Sixty-one Fusion experts swept through the land like a giant bulldozer, destroying five Prime One Church branch altars in just one day.
To maximize destruction before the Prime One Church could react, Ian Song split his people into eight squads, each led by one of seven mid-Fusion experts, with Ian himself leading the last squad. They fanned out to attack separate branch altars.
Because the Church believed Ian had been captured, they left only a single Fusion expert to guard each branch. But how could just one Fusion expert withstand squads of at least six? Like rotten wood before an axe, the branch altars were wiped out one after another.
On the second day, Ian destroyed seventeen more branch altars. Adding the five from the previous day made twenty-two, and with the seventeen he’d already wiped out before, the total reached thirty-nine Prime One Church branch altars.
That was already more than a third of all the Church’s branch altars.
Even though the Prime One Church was deeply entrenched, losing thirty-nine branch altars was enough to shake them to their core.
On the third day, worried the Prime One Church would send stronger experts, Ian reorganized his teams into four groups. Though this slowed their pace, they still destroyed ten more branch altars, bringing the total number of ruined altars to nearly half.
It was only on the evening of the third day that the Prime One Church finally received partial news of the destruction at several branch altars.
“Who did this?”
The Church’s leaders were both baffled and furious. They’d only just thrown Ian Song into the nine-tier Demon Prison, thinking it would scare off troublemakers—yet someone was brazenly stirring up trouble again.
“No matter who it is, we must kill them as a warning to others!” one core elder roared.
“If we don’t start killing, people won’t be afraid!” another core elder agreed fiercely.
“But right now, the most important thing is to protect the remaining branch altars. Otherwise, our Prime One Church will become a laughingstock!” a rather calm core elder pointed out.
After some discussion, the Prime One Church sent out a fresh wave of Fusion experts to guard the branch altars.
But on the fourth and fifth days, reports of destroyed branch altars kept pouring into the main altar.
Learning that thirty-two branch altars had been destroyed in just the first three days, the Church’s upper echelon nearly went berserk.
Meanwhile, news of the mass destruction spread rapidly throughout the Tang Dynasty, and everyone was asking—who did it?
Some wondered if it might be Ian Song.
But others immediately objected—Ian Song was already locked up in the Church’s Demon Prison. How could it possibly be him?
Could Ian Song really escape from the Demon Prison?
Someone else objected.
Immediately, an old cultivator jumped out and said, "The Church’s Demon Prison is a cage of heaven and earth—even a Tribulation expert would struggle to escape, let alone Ian Song, who’s just a Soul-Split cultivator. So there’s no way he could get out!"
If it wasn’t Ian Song, then who destroyed so many of the Church’s branch altars?
Suddenly, news arrived from Battlefront Province: Ian Song came from an extremely powerful and mysterious force—the Divine Temple. Since the Church locked him in the Demon Prison, people speculated it was the Divine Temple taking revenge for Ian.
In no time, the name Divine Temple spread across the entire Tang Dynasty.
"Why have you two come to see me?" Vulcan Pi asked from his throne above.
Cultivation itself is usually extremely dull, but now such a huge scandal had erupted—especially since it involved the Prime One Church—so nearly every cultivator joined in the gossip.
Outside the Fire God Hall, Fire God Church.
Fletcher Toba and his sister Diana Toba waited quietly outside the main hall, awaiting the sect master’s summons.
Fletcher’s face showed a hint of resignation, while Diana’s expression remained calm—though her eyes occasionally flickered with unease and tension.
"Diana, let’s just go back. Don’t risk angering Master!"
Fletcher tried to persuade her. He felt his sister was obsessed—actually asking their master to save Ian Song! The Fire God Church and Prime One Church were enemies; how could Master agree to such an unreasonable request? In the end, it would only make Master angry, and they’d be the ones to suffer.
But no matter how much he tried, Diana wouldn’t listen—she insisted on begging Master to save Ian Song.
"If you want to leave, go ahead!" Diana replied coolly, her tone firm. "If not for Ian Song, I’d still be suffering in Ten-Thousand-Ghost Valley. Now that he’s in trouble, how can I just stand by?"
Fletcher’s face darkened with anger. He took a deep breath and said grimly, "Don’t forget—the one who got you sent to Ten-Thousand-Ghost Valley and lost you your Divine Daughter title was Ian Song himself!"
Diana’s face grew cold. "Back in that formation, none of us had a choice. You can’t blame him. Besides, you only escaped because of Ian Song. You can’t repay kindness with ingratitude!"
"You!" Fletcher’s face flushed red with frustration. "Nonsense! How could I be ungrateful? I’m just—"
"Enough, big brother!"
Diana waved her hand. "I don’t want to argue with you. If you’re worried about getting dragged into this, just leave."
Hearing this, Fletcher’s expression changed several times. His voice rose: "You think I’m afraid of getting dragged in? Little sister, how could you say that? You’re getting more and more unreasonable—I think that bastard has stolen your heart!"
Just then, a young attendant came out from the main hall and addressed Fletcher and Diana: "Divine Son, Senior Sister Toba, the Church Master summons you both."
Soon the siblings entered the hall, bowing respectfully to Vulcan Pi, who sat upon the throne above.
"Greetings, Master."
"Rise. No need for formalities," Vulcan Pi said calmly, raising his hand.
"Thank you, Master."
"Why have you two come to see me?" Vulcan Pi asked from his lofty seat.
Before Fletcher could speak, Diana blurted out, "Master, please save Ian Song!"
At her words, Vulcan Pi’s face instantly darkened, his expression growing cold. Seeing this, Fletcher hurriedly said, "Master, my sister has simply been bewitched by that boy. Please don’t blame her—I’ll take her back and discipline her properly!"
"Hmph!"
Just as Vulcan Pi was about to dismiss the two, a jade talisman flew into the hall and landed in his hand. After taking it, Vulcan Pi said, "You may leave now."
A look of strong reluctance flashed in Diana’s eyes, while Fletcher, afraid she might say something to offend Vulcan Pi, suddenly sealed her cultivation and forcibly dragged her out of the hall.
Meanwhile, Vulcan Pi finished reading the message in the jade talisman. His previously unruffled face now showed a rare hint of surprise.
"Wait!"