As Lv Zhexiong flew towards the Pinggu Battlefield, she suddenly felt a shock in her heart, sensing an even more powerful aura breaking through the clouds, swiftly passing over the sky.

She was not unfamiliar with this aura.

After all, "Martial Saint" Mu Zhao, unlike Xi Mengquan, who was as elusive as a dragon, was quite the opposite; he was perhaps the most well-known saint to the masses.

The Dao Transmission Stele and the Martial Saint Pavilion were irrefutable evidence of Mu Zhao widely accepting disciples and selflessly preaching to the world.

In the eyes of many, the status of the "Martial Saint" could even be compared to the sage of Freedom Mountain.

However, the superficial Dao Rhyme, without guidance, was completely useless to ordinary cultivators.

The Martial Saint Pavilion only accepted cultivators who had already reached the Middle Three Grades.

More importantly, within the cultivation techniques practiced by the "Martial Saint," there was a part known as the "Incense and Candle Dao," which utilized the faith of others to stabilize one’s own "Dao Realm." This was no secret among the Upper Three Grades.

Therefore, in the eyes of Lv Zhexiong, this "Martial Saint" Mu Zhao could only be described with the word "hypocritical."

Cangyuan attests to the Dao, valuing action over heart, but varies among individuals.

Lv Zhexiong restrained herself greatly and had equally strict demands for her disciples, striving for unity in knowledge and action.

What she despised most were those whose knowledge and actions were not aligned, who merely performed superficial cultivation techniques while their hearts were empty, mere embroidered pillows.

This poses no obstacle to the Dao path, but it did not prevent Lv Zhexiong from being utterly disdainful of such people.

She even knew that her most proud disciple, Shen Xingzhu, known as the "Dao Beacon," also had such issues, and they might be quite severe.

Lv Zhexiong had often conversed with her overly aloof and arrogant disciple, attempting to remind her and change her mindset.

But in reality, her efforts had no effect...

Shen Xingzhu was much like her younger self, with the same stubbornness and hidden competitiveness.

It was as if she wanted to confront the world with her determination.

If not for the appearance of that person back then, which changed Lv Zhexiong’s perspective, perhaps she would have spent her remaining days in that deep mountain Dao sanctuary, ending her life in anonymity.

Shen Xingzhu did not have the external difficulties she had at that time, but out of pride, she always regarded others with a playful and mocking attitude.

Isn’t this a kind of cognitive obstacle?

Lv Zhexiong had long foreseen that Shen Xingzhu would suffer greatly from this.

However, driven by a teacher’s mindset, she did not prevent Shen Xingzhu from doing certain things secretly. For someone as proud as her, unless she figures it out herself, no one can change her mind.

But unexpectedly, when Shen Xingzhu suffered, it was a massive downfall; her Dao Heart was directly shattered by someone!

That was the first time Lv Zhexiong heard the name "Chen Kuang," which would be repeatedly mentioned by countless people in the future.

Luckily, Shen Xingzhu had a special constitution, offering her Dao Heart a chance to be repaired.

Ultimately, the cause was Shen Xingzhu’s arrogance, considering everyone in the world beneath her, only to be outsmarted by a mere mortal.

At that time, Lv Zhexiong’s energy was focused on the great demon’s body, so she did not pay much attention to that somewhat unusual mortal, nor did she have any intention of standing up for her disciple.

After all, it was Shen Xingzhu’s fault; protecting her by taking action against a mortal again would achieve nothing.

Lv Zhexiong did not regard this mortal as important, and afterward, she only learned from others about the earth-shattering feats this person had accomplished.

Finally... she heard that he died at the hands of Mu Zhao.

The cycle of grievances never ends.

Lv Zhexiong merely felt a kind of inexplicable loss and melancholy at that time, mistakenly thinking she had become sentimental over missed opportunities.

But soon, her focus returned to her disciple.

Or rather... her two disciples.

Shen Xingzhu and Shen Meinan could be considered as one; originally, the Shen Family intended for Shen Meinan to join the Earth Spirit Daoist Monarch when she was older.

Over the years, Lv Zhexiong had taken the form of an ordinary woman and had interacted with the unaware Shen Meinan.

She was particularly fond of this lively and innocent little girl.

Unfortunately, this little girl seemed to have some special affection for Chen Kuang, causing conflict with Shen Xingzhu, leading to sulking.

Lv Zhexiong, upon learning about this, inevitably sighed, pondering how the word "emotion" could be so harmful.

At this moment, Shen Xingzhu, with Shen Meinan’s soul inside her, was suddenly trapped in the Pinggu Battlefield, causing concern for Lv Zhexiong, who promptly rushed over.

Lv Zhexiong was initially shocked, then frowned: "Mu Zhao’s disciple is also trapped in the Pinggu Battlefield... It’s normal for him to come."

"But why carry such heavy killing intent?"

"He doesn’t seem to be here to rescue people, but rather to kill them."

Mu Zhao’s murderous intent surged to the sky, its target unknown, causing anxiety in Lv Zhexiong’s heart, prompting her to speed up and follow.

...

For the other people present, everything happened extremely suddenly.

After all, they had no idea what was happening at the Pinggu Battlefield and were still discussing how to rescue people from the secret realm... Yet, the situation had already jumped forward by ten thousand steps.

Especially the few Grandmasters from various sects, who found no reason for the sudden attack by the "Martial Saint" and froze on the spot.

Eating hotpot and singing a song, suddenly robbed by bandits... That was roughly the feeling.

But fortunately, their instinct as cultivators remained. Perceiving the danger and witnessing the unprepared Shen Yuliu immediately kneeling in embarrassment, they quickly protected their own prodigies first to avoid unnecessary involvement.

Shen Yuliu was soon grabbed by the responding Grandmaster from the Shen Family and rapidly retreated far away from the battlefield.

The action of a Saint’s true self was not to be taken lightly!

Even if the target wasn’t them, under a fallen nest, how could any egg remain intact?

They ran now, primarily to save their own lives!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

In an instant, a few Grandmasters had retreated a thousand miles away with their people, yet still felt shaken.

"Boom..."

The barrier that had once supported the Stone Gate of the Pinggu Battlefield shattered explosively, and the massive mountain below promptly crumbled into loose gravel, collapsing downwards.

The earth cracked and trembled, as if a dragon was turning over, affecting a vast area unbelievably.

If viewed from the sky, taking this place as the center, within ten thousand miles, one can see clear black cracks stretching across the land.

"Swish——"

Dust suddenly rose like a barrier, resembling a mushroom-shaped cloud, with shockwaves spreading outward in circles, pushing away the surrounding fog.

Ling Yazi was horrified, lost his composure and said:

"Is he crazy?! Recklessly taking action here! This is where Yang Kingdom, Zhou Kingdom, and Li Kingdom meet, tantamount to waging war against three kingdoms at once!"

Back then, the location of the Stone Gate was set here to maintain balance.

The other Grandmasters were equally shaken.

Xu Datong’s expression was extremely grim at that moment, staring at the dust, his face pale.

When he realized that the "Martial Saint" had targeted Chen Kuang, although instinctively wanting to protect, he immediately understood who the opponent was.

Even though astonished and baffled like rampant wild grass, he could only retreat.

"Martial Saint," these two words alone are insurmountable.

But Chen Kuang’s life and death were uncertain at this moment, which was undoubtedly a blatant slap in the face for Xu Datong, who had previously said that only the teacher could discipline the disciples of Peach Blossom Forest of Freedom Mountain.

However, on the other side, there was something even more devastating.

"Why hasn’t Wen Yao come out!"

The Grandmaster of Martial Saint Pavilion finally reacted, rushing up and grabbing Ling Yazi’s collar to question him.

The Grandmaster of Three Tribulations Sect, on the other hand, looked ashen.

Only then did everyone realize nine people went in, but only seven came out.

Ling Yazi, naturally, didn’t know, having been outside the whole time, what could he know?

Beside him, Jiang Yunqing’s usually expressionless face flashed a hint of coldness, saying in a cold voice:

"You dare to ask? Wen Yao allied with Mu Zhao, altered the space of the Pinggu Battlefield, set a deadlock, and attempted to kill us all!"

"Yan Hui was killed by him! We all saw it clearly!"

"Brother Chen fought desperately to resist, managing to thwart Wen Yao and save us."

Jiang Yunqing raised his sword and pointed at the dust: "Now that the affair is exposed, Mu Zhao is coming to kill and silence us!"

"I urge all Grandmasters to immediately notify each sect and send reinforcements!"

The Grandmaster of Three Tribulations Sect was stunned.

Now it was the Martial Saint Pavilion Grandmaster’s turn to have a violent shock: "Impossible! How could ’Martial Saint’ commit such an act! How dare these scoundrels spread lies!"

But at this moment, the expression of other prodigies present was uniformly grave, silently affirming the truth.

The Eldest Princess of Zhou Kingdom, Ji Wangquan, suddenly stood out, clasped her fist toward a direction, and solemnly said:

"I ask the Daoist Monarch to uphold justice for us!"

Everyone looked over only to find Shen Xingzhu standing far away, silent, being held by a Daoist Nun.

It was indeed the Earth Spirit Daoist Monarch, Lv Zhexiong, who had arrived!

Upon arrival, she saw Shen Meinan attempting to rush into the battlefield, immediately frowned, pulled her out of the impact range, restrained her cultivation, and calmed her down.

After all, it was the enraged action of the "Martial Saint," and regardless of Shen Xingzhu’s body only possessing Grandmaster cultivation, even Lv Zhexiong had no assurance to retreat unscathed.

Looking through the veil, her eyes were no longer clear but fiery red, staring into the smoke where continuous booms emerged, struggling and sobbing:

"Master... let go! Chen Kuang... I cannot let him die in front of me again! Master! Let me save him!"

A mention of Chen Kuang again!

This guy surprisingly isn’t dead!

Once again finding himself inexplicably caught in the storm at the Pinggu Battlefield... but as it seemed, it may indeed be fate. Even if he narrowly escaped death last time, he might still perish in Mu Zhao’s hands.

Lv Zhexiong held her, her expression somber: "What can you do to save him? That is ’Martial Saint’! I have already invited Lin Qingya over, he will stop Mu Zhao, and all sects will not condone his reckless acts."

Shen Meinan cried: "But I just want him to live!"

Lv Zhexiong felt a pang in her heart.

Back then, didn’t she think the same way?

As long as that person is alive...

Just as the Daoist Nun thought this, she heard a piercingly clear sword song.

She instinctively turned her head only to see a battered figure abruptly emerging from the dust, the light of his sword clearing the way, the light bending around him, leveraging the power of "time" to forcibly keep Mu Zhao in place!

Chen Kuang charged towards Shen Meinan’s direction.

Mu Zhao’s pause lasted only a fraction of a second before he resumed punching towards Chen Kuang with a force that annihilates everything in its path.

Chen Kuang’s target was not Shen Meinan, intending to bypass her.

But in the fleeting moment as Chen Kuang brushed past Shen Meinan, before he could appreciate the moist eyes of the young lady, he sensed a glint of cold light sweeping past.

"Shh!"

A chilling sword suddenly unsheathed, scraping across Chen Kuang’s cheek, leaving a bloody mark.

Shen Meinan was stunned.

Chen Kuang was also stunned.

That sword... came from Lv Zhexiong.

That sword pierced through Mu Zhao’s fist.

"Long time no see..."

Lv Zhexiong said: "Elder Tongjun."