Hong Liliang was a sixth-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator. In Di City, he was considered a local tyrant of high status. Since even someone with his strength couldn't sense what was going on outside, one could only imagine just how strong the intruders were. He could feel a chill creeping up his spine. And when he recalled the little bastard he was talking about earlier, he wondered if the little bastard was here already.

Sure enough, a young man and a young woman strode in not long after. They were akin to a match made in heaven, and both looked like they had descended from the heavens. They emanated a bearing and presence that made one lower one's head before them. The pair was none other than Xiang Shaoyun and Ye Chaomu, who had just come from the Buried Monarch Mountain Range.

"It's really you, little bastard!" Hong Liliang exclaimed in alarm.

He had been notified that Xiang Shaoyun was about to return, but he had not imagined that his return would be so soon. After all, when he had received the news, Xiang Shaoyun was still an Emperor. He believed that Xiang Shaoyun would probably focus on his cultivation for a while before returning.

"Little bastard? Tsk, tsk. Look how naturally that term rolls off your tongue. You truly are Di Batian's most loyal dog," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sinister look in his eyes.

"Hmph. Don't think that you can act all arrogant before me just because you have grown a little in your cultivation. Luo Mingdeng, take both of them down. We will return to the sect with them for more merits," commanded Hong Liliang coldly.

"Yes, governor!" answered a third-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator. He then charged toward Xiang Shaoyun and Ye Chaomu.

Luo Mingdeng was merciless in his attack, grabbing for them with two fiery claws. His claws contained an earth-shattering might, and a regular person would have great difficulty blocking it.

Just as the claws were about to strike them, Xiang Shaoyun took a step forward and grabbed the two claws. He accomplished the feat with such casualness that it appeared similar to grabbing something from his own pocket. Before Luo Mingdeng could react, he found that both his arms had been tightly grabbed.

Luo Mingdeng pulled with all his strength, but he felt as though the toughest of pincers were holding his arms down. They wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pulled. 

Xiang Shaoyun had no interest in wasting any time on a nobody such as this. He exerted some force with his hands and instantly snapped both of Luo Mingdeng's arms.

Crack!

With both his arms broken, Luo Mingdeng wailed in pain.

"Everyone, attack! Show no mercy!" Hong Liliang commanded as he charged Xiang Shaoyun and Ye Chaomu. He knew that Xiang Shaoyun had come harboring ill intentions. Furthermore, the two seemed rather powerful. He had to create a big scene so that the people in the city would notice what was happening at the governor's manor. Only then would the Di Sect be warned.

However, Xiang Shaoyun would definitely not give him the chance. The entire governor's manor was sealed off by the Heaven Battling Realm experts Ye Chaomu had brought. Nothing happening here would leak outside the manor.

Xiang Shaoyun did not wish to waste any time to prevent any mishaps from happening. He released his soul foundation and slammed it into the charging Sovereigns. The moment he released his soul foundation, strands of nine-colored divine radiance filled the hall as an indescribable pressure crushed down on everyone present, causing them to tremble involuntarily.

"W-What kind of soul foundation energy is this? It is so terrifying!" Hong Liliang exclaimed in alarm when he found himself suppressed.

"Kill!" Xiang Shaoyun steered his soul foundation and roared, a terrifying power bursting out of his soul foundation. The soul marks on the foundation displayed the terrifying might of the numerous offensive techniques he knew and rained destruction onto the Sovereigns in the room.

Xiang Shaoyun wanted to see for himself just how powerful his soul foundation was and if it could be used to battle those with higher cultivation levels. 

His soul foundation emanated an ancient aura that was incredibly oppressive. A river of stars formed, and numerous powerful demonic beasts manifested. One phenomenon after another appeared, each with an unrivaled prowess.

The Sovereigns present lost the courage to even release their soul foundations. They tried resisting with their own bodies and suffered miserably. Xiang Shaoyun's soul foundation was comparable to a late-stage Sovereign's soul foundation, instantly crushing two Sovereigns into a pile of mincemeat. They were not a match for him.

A few of them forcefully withstood the pressure, but most of them were already bleeding from their seven orifices and were barely hanging on.

"I refuse to believe that your one-layered soul foundation would be unstoppable! Break!" roared one of the Sovereigns as he released his two-layered soul foundation. He gathered his soul power within his soul foundation and sent it crashing toward Xiang Shaoyun's soul foundation.

The two soul foundations collided, and it was as though an egg had crashed into a rock. Not only did his soul foundation fail to suppress Xiang Shaoyun's, his soul foundation even cracked and delivered him a strong backlash.

"Ridiculous," said Xiang Shaoyun with derision as he sent his soul foundation forward and exterminated the Sovereign.

Xiang Shaoyun's soul foundation was scarily powerful. The surviving Sovereigns despaired and contemplated fleeing. Not even Hong Liliang wanted to continue the fight. He wanted to flee and report the incident to the sect before doing anything else.

Alas, Xiang Shaoyun's attack came too fast. His one-layered soul foundation enlarged, and it erupted with an even more terrifying energy. The energy enveloped the fleeing Sovereigns, not giving them the chance to escape.

"Screw this! If I have to die, I'll drag you down with me!" shouted a Sovereign. He roared and swung his weapon at Xiang Shaoyun's soul foundation with all his strength.

Using the soul foundation, Xiang Shaoyun unleashed his Seven Scorching Sun Claws and tore the Sovereign's arms apart before clawing at the Sovereign's chest. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the domineering flame energy invaded his body before turning him into a human torch. The others weren't able to escape either. In a few breaths, all of them were killed.

Their struggles were completely pointless since Xiang Shaoyun's soul foundation was too powerful. His foundation also seemed immune to any attack they launched, rendering them completely helpless.

Before long, Hong Liliang was the sole survivor. He wanted to escape, but when he found himself locked in, he finally realized that there were more people outside. He finally sank into despair.

"I refuse to believe that your soul foundation is indestructible!" said Hong Liliang as a sharp sword appeared in his hand. Harnessing the power of his six-layered soul foundation, he swung the sword at Xiang Shaoyun.

He was using a top-quality sovereign weapon. Although the sword was incomparable to a saint weapon, it was still excellent among sovereign weapons. In fact, it was strong enough to pose a threat to any cultivator below the Saint Realm.

However, Xiang Shaoyun showed no fear. He gathered all his power into his Overlord Skyslaying Saber and started madly swinging the saber at Hong Liliang. At the same time, his soul foundation formed a connection with the stars beyond the sky, supplying him with an unending supply of energy that made him even stronger than before.

"Today, you will be the first sacrifice to my war banner. Next, Di Batian will be following you to the afterlife," said Xiang Shaoyun with a roar as he smashed through Hong Liliang's energy and swung the saber at Hong Liliang's head.