At the mountain gate, two outer disciples rose almost simultaneously.
One, dressed in red, cupped his fist respectfully. "Elder, beyond this point lies the Sky-Reaching Sect. Is there something you need? The Sky-Reaching Sect has strict rules. If you can avoid ascending, please do so."
The old man narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "You are a polite young man. Then I shall not hide my intentions. I am a great cultivator who has practiced in the mountains for many years, known as the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks. I wish to see your Sky-Reaching Sect's Old Ancestor, Liu Xing. Kindly grant me an audience."
"Ah?"
The outer disciples were taken aback, a look of difficulty on their faces. "The Old Ancestor has been in seclusion for many years and has not appeared. Are you an friend of the Old Ancestor?"
"Not exactly. We've never met."
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks waved his hand and smiled. "Never mind, never mind. What's the point of me talking so much with a little brat like you? I'll head up the mountain myself and find Liu Xing."
"Hey, hey, hey..."
Another disciple frowned. "Elder, do not force your way through the mountain gate. Those who force their way are considered to be challenging our sword and fist. Elder, please do not cause any more trouble!"
"Hmm?"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks narrowed his eyes. "Brat, do you think I'm causing trouble?"
...
Deep in the back mountains of the Sky-Reaching Sect, the restrictive barrier outside a cave dwelling continuously loosened. Soon after, a stone door filled with a chilling aura slowly opened. Finally, Liu Xing, the Old Ancestor of the Sky-Reaching Sect, who had been in seclusion for many years, emerged. From within the stone door walked out a young man of extremely handsome appearance, clad in a green robe. He was Liu Xing.
Liu Xing was actually over two thousand years old. However, he had gained fame early and possessed a youthful appearance. Thus, despite being the Old Ancestor of the Sky-Reaching Sect, his looks were not much different from those of young disciples. Furthermore, Liu Xing's talent in cultivating techniques was exceptionally high, considered unparalleled in the Southern Wilderness region. At only two thousand years old, he had already reached the early stage of the thirteenth realm, becoming the only thirteenth realm cultivator in the Southern Wilderness.
A wisp of a clear breeze swept by, transforming into Liu Chenqing, the Sect Master of the Sky-Reaching Sect, appearing as a middle-aged, refined scholar. He cupped his fist respectfully towards Liu Xing. "Has the Old Ancestor emerged from seclusion?"
"Hmm."
Liu Xing looked towards the mountain gate, his brow furrowed. "It is a time of turmoil, how can I not emerge? I wonder if our Sky-Reaching Sect can overcome this calamity. If not, Chenqing, the future of the Sky-Reaching Sect will rest entirely on your shoulders."
"Old Ancestor, is that person truly that powerful?"
"Indeed..."
Liu Xing's brow was deeply furrowed. "His aura is beyond the Three Realms and not within the Five Elements... Such a monstrous talent is likely not a cultivator from our mortal world at all. Let's go. Fortune cannot be avoided, and misfortune cannot be dodged. If this is truly a calamity, then it is destined that our Sky-Reaching Sect cannot escape this tribulation."
"Yes, Old Ancestor."
The two figures floated, their movements carried by the wind as they descended the mountain.
At the mountain gate, the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, clad in a greyish-white robe, leaned on his walking stick, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the two young brats blocking his path. His face was full of playful mockery, his mind already calculating how to grind these two brats into dust. Just as he was about to make a move, two figures swooped down in the breeze, followed by a large group of elders, honored guests, core disciples, and inner disciples of the Sky-Reaching Sect.
"Liu Xing of the Sky-Reaching Sect, greetings, fellow Daoist."
Liu Xing made a slight bow.
Liu Chenqing cupped his fist. "Sect Master of the Sky-Reaching Sect, Liu Chenqing, greetings, Senior."
"Hmph!"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks glanced at the two, completely ignoring the crowd of elders, honored guests, and disciples behind them. He chuckled, "Liu Xing, Liu Chenqing, have you two finally deigned to show yourselves?"
"Fellow Daoist."
Liu Xing frowned. "From whence do you come, and what is your purpose?"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks narrowed his eyes and smiled. "My name is the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, and I come from the deep mountains. I have come to the Sky-Reaching Sect to demand that your entire sect submit to me. Afterward, we will advance north together, first destroy Mount Wutong, then Mount Changming, and then shatter the Jade Gate Pass, pushing straight into the heart of the Great Shang Dynasty, making the entire human realm kneel before us."
"Presumptuous!"
An inner disciple roared with anger. "Old man, what do you take our Sky-Reaching Sect for?"
"Oh, what do you take it for?"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks picked at his ear, and a small stone came out. He then flicked his wrist. With a "swoosh," the disciple's brow was pierced by the stone, and blood splattered from the back of his head. His body staggered backward and fell to the ground, his breath gone the moment he landed.
"Bastard!"
Two inner disciples cried out in alarm. "This beast has killed Senior Brother Five!"
"Everyone, calm down!"
Liu Xing gritted his teeth and raised his hand to stop the disciples behind him, frowning. "With me here, please remain calm!"
"Old Ancestor!"
One of the personal disciples, holding the dead disciple, had reddened eyes. "Lin Guor is dead!"
"Hmph!"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks narrowed his eyes and laughed. "Young and foolish, don't blame others. Blame yourself for having eyes but not recognizing Mount Tai!"
"Daoist Five Peaks."
Liu Xing's gaze was calm. "This time, you truly intend to show no mercy to our Sky-Reaching Sect, do you not?"
"Yes."
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks sneered. "Not just you, but all the named sects in the Southern Wilderness will face this calamity. You will either kneel obediently and become my vassals, or your Mount Qingtian will be razed, and you will all become rotten bones under the chaotic times. Choose for yourselves. As for you, Liu Xing, I never intended to spare you either!"
"You!"
The next moment, the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks lunged forward, his walking stick thrusting fiercely towards Liu Xing's brow. He sneered, "You Old Ancestor, die first!"
Though Liu Xing was in the early thirteenth realm, he felt an indescribable profound Dao aura emanating from the opponent's walking stick. He raised his palm and unleashed a technique to block the attack. Simultaneously, a golden inkstone flew from his sleeve, which was his natal artifact upon reaching the thirteenth realm. Instantly, golden patterns on the inkstone emerged one by one, transforming into ancient golden figures that spanned the air, wielding stone axes, sickles, and other implements to attack the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks.
"All is vanity!"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks sneered, swept his sleeve, and a torrent of indomitable heart demon flames surged out. In almost an instant, Liu Xing's golden inkstone began to crack under the heat. This natal artifact of Liu Xing was, after all, a treasure from the Three Realms, its Dao belonging to metal, while the heart demon flames of the indomitable heart demon were already methods of attack from beyond the Three Realms.
"Die!"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks' body trembled. The next moment, he appeared behind Liu Xing, his hands grabbing Liu Xing's head. With a "crack," he forcefully twisted off the head of this early thirteenth realm great cultivator, Liu Xing. Under the bloodstains, Liu Xing's headless body staggered backward, a sight too tragic to behold.
"Old Ancestor!"
Liu Chenqing cried out in alarm, feeling as if his liver and gallbladder were about to split. But at this moment, Liu Xing's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness: "Chenqing, do not be sad, and do not fight to the death. Take the disciples and live on. Only by living on can there be hope..."
As he spoke, Liu Xing's headless body suddenly stood firm. A golden radiance surged from his body. The next moment, Liu Xing's soul rushed out of his body, drawing down strands of profound Dao light rain from the sky, intending to ascend in soul form. Instantly, a colossal golden body spanned heaven and earth, exuding an aura of solemn majesty.
"Still trying to attempt ascension?!"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks let out a ferocious laugh, soaring into the sky. He raised his left fist, and strands of heart demon flames began to coil around his arm. The next moment, a torrent of fist winds erupted, and Liu Xing's ascending golden body was crushed within the fist winds in the blink of an eye, turning into a rain of golden light. A thirteenth realm great cultivator, the pinnacle of human cultivators' eyes, was thus annihilated, his destiny feeding back into the lands of the Southern Wilderness.
"Old Ancestor!"
The cultivators of the Sky-Reaching Sect were all dumbfounded. Their livers and gallbladders felt like they were about to rupture, as they watched their Old Ancestor Liu Xing be beaten to death, deprived even of the chance to ascend. The humiliation and rage in their hearts were imaginable. For a moment, many young disciples drew their swords, their eyes filled with sorrow and fury!
"Avenge the Old Ancestor!"
"Though we cultivators of the Sky-Reaching Sect are located in the Southern Wilderness, as human cultivators, how can we cower and live ignobly?!"
"The Old Ancestor died for our Sky-Reaching Sect, how can we continue to live!"
"Sect Master, give the order! We will fight this Old Dog of the Five Peaks to the death!"
"Avenge the Old Ancestor!"
...
"Enough!"
Liu Chenqing suddenly roared, cutting off all their voices. His gaze was cold as he slowly stepped forward. The dignified Sect Master of the Sky-Reaching Sect knelt on one knee before the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, saying solemnly, "Liu Chenqing is willing to lead the entire Sky-Reaching Sect in submission to the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks. Where the Old Ancestor leads, there our Sky-Reaching Sect will follow!"
Liu Chenqing knelt on the ground, trembling all over. He, who was usually proud and arrogant, could not bear such humiliation. But as Old Ancestor Liu Xing had said before his death, they must first survive with their disciples. Only by surviving could there be hope.
"Sect Master!"
"Master, why is this!?"
"Sect Master..."
The disciples roared in anger.
Liu Chenqing remained silent, nor did he look up. He simply knelt on the ground, raised an arm, and pressed his palm downward, signaling the others to kneel and cease their futile resistance.
Soon after, the entire Sky-Reaching Sect, from the Sect Master to the elders, honored guests, inner disciples, and outer disciples, all knelt in a vast expanse. Everyone's bodies trembled as they endured this immense humiliation. In the wind, the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, still holding Liu Xing's head, narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "A teachable child. This is the right way. Since that is the case, I shall return Liu Xing's head to you. Bury him well."
With a "thud," Liu Xing's head rolled down the mountain path to Liu Chenqing's feet. Liu Chenqing, disregarding the blood and grime, cradled Liu Xing's head in his arms, his heart filled with profound pain.
...
Mount Changming.
A beam of sword light descended onto the mountain. It was Xiao Jiu'er returning to the sect. Halfway up the mountain, an eleventh realm senior sister rose from a pavilion and smiled. "Has Sect Master Sister returned to the mountain?"
"Mm."
Su Qingjiu smiled faintly. "By the way, Senior Sister Liangxi, after dinner, bring your beloved disciple Xu Qingcheng to my Moon Brilliance Pavilion. I found a good sword in the Southern Wilderness that would be perfect for her."
"Alright~~~"