The Storm is Coming

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain, right in the center of a treasured feng shui land backed by mountains and facing the water, stood a half-human-high bluestone stele.

Neatly carved on the stele was a line of text: Tomb of the Tianyan Sect's Spirit Pet, Lord Ant Immortal. The signature at the end clearly read, "Respectfully erected by disciple Zhao Feng."

A simple mourning shed was set up in front of the stele. The yellow joss paper in the brazier was burning vigorously, and the paper ashes swirled upwards with the mountain breeze.

Zhao Feng, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, wore sackcloth and a mourning band. He was expressionlessly adding yellow paper to the brazier. His movements were meticulous, and he didn't even furrow his brows, as if the one he was honoring was not an ant, but some highly respected patriarch of his sect.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is really an eye-opener."

A voice full of mockery came from outside the mourning shed. A middle-aged man wearing a black martial outfit with a ring-pommel saber slung around his waist stood in front of the grave with his arms crossed, his face written all over with banter.

It was none other than Wu Shan, the outer sect elder of the Earth Saber Sect.

The Earth Saber Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect were sworn enemies in the Qingyun Mountain area. The two factions had been fighting for territories, markets, and disciples for hundreds of years, and they had never ceased.

Wu Shan and Zhao Feng were old rivals. Both were outer sect elders responsible for the affairs around Qingyun City, and both were at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. They would fight whenever they met on normal days, wishing they could find an opportunity to rub the other's face into the dirt.

Early this morning, Wu Shan heard a report from his subordinates saying that Zhao Feng had erected a stele and a grave for an ant at the foot of the mountain, and was even wearing mourning clothes to keep vigil for seven days and seven nights.

He burst out laughing on the spot and rushed over without stopping to watch the spectacle. Sure enough, it did not disappoint him.

"I say, Zhao Feng, you are at least a dignified outer sect elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a figure of prestige in Qingyun City. Are you really wearing mourning clothes for an ant?"

Wu Shan took two steps forward, glanced down at the decent-looking ant grave, and laughed uncontrollably.

"If I were you, I would have smashed my head into a block of tofu and died of shame, saving myself from making a fool of myself here."

Zhao Feng didn't even raise his head. He added two more pieces of yellow paper to the brazier, his tone very flat.

"Wu Shan, as the outer sect elder of the Earth Saber Sect, you are qualified to come over and offer an incense stick."

As soon as these words came out, Wu Shan laughed out of sheer anger. Pointing at Zhao Feng's nose, he laughed so hard that tears almost came out:

"Hahaha, Zhao Feng, I think you've really gone mad! You actually want me to offer incense to an ant?"

"Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with a madman like you. I'm going back right now to spread your deeds throughout the entire Qingyun City!"

"I'll let everyone see how an outer sect elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect cries at a grave and observes mourning for an ant!"

After saying that, Wu Shan turned around with a loud laugh and swaggered away with his subordinates.

He had already calculated in his heart that when he got back, he would embellish the story and spread it all over Qingyun City. He absolutely had to make the Heavenly Sword Sect completely lose face.

...

Qingyun City.

The largest city at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, and also the most prosperous place within a hundred miles.

The city had hundreds of thousands of commoners; merchants gathered like clouds, and teahouses and restaurants stood in great numbers.

News traveled fast. In less than half a day, it had spread throughout the entire Qingyun City.

"Did you hear? An elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect has gone mad!"

"Ah? Which elder?"

"It's Zhao Feng, the one responsible for the affairs of our Qingyun City!"

"No way? Isn't Lord Zhao at the peak of Foundation Establishment? How could he suddenly go mad?"

"Who knows! I heard he erected a stele and a grave for an ant, and is even wearing mourning clothes!"

"An ant?"

"Yes, the kind of ant that crawls on the ground!"

"This... this is too absurd, isn't it?"

"Who says it isn't! A dignified Heavenly Sword Sect elder, a big shot at the peak of Foundation Establishment, is actually crying at an ant's grave?"

"Could it be... he suffered from cultivation deviation?"

"It's possible!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... what a pity. Peak Foundation Establishment, that's an expert of a region."

"What's a pity? It's a disgrace! The Heavenly Sword Sect's face has been completely lost by him!"

"Exactly, letting a madman be an outer sect elder, the Heavenly Sword Sect is also absurd."

"By the way, what is the background of that Tianyan Sect? It's said that the stele reads 'Tianyan Sect Spirit Pet'..."

"Tianyan Sect? Could it be that broken Daoist temple on Qingyun Mountain?"

"No way? Hasn't that been abandoned for decades?"

"Exactly! It's so dilapidated that even beggars wouldn't live there."

"Then why is Zhao Feng crying at their ant's grave?"

"Who knows? Maybe some supreme expert emerged from that broken Daoist temple?"

"A supreme expert? How high could they be? Higher than the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

"That's hard to say... Come on, let's go take a look!"

"Look at what?"

"Look at the ant's grave!"

"I've grown this old and have never seen an ant's grave before!"

"True, true!"

"Let's go together!"

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

The Assembly Hall.

The atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a storm.

Sect Master Li Canglan sat upright in the main seat, his face sinking like water.

He looked to be in his forties, with a square face, a short beard, wearing a cyan robe, and a long sword hanging from his waist.

With a cultivation base at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, he was considered a prominent figure in the Qingyun Mountain Range area.

Seated on the left and right sides below were four elders.

First Elder Zhou Hai, at the early stage of Golden Core, with white hair, was a veteran of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Second Elder Chen Song, at the early stage of Golden Core, had a cold face and was a man of few words.

Third Elder Liu Yuan, at the early stage of Golden Core, was burly with a fiery temper.

Fourth Elder Sun Jing, at the early stage of Golden Core, was also the only female elder. In her forties, she still retained her charm.

At this moment, the five people sat around the Assembly Hall, none of their faces looking too good.

Smack!

Third Elder Liu Yuan slammed his palm on the armrest, and the solid wood armrest snapped in response.

"Absurd!"

"An outer sect elder of our Heavenly Sword Sect, a dignified peak Foundation Establishment expert, is actually wearing mourning clothes for an ant!"

"And even knelt in broad daylight for seven days!"

"The face of our Heavenly Sword Sect has been completely thrown away by him!"

Fourth Elder Sun Jing snorted coldly. "It's not just losing face! The commoners of Qingyun City are all talking right now, saying that our Heavenly Sword Sect let a madman become an outer sect elder, which is utterly absurd."

"Wu Shan of the Earth Saber Sect is even spreading it everywhere, embellishing the story, and degrading our Heavenly Sword Sect into something worthless."

Second Elder Chen Song remained silent, but his brows were furrowed deeply.

First Elder Zhou Hai stroked his beard and spoke slowly, "What Zhao Feng did is indeed inappropriate, but the root of the problem does not lie with him."

He looked at Sect Master Li Canglan. "Sect Master, that Tianyan Sect... what exactly is their background?"

Li Canglan remained silent for a moment.

"The disciples under our sect have already reported the course of events in detail."

"Zhao Feng and Li Hu went to the Tianyan Sect, originally intending to investigate the white light that fell from the sky that day."

"As a result..."

He paused, his voice turning a bit deeper.

"With a single sentence from the other party, Zhao Feng, Li Hu, and the others were forced to kneel on the ground, unable to move."

"With Zhao Feng's peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, he didn't even have room to resist."

The expressions of the four elders changed simultaneously.

A single sentence?

Made a peak Foundation Establishment expert kneel?

What kind of method was this?

The anger on Third Elder Liu Yuan's face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Sect Master, that person... what is their cultivation base?"

"I don't know."

Li Canglan shook his head. "Li Hu said the other party looked to be in his early twenties and had absolutely no spiritual energy fluctuations on his body."

"Either he is a mortal, or his cultivation base far exceeds his, making it impossible to see through."

"Looking at it now, it is clearly the latter."

The hall fell into silence.

First Elder Zhou Hai pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking up.

"Zhao Feng also mentioned something else. That person seems to know Patriarch Zhang."

"Patriarch Zhang?" Second Elder Chen Song raised an eyebrow. "The Supreme Elder from two generations ago, Patriarch Zhang Tianxing?"

"Correct."

Zhou Hai nodded. "Patriarch Zhang passed away in meditation over a hundred years ago. During his lifetime, he was indeed at the peak of the Golden Core realm."

"For that person to be able to use the address 'Old Ghost Zhang', he is clearly a figure from the same era as Patriarch Zhang."

"Perhaps... he is even a generation senior to Patriarch Zhang."

Fourth Elder Sun Jing drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

"A generation senior to Patriarch Zhang? Wouldn't that mean... the Nascent Soul realm?"

"Not necessarily Nascent Soul, but at least the peak of the Golden Core realm!" First Elder Zhou Hai said in a deep voice.

"Furthermore, to force a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator to their knees with a single sentence... I have never heard of such a method."

"Even a peak Golden Core cultivator couldn't do that."

The atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.

Third Elder Liu Yuan opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed his words back down.

He had originally thought about taking people to the Tianyan Sect to get their pride back.

Now, hearing this analysis from the Sect Master and the First Elder, he only wanted to thank Zhao Feng for sparing his life.

Fortunately, it was Zhao Feng who went, not him.

"Sect Master, what should we do now?" Third Elder Liu Yuan asked.

Li Canglan remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Now... is a critical moment."

"The Supreme Elder is currently in secluded cultivation, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul realm."

"Once the Supreme Elder breaks through successfully, our Heavenly Sword Sect will have a Nascent Soul patriarch holding down the fort."

"It won't be too late to deal with the Tianyan Sect's matters then."

The several elders nodded in unison.

"As for Zhao Feng—"

Li Canglan's eyes turned cold.

"Having done something so humiliating to the sect, he is to be expelled immediately!"

"From this day forth, Zhao Feng is no longer an Outer Sect Elder of our Heavenly Sword Sect."

"All his duties and privileges are completely revoked!"

"If he wants to mourn for an ant, let him mourn."

First Elder Zhou Hai nodded.

"I agree."

Second Elder Chen Song: "Seconded."

Third Elder Liu Yuan: "Seconded."

Fourth Elder Sun Jing: "Seconded."

Five people, a unanimous vote.

First Elder Zhou Hai sighed.

"This Zhao Feng... his abilities actually weren't bad."

"What a pity."

Third Elder Liu Yuan gave a cold snort.

"What's there to pity? You can die at the feet of the enemy, but you cannot kneel at the feet of the enemy."

"Even if you must kneel, you shouldn't do it in broad daylight in front of a crowd, right?"

"And kneeling for seven whole days?"

"Does our Heavenly Sword Sect still want its dignity or not?"

Fourth Elder Sun Jing added faintly.

"And he knelt to an ant, at that."

"..."

The hall fell silent once again.

There was no following up on that statement.

Li Canglan stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant Qingyun Mountain.

"Tianyan Sect..."

"Pass down my orders. Have our people secretly spread a rumor that an incredible treasure fell from the sky a few days ago, and it is currently at the Tianyan Sect..."