She set off, walking toward the exit of the Sovereign Hall.
Gu Qinghuan quickly followed, walking side by side with Lu Ning.
Along the way, every Tianmo Sect disciple who saw them knelt respectfully on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads.
They could clearly feel the terrifying pressure radiating from the two of them.
Especially from the Sovereign, Lu Ning, who walked in front.
The man who had once led the Tianmo Sect to glory, and who had once made the entire Northern Region tremble.
He was back.
Tianmo Sect, Yushi Hall.
At this moment, within this grand hall that was usually only opened to discuss major sect matters, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Dozens of demonic path giants dressed in various elder robes were lined up on both sides, whispering among themselves.
Most of their faces carried a hint of unease and speculation.
Ever since the news arrived six months ago that their Sovereign had been ambushed and severely wounded by the three leaders of the righteous path, the entire Tianmo Sect had fallen into chaos.
Although Holy Maiden Gu Qinghuan had later used thunderous methods to forcibly suppress the restless opposing forces and temporarily stabilize the situation, there were still many elders who doubted Lu Ning’s true strength after he was supposedly taken as a prisoner by the Dahuang Dynasty.
However, to their surprise, a shocking piece of news had recently exploded through the Northern Region like a thunderclap.
Their legendary, supposedly injured Sovereign had reappeared outside the Heavenly Capital City of the Dahuang Dynasty.
Moreover, in an unbelievable fashion, he had heavily wounded the Guardian Ancestor of the Dahuang Dynasty—a Great Perfection stage expert—with a single move.
When this news broke, the entire Tianmo Sect was in an uproar.
Those elders who originally harbored ill intentions immediately became well-behaved.
They began to suspect if the previous rumors of the Sovereign being heavily injured were a total conspiracy—a heaven-shaking trap set by Lu Ning himself to lure the snakes out of their holes.
The mere thought of this possibility made them shudder.
And while they were feeling uneasy, a commotion broke out outside the hall.
Immediately afterward, two figures slowly walked in.
The moment they clearly saw who it was, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone’s gaze instinctively landed on the black-robed “man” walking at the very front.
It was him!
The man they both respected and feared!
He really was back!
Inside the Yushi Hall, every elder’s eyes were focused on the slowly approaching black-robed figure, their gazes filled with complex emotions.
Lu Ning ignored these looks and walked step by step up to the Sovereign throne that symbolized the highest power of the Tianmo Sect.
Then, she slowly sat down, her sharp eyes indifferently scanning the crowd below.
It was clearly just a simple action, yet all the elders present couldn’t help but lower their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.
Gu Qinghuan stood silently by her side like a cold guardian deity.
“Elders, it has been many days. I trust you have been well.”
Lu Ning’s voice was soft, but it echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.
“We welcome the Sovereign back to the sect!”
Led by Elder Yanmo, the group of elders quickly bowed and saluted, their voices booming.
“You may rise.”
Lu Ning waved her hand dismissively.
“Has the sect been well during my absence?”
As her words fell, the elders below looked at one another, and no one dared to speak first.
Finally, Elder Yanmo gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
“Reporting to the Sovereign.”
Elder Yanmo’s voice was hoarse and respectful.
“Since your departure, everything within the sect has been well. Her Highness the Holy Maiden has managed sect affairs in an orderly fashion, and we have all done our best, not daring to be even slightly negligent.”
He placed both himself and Holy Maiden Gu Qinghuan in the position of “loyal officials.”
Hearing this, a hint of a smile that was not quite a smile appeared on the corner of Lu Ning’s mouth.
“Is that so?”
Lu Ning’s voice carried no emotion.
“With Qinghuan here, I am not worried about internal sect matters. So, report on the current situation outside the sect.”
An elder responsible for intelligence quickly stepped forward and reported the recent events in detail.
“Reporting to the Sovereign. Ever since the news of you wounding the Dahuang Dynasty expert with one move outside the Heavenly Capital spread, most of the small fries who were eyeing us greedily have ceased their activities. However…”
The elder paused, his expression turning grave.
“However, the three righteous path leaders, headed by the Xuantian Holy Land, do not seem to believe this rumor. Upon learning that you have returned to the Tianmo Sect, instead of retreating, they have become even more aggressive.”
“They have gathered almost all the righteous path forces in the Northern Region to form a crusade army, and they are currently heading toward our Tianmo Sect’s gates. Furthermore, according to our latest intelligence, the crusade army consists of at least 3,000 cultivators, including no fewer than 100 Great Perfection stage experts.”
“The Holy Master of Xuantian, the Manor Master of Wanjian Mountain Manor, and the Pavilion Master of Miaoyin Pavilion—these three peak Great Perfection experts—are personally leading the team. They have declared that this time, they will completely erase the Tianmo Sect from this world!”
As the words fell, the entire hall plunged into a dead silence once more.
Every elder’s face showed unprecedented gravity.
An army of 3,000 cultivators!
Over 100 Great Perfection stage experts!
Three peak Great Perfection experts personally leading the team!
What kind of terrifying power was this?
This was practically trying to drive the Tianmo Sect to its death!
“Sovereign, this is no small matter!”
Elder Yanmo stepped forward again, his voice carrying a hint of anxiety.
“Although our Tianmo Sect has deep foundations, facing such a massive enemy, I’m afraid… I’m afraid it will be difficult to resist!”
“Indeed, Sovereign!”
“Our Tianmo Sect is currently in a period of many troubles. It is truly inappropriate to become enemies with the entire righteous path!”
“We ask the Sovereign to think twice!”
For a time, the hall was filled with one supporting voice after another.
These elders were truly afraid.
Although they were all arrogant giants of the demonic path, they didn’t want to die here for no reason.
Lu Ning listened to their discussions silently, her face showing no ripples.
She knew that what these people were saying was true.
With the Tianmo Sect’s current overall strength, wanting to head-on resist the entire Northern Region’s righteous alliance was indeed a fool’s dream.
Unless…
Lu Ning’s gaze inadvertently swept over Gu Qinghuan beside her.
If she could make this rebellious disciple raise her Great Perfection strength to the peak of the Great Perfection stage, perhaps there would be a chance.
But Lu Ning quickly dismissed that thought.
Even if Gu Qinghuan’s cultivation talent was heaven-defying, it was impossible to improve that much in a short time.
And right now, her system upgrade still needed three more days.
The only trump cards in her hand were a single blind box card and a broken black blade.
At that moment, Lu Ning thought to herself: ‘Could it be that my only hope is to bet everything on that blind box card? But using a blind box card depends too much on luck. If my luck is bad, there truly will be no turning back.’
While everyone was feeling uneasy, a cold voice suddenly rang out in the hall.
“What is there to panic about?”
The one who spoke was precisely Gu Qinghuan.
She looked at the chaotic mess of elders below, her cool eyes full of disdain.
“They are merely a disorganized mob. What is there to fear? With Master here, even if the entire world is our enemy, what does it matter?”
Her words were full of powerful confidence and blind worship of Lu Ning.
The elders were choked by Gu Qinghuan’s words and couldn’t speak.
Although they knew Lu Ning’s strength was domineering and matchless, they believed that even if Lu Ning were terrifyingly strong, she couldn’t stop 100 Great Perfection experts.
And the Tianmo Sect only had a few Great Perfection experts, far from enough to contend with them.
“Your Highness the Holy Maiden, those words are incorrect,” Elder Yanmo argued, bracing himself.
“We are not afraid of death; we simply do not want our Tianmo Sect’s thousands of years of foundation to be destroyed in a single day. Right now, our Tianmo Sect is facing an unprecedented crisis of life and death. We implore the Sovereign to prioritize the big picture and come up with a foolproof plan.”
He knelt on the ground again.
“We ask the Sovereign to decide!”
The other elders also followed suit and knelt.
They were pressuring Lu Ning to come up with a solution to this crisis.
If she couldn’t… then they would likely have to make other plans.
Lu Ning looked at these kneeling elders, a flash of cold light appearing in her eyes.
She knew that if she didn’t show some real ability, she truly wouldn’t be able to suppress these old fellows.
“A foolproof plan?”
Lu Ning slowly stood up, the aura belonging to a giant of the demonic path once again enveloping the entire hall.
“My foolproof plan is to annihilate all the incoming enemies—every single one of them.”
Her words were very light, but they carried a domineering intent and killing aura that made one’s heart skip a beat.
The elders were shaken by this momentum.
For a moment, they were unable to speak.
However, just then, a raspy voice suddenly rang out from a corner of the hall.
“Sovereign, this old man has a plan that can resolve this crisis.”
The speaker was a gray-robed elder who looked like he was about to die, his aura very weak.
He was the oldest elder in the Tianmo Sect and the only one who hadn’t knelt.
He looked at Lu Ning on the throne, his cloudy eyes flashing with the light of wisdom.
“With our Tianmo Sect’s current strength, it is very difficult to contend with those combined righteous path forces. Unless…”
The gray-robed elder paused, his voice becoming incredibly grave.
“Unless, Sovereign, you can make a trip to the forbidden area in the back mountain… and awaken the Supreme Sovereign, who has been in seclusion for 100 years.”