"Annihilate the race?" Xu Zimo frowned slightly.

"Their original intent was to enslave us," Yao Shengnan said through gritted teeth. "But how could we, the Celestial Race, ever let that happen? Even if we must fight to the last breath, we will never submit."

"So they wiped out your race?" Xu Zimo shook his head. "You were still a major bloodline. I’m surprised an Imperial Lineage could destroy you so easily."

"Our Celestial Race has always lived apart from the world, untouched by worldly conflict," Yao Shengnan said calmly. "Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground, led by two generations of emperors, is quite powerful, even among Imperial Lineages. They were far beyond what we could resist."

At that moment, Little Gui beside them slowly regained consciousness.

His injuries had mostly healed, though his body was still weak.

"Senior Brother," Little Gui called out weakly.

"You’re alright. Stay here in Maple Leaf City and recover. Let Yao Shengnan take care of you."

Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "I’m going to pay the Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground a visit."

"What about those disciples from Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground who were outside?" Yao Shengnan asked curiously.

"Don’t worry. They won’t be coming back," Xu Zimo replied.

…

That night, Xu Zimo rested in Maple Leaf City. Early the next morning, he departed, heading west toward Myriad Formation City.

As the Mo Imperial Clan’s stronghold, Myriad Formation City had a prominent reputation in the Eastern Continent's core region.

Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground resided in the Middle Continent.

To reach the Middle Continent, Xu Zimo had two options:

Cross the Endless Sky Sea. This route was long, time-consuming, and fraught with danger.

Use a teleportation formation. Though fast, teleportation formations weren’t open to just anyone. Given the distance between the Eastern and Middle Continents, each activation required massive resources.

In the Eastern Continent, the Mo Imperial Clan, being the premier formation clan, possessed the largest and longest-range teleportation formations.

…

From a distance, Myriad Formation City didn’t look particularly special in terms of architecture.

But viewed from above, the entire city was constructed as a complex interconnection of multiple formations.

A moat flowed under the city, cutting across half of it. Its waters shimmered and remained crystal clear.

Xu Zimo entered the city.

Like many large cities, it was divided into inner and outer sections.

At the moment, the city was unusually lively. Near the moat, there was an open area surrounded by crowds.

It seemed a competition was taking place.

Xu Zimo stood at the edge, watching for a while, then casually asked someone nearby.

"You’re not from around here, are you?" the man chuckled. "This is the Formation Competition, a tradition in Myriad Formation City. It’s held every six months and is hosted by the Mo Imperial Clan. The top three winners get generous rewards.

As for first place, they get to join the Mo Imperial Clan and become a full-fledged member."

"Is that so?" Xu Zimo smiled faintly.

"You’re a bit late, though, the competition just ended. The top three have already been decided," the man said. "The first-place winner was a young man named Wang Chen. He joined the Mo Imperial Clan and was granted their surname, now called Mo Chen. Looks like he’s got a bright future ahead."

"Mo Chen?" Xu Zimo froze, then fixed his gaze on the scene ahead.

A young man in white, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, stood proudly at the front.

His clothes were worn but very clean.

He stood tall and straight, eyes bright and alert. Strands of hair blew lightly across his face in the wind.

"It’s really him," Xu Zimo murmured.

In his past life, Mo Chen had indeed become a renowned figure.

He started as an outsider who joined the Mo Imperial Clan, and fought his way through endless trials to become the clan’s brightest genius.

At that time, the Mo Imperial Clan already had a top-tier talent, a direct descendant named Mo Yang.

Mo Yang was the clan's current Holy Son, and his physique was one of the legendary Hundred Battle Physiques.

Most formation masters needed to form seals or prepare formation plates ahead of time to deploy a formation.

But Mo Yang didn’t need any of that. His battle physique let him naturally form seals, he could manifest formations with just a glance.

A sea of formations and infinite patterns at his command.

He was once regarded as the Mo Imperial Clan's most promising candidate to receive the Heaven’s Will.

But after Mo Chen arrived, everything began to shift.

Mo Chen didn’t have outstanding innate talent, but he had something else, a ruthless, relentless drive.

To grow stronger, he once used his own body as a formation plate, carving formations directly onto his flesh.

Using the Hexa-Genesis Immortal Formation as the core and many smaller formations as support,

his body bore formation patterns from head to toe.

Whether it was effective or not was one thing, just the pain alone was something ordinary people couldn’t endure.

Back then, his reputation in the Mo Imperial Clan was so overwhelming that it even eclipsed Mo Yang and his battle body.

…

Now, as the crowd watched Mo Chen formally join the Mo Imperial Clan, many people looked on with envy.

"Brother!"

A girl in a yellow dress suddenly ran out from the crowd toward Mo Chen.

"Ling’er!" Mo Chen’s face lit up with a smile and he reached out to hug her.

But just then, chaos erupted in the arena. Several blood-red figures stormed the stage.

Blood-red swords swept through the air, leaving behind layers of deadly sword shadows.

By the time people realized what was happening, the little girl lay in a pool of blood.

"Sister!" Mo Chen roared in rage, his face twisted with fury. He tried to rush over but was held back by several members of the Mo Imperial Clan.

…

"Who the hell dares to kill on Mo Imperial Clan territory?" the onlookers exclaimed in shock.

"Didn’t you see their robes? They’re from the Blood Nether Sacred Ground," someone whispered.

In the arena, over a dozen men in crimson robes stood still.

Their gazes were cold as they stared at Mo Chen.

The leader of the group shouted harshly, "Half-breed! Come and face your death!"

"Are you declaring war on our Mo Imperial Clan?" an elder from the Mo Imperial Clan stepped forward, frowning.

"Don’t misunderstand, Elder Mo," the leader quickly replied. "We’re only here to capture traitors of our sect."

"Traitors?" Elder Mo turned to look at Mo Chen, puzzled. "What’s going on?"

"His parents violated sect rules. We’re under orders to bring him back," the crimson-robed man said coldly. "Anyone who resists, will be killed without mercy."

There was a cold murderous intent behind his words.

"You colluded with a corrupt elder to kill my parents, and now you slander them?" Mo Chen shouted in fury.