“Thank you, Senior Sword Immortal, for sparing our lives! Thank you, Senior Sword Immortal, for sparing our lives!”

Upon hearing this, the five Golden Core Stage Elders of the Qing Ming Sect immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy.

“Get lost,” the Qingyang Swordmaster said, waving his hand dismissively.

“Thank you, Senior Sword Immortal! We take our leave!” Feeling as if they had been granted amnesty, the five hurriedly fled.

The Supreme Elder of the Qing Ming Sect had fallen! The four Golden Core Stage Elders of the Qing Ming Sect had fled in a sorry state! As soon as the news broke, it shook the entirety of Nanling City.

“The Supreme Elder of the Qing Ming Sect has fallen! Who is that mysterious powerhouse from the Qing Ming Sect? It’s said that even when the Sect Master personally took action, he still couldn’t defeat that person!”

“It seems to be a Sword Cultivator from Beiyue Academy. I heard he cultivates the Thunder True Intent! His strength is incredibly profound and inscrutable. With a single sword strike, he killed a Golden Core Stage Elder of the Qing Ming Sect, causing the other four to flee in a panic!”

“As expected of the Sword Saint’s ruins! In just half a month, first the Great Elder of the Qingyang Sect was slain, and now someone has cut down the Supreme Elder of the Qing Ming Sect!”

“The Qingyang Swordmaster…” The cultivators near the Qing Ming Sect whispered among themselves.

At that moment, at the mountain gate of the Qing Ming Sect…

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Two streaks of light swooped in, landing and transforming into two old men from the Qing Ming Sect. As soon as one of them touched the ground, he looked toward the gate, his face twisting into a hideous snarl. “The Qingyang Swordmaster!”

“Sect Master, it’s him! It’s this bastard who slaughtered our Qing Ming Sect!” the other elder yelled, pointing angrily at the Qingyang Swordmaster.

“You… you’ve actually advanced to the Golden Core Stage! No! This is impossible! It’s absolutely impossible! You were clearly already at the Nascent Soul Stage, so how could you have broken through to the Golden Core Realm? This cannot be!” Chen Zheng struggled to his feet, staring fixedly at the Qingyang Swordmaster. “You must be cheating! You must have used some kind of amplifying treasure!”

“Chen Zheng!” the Sect Master of the Qing Ming Sect roared furiously.

BOOM! BOOM!

The skies within a million-mile radius of the Qing Ming Sect suddenly dimmed as thunderclouds gathered, as if brewing something terrifying.

This is… The Sect Master of the Qing Ming Sect was taken aback; he recognized the thunderclouds in the firmament. These clouds descended only once every hundred years, and on the day of their arrival, the Qing Ming Sect had to conduct a sacrifice.

“Sect Master, this is… this is the Ninefold Tribulation! It’s the Ninefold Tribulation!” an elder of the Qing Ming Sect shouted excitedly.

“The Ninefold Tribulation!” The Sect Master’s face darkened, and a sense of crisis welled up in his heart. The arrival of the Ninefold Tribulation at this time was certainly not a good thing.

WHOOM!

Indeed, in the next moment, the thunderclouds converged in the sky, and a bolt of purple lightning shot out from them.

“Careful!” the Sect Master of the Qing Ming Sect growled, raising his right hand and throwing a punch.

However, the power of the purple lightning was too fierce. The Sect Master was sent flying.

“AHH!” Chen Zheng screamed miserably as his physical body disintegrated.

“Damn it! If I survive this Heavenly Tribulation, I swear I will kill every enemy in this world!” Chen Zheng’s body was gone, leaving only his Nascent Soul, which roared in terror and rage.

“Hmph.” The Qingyang Swordmaster smirked disdainfully and waved his hand casually.

BOOM!

Lightning struck down once more.

This time, Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul could not withstand it and was instantly annihilated, turning to dust and smoke.

“Damn it! I refuse to accept this! I burn with such hatred!” With a woeful and furious roar, the Sect Master of the Qing Ming Sect followed in Chen Zheng’s footsteps, crushed by the lightning.

“Master…” Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul knelt on the ground.

“Your bloodline is very special. If you leave it behind, I, your Master, might be able to help you take revenge!” The Qingyang Swordmaster took a step forward, landing in front of Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul. He lifted his right hand, and a seal appeared in his palm. With a flash, the seal suppressed the Nascent Soul. “Remember, do not even think about restoring your physical body until you reach the Golden Core Stage. That marvelous rune inside you is your protection!”

“This disciple obeys!” Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul gritted his teeth in agreement.

“Hmph.” The Qingyang Swordmaster gave a cold smirk and, with a flick of his sleeve, swept away Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul.

“Sect Master!” With the disappearance of Chen Zheng’s Nascent Soul, the remaining Golden Core Stage elder collapsed, staring blankly at the spot where the Sect Master had been.

A moment later, two Golden Core Stage elders snapped back to their senses. “Where is the Sect Master!? I don’t know! Could he have already successfully overcome the Heavenly Tribulation?” They immediately dashed through the Qing Ming Sect’s gates.

“Eh? What’s this…?” Just as the two Golden Core Stage cultivators entered the gate, their expressions changed drastically. A black mist descended, engulfing them both in the blink of an eye. As the mist dissipated, only two storage rings remained on the ground.

“Hehe! Two little Golden Core Stage brats, actually daring to break into the Qing Ming Sect!” A sinister laugh echoed from within the black mist as the two storage rings flashed and flew toward it.

FWOOSH!

The next moment, a ghostly face emerged from one of the storage rings. It licked its lips while scanning the two rings, then eerily vanished.

「Several days later.」

Within a small clan in Nanyang County.

“Young Master, you can complete the assessment today! You are truly amazing; you passed with only your late-stage Qi Training cultivation. In the future, we servants will be able to follow you and live a life of luxury! Young Master, once you get the qualification token, you must help this servant get a Golden Core-level one!” the little maid exclaimed, extremely excited. She had been with the young master for almost two months, and he bought her all sorts of wonderful things every month. This life felt like a dream come true.

“Rest assured, this Young Master will strive hard! Once I get that Golden Core-level qualification token, I’ll definitely find some beautiful ladies to have fun with! Haha!” The young master laughed uproariously at the sky.

“Congratulations, Young Master! Cheers for the Young Master!” The little maid clapped and cheered.

“Hehe!” The young master’s smile grew even brighter as he scooped up the little maid without another word and ran toward the bedroom.

「Qing Ming Sect.」

Outside a palace.

“Qing Ming Sect Master, hand over the criminal Chen Zheng, or your sect will be obliterated, with no one left alive!” An ice-cold, piercing voice reverberated through the heavens.

BOOM! BOOM!

Thunder roared across the sky.

“What’s going on? Why is there such a commotion in the Qing Ming Sect?”

“The Qing Ming Sect is under attack!”

“The Sect Master isn’t in the sect, and all the elders have perished in battle. The disciples can’t possibly withstand this attack! It seems the Qing Ming Sect has provoked some formidable power!” The surrounding cultivators exclaimed one after another upon seeing the dark clouds rolling across the sky.

Hmm? That voice sounds so familiar! Deep within the Qing Ming Sect, Qin Yao, who was in closed-door cultivation, opened her eyes. She instantly spotted the rolling thunderclouds and the lightning flashing across the sky, and a deeply ominous feeling surged in her heart. A trace of worry crossed her brow, and she immediately left her dwelling.

“Huh?”

“Why did that Senior leave her dwelling?”

This is not good! These rumbling thunderclouds and the lightning above give me a sense of great danger! Although I am still half a step from reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, I fear no Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, nor am I afraid of Soul Transformation Cultivators! But those thunderclouds and lightning make me wary! If I am not mistaken, above those clouds and lightning, there must be a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!

Thoughts burst forth. At this moment, the Qing Ming Sect Master’s gaze locked onto the rumbling thunderclouds above.

Above the thunderclouds stood a figure in white, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Greetings, Senior!” The Qing Ming Sect Master was shocked and hastily bowed in respect.

At that moment, the remaining disciples of the Qing Ming Sect also rushed over.

“I ask you, where is Chen Zheng?” the figure in white asked indifferently.

The disciples of the Qing Ming Sect trembled as they whispered among themselves. “Chen Zheng! The Sect Master actually referred to that Senior as Chen Zheng! That Senior… he seems to be the one from Qingyang City! I heard my ancestor say that the Qingyang Sword Saint from Qingyang City is a great Nascent Soul Stage expert! Gasp! Could it be that the one from Qingyang City is here to annihilate our sect?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep