Chapter 40: The Forces Behind the Scenes

Luo Ningshuang stood behind Ye Chentian, her heart tightening involuntarily. She could sense that the spiritual energy fluctuations from these three men were on a level far surpassing Wei Tong. In particular, the pressure radiating from Xuan Kongzi—a practitioner at the Soul Transformation stage—bore down like a mountain, leaving her struggling to breathe.

Ye Chentian, however, remained utterly unmoved.

"Is this all you have?"

He spoke calmly, and suddenly, a brilliant radiance ignited at his fingertips. It was merely a negligible fragment of his sword intent, yet it was enough to make the heavens change color. The light, initially only an inch long, surged to tens of feet in the blink of an eye. Like a massive azure dragon, it tore through the air with a piercing shriek, cutting toward Xuan Kongzi and his two companions.

"Clang!"

The sword light collided with the Profound Ice Cauldron, producing a deafening roar. The runes on the cauldron instantly dimmed, and its surface was covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Xuan Kongzi felt a massive, overwhelming force strike him; his arm snapped with a crisp crunch, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. He vomited blood and slammed into the cliff face of Profound Ice Peak. By the time he slid to the ground, he was already breathless—despite his Soul Transformation cultivation, he had been utterly powerless against that single strike.

The water dragon summoned by the Myriad Water Banner could not even approach Ye Chentian before the sword light shredded it into countless droplets that rained upon the ground. Elder Xuanyun’s ice wall was even more fragile, shattering like glass; caught in the wake of the sword energy, he was instantly reduced to dust.

In less than a breath, the Pavilion Master—a Soul Transformation expert—and two Elders at the ninth level of the Integration stage were all dead.

The plaza fell into a deathly silence; even the wind seemed to have ceased. The disciples who had been cheering moments ago now stood stunned, their smiles frozen in horror, as if they had seen a ghost.

"This... how is this possible?" one elder muttered, his magical artifact clattering to the ground. He had spent one hundred and fifty years reaching his current cultivation, making him a figure of note within the Profound Water Pavilion, yet this scene had completely shattered his understanding of reality. "The Pavilion Master is a Soul Transformation expert! Along with two ninth-level Integration elders... just like that? Dead? Without even a chance to fight back? This Ye Chentian... could he be someone beyond the legendary Soul Transformation stage? No! With this kind of power, he must have transcended the limits of the mortal realm!"

With Xuan Kongzi dead, no one remained to contend with Ye Chentian.

Ye Chentian swept his gaze over the trembling disciples of the Profound Water Pavilion. "Who is next?"

No one answered. If a Soul Transformation Pavilion Master could be slain so easily, who would dare to step forward and court death?

At that moment, an elder at the late Void Refining stage let out a shrill, desperate howl. His eyes flashed with madness; knowing he was doomed, he decided to invoke his final backer. "We have the Nether Palace behind us! If you kill us, the Nether Palace will never let you go!"

"The Nether Palace?" Ye Chentian raised an eyebrow, clearly hearing the name for the first time.

The elder said arrogantly, "Do you even know what the Nether Palace is? They are a demonic behemoth spanning thirteen great dynasties! Their Palace Master’s cultivation is unfathomable, rumored to have surpassed the Soul Transformation stage! The 'Shadow Guards' under their command are all killers of the Integration stage, known for their ruthless and secretive ways. If you offend them, you will surely be wiped out sooner or later!"

Another disciple at the late Nascent Soul stage added, trembling, "They also control the 'Ten Thousand Soul Cave,' where they refine the souls of cultivators for their evil arts. No faction that has offended them has ever met a good end... Two years ago, the 'Burning Heaven Valley' in the Northern Desert was wiped out overnight simply for refusing to submit!"

Luo Ningshuang felt a chill run through her. She had read vague records of the Nether Palace in ancient texts, describing it only as a terrifying organization that could make the entire cultivation world tremble.

Ye Chentian’s expression, however, remained unchanged. He said flatly, "A mere demonic organization, and you dare use it to threaten me?" Never mind surpassing the Soul Transformation stage—even if a True Immortal were to arrive, they would have to bow before an Immortal Emperor such as himself.

With that, he flicked his sleeve lightly.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

An invisible force rippled out from him. The Void Refining elders clutched their chests and were sent flying, their hearts stopping before they even hit the ground.

In less than three breaths, over a dozen Void Refining elders were dead.

The plaza went completely silent, save for the sound of the cold wind howling through. The surviving disciples were as pale as sheets; some fainted from terror, others collapsed to the ground, retching, while some tried to flee only to fall as their legs gave way. They finally understood why Ye Chentian was a name that could strike terror into the hearts of Soul Transformation cultivators.

Ye Chentian said coldly, "The Profound Water Pavilion has colluded with demonic forces and coveted what is not theirs; today, they are abolished. Those who wish to repent may leave; should you ever collude with the likes of the Nether Palace again, you will be executed without exception."

The disciples scrambled away down the mountain as if granted a pardon.

Luo Ningshuang walked to Ye Chentian's side, staring at the scene in absolute shock. In less than an hour, her master had single-handedly destroyed a sect that had stood in the capital for a thousand years. She became increasingly convinced that her master’s power was far beyond the Soul Transformation stage. It was a realm she could not comprehend—perhaps he really was the legendary Immortal Emperor of the rumors?

"Master, that Nether Palace..." Luo Ningshuang hesitated, her tone heavy. For a faction with a Soul Transformation expert to willingly submit and sacrifice their lives for the Nether Palace, its power must be even more terrifying than they had imagined.

"Return to the Luo family," Ye Chentian said calmly, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "We shall settle the score with the Nether Palace another day." A group of clowns who hadn't even reached a level significantly beyond the Soul Transformation stage was not worth him, an Immortal Emperor, moving immediately.

As they departed through the air, news of the destruction of the Profound Water Pavilion spread through the capital like wildfire.

In the meeting hall of the Red Glow Sect, several Void Refining elders stared at each other, their faces deathly white.

"The Profound Water Pavilion... it's just gone?"

"The Pavilion Master was a Soul Transformation expert! And over a dozen Void Refining elders! They were all killed by Ye Chentian alone?"

"Quick! Put away Elder Lei’s token! From today on, no one is to mention cooperating with the Profound Water Pavilion! We cannot afford to provoke that star of calamity, Ye Chentian!"

In the royal palace, the Emperor looked at the report from his scouts, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Ye Chentian... what is his origin? To destroy so many major factions in half a year, and now the Profound Water Pavilion... Issue my decree: from this day forward, no faction is to provoke the Profound Heaven Sect. Anyone who disobeys will be executed immediately!" He had heard that Ye Chentian could slay Soul Transformation experts with a wave of his hand. Such strength likely surpassed the Soul Transformation stage—he might even be a legendary being. The royal family could not afford to provoke him.

Back at the Luo family, when Luo Zhennan heard the news, he was busy directing his clansmen to move the resources exchanged from the Clear Void Gate. He froze for a long while before bowing deeply in the direction Ye Chentian had left, his voice choked with emotion: "The Luo family... is saved!"

As the sun set, Ye Chentian and Luo Ningshuang returned to the Luo family estate. The evening glow bathed Green Wind Lane in a golden-red light, and the Luo family’s protective formation, nourished by spiritual energy, began to glow with a soft radiance once more.

Luo Ningshuang stood at the courtyard gate, watching her master's back, and gripped her sword tightly. She knew that today’s battle was only the beginning. A behemoth like the Nether Palace would never let this rest. And she, too, had to break through the Nascent Soul stage and reach the Void Refining stage as quickly as possible so that she could truly stand alongside her master and protect this hard-won peace.

Ye Chentian looked up at the sky, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The Nether Palace... no matter how much of a giant you are across these thirteen dynasties, if you dare to reach into my territory, you will pay the price.

The immortal essence within him stirred—the resonance of an Immortal Emperor’s origin.