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**
At this moment, chaos reigned within the main hall of the Yun Lan Sect.
Shouts of panic and confusion mingled and echoed, swirling throughout the chamber and leaving everyone with throbbing headaches and spinning thoughts.
When Yun Shan suddenly appeared in the hall, his brow furrowed at the disorder. His voice boomed cold and deep: "Silence, all of you! What sort of disgraceful mess is this?"
At the sight of Yun Shan's sudden arrival, the noise in the hall immediately began to die down.
Though many already harbored grievances toward him in their hearts, no one dared voice them openly.
Moments later, the great hall finally settled into silence.
Seeing that order had been restored, Yun Shan let out a cold snort and strode to the head seat, where he sat down with a heavy expression.
Below, the gathered elders and deacons exchanged uneasy glances.
After a brief pause, Elder Yun Leng stepped forward, his face pale, and spoke with a trembling voice, "Reporting to the Sect Master… The soul tablets of Elder Yun Du and Elder Yun Sha suddenly shattered not long ago... I also checked, and the soul tablet of Elder Yun Fan, who had gone to Zhen Gui Pass, has broken as well. I fear…"
The moment Yun Leng's words fell, nearly everyone in the hall—Yun Shan included—felt their facial muscles twitch violently.
So many top experts, nearly half of Yun Lan Sect's high-end power, gone in one fell swoop.
This lineup, once regarded with supreme confidence—believed to be unmatched within the Jia Ma Empire aside from Yun Lan Sect itself—had now been completely shattered by reality, like a slap to the face. And the sting left them utterly helpless.
"Elder Yun Leng, could you have made a mistake?" After a moment of stiff silence, someone finally spoke up with a dry chuckle, their voice laced with a desperate trace of denial.
"I wish that were the case too," Yun Leng gave a bitter smile. With a flip of his palm, a pile of shattered jade soul tablets appeared on the table before him.
When the others saw the familiar fragments, even those who had held out hope could no longer deceive themselves. Their expressions instantly darkened.
"How is this possible? Even putting Yun Fan aside, the group sent to the imperial capital included two Dou Huang and seven Dou Wang! Who could possibly take them out?"
"Exactly! What faction in the imperial capital has the strength to eliminate them? The Mittel Clan alone?!"
"Could it be that the Three Great Clans and the Imperial Family joined forces?" one person suddenly speculated aloud. That theory immediately earned a number of silent nods throughout the hall.
At present, it was the most plausible explanation.
"If they really dared to join forces against our Yun Lan Sect, then Sect Master, give the order! We'll wipe the Three Great Families and the Imperial Family off the map!"
"Yes! Sect Master, such a provocation cannot be tolerated! Yun Lan Sect must make them pay in blood!"
Yun Shan's expression grew even gloomier. His cold gaze swept over the crowd of furious elders and deacons.
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly slammed his palm against the tabletop.
BANG!
The deafening noise startled everyone in the room. All eyes turned toward Yun Shan in shock and fear.
"This has nothing to do with the damn Three Great Families or the Imperial Family."
Slowly rising to his feet, Yun Shan's voice was cold and sharp like a blade.
"It was Wei Yang... and that wretched remnant of the Xiao Clan—Xiao Yan. They've returned."
"Wei Yang?!"
"Xiao Yan?!"
Gasps of disbelief rippled through the hall. At first, many were dazed—but those names struck a chord.
Wei Yang. Xiao Yan.
In just a split second, these two names stirred memories that had long been buried deep in their minds.
Over the past three years, with neither man showing any signs of life or activity, most of the Yun Lan Sect had gradually pushed them from their thoughts.
But now, with their names suddenly brought up again, the scenes from over three years ago began to resurface in vivid detail within every heart and mind.
"They… they're back?" someone finally murmured, stunned, their voice laced with fear and disbelief.
After all, back then… Wei Yang had brought immense pressure to bear upon the entire Yun Lan Sect.
Back then, when Wei Yang had suddenly arrived at Yun Lan Mountain to pay a visit, they had been forced to rouse Yun Shan from his closed-door cultivation.
"I sensed their auras personally. Do you think I'd lie about something like this?" Yun Shan snorted coldly. His eyes swept across the gathered crowd before he continued in a grim tone, "That Wei Yang—just moments ago—was staring at Yun Lan Mountain from afar. Our eyes met across the skies... and he openly provoked me!"
"Th-then… what about his strength?" Yun Leng asked cautiously.
Yun Shan's voice grew even deeper. "That Wei Yang has likely already stepped into the realm of Dou Zong. As for Xiao Yan... he may not have formally broken through to Dou Huang, but from the aura he released earlier, I'd estimate his combat power is already at the Dou Huang level."
At this, Yun Shan's eyelid involuntarily twitched.
The ages of both Wei Yang and Xiao Yan were easily obtainable—Yun Shan knew them well.
Wei Yang was, at most, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Xiao Yan? No more than twenty-one or twenty-two.
One a Dou Zong, the other with Dou Huang-level combat strength—at their ages?
Their cultivation speed was terrifying.
And when he thought of his own journey—only managing to break into the Dou Zong realm with the help of the Hall of Souls despite his advanced age—Yun Shan couldn't help but feel a bitter stab of comparison.
If he were the cursing type, he would've muttered a few choice words about how unfair life was.
Yun Shan's words immediately sent another wave of turmoil through the main hall.
Everyone felt an icy chill rush through their hearts.
Such powerful enemies... how could they possibly sleep soundly at night knowing those two were still alive? If they were given another three years to grow, who knew what heights they'd reach?
Even Yun Shan, despite his cunning and experience, couldn't help but feel a creeping dread settle in his chest.
He inhaled deeply. His eyelids drooped, and from deep within, a murderous intent surged out like a flood, engulfing his heart.
These two must not be allowed to live.
Now that they were enemies, he had to do everything in his power to eliminate them as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, Yun Lan Sect might very well be destroyed by his own hand.
"Sect Master, given the situation... what should we do now? Shall we rally all our forces immediately and march to the imperial capital to eliminate them both?" Yun Leng asked.
"Yes! Since there's no turning back and we're already mortal enemies, we should descend the mountain at once—at any cost—and wipe them out before they become even more dangerous!"
"I agree!"
"That's what we should do!"
Voices of support rang out throughout the hall. No one wanted to give Wei Yang or Xiao Yan another day to grow stronger. Every second they remained alive was another threat hanging over Yun Lan Sect.
However, Yun Shan's face—until now grim—suddenly returned to a calm, unreadable state. His brows twitched slightly, as if sensing something.
Then, with a wave of his hand, he silenced the growing unrest in the hall. His voice came cold and indifferent: "No need to go looking for them. They'll come to us."
His tone was calm but chilling.
"In that case," he continued, "We prepare in silence and wait for them to arrive at our doorstep."
Hearing this, everyone froze for a second. Though they felt uneasy and dissatisfied, none dared to question Yun Shan's command. They could only bow respectfully and acknowledge the order.
"Pass this down," Yun Shan ordered, his tone sharp and frosty. "From this moment forward, Yun Lan Mountain is under highest alert. Any intruder—kill without mercy!"
"Yes, sir!"
The sheer coldness of Yun Shan's voice sent a shiver through everyone. They quickly responded and turned to leave.
As Yun Shan waved his sleeve, the crowd filed out of the hall in orderly fashion.
Once everyone had departed, he flung his sleeve with force.
Creaaak—
The doors of the hall slowly shut under an unseen force.
And as they closed, darkness swallowed the vast room.
All was silent.
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