From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

About fifteen minutes later.

The crimson rain of blood that filled the sky stopped quietly, just as abruptly as it had arrived.

The night sky had returned to its deep, inky color.

But that pervasive sense of sorrow, originating from the very source of the rules, permeated the world.

But it did not dissipate.

It still weighs heavily on everyone's heart, silently recounting the fall of a supreme being.

Vice Dean Shangguan Hong returned, his expression even more grave than when he left.

He summoned all his core disciples, his voice low and serious.

"It has been confirmed that a great sage has indeed fallen, which triggered the strange phenomenon that just occurred."

"This matter is too shocking and involves too many levels, beyond our comprehension, and has nothing to do with our Qinglu Academy."

His gaze swept over the crowd.

He lingered for a moment on the disciples with the strongest potential, such as Yao Mengkang and Xuanyuanpo, his tone carrying both admonition and reassurance.

"You need not worry too much; if the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up."

"The most important thing right now is to conserve our energy and prepare for tomorrow's Heavenly Dao Academy assessment!"

"When there are storms outside, the kingdom and the academy's leadership will handle them."

"Now, everyone go back, calm your minds, and get some rest!"

Hearing this, everyone felt somewhat relieved.

But the shock and unease brought about by the fall of the saint could not be dispelled in just a few words.

Each of them returned to their lodgings with mixed feelings.

Yao Mengkang returned to his room.

Closing the door shut out the noise from the outside world.

But the sense of shared sorrow between heaven and earth still seeped in bit by bit.

He walked to the window, gazing at the silent night outside, his heart filled with turmoil.

The Eight Realms are considered to be filled with great power and sainthood, with lifespans nearly equal to that of the heavens, and they have already mastered some of the rules of heaven and earth.

They are already the pinnacle of existence in this world.

Even such a person can perish.

Moreover, his death was so "sensational" that it triggered the laws of heaven and earth to send him off to his funeral.

He took a deep breath, and an unprecedented sense of insignificance and urgency welled up in his heart.

Although I have now broken through to the Spirit Sea realm, I still have many trump cards up my sleeve.

But in the face of such beings, how are we any different from ants?

The road ahead is fraught with difficulties, so we must be even more cautious. Before we have fully matured, keeping a low profile is the best approach.

His thoughts raced, and he thought of the upcoming assessment.

After this incident, the attention of the royal city and even the entire Eastern Region will likely be drawn to the fall of the saint.

The top leaders of all parties will inevitably be shaken and busy dealing with the situation.

They might have originally planned to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation with their senior brothers and sisters in the inner court during the assessment.

Judging from the current situation, there's probably no hope of finding a solution.

However, he was not discouraged; instead, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

But so what?

I already have sufficient foundation, and Junior Brother Xuanyuan is even more outstanding, with astonishing combat power.

With the two of us working together, this assessment is not a den of dragons or tigers!

Passing this test is not difficult.

At the same time, far away in the Central Region, deep within a celestial paradise shrouded in endless auspicious clouds and auspicious energy.

Inside an ancient, grand hall that seemed to be formed from the very laws themselves.

Five fierce and incomparable wills soared into the sky, only to vanish in an instant.

In the center of the main hall stood a man dressed in simple black clothes with an ordinary face.

The man's eyes, however, were as sharp and piercing as ice.

He slowly withdrew his hand from a cracked natal soul jade.

The once boundless aura of sainthood that had surrounded the Soul Jade had completely dissipated, leaving only a deathly silence.

Below the Soul Jade, two ancient characters are engraved: Xuan Gu (玄骨).

"Master Xuan Gu... perished in the Eastern Region?" The man in black was none other than Lin Shouzhen, the Black-Clad Dao Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Sword Venerable Mingxin.

He muttered to himself in a flat tone, revealing no trace of joy or sorrow, as if he were recounting a trivial matter unrelated to himself.

An elderly man dressed in the robes of a Heavenly Dao Sect elder stood respectfully below and reported, "Sword Master, the Sect Master has ordered you to proceed to the Eastern Region immediately."

"Investigate the truth behind the fall of the Supreme Elder Xuan Gu, and... retrieve his remains and status."

Lin Shouzhen's lips curled into a very subtle smile, carrying a hint of mockery.

He did not look at the elder; his gaze seemed to pierce through the endless void and land in the direction of the Eastern Region.

"I understand," he replied calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

The elder seemed to be used to his attitude, and dared not say anything more, bowing and retreating.

Lin Shouzhen stood alone in the hall, his sword intent contained within him.

Yet it resembles a peerless divine weapon hidden in a box.

Once unsheathed, it will be earth-shattering.

He holds a special position in the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Although he was only at the Throne Realm, his combat power was so strong that he had once defeated a Saint.

Even those "old immortals" within the sect who relied on their seniority and were gradually eroded by their own Dao, losing their humanity, were somewhat wary of him.

The path he took was different from that of ordinary people. He did not wish to be called a saint by his rank, but wanted to skip the eighth and ninth realms and go straight to the tenth realm of transcendence!

Those beings trapped in the sacred realm, gradually becoming puppets of the rules.

In his eyes, they were nothing more than losers on the road, mere skeletons in a grave.

"In the Eastern Regions, the Great Xia Dynasty, has Li Hanshan been active there recently?"

A barely perceptible glint of reminiscence and sharpness flashed in his eyes. His figure slowly faded, as if merging into the sword light, and disappeared into the hall.

Qinglu Villa.

Yao Mengkang sat cross-legged on the bed, trying to dispel the lingering sorrow in his heart and calm his mind.

However, a thought that came out of nowhere, like a vine growing in the darkness, quietly entwined his thoughts.

Just like when I was at Baiwei City, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

I don't know why, but I always have this feeling.

The fall of this saint is related to the underworld.

It's inextricably linked to that mysterious prison warden, Li Hanshan.

He recalled his limited interactions with Li Hanshan.

That seemingly unassuming man, yet even Dean Ouyang Shuo praised him as having "extraordinary talent" and "unparalleled combat power."

He is always shrouded in mystery, making it impossible for people to see through him.

The Underworld operates in secrecy, and Li Hanshan is even more unfathomable. If it truly was his doing...

Yao Mengkang felt a chill run down his spine.

His strength is probably far more terrifying than outsiders speculate!

Meanwhile, deep underground in the Qinglu Royal City, in a simple cave dwelling that had been carved out.

A middle-aged man, dressed very simply, like an old farmer in the fields, but with a tall and straight figure and a glint of shrewdness in his eyes, slowly opened his eyes.

His brows were furrowed, and his face showed obvious headache and distress.

"The aura of the Heavenly Dao Sect's Xuan Gu Old Monster has completely dissipated in the vicinity. What bad luck!"

He muttered a curse under his breath, his tone full of annoyance.

He was the hidden strength of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Sage Xia Wushang.

"Those lunatics from the Heavenly Dao Sect are the most protective and unreasonable."

"One of their elders died near here."

"They will certainly send someone to investigate and demand an explanation."

"As the landlord, I cannot escape this situation, neither morally nor logically; I must offer some explanation."

Xia Wushang rubbed his temples, feeling incredibly troubled.

He had sensed earlier that there was a battle between saints, but he never expected that Xuan Gu would perish so quickly.

The terrifying energy fluctuations remaining at the site of the fall were not only due to the death aura of the Xuan Gu Shangren himself, but also to a power that made him extremely uneasy.

It was as sinister as a prison, as sharp as a sword, and extremely difficult to deal with.

If I were to rush there now and run into the main character or anger some hidden entity, I'm afraid my old bones would perish there.

"Damn it, I was just sitting at home when disaster struck!"

Xia Wushang hesitated for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth.

"Fine! There's no escaping it."

"Wait half an hour, until the aura over there dissipates and calms down a bit more."

"I'll go over and take another look from a distance, to gather some information."

"Just deal with the Heavenly Dao Sect and that's it."

He made up his mind and closed his eyes again.

However, he could no longer fully immerse himself in cultivation, constantly keeping an eye on the movements of that forbidden place in the distance.

The night was deep, and the aftershocks of the saint's fall were like pebbles thrown into a lake.

The ripples spreading are quietly influencing various forces and the fate of countless people.

An even bigger storm seems to be brewing silently.