Heavenly-Phenomenon Eighth Realm.
Everyone froze.
How could they possibly fight this?
They were not even on the same level. The strongest among them was only Heavenly-Phenomenon Second Realm—Geng Shiqiu, who had just broken through. Even with the Wind-Thunder Sword Formation, they could at most withstand a Heavenly-Phenomenon Fifth Realm expert.
But Lin Ye's cultivation had reached the Eighth Realm.
Terrifying beyond imagination.
Fear surfaced on Geng Shiqiu's face. He could not understand how it had come to this. Lin Ye had once been nothing more than a useless disciple—someone he could crush at will—yet now he stood above them all, like an invincible king.
Wen Lang and Leng Ruo stepped out of the hall as well. The moment they felt the overwhelming aura pouring off Lin Ye, their expressions changed completely.
"This… how is that possible?!"
Wen Lang sucked in a sharp breath. He had stayed near Lin Ye for two full days before, yet he had never sensed anything remotely like this. No wonder Lin Ye had shown no panic from the start—he was calm because he held absolute power over his own fate.
Lin Ye did not hesitate. After releasing his Heavenly-Phenomenon Eighth Realm aura, he swung his sword straight toward Geng Shiqiu.
Geng Shiqiu was shaken, but he reacted instantly and roared:
"Focus the formation's power into me!"
At his command, every expert within the Wind-Thunder Sword Formation poured their strength into Geng Shiqiu's body. This method was brutal—damaging to both the enemy and the user. It could create a short burst of overwhelming power, but afterward, Geng Shiqiu would suffer massive internal collapse.
However, against Lin Ye, he had no other choice.
As the power surged into him, Geng Shiqiu's cultivation skyrocketed.
In the blink of an eye—
Heavenly-Phenomenon Ninth Realm.
That was the terrifying foundation of a true sect.
A single move like this could force any invader to retreat, because no one knew what hidden cards a great sect still possessed.
It was said that when Lin Zhonghai was still alive, the Wind-Thunder Profound Sect had been even more fearsome. But after the Sect Master and others went out on a mission, they perished. The Sect Master returned alive but had remained in seclusion ever since—clearly suffering severe consequences.
Now, with Heavenly-Phenomenon Ninth Realm power roaring through his body, Geng Shiqiu felt intoxicated. His Spirit Bridge shot upward as if it could pull down the stars themselves.
One day, he swore, he would truly seize this level of power with his own hands and dominate all lands under heaven.
"Lin Ye! No matter what fortune you obtained, today is your death!"
Geng Shiqiu looked at Lin Ye, who was forced back dozens of steps by overwhelming pressure. He was filled with confidence.
He raised his sword to the sky.
A thread of star-like force descended from above.
"Autumn Waters Sever the River!"
With terrifying momentum, Geng Shiqiu unleashed the strike. The sword-light surged like countless meteors breaking through the air.
Lin Ye did not dodge.
Within the formation, no matter where he moved, Geng Shiqiu could strike him. The only correct response was to meet force with force.
"Shura Blood Armor."
Lin Ye summoned his Shura armor. Since acquiring it, no one had ever broken through its defense.
Boom!
Sword energy slammed into the armor again and again, but Lin Ye did not move even an inch. The earth and heavenly energies gathered around him in endless streams, sustaining the armor and locking into a stalemate with Geng Shiqiu's assault.
The impact lasted for ten full breaths.
The area was chaotic beyond sensing—only eyesight could judge the result.
"No one can survive that!"
"He must be reduced to dust!"
Elder Chen He thought grimly. If Lin Ye somehow lived through this, Chen He knew he would have to flee to the ends of the world to avoid being hunted down.
At last, a figure emerged.
The moment the figure became clear—
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Lin Ye stood in the center of the battlefield, completely unharmed.
Around him, the ground was shattered. Endless ravines and broken trenches spread like dried river valleys. Yet the patch of ground under Lin Ye's feet remained untouched.
"Now, take one sword from me."
Lin Ye spoke calmly. Before anyone could react, nine blood-red sword auras erupted instantly.
"Blood Slaughter: Nine Devastations!"
Boom—boom—boom!
With Heavenly-Phenomenon Eighth Realm cultivation and a Star-Shattering grade sword technique, the killing aura engulfed the entire sky above Xuanlei Peak.
Lin Ye's blood sword energy, infused with heavenly force, surged toward Geng Shiqiu.
But Geng Shiqiu's eyes flashed with madness.
He grabbed two peak masters behind him and hurled them directly into the incoming sword light.
Boom!
Both peak masters were torn apart midair, exploding into a storm of flesh and blood.
"Geng Shiqiu! You shameless bastard!"
The crowd roared in outrage. In that instant, many experts withdrew their power from the formation. A man who lost all morality would lose all allies.
The power surrounding Geng Shiqiu collapsed immediately.
And Lin Ye's sword energy pierced into Geng Shiqiu without resistance.
"I… hate this!!"
Geng Shiqiu screamed toward the heavens.
He had been one step away.
If he had only killed Lin Ye, none of the elders present would have been able to stop him. Lin Zhonghai's relic should have belonged to him. Yet everything had fallen apart because of Lin Ye—an overlooked core disciple who had become an existence beyond reason.
One man, standing against an entire sect.
What unimaginable dominance.
The sword lights fell.
Geng Shiqiu was blown apart into countless fragments, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.
With the formation shattered, two peak masters dead, and Geng Shiqiu destroyed, the Wind-Thunder Profound Sect no longer had anyone capable of challenging Lin Ye.
The Supreme Elder Hou Chen never appeared. As long as Lin Ye did not destroy the sect's foundation, there was no need. If more than half of the leadership died, the Supreme Elder would have been forced to act—even if it meant dying for the sect.
For now, he remained hidden.
"Lin Ye, don't act rashly!"
Wen Lang rushed forward in panic. He feared Lin Ye's killing intent would explode and wipe out all the high-ranking leaders, ending the sect entirely.
But Lin Ye's goal was clear.
His gaze locked onto Elder Chen He.
Chen He fled instantly, rushing toward the distance.
But against Lin Ye, a mere Earth-Transformation cultivator had nowhere to run.
With one motion, Lin Ye seized Chen He using heavenly force and dragged him straight back.
Bang!
Chen He slammed onto the stone ground. Lin Ye had crushed his bones with pure pressure.
"AHHH!"
"Don't kill me… don't kill me… it was Pei Shaoyi! He ordered it! The Young Sect Master forced me! I had no choice!"
Chen He screamed in terror, spilling everything. Everyone heard it clearly.
Pei Shaoyi and Chen He—there was definitely something rotten between them.
Just as Chen He was about to continue—
A cold, authoritative voice echoed across the sky.
"Elder Chen He colluded with the Murong Clan, intending to murder our disciple Lin Ye. His crime deserves death."
A terrifying presence arrived.
"Sect Master?!"
Every head snapped toward the voice.
A tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man in white robes appeared. With a single palm strike through the air, he obliterated Chen He on the spot.
"The Sect Master has emerged from seclusion!"
"It's truly the Sect Master!"
"We greet the Sect Master!"