153: Murong Tian Sha

...Meanwhile, in the distant heartland of the Flowing Gold Sand Sea.

The scene of endless yellow sand was no more.

In its place was a pitch-black desolate land, over ten thousand li in diameter.

"Rip—!"

The silence was broken by the sharp sound of space tearing.

Dozens of powerful figures stepped out from the Void Realm in different directions, one after another, hovering at the edge of this desolate land.

They were all dressed in the Murong Family's characteristic cloud-patterned brocade robes, each with a solemn expression, their eyes filled with surprise, doubt, and anger.

The leader was a young man who appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

His appearance bore a five or six-tenths resemblance to Murong Tianzong, his lips were tightly pressed, and a storm of extreme suppression gathered between his brows.

He was the elder brother of Murong Tianzong and Murong Tianjiao, born of the same parents, the Third Young Master of the Murong Family's direct lineage!

Murong Tiansha!

"Young Master!"

A young man responsible for reconnaissance quickly flew back, his face extremely grim. He cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate has thoroughly investigated a three-hundred-li radius with the Tracing Mirror... and found no trace of Young Master Tianzong or Young Miss Tianjiao's physical bodies."

"However..."

He paused, then pointed in several directions.

"There, there, and there, faint traces of their essence blood and shattered natal talismans remain..."

"The way the Aura lingered indicates they suffered heavy injuries, and... Young Master Tianzong's Aura is particularly weak, showing signs of dissipating."

Murong Tiansha's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched suddenly, his knuckles making a soft grinding sound.

A cold killing intent permeated the air around him!

His narrow eyes swept across this ravaged battlefield, and especially when he sensed the lingering Devilish Qi and Imperial Might that still caused trepidation, his expression grew even heavier!

"Search!"

"Dig three feet deep if you have to, but find Tianzong and Tianjiao!"

"If alive, I want to see them!"

"If dead..."

He gritted his teeth, a cold breath escaping through the gaps!

"...I want to see their corpses!"

"And I will make Qin Wushang pay a hundredfold price!"

At this moment, another Guest Elder in the Heavenly God Realm, with a sharp face and worried eyes, stepped forward.

He whispered, "Young Master, please calm your anger and listen to your subordinate for a moment."

"The Devilish Qi lingering here, unscattered after several hours, its Origin is astonishingly powerful, truly unheard of."

"Combined with the rumors from the scattered onlookers who escaped earlier, that Qin Wushang... he might truly possess an unimaginable Demonic Path Legacy, and may even have fallen to the Demonic Path."

"His strength is likely far beyond our previous estimations."

"To cause such a battlefield, his power is not something we can contend with... he is not to be provoked easily."

Another Guest Elder quickly echoed, "Yes, Third Young Master, the most pressing matter now is probably not immediate revenge."

"The heavy responsibility the Family Head bestowed upon us this time is to seize the top position in the Cang Realm Struggle and secure the greatest benefits for the Family."

"While Young Master Tianzong and Young Miss Tianjiao are undoubtedly important, if we were to clash head-on with that Prodigy and suffer too many losses, affecting the overall plan for contention, then... it might be difficult to explain to the Family Head."

His words were tactful, but the meaning was clear!

Family interests outweighed personal sibling affection.

Those two were most likely dead, and continuing to search was pointless.

"Shut up!"

Murong Tiansha suddenly turned, his gaze like lightning, piercing the two Guest Elders. The violent Aura choked their breathing, making them retreat repeatedly.

"What do you mean, 'difficult to explain'?!"

"Tianzong is my blood brother! Tianjiao is my sister whom I watched grow up!"

"If they perish here, and I, Murong Tiansha, only care about vying for that damned first place and seeking some Family interests, then I would be unworthy of being an elder brother!"

"How could I face Mother when I return to the Family?"

His chest heaved violently, clearly enraged: "You fear that Qin Wushang? Fear his falling to the Demonic Path?"

"Hmph! No matter how strong he is, he's merely in the Divine Fire Realm! He's just relying on his evil Demonic Path and the protection of an Empress!"

"Such a Devil Head should be eliminated as soon as possible before he becomes a major force, to prevent him from harming the common people, and also to avenge my Murong Family!"

Seeing Murong Tiansha's murderous intent was resolute, the initial reconnaissance youth spoke again, his tone even more cautious.

"Young Master, it's not that we fear battle."

"It's just... according to the scattered descriptions of those terrified onlookers, this Qin Wushang indeed possesses great strangeness."

"He can simultaneously wield two completely opposite powers, sacred and demonic, and may even... may even have devoured the power of some terrifying existence from the Hall of Yama."

"Just now, this subordinate sensed that there are indeed traces of the resentment from the collapse of the Hall of Yama's Five Devilish evil spirits Array here, and a hint of... a higher level of Soul Power being forcibly annihilated."

"With our current Realm and manpower alone, if we were to clash head-on, victory is uncertain, and we might suffer heavy losses."

He observed Murong Tiansha's gloomy expression and continued to offer advice: "In this subordinate's humble opinion, perhaps... we could contact Young Miss Yan and her people?"

"Young Miss Yan has many capable individuals under her command..."

"Murong Yan?"

Murong Tiansha sneered, an undisguised look of disgust and sarcasm appearing on his face.

"That woman?"

"She wishes our Third Branch would fight others to the death, wishes Tianjiao would perish here, so there'd be one less formidable rival for the position of Divine Maiden!"

"Rely on her for help? I'd be thankful if she didn't kick us when we're down or secretly trip us up!"

"Asking her? It's like asking a tiger for its skin!"

Everyone fell silent.

The internal strife within the Great Families was naturally clear to these Guest Elders and subordinates.

Murong Yan was the direct daughter of the First Branch; her talent, cunning, and influence were not to be underestimated!

She had long competed with Murong Tianjiao of the Third Branch for the position of Family Divine Maiden, and their conflict ran deep.

Seeking her help was indeed unreliable!

Seeing Murong Tiansha reject this proposal, another quick-witted young man tentatively asked, "Young Master, then... should we perhaps temporarily endure and act according to the situation?"

"Currently, Qin Wushang's whereabouts are completely unknown, and this Cang Realm is vast; a blind search is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"This subordinate has heard that the Sacred Cliff area in the northeast has recently seen frequent strange phenomena, with auspicious light soaring to the sky, suspected to be the emergence of a great treasure or the opening of an ancient Legacy, attracting a large number of Prodigies."

"Given Qin Wushang's character and strength, he will certainly not miss such a grand event."

"We might as well head to the Sacred Cliff first. On one hand, we can contend for Opportunities and improve our strength!"

"On the other hand, by waiting like a hunter, we might just catch him walking into our trap."

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to then make a decision based on the situation at the Sacred Cliff?"

Murong Tiansha listened, his anger undiminished, but after some thought, he nodded.

"The search cannot be entirely abandoned."

"Pass on my command: immediately dispatch people, carrying my token, to contact all forces and Loose Cultivators who have entered the Cang Realm and have old ties with or are indebted to my Murong Family. At the same time, release the bounty message..."

"Anyone who provides accurate clues to Qin Wushang's whereabouts will be rewarded with ten azure heaven tokens! And may make one reasonable request to my Murong Family!"

He looked around at his subordinates and added, "Pay special attention: he might be accompanied by a purple-clad woman."

"Keep an eye on the main group of the Lin Family; that person in purple should be Lin Ziyao, who recently emerged!"

"Furthermore, send more capable personnel to the Sacred Cliff direction to investigate ahead of time. I want to know every single development there!"

"The revenge for Tianzong and Tianjiao must be exacted, and the ranking in the Struggle of the Great Families, I, Murong Tiansha, will also contend for it!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison and quickly sprang into action.

Streaks of communication talismans streaked across the sky of the Cang Realm!

"Qin Wushang... no matter what kind of demon you've become, or what backing you have, for harming my siblings, you will pay with your life!"

"The Sacred Cliff... will be one of your burial grounds!"