A few moments ago, before Gaia and the others left the Sakti Forbidden Realm.
"General, a high-level technique activation has been detected in the Jiang family territory. Based on the energy frequency, it's assumed that the Sakti Forbidden Realm has been triggered," a soldier reported to General Lin Feng, who was seated behind a mountain of documents.
"The Sakti Forbidden Realm? Activating such a technique is a serious taboo. What were the Jiang family thinking? Hmm... wait a second, could they have been attacked?"
"We're unable to confirm that yet, General. Troops have been dispatched to the location for further investigation."
"Good. Observe the situation closely. Don't overlook even the tiniest detail."
"Understood," the soldier responded with a salute before leaving the room.
Lin Feng sat in silence, contemplating the possible mastermind behind the activation of such a forbidden technique. Although one of the patriarchs from the major families could be responsible, why would they take such a reckless risk? Furthermore, this technique is extremely complex and cannot be learned or used on a whim. Which means...
"Someone taught that technique to one of the family heads?" he murmured.
But if that's true, then who? Over the last thousand years, Yinzhou had been actively purging the remnants of Kauket followers from the Hyperion Nebula Star System. Could there still be survivors in hiding? Or have new Kauket worshippers begun to emerge? Or perhaps... a third party?
Calmly analyzing the situation, Lin Feng transmitted the information to the other generals through the aetherlink. After the message was sent, a certain letter came to mind, one from Jiang Bailou concerning Gaia Matera.
Let me guess, it's either you, Chu Liang, or Lin Feng reading this letter. I'll be blunt, don't let that kid, Gaia, get too close to people like the Xiao family. He's even worse than me. He sees and judges people by the essence of their soul. Someone who appears kind in your eyes might be nothing but scum to him, depending on their soul essence. And if someone like that annoys or provokes him... well, you can imagine the rest.
Lin Feng recalled something from around a thousand years ago. Back then, Jiang Bailou had just been appointed as a general of Yinzhou Xianxien and had visited Yinzhou Penglai to meet Lin Feng. During his visit, an elder from the Xiao family provoked Bailou.
Despite her short temper, Bailou initially ignored the provocation due to her position. However, the elder continued, even after being warned alongside the Xiao family patriarch at the time. Eventually, the patriarch himself joined in the provocation.
Jiang Bailou, pushed to her limit, killed the elder on the spot, disregarding the location or her reputation. But she didn't stop there, she attacked the Xiao family on her own, destroying 90% of their property. She killed the patriarch, the elders, and even attempted to wipe out every Xiao family member, including the innocent children.
The chaos was immense, all caused by a single general. Even Lin Feng, who held an equal rank, couldn't stop her. Jiang Bailou was by far the strongest general at the time. The only one capable of stopping her was the Yinzhou Overseer, a UII's Apostle.
The Cao family, allies of the Xiao family, were also affected and nearly destroyed. But it was the Xiao family who suffered the most.
In the end, though the Overseer managed to stop Bailou's rampage, the Xiao family was nearly annihilated. Out of sympathy, the Overseer ordered the other great families to leave the Xiao family alone until they could rebuild, placing them under direct military protection.
That tale became a legend in Yinzhou.
At the time, the Xiao and Cao families were known for their greed and oppression. Bailou's supposed "rampage" was seen as a heroic act by the people of Yinzhou Penglai, making her a revered figure.
"And you say your disciple is even worse than you? Haha..." Lin Feng chuckled as he snapped out of his deep memories that felt both ancient and recent at once.
Knock knock
"Come in."
"General!" a soldier reported upon entering the room.
"What is it?"
"We have new information about the person who activated the Sakti Forbidden Realm. It's believed to be Jiang Qinsheng."
Jiang Qinsheng, wasn't he from a branch of the Jiang family? If Lin Feng remembered correctly, he married into...
"…Haha, you've got to be kidding me. What are the odds…" he muttered.
"Prepare the troops immediately. Have them on standby around the Xiao residence. Make sure to evacuate nearby civilians."
"Y-Yes, General. But may I ask why?" the soldier asked, confused by Lin Feng's sudden urgency.
"There's no time to explain. Just do it unless you want history to repeat itself."
"Yes, sir!" the soldier saluted and left without asking further questions.
You said he's worse than you, Bailou? Even in death, you still love messing with me. But why Penglai again? Aren't there two other generals? At least rotate next time...
With that, Lin Feng stood up and left his office.
*
Meanwhile…
"Oh, Tianluo I knew you'd be okay," said Ballack as he arrived at the patriarch hall, Kagura by his side.
"Ballack!?"
Ballack explained how Tianluo and Mei had suddenly vanished from the aetherlink, which caused Kagura to panic despite Ballack assuring her they'd be fine.
Right as Ballack started searching, their signals reappeared at their original location. Curious, the two of them rushed over.
Tianluo began recounting everything that had happened including Jiang Qinsheng's sudden death.
"So what do you think? Do you know what killed him?" Tianluo asked, adding, "At the very least, the elders confirmed it wasn't poison."
Ballack looked at Qinsheng's body, fell silent for a moment, then replied with realization in his tone.
"This man died because all his spiritual veins were destroyed by mana. It's similar to qi deviation but in this case, the source of the deviation was mana, not qi. I think you can guess the rest."
"But how is that possible? Was mana implanted beforehand with a delayed activation?"
"That's possible," Ballack admitted. "But the mana user who activated it must've been nearby when it happened."
"But in the Jiang family, there's no one who uses mana," Tianluo said then stopped, his voice trailing off as realization dawned on his face.
He looked around sharply. "Wait… The only mana user nearby when Qinsheng started showing symptoms was…"
His breath caught in his throat. "Has anyone seen Grand Elder Gaia?"
For a heartbeat, no one answered.
Then someone pointed toward the horizon. A dark pillar of mana surged into the sky in the distance, cold, ominous, and unrelenting.
*
[somewhere in Yinzhou Penglai]
"Stop him!"
"Don't let him reach the patriarch's quarters!"
Warrior and martial artists of the Xiao family screamed as they fell one by one, slain by invisible slashes. Their qi defenses were useless, unable to withstand the barrage of wind blades coming from every direction.
A man with black, naturally messy yet tidy hair walked slowly from the main gate of the Xiao residence. He wore a long black coat. With every step he took, another Xiao family member was cut down by invisible wind blades that struck from wherever his gaze landed. When no one remained nearby, he used short-range teleportation to continue his advance, never breaking stride.
When martial artists put up qi barriers in front, the slashes came from behind. When they shielded part of their body, the blades attacked the unguarded areas. Even those strong enough to shield their entire body were bombarded with increasingly powerful strikes.
Among the fallen was Xiao Wei, one of the family's elders, known for his Iron Shell Qi Armor technique. Unlike the others, he didn't charge recklessly. He stood his ground, calm and focused, arms crossed defensively in front of his chest.
"Your madness ends here," Xiao Wei declared, channeling layers of reinforced qi around his body.
But Gaia didn't even bother to look at him. With a slight flick of his finger, a gust of wind shimmered into existence silent, invisible. In an instant, a dozen razor-thin wind blades curved mid-air, bypassing Xiao Wei's armor from impossible angles.
Crack!
His armor shattered like glass, and Xiao Wei collapsed without a sound, unconscious before his body hit the floor.
The silence that followed was deafening.
He walked unchallenged to the patriarch's hall leaving no witnesses on his path. From the gate to the hall, it had taken him less than five minutes.
At the end of the hall stood the Xiao family patriarch, stunned at the sight of the man.
With a swift, emotionally charged motion, the man ran his hand through his hair. Some strands were swept back, giving it a half-tied look messy yet striking. The upper part of his hair flared backward from his fingers, while the rest fell freely, framing his sharp jaw and expression full of murderous resolve.
His hair, like his very being, seemed caught between order and chaos. He is Gaia Matera.