Grand Elder of Wanfa Pavilion

The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.

The flowing light of the Azure Mystic Sect’s mountain-protecting formation slowly circulated beneath the night sky, rising and falling with a peculiar rhythm as if it were breathing.

Suddenly, in a secluded corner at the edge of the formation, the light patterns quivered ever so slightly.

Inside the main hall atop the central peak, Xuanyangzi, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. A playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“He really came.”

His divine sense stirred. Just as the shadow, nearly indistinguishable from the darkness of night, was preparing to quietly break through the formation, Xuanyangzi had a thought and stealthily loosened a tiny gap in the formation’s restrictions.

That shadow was none other than Molingzi, the Great Elder of the Myriad Arts Pavilion. His figure flashed like a ghost, and he passed through the mountain-protecting formation without the slightest obstruction.

He landed soundlessly in a secluded patch of mountain forest within the sect.

After landing, Molingzi turned to look at the mountain-protecting formation behind him, which was now riddled with flaws. A difficult-to-describe sense of superiority immediately welled up inside him.

“It seems the Azure Mystic Sect truly has fallen into decline.”

Hidden in the shadows, he carefully sensed his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one had noticed him did he relax slightly and ponder inwardly.

“This mountain-protecting formation looks impressive on the surface, but its interior is already riddled with flaws. It has clearly fallen into disrepair over the years. Even an old man like me was able to sneak in so easily without triggering an alarm.

“In its heyday, this formation was considered one of the finest in Xuanzhou. But now… heh.”

He shook his head, the contempt in his eyes growing even stronger.

However, the moment he moved, Molingzi suddenly sensed several auras approaching his location.

“I’ve been discovered!” Lingzi’s heart sank.

Before long, several people arrived before him.

The man at the front was burly and had his arms folded across his chest. He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

“Well, well, look who it is! Isn’t this the Great Elder Molingzi of the Myriad Arts Pavilion? What wind has blown you, such a distinguished guest, all the way to our little temple, the Azure Mystic Sect?”

It was Shi Wanshan, Peak Master of Mount Suppression Peak.

The other peak masters stood beside him, staring at Molingzi with smiles on their faces but saying nothing.

Molingzi’s heart shook violently, and his expression changed several times in an instant!

He had actually been exposed! How was that possible?!

He had infiltrated the sect with the Concealment Veil. How could they have known precisely when he entered—and even waited here for him in advance?!

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

Could there be a traitor within the sect who had disclosed his movements beforehand?

I’ll conduct a thorough investigation the moment I return!

He was both shocked and furious.

But in the next moment, he forcefully suppressed his shock and panic.

His divine sense instinctively swept over the people before him. The strongest was merely at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm, while most of the others were only in the middle or late stages of the Grotto-Heaven Realm.

There wasn’t even a single Heavenly Human Realm cultivator among them!

He was the dignified Great Elder of the Myriad Arts Pavilion, a mighty expert of the King Realm!

In Xuanzhou, the King Realm represented the pinnacle of combat power!

A group of “youngsters” in the Grotto-Heaven Realm—what could they do even if they had discovered him?

Before absolute strength, any scheme was futile!

With that thought, Molingzi’s heart settled. The arrogance and composure befitting a high-ranking elder of the Myriad Arts Pavilion instantly returned.

His expression darkened as he concealed his earlier surprise. With a flick of his sleeve, he let out a cold snort, and the imposing pressure of the King Realm surged forth. Though he did not unleash his full strength, the surrounding air still grew noticeably heavier.

“Hmph! I happened to be traveling through the area tonight. Since the Seven Sects Grand Competition is fast approaching, the Myriad Arts Pavilion and the Azure Mystic Sect are both pillars of Xuanzhou. It is only proper that we maintain communication and cooperation.

“Thus, I decided to pay you a visit while passing by and discuss matters concerning the competition with you fellow Daoists. And yet this is how the Azure Mystic Sect treats its guests?

“It is the middle of the night, and all of you have gathered here to block my path. What exactly are you trying to do?”

His tone was filled with condescension and displeasure.

However, the reaction of the people opposite him was completely beyond his expectations.

There was no fear, no explanation, and not even a reply.

The smile on Shi Wanshan’s face grew even brighter. He rubbed his hands together, while the other peak masters slowly straightened their backs.

They looked at Molingzi without the slightest trace of reverence for a King Realm expert. Instead, they seemed to be examining some new and interesting toy.

The curiosity and eagerness in their eyes made Molingzi extremely uncomfortable.

His expression gradually turned grim.

The Great Elder of the Myriad Arts Pavilion had personally come here. Even if Sect Master Xuanyangzi had received him in person, it would not have been excessive. Yet these men were merely peak masters of the Grotto-Heaven Realm, and they actually dared to ignore him like this?

“What is the meaning of this? Peak Masters, is Sect Master Xuanyangzi unavailable to receive guests? Or is this how the Azure Mystic Sect treats its guests?

“Could it be that you do not regard the Myriad Arts Pavilion with any importance?”

He deliberately emphasized the words “Myriad Arts Pavilion,” intending to overwhelm them with the sect’s prestige.

Shi Wanshan lowered the hand he had been using to pick his ear and grinned.

“Heh heh, Elder Mo, how could you say that? Aren’t we here to ‘welcome’ you?”

Li Muran also nodded with a beaming smile. “Exactly, exactly. Elder Mo has traveled such a long way to visit us, and you even thoughtfully chose such a late hour. How could we possibly fail to show you the proper hospitality?”

The other peak masters wore the same deeply unsettling smiles, as though they were looking at some rare and fascinating toy. Slowly and unhurriedly, they took another step toward him.

The encirclement tightened.

“What are you trying to do?”

The warning bells in Molingzi’s heart rang wildly, and his expression finally changed.

Had these people gone mad? Several Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators actually dared to look at a King Realm expert like this and adopt such a stance?

“How outrageous! Do you truly think this old man wouldn’t dare to act?”

Molingzi was thoroughly enraged. To be toyed with and pressured by a group of Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators was a humiliation beyond measure!

“Very well. Today, I shall teach you ignorant servants who know neither rank nor etiquette a proper lesson on Sect Master Xuanyangzi’s behalf.”

He no longer restrained his aura. The pressure belonging to a King Realm expert slowly spread outward.

Though he directed it only at the six people around him and did not unleash it in full, that mountain-like, overwhelming presence—which stood above the Grotto-Heaven Realm—was enough to cause the surrounding air to grow heavy and stagnant.

Molingzi was certain that once these arrogant peak masters felt the pressure of the King Realm, they would immediately understand the disparity between them. They would restrain their unpleasant attitudes and become fearful and respectful.

What awaited him instead was Shi Wanshan’s palm.

Shi Wanshan moved.

There was no earth-shaking momentum, no dazzling radiance, and not even any complicated technique.

He merely stepped forward and casually swung his broad, fan-like hand, as though he were swatting away an annoying fly before him.

Boom—!!!

That huge hand struck Molingzi squarely and brutally!

The surging King Realm spiritual power around his body was dispersed by a single slap! His protective qi shattered like an eggshell!

“Pfft—!”

He did not even have time to cry out. His vision went black, and his internal organs seemed to have been displaced. A mouthful of blood burst from him.

His entire body crashed down with a thunderous boom, landing flat on his back and smashing into the solid ground. A distinct human-shaped crater was left behind.

Dust billowed into the air.

Molingzi lay in the pit, his head buzzing. He had no idea how many bones throughout his body had broken. His spiritual power had collapsed, and he was unable to move.

His eyes were wide open, filled with boundless confusion, terror, and disbelief.

What had just happened?

He, a King Realm expert, had been knocked down by a casual slap from someone in the Grotto-Heaven Realm?!

An illusion! This had to be some kind of exceptionally profound illusion formation!

The one who attacked me definitely wasn’t a Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivator! This is a trap!

He tried to struggle. He tried to gather his divine sense and shatter the illusion.

Just then, a gigantic palm appeared out of thin air above him. Its five fingers closed around the back of his neck and hoisted him out of the human-shaped crater.

Molingzi dangled like a dead dog, his limbs hanging limp. Through his blurred vision, he met Shi Wanshan’s impatient gaze.

“Making all that racket in the middle of the night and disturbing my sleep.”

Shi Wanshan curled his lips. As casually as if he were carrying a bag of trash, he swung Molingzi around and flung him away.

“Off you go! Go sit inside!”

“Whoosh—!”

The world spun!

Molingzi felt himself hurtling through the air at incredible speed before being roughly thrown into a space filled with powerful sealing energy.