Rumble!

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A spacetime rift manifested, and twelve experts slowly emerged from the rift.

They were dressed in black armor and were holding long spears while radiating intense killing intent. They were clearly battle-hardened elites, seasoned cultivators who had survived countless wars.

Sima Feng's expression immediately darkened at the sight of these figures.

He had not expected the Great Zhou forces to arrive so swiftly, and certainly not with such overwhelming strength. While the academy's cultivators under his command were elites, they were no match for the cultivators of the Great Zhou.

After all, the Great Zhou was a Tier Five Civilization. Although these particular cultivators weren't the strongest throughout the entire Great Zhou, they were still far more formidable than those from Sima Feng's branch academy.

Fang Yu, noticing the situation, suddenly said, "Academy Chief Sima, we need to buy some time. Reinforcements from other academies are already on their way."

Sima Feng's expression grew even graver, and he fell silent for a moment before responding seriously, "Department Chief Fang Yu, the situation might not change even if they come here."

Fang Yu frowned.

Sima Feng stared at Fang Yu for a while without speaking.

However, Fang Yu understood what he meant.

Even if their reinforcements were here, there was no guarantee that they would help them. After all, the enemies were from the Great Zhou, a power that couldn't be easily challenged.

In the past, they would stand a chance, but the Immortal Treasures Pavilion and the Inner Committee were now under Zhou Fan's control, so things had changed drastically.

Even if Zhou Fan was fair and impartial, it wasn't necessarily the case for her subordinates.

The situation was dire.

"We must go to the Main Academy, or at the very least, notify them of what is happening here," Sima Feng said solemnly. Then, he looked at Fang Yu and asked, "Do you have any way to contact the Academy Master?"

Fang Yu shook his head, a hint of frustration in his expression. "I've tried, but I cannot get through to him."

Although Fang Yu had received a transmission talisman from Ye Guan and could normally contact him anytime, the talisman had failed to respond when he tried to do so just now.

Sima Feng's face turned even darker upon hearing that. "Then we need to find another way to contact the Main Academy."

Fang Yu fell into deep thought. He didn't know anyone else from the Main Academy other than Ye Guan. Moreover, doing that in front of these experts was not an option.

Zhou Ling's gaze landed on Fang Yu and Sima Feng. His eyes were cold and calculating as he arrogantly remarked, "Sima Feng, Fang Yu, do you really think that the Great Zhou won't go to such extremes? I'm giving you a chance.

"If you're willing to join the Great Zhou, we can forget about everything that has happened."

Zhou Ling knew that killing Sima Feng and Fang Yu could lead to serious consequences.

Thus, he tested whether the two were willing to surrender or not. If they surrendered, it would be the best outcome. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to eliminate them.

Sima Feng's face twisted in anger as he pointed at Zhou Ling and exclaimed, "You fool! How dare you call yourself a representative of the Great Zhou? You're nothing but a lowly character, a mere rat who thinks he can speak for the entire empire!"

Then, he turned to the Great Zhou experts, and his gaze was filled with contempt as he asked, "You all are actually following such an idiot? Can't you see the harm he's bringing to the Great Zhou? At this rate, the empire will eventually meet its doom, and all of you are going to be his accomplices!"

The faces of the Great Zhou cultivators darkened as they shifted uncomfortably.

Furious, Zhou Ling pointed at Sima Feng and shouted, "Kill him first!"

His anger had finally reached its boiling point. In his eyes, these men were nothing but obstacles to be eliminated.

At Zhou Ling's command, the Great Zhou experts hesitated only briefly and charged forward, disregarding right or wrong. They were all under Zhou Ling's command, and they knew that disobeying him would lead to swift and brutal retribution.

Furthermore, in their eyes, Zhou Ling was from the Great Zhou like them. Despite the merger between the Great Zhou and the Guanxuan Academy, many in the empire still felt no allegiance to the Guanxuan Academy.

Sima Feng's eyes flashed with a cold, fierce gaze at the sight. Without a second thought, he raised his hand, and an ancient, thick book appeared in his palm. He bit his finger and pointed it at the book.

"Arise!" he exclaimed.

Boom!

The book erupted into a blinding flash of light, and from within it, countless ancient characters flew like sharp blades toward the advancing cultivators.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the cultivators were overwhelmed by the explosion of energy. The air was filled with the deafening sounds of explosions as the experts were sent flying backward.

Sima Feng opened his palm again, summoning a cloud ship that descended in front of Fang Yu, Ye Guan, and Zang Gang. He turned to Fang Yu and ordered, "Take them to the Main Academy. Don't waste any time. Go now!"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and shot upward, transforming into a beam of light that took to the skies.

Fang Yu understood the urgency of the situation. There was no time for hesitation. He ushered Ye Guan and Zang Gang onto the cloud ship and activated it. The ship turned into a streak of light and left the battlefield behind them.

Zhou Ling immediately turned pale with fury at the sight.

"Stop them!" he roared. He was just about to go after them, but Sima Feng appeared in front of him, blocking his path.

Sima Feng glared at Zhou Ling with unbridled rage. "You bastard!"

Before Zhou Ling could react, Sima Feng ignited his fleshly body, transforming into a blazing fireball. He charged at Zhou Ling at terrifying speeds while his fleshly body burned furiously.

Boom!

Zhou Ling was blasted away, and he skidded to a halt hundreds of meters away.

The spacetime around him cracked open as soon as he came to a halt.

Zhou Ling stared at Sima Feng, whose fleshly body was now engulfed in flames, his expression filled with disbelief and fury. "Are you insane?! Just how much are they paying you every month for you to resort to this?!

"Why are you sacrificing your life for them?"

Sima Feng's gaze burned with unwavering conviction as he replied, "As scholars, we must stand at the gates of the nation and fight for the people of this world!"

Sima Feng transformed into a fireball and launched himself at Zhou Ling with even greater ferocity. His mighty aura of righteousness surged crazily, and the force of his charge was so overwhelming that the ground beneath him cracked and spacetime itself trembled around him.

Zhou Ling's face instantly paled, and he dared not let his guard down. With no other choice, Zhou Ling raised both hands and summoned a massive vortex of dark energy in front of him.

From within the vortex, torrents of destructive power emerged and headed toward Sima Feng.

Boom!

The two forces collided with an earth-shattering roar. The shockwaves sent violent tremors through the entire battlefield, and the spacetime around them cracked open at once.

Zhou Ling was blasted away, and he flew nearly a thousand meters away before he regained control of himself. His face was filled with shock and terror, but before he could catch his breath, Sima Feng charged at him once more.

This time, Sima Feng's mighty aura of righteousness was even stronger than before, and he radiated an overwhelming energy that seemed capable of purifying everything in its path.

The energy of the Great Dao gathered around him, and his strength increased exponentially.

The aura of a scholar was closely related to their ability to establish themselves through words, actions, and virtue. To establish oneself through words, one had to speak meaningfully with original thoughts, ideas, and values. One also had to refuse to bow down to power or compromise one's principles.

One had to be able to think independently as well.

Thus, establishing oneself through words was also considered a process of self-improvement.

Establishing oneself through actions was the inevitable result of establishing oneself through words. If one merely expressed one's ideas and beliefs verbally without putting them into practice, the significance of their words would diminish greatly.

Of course, speaking and doing, as well as having the courage to act, were different.

Sima Feng was a living testament to the power of establishing oneself through words and actions. He had the courage to speak out—the courage to stand for what was right, but more importantly, he lived by his beliefs, embracing the path of righteousness without hesitation.

His commitment to his principles strengthened his aura of righteousness, and it pervaded him with increasing intensity.

Zhou Ling noticed the rapid rise of Sima Feng's mighty aura of righteousness, and his face immediately twisted with horror. He had not expected to encounter someone so unyielding and stubborn.

The man before him was resolute to the point of madness.

There was no time for contemplation, however, as Sima Feng was already charging toward him. His mighty aura of righteousness had grown so potent that it weighed down on Zhou Ling's chest, suffocating him.

The air itself seemed to crack open beneath the pressure.

Zhou Ling's eyes darkened with malice as his palm opened, revealing a black seal.

It was a military seal, a symbol of his official authority, a token bestowed upon him by the Great Zhou itself.

This was no ordinary seal, as it contained not just a title but power and authority that could elevate his strength and suppress others.

When activated, the seal granted its bearer immense power, capable of overwhelming the opponent's realm and forcing them into submission.

This was the fearsome weight of authority—a superior could crush their subordinates with ease.

However, there was a drawback to the seal—once used, it had to be reported to the authorities of the Great Zhou. This was done to prevent abuses of power, as the empire was wary of its officials abusing their authority.

Faced with Sima Feng's rapidly growing strength, Zhou Ling had no choice but to use his trump card. He activated the seal, and immediately afterward, his aura surged crazily.

Despite that, he couldn't suppress Sima Feng.

His official position within the Great Zhou gave him strength, but it had no sway over Sima Feng, who was part of the Guanxuan Academy and thus beyond the reach of this power.

Sima Feng's cultivation realm was not suppressed.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, the spacetime around them shattered.

The very air vibrated as a massive shockwave erupted, spreading like a tidal wave. The force of the collision sent both of them reeling back, stumbling from the violent backlash of their powers.

Sima Feng paused for a moment. He planned to continue his assault, but something caught his attention. He whipped around, and his eyes scanned the distant starry sky.

There, in the vastness of space, a terrifying aura was rushing toward them at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance, striking a distant cloud ship.

Fang Yu and the others were on that cloud ship.

The ship exploded into innumerable light fragments as it was torn apart in an instant.

At the same time, powerful auras pervaded the starry skies, and numerous figures with overwhelming presences appeared.

Unfortunately, they were experts from the Great Zhou.