27: The Eastern Wilderness is in turmoil! That wretched sect is not to be trifled with.

The Eastern Wastelands exploded.

It completely exploded.

It was like a nuclear bomb dropped into a calm lake, setting off monstrous waves.

The Great Yan Dynasty's hundred thousand iron cavalry, completely wiped out!

This news grew wings, and within just three days, it spread to every corner, every Sect, and every Market in the Eastern Wastelands.

At first, no one believed it.

"A hundred thousand troops? You've got to be joking! That's an iron-blooded army capable of flattening a second-rate Sect!"

"Yeah, I heard the leader was the Great General Who Guards the North, a fierce man at the Late Stage Golden Core! How could they just vanish?"

"Fake news, it's definitely fake news!"

But soon.

Some busybodies secretly went to the vicinity of the Fallen Mountain Range to investigate.

Then, they saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

At the foot of the Hidden God Sect's mountain, a massive farmland had been cleared.

In the fields, it was densely packed with people.

These elite Dynasty soldiers, who once wore heavy armor and held sharp blades, were now bare-chested, swinging hoes, huffing and puffing as they... farmed.

And that legendary, awe-inspiring Great General Who Guards the North was kneeling in front of a doghouse that looked quite shabby.

Holding a small brush in his hand, with a face full of despair, he was... brushing the fur of a dirty-looking Mutt.

That Mutt would occasionally stretch out a paw and smack him on the head, as if saying:

"Use some strength, haven't you eaten?"

When the "photos" (images recorded by Shadow Projection Stones) were sent back to the major Sects, everyone was dumbfounded.

It was real!

It was actually true!

The hundred thousand troops didn't flatten the place; instead, they were captured and used as free labor?!

What kind of god-tier operation is this?!

"Sss—"

Countless high-level Sect members couldn't help but gasp in shock the moment they saw that Shadow Projection Stone.

"That Hidden God Sect... what exactly is its background?"

"Terrifying! Subduing a hundred thousand troops without shedding a drop of blood? Is this the work of a devil?"

For a time, speculations about the Hidden God Sect reached a fever pitch.

The rumors became more and more outrageous as they spread.

Some said the Hidden God Sect was actually the entrance to an ancient Forbidden Ground, inhabited by Primeval Remnants that devoured people whole.

"My second great-uncle's third nephew's neighbor saw it with his own eyes! The chickens raised in that Sect can breathe fire! One breath of fire and a whole mountaintop is gone!"

Some said the Hidden God Sect's Sect Master, Li Daoxuan, was actually a Devil Head who had lived for tens of thousands of years, specifically capturing able-bodied men to refine Human Pills.

"Otherwise, you think that hundred thousand army went there to farm? Naive! Those are all medicinal ingredients being raised! Once they're fattened up, they'll be harvested!"

Others said things even more mystical.

They said the Fallen Mountain Range was actually a fallen corner of the Immortal Realm, and the people inside were all Immortals banished to the mortal world, with eccentric tempers and a penchant for killing without blinking.

In short, overnight.

The Hidden God Sect, which was originally obscure and treated as a ninth-rate School, was directly demonized into a terrifying Forbidden Ground where even breathing was a mistake... Eastern Wastelands, Tianji Pavilion.

This was the most authoritative intelligence organization in the Eastern Wastelands, claiming to "know the past and foresee the future."

At this moment, the Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion, an old man with white hair and beard, was facing a massive star chart, his brows furrowed and his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

"I can't calculate it... I can't calculate it at all..."

"That mountain seems to be shrouded in a layer of mist. Any attempt to use heavenly secret arts to peer into it is instantly swallowed."

"There is only one result—Great Calamity!"

Just then, a Disciple came running in haste.

"Pavilion Master! The latest issue of the 'Eastern Wastelands List of Unprovokable Forces' has been prepared. Please take a look."

The old man took the list.

He saw that at the top of the list, the name that originally belonged to the "Blood Fiend Sect" had been crossed out.

In its place were three flamboyant characters that seemed to carry a blood-red hue—

**Hidden God Sect!**

And behind "Hidden God Sect," there was a small note written in cinnabar:

【Danger Rank: Extremely Dangerous!】

【Note: Sect member composition unknown, strength unfathomable, style of action arbitrary, and extremely protective of their own. Suggestion: Do not approach, do not spy, do not provoke. If you encounter a Disciple of this Sect, please immediately detour a hundred miles away and proactively hand over road money.】

The old man looked at this note, remained silent for a long while, and finally picked up a pen to add four more words at the end:

"Otherwise, bear the consequences."

He sighed and handed the list back.

"Send it out."

"I hope... those fools in the Eastern Wastelands can understand this warning."

...However.

When the forest is large, there are all kinds of birds.

There are always those pretentious "smart people" who think they are the chosen ones and like to turn a deaf ear to warnings.

Central Continent, Taiyi Holy Land.

This was a behemoth a hundred times stronger than any Sect in the Eastern Wastelands.

Deep within the Holy Land, inside a divine temple floating above the sea of clouds.

A young man wearing a golden feather robe and a purple-gold crown was sitting cross-legged.

He was surrounded by divine light, with faint visions of the sun, moon, and stars rising and falling behind him. His aura was so powerful that the surrounding space was slightly distorting.

Taiyi Holy Son, Dao Yi.

Recognized as the number one of the younger generation in the Central Continent, at the top of the heavenly prodigy ranking, he was said to have the potential of a Great Emperor.

"Saint, news has come from the Eastern Wastelands."

An old servant knelt respectfully outside the temple.

"Oh?"

Dao Yi slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to have star rivers flowing within them, devoid of any emotion.

"In that barbaric land, what interesting thing could there be?"

"It is said that a new power called the 'Hidden God Sect' has risen in the Eastern Wastelands. Their methods are strange; they first forced back the Nalan Family, then destroyed the Blood Fiend Sect, and a few days ago, they subdued the Great Yan Dynasty's hundred thousand troops without shedding a drop of blood."

"The Tianji Pavilion has already listed it as the number one Forbidden Ground in the Eastern Wastelands."

Hearing this, a hint of interest finally appeared on Dao Yi's originally calm face.

"A bit interesting."

He slowly stood up, walked to the front of the temple, and looked down at the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains below.

"My cultivation has reached a Bottleneck, and I just happen to need a whetstone."

"Since this Hidden God Sect is so mysterious, I shall go and meet them."

"It's also a good time to show those ignorant natives of the Eastern Wastelands what a true Prodigy looks like."

The old servant was shocked: "Saint, please reconsider! The Tianji Pavilion stated that this Sect is extremely dangerous..."

"Dangerous?"

Dao Yi sneered, his eyes filled with innate arrogance.

"Before me, Dao Yi, the word 'danger' does not exist in this world."

"I am the greatest danger."

With a wave of his wide sleeve, his voice, like rolling thunder, spread throughout the entire Holy Land.

"Men!"

"Prepare my Nine-Dragon Aloeswood Carriage!"

"This Saint is going to the Eastern Wastelands... for a stroll."

"Rumble—!"

A moment later.

Nine flood Dragons, each over a hundred zhang long, roared as they charged out from the Myriad Dragon Abyss of the Holy Land.

They were bound by golden chains, pulling a golden chariot crafted from ten-thousand-year-old aloeswood and inlaid with gems and divine gold.

The display was luxurious to the extreme.

It was a hundred times more exaggerated than an emperor's procession.

Dao Yi stepped onto the chariot, and under the respectful send-off of the Elders and Disciples, he turned into a golden stream of light, grandly heading towards the Eastern Wastelands.

His arrogant aura was such that he seemed afraid others wouldn't know he was coming.

He was going to trample people.

And even more, to establish his prestige.

In his view, the so-called "Hidden God Sect" was merely a small stepping stone in his glorious life.

He had even already thought it through.

Once he got there, what posture he should use to crush that Sect Master named Li Daoxuan with a single finger.

Standing?

Or sitting?

Hmm... sitting would be better; it seems more impressive.

"Saint, where is our first destination on this trip?" an attendant asked respectfully.

Dao Yi closed his eyes, leaning against a soft animal-skin cushion, his tone indifferent yet carrying an unquestionable dominance.

"Fallen Mountain Range."

"Hidden God Sect."

"Tell those clearing the path ahead to make more noise."

"This Saint does not like to wait for people."