361: Chapter 361 External Turmoil: Could the Xu Family Have Been Completely Wiped Out?

The sky brightened with the morning light.

A crimson sun struggled to climb from behind the mountains of the Eastern Desolation, attempting to cast its sunlight across the land.

Unfortunately, that radiance, enough to illuminate the Major Thousand Worlds, was like a clay ox entering the sea when it touched the thick black mist surrounding the Forbidden Zone of Life—it failed to stir even the slightest ripple.

After a day and night of deathly silence, this wall of death stretching between heaven and earth fell into a state of violent frenzy at dawn without any warning.

Rumble!

Dull roars of thunder continuously emanated from the depths of the black fog. The Death Qi, which had been flowing slowly, was now surging upward frantically like a pot of boiling water.

Massive black vortices visible to the naked eye formed in mid-air, tearing and devouring each other. Vaguely, the shrill wails of Vicious Beasts could be heard from the depths of the sea of fog, as if some terrifying primordial existence had fallen.

This world-shattering display caused the gathered heroes of the Eastern Desolation, stationed on the mountain ranges surrounding the forbidden zone, to collectively change expression.

Holy Lord of Ziyang stood atop a lonely Peak, his hand tightly clutching a protective jade plate. He watched the wave of Death Qi rolling back like a mountain collapsing into the sea; his forehead was covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and even his breathing became hurried.

"This... what on earth is going on?"

A Sect Master from a second-rate Sect leaned in toward Holy Lord of Ziyang, his teeth chattering. "Last night, that mist was clearly still stable. Why has it become so violent today? It’s almost as if... as if a supreme existence in the depths of the forbidden zone has been enraged!"

The Pavilion Master of Tianxing, his face pale, stroked his beard while his gaze remained fixed on the direction where the Xu Family fleet had disappeared.

"It’s been a day and a night. Young Master Xu led those thirty thousand Pojun Imperial Guards into the deathly mist, and not a single word has come out since. Now that the forbidden zone's Death Qi is lashing back so fiercely, could it be..."

The Heavenly Star Pavilion Master swallowed hard and lowered his voice, his tone betraying an irrepressible terror.

"Could it be that the Xu Family army touched some unspeakable taboo inside and was completely wiped out?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, several Saint Masters nearby who were eavesdropping sharply inhaled cold air.

Completely wiped out?

Those were thirty thousand Pojun Imperial Guards armed to the teeth, plus a Young Master of the Imperial Clan holding an extreme dao imperial weapon! If even such a terrifying force, capable of sweeping across the Eastern Desolation, was lost inside, who in the Eastern Desolation could possibly stand against this Forbidden Zone of Life once it fully erupted?

The haze of fear spread through the crowd as rapidly as a plague.

Under the shadow of fear, the weeds of greed were also quietly growing wild.

Several Loose Cultivator giants hidden at the back of the crowd exchanged subtle glances. They were outlaws who lived on the edge of a blade, and they keenly sensed another layer of meaning behind this storm.

The Xu Family had deployed the vast majority of their elite forces this time to flatten the forbidden zone.

If Xu Chen and those thirty thousand Pojun Imperial Guards really died inside, then the Xu Family, which had suppressed the Eastern Desolation for countless ages, would surely suffer a massive blow to its Origin Qi!

"If the Xu Family falls, the Eastern Desolation will surely fall into chaos."

A veiled leader of the Loose Cultivators sneered, using Divine Thought to transmit his voice to his companions. "Let's not stand here like idiots on the periphery. While the news hasn't spread yet, let's flee immediately! We'll go and loot the resources from the Xu Family's subordinate cities. It'll be enough to feed us brothers for hundreds of years!"

Such thoughts of taking advantage of the crisis were sprouting wildly in the minds of many opportunistic leaders of small forces.

Some had even begun to quietly back away, their fingers pinching long-distance teleportation Talismans, ready to flee at any moment.

Just as panic and dark undercurrents were surging.

A cold snort, like thunder from the Nine Heavens, exploded in everyone's ears.

"A bunch of short-sighted frogs in a well, you dare to recklessly gossip about my Xu Family's Young Lord?"

Everyone looked up in horror.

On a thousand-foot high Peak closest to the black fog, a luxurious bronze war chariot floated quietly in mid-air.

The Xu Family Grand Elder, wearing a loose dark-gold robe, sat majestically in a grand armchair on the chariot.

He held a purple clay teacup in his hand, slowly and methodically skimming the foam off the surface of the tea, looking incredibly relaxed.

That cold snort just now had come from the mouth of this Xu Family steward, who was at the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm.

The Grand Elder slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the various Saint Masters and Loose Cultivators below like lightning.

"What? Seeing this mist churn a few times, you think my Xu Family has been wiped out? You think you have a chance to go back and loot while the house is on fire?"

The Grand Elder set down his teacup and slowly stood up.

In that instant, his originally hunched back straightened, and a terrifying pressure belonging to the Peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm descended like a hundred thousand mountains, pressing heavily onto the shoulders of everyone present.

Thud!

Those Loose Cultivator leaders who were about to crush their Talismans and flee didn't even have a chance to resist. They were directly crushed by the pressure until their knees shattered, falling heavily to the ground and vomiting blood.

Holy Lord of Ziyang, the Heavenly Star Pavilion Master, and others also turned pale, their legs trembling violently as they struggled to keep from kneeling.

"Grand... Grand Elder, please appease your anger!"

Holy Lord of Ziyang quickly bowed with his hands clasped, his voice carrying a sob. "We have no such intentions! We were just... just worried about Young Master Xu's safety, fearing the dangers of the forbidden zone might harm his precious person!"

"Worried?" The Grand Elder sneered repeatedly, glancing disdainfully at this group of fence-sitters. "The safety of my Xu Family's Young Lord is not for you to worry about."

As the Grand Elder spoke, he reached into his sleeve and pulled something out.

It was a golden decree radiating endless divine light.

The moment the decree appeared, the Spiritual Qi in the world seemed to be drained dry. A supreme imperial pressure that surpassed a Quasi-Emperor and reigned over all living beings slowly awakened from that scroll.

That was a Great Emperor's Decree personally written by the Xu Family Old Ancestor!

Golden light soared into the sky, transforming into a massive light screen spanning ten thousand miles, tightly sealing off the entire mountain range surrounding the forbidden zone.

Holding the decree, the Grand Elder looked down at the crowd, terrifying killing intent bursting from his cloudy old eyes.

"Before the Young Lord entered the forbidden zone, he mentioned that you small fry outside would surely be restless. Today, I'll put it plainly. Without my permission, whoever dares to take half a step back, whoever dares to leave this mountain range to spread rumors..."

The Grand Elder paused, his tone chilling to the bone.

"I will use this Great Emperor's Decree to execute his nine generations and destroy his lineage! I'll ensure he doesn't even have a grave left in the Eastern Desolation!"

Overbearing!

Unreasonable!

This was the simplest and most effective way for an Imperial Clan to deal with such petty people.

Facing the Great Emperor's Decree hanging overhead, which could fall at any moment, everyone present was as quiet as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe loudly. Holy Lord of Ziyang shook his head like a rattle, repeatedly promising never to leave and to wait to the death for Young Master Xu's triumphant return.

Having intimidated the group, the Grand Elder sat back down in his armchair.

He put away the decree, picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, and the gloom on his face vanished instantly, even replaced by a faint, irrepressible joy.

In truth, these outsiders had no idea.

Just half an hour ago, the jade tablet hidden in his sleeve—representing the Young Lord's life signs—not only showed no sign of dimming but instead burst forth with a blindingly brilliant golden light!

What made him even more excited was that within the aura fed back by the jade tablet, there was actually a trace of extremely pure, feminine Origin filled with the vitality of creation!

As someone who had been through it before, the Grand Elder could guess what had happened inside even with his toes.

"Wiped out? Bah!"

The Grand Elder was blooming with joy internally, muttering to himself.

"The Young Lord clearly didn't just seize a peerless Opportunity inside; looking at the commotion of these merging auras, he most likely took in another top-tier Young Mistress! This back-surging Death Qi in the forbidden zone is clearly caused by the Young Lord's activities!"

The Grand Elder stroked his beard, already beginning to plan the work ahead in his mind.

After the Young Lord's trip inside, he estimated he'd be bringing back another Young Mistress with a bulging belly.

It seemed the newly expanded nursery in the Family's backyard still wasn't big enough.

As soon as the Young Lord came out, he had to immediately send word to the Second Elder staying behind, telling him to clear that Spirit Medicine garden on the back mountain and quickly build two more rows of nurseries made of top-grade jade marrow!

Just as the Grand Elder's mind was full of thoughts about holding new grandsons.

The violently churning black mist ahead suddenly emitted a low rumble.

Then, before everyone's shocked eyes.

That deathly mist, which was like a wall of bronze and iron, actually split open slowly from the middle to form a passage.

A life-giving energy of creation, so pure it was completely out of place with the surrounding Death Qi, followed that passage and brushed over the surrounding mountain range like a spring breeze.