Zi Yan stepped into the treasure vault and immediately froze. Her small mouth fell open as she stared at the dazzling piles of treasures stacked everywhere—her eyes practically watering with greed.
Xiao Huiying swept her gaze across the chamber, then flashed to a dim corner in the blink of an eye.
With a casual grasp, spatial power surged forth and instantly imprisoned a black scorpion that had been lurking in the shadows.
"Zi Yan, begin," Xiao Huiying said with a nod.
The two little girls moved with eerie, practiced synchronicity that would terrify anyone who witnessed it. Each pulled out a large handful of storage rings.
"This magical beast has an owner. Its master will likely sense the connection soon. We must be quick this time."
Zi Yan nodded solemnly.
Xiao Huiying took charge of the openly displayed treasures, sweeping them into her rings with dragon-like speed and precision.
Zi Yan handled the items sealed behind protective barriers.
Those barriers—formidable to most—were utterly meaningless before her spatial mastery. They might as well have been made of paper.
In less than a minute, the vault was stripped completely bare.
Zi Yan extended her senses once more. Detecting no lingering traces or hidden mechanisms, the two girls stepped into a ripple of distorted space and vanished without a sound.
Moments after their departure, a figure at the Dou Huang realm rushed to the vault entrance.
He formed several hand seals, unlocking the grand formation.
…
"It's done. Everything is here. Don't forget what you promised."
Zi Yan happily dumped a mountain of storage rings into Xiao Jietian's palm, beaming from ear to ear.
"Zi Yan, you're incredible! Hui Ying too!" Xiao Jietian reached out and gently patted Zi Yan's head. "You two return to Eternal Heaven World first. Help Sister Xian'er and the others sort through the spoils. Take any medicinal ingredients useful to you. When I return, I'll personally refine them into pills for both of you."
"Okay! But you have to come back quickly," Zi Yan replied, her smile radiant.
…
Inside the now utterly desolate vault.
"Damn it! Someone dared rob the Myriad Scorpion Gate? They're courting death!"
The Dou Huang guardian shot out of the chamber, face twisted in fury. Dou Qi wings sprouted from his back as he soared upward, frantically scanning the surroundings.
His aura erupted like a volcano, shaking the entire sect.
"What's happening?" Another Four-star Dou Huang arrived swiftly from afar, brow furrowed in confusion.
"The treasure vault has been completely looted. Not even a single hair remains," the first Dou Huang replied, his expression growing darker, a trace of fear creeping into his eyes.
"What?!"
The newcomer rushed inside. The moment he saw the barren chamber, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Even a starving rat would weep at the sight.
"Search! They can't have gone far!" the Four-star Dou Huang roared as he emerged.
In an instant, the entire Myriad Scorpion Gate mobilized.
High above the clouds, Xiao Jietian watched the chaos unfold below with cold indifference.
Energy condensed in his palm. A brilliant emerald-green light rapidly gathered, forming a colossal handprint.
He pushed forward.
The Mountain Splitting Seal descended with terrifying whooshing momentum.
The handprint expanded continuously in midair. By the time it loomed over the Myriad Scorpion Gate, it blotted out the sky above the entire sect.
The disciples below felt an overwhelming, suffocating pressure. They looked up in terror at the gigantic palm descending upon them.
"What is that?!"
"That aura… it's even more terrifying than the Grand Elder!"
"Which fool provoked an existence we should never have angered? We're finished…"
Panic engulfed the Myriad Scorpion Gate. The oppressive might from above completely immobilized them.
The two Dou Huangs in the sky bore the brunt of the force. They desperately circulated their Dou Qi, unleashing their strongest techniques in a final act of defiance.
Yet the moment those attacks touched the emerald handprint, they vanished like droplets into the ocean—no ripples, no resistance.
In the next instant, the handprint crushed them both into two clouds of bloody mist.
BOOM!
The massive seal slammed down, covering the entirety of Ten Thousand Scorpion Mountain.
In a single horrifying moment, the towering mountain range was obliterated. Amidst endless screams, the landscape was forcibly reshaped into a perfect palm-shaped basin.
Xiao Jietian descended slowly, his body wreathed in blazing crimson flames.
He unleashed another wave of incinerating fire, cremating the ruins once more.
His intention was clear: leave no lingering spirits behind. Allow them to reincarnate sooner rather than wander as resentful ghosts.
One by one, small clusters of storage rings rose from the ashes, drawn into his grasp by threads of flame.
These rings—containing the last remnants of wealth from those he had slain—were directly stored in his system space.
They served as the "cost" of their transcendence.
After one final sweep of the devastated site, the Myriad Scorpion Gate was officially erased from history.
Xiao Jietian turned and flew toward the Absolute Poison Sect.
Several hours later, he appeared before Tang Jue.
"Your Honor!"
Tang Jue immediately dropped to his knees, voice filled with absolute reverence.
Those bound by the Soul Control Talisman had their loyalty sealed at one hundred percent—unwavering, unbreakable.
"The Myriad Scorpion Gate has been destroyed. Go and seize their territory. If necessary, I will act personally. From now on, secretly control the entire Izumo Empire and gather all its resources."
Xiao Jietian looked down at Tang Jue. Thanks to abundant cultivation resources, Tang Jue had already reached the peak of Eight-star Dou Huang.
"These two items are your reward for this period of service."
He handed over a Huangji Pill and a Break-Sect Pill.
"After you break through to Dou Zong, begin consolidating control over the Izumo Empire. Then gradually encroach upon the Mu Lan Empire and the Li Yan Empire."
Xiao Jietian entrusted the entire plan to him.
The Izumo Empire had always loved invading its neighbors—perfectly suited for this role.
While others bled and died in endless wars, Boundless Heaven Hall would quietly reap all the benefits from the shadows.
With no Dou Zongs remaining in any of the three empires, once Tang Jue advanced, he could dominate them all.
Tang Jue trembled with exhilaration at the news.
He had never dreamed he would rise from the leader of a mere first-rate sect to the hidden ruler of three great empires.
If he succeeded, even in death he would stand proud—his ancestors would have to stand in respect before him.
It was equivalent to founding a brand-new ancestral lineage.
"Yes, Your Honor! I swear to complete the mission!" Tang Jue prostrated himself fully, body shaking with fervor.
"Mm. This region is now yours to manage. If you encounter difficulties beyond your ability, contact the person in charge of Boundless Heaven Hall. They will resolve it."
At present, the main decision-makers of Boundless Heaven Hall were Xiao Jietian's harem, who handled the grand direction. Day-to-day affairs were managed by trusted pillars: Old Shui, Xiao Ding, and the others who formed the true core of the organization.
Xiao Jietian had absolute faith in them.
"Yes, Your Honor! I will complete the mission swiftly!"
Xiao Jietian gave a light nod, then vanished from Tang Jue's sight.
After his departure, Tang Jue slowly walked out of the main hall. He leaped onto the rooftop and gazed at the sprawling lands around him, eyes burning with wild ambition.
Xiao Jietian did not return to Eternal Heaven World.
Instead, he wandered continuously across the Izumo Empire, searching.
The entire Izumo Empire was shrouded in poisonous miasma—a perfect cradle for the birth of the Netherworld Poison Flame.
Finally, guided by his acute senses, he arrived at the region with the densest toxic gas and thickest poisonous fog.
Here… he detected an anomaly.