The disappearance of Mo Lan Star, formerly Hundred Zero Star, was quickly noticed. For a mid-tier universe to vanish without a trace, with no signs of cosmic dissolution, was indeed peculiar. However, it was merely a topic of idle chatter among ordinary cultivators, and soon, Hundred Zero Star was forgotten. After all, it was a planet unsuitable for cultivation, and few cared about it.
In the Hao Yuan Universe, ever since rumours spread centuries ago that Mengmu Dayan would come to destroy it, fewer people visited, and some cultivators already present began to withdraw.
Yet, after centuries passed without Mengmu Dayan’s arrival, many dismissed the rumour as false. This prompted some cultivators to return to the Hao Yuan Universe, as it remained one of the best cultivation sites in this vast expanse.
At Tuopan Yundian in the Hao Yuan Universe, its status was comparable to Mengmu Dayan’s dojo at Daqian Zhangshan.
Tuopan Yundian was home to the Qin Clan, the foremost Dao clan of the Hao Yuan Universe.
The most renowned site at Tuopan Yundian was the Qin Clan’s ancestral patriarch, Qin Qingtian, who established the Qin Clan’s Dao Hall, Tuopan Hall.
In Tuopan Hall, the cosmic rules were at least twice as clear as elsewhere, and it was the centre of the vitality Dao veins for all of Tuopan Yundian.
Thus, every clan meeting was a favourite among Qin Clan disciples. Even without cultivating, one could gain insights into many Great Dao principles simply by being present.
Outside of clan meetings, only disciples who made outstanding contributions to the Qin Clan were allowed to enter Tuopan Hall for cultivation for a limited time.
At this moment, Tuopan Hall was nearly filled. Besides the current clan head, Qin Yuansha, several reclusive supreme elders, who rarely emerged, were present. Today, they all gathered in the Qin Clan’s Tuopan Hall.
Those seated in this hall were the elite of the Qin Clan.
Qin Yuansha’s gaze swept over the assembly, his tone calm as he spoke, “By rights, our Qin Clan should have left Tuopan Yundian two hundred years ago. But because our patriarch’s soul has not awakened, and I, along with several supreme elders, feared further complications if we left, we stayed. Additionally, the Qin Clan disciples sent to the Qin Tian Ancient Path have yet to send word, so we delayed further. But I feel we can delay no longer. Continuing to do so will be detrimental to our clan.”
“Clan Head, is it because of the destruction of Mengmu Dayan?” a handsome young cultivator asked.
He was Qin Wushang, the Qin Clan’s foremost genius. Among the younger generation, only he had the privilege to question the clan head directly in such a setting. Otherwise, only elder-level figures could speak.
“Elder Ku, you explain,” Qin Yuansha said, not answering Qin Wushang directly but turning to a white-haired elder beside him, Qin Ku, the clan’s external affairs elder.
Despite his white hair and frail appearance, Qin Ku was privy to nearly everything in the Hao Yuan Universe and its surrounding domains.
Qin Ku nodded to Qin Yuansha, then slightly to Qin Wushang, before speaking in a hoarse voice, “Rumours claim Mengmu Dayan’s Daqian Zhangshan was destroyed by its own people. But I, several supreme elders, and the clan head investigated and concluded that Mengmu Dayan was destroyed by outsiders. Moreover, it’s likely no one in their dojo escaped. We kept this quiet to avoid panic.”
The revelation that Mengmu Dayan was destroyed by others caused a collective gasp in Tuopan Hall. What was Mengmu Dayan? If someone could destroy their dojo, couldn’t they just as easily destroy the Qin Clan’s Tuopan Yundian?
“Who could destroy Mengmu Dayan and kill all its enforcers? That’s… hardly possible, is it?” a Qin Clan disciple couldn’t help but blurt out.
Qin Yuansha added, “Mengmu Dayan was indeed destroyed by someone. As for whether anyone escaped, we suspect none did. If anyone did, it would likely be their green-robed enforcer, Ou Ping. Though a green-robed enforcer, Ou Ping is infinitely close to the Fourth Step.”
“Clan Head, didn’t Mengmu Dayan’s patriarch, Lou Wuchen, already reach the Fourth Step? Couldn’t even he escape?” Qin Wushang asked again.
Elder Qin Ku replied, “The reason someone could annihilate Mengmu Dayan was because Lou Wuchen was gravely injured. We suspect he was ambushed while healing, with their dojo sealed. As a Fourth Step powerhouse, if he used a method like our Qin Clan’s to heal our patriarch, he’d be vulnerable to such an attack.”
Silence fell over the hall. Over two hundred years ago, news came from the Qin Tian Ancient Path about the Qin Clan’s patriarch. To save him, the clan sent disciples there while using all Creation Realm disciples and above to nurture his soul plaque with Great Dao principles. Yet, after two centuries, there was no news from either front.
More troubling was the thought: if someone could ambush Mengmu Dayan, could they not also target the Qin Clan?
Qin Ku’s tone softened, “I know what you’re thinking. Our Qin Clan differs from Mengmu Dayan. Though we lack a Fourth Step powerhouse, we don’t recklessly expend our disciples’ strength. Even if an enemy attacks, we have the means to resist.”
“Elder Ku, why would someone ambush our Qin Clan? We’ve kept a low profile these years, unlike Mengmu Dayan’s arrogance. An ambush must stem from enmity or a reason, no?” another disciple asked, puzzled.
Qin Ku’s tone turned cold, “Hmph, originally, our Qin Clan had no grudge with the attacker. But every pot has a few bad grains, and these have drawn hatred to our clan.”
Qin Wushang stood and bowed, “Elder Ku, please tell us who is so formidable as to ambush Mengmu Dayan and hold a grudge against our clan. So we may be wary when we venture out.”
Qin Ku nodded, “Even if you hadn’t asked, I would’ve said. The main culprits are two people: Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji…”
“What…” The hall erupted in shock. They knew these two. At the Chaos River, they killed a Qin Clan green-hat seed, Yi Tingdao. When the Qin Clan learned of this, they didn’t take the duo seriously. Though Yi Tingdao was a green-hat seed, he was still marginally tied to the clan, so their act was a slap to the Qin Clan’s face. The clan had sent people to hunt them, but they were never found.
Qin Ku’s tone grew grave, “We know this because of a cultivator named Zhuo Heng, who followed Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji. He was trapped in the Dayan Realm, as were some of our Qin Clan disciples. One of our trapped disciples sent this information back before the Dayan Realm’s barrier closed, and we lost contact.”
“Clan Head, Elders, if Mengmu Dayan was destroyed, what do we have to fear?” a young Qin Clan disciple asked.
Qin Ku snorted, “Destroyed? Only Mengmu Dayan’s dojo in the Hao Yuan Universe was destroyed. Across the vast expanse, Mengmu Dayan has countless dojos like Daqian Zhangshan, with strength far surpassing the one here. Completely annihilate Mengmu Dayan?”
The uninformed disciples gasped at this.
Qin Yuansha added, “I had Elder Ku share this because we must leave the Hao Yuan Universe. We…”
Before he could finish, a terrifying aura of destruction descended, and the ground beneath them trembled.
Tuopan Hall, built by Qin Qingtian, withstood the quake, which could have collapsed mountains and seas, without falling.
Amid the rumbling, waves of annihilating, dissolution-killing aura crashed down. Even within Tuopan Hall, the disciples felt a suffocating, nightmare-like Dao principle.
“Mengmu Dayan’s people are here. We must leave now!” Qin Yuansha said, his face pale. He knew, despite his call to flee, few Qin Clan members might escape.
Over a dozen Qin Clan disciples, even within Tuopan Hall, couldn’t resist the terrifying nightmare Dao principles. They bled from all seven orifices, their souls extinguished.
“Qin Wushang, take the patriarch’s soul plaque and use the clan’s domain teleportation array to escape first. If none of us make it out, you must inform the patriarch. He will avenge our clan!” Qin Yuansha roared.
At that moment, the Hao Yuan Universe was like hell itself—mountains collapsing, rivers and seas exploding. Countless cultivators burst apart, endless nightmare Dao principles raining down. None could escape.
Some cultivators who had left the Hao Yuan Universe and returned now bitterly regretted it, but it was futile. The nightmare Dao principles crushed them, and they perished in their dreams.
