"Clan Leader, there has been a massacre in the Dark Nether Sect's base in the capital. The Vice Sect Leaders, Zhou Shu, and Tan Chi, and two other elders were all killed by an unknown powerhouse," Situ Hou quickly said to Situ Hao as soon as he entered the room. There was a hint of happiness in voice when he spoke.
The Dark Nether Sect could be considered as their opponent as well to a certain extent. It was undoubtedly a good thing that the Dark Nether Sect met with a misfortune.
After Situ Hao heard his words, he and Situ Hang looked at each other at the same time, sharing a knowing look.
"Master Duan!" Both of them said in unison.
"Master Duan? What about Master Duan?" When Situ Hou heard their words, he was baffled.
"Grandpa Hou, you said even the Vice Sect Leader of Dark Nether Sect, Zhou Shu, is dead?" Situ Hang asked again.
"Yes." Situ Hou nodded. "Zhou Shu is dead. It seems like he was decapitated. Many people are talking about this. Many of them speculated that this was done by a Saint Stage powerhouse since that person had killed Zhou Shu so easily. Although it has been more than ten years, Zhou Shu was still ranked 30th in the Heaven Ranking."
"Zhou Shu had remained in that spot because he did not challenge those who ranked ahead of him. Many people speculated that his strength was enough for him to enter the top ten of the Heaven Ranking," Situ Hou continued saying.
"Yes. If we were to compare his strength to Lady Feng from Drift Blaze Sect, I'm afraid he was even stronger than her." Situ Hang nodded.
"It seems like Master Duan is extremely powerful now to be able to kill Zhou Shu."
Situ Hao exclaimed, "With Master Duan's strength, it shouldn't be difficult for him to enter the top three of the Heaven Ranking at all."
"En." Situ Hang nodded in agreement.
"What?!" When he heard the pair of father and son's conversation, Situ Hou stared at them in shock. "Clan Leader, you... A-are you saying the one who killed Zhou Shu is Master Duan?"
"Hang'er, tell Elder Hou what you've just told me," Situ Hao said to Situ Hang.
Soon after, Situ Hou found out about what had transpired from Situ Hang.
"Master Duan's senior brother and his friends are enslaved by the Dark Nether Sect?"
Situ Hou frowned. "We should help Master Duan with this matter… However, since it concerns the Dark Nether Sect, we can't afford to make a rash decision. Otherwise, the clan might undergo an earth-shattering change! Moreover, since the Dark Nether Clan's base in the capital had met with a mishap, Situ Ming and his people are bound to suspect us."
"It's certain that they'll keep an eye on us even if they still keep up the pretense of civility… If we help Master Duan at this time and demand for the return of those people from the Dark Nether Sect, they would probably take advantage of the situation and start a civil war in the clan."
Civil war!
It would be disastrous for the clan if that happened. In Windfall Nation, there were many seventh-rate forces whose strength was not inferior to the Situ Clan. However, many of them had ceased to exist or were reduced into eight-rate or ninth-rate forces due to infighting.
Due to this reason, everyone would try and avoid infighting in the clan. This was because once it began, other people would seize the opportunity to benefit from it.
"Master Duan doesn't want us to interfere in this matter," Situ Hang said.
"Master Duan said he might give us a surprise… Is this what he meant when he killed Zhou Shu and the others?" Situ Hao wondered.
"That sounds very likely." Situ Hou nodded.
"Since something so big happened to the base of the Dark Nether Sect in the capital, Situ Ming's people will definitely go and investigate. Hang'er, go and have a look and see if Master Duan is back," Situ Hao said to Situ Hang.
Situ Hang nodded before he left.
Meanwhile, on another side in the Situ Clan's estate, many people were gathered in a big courtyard.
The leader of these men was a middle-aged man. If Duan Ling Tian was here, he would be able to identify this man as the Situ Clan's Second Master whom he had met once, Situ Ming.
"Second Master, I'm afraid it's not that simple that something so big happened in the Dark Nether Sect's base in the capital… Do you think it has anything to do with the Clan Leader and his people?" An old man said as he looked at Situ Ming.
"I think it's definitely done by the Clan Leader and his people. The Dark Nether Sect's base in the capital had been operating smoothly here for many years… Why would something like that happen so suddenly?" A middle-aged man said.
"I don't think this has anything to do with the Clan Leader and his people...The culprit might be an enemy of the Dark Nether Sect. After all, most of the people in the sect are Devil Cultivators, and they're known for their violent temper. Perhaps, they've offended some powerhouse and brought upon this calamity themselves," a middle-aged scholar said. His words were very rational.
"That sounds very likely." Many people agreed with the middle-aged scholar's words.
"Alright. Stop quarreling… We'll get an answer when Elder Zhong returns," Situ Ming said with a smile.
It was obvious Situ Ming was held in high regard by these people. As soon as he spoke, the entire place fell silent. It became so quiet that the sound of a falling needle could be heard if it fell.
The Elder Zhong that Situ Ming had mentioned was also a Supreme Elder like Situ Hou.
Fifteen minutes later, a grey-clad bald old man walked in. His eyes looked as sharp as an eagle. No one dared to meet his eyes as he glanced around.
The bald old man was none other than Situ Zhong. He looked as Situ Ming when he entered the courtyard and said, "Situ Hao and Situ Hou did not do this..."
After Situ Ming heard Situ Zhong's words, he nodded and sighed in relief.
Soon after, someone sneered. "Humph! As it turns out, it's really the work of one of the Dark Nether Sect's enemies… The Dark Nether Sect really picked the wrong person to offend. Now that they've lost an Imminent Saint Stage powerhouse like Zhou Shu, how's the sect going to rise? Who are they going to rely on?"
For a time, many people made disparaging comments one after another.
As the core figures in Situ Ming's faction, they were, naturally, aware of their relationship with the Dark Nether Sect. They knew Dark Nether Sect's loss was also their loss.
"Alright, there's no point in talking about this now. The most important thing is to look for the person whom the Dark Nether Sect had offended," Situ Ming said, frustrated.
Situ Ming's faction was still in chaos due to the misfortune that had fallen on the Dark Nether Sect's base in the capital when Duan Ling Tian and Bai Li Hong arrived at the Dark Nether Sect's estate.
"Junior Brother, what's your plan?" Bai Li Hong asked as he looked at Duan Ling Tian.
"Senior Brother, wait for me here… I'll scout the place first, and we'll rescue Uncle Feng and the others when I return," Duan Ling Tian said to Bai Li Hong.
He did not wait for Bai Li Hong's reply and disappeared before Bai Li Hong's eyes as though he had vanished into thin air.
Bai Li Hong could not help but smile bitterly when he saw this. There was nothing he could do but to wait patiently at this spot.
There was no Flight Prohibiting Formation in the Dark Nether Sect's estate, so it was very easy for Duan Ling Tian to enter the estate. He did not encounter any obstacle at all as he entered the east side of the estate.
During their journey here, Duan Ling Tian had learned from Bai Li Hong that there were two Saint Stage powerhouses in the Dark Nether Sect. These two Saint Stage powerhouses were the Sect Leader and Supreme Elder of Dark Nether Sect. They usually cultivated in the east side of the estate because it has the richest Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy. Many of the grade six Saint Stones that came from the Dark Nether Sect's grade seven Saint Stone ore vein were at the east side of the estate. Due to this reason, the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy was particularly dense.
Duan Ling Tian entered the east side of the Dark Nether Sect's estate easily as though he was strolling into an abandoned place.
Part of the reason was due to the lack of people on the east side of the estate. However, it was mostly because Duan Ling Tian was a lot stronger now compared to the past, ordinary people would not be able to detect his presence.
"En?" Suddenly, Duan Ling Tian discovered a powerful Spiritual Energy sweeping toward him quickly.
"Divine Consciousness!" Duan Ling Tian instantly discovered that it was the Divine Consciousness of a Saint Stage powerhouse.
"Who are you? Why did you trespass into my Dark Nether Sect?" At the same time, a voice rang clearly in Duan Ling Tian's ear. Not only was it loud, but it seemed as though it came from every direction.
After hearing that voice, Duan Ling Tian's expression did not change. He asked, "Are you the Sect Leader of Dark Nether Sect or the Supreme Elder of Dark Nether Sect?"
"En? You're quite bold for a Saint Rudiment Stage Martial Cultivator. You're so calm even though you know I'm the Sect Leader of Dark Nether Sect." The loud voice sounded again. This time a hint of surprise could be heard in his voice when he spoke.
"So what if you're the Sect Leader of Dark Nether Sect? Can you even kill me?" Duan Ling Tian said lightly.
Hu!
At this time, a gust of wind swept out suddenly. Ripples appeared in the air near Duan Ling Tian before a tall figure materialized out of thin air.
Naturally, he did not really materialize out of thin air. When Duan Ling Tian used his Strange Pupil, he could still faintly see the afterimage of that person who had flown over.
A tall figure dressed in a black robe with red edges appeared. He wore a formal headdress, making him look very refined.
Upon closer inspection, one could see the figure was a middle-aged man with a jade-like face. He had a pair of dazzling eyes and sword-shaped eyebrows. One could tell he must have been a handsome and gentle-looking prince charming when he was young.