For a moment, Luo Tao temporarily set aside the matter of his eldest son. Luo Xiao's soul tablet was still intact, which at least indicated that his life was not in danger.
"Alright, there's no time to lose. Let's move out immediately," Zhang Xuanti's voice came again. "We'll gather at the Heavenly Dragon Valley and then directly strike the Hundred Poison Cave!"
"No problem," Luo Tao replied in a deep voice.
The light of the Mirror of Yuan gradually dimmed. Luo Tao frowned slightly, feeling uneasy. Despite the victory being assured, something in his heart remained fearful...
Before his thoughts could end, a powerful aura suddenly swept in from behind. Luo Tao turned around and saw a middle-aged cultivator wearing a dark robe with cloud patterns, stepping in midair.
The newcomer had sharp eyebrows and eyes, with an ancient longsword hanging at his waist, surrounded by a sharp sword aura—this was none other than the current head of the Sword Treasure Pavilion, Luo Tianyi.
"Father..." Luo Tianyi clasped his hands in greeting, his eyes flashing with brilliance. "I have broken through to the Fourth Layer of the Heavenly Earth Realm."
Upon hearing this, Luo Tao's face relaxed, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed. "Good! This is what a son of the Luo family should be!"
Recently, Luo Tianyi had been in seclusion attempting to break through, and Luo Tao had been handling the matters of the Sword Treasure Pavilion. However, his cultivation had made little progress. Perhaps the death of his beloved daughter had triggered his potential, and now, just before their attack on the Hundred Poison Cave, he had managed to break through.
"Today, we must make the Hundred Poison Cave pay for its blood debt!" Luo Tianyi gripped the sword hilt tightly, his voice as cold as a thousand-year-old ice.
Luo Tao nodded solemnly, his eyes flashing with cold light. "It should be so!"
...
With a deafening roar, dozens of flying ships streaked through the sky, heading swiftly south.
Inside one of the ships, Ruan Tianhe and Lin Qingyu sat across from each other. At the arrangement of Fang Yuan, Ruan Tianhe had joined the team to attack the Hundred Poison Cave.
Upon sensing Ruan Tianhe's formidable strength, Lin Qingyu had grown increasingly curious about this mysterious duo. Now that Fang Yuan was absent, he immediately began to chat non-stop with this martial saint.
"Lord Ruan, you might think that the Hundred Poison Cave is a place full of demons."
"Actually, it's not. I heard that the Hundred Poison Cave has abundant spiritual energy, a paradise that's not any worse than the sect's mountain gates of the Sun Moon Sect!"
Hearing this, Ruan Tianhe was a bit surprised. "Oh? Then why are demons occupying such a treasure?"
"The reason," Lin Qingyu answered, "is that they have a strong foundation here."
"A foundation?" Ruan Tianhe raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had heard demons having a foundation.
"Yes, this Northern Region is originally the homeland of demons. They've lived here longer than us humans," Lin Qingyu sighed.
"In the past, the Sun Moon Sect tried to clear out the Hundred Poison Cave and claim it as their own."
"But they feared that doing so would exhaust their strength, and allow the Sword Treasure Pavilion to take advantage of the situation, losing their place as the strongest sect in the northern region..."
"If the heirs of these two sects had not all perished in the Hundred Poison Cave, this situation would have continued indefinitely."
"Expected," Ruan Tianhe sneered. "Humans are best at internal conflict, while those simple-minded demons know better how to unite."
Thinking about it, it seemed that their emperor's killing of Luo Yao and Zhang Mingyang wasn't all bad. It had forced the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion to join forces to resist the demons.
...
Just as the flying ship passed through the clouds, a voice suddenly rang in Ruan Tianhe's mind: "How's it going on your side?"
Ruan Tianhe immediately responded with his divine sense: "Reporting, Your Majesty, the human alliance has set out and plans to gather at the Heavenly Dragon Valley before directly attacking the Hundred Poison Cave."
"Good," Fang Yuan's voice carried a bit of amusement. "Remember, your mission this time is to observe and wait for an opportunity to take a kill."
"Eh? I don't quite understand..." Ruan Tianhe replied.
"Just pick off the severely injured and dying ones. Always aim for those with higher realms," Fang Yuan patiently explained. "Got it?"
"Now I understand..." Ruan Tianhe said with realization. "But, Your Majesty, should I only kill demons, or also human cultivators?"
"What foolish question is that? You're human, how could you consider killing your own kind?!" Fang Yuan scolded.
"Understood, Your Majesty..." Ruan Tianhe acknowledged.
"Never mind, just kill everyone."
"???"
The orders changed that quickly?
But then, thinking about it, the cultivators from this upper world weren't exactly his "people" either.
Fang Yuan explained seriously: "Naturally, you should prioritize killing demons. But if a human cultivator is severely injured and has no chance of recovery, you can put him out of his misery."
After all, they were going to die anyway, so better to do it by Ruan Tianhe's hands, so they could contribute one last time.
"Understood," Ruan Tianhe replied respectfully.
"Good. Contact me if there's any new development."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
In Baiyu City, at the Drunken Immortal Tower.
Fang Yuan leaned by the window, leisurely sipping his Eight Treasure Yuan Yang Tea.
In the past three days, Fang Yuan had been incredibly busy, sampling all the famous restaurants in Baiyu City. He had effectively become a food reviewer.
Unfortunately, none of them came close to the flavor of Tianxiang Pavilion.
Maybe they put something in the food...
Of course, that was just a joke, as no poison in the world could entrap Fang Yuan.
"Well, it seems that after this event, I'll either learn that woman's cooking skills perfectly or just take her away..." Fang Yuan decided as he took another sip of his tea.
After a satisfying meal, he casually took a nap in a private room. Only when Ruan Tianhe reported that the human alliance had moved far away from Baiyu City did he slowly rise and prepare for business.
He turned down several narrow alleys, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into Luo Xiao's appearance. After adjusting his attire, he made his way straight to the Sword Treasure Pavilion in the center of the city.
The Sword Treasure Pavilion sat atop the highest point of Baiyu City, with nine layers of flying eaves piercing the clouds, built entirely from a hundred-year-old dark jade.
At the front of the pavilion, twelve giant stone swords stood in a circle, emitting a sharp sword aura. The main entrance plaque, engraved with the words "Sword Treasure Pavilion" in gilded calligraphy, was said to have been written by the founding ancestor using sword energy.
As a familiar figure approached, the guards at the entrance hurriedly bowed. "Elder Xuanjian, you've returned!"
Fang Yuan nodded indifferently, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked into the pavilion. Disciples along the way stopped to greet him respectfully:
"Greetings, Elder!"
"Good day, Elder!"
...