Chapter 444: The Shocked Dongling Sect

"Sect Master, the envoy from the South Blade Pavilion has already left."

Inside the main hall of the Dongling Sect, a Dongling Sect Elder respectfully reported to the Sect Master, who was seated at the head of the room.

"Hmm."

The Dongling Sect Master nodded indifferently, then tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest, remaining silent and bowing his head in thought, leaving others unable to tell what he was pondering.

Finally, it seemed someone could no longer endure this atmosphere; an Elder stood up and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Sect Master, why don't we just fight it out with that bunch of theirs."

This viewpoint seemed to have a lot of traction among the Dongling Sect Elders, and as soon as it appeared, it drew a chorus of agreement.

"Fight?"

The silent Dongling Sect Master finally raised his head, stared at the Elder below, and spoke in a calm tone.

"What do we have to fight with?"

"How do we fight the madmen of the South Blade Pavilion? And after dealing with the South Blade Pavilion, how do we handle the West Profound Gate and the North Shadow Palace?"

The Dongling Sect Master's words were devoid of any emotion, yet this very approach of laying out facts and reasoning made the group of Elders look as grim as water, stammering and unable to speak.

In the Ling Tian Continent, the Dongling Sect's comprehensive strength was undoubtedly in the top position; whether in financial resources or powerful experts, they were the undisputed leader, yet this did not mean the other three were nothing.

In terms of combat power alone, the South Blade Pavilion could fully contend with the Dongling Sect; the only thing they lacked was wealth and the ability to sustain a protracted war.

However, with the secret assistance of the other two factions, this weakness was effectively non-existent.

The terrifying strength of the three sects joining forces had been thoroughly revealed in the tug-of-war over the past hundred years; if not for the fact that the three were not of one mind, the Dongling Sect might not have truly held on until now.

Currently, the opponent was only adopting a strategy of piecemeal attrition and gradual encroachment; if a real war were to break out, the Dongling Sect might give the three a painful lesson, but their orthodoxy and heritage would certainly not be preserved.

Unless it was a life-or-death crisis, the Dongling Sect would not resort to such "better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile" tactics.

"But... there isn't much time left for us!"

An unknown Elder in the crowd muttered softly, pulling the entire Dongling Sect back to reality.

Indeed, the "boiling a frog in warm water" had been going on for over a hundred years—even dragon scales could be boiled into dregs—and the Dongling Sect's strength had gradually declined to a dangerous threshold; everyone vaguely felt that this time would not be much longer.

Perhaps three or five years, or maybe ten; if they did not make a decision, a dead end was inevitable.

Just as the entire hall was filled with gloom and misery, a report suddenly came from outside.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, someone... someone..."

"Speak clearly." An Elder in a bad mood immediately shouted angrily.

The person who arrived was out of breath, the shock in their eyes completely undisguised.

They said at a rapid speed:

"Someone is breaking into our Dongling Sect's Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain!"

"What?!!"

From the Dongling Sect Master down to the Elders, all eyes widened as they stood up and stared blankly at the trembling Disciple.

"Say that again?" The Dongling Sect Master took a deep breath, his tone calm, yet the palms hidden within his wide sleeves were already tightly clenched.

"Sect Master, someone is trying to break into our Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain!"

Even while feeling the chill in the air, the Disciple hardened their heart and gritted their teeth to say it.

Before the Dongling Sect Master could reply, the Elders had already exploded.

"What kind of Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to come and provoke our Dongling Sect? Make them get lost!"

"That's right, break their legs and throw them out!"

For a time, the crowd was filled with indignation.

The Elders, who argued endlessly on ordinary days, were for once in unprecedented agreement—throw the troublemaker out.

That Disciple was enduring the terrifying pressure of the Elders, feeling miserable inside; the reaction of the Elders and other high-level members was indeed as expected.

The Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain was the Dongling Sect's most powerful means and the gathering place for the entire Dongling Sect's Spirit Array achievements, occupying nearly one-third of the Dongling Sect's area; its importance went without saying.

The entire Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain was divided into nine levels, each corresponding to the nine great realms of Spirit Array cultivation, and it usually served as the Dongling Sect's place for assessments.

However, if the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain's function were merely that, it would not live up to its great reputation.

The layered divisions were only for assessment purposes; beyond that, what truly made the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain famous was its challenge mode.

The "Ten Thousand" in the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain was just an approximate number; the number of arrays within was far more than ten thousand. Not to mention the terrifying number of these Spirit Arrays, when these Spirit Arrays were fused together through specific grand arrays, that power...

Even the legendary Heavenly Sovereign experts would have to temporarily avoid its edge.

The only way to pass through the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain was to break the grand arrays through powerful Spirit Array cultivation.

And this was the reason why the Elders were dismissive of this so-called challenger; no matter how strong, could they be stronger than a Heavenly Sovereign?

Even a Heavenly Sovereign would not be such a greenhorn as to fall out with them, the Spirit Array Masters.

They only regarded the intruder as a naive fool who had just started out, with a heart higher than the sky, wanting to ride on the Dongling Sect's coattails. Did they really think that because their Dongling Sect had declined in recent years, they wouldn't dare to do anything?

"Sect Master, Elders, that person has already walked to the sixth level of the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain."

While the group of Elders was calculating how to deal with this arrogant brat who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, the trembling voice of the Disciple in the corner rang out.

Ding!

The hall suddenly became so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

"How did they get in? Didn't you stop them?"

An Elder suddenly roared; even going to an auction house requires an admission ticket!

To enter and exit so casually, do they really treat their sect's forbidden ground like a street market?

"We couldn't stop those two people; their strength is extraordinary, and even Elder Yuanyi was not a match for them in a single exchange."

The Disciple said with great grievance.

Now everyone realized the severity of the matter.

As an existence that had stood for thousands of years, the Dongling Sect naturally had its own foundations, and the sect guardian Elder Yuanyi was one of them.

A thousand years ago, he had already reached the Great Perfection Earth Sovereign, and a thousand years later, he was on the verge of touching the threshold of the Heavenly Sovereign; he was the one with the highest cultivation in the Dongling Sect, and his strength was second only to the Dongling Sect Sect Master who controlled the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain.

However, could such strength actually be no match for that uninvited guest?

"Heavenly Sovereign!"

A word became a prophecy; this answer surfaced in the hearts of the Elders simultaneously.

"Wait, you just said 'they'?"

The Sect Master seemed to have grasped the main point, staring intently at the reporting Disciple, "It wasn't just one person who came?"

"Then who is the one breaking through the array?"

"This Disciple does not know."

"I only know that the one breaking through the array and the one who defeated Elder Yuanyi are not the same person."

That Disciple answered with extreme caution.

"Sect Master..." The Elders looked toward the Dongling Sect Sect Master one after another; at critical moments, their own Sect Master was still quite reliable.

The Dongling Sect Sect Master walked down from his seat and raised a hand to stop the advice the Elders were about to blurt out, his expression unchanged.

"Let's go, let us go and see exactly what kind of sacred beings have come this time!"

Having said that, the Sect Master led a large group of Elders and headed toward the direction of the Ten Thousand Array Heavenly Domain, leaving the Disciple alone in place, at a loss and on the verge of tears.

(End of this chapter)