Venerable Yin Gu's face turned so dark it seemed water would drip off it, his murderous aura exploding.
As an envoy of a superior sect, he had come to demand justice, yet not a single person from this sect had come out to meet him.
They were completely ignoring him!
Seething with rage, he shouted again:
"Where are the people of the Primordial Beginning Sect?! Come out and die at once!"
Still, only the wind answered.
The entire sect was silent save for the black‑yellow light barrier revolving quietly above it, seemingly determined to ignore him to the end.
The onlookers in the distance grew puzzled.
"What's going on? Where is everyone?"
"They couldn't have run away after realizing they messed up, could they?"
"Impossible! I've been watching this whole time—no one left!"
"Then what? Do they really think their mountain-protecting formation alone can block a Venerable's wrath?"
"Heh, who knows."
"..."
"Courting death!"
The countless murmurs reached Venerable Yin Gu's ears, darkening his expression further. He wasted no more words and struck directly.
"Shua!"
He pressed his fingers together like a sword, and the vast Union Realm mana within him surged forth, condensing into a hundred‑zhang‑long miserable white bone spear.
Wraiths wailed atop the spear, death energy dense and chilling, carrying the terrifying power to extinguish all life. It tore through the air and stabbed viciously at the mountain-protecting formation!
He intended to shatter the formation in one blow, pin the ant-like sect master behind it to the hall steps, and vent his fury!
Every onlooker held their breath, certain the next moment would bring mountains collapsing and the sky drenched in blood.
But then…
Buzz!
A low rumble, like the pulse of the ancient earth, shook heaven and earth.
That terrifying bone spear, infused with the full strike of a Union Realm Venerable and capable of piercing through mountains, the moment it touched the black‑yellow light barrier—
it vanished like mud into the ocean, not stirring a single ripple before silently disintegrating inch by inch into nothingness!
Even the wraiths and death energy coiled around it were completely purified by the thick black‑yellow light.
"What?!"
The sneer on Venerable Yin Gu's face froze instantly, replaced by disbelief and terror.
He felt as if his full-powered strike had slammed into the entire primordial land. Not only did it fail to shake the light barrier in the slightest—it was struck violently in the chest by an irresistible counterforce!
"Puh!"
Venerable Yin Gu spewed a massive mouthful of essence blood at once, his face pale as paper.
The backlash from the collapsing spear, combined with the terrifying rebound, hit him like a heavy blow. His mana chaotic, his protective spiritual light flickering, he shot downward like a kite with its string cut, screaming as he plummeted from a hundred zhang high.
BOOM!
He crashed headfirst into the hard ground before the Primordial Beginning Sect's gate, slamming into a deep pit.
Dust flew everywhere.
Only his two legs stuck out, twitching involuntarily.
A deathly silence fell over the entire area. Once more, only the wind howled.
Well… not quite.
The two gate guards beneath the arch had sat up straight at some point. After witnessing Venerable Yin Gu's miserable state, the corners of their mouths twitched faintly.
Every onlooker, whether in plain sight or hiding in the dark, stood frozen as if spellbound. Their eyes nearly popped out, their mouths gaping wide enough to swallow eggs.
That… that was it?
A full-powered strike from a Union Realm Venerable — repelled so hard he vomited blood…
and then face-planted into the dirt?
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
Inside the sect, rows of thatched huts had been built beside the training ground at some point.
The rescued people were housed there.
It wasn't that Jiang Ling was unwilling to open the Ten Thousand Immortals Residence for them — those were disciple dwellings with built-in restrictions. These people had not joined the sect and had no identity tokens, so they could not open the restrictions on their own.
Inside one hut, Hua Yuntian was checking Jiang Munan's recovery when he heard the commotion outside. His perpetually icy face twitched for the first time in ages.
There were always fools who tested the formation with their own bodies.
He suspected even a Great Emperor would not break through this mountain-protecting formation.
But remembering he once harbored thoughts of overturning it himself, Hua Yuntian's expression instantly turned gloomy again.
Jiang Munan was still weak and half-asleep. For no reason, he suddenly shivered.
On the square, Ye Qingshuang stared expressionlessly toward the mountain gate.
She had stood there since sunrise, and she still stood now.
Her fingers, wrapped around the Ice Soul Sword, loosened slightly — but her face remained cold and solemn.
Black Wind Ridge still loomed over her heart like a mountain.
She had to grow stronger!
Strong enough that no one dared to bully their way to the gate ever again.
Strong enough that everyone bowed to the Primordial Beginning Sect!
In that moment, the first spark of ambition to rule the world ignited within the girl's small frame.
The Devouring Demon Art revolved silently. It needed no urging; it absorbed spiritual energy every moment.
Crack!
The realm barrier that was an impassable chasm for ordinary cultivators —
broken without the slightest obstruction.
Fourth Layer of Qi Refining!
In just three days, she had advanced from the third layer to the fourth!
Other than Jincancan, who had built a foundation overnight, almost no one in the entire Canglan Realm could match this speed!
And Jincancan was just an anomaly.
Right now, it was squatting on the main hall roof, staring toward the gate.
When Ye Qingshuang broke through, it seemed to sense it. Its glazed eyes flicked toward her several times.
This junior sister clearly had no spiritual roots, a mortal body — yet her cultivation speed was terrifyingly fast.
That just showed how monstrous the master's granted technique was.
Oh right, it was called the Devouring Demon Art, wasn't it?
Maybe it should cultivate it someday too.
Jincancan's eyes rolled. It made up its mind: once it saved enough contribution points, it would exchange for the Devouring Demon Art.
Before the mountain gate, Jiang Ling strolled out slowly, as if taking a casual walk.
He stood with his hands behind his back, and through the light barrier, looked at the two legs struggling to pull themselves free. He spoke calmly, his voice not loud but clearly spreading across the area:
"Fellow Daoist, this sect's gate is old and in disrepair, and the land is precious. We don't allow random planting here."
The moment he spoke, space seemed to unfreeze. The crowd jolted awake from their shock, staring at Jiang Ling as if he were some kind of monster.
"Holy shit! Did I see that right?! That formation — even a Union Realm Venerable couldn't beat it, and got counterattacked?!"
"Hiss! So the rumors that the Primordial Beginning Sect has an immortal formation are true?!"
"It's just a slightly stronger formation. Immortal formation? You actually believe that?"
"A Union Realm Venerable can't even touch it, and you call that slightly stronger?!"
"Well… it can't really be an immortal formation, right? No one has ascended in the Canglan Realm for ten thousand years. Where would an immortal formation come from?"
"Fair enough. Guess I was overthinking it…"
"..."
Venerable Yin Gu struggled to climb out of the mud pit, covered in filth, utterly wretched. His face burned with humiliation.
Right now, he was shocked, enraged, and terrified all at once. His gaze toward the black‑yellow light barrier was filled with unbridled disbelief and horror.