Chapter 712: Black Magic Hall Master (Wishing You Great Fortune in the Year of the Ox!)

"You used a Spatial Transfer Talisman to get here and just happened to be passing by?" Meng Chuan said coldly. "Since you're here, don't even think about leaving."

Lord Firecloud felt the surrounding space rapidly collapse. He had no chance to escape as the space instantly contracted to a single point. Lord Firecloud was utterly annihilated, leaving behind only his exceptionally durable weapons and other possessions.

"Since I encountered him, I might as well just crush him," Meng Chuan thought. An instinctive killing intent surged within him towards members of the Black Demon Hall. In his eyes, Meng Chuan could see the monstrous sins carried by Black Demon Hall members. Each one was surrounded by overwhelming resentment and endless wails, having slaughtered countless living beings. As a core member of the Black Demon Hall, Lord Firecloud's sins were even more horrific. Unfortunately, his opponent possessed a true body in his home world, and Meng Chuan had merely destroyed one of his outer-realm true bodies.

"I took the initiative to appease him, humbling myself and submitting, yet he still killed my true body!" In his home world, Lord Firecloud was enraged. He had been utterly humble moments ago, actively trying to placate Meng Chuan, only to still meet such an end. "This is simply outrageous! He has absolutely no regard for my Black Demon Hall!"

"I must report this to the Hall Master! Report this to the Hall Master!!!"

Lord Firecloud had never suffered such humiliation. He immediately reported the matter to the Black Demon Hall Master through the Nebula Palace.

In one of the Nebula Palace's halls, a handsome man with fair skin sat on the main seat, flipping through the Black Demon Hall's dossiers.

The Black Demon Hall had two Hall Masters: a primary and a vice. The primary Hall Master was 'Lord Lihong,' who had cultivated for an exceptionally long time—over 120,000 years to date. When he first made his name across the River of Spacetime, the Ancestral Witch King was still only at the Sixth Tribulation realm. Although he had cultivated for countless years, he had never reached the peak Seventh Tribulation realm. Nevertheless, the sheer accumulation of time had granted him profound mastery over time laws. Lord Lihong's rise even predated that of the Demon Eye Cult Master. Though he was known as the Black Demon Hall's supreme leader with monstrous sins, he rarely took action. This was especially true now that the current vice Hall Master was a Soul Seventh Tribulation realm expert, with soul avatars fighting across all directions, making Lord Lihong's personal intervention even rarer.

"They are all a bunch of fools," Lord Lihong muttered, flipping through the dossiers. Within them, he saw records of provocations from various forces across the River of Spacetime. As the Black Demon Hall Master, the immense resources he commanded attracted the covetous gaze of other Seventh Tribulation realm experts, especially since he was still not a peak Seventh Tribulation realm expert.

"Peak Seventh Tribulation realm experts all waste time trying to comprehend a second origin law," Lord Lihong mused inwardly. "With so much time, wouldn't it be better to diligently study the laws of time instead? That way, the hope of truly mastering the laws of time is far greater." Lord Lihong harbored great ambition. He too had become a Seventh Tribulation realm expert after cultivating for just over 10,000 years, gaining renown even earlier than the Demon Eye Cult Master. He was singularly focused on studying time laws, unwilling to be distracted. However, before being fully mastered, the laws of time, in terms of combat power, were inferior to the combined power of two origin laws.

"Hall Master," Lord Firecloud said, entering from outside the hall.

"What is it?" Lord Lihong glanced at him, then continued to flip through the dossiers.

"That City Lord Dongning, Meng Chuan, has bullied my Black Demon Hall excessively!" Lord Firecloud was seething with rage.

"Elaborate," Lord Lihong said calmly.

Lord Firecloud respectfully explained, "It's like this: a Fifth Tribulation realm member of my Black Demon Hall went to seize a cave-dwelling treasure, only to be ambushed by City Lord Dongning. When I received the news, I realized it happened within my Zhou Tian River System! For someone to actively attack a member of my Black Demon Hall within my own domain, I naturally had to investigate who was audacious enough to provoke my Black Demon Hall."

Lord Lihong listened.

"I immediately rushed over and discovered it was City Lord Dongning," Lord Firecloud continued. "He is a peak Sixth Tribulation realm expert after all, and I wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke him. Naturally, I tried to appease him and showed deference, not daring to offend him in the slightest. But who would have thought, he still acted and killed my outer-realm true body."

"He still acted and killed your outer-realm true body?" Lord Lihong was somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Lord Firecloud quickly affirmed. "Your subordinate would naturally not dare to lie before the Hall Master. I truly did not dare to offend him in the slightest, but he still acted without hesitation."

"Alright, I understand," Lord Lihong nodded. "You may leave."

"Yes," Lord Firecloud replied, not daring to say more. He clearly understood his Hall Master's temperament.

The Black Demon Hall's operational rules did not tolerate provocations from Sixth Tribulation realm experts; those who dared to provoke them were killed as a warning to others. These rules, of course, had been established by Lord Lihong, who had been in power for over 100,000 years.

"Ambushing and killing a Fifth Tribulation realm member, given his status, could be overlooked. But Lord Firecloud is a top Sixth Tribulation realm expert of my Black Demon Hall. For Meng Chuan to still casually strike him down even after Firecloud deliberately tried to appease him—that's a slap in the face to my Black Demon Hall." Lord Lihong's eyes grew colder. "This isn't an ordinary provocation; this is outright insolence! He's utterly trampling on the Black Demon Hall's dignity!"

"Just a peak Sixth Tribulation realm expert, yet he's so brazen?" Lord Lihong fumed inwardly. He could tolerate provocations from Seventh Tribulation realm grand masters. But for a mere peak Sixth Tribulation realm expert to be so presumptuous, he simply could not tolerate it. If word got out, how would the various forces view his Black Demon Hall?

"My time laws have also reached a bottleneck; single-mindedly cultivating rigorously is no longer suitable. Perhaps it's time to take action." Lord Lihong's anger surged. "As for this Meng Chuan, I'll just destroy Thousand Mountains Star, which he guards, as a form of punishment."

In a patch of outer-realm void, "Grandfather, what's going on? Why are you fleeing in such a hurry?" Meng Yu asked Meng Chuan.

"The Fifth Tribulation realm expert I just killed was a member of the Black Demon Hall," Meng Chuan explained. "The Black Demon Hall members are a bunch of lunatics; if you kill one of them, they will retaliate. In the future, when you roam the outer-realm void, you must be careful and vigilant of the Black Demon Hall."

Meng Yu nodded. "I understand. I've long heard of the Black Demon Hall's reputation since I came to the outer realm. Grandfather, since you acted this time, will they be able to find you?"

Meng Chuan reassured him, "Don't worry, Grandfather is very cautious. I slipped away as soon as I sensed something was amiss. The deceased Fifth Tribulation realm expert didn't see me with his own eyes, so the Black Demon Hall has no idea who the culprit is."

Meng Yu understood.

"I'll be leaving now," Meng Chuan said. "Once I exchange for treasures at the Eternal Tower, I'll come find you again."

"Grandfather, do you know where to find me?" Meng Yu asked.

"Don't worry, I can find you by following the threads of karma," Meng Chuan replied, then broke through the void and departed.

Meng Yu stood rooted to the spot. He always felt that his grandfather acted mysteriously, and he spent very little time with his grandson. "Perhaps he has a powerful enemy out there, which is why he's so cautious," Meng Yu mused.

Three Bays River System, Thousand Mountains Star.

This was the star governed by Meng Chuan, and it was naturally incredibly prosperous. It was now ranked among the top ten most bustling stars in the entire Goddess River System, with cultivators from numerous surrounding river systems flocking there for trade.

A figure, having traversed vast distances of space and time, arrived outside Thousand Mountains Star. He was dressed in pale golden robes, fair-skinned and handsome. Wherever his gaze landed, the vast surrounding space and time seemed like a box, with every minute detail clearly visible to him.

"Hmm? A Seventh Tribulation realm array has been set up? Even I can't see through Thousand Mountains Star?" Lord Lihong was somewhat surprised. The vast expanse of space and time was like a box, and Thousand Mountains Star was a small black dot within it, pitch black and utterly impenetrable. Given his realm, only a Seventh Tribulation realm array could block his prying gaze. He considered that since Meng Chuan was already a peak Sixth Tribulation realm expert, setting up a Seventh Tribulation realm array was quite normal.

Lord Lihong spoke calmly. His voice echoed throughout the vast surrounding space and time, and across the skies above Thousand Mountains Star, his voice likewise reverberated. Every cultivator on Thousand Mountains Star clearly heard this voice.

"Come out!" "Come out!" "Come out!"...

Lord Lihong's voice was very calm, without a hint of anger, yet this serene tone, echoing in the ears of every cultivator, was anything but ordinary.

"Oh no, something big has happened."

"Thousand Mountains Star is probably in danger."

Thousand Mountains Star instantly erupted into a frenzy. The cultivators were all very perceptive; some chose to rush towards the Eternal Tower branch, others immediately fled away from Thousand Mountains Star, while some calmly remained. In short, the entire Thousand Mountains Star was plunged into chaos.

In the void outside Thousand Mountains Star, Lord Lihong stood calmly. As the supreme leader of the entire Black Demon Hall and one of the beings standing at the pinnacle of the River of Spacetime, he disdained ambushing others. He would simply warn Meng Chuan, and then, in front of him, destroy the entire Thousand Mountains Star as a form of punishment. Punishment had to be public punishment! And Meng Chuan would have to quietly endure it.

*Whoosh.*

A figure emerged from Thousand Mountains Star, standing outside it, facing Lord Lihong.

"Black Demon Hall Master, are you looking for me?" Meng Chuan asked, gazing at Lord Lihong.

Lord Lihong, who had been as calm as still water, saw the black-robed, white-haired man before him and couldn't help but narrow his pupils. He whispered, "Meng Chuan?"

"That's me," Meng Chuan nodded.