Chapter 140: The Immortal Realm and the Celestial Realm

The words of the Xuanyuan Sword continued to echo through the void. While everyone was still dumbfounded, several figures slowly stepped out of the space that the Xuanyuan Sword had just attacked.

"Interesting. I didn't expect that you, having just received the baptism of the power of heaven and earth, could wield this power with such proficiency."

Nanke waved his hand and looked at the Xuanyuan Sword with a smile.

"People from the Enforcement Hall?"

Faced with Nanke's flattery, the Xuanyuan Sword did not respond at all. Instead, he frowned and identified their origins.

"This is Nanke, a protector of the Enforcement Hall. I am Jiang Chao, the second hall master of the Enforcement Hall." Jiang Chao stepped forward slowly, looking down at the Xuanyuan Sword with a condescending air.

Upon hearing the visitors state their names, the crowd below was filled with shock. Never had they imagined that the newcomers would be the second hall master of the Enforcement Hall. They still held a deep sense of dread toward Jiang Chao in their hearts. After all, it was rumored that all four hall masters of the Enforcement Hall possessed the strength of terrestrial true immortals.

A terrestrial true immortal signified the level of a Martial Emperor among martial artists. Yet they knew well that for hundreds of years, not a single person in the martial arts world had ever attained the strength of a Martial Emperor. Even those Martial Saint powerhouses who had the opportunity to become Martial Emperors would inexplicably meet with bizarre fates. Either they disappeared without a trace, leaving neither corpse nor shadow, or they were murdered.

The martial arts world had once secretly investigated this matter, and the final finger of blame always pointed directly at the Enforcement Hall. Upon discovering the truth, the martial arts world even organized a punitive expedition against the Enforcement Hall. This expeditionary force was composed of the most revered and esteemed figures of the ancient martial arts world of that era. Yet in the end, these people were all utterly annihilated by the Enforcement Hall.

Because of this incident, a massive rift developed between cultivators and ancient martial artists, and wars between the two sides broke out from time to time during that period. However, the ultimate outcome almost invariably ended in the defeat of the ancient martial artists. It was also during that era that the strength of martial artists steadily declined, allowing the people of the Enforcement Hall to trample them underfoot.

Until one dark night when the Enforcement Hall was not yet established within the Kunlun Mountains, but rather resided in a perilous region of the Western Regions.

On that particular night, a group of masked individuals dressed in black night-garments broke into the headquarters of the Enforcement Hall, killing everyone they encountered without a single word. This group possessed terrifyingly formidable strength; the patrolling disciples of the Enforcement Hall were completely incapable of withstanding even a single blow from them. It was not until this group was on the verge of slaughtering their way into the main hall of the Enforcement Hall that they were finally intercepted by a group of powerful cultivators.

In that era, because the environment had not yet suffered pollution, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth contained throughout the entire world was extremely rich. Such an environment was exceptionally well-suited for the cultivation of cultivators. Back then, even so-called Nascent Soul stage cultivators could only serve as gatekeepers and guards within the Enforcement Hall, possessing not an ounce of authority.

At that time, there were also quite a few Martial Sovereigns and Martial Saints among martial artists. However, compared to cultivators, they appeared somewhat scarce.

When this group was intercepted by the powerhouses of the Enforcement Hall, the two sides erupted into an earth-shattering battle. Powerful martial arts techniques and dazzling cultivator spells constantly bloomed across the void. To deal with this group, the Enforcement Hall deployed no fewer than thirty-some masters whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Soul Formation stage—and peak Soul Formation cultivators were equivalent to the peak Martial Venerable tier among martial artists.

Yet the Enforcement Hall seemed to have underestimated this group. After hours of combat, all thirty-some peak Soul Formation cultivators perished, whereas only a select few among the martial artists' group sustained minor injuries. The superiority of the two sides was instantly clear.

Just as the martial artists watching the battle were cheering with joy, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Thunder rumbled abruptly across the previously dark void, and a powerful aura surged out from the main hall of the Enforcement Hall at the same time.

The Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall could be said to have been the most powerful existence of that era; his personal cultivation had already surpassed the Tribulation Transcendence stage, and he had even successfully weathered the heavenly tribulation, becoming a true immortal.

Logically speaking, a cultivator who successfully became an immortal should not have been accepted by this world. Yet through some unknown method, the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall managed to deceive the Heavenly Dao and remained safely behind.

Just as those martial artists realized that the general trend was lost and all hope was gone, a brilliant beam of light suddenly pierced the dark firmament. A terrifying might instantly radiated from the light, shocking everyone present, including the Enforcement Hall Master whose cultivation was at the true immortal realm.

A graceful figure was seen slowly stepping out from the light in the firmament. She then pointed a finger toward the Enforcement Hall Master, and an aura laden with biting cold instantly descended upon him. To everyone's astonishment, the Enforcement Hall Master was frozen solid by this cold Qi at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With a sweeping wave of that slender hand from the ethereal beauty, he was instantly reduced to nothingness. This single display of prowess shocked everyone present. The Enforcement Hall Master, possessed of true immortal cultivation, had perished so easily at the hands of this person. This was something neither the martial artists nor the cultivators could readily accept.

Just as everyone was gripped by terror and panic, the figure high in the firmament parted her delicate lips and proclaimed: "This realm is the domain of our mortal martial artists. You cultivators dare to commit wanton slaughter here, and your crimes are unforgivable!"

As her voice faded, a torrent of cold Qi swept overwhelmingly toward the Enforcement Hall. Then, before the eyes of the crowd, the massive Enforcement Hall was directly encased in ice by this chilling force. Not a single cultivator inside was spared.

Following that, the figure unleashed supreme divine power, forcibly lifting the entire Enforcement Hall into the air before vanishing into the firmament. Only thus was the feud between martial artists and cultivators resolved.

It was not until the era of Xiao Yu that the Enforcement Hall was re-established and became a part of the nation-protecting organizations. Although martial artists harbored no fondness for cultivators, during this period the Enforcement Hall still contributed somewhat to the empire, causing the martial artists to turn a blind eye to their actions.

Yet this relationship did not endure for long. The Enforcement Hall grew increasingly powerful, especially after acquiring four hall masters at the true immortal level, causing the Enforcement Hall to harbor its former ambitions toward martial artists once again. In every aspect, the Enforcement Hall suppressed martial artists. This left many boiling with anger yet too cowed to speak out, for the current Enforcement Hall was far too superior to its predecessor.

As for that mysterious powerhouse, she never appeared again. This utterly dashed the hopes of those within the martial arts world. From then on, the Yanhuang martial arts world sank into decline.