After the Abyssal Dragon Prince walked out of Azure Mountain, he looked coldly at the crowd of onlookers and said plainly:

“Spread the word: Azure Mountain has been annihilated. Tell Xiao Teng, I’ll be waiting for him in the Abyssal Dragon Empire to come avenge it.”

After speaking, he raised his flute and blew twice.

The dragon horse descended from the sky once more and carried him away from the scene.

…

“Are all the Middle Continent’s prodigies this aggressive?” Xu Zimo asked with a chuckle as he looked at Dark River.

“They’re not all like that. Longyang is just used to being overbearing,” Dark River replied.

“What is this Holyflower Tyrant Ranking they keep mentioning?” Xu Zimo asked.

“It’s a list that records all the young elites in the Holyflower Region who are qualified to compete for the Heaven’s Will,” Dark River explained. “This Abyssal Dragon Prince ranks eighth on the list.”

“Eighth and already at the peak of the Paragon Meridian realm?” Xu Zimo was surprised. “The Middle Continent really is on a different level compared to the others.”

They didn’t linger at Azure Mountain and continued toward Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground.

Two days later, Xu Zimo finally arrived at his destination: Heaven-Severing City.

This city was governed by Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground and was the most important among all the cities under its control, because the lineage itself was located just behind it.

When Xu Zimo arrived at the city gates, it was by far the most prosperous city he had seen on the Middle Continent.

The city loomed like a colossal beast. The city walls stretched endlessly to either side, vanishing into the distant sky.

The blue-brown bricks faded into the horizon.

Two black-armored guards stood at the gate.

Anyone who wasn’t a native of Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground had to pay a toll to enter the city.

Xu Zimo and Dark River paid the fee and entered. As they walked through the city’s main avenue, they were greeted by the hustle and bustle of city life, mixed with noisy vendor shouts.

Xu Zimo was planning to head straight for the City Lord’s Mansion to draw out Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground’s people.

But just as the two entered the city, a wave of excitement swept through the crowd.

“Look! It’s Young Master Luo He!”

Someone in the crowd shouted, and all eyes turned to the sky.

There, a handsome man in white robes walked through the air.

He wore a white silk headscarf, and his long hair was neatly tied up. His eyes sparkled with brilliance, and he held a book in his hands.

Flying was forbidden in Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground’s skies, so Young Master Luo He stopped not far from the city gate.

A group of people rushed out to receive him.

As Luo He entered the city, the people erupted in whispers, and many young women even screamed in excitement.

“Interesting,” Xu Zimo said with a small smile.

He’d heard of this man in his previous life. Luo He had quite a reputation.

“Ranked sixth on the Holyflower Tyrant Ranking,” Dark River explained.

“Looks like things are going to get lively here in Heaven-Severing City.”

Just as Dark River finished speaking, another round of gasps came from the crowd.

“The Cai Clan must have some serious connections, even the Ghost Demon Prince showed up!”

Xu Zimo looked up.

In the sky, a wave of demonic energy surged forward, bringing with it countless hideous ghost faces.

At the center of it all was a black-robed young man.

He had demonic horns on his head and a dark red inverted triangle mark on his forehead.

His aura radiated the power of the Imperial Meridian realm.

As he arrived, half the sky was consumed by demonic energy.

His aura was not pure, it contained strong traces of ghostly and evil energy.

“Amitābha,” a solemn Buddhist chant suddenly echoed.

Holy light tore through the demonic aura, bathing half the sky in sacred brilliance.

A young monk, dressed in a kasaya, with straight eyebrows and a youthful face, walked through the sky.

“Even the Sacred Buddha has arrived? This is wild!”

“Of course! Everyone knows he and the Ghost Demon Prince are sworn rivals.”

As the two sides glared at each other from the sky, Buddha’s light and demonic energy clashed.

Explosions rumbled all around, and space itself cracked over Heaven-Severing City.

“Gentlemen, please, stay your hands,” a crisp, sweet female voice suddenly rang out, clear and melodious like a nightingale.

“You’re here for our Cai Clan’s tea gathering. Please give us the courtesy of peaceful conversation.”

Everyone looked toward the voice and saw a woman in a bright red gown, her makeup elegant and refined.

She rose into the air, her dress flowing like a blooming summer rose, radiant, beautiful, and irresistibly alluring.

Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyes captivating, and her long eyelashes trembled gently.

Her cherry lips were a deep, tempting red, her smile both delicate and dangerous.

The edges of her dress were embroidered with elliptical floral patterns, and her neckline and sleeves were specially tailored.

…

“Who is she?” Xu Zimo asked curiously.

“No idea,” Dark River shook his head.

Xu Zimo turned and asked a few bystanders.

One of them looked surprised.

“You don’t know Cai Yueting? She’s one of the three great beauties of the Holyflower Region!”

“I don’t pay much attention to women,” Xu Zimo replied flatly.

“Are you even a man?” the man asked in shock, then suddenly stepped back, clearly suspicious.

Xu Zimo rolled his eyes.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just asking, what’s going on in Heaven-Severing City? Why are so many prodigies from the Holyflower Tyrant Ranking gathered here?”

“You really don’t know?” the man replied in surprise. “The Cai Clan is hosting a tea gathering, and they’ve invited nearly every young genius in the Holyflower Region.

“Of course, who actually shows up is another matter. But calling it a tea party is just a gimmick.

“The real purpose is to give the prodigies a place to meet and interact.”

Xu Zimo nodded, then turned to Dark River.

“What’s the deal with this Cai Clan?”

“Not sure,” Dark River shook his head. “I’ve never heard of them before.”

The bystander chuckled.

“The Cai Clan is a first-rate power, affiliated with Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground. But I heard rumors they have a connection to the legendary Sky Vault Emperor.”

“What kind of connection?” Xu Zimo asked with interest.

“They say the Sky Vault Emperor was once a member of the Cai Clan,” the man explained.

“Legend has it that when he was young, his talent was so poor that he was expelled from the family.

“No one ever expected he’d eventually bear the Heaven’s Will and ascend to the rank of Grand Emperor.

“But after his ascension, he never returned to the Cai Clan, and he’s never acknowledged them publicly since. Whether that story is true or not… no one really knows.”