Chapter 5: I Really Am Just in the Qi Refining Stage

"Quick, go help Senior!"

A group of Heavenly Azure Sect disciples rushed through the gate from outside, only to be stunned by the scene before them. Dead Cloud Mountain Sect disciples lay everywhere. Ling Qingshu, who had just arrived, was also deeply shaken.

"My Cloud Mountain Sect, for eighteen generations, has been the supreme power in Qizhou, believing ourselves to be at our peak. Yet today, one person, with a single sword, wiped out my entire Cloud Mountain Sect! Hahaha, supreme? How laughable! Without reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one is ultimately nothing more than a low-level cultivator!"

A Cloud Mountain Sect disciple, seemingly laughing and crying at the same time, stumbled out of the gate.

"Who, who destroyed the Cloud Mountain Sect?" Ling Qingshu immediately stopped the disciple, still finding the outcome hard to believe. A faint suspicion stirred in her heart, but was it even possible? How long had it been? She had arrived in less than a quarter of an hour, only to be told that the Cloud Mountain Sect had already been annihilated. Even if that Ancestor was strong, they couldn't possibly be *that* strong, could they?

"They're all dead, all dead! Hahaha!" The Cloud Mountain Sect disciple stumbled out, and surprisingly, no one from the Heavenly Azure Sect stopped him.

Suddenly, Ling Qingshu's pupils contracted. She saw Liu Zhen, the Cloud Mountain Sect Master, lying on the ground, his body severed in two. Standing beside him was a person. That person slowly turned around.

Ling Qingshu's breath hitched. It was the Senior... no, it was the Ancestor! She remembered what the previous sect master had told her: the Heavenly Azure Sect had an Ancestor who had been in seclusion for many years, their fate unknown. She had thought that nameless Ancestor must have long since passed away, but to her surprise, they had emerged from seclusion today and saved the Heavenly Azure Sect!

The Ancestor truly accomplished this! What level of power did the Ancestor possess? So many questions swirled in her mind, but she dared not ask them now. Looking at that youthful face, a sudden chill ran through her. It was fortunate this was the Heavenly Azure Sect's Ancestor. If it had been the Cloud Mountain Sect's Ancestor, what would have become of the Heavenly Azure Sect?

"You've arrived?" Xu Yang, who had already sensed Ling Qingshu's presence, asked with a faint smile.

Ling Qingshu hesitated, then bowed and said, "This disciple arrived late. I didn't expect it to be over already. The Cloud Mountain Sect..."

Xu Yang naturally understood her unspoken question. He smiled and replied, "I destroyed the Cloud Mountain Sect. As expected, a sect capable of dominating an entire region does have some hidden power. They had two Golden Core cultivators, one of whom was a half-step Nascent Soul. I almost let him get away."

Ling Qingshu's eyes widened. Two Golden Core cultivators? The Cloud Mountain Sect actually had a hidden Golden Core expert! And one who was even a half-step Nascent Soul! She suddenly let out a sigh of relief. Ever since she had taken over as sect master, every day had been filled with worry. The Cloud Mountain Sect had coveted the Heavenly Azure Sect for over a hundred years. Now, this deeply ingrained threat had finally been eliminated.

"However," Xu Yang's tone shifted as he spoke again, "the founding ancestor of the Cloud Mountain Sect is still alive, and surprisingly, possesses a Cavern Heaven Realm cultivation. Indeed, there are many hidden masters in this world."

Ling Qingshu, who had just relaxed, suddenly felt her hair stand on end. Cavern Heaven Realm! In all of Qizhou, there wasn't even a visible Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, let alone a Cavern Heaven Realm one! How could a Cavern Heaven Realm cultivator suddenly appear?

"What should we do? A Cavern Heaven Realm expert is definitely not someone the Heavenly Azure Sect can contend with. Could it be that our Heavenly Azure Sect truly has to relocate?" Ling Qingshu immediately turned, her beautiful face clouded with worry as she began to ponder countermeasures. They had always steadfastly guarded the sect's original location, aiming to preserve a site said to be thousands of years old. However, after today's near-annihilation, and with the appearance of another Cavern Heaven Realm expert, why should the living cling to a place of death?

"Relocate the sect? You're overthinking it!" Xu Yang shook his head and continued, "While the Cavern Heaven Realm is strong, it's not enough to force us to relocate. Though it would take some effort for me to kill him, for him to break into my Heavenly Azure Sect would be nothing but a pipe dream. Do you know why others covet our Heavenly Azure Sect's land? It's a treasure, and you don't even know how to use it!"

"Kill... kill a Cavern Heaven Realm cultivator?" Ling Qingshu swallowed hard. A Cavern Heaven Realm expert – could they truly be killed? In her world, the Cavern Heaven Realm was mere legend, cultivators at that level akin to gods, or even those nearing the immortal path. And our Heavenly Azure Sect's site is actually a treasure ground? Why had she never realized it?

Seeing Ling Qingshu's disbelief, Xu Yang offered no explanation. He simply said calmly, "Tell the disciples to come up quickly and move everything. Don't waste it. The current Heavenly Azure Sect doesn't have much of anything worthwhile."

Ling Qingshu nodded repeatedly and immediately ordered the disciples to clear out the Cloud Mountain Sect. The Heavenly Azure Sect disciples were all extremely excited; the Cloud Mountain Sect was truly destroyed. Sure enough, the Heavenly Azure Sect was an ancient grand sect. The Ancestor was their true foundation! With the Ancestor's move, the number one power in Qizhou was annihilated in an instant!

"Ancestor, what exactly is your cultivation level?" After a long hesitation, Ling Qingshu finally asked. Why did this Ancestor consistently exhibit a Qi Condensation Realm cultivation aura?

"While by seniority, calling me Ancestor isn't wrong, let's drop that title for now. You can just call me Xu Yang. As for my cultivation level, it's Qi Condensation Realm!" Xu Yang finished speaking, then casually strolled around the Cloud Mountain Sect, searching for some information he needed. As the leading sect in Qizhou, the Cloud Mountain Sect was bound to possess knowledge unknown to ordinary people, which was exactly what he needed at the moment. For instance, how did the Heavenly Azure Sect, once the greatest sect in the world, decline? As for pills, cultivation techniques, and similar items, Xu Yang genuinely disdained such incomplete remnants. Take his Limitless Life Sword, for example. To people today, it was merely an ordinary Yellow-grade sword technique. Little did they know, tens of thousands of years ago, the Limitless Life Sword was a highly renowned Earth-grade sword technique.

After finding what he needed, he left Ling Qingshu at the Cloud Mountain Sect and walked down the mountain himself. The world now was vastly different from ten thousand years ago when he entered seclusion. He needed to not only read records but also experience it firsthand.

"Xu... Alright, Ancestor Xu..." Ling Qingshu ultimately did not dare to call Xu Yang by his given name. This Ancestor was too mysterious; he could hide his cultivation so deeply, yet showed no fear towards a Cavern Heaven Realm cultivator. She surmised he must be at least at the Cavern Heaven Realm himself.

Xu Yang paid them no further mind. Along the way, he encountered several fleeing Cloud Mountain Sect disciples who, upon seeing him, scattered as if they had seen a ghost. He made no move to stop them. These low-level stragglers were not worth his effort.

However, it was precisely because of these individuals that the news of Xu Yang destroying an entire sect single-handedly spread like wildfire. It immediately caused a massive upheaval throughout Qizhou. The leading sect had been annihilated just like that.

"What? The Cloud Mountain Sect was destroyed? Are you kidding me? Shut up, or if the Cloud Mountain Sect finds out, we'll be in big trouble."

"You, you're a Cloud Mountain Sect disciple? The Cloud Mountain Sect was really destroyed? And by the Heavenly Azure Sect? Wow, the overlord of Qizhou has changed its name!"

"Quick, quick! Heavenly Azure Sect disciples are still moving things down the mountain from the Cloud Mountain Sect! Go see for yourselves, it's actually true!"

It was destroyed without a sound, and it was said that the usually unassuming Heavenly Azure Sect had produced a peerless expert. The Cloud Mountain Sect's two Golden Core experts, one of whom was even a half-step Nascent Soul, all died tragically on the spot. The entire process took less than a quarter of an hour. The people of Qizhou were all astonished. Many cultivators and even ordinary citizens in Qizhou City began heading towards the Cloud Mountain Sect, eager to witness how the Heavenly Azure Sect had annihilated the overlord of Qizhou.

Xu Yang eventually descended from the Cloud Mountain Sect. Along the way, he encountered many pedestrians, then entered Qizhou City. As he observed, he paid no heed to the astonishment of the people, yet his own inner shock grew increasingly profound. It had only been ten thousand years, yet how could things have changed so drastically?

"In the past, the Void Spirit Grass was considered a treasure by everyone, but now it's everywhere. Even the cultivation techniques and inheritances rarely show any resemblance to those of yesteryear. If the place where I emerged from seclusion hadn't happened to be the Heavenly Azure Sect, I would have thought I had arrived in another world entirely."