Ye Guan glanced at the elder of the Long Clan, and when their eyes met, the elder suddenly felt a strange tightness in his chest.

Ye Guan, however, had already turned his attention elsewhere. He looked toward Long Dai, and with a calm smile, he said, "Head back to the Long Clan

for now. When the time comes, Master will come to fetch you."

Long Dai hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Master, please... be careful."

"

Mmhm.

" Ye Guan nodded, reassuring her.

When Long Dai and the elder of the Long Clan left, Ye Guan's eyes moved to Fang Yu, who was nearby.

Fang Yu's two guards from the Guanxuan Academy had already been subdued. Although they had burned their fleshly bodies and souls, boosting their strength, they were ultimately outnumbered.

Just then, one of the black-robed men who had accompanied Fang Yu turned around and exclaimed, "Department Chief Fang, we need to leave now!"

Fang Yu shook his head grimly. He knew it was too late to run away.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao vanished into thin air. His target was clear—Fang Yu.

Fang Yu would always be a threat to the Chen Clan while he was still alive.

At this point, Chen Xiao couldn't care about anything else.

His only goal was to eliminate Fang Yu.

Fang Yu watched as Chen Xiao charged at him. Although he was weaker than Chen Xiao, there was no fear in his eyes.

"Stop!" someone bellowed from the heavens above, cutting through the tension like a sword. The next instant, an overwhelming presence descended from the sky. A streak of light sliced through spacetime and flew toward Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao's expression changed. He threw a punch to block the attack.

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed, but the fist was no match for the overwhelming power of the attack.

Chen Xiao was blasted backward, blasted several hundred meters away. When he finally came to a halt, the spacetime behind him cracked open like shattered glass, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

Chen Xiao stood still for a moment. Then, he looked up slowly to look at Fang Yu

A middle-aged man, draped in an imposing robe that spoke of great authority, was standing in front of Fang Yu. His presence was commanding; his eyes were both cold and piercing.

The middle-aged man stared coldly at Chen Xiao before turning to Fang Yu and bowing slightly. "My name is Sima Feng, and I'm the Academy Chief of the Anyun Star Field's Guanxuan Academy. We've met before, Department Chief Fang Yu."

The Anyun Star Field was the closest star field to this star field. Sima Feng was the first to respond to the Guanxuan Token. As soon as the message reached him, Sima Feng rushed over as fast as he could.

As the Academy Chief of a Guanxuan Academy branch, Sima Feng knew Fang Yu well. Seeing the Guanxuan Token in his hands, Fang Yu was clearly tasked with an important mission. He had no doubts about his identity.

But even so, Sima Feng was shocked. He had never expected that someone would dare to make a move against Fang Yu. One would have to be insane to make a move on a Department Chief.

Upon seeing Sima Feng, Fang Yu heaved a sigh of relief. Without his help, he would have died just now.

Sima Feng turned toward Chen Xiao, and his tone was cold and authoritative as he asked, "Who are you? How dare you attack a Department Chief of the Guanxuan Academy? Do you want to die?"

Chen Xiao's gaze darkened, and his eyes burned with malice. Instead of responding, he turned to Zhou Ling, who was standing nearby.

Although the Chen Clan was powerful, Chen Xiao knew that they could never suppress the power of the Academy Chiefs. Only the Great Zhou had the power to do so.

Zhou Ling's face darkened upon seeing Sima Feng.

"Sima Feng, my name is Zhou Ling, and I'm the Military Commissioner of the Great Zhou," said Zhou Ling while glaring at Sima Feng.

Sima Feng's heart skipped a beat. He knew full well the significance of the Great Zhou. The Great Zhou had just merged with the Guanxuan Academy, and the Empress of the Great Zhou was now the Mistress of the Guanxuan Academy.

Something was terribly wrong here!

Sima Feng quickly pieced the situation together—Zhou Ling and Chen Xiao were trying to eliminate Fang Yu. He felt an icy chill in his chest.

Zhou Ling locked eyes with Sima Feng. "Academy Chief Sima, those two below us have killed several of my Great Zhou's cultivators. They deserve to die. However, Fang Yu has been defending them. What do you think should be done here?"

Sima Feng glanced at Ye Guan and Zang Gang but remained silent.

"Academy Chief Sima, let me explain..." Fang Yu then recounted the events that led to this moment. When Sima Feng heard the full story, his face became even darker.

They were going to sacrifice billions of souls?

It was utterly senseless.

Ever since the Guanxuan Academy was founded, combat had been strictly forbidden across all territories, especially between top-tier cultivators. The restrictions were in place to prevent innocent lives from being lost in the crossfire.

However, it was clear that the Chen Clan and the Great Zhou were willing to throw those lives away for their own gain.

Without hesitation, Sima Feng turned to face Zhou Ling and Chen Xiao. "Master Zhou Ling, Fang Yu is a Department Chief, and by rank, he stands above you. Are you sure you want to attack him?"

Zhou Ling's face darkened as he glared at Sima Feng. He clenched his fists and said not even a word.

Chen Xiao chimed in, "Academy Chief Sima, what's right or wrong doesn't—"

"Enough!" Sima Feng snapped, pointing a finger at Chen Xiao. "What right do you, a mere clan leader, have to speak to me?"

Chen Xiao's face turned red with rage.

In terms of status, these clan leaders were truly not on the same level as an Academy Chief. To put it into perspective, an Academy Chief in the Milky Way was considered a top-ranking official.

On the other hand, a clan leader, unless they were the leader of a top-tier clan, would still be inferior to an Academy Chief, regardless of their cultivation base.

This was the difference between those within the system and those outside of it!

"Wow, how domineering, Academy Chief Sima. I wonder whether I have the right to speak with you or not?" Zhou Ling asked sarcastically.

"You fool! The Empress of the Great Zhou is wise and powerful, but a fool like you actually dares to use your power for personal gains?! Your foolish actions are bringing shame to the Great Zhou!

"On a public level, your actions are damaging the relationship between the Academy and the Great Zhou. On a personal level, it is ruining the relationship between the Academy Master and Her Majesty!

"Have you ever thought about how Her Majesty can face the Academy Master after your evil deeds today?" Sima Feng roared at Zhou Ling.

"Sima Feng, do you have a death wish?" Zhou Ling retorted indignantly.

"Idiot!" Sima Feng glared. "We must be determined to advance and retreat accordingly. Life and death are determined by destiny, so why should we fear death?"

Chen Xiao glared at Sima Feng with his eyes full of murderous intent. "Academy Chief Sima, don't worry. Once you die, no one will know what happened here."

"Dumb dog!" Sima Feng pointed at Chen Xiao. "No, calling you a dog is an insult to dogs."

Chen Xiao's face instantly turned red with fury. He wanted to speak, but Sima Feng beat him to the chase. "You fool, nothing in this world will go unnoticed. And the Academy Master is extremely wise and powerful! You actually want to kill people and silence them to hide the truth from him? Is your head empty?"

Everyone present was stunned into silence.

Chen Xiao clenched his teeth, and his face was dark with fury. "Academy Chief Sima, words do not matter in this era—only strength does."

Rumble!

The spacetime around him trembled. The next instant, more than a dozen of the Chen Clan's strongest cultivators appeared. They had come to ensure victory for the Chen Clan.

Chen Xiao knew that this was a fight for survival. They had to defeat their enemies, or the Chen Clan would fall.

They had no choice but to fight to the end!

Without hesitation, Chen Xiao charged forward, making a beeline for Sima Feng. At the same time, the Chen Clan's cultivators rushed forward with him, determined to bring down their target.

Sima Feng's eyes flashed with fury.

"Enough!" Sima Feng roared and stepped forward.

Boom!

A wave of energy erupted from him, pushing Chen Xiao and his cultivators back with overwhelming force. They were blasted away, and they couldn't advance at all. Chen Xiao glared at Sima Feng, who was standing as firm as a mountain.

Chen Xiao scrambled to regain his footing. He stomped with his right foot and charged at Sima Feng once again.

In the distance, Sima Feng lifted his fist and swung it down.

Boom!

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Chen Xiao was forced to retreat several hundred meters away before coming to a stop. His face was aghast; he hadn't expected that Sima Feng would be

this

powerful.

"Fools!" Sima Feng sneered, his eyes burning with contempt. "Do you think you can challenge me?"

Just then, Zhou Ling stepped forward and raised his hand. A glowing scroll appeared in his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, the scroll unfurled, transforming into a massive light screen that rushed toward Sima Feng, encasing him.

Within the barrier, Sima Feng roared as his hands shot upward, unleashing a torrent of energy. Waves of it crashed into the light screen, and the screen shook violently. However, the light screen held firm.

With Sima Feng trapped, Zhou Ling turned to Fang Yu, Ye Guan, and Zang Gang.

"Deal with them," he commanded.

The Great Zhou cultivators charged forward.

Chen Xiao was the first to react, leading the cultivators of the Chen Clan.

Fang Yu's face darkened at the sight.

These people were determined to kill them.

Boom!

Just then, a terrifying aura erupted from the light screen. Immediately afterward, it shattered, and the explosion knocked Chen Xiao, Zhou Ling, and the others away.

Sima Feng stood in front of Fang Yu and Ye Guan.

"Department Chief Fang," he said in a low voice, "I have received news that many cultivators are headed here. We have to leave and return to the Guanxuan Universe."

Fang Yu looked at Zhou Ling and the others in the distance.

"Can we retreat?" he asked.

"I will try my best to protect you," Sima Feng replied in a deep voice before shouting, "Men!"

Boom!

The spacetime around suddenly split open, and dozens of Guanxuan Academy cultivators walked out. He hadn't come here by himself. It was just that he was more powerful, so he was faster and was the first to arrive here.

Sima Feng turned to look at the trio—Fang Yu, Ye Guan, and Zang Gang. "You guys leave first."

"Leave?"

Not far away, Zhou Ling laughed coldly, "Can you even leave?"

Boom!

The surrounding spacetime trembled as a powerful aura swept across everyone.

The experts of the Great Zhou were here!