Stone Harmony was a downtrodden place but people here have still heard of the title Puresword along with the Mu Clan.

In their eyes, the emperor was an untouchable existence above the firmament - completely invincible.

As for the Mu, they have been famous for generations and dominated Imperial, virtually peerless. It could easily destroy any sect, regardless of the system they’re in.

But now, Li Qiye declared his intention of taking down these two beings without thinking twice. This was domineering beyond words.

In the past, people would laugh at him for being arrogant but now, they have seen his power. That’s why they were shaking with fear for this was a being above their station.

Yang Tingyu became pale before this monster. Only an emperor or an Eternal could stop him.

“Fine, I will send your message.” Tingyu gritted his teeth and left without lingering around.

Li Qiye chuckled and returned to his ruins, not bothering to check on Stoneclearing Sect.

“Unbelievable...” Some sat on the ground while the more cowardly has already peed in their pants.

“Since when does our city have such a monstrous person?” They felt as if there was a primordial beast slumber in the ruins now. It would smash someone to a pulp if bothered.

They glanced at each other, not knowing when Li Qiye came to Mingluo.

“Is he a supreme genius from our system?” One youth fantasized.

A senior immediately chastised him with a slap to the back of the head: “Are you still sleeping? Our withered system can’t produce this level of genius, not even if we exchange every bit of resources.”

“Yes, our system can’t handle someone like that.” The rest smiled wryly.

Meanwhile, the disciples from Stoneclearing finally calmed down. A few that were paralyzed on the ground finally got up: “It’s finally over, we’re saved.”

They should be excited right now after the utter defeat of Luo Faction and Yang Tingyu, but this wasn’t the case.

Only fear remained even after Li Qiye was long gone. Even their teeth were still chattering. If they were to catch the tiniest glimpse of him right now, they would immediately get on their knees, lacking the courage to even look at him.

This being was too supreme and oppressive.

Lin Yixue took a while before calming down as well. She returned to Wu Youzheng’s side.

“Your effort has borne fruit since you managed to invite the young noble to save the sect.” Youzheng heaved a sigh of relief to see that she was fine.

She smiled back, still a bit discombobulated from current events. Just a few days ago, she was rather impolite towards Li Qiye, even going as far as threatening to teach him a lesson.

She was full of confidence about beating him up if he continued to spread the rumors.

But now, she realized that she was only a sheep prancing in front of a primordial beast. It could easily consume her and she wouldn’t satiate its appetite in the slightest.

She found herself to be very ignorant and amusing back then, no different from a clown. Li Qiye was very merciful by not flicking her to death.

Moreover, he even saved Stoneclearing - displaying his benevolence and generosity.

She contemplated the immensity of the outside world. These supreme beings were too far away and how impossible it was to catch up.

“Xue’er.” Youzheng raised his voice, bringing her back from her reflection.

“Master.” She looked at him.

“Gather your things because we need to leave now.” Youzheng told her.

“We’re still leaving, Master?” She looked a bit confused.

“Yes, we can’t stay here even if that disaster doesn’t come.” Youzheng stared towards the horizon.

“Why?” Yixue didn’t understand.

“It won’t be long before the great army of the Mu comes here, personally led by the True Emperor. They won’t let anyone challenge their authority.” He gently sighed: “Our city will turn into a battlefield then. Just one little exchange and it might become ashes. No, even the entire system might suffer this fate.”

He became dejected but there was nothing else he could do. What he needed to focus on was an evacuation for both his disciples and the regular citizens.

She quietly nodded and gathered her stuff. As they were leaving, she couldn’t help staring towards the ruins.

From now on, she might not be able to meet that man again since they were from two different worlds. In the end, she sighed and followed her seniors out of Mingluo City.

After this battle, people in Mingluo avoided the ruins as much as they could. They stay far away from the entrance even if they needed to pass by it.

Luo Faction fell in one night. The black legion consisted of their elites, acting as the pillars and the strongest fighting force. Losing it was a great blow.

Yang Tingyu’s departure left them in a chaotic state - like a snake without its head. Many disciples thought that Li Qiye was coming for them as well so they started to flee during the night.

Because of this, no one interfered with the evacuation effort from Stoneclearing. Due to Youzheng’s reputation, many inhabitants agreed to follow him.

They knew that a disaster was approaching so they gathered their stuff to leave the city.

Of course, some chose to stay since the city was their home. They needed it to survive or at least wanted to protect it. It was better to die here than some other places.

Some cultivators were running as well, albeit in fewer numbers compared to the mortals.

“Why are you in such a hurry? A disaster might not come, but even if it does, we can still run then.” Others disagreed.

“Nonsense, putting that disastrous rumor aside, the Mu is coming too. When that army comes, it’s over for Mingluo.” A runner snorted.

All in all, it didn’t take long before the city had less than one-half of its original population. It became quieter than before.

“It’s over for Mingluo.” A few older cultivators knew about the potential complications but chose not to leave.

“Why aren’t you running away then?” Someone asked them.

“Where to?” One old man among the group responded: “Not just this city but all of Stone Harmony will be affected by the great battle when the Mu army gets here. Since we’ll die anyway, we might as well stick around and catch a glimpse of a battle at the imperial level. That’s not a bad way to go.”

His peers found this to be a reasonable take.