Chapter 1283: Who Did This?

"Bastards, this is preposterous! Who did this?"

A roar of fury echoed throughout the entire mountain gate of the Saint Sect.

Emerging from behind the massive gate of the Saint Sect was a single old man. He had a full head of white hair, wore a green Daoist robe, and his face was covered in scars. He looked fierce, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Immortal King Stage.

At this moment, he stood on a jade plaza outside the Saint Sect's council hall, looking at the patches of blood on the ground and the lingering scent of blood in the air, consumed by rage.

Someone had dared to go on a killing spree in his Saint Sect; they simply didn't take them seriously at all!

A middle-aged man hurried over; it was the Elder surnamed Ming who had just narrowly escaped death.

He knelt before the old man, terrified, and replied with a trembling voice: "Disciple Ming Qianchuan pays respects to the Ancestor! Reporting to the Ancestor, the person who committed these crimes in our Saint Sect just now was Xu Que's father!"

"Xu Que... his father?" Upon hearing this, the green-robed old man was so angry he almost slapped Ming Qianchuan to death.

Who was Xu Que, and who was his father? Did his father not have a name?

Fortunately, the green-robed old man also realized that the Saint Sect's powerhouses had been almost entirely wiped out, so he had to suppress his anger for now and let Ming Qianchuan off.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, Xu Que's father is a strange old man who suddenly appeared recently. No one knows his name, and no one knows his true strength, but today, we all know the truth..." Ming Qianchuan recounted everything "Xu Que's father" had done during this period.

He even revealed the truth about Xu Que's father's real strength—that he was only at the mid-stage of the Earth Immortal Realm—and that he had used the souls of two Immortal Venerable powerhouses to deceive everyone in the Heavenly Continent.

After listening, the green-robed old man frowned, truly puzzled.

If Immortal Venerable powerhouses were reduced to mere souls, how could they have survived from that era until now?

And how could a mere mid-stage Earth Immortal control two Immortal Venerable souls?

However, none of that mattered!

As long as the others emerged from that gate, the Saint Sect would remain the strongest existence in the Heavenly Continent, just as it was in that era—unrivaled!

"Pass on my order: announce our return, and at the same time, search for the whereabouts of Xu Que and his father. Besides, we have other important matters to attend to during this time, so you shall temporarily act as the Saint Sect Master!" The green-robed old man left these indifferent words and turned around, returning to the forbidden grounds at the back of the mountain.

Ming Qianchuan knelt on the ground, not daring to move for a long time, but his heart was filled with wild joy.

That very day, he quickly consolidated all the remaining disciples of the Saint Sect, took the opportunity to promote some people from the Ming family to replace the deacons, and had the disciples announce the truth to the outside world.

Once the news broke, it was like a giant boulder falling into the sea, stirring up monstrous waves!

Within a few days, everyone in the Ziwei Immortal Domain was shocked!

"My god! The Saint Sect opened their ancestral gate and awakened their ancestors from the previous era!"

"Those are big shots from the Immortal Emperor era! They've actually returned!"

"The world is going to change. If the Saint Sect can awaken their ancestors, other factions will surely be no exception, and they definitely won't be able to sit still either!"

"That's nothing. We'd already heard rumors of this before. What truly makes it hard to believe is that Xu Que's father isn't an Immortal King, let alone anything above that!"

"That old swindler is just an Earth Immortal cultivator. He only managed to kill the Chief Deacon of the Heavenly Palace Academy because he had two Immortal Venerable souls by his side!"

"Having two Immortal Venerable souls as hired muscle is basically invincible too!"

"Invincible my ass! Once the major factions awaken their own ancestors, how could two souls possibly beat those ancestors who have physical bodies?"

"That's true. And the Saint Sect has already issued an order."

"What order?"

"Kill Xu Que first, then kill his father!"

Soon, the news spread from the Ziwei Immortal Domain to other Immortal Domains.

The fastest to react was the Shennong Clan of the Taiyin Immortal Domain, who immediately announced to the outside world: "The Shennong Clan will not suffer such humiliation. Kill Xu Que first, then kill his father!"

Afterward, other families in various Immortal Domains followed suit with the declaration "Kill Xu Que first, then kill his father," including three families that Xu Que had declared war on at the Heavenly Palace Academy.

In an instant, the prestige established by the identity of "Xu Que's father" completely collapsed in the Heavenly Continent. Even people who had no connection to Xu Que would occasionally shout the slogan: "Kill Xu Que first, then kill his father!"

As for the Heavenly Palace Academy, after remaining silent for a period, they finally couldn't withstand the pressure.

Dean Li Qinghe and Vice Dean Li Qingshan entered the ancestral tomb at the back of the mountain together. Upon emerging, they announced to the outside world: "Our academy was also a victim, deceived by Xu Que's father. Effective immediately, our academy dismisses Xu Que's father from his position as Vice Dean and lists him as our number one wanted enemy. If anyone has information on his whereabouts, please report it; there will be a heavy reward!"

Subsequently, Li Qingshan's son, Li Wenqu, one of the top geniuses of the Heavenly Palace Academy, added: "Our academy's main goal moving forward is... to kill Xu Que first, then kill his father!"

Besides them, some Immortal Domain factions remained silent.

For instance, the Shadow Pagoda Sect from the Qisha Immortal Domain, which had previously attempted to befriend Xu Que, did not state any position this time.

The Yaochi Holy Land of the Tianxiang Immortal Domain also did not state a position, simultaneously announcing that they were closing the Holy Land, with the entire sect entering a state of closed-door cultivation, refusing to see any outside guests!

But everyone knew clearly that the Yaochi Holy Land's move wasn't out of fear of retaliation from other factions, but because they were preparing to awaken their ancestors.

These factions with deep foundations, which had survived from the previous era and possessed long histories, were all preparing to awaken their respective ancestors.

When that time came, Immortal Kings would emerge, Immortal Venerables would run rampant, and Immortal Emperors would look down upon the world. The Heavenly Continent was about to enter an era that recent generations had only heard of in records but never experienced—the Immortal Emperor Era.

Meanwhile, in the Four Great Continents, separated from the Heavenly Continent by a vast distance.

In a remote mountain range in the Eastern Wasteland, claps of thunder resounded in the sky, and a majestic aura swirled into a hurricane, sweeping across everything in the mountains.

Before long, a gap was torn in the firmament, and several figures darted out from the pitch-black void, rushing toward the ground.

It was Xu Que and his group.

"Finally... made it back!" Xu Que, looking travel-worn, landed on this long-missed land, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings with deep emotion.

"Kid, by the time, you only have about three or four days left to live!" Er Gouzi reminded him at a very inappropriate time.

Xu Que nodded, his eyes scanning directly toward the direction of the Buried Immortal Valley, and he said in a deep voice: "I didn't expect to waste so much time returning from the Heavenly Continent, but it's good that we made it in time. I'd like to see what kind of trouble Xuan Yuan Wanrong is stirring up!"

"Kid, don't be careless. Maybe she really encountered a powerful enemy!" Duan Jiude said with a grave expression.

"What if she did?" Xu Que immediately shook his body, his physical body at the Small Success Saint Body level releasing a majestic aura, and he shouted, "With my strength today, even if I encounter a powerful enemy, do you think I'm afraid I won't be able to run away?"

... ===== CHAPTER 1284 =====