The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

The elders and talented disciples of Tianhuang Holy Land and Zhenyi Holy Land rode aboard a Holy-grade flying vessel, transforming into a streak of light as they sped toward the outer edge of Cangzhou.

Though their vessel was swift and the skies calm, the two Holy Lords and Supreme Elders standing on the deck wore tightly furrowed brows, concern clouding their faces.

They were deeply concerned that the Fang family might discover their escape and give chase.

Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly thus far.

Only when they spotted the boundary stele that marked the edge of the Western Region did their expressions finally ease.

The Holy Lord of Zhenyi said quietly:

"Seems we were overthinking it. We moved quickly and discreetly—how could the Fang family possibly have found out?"

"Exactly. Once we're out of Cangzhou, the sky's the limit," the Tianhuang Holy Lord chuckled.

Hearing that, they exchanged a faint, bitter smile.

Though they had abandoned sects with over 100,000 years of legacy, sacrificed their deep-rooted power base, and left behind more than ninety percent of their disciples, they believed that as long as their elders and core disciples survived—and the sect's heritage remained—there was still hope for a comeback.

Suddenly—

A playful voice rang out beside their ears:

"Leaving without saying goodbye, dear friends?"

Both Holy Lords froze in shock, their hair standing on end. As if facing a life-or-death crisis, they whipped around and shouted:

"Who's there?!"

"Show yourself!"

Their Supreme Elders, however, looked confused.

"What's wrong with you two?"

The Zhenyi Holy Lord replied in a panic:

"That voice... it was right in our ears."

"Yes!" the Tianhuang Holy Lord added, his expression full of dread.

They no longer looked like revered Holy Lords of Cangzhou—only a pair of startled birds, shivering with fear.

"Voice? We didn't hear anything."

The elders exchanged puzzled glances.

Just then, someone cried out in alarm:

"Wait! Why has the flying vessel stopped?!"

There wasn't a soul in sight, but their rapidly flying ship had abruptly halted—only a few hundred feet from the boundary stele.

Now even the Supreme Elders began to panic.

Their divine senses surged outward in all directions—but found no trace of any enemy.

Then they looked up—and saw a figure standing before them.

He wore white robes and bore a gentle, serene smile, yet that very smile made their blood run cold and their bodies tremble uncontrollably.

"Fang... Fang Ting…"

"You… you…"

They had been so close to escaping Cangzhou, where the skies were vast and free.

Yet at the very border—they were intercepted by Fang Ting.

Hope plummeted into despair. Their hearts churned with a mix of rage, terror, and hopelessness, nearly driving them mad.

Fang Ting stood with hands behind his back, calmly looking down at them.

"And where, might I ask, are you all going?"

Zhenyi's Holy Lord forced a smile uglier than crying:

"Ahem, Lord Fang… we were just… going out for a stroll."

Fang Ting raised an eyebrow, clearly amused:

"Oh? Then why did you bring your Heaven-grade spirit vein along?"

With that one question, they realized—Fang Ting had known about their plan all along. He had been tracking them every step of the way.

He could have stopped them much earlier. But instead, he allowed them to build up hope, only to appear at the last possible moment—to crush it.

This deliberate cruelty made them feel utterly humiliated, as if they'd been toyed with.

Their faces turned beet red with fury—they wanted to charge at Fang Ting and fight to the death.

"Go!!"

Both Supreme Elders of the two holy lands launched themselves at Fang Ting, aiming to self-detonate and buy time for the others to escape.

"How noble."

Fang Ting sighed, then raised a single finger.

In that instant, the two elders—both peak Ninth Heaven of Saint King Realm—were erased.

The two Holy Lords who had hoped to flee were frozen in midair.

Despair and powerlessness overwhelmed them.

They couldn't understand—Why is Fang Ting so strong?

They hated him—for being so strong.

They regretted—not crushing the Fang family years ago when they had the chance in Broken Mountain City.

Fang Ting said nothing more. With a casual wave, he sent them to meet the same fate as the Primordial Holy Lord.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Ting vanished, taking all the resources from the two holy lands with him.

No one would have imagined that two hegemonic powers, passed down since the ancient era, would meet their end here.

Their heritage, their Holy Realm elders, their genius disciples—all were wiped out.

Soon, word swept across Cangzhou:

"The elders of Tianhuang and Zhenyi Holy Lands have fled with all their resources and disciples!"

In the Sacred City, closest to those sects, everyone was talking about it.

"Why did the sect abandon me?!"

"I just joined Zhenyi Holy Land… I wanted to train hard and repay them! Now they're gone?!"

"Why'd they run away?"

"They were probably scared Fang Ting would seek revenge after the Five Demonic Sects were destroyed."

"That's excessive. The demonic sects were evil—fair game. But those two just had a minor conflict with Fang family. Would they really act so rashly?"

"At this point… does the Fang family need to care what others think?"

Now, the so-called Tianhuang and Zhenyi Holy Lands were hollow shells.

There wasn't a single Holy Realm elder or promising disciple left. Forget spirit veins—even their spirit beasts, spirit herbs, and cultivation manuals were gone.

From hegemonic titans with over 100,000 years of legacy, they had become impoverished fourth-rate sects.

So ruined, even bandits wouldn't bother robbing them.

Among the 90% of disciples left behind, most chose to leave. There was nothing worth staying for.

A small handful—deluded—remained, hoping their elders would return one day.

But their wait would be in vain.

Before long, Tianhuang and Zhenyi would vanish into obscurity—just like the Primordial Holy Land.

As for the Sacred City, co-managed by the three holy lands, it was once one of the Four Great Cities of the Eastern Region.

Now, many factions had their eyes on it.

But whether the Eastern Region remained stable or not depended entirely on the Fang family. No one dared act recklessly.

Such a massive city wouldn't be left unchecked.

Fang Ting appointed Qū Wúbìng to take a group of Hidden Dragon Guards and assume control of the Sacred City.

After all, Qū Wúbìng had once been rescued from this very city by Fang Chen.