Chapter Twenty: The Destruction of the Azurefall Sect

The old monster of the first level of the Void Refinement stage had just been awakened from his seclusion. Seeing the training ground littered with charred corpses and the burning pavilions, his turbid eyes instantly turned blood-red.

"Ancestor! You have finally emerged!" A surviving elder of the Azure Sky Sect scrambled toward Qin Cang, his body half-charred, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "This Ye Chentian is the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect! His disciple, Xiao Yi, made a wager with Liu Ningxia three months ago and came to challenge us today—but he didn't come for a duel! He came to slaughter our sect!"

Pointing toward the spot where Qin Tiangang had vanished, he cried out, tears mixing with bloody foam: "Sect Master Qin Tiangang unleashed the Profound Ice Shield, but he burned it to ash! Elder Wang Qing, Elder Qin Feng... and nearly a hundred of our disciples, all killed by him!"

Another Golden Core disciple added with a wail: "He even said he would erase the Azure Sky Sect from the Lingwu Kingdom! Look, Ancestor, the sect plaque has been smashed to pieces by him!"

Qin Cang looked in the direction pointed out and saw that the gilded characters "Azure Sky Sect" had indeed been reduced to rubble. The flames from the pavilions lit up half the sky. A sect foundation spanning several hundred years had been torn to shreds while he was in seclusion.

"Ye Chentian!" Qin Cang’s roar shook the mountains. A battle axe of blood-light and ice patterns condensed in his palm. "Today, I shall use your soul to sacrifice to the departed of my sect!"

"It's the Blood-Sacrifice Ice-Soul Axe! The Ancestor is staking his life!"
"A strike fueled by the rage of a first-level Void Refinement expert! Even if Ye Chentian is also at the Void Refinement stage, he can hardly withstand this!"
"Once the Ancestor activates the Blood-Sacrifice technique, his spiritual power increases by thirty percent. He once stood his ground against the Sect Master of the Sunset Gate and shattered the man's Nascent Soul—that record is no exaggeration!"

The visiting cultivators held their breath. One old cultivator who had seen Qin Cang fight before clicked his tongue.

Just as he prepared to swing the axe, Ye Chentian finally raised his arm. At that movement, the sneer on Qin Cang’s face froze instantly, his pupils dilating to the limit. A terrifying pressure, far exceeding the first level of the Void Refinement stage, erupted like a tsunami. Even his spiritual barrier began to sizzle and dissolve.

"This... this is impossible..." Qin Cang’s hand, gripping the axe, trembled uncontrollably. The blood-light on the blade instantly dimmed. "This pressure... it's at least the ninth level of Void Refinement! You... you have been hiding your strength all along?!"

Cold sweat soaked his purple robes. The hair on the back of Qin Cang’s neck stood on end, and a chill surged from the soles of his feet to his crown. He had actually wanted to attack a ninth-level Void Refinement expert? How was this any different from throwing his head onto a mountain of blades? He had spent three hundred years of bitter cultivation just to reach the threshold of the first level, while the man before him stood at the ninth—the gap was like an unbridgeable chasm!

"Senior... this is a misunderstanding! It's all a mistake!" Qin Cang threw the axe down with a clang. His knees gave way, and he collapsed, the gravel scattering as he slammed his forehead repeatedly against the ground. "It was Qin Tiangang who was blind! It was my poor discipline! You were right to kill them, Senior! Absolutely right!"

The more he thought, the more terrified he became, his entire body shaking like chaff in the wind. If Ye Chentian had struck earlier, he wouldn't even have had the chance to beg for mercy; his three hundred years of cultivation would have already turned to ash. Ninth level of Void Refinement—a mere flick of a finger could crush him!

The sight of this kneeling brought a deathly silence to the entire grounds. The disciples of the Azure Sky Sect were dumbstruck; the Ancestor they regarded as a deity was now sprawled on the ground like a stray dog. While the shift in demeanor was faster than turning a page, everyone understood that under the pressure of a ninth-level Void Refinement expert, being able to keep one's life was a stroke of fortune.

Qin Cang frantically rummaged through his storage ring, spilling out a pile of treasures: pigeon-egg-sized spirit stones rolled across the ground, medicinal pills emitting enticing aromas scattered about, and even a jade slip engraved with lightning runes—his trump card, the Lightning Evasion Technique, for which he had nearly died in a secret realm to obtain.

"Senior! These are my humble offerings to you!" he said, holding the treasures up. "Beyond this, we are willing to submit to the Profound Heaven Sect and offer fifty percent of our resources annually! What do you think?"

Ye Chentian glanced at the treasures on the ground as if they were nothing more than trash. He slowly took a step forward, and with every step, it felt as though he were treading upon Qin Cang’s heart, causing the man to convulse.

"You want to submit to my Profound Heaven Sect?" Ye Chentian's voice was cold as ice, and golden-red flames surged half a foot high. "Is your Azure Sky Sect worthy?"

Qin Cang’s face turned paper-white, and a sense of despair rushed from his feet to his head. He realized the man had never intended to let him go; his previous hope was nothing but self-deception.

"Ye Chentian! Do not push me too far!" He stood up abruptly, a final, desperate madness flashing in his eyes. "My Azure Sky Sect is affiliated with the Purple Heaven Holy Land! If you dare to touch me, the Purple Heaven Holy Land will never let you go!"

"The Purple Heaven Holy Land!" The name struck like a thunderclap.

"The Purple Heaven Holy Land controls eighty percent of the spirit stone mines and herb production in the Lingwu Kingdom! Even the Royal Family isn't worthy to tie their shoes! Every successive monarch must kneel before them upon ascending the throne, or they cannot sit securely on the dragon chair!"

An old cultivator who knew the inside story added with a trembling voice: "It is said that deep within the Purple Heaven Holy Land hide monsters of the Transformation of Spirit stage who can move mountains and fill seas with a wave of their hands! They have dozens of registered Void Refinement elders; if they sent just one, they could wipe out every sect in our Lingwu Kingdom!"

Upon hearing the name "Purple Heaven Holy Land," a faint light flickered in Liu Ningxia’s eyes. Yes! The Purple Heaven Holy Land! That was an existence even the Ancestor had to look up to. No matter how powerful Ye Chentian was, would he dare to oppose them? Moreover, she had close ties with the Holy Son of the Purple Heaven Holy Land. With him to support her, she would surely return today's humiliation a hundredfold in the future. Liu Ningxia felt a surge of joy.

Seeing Ye Chentian remain silent, Qin Cang thought he was afraid. His posture stiffened, though the tremor in his voice betrayed him: "If you are sensible, leave now! Otherwise, when the Purple Heaven Holy Land arrives, everyone in your Profound Heaven Sect will be buried with us!"

Ye Chentian finally smiled. "The Purple Heaven Holy Land?" The flames at his fingertips flared, transforming into a fire dragon a yard long, its golden-red scales clearly visible. "Even if their Holy Master came, he couldn't save you today!"

"You dare!" Bloodshot veins surged in Qin Cang’s eyes. Since there was no hope in begging, he might as well fight to the death! He grabbed the Blood-Sacrifice Ice-Soul Axe, pouring three hundred years of cultivation into it without reservation. The blood-light on the axe surged, faintly condensing into the phantom of an ice-patterned blood wolf. "I have roamed the world for a lifetime; even if I die, I will drag you down with me!" He roared and swung the axe; the blood wolf phantom lunged toward Ye Chentian with a howl.

This was his ultimate technique, the "Blood Wolf Mountain-Breaking Axe." He had once used this move to withstand a full-force blow from a second-level Void Refinement expert, and now, fueled by the burning of his life essence, its power had increased by fifty percent!

Ye Chentian’s expression did not change; he merely flicked his finger. The golden-red flame at his tip turned into a thin line of fire. It appeared weak, yet it instantly pierced through the blood wolf phantom.

"Pfft—"

The line of fire struck the Blood-Sacrifice Ice-Soul Axe with pinpoint accuracy. The natal artifact that had accompanied Qin Cang for three hundred years melted as quickly as ice hitting fire, and the golden-red flames spread instantly to his entire arm.

"Ah—!"

Qin Cang let out a heart-wrenching scream. He tried to sever his arm to survive, but the fire spread faster than his thoughts, swallowing his entire body in an instant. The spiritual power of a first-level Void Refinement expert was like paper before the divine fire, and even his Nascent Soul was incinerated into ash in a blink.

Liu Ningxia watched with her own eyes as the Ancestor was swallowed by the fire dragon, his blood-curdling screams drilling into her ears like a curse. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her robes soaking through uncontrollably. It was over. Completely over. If even the Purple Heaven Holy Land could not deter him, who in this world could save her? She stared at the raging flames, her eyes hollow as a bottomless pit. Fear had exhausted all her strength; she could not even cry, left only with a numbness that reached into her very bones.

The entire scene was deathly silent! Even the sound of the flames seemed to freeze. The visiting cultivators were speechless, trembling like leaves.

"He actually dared to kill him? He doesn't even hold the Purple Heaven Holy Land in his eyes?"
"Is this a Void Refinement stage expert? This is a living Yama!"

Ye Chentian slowly withdrew the flame from his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the terrified crowd. His voice was not loud, but carried a domineering aura that could overturn the heavens: "The Azure Sky Sect went back on their word and harmed my disciple. Today—they are completely erased by this Master!"

"From this day forth, anyone who dares to harm my sect's people, this shall be their end!"

This declaration struck every heart like a heavy hammer. He had not only destroyed the Azure Sky Sect’s gates but was establishing the authority of the Profound Heaven Sect. Even the Purple Heaven Holy Land was nothing in his eyes. What unparalleled arrogance!

He looked at Xiao Yi: "Take her to the Xiao family ancestral hall, fulfill your agreement, and then return to the sect immediately."

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Yi stepped forward, grabbed Liu Ningxia, who was like a pile of mud, and headed toward the Xiao residence.