Chapter 3: A Sword to Sever the Golden Core

Xu Yang looked at Liu Zhen and said calmly.

Liu Zhen stopped in his tracks, and an aura of intense malevolence instantly surged skyward.

"Good, good, good! How utterly tragic my son's death was! He died for the sect, a worthy end! As your father, I vow to place the villain's head before your altar as your blood offering!"

"No matter how you disguise yourself, prepare to die!"

Liu Zhen roared, suddenly soaring into the sky. He struck with his palm, and a colossal hand instantly materialized in the air, descending to cover the area.

At the Golden Core stage, flying through the clouds was already commonplace.

Xu Yang's eyes were indifferent. He raised a single hand as if supporting the sky, and the descending phantom giant hand was directly shattered by his punch.

"If you don't come down, I'll destroy your sect first!"

Xu Yang spoke, and with a leap, he sprang from the air where the giant hand had been shattered, directly charging into the crowd of Cloud Mountain Sect disciples.

He moved like a fox, swift as a lightning strike.

Since Xu Yang was only in the Qi Refining stage, a clear limitation was his inability to truly fly; he could only make short leaps into the air.

But, if you won't come down, I'll slaughter your entire sect first!

Liu Zhen's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he roared, "Insolent brat, how dare you!"

He plunged directly from high in the sky, chasing after Xu Yang.

What shocked him even more was that Xu Yang truly couldn't fly through the air.

Was this person truly only in the Qi Refining stage? Or, at most, the Foundation Establishment stage?

But why was it that no Cloud Mountain Sect disciple, whether in Qi Refining or perfected Foundation Establishment, could withstand even a single blow from him?

Even he himself couldn't be so efficient!

This person must be killed!

Feeling Liu Zhen pounce from behind, Xu Yang gave a cold smile. He slapped a Cloud Mountain Sect disciple flying, then shifted his feet, and as he turned, his hand shot out like a claw, colliding with Liu Zhen's hand with a loud bang.

Xu Yang seized Liu Zhen's palm, and a tremendous force erupted. *Crack!*

Liu Zhen's face changed drastically. He felt an immense power surging from his palm that he couldn't resist. It directly bypassed his internal spiritual energy and surged inward, followed by a *crack* as his arm bone shattered.

"How is this possible?"

"What is your true cultivation level?"

Liu Zhen's expression truly changed at this moment. How could someone who couldn't fly possess such immense power?

Xu Yang didn't answer. With a gentle push, Liu Zhen was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

"I can't defeat him!"

Cold sweat dripped from Liu Zhen, disbelief written on his face.

"Liu Zhen, the eighteenth Sect Master of the Cloud Mountain Sect, requests the Ancestor to emerge!"

Suddenly, Liu Zhen, channeling spiritual energy into his voice, let out a mighty roar that shook Cloud Mountain.

"So there's still a Golden Core cultivator here. No wonder you were so confident about destroying my Heavenly Mist Sect!" Xu Yang's lips curved into a slight smile.

Suddenly, he sharply turned his head. An old man had appeared on the main hall in front of the Cloud Mountain Sect.

With a single step, the old man miraculously appeared directly at the site of Xu Yang and Liu Zhen's battle.

"Nascent Soul? No, it's Half-step Nascent Soul!"

Xu Yang's expression grew serious.

While Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages focused on cultivating oneself, the Nascent Soul stage cultivated the Great Dao. A Half-step Nascent Soul meant that one had already touched the Great Dao and could, to a certain extent, communicate with heaven and earth.

And Xu Yang, though only in the Qi Refining stage, had a far deeper understanding of the Great Dao than ordinary people.

This was because he had lived for a hundred thousand years—an incredibly long time. He could easily discern that the opponent was a Half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.

The old man smiled as he looked at Xu Yang and asked, "Young friend, what exactly is your cultivation level?"

"Qi Refining stage!"

Xu Yang said calmly.

The old man smiled noncommittally. "This mountain was once desolate and unvisited. A singularly brilliant genius, who shook Qi Province and traveled far and wide, eventually attained the Nascent Soul realm. He brought an old servant with him, determined to establish a great sect in the world, and chose this mountain. Thus, the Cloud Mountain Sect was formed!"

"He helped his old servant cultivate, then left to seek the true Great Dao, instructing his servant to guard the sect. He never returned, and five hundred years have passed since."

Xu Yang nodded and said, "So, you are that old servant, or you're telling me that behind this sect's gate, there might be a Nascent Soul expert, or even a Cavern-Heaven realm master?"

"Young friend, how about we stop here? Your Heavenly Mist Sect has declined, and it's a world where the strong prey on the weak. However, you've emerged forcefully and attacked our sect. My Cloud Mountain Sect is not powerless to retaliate. If we cease hostilities now, my Cloud Mountain Sect can offer compensation," the old man continued with a smile.

"Ancestor, you cannot!" Liu Zhen's pupils contracted.

"Silence! When did the Cloud Mountain Sect become your Liu family's sole domain?" the old man rebuked.

"I disagree!" Xu Yang shook his head and said, "The strong preying on the weak is unavoidable. Had I not broken through today, the Heavenly Mist Sect would have become history, utterly annihilated, and I would only be able to seek revenge. But since I broke through today, this is an unending vendetta!"

"If that is the case!" The old man chuckled, his gaze suddenly sharpening. A circular disc appeared in his hand and he tossed it directly into the air. Instantly, ten colors floated out, and a phantom formation flew from the disc.

Following this, a grand formation materialized in the sky above the entire Cloud Mountain Sect, responding to the disc.

"Then you shall die!"

Liu Zhen paused, then rejoiced. Earlier, Xu Yang's intrusion had been too sudden for the sect-protecting formation to be activated.

In truth, he couldn't fully control this formation himself. He hadn't expected the core formation plate to be in the Ancestor's hands.

"Hahahaha, you will surely die today!"

"My Cloud Mountain Sect's grand formation is a high-grade Profound-tier array, named the Seven Kill Formation! Each kill is stronger than the last! Today, even if you are a Nascent Soul cultivator, you must die here!"

Liu Zhen was incredibly smug. He finally understood the Ancestor's intention in speaking with Xu Yang.

It was to stall for time and activate the formation plate!

Now that the formation plate was active, there was no way he could escape.

How could Xu Yang not know the old man's scheme? He simply hadn't made a move to stop him.

Let them see the greatest hope, only to fall into despair within that hope.

Killing must also shatter their spirit!

Xu Yang chuckled softly, his fingers brushing against the storage ring on his middle finger. A long sword immediately appeared in his hand.

"Old friend, today, let's kill a Golden Core first!"

He drew his sword!

It was as if the entire Cloud Mountain Sect had grown cold.

This sword was forged long ago when his master was about to ascend. Seeing that Xu Yang still had no hope of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, his master used himself to draw down the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, took Void Meteorite Iron, and added thousands of rare materials—some of which might never be seen again—to create it.

Its name: Life-Preserving Sword! To preserve Xu Yang's life!

"Seven Kill Formation, First Kill!"

The instant Xu Yang drew his sword, the old man sensed something was wrong. The chill rising from the depths of his heart sent shivers down his spine.

He instantly took control of the formation plate and directly unleashed the First Kill.

Spiritual energy gathered in the air, and a giant, blood-red character for "kill" descended with a roar.

Liu Zhen's pupils also contracted slightly. He hadn't expected Xu Yang to have another trump card. Seeing the Life-Preserving Sword, greed flashed in his eyes.

He must be killed!

"Azure Nether Seal!"

He roared. As the First Kill descended, the clouds in the sky abruptly turned dark greenish-black, forming a colossal seal.

The Cloud Mountain Sect's supreme sect-protecting art!

However, Xu Yang remained unconcerned. He simply looked up, and the instant the "kill" character was about to descend, he raised his sword upward.

A streak of white light tore through the blood-red, shattering the "kill" character!

The sword light didn't stop; the Azure Nether Seal plummeted!

The sword passed, and the Golden Core cultivator died!