Azure Cloud Prefecture.
The Hundred-Slaughter Star Lord, Zu Ren, stood atop a high mountain, looking down at the city below.
It was Solaria City, the very location of the Azure Cloud Li Clan's City of Merit.
Peering through space, He saw a red leaf hovering above Solaria City; within that red leaf lay the City of Merit.
Behind Him stood three men and one woman, the Four Generals of Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Light whom He had brought into Azure Cloud Prefecture.
The Wind Immortal was clad in light gauze that barely concealed her graceful figure.
Looking like such a gentle and beautiful woman, who would have guessed that she was a General of the Immortal Court's Thunder Department?
She looked down at Solaria City. "Star Lord, the Azure Cloud City of Merit is right here."
As her words fell, the Four Generals could hardly conceal the murderous intent and excitement in their eyes.
This was their first battle under the command of the Hundred-Slaughter Star Lord since their revival, and also their first battle to rebuild the Immortal Court.
However, they suddenly furrowed their brows as the Hundred-Slaughter Star Lord turned around without hesitation. "Wait."
The Fire Immortal had a violent temper.
"Star Lord, what are we waiting for? Within the Grandhaven Immortal Domain, we have long heard that the Li Clan is prone to madness.
If we slaughter our way through the Li Clan a few times and then retreat, we can lay an inescapable net within the Immortal Domain!"
Conversely, the Lightning Immortal remained calm.
"The Li Clan is not to be underestimated. Upon entering Azure Cloud, we found that the Li Clan has actually mastered the heaven and earth karmic luck of this place.
The traitorous Red Dust Immortal is now in the Eternal Immortal Sect, treating the red dust of the Southern Frontier as his own red dust to further his advancement.
He will certainly come to their rescue. Although the Human Race is exhausted, immortal qi still lingers within the City of Merit.
It is difficult for us to peer inside; we absolutely must not act rashly."
"Killing them is meaningless."
Zu Ren's words made the Four Generals turn their heads, only to see the Hundred-Slaughter Star Lord stroking His beard, His gaze profound.
Zu Ren looked straight ahead, as if He could see through everything.
"The Human Race has risen to prominence, but those with true prospects are exceedingly few; Min Tiange is one of them.
In his view, only two people in the Li Clan are worthy of his attention: one is a junior named Li Xinnian, and the other is the Li Clan's Old Ancestor."
"In my view, the Li Clan's Old Ancestor is the foremost. This person possesses the rules of both time and space, and rumor has it that he possesses the means to resurrect from the dead."
The Four Generals felt their breath hitch. They were also aware of this matter.
Min Tiange was already terrifying enough; his Dao of Light and Shadow made his tracks hard to find, and even Mahayana experts couldn't catch him.
Yet, even a person like that couldn't catch the Li Clan's Old Ancestor.
Zu Ren continued, "The Li Clan's Old Ancestor has led the Azure Cloud Li Clan to where it is today. He is the one who guides the spirit and resolve of the entire Li Clan.
To destroy the Li Clan, we must kill the Li Clan's Old Ancestor, and we will only have one chance."
"A person even Min Tiange couldn't eliminate..." The Wind Immortal furrowed her brows tightly.
Although she despised Min Tiange's status as a half-immortal, she had to admire his abilities.
"Mortals are ultimately mortals.
The gap between immortals and mortals is like an impassable chasm. Even the favored geniuses of the Human Race cannot break through these shackles."
Zu Ren stroked His beard expressionlessly. "When he reveals himself, no matter what top-tier rules he possesses, I will naturally claim his life."
...
"Bang!"
In the Heavenly Palace, the Empress, who had remained inside the hall all along, sensed the aura of spatial rules above the Heavenly Palace.
She sat up in shock, her phoenix-like eyes brimming with icy coldness.
"Him again."
She could not forget this aura—the Li Clan's Old Ancestor.
It was this very person who had brazenly appeared before her centuries ago, threatening her with the lives of her clansmen!
As the high and mighty Empress, she had never thought anyone would dare to tell her they would execute her entire extended family.
And this time... this person was even more powerful!
"Kill him." Wenren Xianyi only pondered for a moment before giving the order expressionlessly.
On the ground beside her, a shadow suddenly surfaced, gradually taking on a human form.
The entirely pitch-black figure, with only eyes that flashed with a sharp light, bowed respectfully to Wenren Xianyi.
"Your Majesty, all available personnel have already been dispatched.
The rest are guarding against Ancestor Lan, or guarding the Imperial Dynasty's grand array and various strategic locations, vigilant against the immortals."
"At all costs, and I don't care what methods you use, I want him dead."
Wenren Xianyi's tone was chilling. "He must die."
"He might run away..." the shadow replied.
"No, he won't." Wenren Xianyi's face grew increasingly cold.
"He is waiting for Zishu Feng to take the Li Clan members away, and after that, he will have nothing left to worry about.
He blames everything that happened in Azure Cloud Prefecture on me."
"The people of the Azure Cloud Li Clan lack any sense of the big picture.
They never considered that everything I did was for the Imperial Dynasty, for the countless years of glory of the Human Race.
I have done my utmost for them, yet they oppose me at every turn."
"Their people even tried to destroy the Peerless Hall. Even when surrounded by me, they still resist.
This Li Clan person will still force the disaster of their committed crimes and subsequent punishment onto me. He once said he would kill my clansmen, and he will definitely do it."
The shadow raised its head slightly, a look of surprise in its eyes.
Even when facing Mahayana experts or Great Emperors, he had never seen such panic in the Empress's eyes.
Perhaps even the Empress hadn't anticipated that the people of the Azure Cloud Li Clan would never bow their heads, nor had they left Azure Cloud Prefecture.
"He must die. There cannot be a single mistake in the grand scheme of the world."
Wenren Xianyi clenched her hands tightly, staring into the shadow's eyes. "Go, eliminate the Imperial Dynasty's greatest hidden threat."
"Yes."
The shadow dared not say more.
After the shadow left, Wenren Xianyi looked down at her own hands. She realized her hands were trembling!
She pressed down hard on her trembling hands. With bloodshot eyes, she gritted her teeth and said, "It's merely a few minor bumps in the road."
Centuries had passed, and everything had always gone smoothly for her.
But starting from these past few years, she discovered that things weren't as simple as she had envisioned.
Min Youguo, whom she had sent to the Northern Frontier, didn't end up slaughtering Lin Jiu; those two still stood firm, and hadn't even marched against the Demon Race.
Fourth Prince Yu in the Eastern Frontier proclaimed himself Emperor, and the Azure Cloud Li Clan in the Southern Frontier refused to obey her orders.
Even now, Ancestor Lan wasn't dead; perhaps everyone in the world had underestimated Ancestor Lan's strength.
And then there was the Blood Moon... those immortals who styled themselves as the Immortal Court.
After an unknown amount of time, she let out a long breath into the empty hall, resuming her noble demeanor.
From the highest Heavenly Palace of this Imperial Dynasty, she looked down upon all living beings in the world.
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