How can simply creating a sect make you invincible?

Inside the City Lord's Mansion in Youdu City.

The warm tent swayed gently as the Lord of Youdu, dressed in a brocade robe, leaned back on the soft couch, wantonly embracing the beautiful woman in his arms. His rough hands roamed freely between her clothes, his behavior frivolous and utterly debauched.

"Your Highness, you're so naughty! I love it so much."

The beauty's eyes sparkled, her figure was soft and alluring, and she nestled in his arms, her eyes and brows full of seductive charm.

The city lord burst into laughter, his eyes filled with lust and greed: "You seductive little slut, don't be impatient, I'll make you feel like you're dying of pleasure later!"

"Then why wait? The time is perfect, the scenery is beautiful..."

The woman's every word was seductive, arousing the city lord's desire and making him unbearably hot.

He could no longer suppress the restlessness in his heart and bent down to pick up the woman in his arms.

Just then, a specially made communication token at her waist suddenly rose up, instantly breaking the romantic and ambiguous atmosphere in the room.

"You bastard!"

The good deed was abruptly interrupted, and the Lord of Youdu's face instantly darkened. He roared angrily, "Which blind fool dares to disturb me at a time like this!"

He frowned, took out the communication token, and scanned it with his divine sense. The lust in his eyes instantly faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

The messenger was Chang Wen, the manager of the brokerage firm.

This person is always calm and cautious. Unless there is something important, he would never dare to use the emergency communication token lightly, let alone disturb him rashly.

"Could something have happened to the brokerage firm?"

The Lord of Youdu City pondered silently, his heart filled with doubt. His brokers had been entrenched in Youdu for many years, backed by the power of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and ordinary cultivators dared not provoke them. Who on earth dared to cause trouble on his territory?

Without a second thought, he abruptly pushed away the beauty in his arms, raised his hand to straighten his disheveled robes, and completely suppressed his languid and indulgent aura, leaving only the sinister and majestic presence of a superior.

He strode out of the inner hall and shouted in a deep voice to the black-armored guards standing watch outside, "Pass down the order to gather everyone and follow me to the brokerage firm immediately!"

"Yes, Lord!"

The unified sound echoed throughout the courtyard.

The guards who remained looked at each other, their hearts filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"The Lord of the Prefecture is actually mobilizing everyone? What major incident has occurred at the brokerage firm?"

"Don't ask any more questions, just assemble quickly. If we delay this important matter, neither of us can afford the consequences!"

The sounds of hurried footsteps and clashing armor rose and fell, instantly filling the entire city lord's mansion with a murderous aura.

Meanwhile, inside the Human Slave Pavilion.

Lu Chen looked gently at the pair of beautiful, slender twin sisters before him and asked softly, "Your names are Jiang Yingyue and Jiang Yingyue? Tell me in detail how you were abducted and brought here?"

Upon hearing the question, the sisters' eyes instantly reddened, tears welled up, and they struggled to hold back their sobs.

"My lord, my sister and I are both from Lingzhou. Just half a month ago, a group of people dressed in black robes suddenly broke into our home..."

"They were highly skilled and ruthless. Without saying a word, they killed my parents, grandfather, and all my relatives! They even used strange techniques to drain the life essence of all my relatives, turning their bodies into shriveled, dried corpses."

"When we sisters awoke, we were already locked in this cage, reduced to slaves to be sold."

As soon as she finished speaking, tears finally streamed down her pale cheeks.

The captured children and young monks around them were in the same situation.

Their experiences were exactly the same as those of the Jiang sisters; their relatives were killed by men in black, and they were then kidnapped and sold into slavery.

For a moment, suppressed cries rose and fell, stirring up pity in everyone present.

Seeing the sorrowful faces of the crowd, Lu Chen sighed softly, "Don't cry, everyone. Let's eat first and then we'll talk."

Mu Qingcheng said softly, "Master, it seems that the families of these innocent children have all been brutally murdered by the man in black robes. The other young rogue cultivators were also forcibly abducted."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes: "Yes, let them eat and drink their fill first, and settle them in properly. We'll discuss the rest later."

Just as everyone's emotions were beginning to calm down...

Boom!

The tightly closed doors of the brokerage were blasted open by a violent force, and a deafening roar suddenly echoed throughout the entire hall!

Countless black-armored guards swarmed in, instantly surrounding the entire yamen. The cold armor reflected a chilling light, and a fierce, murderous aura enveloped the entire area.

A black-armored commander strode in, his gaze sweeping over the scattered resting servants. Seeing the cages wide open, he immediately glared angrily and roared, "How dare you! Who has the audacity to release these servants?"

Hundreds of children, already terrified, trembled, their faces ashen, instinctively shrinking back in fear, too afraid to look up.

"Noisy."

A cold and indifferent female voice suddenly rang out, devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an extreme pressure that looked down upon all living beings.

Shen Zhixia's robes moved without any wind, with a gentle flick.

boom!

An invisible burst of energy erupted, and the arrogant black-armored commander didn't even have time to scream before his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the street outside the door. He was seriously injured and had already died.

Outside the door, the Lord of Youdu City, who was leading his team to arrive, witnessed this scene. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and a raging fire swept over him.

The immense cultivation power belonging to the Heavenly King Realm erupted suddenly, and the heavy pressure permeated the entire long street, making the breathing of the group of black-armored guards stagnate.

On the main street of Youdu City, more and more people gathered after hearing the news, stopping to watch from a distance, and whispers arose.

"Has something terrible happened? Why is the Prefect personally leading a large force to surround the brokerage firm? What's going on?"

"Who dares to cause trouble in Youdu City? They're practically courting death!"

"I'd heard long ago that this brokerage firm is shady, specializing in kidnapping cultivators and trafficking people. Looks like we've run into a brick wall this time!"

"In the cultivation world, it's a dog-eat-dog world; such inhumane practices are all too common..."

The crowd whispered among themselves, their eyes fixed on the entrance of the brokerage firm.

Before the brokerage firm, the lord's murderous intent was palpable, his voice echoing through the long street: "How dare you! You dare trespass into my brokerage firm and injure my subordinates! Come out and face your deaths, or I might spare your corpse!"

The terrifying pressure of the Heavenly King swept in once again.

A slender, aloof figure slowly walked out of the slave quarters.

Shen Zhixia stood at the door, her eyes cold and indifferent, her aura detached yet possessing an air of superiority that seemed to look down upon the world.

She looked up at the enraged Lord of Youdu City: "You are the mastermind behind this brokerage firm?"

The Lord of Youdu City fixed his gaze on the woman before him, his pupils contracting slightly, his heart trembling violently.

He had reached the Heavenly King Realm and was considered a top expert in the entire Youdu, but at this moment he couldn't see through the depth of the woman's cultivation at all.

His rage subsided somewhat, and he suppressed his murderous intent, saying with a hint of apprehension, "Fellow Daoist, you have trespassed on my property and injured my subordinates without cause. We are complete strangers with no grudges against each other. Why are you so determined to be my enemy?"

Shen Zhixia parted her thin lips slightly, each word distinct and sharp, her voice like frost, resounding throughout the entire venue:

"Kneel down."

hum-

In an instant, the terrifying pressure that enveloped even a peak saint crashed down on everyone!

The Heavenly King Realm Lord, along with hundreds of fully armed black-armored guards behind him, were instantly restrained, their legs bending uncontrollably, and with a thud, they all knelt on both knees!

The hard bluestone ground was crushed and cracked by this enormous force!

The entire street fell into a deathly silence.

The tens of thousands of onlookers held their breath, not daring to utter a sound, their eyes wide with horror.

Shen Zhixia's gaze was icy as she looked down at the kneeling city lord and asked again:

"I ask you, what exactly is your purpose in arresting these innocent children and young cultivators?"

"Who instigated this act of cruelly harming their closest relatives and clansmen, draining their lifeblood through a secret method?"

The onlookers were shocked by what they heard, and suppressed murmurs rose again.

"The rumors were true! These children's families really were cruelly drained of their lifeblood!"

"How utterly vicious and cruel! To slaughter an entire family just to sell slaves, they are utterly devoid of conscience!"

"The lives of the weak are like grass, at the mercy of others..."

The kneeling Lord of Youdu's face shifted between light and dark, cold sweat soaking his robes, his heart filled with both shock and fear.

He suppressed his panic and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fellow Daoist, there are rules in the martial world: if you see something, don't expose it. Knowing too much about some things will only bring trouble. If you take a fancy to these servants, I'll give them all to you. Today's matter will be wiped clean, and we'll have no further ties. How about it?"

"To wipe the slate clean?"

Shen Zhixia's eyes flashed with coldness once more: "I only want the truth from you. I'll count to three, and if you don't answer, I'll cripple your arm. If you insist on being stubborn, I'll make you wish you were dead."

As the words fell, a clear, cold voice slowly rang out: "One."

The manor lord's expression changed drastically: "Fellow Daoist! Do you truly intend to fight to the death, a fight to the bitter end?"

"two."

"Don't be so arrogant! The forces behind me are not someone you can afford to mess with. If you dare touch me, they will never let you off!"

"three."

The last word was uttered without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Zhixia gently tapped with her slender fingertips.

An extremely sharp aura burst forth and instantly landed on the city lord's right arm.

boom!

Blood and flesh flying everywhere!

His entire right arm instantly exploded into a cloud of blood and foam, with shattered bones and flesh splattering everywhere, soaking the kneeling black-armored guards around him in blood!

A heart-wrenching scream tore through the air, piercing the very soul: "Ah—! My hand!!"

The Lord of Youdu City clutched his severed right arm tightly, blood gushing out incessantly, his face deathly pale.

Everyone around was terrified and felt their scalp tingle.

Shen Zhixia's gaze was indifferent as she spoke again: "I'll count to three. If you still don't speak, I'll cut off another arm of yours."

"One! Two!"

"Stop counting! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!!"

"Everything was secretly instructed and arranged by the Heavenly Demon Sect Master!"

"Every time cultivators are captured, families are slaughtered, and their life essence is extracted, it's the Heavenly Demon Sect that orchestrates it. I'm only responsible for leading people to assist from the outside! Those whose life essence was drained all died from the Heavenly Demon Sect's demonic arts!"

"As for why they need such a massive amount of cultivators' essence blood, I have no idea, and the Heavenly Demon Sect Master won't tell me!"

"These kidnapped boys and children, those with outstanding talent will all be sent to the Heavenly Demon Sect! Even those with mediocre talent will sometimes be accepted by the Heavenly Demon Sect! Only those who are left unchosen will be sold in my brokerage!"

"Of the spirit stones obtained from the sale, the Heavenly Demon Sect takes 70%, and I only get 30%! These children were supposed to be sent to the Heavenly Demon Sect in two days! That's all I know! Please, senior, spare my life!"

The monks who had gathered along the entire street were in an uproar.

"So the mastermind behind this is none other than the infamous Heavenly Demon Sect!"

"No wonder the brokers in Youdu City are so rampant; it turns out they have the Heavenly Demon Sect as their backer!"

"By capturing young cultivators en masse, extracting their life essence, and abducting children, what kind of vicious demonic art is the Heavenly Demon Sect practicing?"

"No wonder we've never heard of the Heavenly Demon Sect recruiting disciples on a large scale. It turns out these innocent children have all been secretly hidden away and used as cultivation tools! How wicked!"

Everyone suddenly realized what was happening, and their hearts were filled with chills and indignation.

After listening to all the confessions, Shen Zhixia's eyes hardened with murderous intent, leaving no trace of emotion.

The truth has been uncovered; there is no need to leave any future trouble.

She raised her hand and clenched it in mid-air, unleashing a surge of immense saintly power that instantly condensed into a gigantic palm of spiritual energy that blotted out the sky. Its overwhelming power enveloped the entire area, and it fiercely suppressed the kneeling Lord of Youdu and the hundreds of black-armored guards!

Sensing the imminent danger of death, the Lord of Youdu City was terrified and lost all dignity as the lord of the city, crying and begging for mercy in a frantic manner.

"Senior, spare my life! I've told you everything! Please have mercy and let me go!!"

But he was already firmly imprisoned by the Saint's Domain, unable to move his body, and could only watch helplessly as death descended.

Boom—!

The giant palm of spiritual energy crashed down, crushing everything in its path!

The piercing screams abruptly stopped.

All the black-armored guards, led by the Lord of Youdu City, instantly exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist. Their bodies and souls were completely crushed, ensuring they would never be reincarnated!

The long street was deathly silent.

After a few breaths, the onlookers finally recovered from their extreme shock, and discussions began to rise and fall.

"Just who is this extraordinary senior?"

"The Lord of Youdu City, a Heavenly King Realm expert, didn't even have the slightest power to resist; he was instantly killed!"

"Good riddance! That dog of a city lord was licentious and tyrannical, oppressing the people and extorting countless protection fees. He deserved to die long ago!"

"That's not all! I've heard he's been forcibly taking female cultivators for years, acting tyrannically and cruelly, causing countless families to be destroyed and lives lost because of him!"