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"Who does this nobody think he is, acting so arrogantly?"
"Let this old man teach him some manners!"
An ancient, bell-like voice thundered through the air.
A shriveled old man, garbed in the robes of an inner sect elder, sneered cruelly as he lunged forward like a ghost.
"Foolish insects, you don't know your place," Hong Qianye's forehead twitched with irritation, though a cold, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"Ah…"
A bone-chilling scream cut through the sky.
The old man's expression twisted with horror as dark flames erupted around him, consuming his body midair.
A mighty Unity Stage cultivator, slain without effort!
"What?!"
Shock rippled through the Yuhua Sect ranks. All eyes locked on the tall, crimson-clad figure, faces draining of color.
Hong Qianye's hair whipped in the wind as he coldly addressed the gathered army, his voice brooking no argument:
"You have half a stick of incense to leave the Arid Province. Stay—and you die."
His icy words reverberated through every heart.
Several elders visibly wavered, but a few quickly rallied, their faces twisting into furious snarls.
"How dare you run your mouth! Do you think you can order around the number one Immortal Sect in the Eastern Domain?"
"Kill him! Bathe Xuantian Sect in blood!"
Swish, swish, swish—
Over sixty Unity Stage elders made their move, unleashing Spirit Tools, talismans, and devastating Divine Abilities.
"So be it. If you're so eager to die… I'll oblige."
Hong Qianye's eyes turned frigid as he formed seals with his hands, conjuring torrents of eerie green flame that ignited the air around him.
Instantly, blood-curdling screams filled the battlefield.
A dense swarm of ghostly green skulls gathered, each as large as a millstone, howling and shrieking as they surged forward like an unstoppable tide of the damned.
"Ah! My hand!"
"Stay back!"
"Don't let those things bite you—they're venomous!"
"Hold the line, now!"
The Unity Stage elders reeled in panic. Within moments, a third of them had fallen.
But Hong Qianye wasn't finished. He directed the skull army across the battlefield, leaving nothing but scorched wreckage and death in his wake.
Great warships burst into flames, disciples inside incinerated alive. Their desperate wails tore through the heavens.
"Don't panic! Focus your powers and dispel those unholy flames!"
A middle-aged elder roared, wielding a fan brimming with Spiritual Energy. Dozens of sect members channeled their power to support him.
With a sweep of his fan, a monstrous hurricane roared to life, surging forward to counter the tide of skulls.
Just then, ancient chants filled the air, and warm Buddha Light bathed the battlefield, exuding a sacred stillness.
"Amitabha…"
From distant ancient flying vessels, countless monks clasped their hands together, reciting Buddhist sutras.
A powerful monk in pristine robes solemnly declared, "Fellow cultivators, Hanging Temple has come to assist!"
"Hmph, more fools lining up to die."
Hong Qianye scoffed, eyes flashing with disdain.
"Demon cultivator, don't be reckless!" The monks launched their own spells.
"Damn bald donkeys."
Hong Qianye's gaze darkened as he raised a hand, weaving a spell.
The green skulls coalesced like a tide into one massive, surging mass. In the blink of an eye, a titanic skull materialized, its hollow eyes and twisted grin filling the sky.
The air itself seemed to tremble with dread.
"Go. Play with them."
Hong Qianye chuckled coldly.
Boom!
The colossal skull soared forward like a blazing sun of eerie green flame, its scorching heat warping the sky.
"Amitabha… It's coming!"
"Ahhh—!"
Miserable shrieks rang out as the monks were swallowed whole by the ghastly maw.
The scene struck like a hammer to the gut.
"You monster! Even the Buddha will not spare you!" roared Master Huizhi, the head monk, radiating blinding golden light as he struck with a palm radiating Buddha Light.
"Not even the Buddha can save you."
Hong Qianye sneered, countering with a massive flame-forged hand.
The fiery hand caught the palm strike and instantly morphed into serpentine dragons of flame, snapping hungrily at Master Huizhi.
"Despicable creature—!"
The elder monk struggled desperately, but within seconds, his form disintegrated into ash.
"Master!"
The surviving monks wailed in grief.
"Everyone, pour all your strength into destroying him!" a Yuhua Sect elder bellowed.
At once, countless spells and attacks surged toward Hong Qianye like an avalanche of blinding light.
The colossal flaming skull was finally obliterated amid the radiant onslaught.
"…This…"
Xu Yonian's mouth went dry as icy terror gripped his heart.
The combined power of Yuhua Sect and Hanging Temple was overwhelming—enough to vaporize any Unity Stage cultivator. No one could survive such force.
And yet, Hong Qianye stood unharmed, a cold smirk on his face.
He raised a hand, and in a flash, an abyssal black flame burst forth, devouring everything in its path.
The torrential barrage of attacks vanished, erased as though they'd never existed.
"What?!"
Shock and horror contorted the faces of countless cultivators.
"What sort of fire is this? I've never even heard of anything like it!" an elder shouted, his face ghostly pale.
"You see now? Even combined, you're nothing before me. Go on, die."
Hong Qianye laughed darkly, every movement shaking the heavens.
The combined forces faltered, blood flooding the earth, corpses piling high.
That crimson-clad figure, invincible and merciless, etched itself forever in every surviving mind.
The entire Arid Province trembled.
"Hong Qianye is invincible! Long live Hong Qianye!"
"No wonder he's Peak Master Ye's disciple—what monstrous strength!"
"With him here, Xuantian Sect is untouchable!"
Disciples and elders alike gawked in awe.
Even the alien races' faces filled with reverence. Now, they understood why Lord Immortal Tree had stationed them here. Just Hong Qianye alone was a terrifying existence.
Any lingering doubts were swept away.
One after another, they bowed their heads in submission.
"Ye… your disciple's strength is monstrous. Our Xuantian Sect temple is too small to contain such a giant Buddha."
Xu Yonian wiped the cold sweat from his brow, forcing a bitter smile.
"Yeah… let's just do whatever he wants. Offending him is death," murmured the Cangjian Peak Master, remembering his earlier offense and shuddering in fear.
Yes, Hong Qianye might have betrayed his sect—that was a stain. But today, he repelled the invaders and saved Xuantian Sect. The good and bad balanced each other out.
And more importantly… none of them could defeat him.
What other choice did they have?
At that moment, everyone's perception shifted.
"Senior Hong is incredible! Go, Senior Hong!" Bai Xiaoxi cheered excitedly, waving tiny fists.
Ye Junlin rubbed his chin. "No wonder this guy's so arrogant… killing Unity Stage cultivators like swatting flies."
He could sense Hong Qianye's cultivation aura didn't quite belong to the Unity Stage or even the Great Ascension Stage—it hovered somewhere between.
"Insight Eye, activate."
Ye Junlin's gaze sharpened, locking onto the figure in the distance.
A virtual character panel appeared before him.
Seeing the words "Half-Step Great Ascension," realization dawned.
"Half-Step Great Ascension. No wonder."
Hong Qianye's combat foundation was already terrifying. Coupled with a realm advantage, it was no wonder he could casually slaughter armies of cultivators.
"Heh… if he ever turns on me, it'll probably push me into another breakthrough," Ye Junlin thought with a smirk.
After all, fattened leeks are meant to be harvested.
Boom!
Suddenly, an overwhelming force swept down from the heavens, shaking the entire battlefield.
Swish—
Eighteen blindingly radiant figures appeared in the sky, each one radiating terrifying Spiritual Energy.
From a distance, they looked like eighteen massive suns illuminating the heavens.
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