Chapter 1496: Demon Beast Attack

Xu Yang's strength was such that he could have prevented the sudden tragedy unfolding before them if he had acted in time, but he chose not to.

The reason was simple: Xu Yang had long seen through the arrogant nature of the young leaders of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan. Unless they faced some harsh realities, they would never genuinely cooperate with him later on.

Only by experiencing overwhelming pressure would they truly submit to Xu Yang's commands. This would be a proactive step for Xu Yang to further compel the six great Imperial Clans of the Kunlun Divine Path to act according to his will.

He would not allow any individual or clan to defy him. Those who achieve great things do not dwell on minor details. Compared to his grand plan for salvation, this small sacrifice was utterly insignificant.

As expected, after witnessing their two closest fellow disciples being instantly slaughtered by the terrifying fierce beasts, the remaining young leaders of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan were filled with boundless indignation.

"Damn these fierce beasts! I swear I'll never coexist with you!" the proud, aloof girl in blue clutched her fists, a reddish glow emanating from her eyes.

At that moment, Xu Yang, along with a dozen young members of the Yan Yu Imperial Clan, including Xiao Xiang, gracefully landed near the young leaders of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan.

"Anger alone is far from enough," Xu Yang stated. "You need to understand the true cause of this tragedy. If my judgment is correct, the operational orders you received from above shouldn't have led to such a large number of fierce beasts appearing. Am I wrong?"

Indeed, as soon as Xu Yang spoke, the Third Senior Brother, clad in black armor, immediately stepped forward.

"Have you perhaps obtained some intelligence, Your Excellency?" he asked. "And why are you with these fellow cultivators from the Yan Yu Imperial Clan?"

Xu Yang offered a faint smile. Before he could speak, Xiao Xiang, the young leader of the Yan Yu Imperial Clan, succinctly recounted how Xu Yang had previously saved their clan to the young leaders of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan.

"How is that possible?" one exclaimed. "By rights, the execution orders for each clan are personally transmitted by our own clan elders. Only our imperial family headquarters has the authority to know such things. More importantly, this kind of spiritual energy can only be recognized by a few of us leaders. There's no way it could have been leaked."

"So the problem lies with the elder who transmitted the mission orders to you," Xu Yang explained. "It's the same situation as with the Yan Yu Clan."

Long Kun, puffing out his chest with a proud expression, was about to speak further when, unexpectedly, the First Senior Brother of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan, who had previously fought with Long Kun, scoffed. His gaze towards Long Kun and Xu Yang was filled with murderous intent.

"I, for one, think you're the ones behind this mischief," he sneered. "From the beginning, we haven't even known your identities or origins, and each of you possesses formidable power. Rather than believing there's an issue with an elder within our own clan, I'd sooner believe that you're the ones causing trouble, perhaps hatching some scheme."

"Hey, you!" Long Kun retorted. "We saved your lives, and you dare to bite the hand that feeds you? I don't even know what to say to you!"

Xu Yang gently waved his hand, stopping Long Kun. He knew his brother's temperament well; if the conversation with the First Senior Brother continued, the two would surely come to blows, which would hinder the current consolidation of forces.

"You wish to know our purpose and identities?" Xu Yang said. "I'll tell you clearly now. Our team consists of cultivators from the Heavenly Eye Divine Path, seeking to enter the Kunlun Divine Path.

"Our goal this time is to do our part to change the Soul Punishment method that has been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years in the Kunlun Divine Path. The fundamental reason why the powerful demonic beasts in the Kunlun Abyss riot every thousand years lies in the existence of punitive enforcement that binds human souls and demonic beasts together.

"As long as we abolish this rule and release the human souls bound to the demonic beasts, all problems will naturally be resolved."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the aloof girl couldn't help but burst into laughter, her tone still filled with disdain.

"What do you take the Kunlun Divine Path for?" she scoffed. "Do you truly think a few words from you can change rules that have been upheld for hundreds of thousands of years? Do you truly believe you are supreme gods?"

Xu Yang paid no mind to the young woman's superficial remarks. How could she possibly comprehend the true capabilities of him and his companions?

"In any case, this is our initial intention; believe it or not," Xu Yang said. "As for whether your Xuanyuan Imperial Clan will encounter even more powerful fierce beasts next, that's not something we can prevent. Xiao Xiang, since they don't appreciate our help, let's go assist the other Imperial Clans. We are no longer needed here."

No sooner had Xu Yang finished speaking than he prepared to lead everyone away. Unexpectedly, just then, a more terrifying roar of fierce beasts descended from not far behind the mountain range. Following this, large swathes of black clouds rapidly condensed at the edge of the sky, and this time, over a dozen auras of Level 8 Demon Kings appeared.

"Reporting, Senior Sister!" a disciple reported urgently. "A large number of high-level fierce beasts have suddenly appeared ahead and seem to be heading our way. The life force released by the previous beast rampage has attracted more of their kind to gather here. If we can't find a way to break through in time, I'm afraid our remaining several hundred disciples will all be trapped in this valley."

Hearing her subordinate's report, the aloof girl immediately fell into a state of deep thought and confusion.

Hadn't she been so defiant just moments ago? Now, she truly had no temper left. But who could she blame? They lacked sufficient power, yet constantly believed they could change the world, failing to show adequate respect to opponents stronger than themselves.

Clearly, the Third Senior Brother in black armor had already turned his gaze towards Xu Yang and his group. However, seeing that Xu Yang's group had no intention of engaging with them again, the other young leaders of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan discussed for a moment and then approached the aloof girl.

"The current situation is very critical," one of them urged. "It seems only with the help of those few individuals and the Yan Yu Imperial Clan can we successfully break out. Perhaps we should cooperate with them for now. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. We brought over a thousand disciples here to complete this mission; if we are truly annihilated here, how will we face our ancestors and elders?"

As expected, after hearing their counsel, the aloof girl decided to bow to a power greater than her own. Finally, with an embarrassed expression, she approached Xu Yang, bowed and cupped her fists in salute. She was no longer the arrogant young lady she had been before.