Five hundred kilometers above the surface, twenty-one powerhouses were traveling. They descended when they reached the Territory Fog, lowering their altitude to hundred kilometers before they broke through and reached the other side.

Like this, they kept traveling from the Poison Rift Valley to the Poison Lord Villa, breaking through many eternal walls.

​​

"Hehehe~ Today, we got quite a haul~"

A seductive voice melodiously echoed, seething with happiness.

"Yes, Poison Mistress." A black-robed person replied, "The Poison Lord is going to be extremely felicitous, having a greater chance to breakthrough to the Peak-Level Law Rune Stage with this gift we've secured."

"True, Wicked Glow." The Poison Mistress turned to look back as she flew, appearing to be delighted.

"My Lord has no need to use that Baneful Myriad Lotus Sutra anymore, although it wouldn't matter because my lord seems so happy with his newfound bevy of women."

She seemed to submerge in happiness as a deep smile stayed on her face. However, it changed.

"In any case, how many have we lost in this expedition?"

Wicked Glow thought for a while before he answered.

"Four Low-Level Law Rune Stage Powerhouses died to the deadly poisonous traps set in the tomb. One more died while exiting the rift and sacrificing himself to buy time for us to escape from the Poison Rift Valley's powerhouses."

"Ah, Devil Slug... I should've let him embrace me last night. Poor chap... My heart is in shambles for him." The Poison Mistress appeared sorrowful, her figure and expression emanating an attractive charm, "Will you console me tonight, Wicked Glow?"

Wicked Glow's pupils trembled before he shook his head.

"I don't dare. I presume the Poison Lord would be willing to console you, Poison Mistress."

"Waa~ I forgot I belonged to my lord..."

Poison Mistress's lips went agape before she looked as if she had done something wrong. However, looking at the other powerhouses, who didn't seem to be surprised by her behavior, she shrugged.

"Ah, you're all so boring. I wish I can tease someone to keep off this ill-feeling away from me~"

Wicked Glow's brows twitched. Not only his but the twenty others reacted the same, knowing that this vixen always tortured them to sleep with her, but that wasn't her true intent. Those who dared to do so probably all had their crotches mutilated, so they were aware that they would be stupid to accept her seduction and get in the bed with her.

Moreover, they also know why she acted like this because it was to put her Charm Laws to the test and practice it. They mused if she truly wanted a man, going as far as to betray the Poison Lord, she would undoubtedly use her charm arts to the fullest.

At that time, which man can refuse her?

Nevertheless, knowing her hobbies, they never fell for it. However, it couldn't be said that they didn't have an itch in their hearts, wanting to bed her. They had it all, but doing so would result in their deaths.

However, halfway, the acting head of this group, the Poison Mistress, took out a messaging talisman as its range seemed to be finally reaching the Poison Lord Villa.

"Oh? The Twilight Shade Valley has turned into a complete battlefield, and we're required?"

"What? Can't we rest?"

Wicked Glow looked as if he had been given a blow as he heard Poison Mistress relay her doubts. They all looked at her, nodding before her beautiful emerald eyes slightly widened.

"Huh? Devil Bane died?"

"What? Devil Bane died!?"

The people behind collectively echoed as if they were all astonished.

They all had their life tablets placed on the Life Tablet Hall in the Poison Lord Villa. Only the genuinely top figures of the power would not place their life tablets in the Life Tablet Hall because their life and death need to remain unknown, even to their own allies. After all, it is necessary to fool one's allies to fool their enemies.

Almost all powers, including both righteous and wicked path powers, followed this method of storing Life Tablets. That's why no one would find the life tablet of an Ancestor in their respective power's Life Tablet Hall.

However, the Poison Mistress didn't have a life tablet in the Life Tablet Hall. She was an exception in this case because she was truly a vital part of the Poison Lord Villa, unlike them. As for who is vital, that was decided by their Poison Lord, of course.

Nevertheless, everyone knew Devil Bane as he was almost like a loyal servant to the Poison Lord. If he was killed, it was certain that the Poison Lord would become angered.

"Where did he die? In the Twilight Shade Valley?" Poison Mistress asked before she received her answer.

"In the Alstreim Family? I see... Was Blood Thorn also with him? Alright..." Poison Mistress kept her spatial ring inside before she looked at the twenty other powerhouses behind her.

"Fellows, we have quite a problem at hand. I don't know if we can save Blood Thorn or if he escaped, but we sure must make the one who killed him pay by contaminating his blood with our vicious poison! Now, off to the Alstreim Family we go!"

"Yes!!!"

"Hehehe!~"

The Poison Mistress and the others all collectively laughed, truly forming a sinister atmosphere.

It was as if everyone was glad to have this side quest of taking revenge.

As soon as they broke through the Territory Fog leading to the Alstreim Family Territory in descent, they again ascended to five hundred kilometers above the surface and passed through the invisible spatial bends and the terrifying winds that cut through eighth stage experts into pieces.

Usually, these skies were where rogue or wicked path powerhouses travel in groups to avoid the eyes of the righteous path and vice versa. After all, no one would keep their eyes up all the time, although there were formations that could detect them but definitely not in the Nine Western Territories, which allowed them to traverse in the high-above skies unhinged.

They arrived at the Alstreim Family's territory and sensed the place where powerhouses seemed to have gathered and started to descend. They saw the outline of the Grand Alstreim City before it started growing in their field of vision as they descended.

Poison Mistress blinked, feeling that she couldn't find Blood Thorn's undulations in the congregation of powerhouses below. She instead spoke to garner the attention of the powerhouses present.

"Devil Bane, my dear, to think you would actually die today..."

Her voice, along with all their undulations, caused the people in the Alstreim Family to be frightened to their core.

Many thought their lives were forfeit at this moment. After all, the rumors they heard about the Poison Lord Villa says that they will leave a poisonous plague in their wake. However, resplendent brownish-golden light abruptly shone above them.

The defensive formation covered the entire Grand Alstreim City, causing a powerful barrier to sprung up in a few seconds. Before the powerhouses from the Poison Lord Villa could completely descend into the city, they were locked out.

Poison Mistress raised her brows, quite astonished to see such a powerful formation in this countryside. The others also gave a similar reaction before one of them decided to make a move.

*Shhh~!*

Baleful poisonous air descended from his pale white palms that glowed with a fiendish green light. It was none other than Wicked Glow who seemed to be attacking the barrier. His greenish-purple poisonous energy covered an area of twenty kilometers like it was nothing, raining down on the brownish-golden barrier.

*Sssss!~*

Sizzling sounds began to echo throughout the Grand Alstreim City. The people who just thought that they might be saved by the new barrier and possibly some timely help from other righteous sects or perhaps the Four Great Righteous Sects felt their hearts tremble in fear once again.

They could hear the muffled sounds of the barrier succumbing, but even after a few seconds, it didn't seem to break, causing most of them to relax a bit, believing that it would hold.

Even though they could hear the sizzling sounds, it appeared that the barrier was regenerating just as fast as the attack scraped it out. However, the problem was, Wicked Glow's poison didn't even seem to penetrate a single layer of the thick three-layered brownish-golden barrier.

"How can this be...?"

Wicked Glow stopped his attack as he looked incredulously at the barrier.

If the barrier was a small area, he could understand, but how could this barrier that covered a large area, thousands of kilometers that encompassed an entire city, remain capable of defending against his attack!?

His cultivation level was at Mid-Level Law Rune Stage, for heaven's sake!

"Waa~ This is rather a powerful High-Level Emperor Grade Defensive Formation that can perhaps even defend against a few attacks of High-Level Ninth Stage Powerhouses. How luxurious for a Small-Sized Territory's Hegemon!~"

The Poison Mistress widened her eyes as she couldn't help but feel impressed.

Just when she thought of challenging the barrier with her poisonous prowess, her emerald eyes noticed a handsome man break out of a hole in the barrier below, heading towards them as she ascended. Her eyes lit up while her lips curved, wondering if he could prove to be entertaining.