At the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
The time goes back to fifteen minutes ago.
"Lord True Monarch, that is Qingyun Mountain ahead."
Li Canglan, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, led an old man with an extremely respectful attitude.
The only person who could make Li Canglan, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, act so respectfully was none other than Han Lie, an elder of the Biluo Sect.
Han Lie wore a dark red robe. He had a square face, a short beard on his chin, and pitch-black hair, making it impossible to tell his exact age.
His pace was not fast, but with every step he took, the soil beneath his feet would sink slightly, as if pressed by an invisible giant hand.
It wasn't intentional; the spiritual energy within his body was simply too profound, so profound that his body instinctively repelled the earth.
"I was delayed for a few days to stabilize my realm, which allowed that person to live a few days longer."
Beside him, Lu Hanshan, the Sect Master of the Earth Blade Sect, quickly cupped his hands with a face full of smiles.
"Congratulations, Lord True Monarch, on breaking through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm! With you taking action this time, that thief will surely be captured without a fight!"
The elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Earth Blade Sect following behind also nodded in agreement, chiming in to flatter him.
"Congratulations, Lord True Monarch!"
"With Lord True Monarch taking action, nothing can go wrong!"
"The doomsday of the Tianyan Sect has arrived!"
...
A month ago, Li Canglan, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, went to the Biluo Sect to ask for help, and happened to meet Lu Hanshan, the Sect Master of the Earth Blade Sect.
The two old rivals, who had been fighting for half their lives, exchanged a glance and reached a tacit understanding: they would first join forces to eliminate the threat on Qingyun Mountain, and then resume their fighting later.
They exaggerated the situation at the Biluo Sect, describing the person on Qingyun Mountain as being at the great perfection of the Golden Core realm, or perhaps even having broken through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Hearing that a second Nascent Soul faction might appear in Cangwu County, the Biluo Sect naturally could not sit still.
In the end, the task fell on Han Lie, who had just broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm and had a fierce personality.
Han Lie ranked third in the Biluo Sect's Elder Hall. He had a fiery temper and a personality like a raging inferno. Having just broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, he was itching to find someone to test his skills on.
Upon receiving the task, he agreed without a second thought.
However, it took him some time to consolidate his realm, so his departure was delayed for a month.
At this moment, Han Lie led two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators and eight early-stage Golden Core cultivators—virtually the entire high-end combat power of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Earth Blade Sect—marching grandly toward Qingyun Mountain.
The lineup was incredibly luxurious!
The group soon arrived at the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
The rogue cultivators at the foot of the mountain were burning incense in front of the ant grave when they suddenly felt their breath catch and their legs go soft, as if something was pressing down on their shoulders.
Passersby turned their heads one after another. When they saw the newcomers clearly, they were all dumbfounded, and the incense and offerings in their hands dropped to the ground with a clatter.
"That... that's Sect Master Li of the Heavenly Sword Sect!"
"And Sect Master Lu of the Earth Blade Sect!"
"My god, that's Elder Wang... and Elder Sun..."
"Golden Core... they are all Golden Core ancestors..."
A low gasp erupted from the crowd, and everyone subconsciously stepped back.
"What are they trying to do? Are they going to start a war with the Tianyan Sect?"
"Definitely! Previously, Zhao Feng crippled the outer sect elders of both sects and threw them at the city gates to be beggars. With such a deep grudge, how could they just let it go!"
A month ago, Zhao Feng had crippled Wu Shan and Li Mo and tossed them at the city gates as beggars. This incident had caused an uproar in Qingyun City.
Everyone thought the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Earth Blade Sect would retaliate immediately, but after waiting a whole month, absolutely nothing happened.
People assumed they were afraid.
But now, with the Golden Core auras of the two major sects pressing down simultaneously, everyone understood.
They weren't afraid.
They were just preparing for something massive.
"Ten... eleven Golden Core experts..."
Someone counted, their voice changing pitch.
Let alone eleven, many people hadn't even seen a single Golden Core expert in their entire lives.
At this moment, with eleven Golden Core experts standing before them, the oppressive feeling made many people's legs tremble, and a few timid ones simply collapsed onto the ground.
Just as everyone was talking animatedly, Han Lie frowned and impatiently released his aura.
The majestic and vast pressure of a Nascent Soul expert swept across the foot of the mountain instantly, like Mount Tai pressing down.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Timid passersby simply went weak at the knees, kneeling on the ground and trembling like leaves.
Even the rogue cultivators at the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages turned pale, bending over and not daring to lift their heads.
"Nascent Soul! It's a Nascent Soul True Monarch!" someone exclaimed, their voice filled with fear.
The scene completely exploded.
Nascent Soul!
That was a legendary figure!
In the entirety of Cangwu County, publicly, only the Biluo Sect had a Nascent Soul expert.
At this moment, a Nascent Soul True Monarch stood at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, releasing his aura and suppressing the area for miles around so heavily that not even a bird dared to fly.
"It's over, it's over, the Tianyan Sect is definitely finished this time!"
"Ten Golden Core ancestors, plus a Nascent Soul True Monarch, how can they fight that?"
"The Tianyan Sect is doomed..."
An old rogue cultivator muttered to himself, his face ashen.
He had come just yesterday to burn incense for the Ant Immortal, praying that the Ant Immortal would bless his grandson to be able to join the Tianyan Sect.
Now it seemed that stick of incense was burned in vain.
Han Lie stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing over the dumbfounded passersby and landing on the mist-shrouded mountain peak.
"Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect, come out and face your death!"
"How dare you run wild in my Cangwu County, bewitching people's minds and establishing an evil cult! Today, I shall act on behalf of the heavens, tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces, and leave not even a chicken or dog alive!"
His voice was like thunder, shaking the mountain path so much that loose stones rolled down.
Just then, a young cultivator stepped out from the small courtyard next to the ant grave.
He wore a gray short shirt with a cloth belt tied around his waist, and his cultivation was merely at the third level of Qi Condensation.
He stood at the courtyard gate and drew a longsword. His voice was not loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.
"Who goes there? How dare you act so insolently in my Tianyan Sect!"
The surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Everyone looked at the young man.
Third level of Qi Condensation.
A mere cultivator at the third level of Qi Condensation actually drew a sword against a Nascent Soul True Monarch!
Han Lie tilted his head to look over, sized him up from head to toe, and then laughed.
"Who are you?"
"An outer sect registered disciple of the Tianyan Sect, Mo Wentian."
Han Lie's mouth twitched.
Outer sect... and a fucking registered one at that!
He then looked behind Mo Wentian.
There were more than a dozen people standing at the courtyard gate, wearing similar gray short shirts to Mo Wentian. Their cultivation levels ranged from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, and each of them was pale-faced with trembling legs.
Han Lie became interested.
"You people want to stop me?"
As soon as his words fell, a series of thuds rang out.
The dozen or so people at the courtyard gate all knelt on the ground.
"This junior wouldn't dare... this junior wouldn't dare..." someone stammered, their voice trembling.
Han Lie sneered.
"I will give you a chance now. Swear to leave the Tianyan Sect, and I will let bygones be bygones."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the kneeling people one by one.
"Otherwise, I will cripple your cultivation, break your limbs, and throw you at the city gates to beg."
Upon hearing this, the kneeling people collectively gasped.
They looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Han Lie's eyes grew cold. He slowly raised his right hand, gathering spiritual energy in his palm, and a pale cyan light flowed between his fingers.
"Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, I shall grant your wish."
Suddenly, a voice exploded from the kneeling crowd.
This junior is willing to leave the Tianyan Sect!
A rogue cultivator in his thirties raised his head, his face deathly pale, his voice so loud it sounded like he was crying for help.
This junior is willing to leave the Tianyan Sect! I swear! I will swear it right now!
Once someone took the lead, the rest was easy.
This junior is also willing!
I swear! From now on, I make a clean break with the Tianyan Sect!
This junior will leave right away, right away!
Voices rang out one after another, popping up in quick succession.
In less than ten breaths of time, all the people kneeling at the courtyard gate had fled.
Only Mo Wentian remained.
He was still standing.
Han Lie looked at him, his gaze shifting, carrying a hint of appreciation.
And you? This seat will give you one more chance. Swear to leave the Tianyan Sect, and this seat will bring you into the Biluo Sect as a formal disciple.
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding bystanders instantly exploded in uproar.
What? A formal disciple of the Biluo Sect?!
My heavens! That is the number one sect in Cangwu County! So many people desperately fight to get in but cannot!
What kind of dumb luck did this kid stumble into! Hurry up and agree!
Exactly! The Tianyan Sect is about to be wiped out, what future is there in following them!
Envious, jealous, and those hating themselves for not having such luck—all kinds of voices mixed together, buzzing like a swarm of flies.
Everyone thought Mo Wentian would immediately kneel down and give thanks for this grace.
But Mo Wentian shook his head, tightly gripping the longsword in his hand, and said word by word:
Alive, I am a person of the Tianyan Sect; dead, I am a ghost of the Tianyan Sect!
Han Lie was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed aloud.
Good! What a fine 'Alive, I am a person of the Tianyan Sect; dead, I am a ghost of the Tianyan Sect'!
The laughter abruptly stopped.
Then this seat will grant your wish!
Han Lie tapped the tip of his foot, his entire body rising from the ground and hovering in mid-air.
Nascent Soul stage spiritual energy surged out like a tidal wave, forming a faint pale-green halo around his body.
He looked down at Mo Wentian from above, slowly raising his right palm. The light condensing in his palm grew brighter and brighter, increasingly dazzling, like a small sun.
He wanted to smash this person into meat paste in public.
To let everyone see the consequences of standing in the way of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
To let that Tianyan Sect Master, who was hiding on the mountain and too afraid to show his face, see exactly how his disciple died.
Suddenly!
Han Lie's body suddenly stiffened.
It was as if he had lost control of his own body!
Immediately after, Han Lie actually plummeted stiffly from mid-air.
Boom!
Dirt splattered and crushed stones shot out in all directions.
Han Lie's knees smashed heavily into the ground, kneeling right in front of Mo Wentian.
Han Lie looked up at Mo Wentian, and Mo Wentian looked down at Han Lie.
The two locked eyes.
Both were completely dumbfounded!
The people of the Heavenly Sword Sect were dumbfounded, the people of the Earth Blade Sect were dumbfounded, and the surrounding bystanders were also dumbfounded.
Wait, you are a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Just a moment ago you were hovering in the air, ready to smash someone into meat paste with a single palm strike. How did you end up kneeling to them in the blink of an eye?
What was going on?
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
1587!
1587!
Soon after, many others also reacted.
1587!
Someone else shouted.
The voices rose and fell, like a relay, spreading from one end of the crowd to the other.
1587!
1587!
1587!
The people from the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Earth Blade Sect had not even reacted yet.
What 1587?
Senior, hurry up and get up! Kneeling in front of a Qi Condensation third level nobody, where is the Biluo Sect supposed to put its face?
But immediately after, it was as if they had also thought of something.
Go!
Li Canglan's expression changed drastically, and he hastily ordered a retreat.
The Golden Core elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Earth Blade Sect instantly reacted, turning around to run.
But just as they took a single step, the same invisible force descended.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
One Nascent Soul, ten Golden Cores, kneeling neatly in a row!
Right at this moment, on the mountain path of Mount Qingyun, a figure was slowly walking down...
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
