People Kneeling All Over Divine Power

Azure Cloud City, a certain teahouse.

"Brother Li, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"An incredible treasure fell from the sky!"

"A treasure? What kind of treasure?"

"You saw that flash of white light a few days ago, didn't you?"

"I saw it. It flashed across the sky. I thought someone was undergoing a tribulation."

"That wasn't a tribulation! It was a treasure being born! Rumor has it that an ancient Dao artifact flew in from beyond the heavens and landed exactly at the Heaven Derivation Sect on Azure Cloud Mountain!"

"You mean... that Heaven Derivation Sect that raises ants?"

"Of course! I just came back from Azure Cloud Mountain and saw it with my own eyes! Unfortunately, I don't have the skills and didn't dare to go up. Brother Li, if you're interested, you could go try your luck."

"This..."

"If you manage to get the treasure, you'll reach the heavens in a single bound! Brother Li, how many years have you been stuck at the fifth level of Qi Condensation? Don't you want to break through?"

"...I do."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Alright! I'll go take a look!"

"Then I wish Brother Li good luck!"

"Many thanks, Brother Wang!"

The two parted ways. Li Mo left Azure Cloud City, his steps swift as he headed straight for Azure Cloud Mountain.

He had been an independent cultivator for over ten years, his cultivation stuck at the fifth level of Qi Condensation without any progress. He had long hoped for a miraculous encounter to turn his life around.

In less than half an hour, he arrived at the foot of Azure Cloud Mountain.

Just as he turned the corner, he saw the legendary ant grave.

A simple mourning shed was set up in front of the grave, and the yellow paper in the brazier was burning vigorously.

Li Mo subconsciously stopped in his tracks and looked closely. Engraved on the stone stele were the words, Tomb of the Heaven Derivation Sect's Spirit Pet, Lord Ant Immortal, and the signature read, Respectfully erected by Zhao Feng.

Li Mo's heart skipped a beat. He quickly shrank his neck back and softened his footsteps, not even daring to breathe loudly.

No wonder the entire Azure Cloud City was spreading the rumor that Zhao Feng had gone mad. A dignified peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, a prominent figure in Azure Cloud City, was actually wearing mourning clothes for an ant here.

He didn't dare to look more, let alone step forward to strike up a conversation. Sticking close to the grass by the roadside, he tiptoed around it.

Even though Zhao Feng had already been expelled from his sect, he was still not someone a mere independent cultivator could afford to offend.

Li Mo quickened his pace, following the mountain path deeper into Azure Cloud Mountain.

The further up he went, the more remote the mountain path became. Even the sounds of insects and birds grew sparse, making the surroundings eerily quiet.

Just as Li Mo was starting to feel a bit creeped out, he suddenly saw a dense crowd of people kneeling in a circle on the clearing ahead.

While he was still in a daze, a sharp-eyed cultivator in the crowd spotted him and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "249! 249!"

"What 249?"

Li Mo was completely baffled. His curiosity overcame his slight unease, and he took a few steps forward.

"Fellow Daoists, what are you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the moment his left foot stepped into the circle formed by the crowd, the muscles all over his body suddenly stopped listening to his commands.

With a muffled thud, he knelt solidly on the bluestone slab. His knees ached from the impact, but no matter how hard Li Mo tried, he couldn't stand up.

In the moment of his confusion, the dozens of kneeling people around him suddenly shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the valley:

"250!"

"250!"

"250!"

...

Li Mo was completely dumbfounded, his mind a blank slate. Immediately after, a chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his skull, nearly scaring his soul away.

What was going on?

Why had his body suddenly lost control?

"Dao... Daoist friend... what... what exactly is going on here?"

Li Mo's voice trembled as he turned his head and shakily asked a middle-aged cultivator who was also kneeling beside him.

The middle-aged cultivator turned his head, a calm smile of an experienced person on his face, and spoke in a very relaxed tone, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, little brother. Don't panic."

"As long as you obediently kneel for a full twenty-four hours, this invisible force will automatically release, and you'll be able to leave then."

Li Mo was even more confused. He stared wide-eyed and asked, "Why... why do we have to kneel for twenty-four hours? What crime did we commit?"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know? Then how do you know we have to kneel for twenty-four hours?"

The middle-aged cultivator raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Then let me ask you, who told you to come to this Heaven Derivation Sect?"

Li Mo blurted out, "It... it was Brother Wang from Azure Cloud City. He told me a treasure had descended here and told me to come try my luck."

"Oh, you're talking about Old Wang."

The middle-aged cultivator nodded in understanding.

"His number is 80..."

Li Mo was speechless.

...

Seven days later.

"Finally, some peace and quiet!"

Lin Yan lay on the rocking chair in the courtyard, rubbing his throbbing temples with a look of utter despair.

He didn't know which thousand-cuts-deserving bastard had spread the rumor behind his back that his Heaven Derivation Sect was hiding an ancient supreme treasure that fell from the sky.

Good heavens, the independent cultivators of Azure Cloud City swarmed into the mountains wave after wave, like flies smelling blood. From novices at the first level of Qi Condensation to seasoned veterans at the early Foundation Establishment stage, there were at least eight hundred of them, if not a thousand.

Thank goodness he had drawn the Law of Spoken Words ability; otherwise, it really would have been hard to handle.

Of course, Lin Yan had initially thought about taking the opportunity to open the mountain gates and recruit disciples widely.

But when the system scanned them, well, not a single one had a loyalty level over 60 percent.

Every single damn one of them was here for the treasure.

Looking at this group of forty or fifty-year-old independent cultivators, some of whom already had one foot in the grave, Lin Yan completely lost interest.

Even if he didn't require every disciple to be as soft, cute, and obedient as Liu Ruyan, they couldn't be some old geezer who didn't like to bathe, right?

Consequently, Lin Yan simply activated the Law of Spoken Words and set a rule: anyone who came up without permission had to kneel for a day first.

Only then did Lin Yan realize the terrifying nature of the Law of Spoken Words. Although it couldn't directly kill anyone, it could do so indirectly!

Kneeling for a day was fine, but what about kneeling for a year?

Even if a Golden Core ancestor came, they wouldn't be able to stand kneeling there for a year without food or drink, right?

Now, seven days had passed, and the news had spread.

Whether there was a treasure on Azure Cloud Mountain or not was unknown, but it was best not to go up there!

Even independent cultivators stopped addressing each other by name when greeting one another; they started using their numbers.

This could be considered a major characteristic of the independent cultivator community in Azure Cloud City.

Just as Lin Yan was leisurely rocking in his chair, calculating what snacks he should exchange for his little disciple today, the system's notification sound suddenly rang in his mind:

Ding! Detected that disciple Liu Ruyan has successfully comprehended the divine ability: Great Yin Desolate Imprisoning Finger. Sect points plus 200!

Lin Yan froze for a moment.

Divine ability?

What was a divine ability?

Before he could react, the door of the east wing creaked open.

A small figure skipped out happily.

Liu Ruyan had changed into a new outfit today, a Hanfu that Lin Yan had exchanged from the system mall two days ago.

A moon-white chest-high ruqun, with pale silver cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and an ice-blue silk ribbon tied around her waist. It perfectly complemented her fair, tender little face and jet-black long hair, making her look like a little fairy stepping out of a painting.

"Master!"

The little girl tapped her toes lightly, her body floating gracefully across the courtyard, landing steadily behind Lin Yan.

Her movements were smooth and flowing, without a trace of mortal heaviness.

Before Lin Yan could react, a pair of soft little hands rested on his shoulders and began to massage him with just the right amount of pressure.

"Master, the sun is so bright today. How long have you been basking? Do you want Yan'er to pour you a cup of tea?"

After these past few days of interaction, Liu Ruyan had completely lost her initial reserve.

She no longer dropped to her knees to bow at the drop of a hat, nor did she speak with extreme caution.

However, massaging the shoulders and kneading the legs of her Master on the recliner every day was an unshakeable, mandatory task.

"Master, I have good news for you!"

Liu Ruyan said excitedly while massaging his shoulders, the joy in her voice unable to be hidden.

"Your disciple has completely comprehended a divine ability!"

"A divine ability?"

Lin Yan was still completely in the dark about the cultivation system of this world.

Aside from knowing the names of realms like Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core, he knew nothing else, let alone what a divine ability was.

"Mm-hmm!"

The little girl nodded vigorously, her black ponytail swaying along.

"The Lunar Emperor Sutra you imparted to me is an Emperor-tier cultivation technique, which comes with nine divine abilities."

"Starting from Foundation Establishment, every time I break through a major realm, I can comprehend one divine ability."

"When your disciple broke through to Foundation Establishment seven days ago, I had a faint sensing of it, and today I finally comprehended it completely!"

"This divine ability is called—Lunar Desolate Imprisoning Finger."

Liu Ruyan explained the ins and outs of the divine ability in one breath, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

Lin Yan smiled and patted her small hand: "Yan'er is so amazing! Show it to Master?"

"Okay!"

Liu Ruyan's eyes lit up, she released the small hands massaging his shoulders, and bounded to the center of the courtyard.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The next moment—

The little girl suddenly opened her eyes.

A silver-white light flashed across those clear eyes.

She raised her right hand, extended her index finger, and tapped lightly toward a small hill in the distance.

The movement was very light, as light as if she were poking a butterfly.

But Lin Yan clearly felt the temperature in the entire courtyard drop sharply.

Two breaths later, Lin Yan looked at the small hill in the distance that had been flattened, and was completely dumbfounded.

Seven days had passed, and he now had 16 years of cultivation.

But Lin Yan felt that if he didn't rely on the absolute defense of the [Guarding the Mountain Gate] entry, he definitely wouldn't be able to take this finger.

In other words, he would die very peacefully!

"Master! Master! How did Yan'er do?"

Liu Ruyan retracted her cultivation technique and instantly transformed back into that soft and fluffy little loli, with her hands behind her back and her small chest puffed out high.

Lin Yan snapped back to his senses and hastily gave a thumbs-up.

"Amazing! Too amazing! Our Yan'er is truly a peerless genius, much more amazing than Master!"

Liu Ruyan's eyes curved into crescents, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, and she threw herself to Lin Yan's side, hugging his arm and shaking it.

"Master is the most amazing one!"

Thinking of the group of people kneeling in front of the mountain gate these past few days, the little girl's eyes were full of little stars of admiration.

It was just a pity that no one had come these past few days, and she couldn't see her Master displaying his divine might.

...

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain, in front of the ant grave.

Zhao Feng burned the last piece of yellow paper; the flames licked the edge of the paper, curling, blackening, turning to ash, and scattering with the wind.

He slowly stood up.

Having knelt for seven days, his knees were already numb, and when he stood up, his leg bones emitted crisp cracking sounds.

Right at this moment, a sinister voice came from behind him.

"Zhao Feng, next it's time to settle our accounts."

Zhao Feng paused his steps, his pupils shrinking slightly.

He turned around.

At the end of the mountain path, a group of people had appeared at some unknown time.

The leader was a middle-aged man in black clothes, with a gaunt face, sunken eye sockets, and a half-smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

It was exactly the Outer Sect Elder of the Earth Blade Sect, the general overseer of Qingyun City affairs, Wu Shan.

Behind him were a dozen or so disciples of the Earth Blade Sect, uniformly dressed in black martial attire, with long blades slung at their waists, exuding murderous intent.

Zhao Feng recognized a few of them.

An outer sect deacon at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, a core disciple at the early-Foundation Establishment stage... all of them were Foundation Establishment combatants.

A full twelve people.

Zhao Feng's heart sank.

Wu Shan had his hands behind his back and walked over leisurely. His gaze swept over that ant grave, and the mockery at the corner of his mouth grew thicker.

"You're quite smart, knowing that you were expelled by the Heavenly Sword Sect and lost the sect's protection, you first sent your family away and ran off."

"However, since you didn't run away, let's properly settle the accounts between us over these years."

Before his words had even fallen, Wu Shan didn't give Zhao Feng any chance to react at all. He violently waved his hand and shouted sternly: "Get him! Cripple him!"

The Earth Blade Sect disciples behind him instantly swarmed forward. The crisp sounds of ring-pommel sabers being unsheathed connected into a continuous sheet, and the biting cold saber lights, facing the mountain wind, slashed toward the vital points all over Zhao Feng's body!

"Wu Shan! You dare!"

Zhao Feng forced back the two people in front of him with one sword strike and shouted angrily: "The grudges between you and me, let's settle them one-on-one! What kind of skill is it to rely on numbers?!"

"Skill? Being able to kill you is skill!"

Wu Shan gave a sinister laugh and also charged forward with his saber. The ring-pommel saber carried a fierce and sharp wind, slashing straight at Zhao Feng's face.

"Back then, when you led people to destroy my Earth Blade Sect's market and killed my blood brother, why didn't you say one-on-one? Today, I will make you pay blood for blood!"

Saber lights and sword shadows instantly clashed together. Zhao Feng gritted his teeth and held on desperately, relying on more than ten years of slaughtering experience to dash left and right amidst the siege.

But two fists are no match for four hands, let alone there was an opponent of the same rank, Wu Shan, pinning him down tenaciously.

Just at the moment when he turned sideways to parry a slash from Wu Shan, when his old strength had faded and his new strength was not yet born, an Earth Blade Sect deacon at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage behind him seized the opening and viciously slashed his back with a saber!

"Pfft—"

The saber blade entered the flesh, deep enough to see the bone.

Zhao Feng let out a muffled groan, and a mouthful of fresh blood violently spurted out. His figure staggered, and a huge opening instantly appeared in front of him.

"The chance has come!"

The fierce light in Wu Shan's eyes surged violently. He struck out a palm without hesitation, holding back none of his peak Foundation Establishment spiritual qi, and viciously imprinted it on Zhao Feng's dantian!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud noise, like a watermelon being forcefully smashed to pieces.

Zhao Feng, like a kite with a broken string, fell heavily to the ground. Mouthful after mouthful of black blood vomited from his mouth, and a heart-tearing, lung-splitting severe pain came from his lower abdomen.

The originally surging spiritual qi, like floodwaters bursting a dam, instantly dissipated cleanly.

His dantian was shattered!

Wu Shan withdrew his palm, walked slowly in front of him, and viciously ground his toes against his injured back, his face full of savage pleasure:

"Zhao Feng, oh Zhao Feng, you also have today? Back then, when you walked sideways in Qingyun City, did you ever think you would end up in this state?"

Zhao Feng lay on his stomach on the ground, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and glared fiercely at Wu Shan.

"Hmph! The winner becomes king, and the loser becomes a bandit; there's nothing much to say! If you want to kill or slice me up, do as you please! Cut the crap here!"

In his life, it wasn't that he had never bowed his head.

Facing Lin Yan of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, who was unfathomable and suspected to be a Golden Core or even Nascent Soul old monster, he could kowtow and admit his mistakes, and wear mourning clothes to guard the grave for seven days.

That was reverence for absolute strength, being someone who understood the times.

But facing Wu Shan, this old opponent he had fought with for over a decade, asking him to kowtow and beg for mercy, to lick the other party's shoe soles, Zhao Feng would rather die!

"Kill you?"

Wu Shan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, suddenly throwing his head back and laughing heartily, his laughter full of viciousness.

"Killing you, that would be letting you off too easily!"

I want you alive. I want you to live a long, miserable life so you can watch my Earth Saber Sect devour every last inch of the Heavenly Sword Sect's territory in Azure Cloud City. I want you to watch yourself survive like a stray dog!

His smile vanished in an instant. Turning to the subordinates behind him, he barked a vicious order: Men! Break all four of his limbs! Throw him into the beggar's slum by the south gate of Azure Cloud City! Make him beg for scraps at the city gates every single day!

Unless I give the word, no one is to let him leave! I want the entire Azure Cloud City to witness the wretched end of the once-peerless Zhao Feng!