw from this area!"
Seeing this, Xuan Sa hastily ordered those cleaning the battlefield to retreat.
The disciples, witnessing the tragic state of their companion, dared not linger and quickly fled.
"What is happening?"
Xuan Sa asked with a furrowed brow.
Why would such strange occurrences appear at the sacred gates of Taiyi Holy Land?
These bloody patterns were clearly not a good omen.
"Unclear."
Xue Sanjian and Zhu Rufeng also approached, examining the patterns with grim expressions.
And as the first pattern appeared, more and more of them began to manifest across the ground.
The corpses on the ground rapidly dissolved, turning into pools of blood, which were absorbed by the patterns.
With the absorption of the blood, the red light emanating from the patterns intensified.
As all the patterns lit up, Xu Chuan suddenly understood why they felt so familiar.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was a formation!
He had seen a similar formation in the tomb of the demon Han Feng.
That had been a Blood Refining Array, originating from the Demon Race.
As for the formation before him, Xu Chuan could not ascertain its purpose.
But it was definitely related to the Demon Race!
Suddenly,
Xu Chuan recalled the rumors spread in the Central Domain about him possessing the Emperor's opportunity.
And the earlier accounts of demon invasion he had seen from others.
Connecting these two, it was as if a hidden hand was orchestrating everything!
Could it be?
Xu Chuan stopped, carefully observing the formation.
Boom!
At this moment, all the patterns of the formation blazed to life.
A monstrous torrent of blood-red light shot towards the sky.
It surged outwards, beyond the Xuantian Continent.
"Not good!"
Xu Chuan's expression tightened, and he immediately moved to stop the crimson light.
But it was already too late.
The crimson light struck the world barrier that protected the Xuantian Continent.
In mere moments, the barrier, which even chaotic primordial energy could not breach, was eroded by the crimson light.
Soon, a colossal passage appeared above the Xuantian Continent.
Through the passage, a vast amount of demonic energy poured into Xuantian.
"Hahaha, the great plan is achieved!"
Upon witnessing this scene,
from beneath their feet, a figure clad in black robes burst forth from the earth, laughing maniacally.