Under the pitch-black night sky, lanterns blazed brightly.
"These people are the rats that plague the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect, the vermin of our entire ancestral star, maggots too foul to smell!"
These words, laden with intense humiliation, were shouted loudly, directed at Bai Lu and his companions who were tied to the Spirit-Binding Pillar in the execution ground before them.
Bai Lu kept his head lowered, not daring to look around, and wishing he didn't have to listen.
But the dense chorus of voices still forced its way into his ears.
"Who is that, why are they tied up there, do you know?"
"Not sure, probably some fool who didn't know their place and challenged disciples of the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect, ending up like this."
"They brought it upon themselves, haha!"
"Yes, they deserve it!"
Bai Lu lowered his head even further, as if trying to tuck it into his chest, as if trying to completely plug his ears, as if trying to empty his mind entirely.
But he couldn't, and so he suffered immensely.
At the front of the execution platform stood a cultivator in a white robe with three flames, the same leader who had dispersed Bai Lu at the bridge. He looked at Bai Lu's group and said with a smile.
"You've got some nerve, daring to assault disciples of the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect on our ancestral star, in our territory!"
"Those heads on your shoulders don't seem to be working too well, might as well get rid of them!"
"I'm... I'm sorry, I was wrong, please spare me, I really was wrong!" On the Spirit-Binding Pillar, a young cultivator couldn't help but beg for mercy out of fear.
The leading Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect cultivator sneered and continued.
"Now you know you were wrong? Why didn't you know when you were fighting? You maggots are just so disgusting!"
"I, Liao Kuang, can't stand the sight of you lot. Even Heaven Mending Realm cultivators don't dare to lay a hand on us, yet you dare. You deserve to die!"
After his tirade, Liao Kuang turned to face the crowd of cultivators below the platform and said,
"I've brought you here to witness this as a warning. I hope such incidents won't happen again!"
The onlookers discussed intensely, but no one dared to contradict Liao Kuang's words.
Liao Kuang turned back, looking at the people on the Spirit-Binding Pillar, wondering who to deal with first.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side.
"Yu Jun, don't go, it's not worth it. Slow down, think it through, avoid conflict at all costs!" The voice of persuasion came along with hurried footsteps.
Yu Jun walked quickly, with Hao Lin constantly trying to dissuade him.
Bai Lu suddenly raised his head, staring at them in disbelief, never imagining that the three of them would reunite in such a place.
Liao Kuang narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
"Cultivators from the White Jade Sect, greetings to Senior Brother Liao!" Hao Lin quickly replied.
"Oh, cultivators from one of the Five Sects." Liao Kuang's tone softened slightly, but still held contempt, not even bothering to address them as junior brothers.
"Yes, yes." Hao Lin hastily responded, fearing to displease Liao Kuang.
"Then why have you come up here, to ruin my show?" Liao Kuang asked again.
Hao Lin quickly waved his hands, "We wouldn't dare, it's just..."
"It's just that we know someone tied to the Spirit-Binding Pillar, and we hope Senior Brother can let them go," Yu Jun said, neither submissive nor overbearing.
Liao Kuang fell silent, his eyes constantly moving, seeming angry, then mocking, and finally murderous.
Hao Lin stared intently at Bai Lu, his gaze filled with resentment. It was because of this useless Bai Lu that he and Yu Jun were taking such a risk.
The piercing gaze felt like knives scraping against Bai Lu's skin, making his heart ache and his breathing slow.
He had never imagined being looked at with such resentment by Hao Lin.
But what was happening now?
Bai Lu truly couldn't understand.
Liao Kuang shifted slightly, a cold smile spreading across his face as he replied.
"You two are quite amusing. You come up here demanding to save people, do you think you're some great Heaven Mending Realm cultivators?"
"I'll do you a favor today. You want to save them? Fine, but you'll have to exchange your two heads for theirs. How about that?"
Hao Lin's body trembled, and he hastily said, "No need, no need!"
Yu Jun didn't reply, but his gaze towards Bai Lu was no longer resolute.
Because Liao Kuang could indeed kill them without facing any punishment.
Thud.
Suddenly, more footsteps were heard, as if someone was climbing the steps, accompanied by a calm voice.
"Enough with the family drama and the life-sacrificing rescue scenes. Because now, the hero has arrived!"
"Woo-hoo."
A strange cry.
Chen Xia walked onto the execution platform, patted his blue robe, faced the crowd, tilted his head slightly, and said with a light smile.
"I'm here to bail them out."
The cultivators present were stunned again, wondering why suicidal cultivators kept showing up today.
Bai Lu's expression became excited, looking at Chen Xia without knowing what to say.
"How was my entrance? Youthful and arrogant enough?" Chen Xia asked him with a smile.
"Definitely," Bai Lu replied, also smiling.
Liao Kuang's brow furrowed, his fists clenched, revealing the power of a Mahayana Peak cultivator as he shouted angrily.
"You must be tired of living!"
He had barely moved when his throat was already in Chen Xia's grasp. It wasn't that Chen Xia had come to him, but that he had voluntarily moved into Chen Xia's grasp.
Liao Kuang's pupils dilated, his heart filled with terror, as his entire body seemed to lose its spiritual energy, unable to summon even a bit.
"You're a Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect cultivator, right? I'll give you one more chance to live. Go and release those people for me now."
Chen Xia released his grip, and Liao Kuang's voice suddenly returned to normal. He fell to the ground, gasping for air, cold sweat pouring down his face.
All the cultivators present fell silent, their gazes fixed on Chen Xia, wondering what kind of prodigy he was to possess such mystical powers!
Liao Kuang didn't respond, his expression manic as he slammed his hand on the ground, sending a brilliant light shooting into the sky.
A beam of light descended from the heavens, landing on the execution ground and revealing the figure of a middle-aged cultivator. He glanced around before asking,
"What's the matter?"
Liao Kuang pointed at Chen Xia and hastily said, "Elder, this person is committing violence on the execution platform, threatening to kill me. He's extremely vicious and disregards all rules!"
The middle-aged cultivator looked at Chen Xia, his fingers moving slightly as if calculating something, and said,
"You dare to speak of killing disciples in the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect? You've got quite the nerve. As punishment, I'll kill everyone associated with you. Consider it a lesson."
"With my Heaven Mending Realm cultivation, I curse that everyone important to you will die, and they deserve to die!"
Chen Xia had been calm until now, considering this as just rudeness between juniors in Chi Yu's sect, and he didn't want to kill anyone.
But some people just ask for death.
His expression darkened as soon as the middle-aged cultivator finished speaking. He raised his hand to the sky and then pressed it down.
Outside the ancestral star.
A vast, dense black mist condensed into a giant hand above the ancestral star, blocking out all light on this side, as if about to crush the entire star!
In the star realm.
Many Saints were already looking this way, their expressions shocked as they couldn't help but exclaim,
"Which two Great Saints are battling?!"
They were half right.
Actually, it was one Great Saint preparing to swat a mosquito.
In the star realm, two streaks of light were already rushing towards the ancestral star. In an instant, they descended upon it, using mystical arts to isolate the entire execution platform, interacting only with Chen Xia.
These two streaks of light were Emperor Capital and Qiu Li.
"Brother, you can't do this, brother! If you want to kill someone, just let your little brother know, and I'll help you kill them right away. But slapping the ancestral star isn't worth it! Aren't you on good terms with Chi Yu? You can't do this!"
"Emperor Capital is right. This ancestral star is a place of great fortune in the southeast of the star realm. If you shatter it, the Zhun Di seats will be reduced by thirty percent."
"That's right, brother! If you really must, hit me instead. I can take it!"
"Huff." Chen Xia exhaled, nodding, "Indeed, I was impulsive."
"It's alright, whoever angered you, I'll help you..." Emperor Capital hadn't finished speaking.
Chen Xia suddenly pointed two fingers at the middle-aged cultivator and said coldly,
"Kill!"
Light burst from the ground, plowing through the stars.
From this day forward, the ancestral star lost an uninhabited corner and gained a new ravine.
And in the universe, countless stars had already been obliterated.
Emperor Capital stared in disbelief, thinking that he must be quite brave to dare try to persuade Chen Xia.
What use were more Zhun Di seats if he didn't live to compete for them?