The person who spoke earlier was a red-clad old man.
Judging from his words, it was obvious he was trying to take credit for his deed.
"Hurmph!" When the middle-aged man heard the red-clad old man's words, he snorted in disdain and asked, "What? Are you worried that our Izumo Sect will shortchange you?"
"No! Of course not!" The red-clad old man was so surprised that he hastily shook his head as cold sweat broke out at his forehead immediately.
Although he had never heard of Izumo Sect prior to this, the sect had to be quite impressive to house four powerhouses at the Void Interpretation Stage and above.
If the middle-aged man, who was also an elder in Izumo Sect, could read the red-clad old man's thoughts, he would most likely send that man flying with a slap out of anger.
Void Interpretation Stage?
Even the outstanding young powerhouses in Izumo Sect were already at the Void Transformation Stage.
Just a mere Void Interpretation Stage could not even be compared to a speck of dirt in Izumo Sect.
"Izumo Sect!" The moment Duan Ling Tian heard the middle-aged man's words, his eyes narrowed as a hint of coldness gleamed in his eyes.
Although he had expected this and was quite certain the people who came looking for trouble were from one of three major second-rate forces, he could not help but be consumed by the hatred that rose from the bottom of his heart.
When he killed the two strongest people from the current younger generation of Izumo Sect, he had already expected to offend Izumo Sect and was ready to be hunted down by them. Otherwise, he would have shown some mercy when he faced Lei Zhong and Lei Jun previously.
If Izumo Sect had hunted him down, and he was killed from his insufficient strength, he would have sincerely admitted defeat.
However, Izumo Sect was using the Crimson Sky Kingdom to threaten him!
This kind of behavior was utterly despicable.
Duan Ling Tian took a good look at the red-clad old man standing next to the Izumo Sect's elder. It was the same red-clad old man he encountered at the Divine Might Marquis' estate.
The Revered Elder of the Crimson Sky Kingdom's Imperial Palace!
Previously, he and Feng Tian Wu did not instantly reveal themselves at the Divine Might Marquis's estate. Instead, he had hidden above the main hall and had a good time eavesdropping like a thief.
At that time, he had heard the red-clad old man's words. When that red-clad old man was speaking, hints of dread could be heard in his voice. Moreover, he possessed an indecisive and fickle attitude.
Therefore, Duan Ling Tian was not particularly fond of that red-clad old man. He did not even bother to be courteous to the red-clad old man.
Even in hindsight, he did not think he had done anything wrong.
That red-clad old man was not worthy of his kindness. He was a person who would bend with the wind.
Whirlwind!
Duan Ling Tian's eyes suddenly turned cold. It was as though his entire person had transformed into a hurricane as he charged toward Elder Zhong from Izumo Sect at a speed that seemed faster than lightning.
"Hurmph! A mantis trying to stop a chariot?!" The Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong snorted in disdain when he saw Duan Ling Tian charging at him.
With a lift of his hand, he prepared to make his move on Duan Ling Tian.
However, he narrowed his eyes when he saw the scene before his eyes.
Nine Dragons' Radiant Flash!
Duan Ling Tian had successfully attracted the attention of Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong when he charged at him. A Quasi Royal Grade Spirit Sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and he quickly demonstrated his sword technique.
In an instant, nine divine dragons swept out. However, their target was not Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong but the red-clad old man.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
…
Beams of radiant flashes shot out from the nine divine dragons' eyes. It seemed as though they had divine help as they immediately left eighteen bloody holes on the red-clad old man's vital parts.
Blood gushed out continuously and left trails of fresh blood on the ground that formed a tiny stream.
Boom!
The red-clad old man was already dead on the ground before the Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong could figure out what was happening.
From the very beginning to the end, the red-clad old man did not even have time to react.
Duan Ling Tian's speed was just too fast!
It was so fast that it was terrifying.
"Duan Ling Tian! YOU!!" The Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong felt as though his pride was trampled on when he saw Duan Ling Tian kill the red-clad old man even though he did not care about the red-clad old man's life-and-death.
He instantly felt his stomach churn with rage that kept rising as though it was about to explode.
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian who had just killed the red-clad old man happened to meet the Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong's gaze, and he continued to stare at him without any fear.
Both of their gazes that were as sharp as saber and sword seemed to produce sparks as they clashed with each other.
A big battle was on the verge of breaking out!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the moment when the Izumo Sect's Elder Zhong was about to make his move against Duan Ling Tian, three figures silently appeared beside and in front of him.
Two of the men — one old man and one middle-aged man — stood next to him.
The last person appeared in front him, and he retreated in a respectful manner.
The sturdy old man had eyes that appeared lifeless and dull, but in truth, it concealed a killing intent. The robe on his body fluttered even though there were no wind or magic. It was as though he had merged with the Heaven and Earth when he exuded a strong and oppressive aura.
At the Divine Might Marquis' estate.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
…
Streaks of figures that seemed to appear out of nowhere materialized in the main hall of the Divine Might Marquis' estate. It surprised Nie Rong, Meng Ping, and Nie Fen who was waiting inside.
"Father! Mother! This ungrateful son of yours is finally back. I'm sorry for letting the both of you worry about me." A loud voice reverberated and broke the silence in the main hall.
It was none other than Nie Yuan who was sent back by Feng Tian Wu. He kneeled before Nie Rong and Meng Ping, and his body trembled from the overwhelming emotion.
Initially, he had resigned himself to death, but who knew an unforeseen circumstance would occur — Duan Ling Tian had appeared and rescued him.
He felt like he had been walking the thin line between life and death. It was as though he had fallen into hell before he was brought back to heaven again. The difference between the two experience had nearly driven him crazy.
"It's alright! Everything's fine as long as you come back!" Meng Ping's face was filled with joy when she saw Nie Yuan had returned. She did not even think about how he managed to extricate himself out of the dangerous situation he was in.
She only knew her son had survived, and she no longer had to suffer the pain of watching her child die before she did.
Compared to Meng Ping who was completely elated, Nie Rong the Old Marquis of the Divine Might Marquis' estate appeared particularly calm and collected.
When he saw the Crimson Sky Kingdom's Emperor who had appeared together with Nie Yuan, he immediately greeted, "Your Majesty."
"Old Marquis," the Emperor quickly responded.
In terms of seniority, he was in the same generation as Nie Yuan the Divine Might Marquis. However, the Old Marquis, Nie Rong was Nie Yuan's father. That would mean he was the Old Marquis' junior.
In terms of meritorious deeds, he was still only a little kid when the Old Marquis was expanding the Crimson Sky Kingdom's territory. When he was young, he had looked up to the Old Marquis as an idol.
In terms of personal favors, it was also thanks to the Old Marquis that he was able to successfully climb up to the throne. He would have been long killed by his half-brother from the same father if it was not for the help from the Old Marquis.
Due to this reason, he owed his life to the Old Marquis.
It was precisely because of these reasons that he did not dare to put on airs even though he was already the Emperor when he met the Old Marquis.
"How did you manage to free yourselves? Where's Little Tian?" Nie Rong asked curiously.
The moment his words left his mouth, he looked at the red-clad girl, Feng Tian Wu, who was standing by the side with a gloomy expression.
Before the others could even reply, Feng Tian Wu who was anxiously frowning suddenly said, "Since I've brought you back safely, I'll take my leave first."
The instance the words left her mouth, she thought to herself, 'Big Brother Duan, wait for me please.'
Just as the thought flashed across Feng Tian Wu's mind, she disappeared without a trace before everybody's eyes.
Above the sky of the Imperial Palace.
Duan Ling Tian closely examined the sturdy old man from top to bottom. His face was extremely solemn.
It was difficult for him to see through the old man. Suddenly, his heart jolted when he finally recalled something.
"Martial Monarch!"
Since his memory had merged with Rebirth Martial Emperor's memory from his two lives, he quickly figured it out.
"You're Duan Ling Tian?"
That sturdy old man staring at Duan Ling Tian was precisely the Martial Monarch from Izumo Sect just like Duan Ling Tian had speculated.
He was also the only supreme elder in Izumo Sect and shared equal fame with the Martial Monarchs from Anicca Sect and North Nether Sect in the northern desert.
When he was looking at Duan Ling Tian, the depth of his gaze was filled with a bloodthirsty and deep hatred.
"Yes." Duan Ling Tian nodded his head lightly. He was neither happy, angry, humble nor haughty.
At this moment, he had already guessed the identity of the sturdy old man.
There was only one Martial Monarch in Izumo Sect.
The sturdy old man — Tong Shan the supreme elder of Izumo Sect — glared at Duan Ling Tian coldly as he asked, "So you're the one who killed Lei Zhong, my direct disciple?"
The instance the words left his mouth, a wave of powerful aura emanated from his body and shrouded Duan Ling Tian mercilessly. It was as though it was trying to bear down on Duan Ling Tian.
Unfortunately, the aura did not affect Duan Ling Tian at all even though it was strong.
Currently, Duan Ling Tian's Spiritual Energy was already at the Seventh Level Void Transformation Stage. He had a certain degree of immunity against a Martial Monarch's aura.
Due to the fact that he had merged with the Rebirth Martial Emperor's memory, he had a deep understanding of Martial Monarchs. That was why he was not the slightest bit afraid of the Martial Monarch's aura.
"Yes!"
Duan Ling Tian did not evade the question. Instead, he admitted it calmly in a tone that was neither too haughty nor servile.
The other three people from Izumo Sect felt chills run up their spines when they saw Duan Ling Tian admitted to killing Lei Zhong in front of their supreme elder without any hesitation.
"This Duan Ling Tian is doomed!"
"The supreme elder is most likely itching to make his move now!"
…
The three people from Izumo Sect felt that Duan Ling Tian was about to meet his maker when Tong Shan, the Izumo Sect's supreme elder, finally regained his senses and proceeded to make his move.
The robe on his body immediately fluttered as he glared fixedly at Duan Ling Tian with his cold eyes.
His eyes were so dark that nobody could see if there were any hints of joy or rage in them. It was similar to the eyes of a dead man rather than somebody who was still alive.
In any case, Duan Ling Tian was going to turn into a dead man soon in his opinion.
Boom!
The Origin Energy in Tong Shan's body skyrocketed. It transformed into a milky-white flame that soared up to the sky and shrouded Tong Shan entirely.
The Heaven and Earth Energy swirled above the sky and quickly gathered into the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon.
A total of 2,000 silhouettes appeared as though it was a testament to how terrifying the Origin Energy surging from Tong Shan's body was.
"Just his Origin Energy alone is equivalent to the strength of 2,000 ancient horned dragons… It's the First Level Martial Monarch Stage!"
Duan Ling Tian could not help but gasp when he saw the scene before his eyes.