The Hong Clan's second leader, Hong Litao, was personally leading the expedition. He was a fourth-stage Soul Foundation Realm expert. Three other Soul Foundation Realm experts were with him as well, and the rest were Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators.

The Hong Clan had discovered the secret space when one of their Sovereigns, who was proficient in formations, discovered something unusual about the place. After some deductions, they confirmed that there was a secret space.

Of course, they had only found some clues regarding the secret space. They had yet to open it. Their plan was to report their findings to the Di Sect if they couldn't swallow the entire secret space for themselves.

The moment Xiang Shaoyun saw Hong Litao, his eyes turned red, and intense killing intent burst out of him. The time for revenge was approaching, and when he saw an enemy from his past, the hatred he had suppressed over the years was finally unleashed.

When Hong Litao and his men arrived and saw the group of experts, their vigilance rose. Hong Litao even spoke politely, "May I ask where you're from? Are you aware that this is the Di Sect's territory? We have placed this place under lockdown. Aren't you showing us too much disrespect by blatantly killing our people?"

"Is that so? Hong Litao, have you forgotten this young master? Looks like an important person like you is quite forgetful, huh?" said Xiang Shaoyun with a sneer.

When Hong Litao's gaze landed on Xiang Shaoyun, he blanked out slightly. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Y-You're Young Master Xiang Shaoyun?"

"Ahhh, so you're still not blind, it seems," said Xiang Shaoyun mockingly.

"Haha, how can I be blind? So long as I can capture you, I will be rewarded great merit upon returning," said Hong Litao as he roared with laughter. He stopped thinking and grabbed for Xiang Shaoyun.

Hong Litao could sense that the people before him were strong, so his goal was to gain the initiative by striking first. He would capture Xiang Shaoyun before thinking about what to do next.

Ye Chaomu wanted to help Xiang Shaoyun, and the others wanted to do the same. However, Xiang Shaoyun stopped them and said, "Don't make a move. I'll kill him with my own hands!"

He had waited a long time for this. Hong Litao would be the first person he used to appease the spirits of the dead Ziling Sect loyalists.

As Hong Litao reached for Xiang Shaoyun, Xiang Shaoyun also pounced forth like a ferocious tiger. His body unleashed a terrifying burst of vicious energy, and a massive amount of golden energy swept forth toward Hong Litao.

Hong Litao could see that Xiang Shaoyun had reached peak Emperor Realm, but when Xiang Shaoyun attacked, he realized that he had underestimated him. A white tiger materialized and roared at him, unleashing an oppressive pressure that made his heart shiver.

"This is not possible! Die!" Hong Litao roared and unleashed all his strength as he met Xiang Shaoyun's attack head on. He was determined to capture Xiang Shaoyun.

Alas, his energy was nothing before Xiang Shaoyun—it shattered the moment it collided with Xiang Shaoyun's energy. He was unable to pose any threat to Xiang Shaoyun. Blood sprayed from his outreached hand after he came in contact with the white tiger energy. He was in so much pain he wanted to retreat immediately.

Xiang Shaoyun naturally wouldn't let his prey escape. He grabbed Hong Litao's shoulders and crushed them. He then slammed Hong Litao onto the ground and stepped on him.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, filling all the onlookers with disbelief. Hong Litao himself couldn't believe what was happening to him either. How could a mere Emperor harm a fourth-stage Sovereign like him?

He released his soul foundation in an attempt to suppress Xiang Shaoyun. However, Xiang Shaoyun behaved like a late-stage Soul Foundation Realm expert and counter-suppressed him to the point he couldn't even move despite his countless struggles.

"I'll let you experience death by a thousand needles," said Xiang Shaoyun ruthlessly as the flux goldthorn energy surged out from him and invaded Hong Litao's body.

Hong Litao was immediately assaulted with the sensation of being stabbed by countless needles. He wailed in pain, looking incomparably miserable. Only then did Hong Litao's men wake up from their shock. They attempted to make a move against Xiang Shaoyun and rescue Hong Litao.

"Kill them all," Ye Chaomu commanded. A sharp look appeared in her eyes as she waved her hand at the 13 eagles behind her.

The 13 eagles charged forward. All 13 Sovereigns attacked at the same time, sweeping through their opponents like a scythe through weeds, easily completing their task.

In the past, the 13 eagles were mere Emperors. After all these years, they had all become Sovereigns. One could see just how talented they were. Their sole purpose of existence was to protect Ye Chaomu. Without considerable talent, they would have been replaced long ago.

Hong Litao finally fainted from the pain. Xiang Shaoyun couldn't even be bothered to turn him into a puppet, and he directly killed him. Among the Di Sect members, he only needed Old Winter and Old Summer to act as his spies.

After killing Hong Litao, he said to Ye Chaomu and Little White, "Lock this place down. Before I leave, nobody is allowed to approach."

"Don't worry, big brother. From now on, not even a fly will be able to get through," Ye Chaomu promised.

"Be at ease, boss. Not a single beast will dare make a sound in the span of 10,000 kilometers," declared Little White domineeringly.

Xiang Shaoyun nodded at them before walking ahead by himself. Soon, he arrived before a massive old boulder. Looking at the dense weeds around it, he lamented inwardly, How nice would it be if Big Black was still alive?

His profundity of earth seeped into his surroundings as he started sensing the situation underground. He was searching for the formation planted here. After obtaining his inheritance from two lifetimes ago, his understanding of formations had increased significantly. His mind was filled with countless formations, and he was able to easily sense the formation undulations deep in the ground.

As he focused, he immersed himself with the profundity of the formation. He then dripped a drop of his blood essence onto the ground, using it to explore and activate the hidden formation.

If he tried forcing his way through the formation without using his blood, the secret place would end up destroyed. Sure enough, with the introduction of Xiang Shaoyun's blood, energy of a similar origin started pulsing from under the ground. The formation activated, and shining lines spread across the ground. Soon, a door of light appeared before his eyes.

He stepped into the door unhesitatingly. The moment he stepped through, the door vanished as though it never existed. Xiang Shaoyun had entered an unknown secret space.