Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Fu Sandao narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the black-robed youth lounging lazily in the palace master's seat above him, his brain racing.

Putting aside the purple-haired youth, the voluptuous beauty he was holding in his arms already gave him a feeling of unfathomable depth.

I might not be a match for either of them.

But now Fu Sandao is, after all, the acting hall master of the Wrathful Soul Hall. If he were to be too humble in this hall in front of so many confidants, how would he gain the respect of the people in the future?

Thinking of this, Fu Sandao coughed a few times, straightened his back, and tried to make his voice sound steady and powerful: "That's right, after the unexpected death of our former Hall Master Gui Shu, I will temporarily assume the position of Hall Master of the Wrathful Soul Hall!"

He carefully observed Xia Jin's expression above, and seeing no other change in her face, he continued, "However... it's rather impolite of you to trespass into my Wrathful Soul Palace without prior notice, isn't it?"

"That's right!! Palace Master Fu is right! You trespassed into my Wrathful Soul Palace, you owe Palace Master Fu an explanation!!"

"And they even dare to sit in the position of Hall Master of our Wrathful Souls Hall? Do they really think we don't exist?"

Fu Sandao's confidants echoed his sentiments, and their spiritual energy began to surge, ready to strike at Fu Sandao's command.

"These bastards! What are they yelling about at a time like this?! Are they trying to kill me?" Fu Sandao never expected that his trusted men would say such things. He immediately felt a chill and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Sure enough, right after those people finished speaking,

"Snapped!"

A loud slap echoed through the hall.

Everyone was stunned.

Fu Sandao's left cheek felt like it had been hit hard by an iron hammer, and he crashed to the ground.

He reached out and touched it; his left cheek was swollen high, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph! Who do you think you are, daring to question my husband!"

Zhou Suxin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

She remained nestled in Xia Jin's arms, her eyes coldly fixed on Fu Sandao.

The entire hall was completely silent.

Those confidants who were previously shouting and supporting him froze on the face, but none of them dared to take a step forward.

Because they are afraid that they will be next.

Fu Sandao covered his swollen left cheek, a flash of fury in his eyes. His spiritual power surged out, and the pressure of the ninth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm instantly filled the entire hall!

However, it only lasted for a single breath before the violent spiritual power was extinguished as if doused with a bucket of cold water and quickly receded.

Fu Sandao's face turned pale and then red. He had indeed had murderous intent for a moment, but reason quickly prevailed.

When this woman made her move, he, a dignified ninth-level Dragon Transformation Realm cultivator, was completely unaware and powerless to resist!

What does this tell us?

This shows that this woman's strength is definitely far superior to his own!

As for the black-robed youth who had never made a move, he couldn't see through him at all—it was like a mortal looking up at a towering mountain, unable to see the top or the edge.

Is this the kind of person Fu Sandao can afford to offend?

Of course, we can't afford to offend them.

A wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him; a true hero knows when to yield and when to stand firm!

I have always been a symbol of forbearance in the Hall of Wrathful Souls, so why would I do something that would put me in danger at this time?

Fu Sandao took a deep breath, and the gloom on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an almost fawning smile.

He bowed slightly, cupped his hands towards Zhou Suxin, and said with a hint of fear in his voice, "Madam, you are absolutely right. It was my and my subordinates who were ignorant and offended you, sir. I apologize to both of you and hope that you will be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a rough man like me."

At this point, he secretly glanced at Xia Jin's expression, then said with a forced smile, "My lord, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will answer them to the best of my ability! If you have any orders, I will certainly do my utmost to serve you!"

Xia Jin looked down at Zhou Suxin, who still had a cold face in her arms, and then her gaze fell on Fu Sandao, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

He had met many people, some who were afraid of death, some who would rather die than submit, and some who were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant; none of them were unusual.

However, for someone with the cultivation level of the ninth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm to so readily and decisively abandon all pride and wag his tail for mercy after being slapped, this level of "pragmatism" was truly unprecedented in his life.

Zhou Suxin frowned slightly.

She doesn't like that kind of person.

It's not because the other person is less capable than her, but because this kind of person has no backbone.

Just a moment ago, he was acting like the master of the temple, putting on airs and speaking arrogantly, but in the blink of an eye, he can be obsequious and smiling. Such a petty person is more detestable than those enemies who fight openly.

"Husband, I don't like this man's behavior. If we keep him around, he might turn on us later. Why don't we just kill him?" Zhou Suxin whispered in Xia Jin's ear.

"No rush, I have something I need him to do!"

Xia Jin patted Zhou Suxin on the shoulder, then looked up at Fu Sandao, "Alright, within an hour, gather all the people from the Wrathful Soul Hall here. I have something to announce."

"But remember, I'm only giving you one hour. If you can't finish, don't blame me."

"What?" Fu Sandao's smile froze for a moment.

An hour?

Although the Wrathful Soul Hall has suffered heavy losses, it still has nearly a thousand disciples. He ordered them to remain in Pingyang County, but he needed to gather them all back to the sect within an hour.

This is such a rushed schedule.

After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously probed, "My lord, isn't an hour a bit too tight? You see, our Wrathful Soul Hall has nearly a thousand people scattered throughout Pingyang County. Notifying them is fine, but getting them to come over in an hour might be difficult..."

"What? You can't do it?" Xia Jin glanced at the other person, but the chill emanating from him made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Fu Sandao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

What to do? This is clearly forcing myself.

If it can be done, then it's a success.

If you can't do it, you die.

It's that simple.

"I can do it! I can do it!" Fu Sandao swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and hurriedly said, "Rest assured, sir, one hour, one hour! I will definitely summon all the disciples of the Wrathful Soul Hall to appear before you!"

Xia Jin nodded in satisfaction, and with a slight wave of her long, slender fingers, said, "Go."

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away!"

Fu Sandao bowed and took several steps back before turning around and quickly walking out of the main hall.

Only after his figure completely disappeared outside the hall did his confidants snap out of their daze and hurriedly follow him out.

Outside the main hall, Fu Sandao walked briskly, his fawning smile vanishing completely after turning the first corner, replaced by a gloomy expression.

Instead of immediately summoning his disciples, he first called upon a few trusted confidants and quickly ordered, "You lot, immediately notify all the Wrathful Soul Hall disciples in Pingyang County that they must assemble at the mountain gate within one hour! Anyone who dares to be late will have to commit suicide in front of me!"

"Lord, are we really going to summon the others? One hour is way too rushed!"

"Yes, Lord! Just who are those two? With so many of us, are we afraid of them? Why don't we all attack together and take them down first?" The confidants exchanged glances, and one of the middle-aged men with a goatee revealed a fierce expression.

"Shut up! What a bunch of idiots!! Attack together? What do you think your strength is? Those two might be powerful experts at the Great Power Realm, and you few mere seventh-level Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators think you can take them down? Hmph!! If you want to die, don't drag me into it!!"

Fu Sandao couldn't help but curse, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"Hurry up! I told you to go, so go now! If you dare utter another word of nonsense, I'll kill you all first! Go now!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Several trusted confidants dared not say another word and transformed into streaks of light, rushing towards the gates of the Wrathful Soul Palace.

Fu Sandao watched their departing figures, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He too transformed into a streak of light and sped towards the outside of the Hall of Wrathful Souls.

However, he did not summon the so-called disciples of the Wrathful Soul Hall. Instead, after crossing several mountain ranges, he went directly to a mountain villa in a valley.

This was his secret lair, known to no one but himself.

Fu Sandao slipped into his room, closed the door behind him, and quickly walked to the bedside, pressing hard on a spot on the wall.

With a soft "click," a hidden compartment appeared in the wall.

In the hidden compartment, a gray storage bag lay quietly.

Fu Sandao grabbed the storage bag in his hand, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm that all the belongings he had accumulated over the years were still there, and then let out a long breath.

"Hmph!" He sneered, his eyes full of smugness. "Do you really think I'm an idiot?"

He carefully put the storage bag away, glancing around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, while muttering to himself, "Those two are definitely not kind people. Once I gather my men, they'll never let me go. Do you think I can't see that? People like that coming to the Hall of Wrathful Souls is clearly aimed at the entire sect!"

"In that case, we might as well escape now."

He stuffed the last few items into his storage bag and walked to the entrance of the manor.

"Once I leave Pingyang County, where in this Mirage Realm can't I go? With my strength, I can easily join any force or live in seclusion, which is better than living in constant fear."

Fu Sandao's lips curled up slightly, and with a leap, he sped off toward the border of Pingyang County.

He fled in the opposite direction from the entrance of the Wrathful Soul Palace, clearly having planned his escape route in advance.

As for those confidants who are still recruiting disciples for him.

There was not a trace of remorse in Fu Sandao's eyes.

Those people have followed him for so many years, they've enjoyed what they deserve, it's time for them to get rid of some trouble for him.

......

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Hall of Wrathful Souls,

Xia Jin remained lazily leaning against the throne, while Zhou Suxin changed her posture, sitting sideways on his lap, playing with a stray strand of her hair in one hand, occasionally brushing the end of her hair lightly against Xia Jin's cheek with a hint of teasing.

"Husband," Zhou Suxin glanced at the moon outside and suddenly said, "Do you think that Lord of the Hall of Wrathful Souls...did he take the opportunity to escape?"

"Half an hour has passed. If we were to send out a message, we should have done so by now. The other person should be back in the main hall by now."

Xia Jin grabbed her mischievous hand, a meaningful smile flashing in her eyes: "Don't worry, even if he wants to escape, he can't."

Zhou Suxin raised an eyebrow.

Xia Jin said calmly, "I left a divine thought on him. If he dares to leave Pingyang County, he will only face death."

"Huh? Husband, when did you do this? How come I didn't know?" Zhou Suxin was a little surprised. She had been leaning against Xia Jin's chest the whole time and hadn't noticed anything at all.

"Just when you slapped him," Xia Jin smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "wait a little longer, an hour will be up soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Suxin smiled and playfully scolded, "Husband, I didn't realize you were so cunning."

Xia Jin chuckled softly, "How can you not be careful when dealing with an old fox like that?"

......

Time passed by, second by second.

Outside the main hall, scattered disciples of the Wrathful Soul Hall had begun to gather. At first, there were only a few dozen, but the number gradually increased to a hundred, two hundred, five hundred...

The trusted men whom Fu Sandao had sent out to inform his disciples were running back and forth, but the further they went, the more anxious they became.

Everyone else was almost assembled, but Fu Sandao, the acting hall master, seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

As the one-hour deadline drew ever closer, the beads of sweat on the foreheads of those trusted men grew ever denser.

"An hour has passed, is everyone here?"

Xia Jin's voice came directly from the main hall.

He put his arm around Zhou Suxin's waist and stood up, and the two walked out of the main hall side by side.

Outside the main hall, the spacious training ground was packed with people.

Nearly a thousand disciples of the Hall of Wrathful Souls were arranged according to their respective halls. Some looked terrified, some were bewildered, and some had anger and resentment in their eyes.

But when they saw Xia Jin and Zhou Suxin walking out of the main hall, all the noise disappeared in an instant.

All eyes were focused on the two figures. Before they arrived, they had been told that the two officials who had summoned them were absolutely not to be offended.

Otherwise, they will be dealt with according to the patriarchal system!

Xia Jin's gaze swept across the faces of nearly a thousand disciples of the Wrathful Soul Hall, then a murderous intent flashed in her eyes.

Just as he had predicted, Fu Sandao seized the opportunity to escape.

"You really ran away? But can you really escape?" He tilted his head slightly, looking towards the border of Pingyang County, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Xia Jin stretched out his hand, and a wisp of mortal sword intent slowly emerged in his palm.