C18 The Storm Was about to Arrive

Atop a mountain peak within the Polaris Holy Land, two shadowy figures held a clandestine meeting.

"Senior Brother, must we really proceed with this?" asked one, his presence emanating the aura of a Half Step to God-man, his face marked by a touch of gravity as he cautiously inquired.

The man before him exuded calm, his demeanor grave and deliberate. A shroud of mysterious power veiled his form, obscuring his figure from view. The energy pulsating around him revealed his true nature – he was a God-Man!

"Senior Brother, we've worked hard to infiltrate the Polaris Holy Land, and we've even attained the position of elder. You, as a God-Man Elder and master of a mountain peak, wield great authority. It would be such a waste to be exposed now," the middle-aged Half Step to God-man said, his face heavy with a sense of reluctance.

"There's nothing to lament," the other replied with conviction. "The Chief Elder himself has sent a secret missive. The Sect Master has issued a death order, and the Chief Elder has echoed it. On the night of the next full moon, we are to shatter the altar of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, destroy the nexus node, and destabilize the Tower of Binding."

"This is a death order. The Chief Elder has made it clear that if we fail, he won't hesitate to expose us. So, we must succeed at all costs. We have to dismantle the nexus in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, unleash the malevolent spirits from the mausoleum, and shake the very foundation of the Tower of Binding. There's no turning back now, even if you wanted to."

The God-Man elder's words were tinged with resentment, his gaze turning increasingly fierce as he spoke. He had known from the moment he received the secret order that there was no retreat.

The Chief Elder was leveraging their lives as hidden operatives as a means of coercion. But they had been mentally prepared for this since the day they took on the mission to covertly enter Polaris.

Listening to this, the Half Step to God-man's expression darkened. "So, we're left with only two outcomes: succeed or die trying."

After a brief silence, the Half Step to God-man elder addressed the elder before him with a heavy tone, "Senior Brother, let me be the one to act this time. My exposure is of no consequence. Should I perish, I entrust you with the care of my descendants."

He had resolved to face death.

"Rest assured, I will take good care of your descendants. Go ahead with your plan. Even if you ultimately fail, our contingency plan will give you a chance to escape from here."

"Moreover, this operation isn't just us; the other three great Devil Sects will be making their moves as well."

"When the time comes, I'll concoct an excuse to send Lee Zhenfeng away. He's merely a servant; you can eliminate him with a mere flick of your wrist."

The God-Man elder sneered, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Unbeknownst to Ye Chen, trouble can find one even when sitting at home, as if pots were falling from the sky.

Despite never venturing out and diligently cleaning the Imperial Ancestral Temple every day, he had unwittingly become the target of those harboring deadly intentions.

A thousand miles from the Polaris Holy Land, shrouded in fog, lay a valley where Fellbeasts roamed and roared, marking it as perilous terrain.

This treacherous valley was home to the infamous sect known as Boulderstars.

Within a mountain forest, a valley concealed behind dense fog housed numerous towering stone statues, each carved into the form of a malevolent ghost, its eyes aglow with a sinister green light.

This green light shone upon the figures before the statues, casting an eerie glow that rendered their features indiscernible.

Among them, one figure radiated an exceptionally potent aura, thick with malevolence, signifying the presence of a Cave Heaven being.

Bathed in the green light, his body seemed to have bloodlines writhing like living creatures within.

Upon closer inspection, these writhing bloodlines were revealed to be peculiar insects—Gu Insects—cultivated by the Boulderstars using the power of Evil Spirits to enhance their own strength.

The others, standing before different statues and bathed in the same green light, might not exude an aura as formidable as the man before the largest demonic statue, but their powerful vibrations were undeniable, marking them as beings of the God-Man realm.

Six figures stood before the other statues, each one undeniably a being of the same esteemed level.

At that moment, a silhouette emerged from the dense fog and stepped into the restricted zone.

"King of Ghosts, I have received a confidential missive from the master of the Sky Fiends," reported the shadowy figure, kneeling devoutly on one knee.

The statement caused a slight stir among the figures bathed in the cleansing green light.

The demonic energy emanating from them began to spread uncontrollably, causing nearby flora to wither instantly, exuding an aura of death.

"The Sky Fiends' master's letter is rather intriguing," remarked the most powerful among them, the sect master.

His voice was raspy, reminiscent of a malevolent spirit from the depths of hell, sending shivers down one's spine.

The mere sound of such malevolence was enough to fracture one's soul, leading to confusion and madness.

With a flick of his sleeve, the sect master of the Boulderstars, the King of Ghosts, drew the secret letter towards himself.

"The Sky Fiends are utterly incompetent. They can't even handle Polaris, let alone destroy an unguarded altar."

King of Ghosts passed the letter to his companions, "Fellow ghost elders, the Sky Fiends plan to use their sleeper agents within Polaris to sabotage the Holy Land's altar on the night of the next full moon. Their aim is to weaken the seal on the Tower of Binding and incite unrest among the Fellbeasts within. They expect us to coordinate an attack on Polaris that very day. What are your thoughts?"

"Lord King of Ghosts, this is excellent news. If we succeed, we can storm Polaris and wreak havoc, leaving rivers of blood in our wake. The downfall of the major Holy Lands will pave the way for the growth of our four great Devil Sects."

"The opportunity is indeed promising, but given our past failure, the Sword Sect of Polaris will surely be on high alert. Disrupting that altar again may not be as straightforward as we hope."

"Lord King of Ghosts, the decision rests with you."

All eyes turned to the true authority of the Boulderstars.

The King of Ghosts narrowed his eyes slightly as the wakan within him stirred, casting a chilling glint in his gaze.

"No worries. Let's agree to the Sky Fiends Sect's proposal. After all, they're leading the charge this time. Should the plan fail, it's the Sky Fiends Sect that will bear the brunt of the losses."

"If we manage to give the Polaris Holy Land a lesson this time, it will serve as a warning to the other Holy Lands of the Orthodox Path."

As he spoke, his smile grew more radiant. "The day will come when the Devil Sects rise and the Orthodox Path fades, and the world will be ours to control!"

The others, upon hearing this, felt a spark of excitement.

A similar sentiment was brewing within the other two great Devil Sects.

Unbeknownst to them, a massive storm was brewing, one powerful enough to upend the entire Holy Land.

In reality, following the incident at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Polaris Holy Land had been covertly investigating why members of the Devil Sect had infiltrated their domain. Regrettably, the cover-up was orchestrated by a God-Man level elder, leaving much of the information obscured.

Ye Chen was oblivious to the fact that the seemingly insignificant Imperial Ancestral Temple he was guarding had become the epicenter of the impending tempest.

Who could have imagined that guarding a graveyard could lead to trouble?

And who would have thought that a graveyard could be connected to the seal within the Tower of Binding?

Such an unforeseen calamity left one feeling utterly powerless.