After giving Watson an approving look, the old man continued,
"You're right. With Tiancan Laoren's talent, reaching the Dou Zun realm would have been a sure thing. But,"
the old man's voice suddenly became somewhat subdued and low, as if what he was about to say was some important secret,
"When Tiancan Laoren was at the height of his power and in the prime of his life, he encountered the most terrifying opponent of his life—Lei Zong Mang Tian Chi!"
"Mang Tian Chi!?"
Upon hearing this name, some of the white-haired elders among the many powerful figures of the Black Corner Region recalled their youth, a figure shrouded in lightning, seemingly bringing the judgment of the heavens.
Relying on this heavenly punishment-like lightning, he forcefully carved out a peaceful place in the Black Corner Region, which had been chaotic for countless ages, and even established the reputation of the number one academy on the Dou Qi Continent.
"That's right, it was Mang Tian Chi!"
The old man nodded slowly and continued, following the solemn atmosphere.
"Because of his congenital disability, even after discovering his extraordinary talent for cultivation, the Heavenly Crippled Elder's eccentric and unpredictable nature remained unavoidable. It is said that he had a particular fondness for severing the right legs of his enemies. After he ascended to the Dou Huang realm, anyone who appeared before him would have their right leg severed."
Such a twisted mindset would terrify even those of us with our lawless nature.
Even more strangely, after reaching the Dou Huang realm, he was old enough to hire an alchemist to heal his congenitally disabled right leg. However, he himself rejected this opportunity, instead forging his crippled right leg into a powerful secret technique—the Heavenly Crippled Kick!
"Back then, this so-called 'Heavenly Crippled Leg' old man was actually known in private as the 'Brain-Crippled Old Man.' Of course, although his behavior was eccentric, he never offended anyone with powerful backers."
"He roamed this Black Corner Region for nearly thirty years," the old man glanced at another old man who seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and directly voiced his question, "You want to ask why those who had their right legs cut off are nowhere to be seen now, right?"
"Hahahaha."
After seeing the old man nod, before the old man could answer, the people around suddenly burst into laughter, full of mockery.
"Old Kong, it's amazing you've survived so long in the Black Corner Region. I don't know what to say to you. Is it really true that fools are lucky?"
"Most people who have their right leg cut off die on the spot because they don't receive timely treatment. Even if they are lucky enough to survive, do you really think they can survive in this chaotic Black Corner Region?"
"Even if they escape the pursuit of others in the Black Corner Region, they will most likely leave this place and find somewhere to hide their names. Why would they stay in this lawless place?" "
Hahaha, Old Kong is really getting old. It seems it's time for you to experience the dangers of the Black Corner Region. Hehehe."
Some people kindly reminded Old Kong, while others revealed greedy eyes, scanning him up and down, which made people feel disgusted.
"Alright!"
Just then, the old man on the road shouted, stopping the many greedy eyes. The corpse of the peak Dou Wang was right in front of them, and no one really wanted to offend him.
"The reason why the Remnant Elder didn't advance to the Dou Zun realm was because he encountered the fledgling Lei Zong, who was at the peak of the Dou Wang realm and extremely young."
"Although he didn't know why such a genius would come to the chaotic Black Corner Region, the already arrogant Remnant Elder, upon sensing the lack of powerful guards around him, could no longer suppress his killing intent and jealousy."
"A young genius with even greater talent and a healthy body dared to come before him without the protection of elders! No, no, no, if I kill him today, he will no longer be a more talented prodigy than me, hahaha!" "
You probably know more or less what happened afterward. The Remnant Elder, at the Dou Huang realm, could only fight Lei Zong, a peak Dou Wang, to a standstill. In a later encounter, Lei Zong had already entered the Dou Huang realm, while the Remnant Elder remained at the intermediate Dou Huang level. At this point, a clear difference in their abilities had emerged."
"However, considering how pitiful Old Man Tiancan is, Lei Zong showed mercy and let him escape."
The old man in the pass glanced at another old man who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and this time he didn't ask any questions, but said directly.
"However, this was because Lei Zong had just arrived in the Black Corner Region and was unaware of the infamous reputation of the Heavenly Crippled Elder. Many years later, when they met again, both had reached the level of a four-star Dou Zong, and the Heavenly Crippled Elder had also perfected his Heavenly Crippled Foot technique."
"Perhaps due to the advantage of his congenital disability, this fighting technique, when used at full power, could actually approach the threshold of a quasi-Heavenly Rank fighting technique. Combined with his powerful strength as a four-star Dou Zong, even ordinary high-level Dou Zong would find it difficult to withstand."
"However, Lei Zong had also mastered a world-shaking Thunder Dao secret technique. Once unleashed, a torrent of thunder swept across the land, with lightning visibly roaring past."
"Thunderous Might!"
"I still remember Lei Zong shouting loudly, and the lightning in the sky seemed to gain sentience, under his control, bombarding the Heavenly Crippled Elder's enormous crippled foot."
"Ah, my feet, my feet!"
Both being of equal strength, they unleashed powerful fighting techniques, reducing everything within a radius of several kilometers to dust in their clash.
However, when the dust settled, the result was unexpected.
The Old Man Tiancan lay on the ground, his body blackened, radiating an aura of being scorched. Lei Zong Mangtianchi stood in the sky, expressionless, staring at the struggling Old Man Tiancan on the ground, his eyes indifferent, seemingly a true god.
Just then, Lei Zong's right palm slowly rose, the lightning surrounding him gradually converging on his hand, transforming into a lightning spear.
Just as Lei Zong was about to shoot him down, his brow suddenly furrowed, as if something had happened, and the lightning in his palm dissipated.
"Tian Can, I will spare your life today. However, if you dare to commit any evil deeds in the future, I will search the heavens and the underworld to kill you with my lightning. Do you submit?"
In his youth, Mang Tianchi presented a cold and aloof demeanor to outsiders, or perhaps that was simply his nature. It's unclear why he appeared so different when he met Xiao Yan in the original story!
"Lord Lei Zong, I submit!"
Tian Can struggled to his feet, gazing up at the young figure imbued with countless lightning bolts. He knew that if he didn't overcome this hurdle, he would live in Mang Tianchi's shadow for the rest of his life, unable to progress further.
"Lei Zong is indeed domineering!"
After the old man finished speaking, everyone finally understood why Tian Can hadn't improved—he was trapped in a demonic obsession.
"Old Man Tiancan probably has no hope of advancing any further in this lifetime," the old man on the road sighed slightly. "It's said that Lei Zong Mang Tianchi has been at the Dou Zun realm for many years, and there are even rumors that he's already charging towards the legendary Saint."
"What!?"
When the old man mentioned Dou Zun, everyone was shocked, but not entirely unable to accept it. After all, he was a super genius who had achieved Dou Zong at a young age, and a combat genius with extraordinary fighting power.
However, hearing that he had already begun to touch the legendary Saint, they couldn't help but gasp in shock, marveling at how terrifying it was.
As everyone knows, the Dou Qi Continent hasn't produced a Dou Di for tens of thousands of years. The last Dou Di of the Dou Qi Continent, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, had no family lineage. Since then, Dou Di has become a legendary being, only to be remembered.
With no Dou Di appearing for tens of thousands of years, the legendary Dou Sheng naturally became the top predator. And now, someone who was about to touch the Dou Sheng had actually stood on the land beneath their feet. Who could remain calm?
"Howl!"
Just as everyone was about to inquire more about the secrets from the old man on the road, a series of loud roars shattered their thoughts.
Slowly looking up, they saw a gigantic griffin appear in the sky, arriving in the blink of an eye.
The old man at the head was someone everyone knew all too well—the Inner Court's Grand Elder, Su Qian. And beside him, the handsome young man was undoubtedly the legendary sixth-grade peak alchemy master and Dou Zong powerhouse, Master Lin Feng!
The Black Corner Region people, who had just finished listening to the old man's story, now stared at Lin Feng's figure as he approached, as if they were seeing another "Thunder Sect" rising.
"Hahaha, Grand Elder Su Qian has finally arrived! We've been waiting for a long time!"
Just then, a hearty laugh broke the silence. Within Maple City, a figure in magnificent robes, leading several Dou Huang powerhouses, slowly ascended into the air and stood before the academy's people.
However, upon seeing the figure beside Elder Su Qian, Mo Tianxing's attitude became slightly more respectful.
"Haha, it's been a long time. I wonder how Master Lin Feng's health has been lately?"
"I'm so young, is it really appropriate for you to greet me like that?"
Lin Feng smiled, inwardly speechless. "Haha, thank you for your concern, Pavilion Master Mo. My health is quite good."
"Pavilion Master Mo," just then, Elder Su Qian slowly stepped forward and said solemnly, "And everyone from the Black Corner Region, the reason I invited you here today must have been clearly stated in the invitation."
"While Han Feng and the others were fighting to the death with the academy, you seized the fruits of our victory. This seems somewhat unreasonable."
Elder Su Qian glanced at the disdainful looks around him and became even less polite, "You're also overestimating yourselves!"
"What did you say!?"
As soon as Elder Su Qian finished speaking, a Dou Zong expert at least three meters tall shouted.
Judging from his flushed face, it seemed that if Su Qian didn't give him an explanation today, he was about to unleash a devastating blow with his hammer.
"Stop! Step back!"
Just as Elder Su Qian was about to test the strength of this burly man, a deep, gloomy shout came from behind him.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a gaunt old man appear—the current sect leader of the Thick Earth Sect—Old Man Rock!
Despite his disciple being three meters tall, while Old Man Rock was less than a meter tall, the older generation of experts did not underestimate him in the slightest.
It is said that the cultivation method of the Thick Earth Sect involves constantly traversing the depths of the earth, and before reaching the Dou Zong level, the body will continuously grow larger. The most talented can reach a size of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), but after reaching the Dou Zong level, the cultivation begins to reverse, continuously shrinking the body.
A legend circulates within the Thick Earth Sect that if someone can condense an immense amount of energy into a single point, then they have completely mastered the cultivation method.
With this concentrated power, one could easily traverse space, making it effortless to reach the Dou Zun realm.
While this old man, the Rock Elder, was still far from cultivating his physical form to the first level, everyone else was also extremely far from the Dou Zun realm.
It could be said that although the Rock Elder was only a six-star Dou Zong, the sense of threat he posed was even stronger than that of the seven-star Earth Demon Ancestor.
"Young Su Qian," the Rock Elder strode forward, immediately belittling Elder Su Qian as a junior, "Today you summoned us in the name of Canaan Academy. Speak your mind!"
"Rock Elder!"
Looking at this thin figure, Elder Su Qian felt a sense of unease. Although Elder Qian was secretly protecting him, there were simply too many Dou Zong experts present, several of whom had been Dou Zong for many years.
"Gentlemen, then I'll get straight to the point!"
Regardless, the academy's spoils had to be reclaimed. In the Black Corner Region, if your methods weren't ruthless enough, you would only face annihilation.
"As you all know, Han Feng led many powerful forces from the Black Corner Region to attack my Canaan Academy. After the academy annihilated them, some people took the opportunity to seize the treasures of these forces."
At this point, Elder Su Qian's expression turned cold as he looked at the several Dou Zong before him, speaking in a chilling voice.
"If these forces don't return these treasures, wouldn't my Canaan Academy become a laughingstock? What do you all think?"
As soon as Elder Su Qian finished speaking, the Old Man Tiancan burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, Su Qian, you youngster! Back when I fought Mang Tianchi, you were probably drinking milk in some corner. Now you have the nerve to boss me around!"
The Old Man Tiancan had disappeared after being spared by the old dean years ago, and many people thought he had died from his injuries. Who would have thought he would reappear now? Could it be that he has some trump card to fight against Mang Tianchi, who has already reached the Dou Zun realm?
Even the older generation of powerful figures knew that guardians had always existed deep within Canaan Academy.
This was the real reason they judged that Han Feng and his companions were doomed!
(End of Chapter)