"You... are the Immortal Monarch?" The Clan Leader muttered after snapping out of his daze.
"Do you really expect me to believe such nonsense?"
Yuan smiled and said, "You donât have to believe me immediately, as Iâll show you evidence in just a moment."
"A-Are you really going to kill Bai Xutao?" The Clan Leader asked with a deep frown on his face.
"If you had raised him properly, he wouldnât be in this situation."
In the next moment, Yuan activated Forbidden Blood Extraction on Bai Xutao.
Instantly, the entire sky darkened, as though the heavens themselves were displeased, casting an ominous shadow over the valley.
Nothing had happened when Yuan used the Forbidden Blood Extraction in the Primal Expanse, for there was no âheavenâ there to respond.
But now, back in the Nine Heavens, the technique invoked Heavenâs wrath, as it was a heaven-defying power that the heavens did not want to exist.
The dark clouds rumbled ominously, as if the heavens themselves were warning Yuan to stop.
But Yuan paid no heed, his focus unwavering as he continued to activate the Forbidden Blood Extraction, unshaken by the growing threat above him.
"Heâs invoked Heavenâs Judgment! And it doesnât seem to be a small one!" the elders exclaimed in shock, their eyes drawn to the dark clouds swirling above their territory.
"What the hell is he trying to do?!"
As everyone watched in stunned silence, Bai Xutao, still frozen in midair, suddenly screamed in agony. Blood began pouring from his eyes, nose, and ears, staining the air around him.
Seeing that Yuan ignored the warning, the heavens unleashed its judgment upon him, striking with a massive bolt of lightning far more powerful than what Yuan had faced at the Frozen Cloud Ethereal Sect.
BANG!
The bolt was so thick and colossal that it engulfed both Yuan and the Clan Leader entirely, swallowing them in a blinding flash of raw power.
"Clan Leader!!!" The elders cried out in terror, their eyes wide with fear as they saw him struck by Heavenâs Judgment.
But their panic quickly shifted to relief when the dust cleared, revealing the Clan Leader, who was only slightly injured.
However, their eyes widened in disbelief when they saw Yuan emerge from the chaos, completely unharmed by the devastating attack.
Yuan gazed up at the dark clouds with a mocking smile. "Didnât you learn anything from the last time? You wonât get rid of me with that pathetic power!"
The dark clouds above him responded instantly, expanding massively, its ominous presence now covering the entire Heavenly White Valley, stretching across hundreds of thousands of miles.
"Heavens!"
Seeing the overwhelming power above, the elders and everyone else scrambled for their lives, including the Clan Leader, who had finally regained control of his body after the lightning strike.
Yet Yuan remained rooted in place, unfazed, as he continued extracting the blood essence from Bai Xutao.
When the process was complete, the heavens responded with its second Heavenâs Judgmentâa strike so powerful and devastating that it sent a tremor through the entire Eighth Heaven for a brief moment, startling experts throughout the realm.
As the attack subsided and the dust settled, a massive crater was revealed.
Despite the catastrophic force of the attack, Yuan remained completely unharmed, his Flawless Heavenly Physique rendering Heavenâs Judgment utterly useless against him.
"If this is all youâve got, I guess you donât really mind me using this technique."
Yuan continued the Forbidden Blood Extraction on Bai Xutao, but due to the complexity of Bai Xutaoâs cultivation and the volatile nature of his situation, the process was taking far longer than Yuan had anticipated.
Realizing its efforts were futile against Yuan, the Heavens withdrew, and the dark clouds slowly dissipated, leaving behind a clear sky once more.
Seeing this, everyone returned to spectating Yuanâs actions.
"What is he doing to the Young Master?"
"That bastard is forcefully extracting his blood essence!"
"What?! Such a technique exists?!"
"What a fearsome technique!"
The members of the Heavenly White Tiger Clan were stunned and terrified by Yuanâs mythical technique, their minds slowly grasping the reason behind his invocation of Heavenâs Judgment.
"That technique... Itâs definitely Forbidden Blood Extraction..." The Eleventh Elder suddenly muttered, his body trembling in fear and awe.
"You know about it?" The others turned to look at him for answers.
"You would know as well if youâd spend some time in our familyâs archive," said the Eleventh Elder. "According to our Ancestor, the Forbidden Blood Extraction is one of the Immortal Monarchâs techniques, used to extract a beastâs blood essence forcefully."
"Are you saying that heâs the real deal? That the Immortal Monarch has returned?"
The Eleventh Elder nodded nervously, his mind racing as he suddenly recalled the vial of blood he had destroyed.
âFuck... Did I actually destroy the Immortal Monarchâs blood...?â The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he desperately hoped it wasnât true. The guilt would be unbearable if it were.
"Forbidden Blood Extraction..." The Clan Leader stood at a distance, his gaze vacant. Like the Eleventh Elder, he recognized the technique. Yet, even with the undeniable evidence before him, he struggled to accept the truthâthat Yuan was the Immortal Monarch. No, he refused to believe it.
If Yuan was truly the Immortal Monarch, then there was no saving his son, Bai Xutao.
Meanwhile, Bai Ning collapsed to her knees, her expression twisted with an emotion that seemed to mirror the anguish of the worst breakup imaginable. As the Immortal Monarchâs most ardent admirer, there was no mistaking his technique.
Yet, much like the Clan Leader, she refused to believe it. For if she did, it would mean that she had fought the Immortal Monarch and sought to end his life on more than one occasion. It was a reality that she didnât want to accept.
Unfortunately for her, there was simply too much evidence that supported Yuan being the Immortal Monarch.
"What have I done...?" Bai Ning muttered in a low voice as she came to accept reality.