Chapter 12: and ===GLOSSARY=== sections

While Li Zhangsheng was flashing away to chase Qin Shan, Xiao Jue and his group were not idle!!

They took advantage of the Grand Void Gate being leaderless now, brutally beating the stragglers, leaving no survivor!

The hidden iron rule of the cultivation world is: cutting the grass without removing the roots lets the spring wind make it grow again, otherwise endless trouble follows!

Xiao Jue and his group knew this principle well, and when they killed, they showed no mercy!

This is the cultivation world: the strong eat the weak!

If today the Grand Void Gate attacked the Longevity Gate, I believe the Grand Void Gate would not leave any survivors!

Chhh! Chhh! Chhh! Chhh!

Blade flashes and sword shadows flickered, blood splattered, and then heads fell to the ground one by one!

That scene was truly a crushing slaughter.

After all, the Grand Void Gate's strongmen above the Supreme Saint Realm were instantly killed by Li Zhangsheng's gaze just now.

Now the Grand Void Gate has only a few small fry left, while Xiao Jue's side still has a Supreme Saint Realm peak cultivator, Shen Qingcang.

Stronger foot soldiers are cleared by Shen Qingcang, weaker ones are harvested by Xiao Jue's group; the division of labor is clear.

In no time, the Grand Void Gate, from top to bottom, was almost completely cleared!

Splat!

Liu Yiming sliced a head off with a single sword, turned to look around, found no heads left to take, and returned to the plaza to rendezvous with Xiao Jue's group.

Looking at the annihilated Grand Void Gate, Liu Yiming felt a vague, unreal sensation!

The illustrious quasi‑Emperor‑level sect Grand Void Gate was wiped out just like that.

He directly felt for the first time that destroying a sect could be this simple!

Standing on the plaza, Liu Yiming was filled with countless emotions; after a moment, he slowly smiled and said, "The huge Grand Void Gate has been wiped out by us; the five of us are truly awesome!"

Although all the Grand Void Gate's strong ones were killed by Li Zhangsheng's gaze, they only cleared some foot soldiers!

Nevertheless, they did participate and contributed a bit, so the credit for the annihilation can be counted for them; that's reasonable, no problem.

With that in mind, Liu Yiming now wants to go back and brag to his sect mates, "Senior brothers and junior brothers, the four of us and I annihilated a sect; we didn't embarrass the sect!"

Beside them, Xiao Jue gave a blank, smug stare at Liu Yiming.

What does this annihilation have to do with the four of us? Isn't it the Sect Master alone who instantly killed the Grand Void Gate's strong ones?

After pondering, Xiao Jue thought Liu Yiming's words had some point, and couldn't help but shamelessly say, "Indeed, the five of us are truly awesome!"

Those who witnessed get a share!

Beside them, Luo Qingxue gave a strange look at Xiao Jue and Liu Yiming, as if watching two idiots!

At that moment, Li Zhangsheng also returned, suddenly appearing on the Grand Void Gate's plaza.

He looked at the completely slaughtered Grand Void Gate, his face showing no reaction!

Having lived a hundred thousand years, watching tides rise and fall, having seen countless dynasties fall and sects rise and decline, his heart has long become indifferent to it.

"Sect Master!" Shen Qingcang, seeing Li Zhangsheng suddenly appear on the plaza, approached him.

"Sect Master, that fleeing old man?" Liu Yiming, though already having an answer in mind, still asked symbolically.

"Oh, he's already dead!" Li Zhangsheng replied flatly.

"Sect Master, did you learn from his mouth where the elders and disciples guarding the three spirit veins of the Longevity Gate have gone?" Shen Qingcang asked, believing those people were not dead.

After all, when they arrived at the three spirit vein locations, they found no signs of battle or corpses.

Moreover, those three spirit veins are the Lifeline of the Longevity Gate, and Shen Qingcang had each assigned a Supreme Saint Realm elder to guard them.

Given that, how could the Grand Void Gate's agents occupy those three veins without leaving any battle traces?

Those elders and disciples seemed to have vanished into thin air!

These years, the Longevity Gate has been openly run single‑handed by him, and he feels deep affection for everyone in the sect!

The elders and disciples guarding those three veins total over three thousand; three thousand people disappearing without a trace makes Shen Qingcang rather anxious!

"Just like before, they said little before self‑detonating, their souls scattering," Li Zhangsheng said calmly, "but before dying they uttered four words: '…Cloud Emperor!'"

"Oh right, do you know who on the Nine Continents is called the Cloud Emperor?"

"Cloud Emperor?" Shen Qingcang mused lightly.

Whether on the Nine Continents or the myriad heavens, names containing 'Emperor' are titles granted after one attains the Dao and becomes an emperor.

He has never heard of a great emperor on the Nine Continents bearing the title 'Cloud Emperor'!

"Never heard of such an emperor," Shen Qingcang shook his head.

"Probably the one behind the Grand Void Gate," Li Zhangsheng recalled Shen Qingcang saying the Grand Void Gate had a backer.

Only an emperor could snatch over three thousand people without a trace.

And just after Qin Shan died, someone whispered behind him, then ambushed themselves, exploded, yet did not die!

It was probably that Cloud Emperor.

"Snatching over three thousand people at once?" Li Zhangsheng mused, seeming to recall something.

He has lived a hundred thousand years and has seen every kind of cultivation method in this world!

The demonic paths are also countless!

Among them, two are the most popular!

One is a method of harvesting living Qi and blood!

The other is the sacrificial style!

Earlier he sensed something off about the aura on Qin Shan and Qin Hai, as if it wasn't mainstream cultivation, but had a hint of the sacrificial style.

After a moment's thought, Li Zhangsheng said, "Oh right, tell me about the Grand Void Gate's external territories and spirit‑vein herb gardens; I'll clean them up later as well."

"You go back and send people to transport all of the Grand Void Gate's stock to the Longevity Gate."

The Grand Void Gate, like the Longevity Gate, also has people stationed outside to guard its territories and resources!

"Yes, Sect Master, this Cautious Void Gate also has… outside," Shen Qingcang took out a map, speaking while drawing on it, like the King of Hell marking the hour.

Outside, this Cautious Void Gate mainly has about ten important territories and resource outposts.

And Li Zhangsheng ordered Shen Qingcang and the others to return, while he himself would personally visit those outposts one by one.

In just a few minutes, all those Cautious Void Gate outposts were eliminated by Li Zhangsheng one by one.

In short, very quickly, the elders and disciples of the Cautious Void Gate who were garrisoning the outposts didn't know what had happened, and they all went away with boxed meals!

There was no pain!

Next, Li Zhangsheng searched the Cautious Void Gate's territories and the surrounding region completely!

However, he found no place where the Longevity Gate's people were being held!

Li Zhangsheng also feared that during this time someone might come to the Longevity Gate to cause trouble, so he could only return first!