Chapter 2: Your son was killed by me

Xu Yang watched the people fleeing in panic, yet he showed no urgency in pursuing them. His relaxed pace made it seem impossible that he could catch them.

"Senior, you absolutely cannot let them escape! If Liu Zhen, the sect leader of Cloud Mountain Sect, finds out, it will undoubtedly be a disaster for my Azure Mist Sect." Ling Qingshu cried out to Xu Yang in great urgency.

Liu Zhen was a seasoned Golden Core realm expert, whose cultivation dated back further than the former sect leader's. The former sect leader's death was a result of lingering internal injuries sustained during a past encounter with Liu Zhen. Liu Zhen was a top-tier expert among Golden Core cultivators.

Xu Yang nodded, smiling indifferently. "They won't escape. And neither will Liu Zhen!"

As he lifted his foot and then set it down, he instantly appeared behind Liu Yunqing. Liu Yunqing's hair stood on end. He instantly sensed a terrifying Qi Refining aura behind him.

"Senior, is it fun for a Golden Core expert to disguise himself as a Qi Refining cultivator? Do you dare to fight my father?" Liu Yunqing yelled frantically.

"Don't worry, I will go find your father!"

"I grant you death by fear!"

Xu Yang didn't spare him another glance. He struck down with a palm to the crown of Liu Yunqing's head.

*Crack!*

The bones of his skull and neck instantly shattered into dust. His internal organs within his chest directly burst. Liu Yunqing was already dead the moment Xu Yang struck, yet his body continued to run forward for three or four steps before suddenly collapsing. His mouth gaped open, spewing forth a mix of blood and internal organs.

A chill ran through the Cloud Mountain Sect disciples. This person was terrifying; he hadn't hesitated for a moment before delivering a fatal blow to the Young Sect Leader of Cloud Mountain Sect. Some were filled with immense grief and indignation: "What's the point of a Golden Core expert disguising themselves? If you want to kill, just kill! Why pretend to be weaker than us?"

With every step Xu Yang took, another person died, as if the God of Death himself had arrived, claiming lives from behind.

"I grant you death in hope!"

"I permit you to die while begging for mercy!"

"I grant you a painless death!"

...

"No, please don't kill me! I beg you, spare me! The cultivation world is too dangerous. I'm willing to cripple my own cultivation and go home to farm. Senior, ancestor, please spare me!"

Everyone was dead. All who had come to Azure Mist Sect were dead, leaving only him. He prostrated himself on the ground, frantically kowtowing to Xu Yang.

"What's your name?" Xu Yang asked.

"Huh? This humble one is Zhang Ye. Please tell me your command, Senior! I'll go through fire and water for you!"

The man, who called himself Zhang Ye, was overjoyed. Xu Yang never spoke idle words when killing; he simply struck them dead. The fact that Xu Yang spoke to him meant there was a turn of events; he might not die!

"Good, Zhang Ye. Take me to Cloud Mountain Sect!" Xu Yang said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" Zhang Ye was instantly dumbfounded. Xu Yang actually wanted him to lead the way.

"Se-senior, do you intend to fight our Sect Leader? No, that's impossible! Our Sect Leader is at the late Golden Core stage, and Cloud Mountain Sect has a protective mountain array. You won't stand a chance going alone!" Zhang Ye stammered. He wished Xu Yang would go to his death, but he couldn't be the one to lead him there.

"You don't need to worry about anything else. Just lead the way!" Xu Yang glanced at Zhang Ye, who instantly felt the chilling proximity of death. He dared not utter another word and scrambled forward to lead the way. He could only secretly hope in his heart that Xu Yang would defeat the Sect Leader, giving him a chance to survive.

...

"Sect Leader, that senior has left with Zhang Ye of Cloud Mountain Sect. He said he's going to Cloud Mountain Sect!" an Azure Mist Sect disciple quickly informed Ling Qingshu.

Ling Qingshu's face paled in alarm. What was this senior planning? Did he intend to destroy an entire sect by himself? Cloud Mountain Sect was the foremost sect in Qizhou. Not only was Sect Leader Liu Zhen a late Golden Core cultivator, but no one knew if Cloud Mountain Sect had a second Golden Core expert, or even a Golden Core cultivator stronger than Liu Zhen!

"Quick, go and bring the senior back!" Ling Qingshu quickly told her disciples.

"We can't catch him, his speed is too fast!" the disciple said, sweating profusely.

"Who exactly is this senior, and why is he helping my Azure Mist Sect? He seems to have come from the back mountain!" As if something suddenly occurred to Ling Qingshu, her expression changed. She immediately gathered her disciples: "All disciples, listen to my command! Apart from those assigned to remain, everyone else will follow me to Cloud Mountain Sect!"

...

Xu Yang, accompanied by Zhang Ye, now stood at the foot of a tall mountain. This was the highest mountain in Qizhou, and also the one with the richest spiritual energy. Following the incredibly tall stairs straight up, a majestic sect gate emerged from the clouds.

Cloud Mountain Sect!

"Elder Zhang returned so quickly! It seems taking down Azure Mist Sect was effortless!" The gate-keeping disciples saw Zhang Ye. Zhang Ye was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, holding a high position within the sect, and they quickly flattered him with smiles.

"Take down Azure Mist Sect? A small, ant-like sect merely amusing themselves within their boundaries. How could they know the majesty of my Azure Mist Sect?" Xu Yang snorted coldly.

"Elder, who is this?"

"The one sending you on your way!"

Xu Yang's aura burst forth with tremendous power. A Qi Refining aura, far exceeding the ordinary, erupted from him. With a single palm strike, the two gate-keeping disciples instantly died.

"I heard the Cloud Mountain Sect Leader is named Liu Zhen?" With a *bang*, Xu Yang directly pulverized the Cloud Mountain Sect's main gate. At the same time, his voice, like thunder, instantly echoed throughout the entire Cloud Mountain Sect!

"Who? Who dares to cause a disturbance in my Cloud Mountain Sect?"

"Hmph, someone actually came to my Cloud Mountain Sect to provoke us. Are they tired of living?"

"Damn, the one who came to provoke us is just a Qi Refining cultivator! They're practically seeking death. But this Qi Refining cultivator... there's something about them; their aura is much stronger than an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator!"

The Cloud Mountain Sect disciples were immediately alarmed. Soon, someone discovered the presence of Zhang Ye and Xu Yang.

"You seek your own death, daring to damage my sect gate! Die!" From the crowd, a disciple suddenly darted out, brandishing a sword.

"Kill!"

In an instant, the disciple was before Xu Yang. However, Xu Yang didn't even spare him a glance, merely extending two fingers to clamp down on the long sword.

*Clang!*

The long sword snapped!

"Since you won't come out, I will slaughter everyone in your Cloud Mountain Sect, then I'll come find you!" Xu Yang let out a cold snort and simply pushed horizontally. The Cloud Mountain Sect disciple's eyes widened in horror. "How can there be such a vast difference, even among Qi Refining cultivators?" The disciple directly spat blood mid-air and flew backward into the crowd. Then, within the crowd, an immense force exploded. The disciple himself burst apart, creating an incredibly powerful shockwave. The Cloud Mountain Sect disciples surrounding Xu Yang were blasted apart, falling in swathes. Countless individuals lay in pools of blood.

Everyone was incredulous. "Is this... is this really a Qi Refining cultivator?"

"No, he's a fake Qi Refining, a true Golden Core! Zhang Ye has betrayed the sect! Sect Leader, come out quickly and save us!" a gravely wounded disciple, not yet dead, cried out to the sky in profound grief and indignation.

"You... you are from Azure Mist Sect? Indeed, as rumored, how could an ancient sect like that not have some hidden strength?" A middle-aged man walked slowly forward, a smile on his face, showing no concern at Xu Yang's display of power.

"I killed your son!"