Zi Hengxiao took a close look at Zi Chen and nodded. “Since the soul seed has been dispelled from your body, you may return to the clan.”

Zi Chen, Wu Tulong, and Mo Qitian had recovered their previous selves during their stay in hell. Zhaoqing had managed to purge the foreign influence from them, but since their names weren’t written in the Tome of Life and Death, Ge Long immediately erased their memories upon setting them free. They were then sent to Dao City as mentors for the academy.

Though they were no longer dao sovereigns beneath the Dao Flower, their position within the immortal dao far exceeded that of anyone else. With their soul seeds taken care of, their hearts and minds naturally returned to normal.

However, Lu Yun saw the traces of someone else on the three of them. Plainly said, someone had arranged for all of them to meet, so that the true target, Dongfang Hao, would be none the wiser.

……

“Patriarch, please refrain from doing this.” Zi Chen shook his head slightly at Zi Hengxiao. “If you stop now, there will still be a bit of hope for the clan…”

“Shut up!” Zi Hengxiao’s expression snapped to a terrifying blankness. “I’ll kill you if you dare say one word more.”

A vein bulged in Zi Chen’s forehead, but true to the threat, he didn’t say anything further. He knew his patriarch was someone who did exactly what he said. Even though he was the clan’s greatest genius, he would be executed where he stood if he went against his patriarch’s wishes.

“Lu Yun, what evil intentions do you and Qing Yu harbor by sealing off the Dao Tree and preventing all peerless immortals from breaking through?!” demanded a peak peerless immortal behind Zi Hengxiao.

There was a formation of heaven and earth etched within his body, placing him on the level of a primordial immortal. The ripples of energy within his body had reached peak peerless immortal realm, and in ordinary times, his cultivation would’ve called the Dao Tree to him. He wouldn’t have needed to seek it out himself. But now, no matter how this peak peerless immortal released his presence with abandon, it elicited no response from the world.

Immortals happily watching the show off of the side suddenly looked on gravely at this revelation. The Dao Tree was their reverse scale; whoever grasped it held the world in their hands.

Many had worried that once Qing Yu obtained the Central World, she would suppress the Dao Tree and use it as another means with which to control the immortals in the world. At the same time, however, they also felt that Qing Yu and Lu Yun’s current level of strength wasn’t enough to monopolize the Dao Tree. After all, Dao Fruit were an utmost treasure of immortals dating from the Primordial Era.

However, their greatest worry had indeed happened. Even the various celestial and monster immortal emperors of the world felt their gut clench tight.

“Since the establishment of the Dao Academy, there have been no dao immortal ascensions in Primus Major,” murmured her celestial emperor.

“None in Thundergale Major.”

“Nor in Lazuli Major.”

None of the other celestial emperors spoke. All of the celestial and monster immortal emperors of the world were gathered here. Apart from Zhao Shenguang of Nephrite Major and the still leaderless Witherdew Major, all the rest were here.

A few of their positions had lain empty, but had since been filled in and their replacements reached origin dao immortal in an exceedingly short period of time. The seven celestial emperors and ten monster emperors looked at each other, not sure what to do.

“Let’s observe closely and see what Lu Yun wants to do.” The monarch of Lazuli Major shook his head and indicated for the others not to make any brash moves.

……

“Lu Yun, have you made it so that anyone not of your kin, or of the Dao Academy, has the opportunity to ascend to the dao immortal realm?” Zi Hengxiao bit out his words as he looked at Lu Yun. “We have come to Nephrite Major not to besiege Dusk Province, but to demand an explanation!”

He drew himself upright and yelled loudly, “By what right do you, Lu Yun, prevent those of the world of immortals from attaining dao immortal realm?!”

His roar traveled forth in sound waves that reached every corner of the world. This furious denouncement elicited sympathy from many immortals whose ears rang from the exhortation. Those who’d plucked their aether dao fruits in particular looked at Lu Yun with fury.

In that instant, Lu Yun observed boundless resentment come crashing his way like a dense layer of tribulation clouds. Once these grudges and resentment condensed to a certain level, they would form a terrifying curse to kill him even without triggering a heavenly tribulation.

“Indeed, there seems to be some basis in the idea that being universally condemned means dying in one’s sleep.” Lu Yun frowned slightly.

“Lu Yun!” Zi Hengxiao snarled again. “I represent everyone in the world of immortals and all of the immortals in the universe in demanding that you return the Dao Tree immediately! Otherwise, thirty-six peak factions and a hundred and eight clans will doom you beyond redemption, even at the risk of our own doom!”

Wham!!

Wham!!

Wham!!

Booms echoed as thirty-six connate treasures slowly rose to the air and further encircled Dusk Province. Terrifying ripples traveled in all directions, until they enveloped all of Nephrite Major in their dreadful aura.

Peak factions were called thus because they possessed connate treasures with which to hold down the fort. However, their appearance meant that the clan was facing a life and death crisis, and their very survival was in doubt. To these peak factions, it was indeed such a crisis.

They needed Lu Yun to submit and bow his head in front of their despotic power. Once he gave way in the matter of the Dao Tree, then the authority of the Dao Academy and his personal influence would scatter upon the wind. The entire world of immortals would know that Lu Yun had caged the Dao Tree for his own selfish gains and attempted to enslave them all! That would paint a target on his back and the up-and-coming Dao Academy. These seemingly unrelated matters were the dying gasps of the peak factions!

Currently, thirty-six connate treasures and hundreds of dao immortal treasures hovered in the air. Once this kind of public censure and strength bore down on them, it’d likely sink all of Dusk Province.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Lu Yun’s capitulation. Despair and doom wrapped around the cultivators and immortals within Dusk Province’s borders, not to mention the mortals that’d just arrived.

“Return the Dao Tree?” Lu Yun stood in the air with his hands behind his back, shaking his head after considering the various treasures aimed at him. “Is the Dao Tree yours?”

“The Dao Tree is everyone’s.” Zi Hengxiao answered calmly.

“In that case, let me ask everyone.” Lu Yun lifted his head and looked at all the cultivators and immortals beyond Dusk Province. “Do you remember the void realm?”