71: Returning to Yunlan, sword pointed at the mountain gate.

The blazing sun of the Tagor Desert seemed unable to dispel the murderous Aura that had gathered above the royal city for half a month.

Two figures shot up from the depths of the royal city, their mighty Aura instantly stirring the winds and clouds within a hundred-mile radius!

Li Ao was still clad in a green robe, but the restrained dark-golden luster surrounding him seemed to make the very air around him heavy.

His gaze calmly fixed on the direction of Jia Ma Holy City. After half a month of arduous cultivation, his Black Iron Hegemon Body had entered the second stage's Late Stage, and his Physical Body strength was comparable to a Five-Star Dou Huang. Furthermore, his control over the Annihilation Rule was absolute.

At this moment, he was like a peerless, sharpened deadly saber, waiting only to taste blood!

Queen Medusa accompanied him, her moon-white long dress fluttering in the wind.

Although the damage to her Soul Origin had not fully healed, her Seven-Star Dou Huang strength had recovered. A cold light circulated in her seven-colored pupils, and the Queen's majesty and killing intent were completely undisguised.

The vengeance for the near-annihilation of the Snake-People Clan and the hatred for the Hall of Souls' scheme would surely be repaid today!

"Let's go."

Li Ao spoke lightly, without any superfluous words.

With a thought, the "void-luminous seven-colored crystal" floated in his palm. Seven-colored streams of light shimmered, and a more stable, wider spatial light gate swiftly constructed itself before the two of them.

This time, he did not need to hide his tracks; he would use the most direct and overbearing method to return to the Cloud Mist Sect!

The two stepped into the light gate, spatial ripples spread, and their figures instantly vanished... Jia Ma Holy City's atmosphere was particularly strange today.

The city, which had originally been noisy due to the Three-Year Agreement and the subsequent great battle, had fallen into an inexplicable dead silence today.

Pedestrians on the streets were sparse, many shops were even closed, and a sense of oppression, signaling an impending storm, shrouded the entire city.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned toward the cloud-shrouded Yun Lan Mountain.

The spatial rift that had torn the sky half a month ago was still clearly visible, like a sharp sword hanging over the heart of the Empire.

And today, everyone faintly sensed that something even more terrifying was about to happen.

The Cloud Mist Sect's mountain gate was long stripped of its former grandeur.

The damaged square had not been fully repaired, and the number of mountain-guarding Disciples had increased several times, each looking nervous, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The protective Sect Formation, the "Cloud Mist Locking Mountain Formation," was fully activated, thick mist enveloping the entire Peak, isolating internal and external sight and perception.

On the high platform, Yun Yun stood alone at the very front, her beautiful face etched with an unyielding worry.

She could feel the increasingly unstable, cold, and terrifying Aura emanating from the back mountain—that was the power of her master, Yun Shan, and... the Hall of Souls!

She knew that today, the Cloud Mist Sect was likely facing the greatest calamity since its establishment.

Yun Ling and the other Elders stood behind her, their expressions equally grim, their eyes filled both with worry for the Sect's situation and fear of the coming harbinger of doom.

Just amidst this deathly silence and waiting——

"Buzz!"

Above Yun Lan Mountain, the Void Realm near the spatial rift violently twisted without any warning!

A dazzling seven-colored light gate appeared out of thin air, and immediately, two figures stepped out from it!

It was Li Ao and Medusa!

Without relying on any flying Demonic Beast, without traversing the long stone steps, they simply appeared in the core airspace of the Cloud Mist Sect in the most shocking manner possible!

"They're here!"

"It's them!"

"Li Ao! Queen Medusa!"

In that instant, everyone paying attention to this place, whether they were Cloud Mist Sect Disciples or forces observing from afar using special methods in the Holy City, felt huge waves of shock surge in their hearts!

Li Ao hovered in the air, his green robe utterly motionless despite the fierce winds generated by the high-speed transit.

His eyes indifferently swept over the Cloud Mist Sect below, which was shrouded by the great mist formation, finally settling on the source of the obscure fluctuation in the back mountain.

"Yun Shan, get out here and die!"

The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to contain a strange Rule power, clearly penetrating the barrier of the great mist formation, exploding like rolling thunder in the ears of every Cloud Mist Sect Disciple!

It even spread throughout a large part of Jia Ma Holy City!

Overbearing! Direct! Leaving no room for maneuver!

The entire Cloud Mist Sect was filled with uproar and horror!

"Activate the great formation! All Disciples, prepare to meet the enemy!" Elder Yun Ling roared in shock and fury.

The thick mist instantly churned, and countless cloud-Qi chains containing sharp Sword Intent whistled out from the great Formation, wrapping around and strangling Li Ao and Medusa in the air like ten thousand giant pythons!

At the same time, the threefold changes of Illusion, Anti-Air, and Qi Erosion were fully activated, attempting to trap and kill the two within the Formation!

Facing this protective Sect Formation, which was powerful enough to trap and kill a Peak Dou Huang, Li Ao's expression did not change in the slightest.

He did not even look at the whistling attacks, merely raising his right hand slowly, joining his fingers like a saber.

At his fingertip, dark-golden vital Qi and silver-gray Annihilation Rule instantly condensed to the extreme!

"Break."

He lightly drew his hand downward against the great mist formation covering the entire mountain, against the Cloud Mist Sect's thousand-year-old pride and barrier.

The movement remained simple and direct.

"Swoosh——!"

A subtle, pitch-black thread, seemingly capable of severing Karma and returning all things to the Void Realm, appeared out of thin air following the movement of his fingertip, then silently merged into the churning mist.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no roar of clashing energy.

The "Cloud Mist Locking Mountain Formation," blessed by countless generations of Cloud Mist Sect ancestors and capable of resisting Dou Zong attacks, instantly emitted a cry of unbearable distress the moment the pitch-black thread touched it, as if its core energy structure had been cast into the ultimate Void Realm!

Countless cloud-Qi chains instantly snapped and dissipated!

The Illusion Maze disintegrated like a shattered mirror!

The Anti-Air power and the Qi Erosion effect abruptly ceased!

The heavy mist shrouding Yun Lan Mountain became thin and transparent at a visible speed, and finally... completely dissipated!

Sunlight, after half a month, once again shone unimpeded upon the Cloud Mist Sect's damaged square and its horrified Disciples!

The protective Sect Formation is broken!

With just one finger!

The entire scene was dead silent!

All the Cloud Mist Sect Disciples stared dumbfounded at this scene, their belief seeming to collapse completely at this moment.

The Sect barrier they relied on and took pride in was actually so vulnerable before that person?!

Yun Yun closed her eyes, a chill spreading through her heart.

The thing she feared most had still happened.

Li Ao withdrew his finger, as if he had only performed a trivial action.

His gaze bypassed the Cloud Mist Sect Disciples below, who resembled lambs awaiting slaughter, directly piercing the Void Realm and landing on the back mountain's Forbidden Ground.

"Yun Shan, if you continue to play the coward, I will dismantle your Cloud Mist Sect and see if you still refuse to come out!"

Before his voice faded, the mighty Aura he had suppressed for so long, mixed with terrifying Saber Intent that sought to annihilate everything, erupted!

Dark-golden vital Qi smoke shot into the sky, like a colossal pillar supporting heaven and earth!

Medusa also stepped forward, her Seven-Colored Dou Qi blooming like a radiant glow. Although she had not reached her Peak, the ancient pressure belonging to the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python still caused countless people's hearts and minds to tremble violently!

Two great experts, pressuring Yun Lan!

"Alas..."

A sigh, seemingly containing endless fury and humiliation, came from the depths of the back mountain's Forbidden Ground.

"Li Ao... you are going too far!"

As that voice sounded, a vast Aura, far more terrifying and tyrannical than half a month ago, suddenly awakened from the back mountain, like a ferocious demon that had slept for eternity!

Beside the spatial rift, Yun Shan's figure slowly condensed.

He was still wearing his white robe, but the gray-black energy swirling around him was several times denser, faintly condensing into hideous ghostly shadows!

His eyes had completely turned into a pure, pitch-black void; there was no white visible, only endless malice and madness!

His Aura had clearly reached the Peak Five-Star Dou Zong level!

Moreover, that power was full of ominousness and destruction, definitely not something a normal Dou Zong could possess!

"Using external power from the Hall of Souls for a forced elevation is merely drinking poison to quench thirst." Li Ao looked at the drastically changed Yun Shan, his eyes cold. "Today, I will draw the final line for your warped Sect."

"Arrogance!" Yun Shan roared, his pitch-black eyes locked onto Li Ao. "Today, this Sect Master will certainly drain your flesh and blood and refine your Soul! I shall use your blood to sacrifice for my Cloud Mist Sect!"

A great battle was imminent!

And this time, there was no room for compromise; only life or death remained!

Li Ao slowly grasped the hilt of the saber on his back, and the dark, heavy long saber let out an excited hum.

Medusa lightly clenched her jade hand, and seven-colored energy began to condense.

The final fate of the Cloud Mist Sect and the future structure of the Jia Ma Empire would all be decided in this Peak confrontation!