Within the shadows of the battlefield stood a pair of figures. Xuanyuan Muxue asked, “Big Brother Yuheng, what did you say earlier?”

“He’s somewhat capable. Continue watching.”

“Why do I feel that despite his low cultivation when he came here, he’s been rapidly improving. Her Eminence has good eyesight indeed,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Let's just continue watching.”

“Big Brother Yuheng, I suggest you not be enemies with him. He’s someone the eminent greatly values, and the eminent is your conviction.”

“You said that you were born for the eminent, and you’re even willing to die for the eminent. So why are you targeting someone around her? Aren’t you crossing a boundary?” Xuanyuan Muxue asked.

“Muxue, you’re still young. Stop talking nonsense,” Xuanyuan Yuheng said solemnly.

“Okay.”

“Furthermore, can you still maintain that kind of mood if he defeats me?” Xuanyuan Yuheng sneered, which made Xuanyuan Muxue fell into silence.

“The Archaion Divine Realm ultimately belongs to the Archaic House of Xuanyuan. It’s the first god and Her Eminence who created the glory in the Archaion Sect, not the Sterling House of Fang, Draconis House of Jian, or someone with the surname Li! Her Eminence belongs to our clan, so why does she have to bring up an outsider?” Xuanyuan Yuheng’s eyes grew dark.

“Can’t you treat it with a normal mindset?”

“Not possible, because we’re the Archaic House of Xuanyuan and we were once the overlord of the Flameyellow continent! We once ruled everything! The eminent’s return will allow our clan to rule this world once more. So what’s it got to do with an outsider?” Xuanyuan Yuheng gritted his teeth.

“Big Brother Yuheng, I’ve actually seen the eminent once.” Xuanyuan Muxue lowered her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I think that Her Eminence is a little childish.”

“And how did you manage to tell?”

“From her words and actions. It’s just a feeling. I felt that she was someone at the same age as me when I saw her, the kind I can play together with. She’s not a god that I can only look up to,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Muxue.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll kill you if you ever dare to say such words again.” Xuanyuan Yuheng turned around and glared at Xuanyuan Muxue.

“I got it.”

……

In the First Sword Pavilion located at the Human Branch’s Sacred Grounds, a middle-aged man stood outside the pavilion and reported, “Sect Master, Jian Binghe requests to meet you.”

The door opened, and Jian Wuyi came out. He asked, “Aren’t you presiding over the Faction Battle? Why are you here?”

“Sect Master, there’s a disciple by the name of Li Tianming, and I find that there’s something unusual about his sword art. I once researched the Hexapath Sword God’s Hexapath Samsara Sword. The sword art used by this Li Tianming shares an uncanny resemblance with the Hexapath Samsara Sword, and I think it’s necessary for you to take a look,” Jian Binghe lowered his head.

“H-He used it?” Jian Wuyi asked in a hoarse voice.

“I personally think that he’s already reached lesser mastery in it.”

A loud explosion rang out, and when Jian Binghe raised his head he saw Jian Wuyi crushing a stone pillar beside the door with a gloomy expression.

……

In the Illusory Battlefield. 

Jian Xueyi’s sharp voice echoed throughout the battlefield, “Fight back!!”

“Faction Lord, you seem a little too excited today.” Qian Feng smiled. Everyone knew that Tianming was only the Faction Lord in name, and their loyalty would always be with Jian Xueyi.

“I’m heartbroken… I want to beat up someone right now!” Jian Xueyi said furiously.

“Faction Lord, stop talking about it. You haven’t even gotten started with it, so how did you fall out of love? If we’re going according to what you said, then the disciples in the Swordking Faction fall out of love every day.” Qian Feng smiled.

“Shut up!”

“Why don’t you consider me? I have land back at home. Not only is it enough for us to be buried together, but our lifebound beasts as well,” Qian Feng laughed.

“Try saying one more word and see what I’ll do to your balls!”

“Holy shit! Faction Lord, please spare me!” Qian Feng immediately ran off.

Under Jian Xueyi’s orders, the Swordking Faction already knew that Tianming had come out of nowhere and ignited the battlefield. All of them had anger pent up in their chests after so long, and no one would be happy to withdraw right now just to preserve their position in the ranking. Then they wouldn’t think that they deserve the ranking righteously.

“Everyone from the Swordking Faction, this is the time for us to fight back, topple history, and forge miracles with our own hands! I only hope that when we become old, we’ll still have this memory of us fighting for our dreams fearlessly!” Jian Xueyi made her declaration, and was also touched by her own words.

The Swordking Faction’s disciples wore a strange expression when they heard that, but they didn’t react to her words much. “Hey, the cutie got touched by her own words again.”

Right at this moment, Qian Feng yelled out, “Anyone who defeats a hundred from the Dragonmight Faction will be rewarded with the Faction Lord’s personal undergarment!”

“Holy shit!” The Swordking Faction exploded, and Jian Xueyi was left dumbstruck.

“Faction Lord, just take out one undergarment next time. We’ll definitely go berserk and beat up anyone who stands in our way!” Qian Feng laughed.

“QIAN FENG! ARGFFFFHHHH! STOP RIGHT THERE!” Jian Xueyi yelled with her face turning red.

……

The three factions clashed outside the Silverriver Valley. The Dragonmight Faction was trying to squeeze out the Swordking Faction, but they never expected that the Swordking Faction’s retaliation would suddenly grow stronger.

Not only was the Swordking Faction still standing strong, but they were charging out of the valley like madmen. They attacked everyone they saw, and they had a blissful expression on their faces whenever they counted to a hundred. The sudden outburst of the Swordking Faction’s fighting strength toppled the Dragonmight Faction’s imagination.

“What the hell did they eat? Why are they so ferocious?” The Dragonmight Faction was dumbfounded. Worst of all, there were still many people queuing to enter Silverriver Valley, and they were caught by surprise by this bunch who suddenly charged out.

“Reporting! The Azureriver Faction has betrayed us!”

The Dragonmight Faction had already detected the Azureriver Faction’s objective. More importantly, they couldn’t find Xuanyuan Yufeng with how chaotic the battlefield had become. Just like that, the Dragonmight Faction plunged into chaos when they faced the Swordking Faction’s retaliation and Azureriver Faction’s assault.

“Brothers of the Azureriver Faction, what are you trying to do?” a Dragonmight Faction’s disciple roared out furiously.

“I have no idea. We were instructed by the faction lord to hit you guys!”

“Is your faction lord insane? He’ll be beaten to death by our faction lord when we get out!” the Dragonmight Faction’s disciple refuted.

“Let’s just get this done and finished with. They’re all a bunch of lunatics, and I have no idea what they’re trying to do.”

“Forget it, let’s not fight anymore. I surrender! I have no idea what’s going on.”

That was just a small example, but it was what everyone from the Azureriver and Dragonmight Faction’s disciples felt. After all, the factions weren't an official army; many disciples only joined to obtain cultivation resources and facilitate sect missions. There was no way they would give their lives for their faction.

There were many people who surrendered, and no one would realize anything even if they surrendered. With that, the Swordking Faction’s fierce retaliation badly startled the Dragonmight Faction.

Up in the sky, the Azureriver Faction and half of the Dragonmight Faction’s disciples were fighting. When forty thousand from the Swordking Faction charged out of the valley, they tore a hole in the Dragonmight Faction’s formation.

“We’re besieged?”

“Run!”

“What the hell is going on? Who are our allies here?”

“Has the Swordking Faction gone insane? Beat them to death!”

“I’m leaving. I’m not playing anymore!”

The Dragonmight Faction’s morale began collapsing. The Swordking Faction was like a sword stabbing into their formation, and the Azureriver Faction’s assault also threw the Dragonmight Faction into chaos. All of this was seen by Xuanyuan Yufeng.

“Faction Lord, what’s going on?” Xuanyuan Xiong, the Deputy Faction Lord, was dumbfounded.

Xuanyuan Yufeng’s eyes were dark and he was clenching his fists. He’d once boasted in the Earth Branch that he would give the brothers of the Archaic House of Xuanyuan a great show. But he lost the rhythm right from the beginning due to a flea. Not to mention that when he had just revealed his trump card, the Azureriver Faction, he got hit in his own foot by it.

He still had no idea why the Azureriver Faction betrayed him. Didn’t he make threats and promises before the faction battle?

“Report!” A scout came right at that moment. “Faction Lord, the Swordking Faction’s Li Tianming charged into the Azureriver Faction and defeated the Fang siblings. He then held them hostage and forced the Azureriver Faction to change sides!”

For a moment, everyone fell into silence. Xuanyuan Xiong raged, “It’s that Li Tianming again!”

“How the hell did he even do it? The Fang siblings aren’t weak!”

“I really have nothing to say now. One person led the Azureriver Faction by the nose?”

Everyone looked at Xuanyuan Yufeng blankly. Xuanyuan Yufeng was shocked, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“Faction Lord, please calm down. We haven’t lost yet, and we can intimidate the Azureriver Faction with our strength and get rid of the Swordking Faction,” said Xuanyuan Xiong.

“I’m not angry.” Xuanyuan Yufeng smiled coldly. “But this person managed to force my murderous intent out. Go out and find him immediately! I’ll personally send him on the road!”

“Yes!”

The order spread. Everyone knew that Xuanyuan Yufeng was genuinely furious right now. All along, he had thought that everything was within his grasp, but it was entirely ruined by Tianming. He was indeed talented when it came to making a strategy, and he was also proficient at grasping people’s hearts. But an individual’s strength was nothing on the battlefield.

Suddenly, a burst of loud laughter rang out, “You’re looking for I, your father? I’m right here. Xuanyuan Yufeng, come out and fight!”

When everyone turned around, they saw a white-haired youth standing there with a sword plunged into the ground. He was stepping on a Dragonmight Faction’s Hall Lord, and a little bird stood on his shoulder. He looked at Xuanyuan Yufeng with a smirk.

“I’m calling out to you, that three-eyed fugly over there. Stop looking at me and fight. Don’t waste my time,” said Tianming.

The entire hierarchy of the Dragonmight Faction was enveloped in rage, and this place became the center of focus on this battlefield.

In the next second, Xuanyuan Yufeng dashed out and tore his own Scarletflame Tome to pieces.