Chapter 114: Return to the Sect

The terrifying roar brought immense shock to everyone nearby; even the hundred-foot waterfall behind them hummed in resonance with its immense power.

An immense pressure poured down from above.

From deep within the sky, a materialized giant hand, carrying brilliant spiritual energy of various colors, pressed down on the two elders.

"No!! This..."

The two old cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage were utterly stunned. The appearance of this power finally made them realize how foolishly they had displayed their limited abilities before a true master. It turned out that Xu Yang hadn't been serious with them at all; he was merely like a bystander watching a monkey show. The more boisterous they were, the more amused he became.

The terrifying, sky-obscuring giant palm slowly pressed down. The sword energy protective aura around the two elders completely shattered, and it felt as if a mountain were pressing down on them, making it extremely difficult to move even a single step.

"Hehehe, how about that? Have you two experienced the feeling of death yet?" Xu Yang smiled, looking at the two old men, and asked coldly, his face filled with an amused and teasing expression.

"Your cultivation is truly profound, far beyond our reach. We were blind and failed to recognize a true master!"

Xu Yang calmly waved his hand, and the mountain-like, sky-obscuring giant hand gradually dissipated. At this moment, Xu Yang exuded an unfathomable and profound presence, as if all the heavens, earth, mountains, rivers, and myriad paths were under his control.

"Now, tell me everything about Ling Yao's past. This will be your only chance to survive."

The two elders exchanged glances, finally sighed helplessly, and dropped their precious swords, admitting defeat to Xu Yang.

"Actually, this girl Ling Yao is different from other young disciples; a key component of her soul is missing."

"What did you say!!"

Hearing this, both Xu Yang and Ling Yao were greatly astonished. Ling Yao herself was particularly stunned, frozen on the spot.

"How is that possible?" Xu Yang was skilled in the art of rebirth and naturally understood the principles involved. If an ordinary person lacked a key component of their soul, they would have rather obvious deficiencies in their abilities. Yet, there was no sign of this in Ling Yao; even Xu Yang himself hadn't noticed it.

"We don't know the specifics. We only know that when this girl arrived years ago, she had a jade pendant around her neck, which was later taken and kept by the Ten Elders. After that, Ling Yao became the Great Elder's personal disciple, and it's said that this was also the Ten Elders' instruction."

Xu Yang and Ling Yao exchanged glances, realizing they could probably guess some of the implications. Perhaps Ling Yao's greatest secret was hidden within that mysterious jade.

"I won't kill you today. Go back and tell your Holy Land's leader that in three days, I, Xu Yang of the Heavenly Azure Sect, will personally pay them a visit."

With those words, Xu Yang and Ling Yao vanished in front of the waterfall, leaving the two old cultivators to exclaim with lingering fear: "That was too close! We almost lost our lives! This Xu Yang is truly no ordinary person!"

"We can't worry about that much now. First, we must return to the Holy Land and report the situation to the Senior Disciple. If necessary, the Ten Elders should be informed! Otherwise, it will be very difficult for sword cultivators of our generation to resist this Xu Yang."

***

Back in the cave, Ling Yao seemed absent-minded. Her heart remained restless as she thought of her complicated past and identity, as well as the fact that a key component of her soul was missing.

"You don't need to overthink this. Some things you're meant to face, you'll have to face sooner or later. As for the trip to the Heavenly Sword Holy Land, I also have my own objectives; it's not just about you. You don't need to feel any psychological burden about it."

Ling Yao realized that Xu Yang now considered her one of his own, and this feeling brought a touch of warmth to her.

"What did you say? Xu Yang? How dare he treat our Holy Land with such disrespect?"

After hearing the report from the two elders, the Great Elder was instantly furious.

"Men, send out a hundred-man sword squad immediately to attack the Heavenly Azure Sect! I want to see how much trouble this Xu Yang can stir up by himself!"

"No, no, Senior Disciple! That Xu Yang's methods are heaven-reaching. The situation isn't too bad yet, but if you attack the Heavenly Azure Sect now, it will truly be a battle where both sides suffer heavy losses!"

The Great Elder seemed to have lost his reason. His beloved disciple had been inexplicably lured away by Xu Yang to become a traitor, and he genuinely couldn't tolerate this insult. Opposing Xu Yang was something he had to do!

"You don't need to say more. If anything goes wrong, I'll bear the responsibility alone! In short, I will definitely make this Xu Yang pay the price!"

***

That night, Huang Tian, who hadn't been seen for days, suddenly arrived in the cave and informed Xu Yang and the other two about the urgent situation at the sect.

The spiritual boat was activated, and Xu Yang and his group immediately rushed back to the Heavenly Azure Sect. Only then did they see Ling Qingshu leading the disciples in a desperate resistance!

"The Ancestor has returned!"

Ling Qingshu was overjoyed, but when she saw two beautiful women standing on either side of Xu Yang, she instinctively felt a hint of desolation in her heart, for reasons unknown.

"The people from the Heavenly Sword Holy Land are quite impressive! I didn't want to be too high-profile before, but now, if I don't teach this Holy Land a lesson, they'll truly think our Heavenly Azure Sect is easy to bully."

As Xu Yang spoke, with a flick of his finger, he drew countless spiritual energies from this world, gathering them above his head. Countless spiritual energy sword lights rapidly converged and pierced towards the hundred-man sword squad.

Thud...

Aargh!!

Painful screams rose one after another, as every sword light was filled with irresistible destructive power. It should be known that the sword lights Xu Yang unleashed were completely different from ordinary sword energy. Each one contained the realm enhancement of the "Cloud-Gazing Sword Intent," making the released sword energy even more powerful. Furthermore, they possessed endless variations in form and direction. The constant pressure of sword power could completely disrupt the casting rhythm of the sword cultivators on the battlefield.

With this, let alone facing a hundred-man sword squad, even if the opponent had an army of thousands, they would definitely not gain any advantage against Xu Yang.

"Quick, retreat!!"

The leader of the sword squad was completely bewildered. After cultivating the Way of the Sword for so many years, he had never seen anyone with such terrifying, heaven-dominating control. A single person could condense sword lights that surpassed hundreds of Cavern-Heaven realm experts. If they didn't run now, when would they?

In just one exchange, Xu Yang completely repelled this wave of attack from the Heavenly Sword Holy Land, leaving everyone in the Heavenly Azure Sect, from top to bottom, filled with admiration.

"Haha, Boss, thankfully you're here, or this would have been serious trouble! The Holy Land's foundation is not to be underestimated!"

Xu Yang scoffed, "After all, there are only Ten Holy Lands on the entire continent. The true terrifying foundation of the Heavenly Sword Holy Land lies with the Ten Elders. Aside from them, those other elders and sword cultivators are nothing special."

Huang Tian sighed softly. "But now, this feud has been established. Whether it's a Holy Land or an Empire, once a conflict forms, it's difficult to resolve. This battle is inevitable."