"That's true. But if those Pavilion Lords really leave, it'll be a headache. No one knows where that space leads—if we can destroy it, all the better!" The Ninefold Palace Lord laughed, though inwardly he muttered, "I must get to the bottom of Genius Pavilion's secret place!"
Like the Ninefold Palace Lord, many other major figures had similar thoughts. Only the Fenn Family Patriarch was focused solely on capturing Yang Han to avenge his grievances; the others were after the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects or looking to use the opportunity to eliminate the Genius Pavilion.
The Genius Pavilion had existed for many years, always serving as a balance among the Three Palaces. The Three Palaces had long been wary of them, fearing they would grow strong, break away, or even surpass the Three Palaces. So they'd been waiting for a chance—and now, thanks to the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects, everyone was united against them.
Yang Han, of course, knew none of this. All he knew was that the Genius Pavilion had gotten into trouble because of him, and that it had now vanished from its original location, transported to an unknown space.
The radiance on Genius Star gradually faded as well. Those who remained were only the upper echelon and the ones willing to stand with the Genius Pavilion through thick and thin.
A rough estimate put the number of people who stayed at over a thousand. But in front of the Fenn Patriarch and the others, these thousand were hardly a threat—they could be wiped out with ease.
Just as the Ninefold Palace Lord and the others were debating whether to give the order, the three Pavilion Lords and the elders of the Genius Pavilion all stepped forward.
When the Palace Lords, the Fenn Patriarch, and the other major figures saw all three Pavilion Lords still present, each of them showed a strange expression.
"Didn't you just activate the transmission?" the Ninefold Palace Lord asked in surprise.
"Looks like Palace Lord Zi knows about our Genius Pavilion's secret," the Heaven Pavilion Lord said with a smile.
"Wasn't the transmission supposed to be only for the Pavilion Lords? Who was that person just sent away?" The Ninefold Palace Lord frowned.
"It's no secret—it's the very Yang Han you're all looking for." The Heaven Pavilion Lord smiled. He knew that now everyone in Genius Pavilion was aware Yang Han was the Grand Pavilion Lord; even those who left earlier had already received orders to reorganize and preserve their strength.
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. None of them had expected the Genius Pavilion to transmit Yang Han away. Though they didn't know why, each Palace Lord had their own agenda and now wanted to capture the Pavilion Lords and elders to interrogate them about the transmission portal.
"You Genius Pavilion people are really unreasonable! I thought you'd hand him over obediently, but instead you hid him and sent him away!" The Ninefold Palace Lord snorted coldly.
"You forced our hand! Don't think the Three Palaces can just wipe out the Genius Pavilion—we're not so easily destroyed!" The Heaven Pavilion Lord retorted coldly.
"Outrageous! None of you are escaping today! Everyone, listen up—keep these people here!" The Ninefold Palace Lord now took the lead and issued the command.
Orders were quickly passed down, and soon the Genius Pavilion members were surrounded. The Fenn Patriarch, Ninefold Palace Lord, and Heaven‑Mystic Palace Lord prepared to take on the three Pavilion Lords, while the others targeted the elders.
With this arrangement, it was easy to suppress the Genius Pavilion members. As for the outer Pavilion disciples, they were no match for the Three Palaces' elite.
Just as the three Pavilion Lords pinned their hopes on Yang Han and prepared to sacrifice themselves, a massive aura and a booming voice rang out: "Get out!"
The shout stunned everyone. The Genius Pavilion upper echelon relaxed visibly; they hadn't expected her to intervene even though they hadn't asked for help.
The Fenn Patriarch and Ninefold Palace Lord exchanged glances, until the Ninefold Palace Lord finally spoke: "May I ask who senior is? Could we meet you?"
"Do I really need to repeat myself?" The voice rang out again.
After some secret discussion, the Ninefold Palace Lord and other major figures sent several Crossing‑Shadow‑Realm disciples to investigate. But before they could even approach the source of the voice, they were all blasted back.
The display of power scared the Ninefold Palace Lord and the others who had tried to probe her.
"May I ask who senior is? Our Fenn Family is trying to apprehend someone—please forgive us." The Fenn Patriarch said.
"Don't think that suppressing your cultivation makes you number one under heaven. If you don't want your cultivation destroyed, then go ahead and try." The owner of the voice replied.
The Fenn Patriarch's face changed dramatically, as did those around him. Aside from the Fenn Family and Yang Han, no one else knew he was suppressing his cultivation. The Ninefold Palace Lord sent a voice transmission: "You used the Tyrant Seal Art to suppress your cultivation."
"We'll talk about that later—let's deal with this first." The Fenn Patriarch replied via voice transmission.
The Ninefold Palace Lord had no choice but to hold back, while the Fenn Patriarch continued, "Senior, do you truly intend to stop us?"
"So what if I do?" the owner of the voice replied disdainfully.
"I suppose senior isn't from this realm. Aren't you afraid of the Fenn Family from my realm?" The Fenn Patriarch said, unwilling to let Yang Han go so easily. His meaning was clear: don't think you're strong—there are even stronger ones above you.
The Fenn Patriarch wanted to use these words to intimidate her, hoping she would back down so he could capture the Genius Pavilion members, interrogate them about the transmission portal, and then find Yang Han.
"You dare threaten me with that? Then call them over—I'd like to see it." The owner of the voice sneered.
The Fenn Patriarch's expression finally changed, though no one else knew what he and the owner of the voice were talking about.
At last, the Fenn Patriarch snorted, "We'll see." He angrily led the Fenn Family away. Seeing this, the Ninefold Palace Lord had no choice but to order the others to withdraw as well. The other major figures followed suit.
Genius Star quieted down instantly. The three Pavilion Lords wanted to visit the senior, but her voice rang out again: "Let this be the last time—don't disturb me."
After that, the Genius Pavilion members could only keep their questions to themselves. The Pavilion upper echelon gathered together.
"The Forbidden Light can only be activated once every hundred years. We just used it, so the next chance will be a century from now. I wonder if, by then, he'll reach the Nine Tribulations Realm." The Heaven Pavilion Lord said.
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"I'm looking forward to it as well. If Zi Qi and others reach the first tribulation of Nine Tribulations, it will be as good as the third tribulation of Nine Tribulations." The Left Pavilion Lord said, his face full of anticipation.
"The main point isn't that, but how quickly his potential develops." The Right Pavilion Lord added with a smile.
The recent turn of events brought smiles to everyone's faces. Yang Han had become the Grand Pavilion Lord—not by accident, but because they recognized his potential. If he spent a hundred years inside and emerged, his strength would surely surpass any of the Pavilion Lords.
None of the elders objected, and the Pavilion Lords were unanimously in favor.
This was the shock of Yang Han breaking through to the Crossing‑Shadow Grand Completion Realm in such a short time. If he kept progressing like this, he would be the true Grand Pavilion Lord. Moreover, Genius Pavilion would no longer need to bow to the Three Palaces, but could stand on its own.
This was what Genius Pavilion had always hoped for. But right now, the three strongest Pavilion Lords were at the second and third stages of Nine Tribulations, and still couldn't compete with the other Palaces.
Yang Han had no idea he'd become the hope of Genius Pavilion. Inside, the upper echelon didn't want to keep bowing to the Three Palaces—especially after this crisis. If not for the mysterious senior's intervention, Genius Star might have been destroyed.
"What we need to do now is have everyone stop their activities and hide their identities to prevent the Three Palaces and the major clans from attacking our Genius Pavilion members outside." The Heaven Pavilion Lord said, seeing the hope in everyone's eyes.
No one objected to the Heaven Pavilion Lord's suggestion. They discussed arrangements: Genius Pavilion disciples outside could return to Genius Star or hide themselves.
Meanwhile, the Fenn Family gathered at the Fenn Divine Hall. The atmosphere was heavy. If before they'd stormed the Genius Pavilion with confidence, now the situation was the complete opposite.
"Did you know Genius Pavilion had someone like that?" the Ninefold Palace Lord asked curiously.
"I know." The Heaven‑Mystic Palace Lord replied.
"Oh? Let's hear it." The Ninefold Palace Lord said curiously, and the others looked at him with interest.
He explained, "I once heard from a disciple like Zi Qi that there's a forbidden area on Genius Star, shrouded in illusions and maintained by a formation. They say a powerful person lives there—seems what we saw today was real."
"Who would've thought Genius Pavilion had someone like that?" The Ninefold Palace Lord frowned.
"He's probably not from Genius Pavilion—just happens to be there," the Fenn Patriarch interjected.
"How can you tell?" The Ninefold Palace Lord asked curiously.
"If he were from Genius Pavilion, with us surrounding them today, he could've wiped us out. Instead, he let us leave and continue targeting Genius Pavilion." The Fenn Patriarch reasoned.
"Fenn Brother makes a good point." The Heaven‑Mystic Palace Lord agreed.
"But we can't just let Genius Pavilion do as they please. They actually transmitted Yang Han away!" The Ninefold Palace Lord snorted.
"What can we do? There's a monster like that on Genius Star now." The Heaven‑Mystic Palace Lord frowned.
The Fenn Patriarch fell silent. Seeing this, the Ninefold Palace Lord asked, "Fenn Brother, how many realms have you suppressed?"
"It doesn't matter how many realms I've suppressed—even in the Pseudo‑Immortal Realm, I'm no match for that person." The Fenn Patriarch replied.
"Are you sure?" The Ninefold Palace Lord asked in surprise. The others looked puzzled as well. For the Fenn Patriarch to speak with such certainty, there was only one explanation: he knew the strength of the Pseudo‑Immortal Realm and could compare it to the mysterious expert they met today. The Fenn Patriarch was already at the third stage of Nine Tribulations; if he'd suppressed more than six realms, that would mean he was at the Pseudo‑Immortal Realm. Thinking of that, everyone shivered.
"Enough, stop looking at me like that. To be clear, yes, I'm already in the Pseudo‑Immortal Realm." The Fenn Patriarch said.
"What!" Everyone was shocked.
"I wasn't trying to hide it from you. It's not too late to tell you now. But you all know the Pseudo‑Immortal Realm—if we can't find that place in time, it won't matter. I only suppressed my cultivation so I wouldn't waste that time limit." The Fenn Patriarch explained.