An eerie silence enveloped the teleportation array that led to the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy.
Once, countless disciples traveled through it daily to reach the prosperous cities surrounding the academy. However, the situation had reversed; cultivators now fled the academy in droves.
"Who would've thought the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy would fall into such a state?" a nearby cultivator said, sighing, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"I heard the academy's leadership has changed," another whispered, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention.
However, their hushed words were as clear as day in Liu Wuxie's ears. His divine sense picked up every murmur nearby.
"Don't speak nonsense," someone else muttered. "The grandmaster hasn't been replaced. He just... changed. He's grown violent and bloodthirsty."
Liu Wuxie's brow furrowed. He met the grandmaster before, and the man was nothing like that. Besides, the academy still had grand elders, so there was no way such a drastic shift could go unnoticed.
Something massive had to have happened at the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, and no one seemed to know anything about it.
As the teleportation array lit up, the scattered conversations fell silent. It would take about half a day to reach the academy from this city. Time was critical, so Liu Wuxie traveled through the night.
Several hours later, Liu Wuxie neared the academy's vicinity. He noticed signs of fierce battle in the surrounding terrain.
Pinnacle Earth Profound Realm elders had to have flattened the nearby mountain peaks amidst their fight. The devastation was brutal, and it was clear evidence of their fierce fight.
As Liu Wuxie neared the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, his heart grew heavier. He had no idea what had happened to his three senior brothers, and anxiety gnawed at him with each step.
The academy loomed ahead like a slumbering beast, waiting to devour him the moment he entered.
For the first time, Liu Wuxie felt a sense of unfamiliarity as he gazed at the mountain gate. Cloaked by night, he activated the Ancient Breath-Concealing Art. Silent and invisible like a drifting breeze, he slipped past the gates and returned to the Heavenly Gate Peak.
Light still glowed inside the houses of his senior brothers. Not wanting to disturb them, he stood outside his eldest senior brother's thatched hut. He saw from the flickering shadows inside that his second and third senior brothers were present.
"Tomorrow is the deadline. We can't drag Junior Brother into this," Jiang Le said, glancing at the others. "Our master will avenge us when we return."
Miao Hanxuan would arrive tomorrow. They had already resolved to take him down with them.
"You're right. Our junior brother's future is too important. We can't let this ruin him," Yu Zhibai agreed, wincing as he rubbed his injured shoulder. "I just wish we knew where he went."
Not even Liu Wuxie's family knew that he had gone to the Eastern Domain.
Listening silently outside, Liu Wuxie absorbed every word. One thing, however, puzzled him.
"A one-month deadline?" he muttered under his breath. "What deadline?"
Inside, Jiang Le answered that very question. "Miao Hanxuan injured us deliberately and gave us one month to force Junior Brother out of hiding. What a joke. We won't let him return, even if it means dying."
At last, everything made sense.
Miao Hanxuan had schemed, using Liu Wuxie's senior brothers as bait. Shen Rong's warning not to return was a desperate attempt to protect him. Miao Hanxuan alone wasn't an actual threat, but the recent shift in power within the academy had elevated him, granting him the support of many elders.
If Liu Wuxie returned, he would walk straight into a trap.
It was no surprise. Their last clash was a public humiliation for Miao Hanxuan. Even though Miao Hanxuan had deployed men to block the Heavenly Gate Peak, Liu Wuxie still escaped.
When Elder Madman left the peak post-seclusion, Miao Hanxuan seized the opportunity to reveal his true colors, attacking Shen Rong, Yu Zhibai, and Jiang Le, forcing them to send word out.
Miao Hanxuan knew that Liu Wuxie's strength would soar with every return. They had fought to a draw last time, but another confrontation would surely leave Miao Hanxuan defeated.
Thus, he resorted to this despicable tactic.
Outside the hut, Liu Wuxie clenched his fists tightly. He hadn't expected his senior brothers to suffer in silence for a whole month, and it was all because of him.
Miao Hanxuan's faction hadn't stopped there. Just that afternoon, a group of his disciples had stormed the Heavenly Gate Peak. They seized resources and inflicted new injuries.
"Miao Hanxuan, you're dead," Liu Wuxie whispered coldly. He turned and slipped into the night without disturbing them. He headed straight for the central peak. He needed to understand what had truly happened. He had to know why the grandmaster had changed drastically.
Liu Wuxie soared upward.
"That's strange... why hasn't the Divine Sun Sword stopped me?" he muttered.
He had trespassed on the central peak, but no one stopped him. This made no sense at all. Had the Divine Sun Sword changed as well?
Just then, a pressure descended from above. It was the aura of a Heaven Profound Realm expert. It was undeniably powerful and was unmistakably the grandmaster's aura, but something about it felt wrong.
"This is his aura, but... It's different," Liu Wuxie said to himself, quickly retreating into the shadows before anyone could discover him.
A moment later, a black-robed figure appeared in the sky, staring in the direction where Liu Wuxie had disappeared.
"You're finally back," the figure sneered.
Liu Wuxie had returned to his thatched hut and sat in silence, his thoughts heavy and tangled.
Meanwhile, the black-robed figure descended back into the central peak and entered a cave abode.
Inside, an elder sat motionless, his face contorted in pain. It was the grandmaster, the same one who once met Liu Wuxie.
When the black-robed figure stood beside him, the two appeared identical, like copies carved from the same mold. More alike than even twins.
Only their expressions differed—one twisted in agony, and the other was filled with malevolence.
"You were right—he returned from the Eastern Domain," the black-robed figure sneered, his voice sharp and cold. "But so what? I'll kill him tomorrow, and all your efforts will be in vain."
The grandmaster sat with his eyes shut, saying nothing.
"It's getting late. Time for me to rest," said the black-robed figure.
When his voice faded, he dissolved into a swirl of black mist and merged into the grandmaster's body. The two became one in an instant, a union that defied understanding.
The moment the black mist entered the grandmaster's form, a sinister black symbol surfaced on his forehead, pulsing faintly with dark energy.
When dawn broke, the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy seemed to have regained stability after a month of bloodshed and upheaval. In truth, violence still simmered in its corners, and blood continued to flow quietly beneath the surface.
At the foot of the Heavenly Gate Peak, a crowd gathered at first light to witness the coming spectacle.
Jiang Le, Yu Zhibai, and Shen Rong emerged from their huts. Their injuries were severe, and the three leaned on each other for support as they stood before the onlookers.
A massive crowd of disciples had assembled, some pointing and laughing at the trio with ridicule etched across their faces.
Without warning, spatial ripples surged in the sky. Miao Hanxuan descended with his hands behind his back, an arrogant sneer on his lips.
He scanned the crowd, and when he found no trace of Liu Wuxie, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
"You three have some nerve," Miao Hanxuan said coldly. "But since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
He had been waiting a whole month for Liu Wuxie to appear. Now that his patience had worn thin, he would kill these three first and deal with Liu Wuxie later.
"Miao Hanxuan, come on then!" Jiang Le stood tall, eyes steady, ready to embrace death. If they ended up dying, at least Miao Hanxuan wouldn't be able to use them as pawns against their junior brother.
Miao Hanxuan raised his hand, summoning a giant palm that blotted out the sky.
He had grown stronger over the past two months, now brushing the threshold of Heaven Profound Realm laws. If he were given another three to five years, he could even step into that realm.
Moreover, someone powerful was guiding him in secret.
From a distance, Liu Wuxie watched silently. Hidden by the Ancient Breath-Concealing Art, no one noticed his presence.
His gaze fell sharply on Miao Hanxuan. Silently, he activated the Ghost Eye.
In an instant, Miao Hanxuan's every movement, every meridian, and every bone appeared clearly in his vision.
Within the flow of energy in Miao Hanxuan's body, Liu Wuxie spotted a thin stream of black energy circulating slowly before settling near the heart. At the same time, a faint black mark shimmered on Miao Hanxuan's forehead, barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Without the Ghost Eye, no one would notice it.
"I see..." Liu Wuxie muttered under his breath.
He had been suspicious of the grandmaster's sudden shift in personality, and he finally saw the truth. Still, he would need to confront that black-robed figure again to confirm everything.
Meanwhile, Miao Hanxuan's massive palm pressed downward.
The power behind it was terrifying, worthy of someone at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm.
Jiang Le, Yu Zhibai, and Shen Rong had reached the Earth Profound Realm, but they were still at the lower levels. Against Miao Hanxuan, they stood no chance at all.
The three closed their eyes, prepared to meet death.
The air trembled as space beneath the palm shattered. Rocks crumbled, and the shockwave from the explosion blasted the nearby thatched huts into ash.
"Miao Hanxuan, if you kill us, our master will tear your head off when he returns!" Jiang Le roared.
Yu Zhibai and Shen Rong threw their heads back and laughed wildly, unafraid.
"You think he'll survive if he returns?" Miao Hanxuan scoffed with disdain.
To speak so lightly of Elder Madman—someone in the Heaven Profound Realm, one of the highest existences in the Central Plains—was madness. Despite that, Miao Hanxuan had uttered such words without any hesitation.
As the deadly palm neared, the surrounding disciples panicked and retreated, fearing the devastating impact.
Several elders hovered above, looking emotionless. They watched, shook their heads, and sighed without stepping forward.
Just as the massive palm neared Jiang Le and the others, it froze as if its time itself had come to a halt.
The next instant, the palm shattered, generating a violent shockwave that blasted outward, hurling nearby disciples down the mountainside.
"Who's there?!" Miao Hanxuan roared, eyes scanning the crowd. He was mere moments from killing them, only to be thwarted at the last second.