A mountain's height isn't crucial for its presence, as long as it harbors immortals. A river's depth isn't crucial for its presence, as long as
it harbors dragons. In the northwest continent, there lies a region known as Lionheart Plain, a place widely known by powerful sects.
This is because it's the home of the Lion Nether Sect!
For nearly a hundred years, the Lion Nether Sect has consistently ranked among the top ten most powerful sects in the northwest continent, rivaling even the Heavenly Serpent Palace.
"I've done some thorough research, and the Lion Nether Sect currently boasts three Dou Zun (Douluo) masters. Their leader, Lionheart, is the strongest, having reached six stars. The remaining two are four and three stars, respectively. Within the vast expanse of Lionheart Plain, the Lion Nether Sect holds absolute authority, their word goes no further. This, in turn, leads to a rather brutal and brutal approach within the sect. I witnessed with my own eyes a man who claimed to be the leader's nephew slaughter an entire family simply because someone glanced at him. Even when I was younger, I wouldn't have dared such arrogance."
Inside an inn, the disguised Ghostly Poisonous Monster, back to his usual appearance, addressed the group with a hint of doubt, unsure of the leader's intentions.
Without a doubt, this group was Chen Guan and his companions returning from Zhongzhou!
After bidding farewell to Xuankongzi and Cao Ying, Chen Guan led the Little Medical Immortal, Yun Yun, Zi Yan, Skyfire Venerable, and Ghost Poison Old Monster on their return journey. Only Xiong Zhan, whom Zi Yan had arranged to remain in Zhongzhou, was left to attract the attention of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.
Clearly, she hadn't yet realized that her successful escape from Dragon Island would mark the end of the elders' leniency, and was still battling wits and courage against the air.
The six of them were all equally skilled, and their speed was naturally impressive. In less than five days, they had quietly arrived at Lionheart Plain, and that was while they were restrained.
Looking at the young man lost in thought, Zi Yan, too lazy to move, addressed everyone's concerns.
"Chen Guan, what are we doing here? I was planning to go to Canaan College to piss off Old Man Su."
Everyone turned to Chen Guan, only to see a cold, murderous intent brewing in the eyes of the young man who always adhered to the principle of "don't offend me unless I'm offended. "
Acting on behalf of Heaven?
No, that wasn't his nature.
"This Lion Nether Sect is a huge hidden danger."
The implication was clear: if it was a hidden danger, it had to be eradicated!
As for the reason for this conclusion, Xiao Yixian and the others didn't ask in detail. They all knew Chen Guan's character; he wouldn't normally kill innocent people. He said it was a hidden danger, but it meant it would lead to death. It was just that the reason was hard to explain.
As family, they naturally had to support it unconditionally.
Not to mention that the Lion Nether Sect sounded unjust, even if there was no reason, so what?
It's easy to say that you support the right side, not your relatives, but few can truly live up to it in practice.
And there were no saints present.
This made Chen Guan feel a little relieved; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to explain it.
After all, the Lion Nether Sect's collusion with the Soul Palace, the slaughter of clans and nations across the northwestern continent, the widespread soul harvesting, and the near-destruction of Gama, all occurred several years later in the original storyline. He couldn't claim to have foreseen it.
The only thing that puzzled Chen Guan was that, in his memory, the Lion Nether Sect was quite powerful, with three or four masters above the six-star Dou Zun level.
Now, even though the situation had shifted several years earlier, the difference in strength was vast.
After much reflection, Chen Guan could only attribute the cause to the Soul Palace, and to the original novel's description of Xiao Yan's departure for Zhongzhou, where everyone's realms rose illogically at a rapid rate...
This time, he had been overly cautious.
With a sneer, Chen Guan placed his teacup on the table with a clatter.
"Since there are only three Dou Zun, let's find a reason to eliminate them!"
This time, Chen Guan had returned with the intention of bringing some of his men to Zhongzhou.
However, due to the sheer number of people involved, it's currently impossible to relocate the entire Heavenly Alliance, including the entire Serpent People clan. Therefore, these hidden dangers must be eliminated to prevent the Soul Palace from exploiting their vulnerability and targeting them.
The best option would be to immediately transform the northwest into a solid base, serving as his true rear base!
"That's easy, leave it to me. Wait for my news!"
Having recently taken his seat, Ghost Poison, the old monster, volunteered to take on the task, full of energy.
Being singled out to come to the northwest this time was unexpected, and he must seize the opportunity to fully integrate himself into the group!
Chen Guan nodded in agreement, having specifically brought Ghost Poison with him to handle some of the more tedious and trivial matters.
Upon receiving permission, Ghost Poison smiled confidently and slowly disappeared from his seat.
He's an expert at this!
...
Inside the Lion Nether Sect.
Sect Master Lionheart, along with the First and Second Elders, were gathered around a map, pointing and drawing.
"The expansion of the Heavenly Alliance is a bit too fast. Now, in the entire northwest, except for our top ten forces, the rest of the forces have a large number of Heavenly Alliance personnel. The so-called Miter Auction House, on the surface, is openly doing business, but in fact it is full of spies!"
"It's really incredible. I've inquired about it. The leader of the Heavenly Alliance is just a young man and has long since left. The one who truly controls the Heavenly Alliance is the former Queen Medusa of the Tagor Desert. This woman is notorious for both her viciousness and her beauty, but in terms of strength, she is still only a Dou Zong. The other members of the Guantian Pavilion are not much different. There is even a Dou Huang. It's hard to imagine that such a force can develop to this point."
"Second brother, your information is outdated. The Heavenly Alliance is not that simple, otherwise it would be destroyed. The most troublesome thing about the Heavenly Alliance is its mysterious network of relationships and the young leader you mentioned."
"The Great Elder is right. From what I understand, the Heavenly Alliance and Canaan Academy have a close relationship. The entire Black Horn Region is practically secretly controlled by the Heavenly Alliance. The Alliance leader, Chen Guan, was already a sixth-rank alchemist, Dou Huang strength, when he left the northwest. Even more surprising, he was only around twenty years old then! Now, a few years later, I'd believe he's been promoted to Dou Zong, becoming a seventh-rank alchemist. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to persuade Dou Zun masters to escort him with resources."
Lionheart's face was solemn. In this barren northwest, Dou Zongs in their early twenties were certainly rare in centuries, if not unprecedented.
"Speaking of alchemists, I recently discovered a pair of siblings. They were only four or five years old, but their mental strength surpassed that of 99% of adults. Unfortunately, upon bringing them back for examination, I discovered they didn't have the Wood Attribute," the Second Elder continued, a touch of regret in his voice.
Upon hearing this, Lionheart and the Great Elder lost interest and returned to their previous topic.
"Something's been strange lately. After receiving the resources brought by that mysterious Dou Zun master, the Tianmeng Alliance's strength has skyrocketed. Logically, they should be expanding rapidly, but word has come from undercover that the Tianmeng Alliance, contrary to its usual pattern, is shrinking."
"I do have some inside information on this matter. Rumor has it that Queen Medusa was pregnant when Chen Guan left, and she hasn't been seen in recent months. She's very likely about to give birth!"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing the Great Elder's words, Lionheart suddenly had an idea.
"Hasn't the Soul Palace always wanted us to work for them? If we get this news out and want to deploy in the northwest, the Tianmeng Alliance can't avoid it. I don't think they'll miss this golden opportunity."
"What does the Sect Master mean..."
"Let's see how much power the Tianmeng Alliance truly possesses. Driving a tiger to devour a wolf!"
A glint flashed in Lionheart's eyes, a sense of masterminding strategy, a sense of decisive victory from afar.
Little did they know, it was simply ignorance and fearlessness.
This tiger was far more ferocious and terrifying than they had imagined!
Just as he was daydreaming, an armored guard stumbled in with a hurried, alarmed report.
"Master, First Elder, Second Elder, this is bad! Something terrible has happened!"
His fantasy was startled, his vindictive spirit surging within him, and his expression was grim.
"You'd better have an explanation, or else..."
The guard shuddered, a cold sweat pouring down his face, but he had no choice but to report.
"Report...Report to the Sect Master, something's happened to the Young Sect Master!"
"Kun'er? What happened to Kun'er?"
"Just half a quarter of an hour ago, an old man came to the city to sell spiritual fruits. He sold only fourth-grade spiritual fruits. The Young Sect Master happened to pass by and saw that the old man looked honest and simple, so he wanted to tease him. So he ate two of the old man's spiritual fruits and then deliberately paid for only one spiritual fruit. The old man was furious and had a big fight with the Young Sect Master, shouting that he would destroy our Lion Nether Sect if he didn't pay."
"What a joke! What kind of threat can an old man who doesn't know his place pose? Since he wants to die, let Kun'er kill him."
Lion Heart waved his hand nonchalantly, completely unaware of the impending disaster.
Upon hearing this, the guard lowered his head even lower, as if he had thought of something and trembled violently.
"The Young Sect Master attacked immediately, but that old man… with a casual wave of his hand, the Young Sect Master was reduced to a pool of blood, not a trace of remains left."
"What?! My Kun'er was killed!"
Lionheart almost doubted his own ears. In his rage, a murderous aura permeated the air. For a moment, countless people, frightened by this aura, turned pale and trembled.
The guards before him were even more miserable, prostrating themselves on the ground in shock, their teeth bleeding.
"Sect Master, calm down! Sect Master, calm down!"
"Where is that old man now?"
"He's… heading this way. Wherever he passes, no grass… will grow!"
"Hmph, so brave! I'll go…"
"Sect Master, beware! This is a trap!"
The Great Elder helped to restrain the enraged Lionheart. How could an old man selling spiritual fruit have such powerful strength, and how could he have the confidence to run rampant in the Lion Nether Sect?
This matter was full of strangeness.
It was clearly a deliberate attempt to cause trouble!
Lionheart finally realized what was happening, but his murderous intent only surged.
Just as he was about to speak, a chorus of unpleasant curses erupted from outside.
"Damn Lion Nether Sect, you're as black-hearted as a scorpion! You ate two of my fruits and only gave me the money for one!"
"Oh heaven, oh earth, where is justice, where is fairness?"
"Unscrupulous Lion Nether Sect, return my spiritual fruit money!"
Lionheart and his two companions quickly ascended into the sky, only to find a hunched old man howling miserably. His hands were merciless, and with each wave of his hand, several Lion Nether Sect disciples were slain, some reduced to bones, some consumed by blood. Their deaths were bizarre, yet not a single body remained intact.
A Dou Zun master!