The scythe-bearing statue suddenly leaned forward.
The sculpted robes fluttered as if caught by wind—moving not like stone, but like living cloth.
Two purple eyes flickered to life within the shadows, like twin abysses staring straight into Li Zhexian's soul.
A chill ran up his spine.
By now, he and the other sect powerhouses
had already charged into the city.
The stench of rot and dust struck them head-on,
carrying a cold that seemed to seep into their very bones.
At the instant they crossed the gate—
the countless treasures hovering above the city
suddenly shattered into streaks of flowing light,
shooting in every direction.
Everyone was jolted from their trance.
They turned back in alarm—
and saw that the decayed city gate
had miraculously restored itself,
gleaming blood-red beneath the dim heavens,
eerily bright and cold.
"Tricks and illusions!"
Four or five Spirit Masters immediately gathered Spirit Power in their palms,
and struck out toward the gate.
BOOM—!
The sound echoed for miles through the silent city…
but the gate remained completely unmoved—
smooth, bright, and whole.
"Hmph! I don't believe it!"
"Those treasures clearly fell inside! I'm not leaving empty-handed!"
"Titled Douluo elders, will you join forces with us? Let's break this gate first!"
Li Zhexian and Chen Xin exchanged grim looks,
their eyes scanning the dim streets on both sides.
Neat rows of houses lined the road—
every door tightly shut.
Too quiet.
Unnaturally quiet.
Tang Yue and Tang Gang of the Clear Sky Clan stood shoulder to shoulder,
their eyes narrowing in vigilance.
Suddenly—
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The sealed doors all around them began to quake violently—
as if countless hands within were pounding to get out.
Tens of thousands of doors shaking at once,
in this dead, desolate city—
was a scene so horrifying
that even these famed powerhouses of the continent
staggered back in fear,
their scalps prickling,
their Spirit Power flaring uncontrollably.
"There are people?!"
"There are people in this ruined city?!"
"Did our strike on the gate cause this?!"
"What kind of cursed place is this—
I'm done! I'm leaving!"
Someone crushed their life-saving key,
and vanished in a shroud of dark purple light.
Seeing that the key still worked within this strange city,
the others gripped their keys tightly—
but hesitated.
"The keys still protect our lives—no need to panic!"
"Those treasures only scattered within the city. It's a divine opportunity—we can't just give it up!"
"Risk and reward go hand in hand!"
"Just stay clear of the houses!"
When no one attacked the gates again,
the trembling of the doors slowly subsided,
and the city returned to dead silence.
Greed soon reasserted its hold.
Confident that the keys guaranteed their safety,
the sect powerhouses began exploring the eerie city—
each group staying close to its own sect,
no one daring to fully trust another.
Just as everyone was about to scatter—
Zheng——!
A clear sword cry tore through the silence,
drawing every gaze toward the white-robed youth unsheathing his blade.
All present had witnessed his battle with Tang Lie—
a duel that had shaken heaven and earth.
In their hearts, Li Zhexian was already regarded as a powerhouse on par with the Titled Douluo.
"Lord Zhexian…"
One sect leader, trembling, stepped forward—
since Li Zhexian had not yet received his title,
they addressed him cautiously yet respectfully.
"What do you intend?"
"This city is too strange—shouldn't we at least set aside our disputes for now?"
Seven sword intents bloomed around Li Zhexian,
each resonating with the Qinglian Sword,
casting waves of killing intent in every direction.
His gaze swept coldly over the gathered crowd.
"If you seek your fortunes within the city, I won't stop you."
"But aside from your own sect's Command Banner—hand over all the others you've seized."
"When we entered the secret realm, there were ninety-six sects in total.
A dozen never made it this far.
Now only about forty remain inside this city."
"The eliminated sects' banners… must be in your hands, correct?"
Beside him, Feng Bailong shot him a look of approval.
The young man's mind worked astonishingly fast.
Even he hadn't thought of that.
Zheng——
Zheng——
Two more sword cries rang out in succession.
Chen Xin, Gu Rong, Feng Bailong, and the slightly slower-to-react Yu Yuanzhen all stepped forward, taking their places beside Li Zhexian.
In Ning Fengzhi's palm, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda flared with radiant light, and the overwhelming aura of a Titled Douluo burst forth without restraint.
The many sect powerhouses present blanched, their faces shifting repeatedly between fear and uncertainty.
After a long, tense silence, Li Zhexian gave a cold snort.
The Qinglian Sword in his hand let out an impatient hum—
a chilling sound that made hearts tremble.
At last, several sect masters—those uninterested in the Seven Great Sect positions and only hoping to scavenge some resources—hesitantly handed over their Command Banners.
"Our sect is weak—by luck we happened to seize one Banner."
"We have no wish to oppose Lord Zhexian. The Banner we took has been handed over. But if you keep pressing us… we'll have no choice but to unite against you."
Under such conditions, however, that "alliance" was nothing more than empty words.
Even if they could fight back—
none of these seasoned schemers would ever trust their back to another.
After the neutral sects turned over their banners,
Huo Yanbao, Dai Yuncong, and several others reluctantly did the same, their faces dark and resentful.
As for whether some had secretly hidden banners—
Li Zhexian knew full well,
but didn't bother to pursue it.
To investigate now would only waste time—and there was no way to be sure.
"Hmph."
The two Clear Sky Clan elders—Tang Yue and Tang Gang—snorted coldly and moved to stride deeper into the city.
Li Zhexian exchanged glances with Chen Xin and Feng Bailong.
Clang—!
Three streaks of sword light struck down before the Tang elders, cutting off their path.
The two men narrowed their eyes, then sneered.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Do you want us to hand over our bannders as well?"
Li Zhexian smiled coldly.
"You two think you're special?"
"I'll count to three."
"If you don't hand them over—the Clear Sky Sect's banner stays here too."
"One."
"Two—"
Whoosh!
A banner came hurtling through the air. Li Zhexian caught it casually.
Tang Yue and Tang Gang gritted their teeth,
vanishing into the dark streets without another word.
As the crowd of powerhouses dispersed like flowing water
into the depths of the city,
Gu Rong frowned.
"Why not take their sect's own banners too?"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes glimmered with approval.
"Zhexian handled this perfectly."
"A cornered rabbit will still bite—how much more so these famous powerhouses?"
"One must always leave them a sliver of hope."
He cast a cautious glance at the tightly closed doors along the street.
"Besides…"
"This city is far too strange. We still need others to probe its rules for us."
Li Zhexian divided the thirty-six banners into three shares.
"Each of our sects now holds twelve banners. Adding the two I took from Tang Lie earlier…"
"It's still not enough to guarantee that the top three sect seats will all fall to us."
"If anyone later flees—or dies—their remaining flags…"
He looked around at the senior powerhouses.
"The more we gather, the better."
Feng Bailong stroked his beard and laughed.
"Young and ambitious indeed—Young friend Zhexian means to claim all three top seats, eh?"
Li Zhexian's lips curved upward.
"What, do the seniors not wish the same?"
Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, Yu Yuanzhen, and the others exchanged amused glances—then all nodded, smiling.
"Of course we do."
...
Angel Temple.
Qian Renxue stood beneath the statue of the Angel God,
pure light surging around her,
her Spirit Power blazing with divine radiance.
She raised the Angel Sword—
ready to cleave open the divine secret realm itself—
to find Li Zhexian.
...
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