Seeing Luo Yi's battered and broken body, Lu Yuan's anger surged uncontrollably. If it hadn't been for Luo Yi's timely warning and relentless effort, Lu Yuan might not have survived.
"Wenjian Sect... Humph!" he muttered darkly. "Yuxiang, order Xiaoyu to hunt down and eliminate every last disciple of the Wenjian Sect scattered across the continent! If you find one, kill them!"
A cold gleam flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. Though he had destroyed the Wenjian Sect's headquarters, the sect had existed for thousands of years and had many disciples spread across the land. Those who had been away on missions or training likely escaped the destruction. Now, Orion had to hunt down these survivors and wipe out the Wenjian Sect completely.
"Understood!" Yuxiang responded solemnly.
Though Xiaoyu was primarily an intelligence organization, its members were formidable fighters. And with Wenjian Sect's main combat forces already decimated, Xiaoyu would be more than enough to handle the remnants.
After this, the once-mighty Wenjian Sect would be nothing but a memory.
"Luo Yi, rest well," Lu Yuan said, his gaze softening as he looked at Luo Yi's ruined body. Though summoned by the system, Lu Yuan regarded these characters as living, breathing beings.
"Lord, I can still fight!" Luo Yi protested weakly. "I can still—"
"Enough! Rest when I tell you to!" Lu Yuan's scolding brought a bitter smile to Luo Yi's lips, but his heart warmed. How fortunate they were to serve a Lord who cared so deeply.
"Yes! I'll rest well, and when I'm healed, I'll fight for you again!" Luo Yi vowed, determination gleaming in his eyes.
...
Once Luo Yi and the others were settled, Orion finally allowed himself to relax. Though the Yanyun Eighteen Riders were gravely injured, their lives were not in danger. However, it would take at least half a year for them to fully recover—unless they had access to rare healing elixirs, which Orion lacked.
"For now, it's best to avoid using them as much as possible while they recover," Orion thought. "Fortunately, I still have Li Sandao and Yuan Zuozong, two powerful Martial Saints, to hold the fort."
Martial Saints were already considered hegemonic figures on the mainland, and for the time being, they would be enough to maintain his strength.
"Lord, I've returned." At that moment, Yingmo emerged from Lu Yuan's shadow.
"Did you find what I asked you to?" Orion asked calmly, as though he had anticipated this.
Yingmo knelt on one knee and reported, "Your Majesty, after searching, we found that the ancestor of Wenjian Sect was completely obliterated—shattered into pieces and dispersed into the void. However, during our search, we stumbled upon the Sect Master of Wenjian Sect. He was on the verge of death, so I brought him back."
Yingmo threw down a broken and battered figure. It was Ling Yunfeng, the Sect Master, lying on the ground, bloodied and twisted in unnatural angles, barely clinging to life.
Orion frowned. He had sent his shadow guards to find the remains of the Wenjian Sect's ancestor after the massive explosion, but instead, they had brought back the Sect Master.
"Hmph! That old immortal got off too easily," Orion muttered. "But since the ancestor is gone, the Sect Master will have to pay the price!"
"Take him away and keep him alive," Orion ordered. "Make sure he suffers the slowest, most agonizing death possible. I want his soul tortured with a sky lantern!"
Orion sneered as he looked down at the dying Sect Master. It was a pity that the ancestor had perished so easily—Yan Yun Shiba's severe injuries should have been avenged with the cruelest pain imaginable. But since the ancestor was gone, the Sect Master would bear the brunt of his wrath.
On the ground, Ling Yunfeng's body trembled violently.
"Just kill me, you coward!" Ling Yunfeng screamed, his voice filled with madness. "What kind of hero are you to torture me like this?!"
Being suspended between life and death, with his soul on fire—this was the cruelest punishment imaginable. Now, all Ling Yunfeng desired was the release of death.
"Hmph! Yingmo, make sure our guest is entertained," Orion said coldly before walking away without a second glance.
"Yes, Lord! I won't disappoint you!" Yingmo replied seriously, pulling out a dagger as he approached Ling Yunfeng.
"The next step is Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts). My blade work is quite good—I'll make sure you don't die too quickly," he said, a sadistic gleam in his eye. Panic flashed across Ling Yunfeng's face for the first time.
"No!" he screamed, but there was no escape from his fate.
...
"System, open my personal panel," Orion commanded, taking the opportunity to review his status. Over time, he had come to understand some of the system's functions and found where to access his personal panel.
[Host: Lu Yuan]
[Strength: Martial Emperor, Early Stage]
[Factions under command: Yanyun Eighteen Riders (seriously injured), 100,000 Snow Dragon Cavalry (enhanced version), 50,000 Trapped Camp, Shadow Guard, Xiaoyu, 10,000 Beifu Army (disabled)]
[Guards under command: Li Sandao, Xu Chu]
[Points: 6,376,975]
Seeing the 6 million points, Orion shook his head in regret. "What a pity. If Ancestor Wenjian hadn't self-destructed and had been killed by Luo Yi, I would have gained a lot more luck points—maybe even over 10 million!"
But there was no use dwelling on it now. Suddenly, Orion noticed something on his personal panel.
"Hmm? The Beifu Army is disabled?" he muttered, frowning at the word "disabled" next to the Beifu Army. The system panel updated in real time, so if it said the Beifu Army was disabled, something must have happened.
When he recalled the information Xiaoyu had provided earlier, Orion understood. It seemed that the Great Wall Legion from the Northern Territory had moved south and was attacking Yumen Pass.
"Yuxiang, what's the situation with Xie Xuan at Yumen Pass?" Orion asked, turning to Yu Xiang casually.
Yuxiang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Wang Hu, the commander of the Great Wall Army, is leading an army of 300,000 to attack Yumen Pass. Xie Xuan is holding the pass with 10,000 troops, using the fortifications to defend the city. Wang Hu's strength as a half-saint is being suppressed by the restrictions at Yumen Pass."
Indeed, Yuxiang's report confirmed Lu Yuan's suspicions. Since Xie Xuan hadn't requested reinforcements, the situation at Yumen Pass must be under control for now.
...