Han Dynasty Territory.
Heaven Gate Headquarters.
When he saw that the "remnants" of the Netherworld City had made it onto the ranking, Di Shitian flew into a rage.
"Luo Xian! Why are the remnants of the Netherworld City still alive?"
"What have you been doing these days?"
"I never expected that the Ming Empress, Wu Zhao, is actually a successor of the Netherworld City. She absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"
"The Netherworld City must be completely eradicated!"
His gaze toward Luo Xian was filled with coldness.
If it had been in the past, Luo Xian would have already trembled in fear and begged for forgiveness.
But now, she was no longer who she used to be.
She had consumed Zhu Houzhao's Master Servant Pill, which bound her soul from ever doing anything to harm him.
Naturally, the Empress Wu Zhao was also under her protection.
She would never reveal any detailed intelligence.
Her mind raced rapidly.
Soon, she had a plan.
"Master, the greatest threat from the Netherworld City is not Wu Zhao, but the two Grand Elders."
"They possess Mythical Realm cultivation. If they are not eliminated soon, they will only become more dangerous."
"I am only at the Heavenly Human Realm and no match for them."
"Even the Ice Emperor died at their hands."
"Master must send stronger people to deal with them."
"Why not send those who betrayed the Netherworld City back then? I believe they are eager to destroy the city themselves!"
Luo Xian quickly shifted the blame for Zhu Houzhao's killing to the two Mythical Realm Grand Elders of the Netherworld City.
She even tried to get the traitors to take action themselves.
If the traitors died outside, it would be beneficial in every way, for both Zhu Houzhao and herself.
And it would also reduce Di Shitian's loyal followers.
"Interesting, interesting. Let the loyalists and traitors of the Netherworld City fight each other while we watch from the sidelines."
"This is a good idea."
Di Shitian had always seen himself as a god, finding amusement in toying with human nature.
Letting the loyal and rebellious members of the Netherworld City kill each other would be an entertaining drama.
When the show was over, he would personally appear for the final "conclusion".
Wouldn't that be delightful?
Instantly, Di Shitian turned anger into joy.
"Make arrangements immediately!"
"You should know where the Netherworld City is, right?"
"Rest assured, Master. I will handle it." Luo Xian bowed respectfully and said.
However, even Di Shitian didn't realize that the corners of Luo Xian's mouth had curled into a faint smile.
She was going to cut off Di Shitian's wings one by one.
If she planned carefully enough, perhaps she could even eliminate Di Shitian himself.
If it were the old her, she would never have had such courage.
But now, her loyalty to Zhu Houzhao had already replaced the fear she once held toward Di Shitian.
What couldn't she do?
==========
Ming Martial World.
There existed a supreme force.
It had a mighty reputation and formidable strength.
Yet it disliked interfering in martial affairs.
It merely managed its own territory.
It did not provoke other forces, but others also dared not provoke it.
If anyone did, they would mysteriously vanish overnight.
Over time, no one dared to underestimate or offend them.
This was the powerful sect located in the western martial region of the Ming Dynasty.
Sword Control Manor!
"Reporting to the Manor Lord. Last night, all intruders in the manor were eliminated."
"However, they all seemed to be death cultivators."
"The moment they were captured, they took poison and died."
"We were too late to extract any information from them."
The head guard of the manor entered the main hall and reported respectfully to the Manor Lord of Sword Control Manor.
"Tie Feng, you know the Martial World well. Do you know which force they were from?"
Yin Tianxue looked at the guard commander with doubt.
"Manor Lord, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. These people had no special markings on their bodies. There's no way to trace them."
"Clearly, they came fully prepared before infiltrating the manor."
Tie Feng shook his head.
"In that case, continue investigating!"
"We must find out what their purpose was, or it will become a hidden danger."
"Yes, Manor Lord!"
As the guard commander left, Yin Tianxue looked conflicted.
"Second Uncle, are you testing me in secret?"
"With your strength, you could easily question me directly. Why go through all this trouble?"
She began to suspect her mysterious Second Uncle, Yin Zhong.
She even suspected that the sudden severe injuries and comas of her father, Yin Hao, and elder brother, Yin Tianqi, were also his doing.
If it weren't for her own cultivation, she might have met the same fate.
What exactly was his goal?
With his power, he could have killed her entire family with ease.
Yet he chose to leave her father and brother half-dead, and kept her in fear daily. This only made her angrier.
"Should I ask that person for help?"
Yin Tianxue took out a palm-sized jade pendant from her neck and stared at it, deep in thought.
Her face looked hesitant and conflicted.
"No, I must not involve him until I understand Second Uncle's true strength."
"Otherwise, he might get hurt, and even countless innocent people could be dragged into this."
In the end, she shook her head and gave up the tempting idea.
She carefully put the jade pendant back into her clothes.
"Work with Tong Bo?"
"That won't do either. These people are too mysterious. If they harbor ill intent, the hundreds of lives in Sword Control Manor could be wiped out."
As Yin Tianxue struggled with her thoughts.
In the sky, the Rank 6 on the Martial Force Ranking began to appear.
Yin Tianxue quietly looked up.
But she didn't think much of it.
Although she had healed and gained powerful cultivation thanks to "that person", and now had the strength to protect herself.
She knew Sword Control Manor was still not strong enough to be ranked.
It was far inferior to major forces like Snow Moon City and the Heaven Secret Pavilion.
Line by line, the characters began to appear.
[Martial Force Ranking – Rank 6]
[Sword Control Manor]
[Leader: Yin Tianxue]
[Cultivation: Heavenly Human Realm Land Immortal]
[Expert: One God Demon Realm Land Immortal, one Great Grandmaster, more than ten Grandmasters, Innates not included]
[Total Member: Over one hundred]
[Reward: Heaven-Grade Low-Tier Treasure – Bloodline Returning Pill, upon consumption, it awakens ancient bloodline power, greatly enhancing talent and aptitude]
One month from now, the top five martial forces will be revealed!
After the Rank 6 was announced.
Before long, the Golden Ranking in the sky closed and vanished without a trace.
When she saw the name on the ranking.
Yin Tianxue was completely stunned.
Sword Control Manor had actually ranked 6th?!
How could this be?
She was indeed a Heavenly Human Realm cultivator.
But that alone wasn't enough to qualify.
Wait.
God Demon Realm Land Immortal!
There was someone with such a terrifying level of strength inside Sword Control Manor?
How could she not know?
It had to be him!
Soon, a figure appeared in her mind.
Second Uncle Yin Zhong!
She was no stranger to her mysterious uncle.
She knew he was powerful.
Even as a Heavenly Human Realm cultivator, she deeply feared him.
But she had never imagined that he was actually God Demon Realm!
That was terrifying!
A realm even above the Mythical Realm!
To someone like her, he might see her as no more than an insect.
Why?
Yin Tianxue couldn't understand no matter how hard she thought.
Now, her doubts only grew.
It was a pity that her father and elder brother remained unconscious.
She had no one to consult with.
Wait.
The Bloodline Returning Pill.
Looking at the Heaven-Grade Low-Tier Treasure that suddenly appeared in her hand, without hesitation, she swallowed it.
It melted the moment it entered her mouth.
A second later.
Yin Tianxue felt her entire bloodline boiling.
As though it was set ablaze.
But there wasn't much pain.
Instead, it felt like soaking in a hot spring.
Her mind remained perfectly clear.
At the same time, a foreign power awakened within her.
Her senses and physical body became stronger than ever.
Even her internal energy circulated ten times faster.
The bottleneck she had felt for so long seemed to completely vanish.
Her combat power increased dramatically.
A unique aura radiated from her.
It was as if she had undergone a complete transformation.
Even ascending to Land Immortal hadn't given her such a miraculous change.
Wait.
Right at that moment.
She felt a bloodline pull.
"That direction?"
"That's where Second Uncle Yin Zhong's secret chamber is!"
Why was the bloodline pulled so strongly?
What kind of effect did the Bloodline Returning Pill truly have?
==========
Meanwhile.
Several dozen miles away from Sword Control Manor, in a large ruined estate.
Once.
This place had a well-known name.
Dragon Lake Manor.
It once held a prestigious name in the Martial World.
Unfortunately, one night, it was mysteriously wiped out.
Now.
There were once again signs of human activity here.
"Brother, look, Sword Control Manor made it onto the ranking! Rank 6!"
"It's Yin Tianxue!"
A young man with a naive and honest look pointed excitedly at the sky.
"Calm down, little brother!"
"Why are you so happy?"
"Don't tell me you fell for her the moment you saw her?"
"That woman is no ordinary person!"
"She reached Land Immortal at such a young age and even became the Manor Lord. She obviously holds a great secret."
"Besides, her father Yin Hao and her brother Yin Tianqi suddenly suffered serious injuries and fell into comas. Very suspicious."
A handsome man, slightly older than the younger one, said seriously.
"Brother, you mean to say, Yin Tianxue injured her own father and brother to take the position of Manor Lord?"
"Impossible. She's so beautiful. She must be kind-hearted."
"She would never do something so monstrous."
"I don't believe it."
Although it was only their first meeting, Tong Zhan had fallen deeply for this woman.
Unfortunately, she clearly distrusted him and his brother Tong Bo.
That made him feel awful.
He agreed that she was extraordinary.
But the idea that she harmed her own family for power, he simply couldn't believe.
A woman so beautiful could not have such a vicious heart.
"Little brother, I'm only suspicious. Maybe I'm wrong."
"But we can't be careless."
"Besides, after careful investigation, all signs point to Sword Control Manor."
"It's hard to say whether the Manor Lord is connected or not."
"Also, there's another possibility, which is even more terrifying."
"A hidden cultivator at the God Demon Realm."
"I never imagined a small Sword Control Manor would house such a terrifying figure."
"His presence must be the reason Sword Control Manor made it to Rank 6."
Tong Bo's eyes were filled with unprecedented caution.
If they faced that God Demon Realm cultivator, they might not survive.
He could die and not mind.
But his younger brother must live.
He was the heir of the Tong family.
He carried a great responsibility.