554: Chapter 554 The Events of That Year

Fang Hanyu stopped in his tracks, still remaining silent and not issuing a challenge, merely slowly lifting his head to cast a calm gaze at that mountain gate.

With just this one look, the air between heaven and earth suddenly solidified!

His gaze, containing endless Chaos Sword Intent, was like an invisible sharp blade that fell straight upon the mountain gate.

There was no world-shaking explosion or incomparably violent attack; the space and dao principles where the mountain gate stood actually shattered and disintegrated inch by inch like colored glass.

Along with those two characters, "Great Yan," which had been engraved for ages, they also instantly turned into dust filling the sky, scattering with the wind.

The mountain-guarding Disciples on both sides of the gate, though physically unharmed, had their Divine Souls shattered by the impact of that invisible Sword Intent.

Their eyes were wide open, their bodies slumped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, unable to even let out a single scream.

The most casual glance was the ultimate humiliation and the most crushing display of strength!

"Ding— Ding— Ding—!!!"

Inside the Great Yan Holy Land, alarm bells rang out continuously, their shrill sounds echoing through the clouds, breaking the usual tranquility.

A dazzling brilliance instantly soared into the sky, enveloping the entire Holy Land; it was the Great Yan Holy Land's sect-protecting array, fully activated.

It emitted a majestic defensive power, attempting to resist this sudden attack.

Following that, several figures sped out from the depths of the Holy Land, their internal auras vast and their pressure immense; they were several Grand Elders of the Great Yan Holy Land who had been in seclusion for many years, as well as the current Holy Lord.

They each held a weapon radiating Emperor Might, their expressions solemn, their eyes fixed on Fang Hanyu, filled with wariness and fury.

What had happened? When did such a strange Great Emperor, filled with an aura of extinction, appear in the Xuanhuang Great World?

And why did he specifically target my Great Yan Holy Land?!

Their hearts were in a state of upheaval.

Since that sudden, near-exterminating catastrophe two or three years ago, the Great Yan Holy Land had been severely depleted of its Origin Qi and was forced to completely close its mountain gates, isolating itself from the outside world.

On one hand, they were licking their wounds and dealing with the internal Chaos caused by that incident; on the other hand, they were almost completely cut off from the world.

They knew very little about the terrifying rise of young Prodigies in the outside world, or the shocking changes like the Prodigy competition at the Dao Zang Academy.

It wasn't until recently, when they sensed that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had inexplicably become exceptionally abundant and active, and the Great Dao Laws had become clearer than ever before, that many Elders and even Old Ancestors in the sect broke through their current Realms.

Feeling that they were capable again, they had reopened the mountain gates for barely a month and were preparing to scout the outside trends and restore their prestige... How could they have expected that reopening the gates would bring not awe and worship, but a terrifying Great Emperor with soaring Evil Qi who clearly came with ill intent!

Fang Hanyu still stood in place, silent and motionless, only slowly releasing a sliver of Chaos Emperor Might that had just reached Perfection.

This Emperor Might was no ordinary Great Emperor's pressure; it also fused piercing Chaos Sword Qi and heaven-shaking Heaven-Devouring Killing Intent.

Its level was so high that it far exceeded the understanding of everyone present; once released, it was like the eternal blue sky pressing down, instantly enveloping the entire Great Yan Holy Land.

"Kacha— Kacha—"

The fully activated sect-protecting array let out an overburdened wail under this terrifying pressure.

Dense cracks appeared on its surface, its light flickering, threatening to shatter at any moment.

The current Holy Lord and several Old Ancestors, holding the sect-guarding emperor weapons, were suppressed even more heavily by the pressure; their bones creaked, their legs bent, and they could not move an inch.

The fury on their faces had long since been replaced by deep horror; they had no power to resist.

One person, one pressure, suppressed the entire Great Yan Holy Land!

In various parts of the Xuanhuang Great World, Cultivators watching this scene through scrying techniques were all shocked into silence, and the discussions grew increasingly intense.

"What deep-seated hatred does he have with the Great Yan Holy Land? To actually go to such lengths, destroying their mountain gate as soon as he arrived and suppressing the entire sect!"

"Wait, I remember! Two or three years ago, the Great Yan Holy Land was severely damaged by a mysterious powerhouse, suffering heavy casualties, and finally had to close its gates to recuperate!"

"Looking at it now, that mysterious powerhouse is likely this Sword White Robe's Master!"

"So, he came today to seek revenge?

But what exactly happened back then that could make him resent the Great Yan Holy Land so much, coming for a reckoning the moment he broke through to become a Great Emperor?"

The world was in an uproar, but no one knew the reason behind it.

Meanwhile, the people of the Great Yan Holy Land, sensing that familiar Chaos Sword Intent and thinking back to the heavy blow from two or three years ago...

Their hearts constricted simultaneously, and a chill rushed from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads—it was him!

It was the youth whose Origin had been stripped by them and who had been saved by a mysterious powerhouse!

How much time had passed?

In just a few short years, he had actually leaped from a cripple whose Origin had been stripped and whose path of Dao had been destroyed to a Great Emperor capable of crushing the entire Great Yan Holy Land!

A white-haired Old Ancestor's eyes were full of horror, his lips trembling as he tried to speak and question.

But he found himself so suppressed by that terrifying Emperor Might that he couldn't make a single sound; he could only stare fixedly at Fang Hanyu, his eyes filled with despair.

Just then, Fang Hanyu finally spoke.

His voice was not loud, calm and emotionless, yet it rang like thunder in every corner of the Great Yan Holy Land:

"In the past, you stole my Origin and destroyed my path of Dao, using my Origin to nourish your sect-guarding emperor weapon.

My Master was merciful and only executed the main culprit back then, sparing your lives. Today, I have attained the Dao as a Great Emperor and have returned to settle the old grudge!"

As his voice fell, the faces of the people in the Great Yan Holy Land turned even paler, their hearts filled with despair.

A hunched Grand Elder managed to break free from a sliver of the pressure's restraint and argued with a trembling voice:

"Great Emperor, have mercy! This is all a misunderstanding!

The events of the past were not our intention; it was all the late Holy Lord acting willfully, it had nothing to do with us!"

"A misunderstanding?"

A cold arc curled at the corner of Fang Hanyu's mouth, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified.

With a thought, the Chaos Sword Intent around him surged, and a vast screen of light suddenly appeared in the sky above the Great Yan Holy Land.

Like a reversal of time, it clearly presented everything that had happened within the Forbidden Ground back then before everyone's eyes.

Within the light screen, a young Fang Hanyu was being forcibly pinned down by several Elders, covered in blood, struggling heart-wrenchingly.

The Holy Lord and Elders' eyes were full of greed; as they stripped away his Origin, they conversed in low voices, their words filled with calculation and cruelty.

Even more revoltingly, in the depths of the light screen, several secluded Old Ancestors sat in the hall while the late Holy Lord stood below them with a bow, reporting in a deep voice:

"Old Ancestors, that Chaos Sword Body is the best cauldron for forging the Great Yan Sword Embryo.

By stripping its Origin, we can refine the sword embryo into a true Supreme Emperor Weapon, protecting our Great Yan for eternity!"

Hearing this, the Old Ancestors' eyes flashed with fanaticism and indifference; the grey-robed Old Ancestor at the head slowly nodded and said in an aged yet ruthless voice:

"Do this quickly; be sure to pull up the roots and leave no future troubles!"

The image froze on the complex smiles of the Old Ancestors, full of ambition and cruelty, before slowly dissipating.

This scene was clearly reflected in the eyes of every Disciple and Elder of the Great Yan Holy Land, and it also reached the eyes of all the spying forces in the Xuanhuang Great World.