Going Too Far

The Upper Court disciple was burly, his muscles bulging. Though only fifteen or sixteen, he was as strong as a black bear. He swept his leg viciously at the bend of Zhong Yue's knee. The power in his kick could shatter stone pillars and snap trees in half!

Bang!

A dull thud echoed. Zhong Yue's body swayed, his left leg nearly buckling. At the same time, the power of two totem divine pillars pressed down, increasing the burden on his back!

"Tian? Tian Feng Clan? Could it be that old examiner from Azure Sky Hall with the surname Tian?"

Zhong Yue's mind raced, and he quickly understood the reason. The Tian Feng Clan held considerable influence within Sword Gate. That old Qi Refiner surnamed Tian controlled Azure Sky Hall in the outer sect, effectively giving the Tian Feng Clan control over the outer sect's Upper Court and allowing them to favor disciples of their clan.

Now, during Zhong Yue's assessment at Azure Sky Hall, Zuo Xiang Sheng had realized that to create opportunities for disciples from humble backgrounds, he had to seize control of Azure Sky Hall himself. Thus, he challenged the old examiner from the Tian Feng Clan, aiming to take power.

This incident, sparked by Zhong Yue, had led to the Tian Feng Clan losing control of Azure Sky Hall, naturally inviting their retaliation!

"Huh? My totem divine pillars are carved with the Turtle Mountain Totem. Once activated, they exert the pressure of a mountain. You're still standing?"

The Upper Court disciple was surprised to see Zhong Yue still standing after his kick. He praised, "No wonder you could pass the Azure Sky Hall assessment on strength alone. But you're asking for trouble. If you had just knelt down and stayed there for a few hours in front of the Upper Court disciples and the Scripture Pavilion, this matter would have been settled. My Tian Feng Clan wouldn't have made things too difficult for you."

Whoosh!

He swept his leg again, laughing, "But you refused to kneel, so you'll likely suffer even more!"

Zhong Yue's legs bent further under the repeated kicks. The pressure from the two Turtle Mountain Totem divine pillars intensified, pinning him down!

"You must be curious why no Qi Refiners have come down in the past few days to take you under their wing, right?"

The Upper Court disciple continued kicking at the bend of Zhong Yue's legs. Many Upper Court disciples milled about in front of the Scripture Pavilion, but not a single one stepped forward to interfere, merely watching from a distance.

"It's because my Tian Feng Clan lost Azure Sky Hall. Other Qi Refiners are worried that taking you as a disciple would displease the Tian Feng Clan, so no one is accepting you."

Thump!

Zhong Yue was kicked down to one knee, his hands clenched into fists, supporting himself on the ground, desperately trying to keep his other leg from kneeling. Veins bulged on his forehead and hands, stretched taut.

"You have no one in Sword Gate to teach or guide you. You'll be left to stagnate, your cultivation will stop here, and becoming a Qi Refiner is out of the question!"

The Upper Court disciple landed another hard kick on Zhong Yue's right leg, laughing. "The higher-ups of my Tian Feng Clan didn't forbid them from accepting you. They chose not to themselves, because the Tian Feng Clan is one of the top ten great clans in the Great Wilderness! Offend the Tian Feng Clan, and even without them lifting a finger, you'll have no future! Today, you just need to kneel here for a few hours, then you can go down the mountain and leave Sword Gate of your own accord."

Outside the Scripture Pavilion, numerous Upper Court disciples looked on, shaking their heads.

A female disciple sighed, "The Tian Feng Clan is one of the top ten clans of the Great Wilderness. Offending them and causing them to lose Azure Sky Hall means you won't just be unable to stay in Sword Gate; you probably won't find a place to stay in the entire Great Wilderness for a hundred thousand miles..."

"What's going on?" someone who didn't know the full story asked in a low voice.

"I heard that a few days ago, Uncle-Master Zuo and Uncle-Master Tian from Azure Sky Hall had a falling out over this junior disciple of the Zhongshan Clan. Uncle-Master Zuo severely injured Uncle-Master Tian and seized control of Azure Sky Hall. The Tian Feng Clan lost Azure Sky Hall, and their higher-ups were furious, putting pressure on Uncle-Master Zuo. It caused quite a stir."

"So that's it. Uncle-Master Zuo is Sword Gate's most outstanding young Qi Refiner and is highly regarded by many elders. The Tian Feng Clan can't touch him. But this junior disciple of the Zhongshan Clan has no background or backing. He's likely to suffer greatly caught in the middle..."

"More than suffer greatly? Look, Uncle-Master Tian from Azure Sky Hall is also here in the Scripture Pavilion. Ostensibly to teach scriptures, but likely to witness the fate of this Zhongshan Clan disciple."

Zhong Yue grunted, and upon hearing this, he glanced towards the Scripture Pavilion. In a quiet room, he saw the old man from the Tian Feng Clan of Azure Sky Hall sitting there, looking at him expressionlessly.

Boom--

Something exploded in Zhong Yue's mind. Humiliation and defiance surged through him!

"Tian Feng Clan..."

Cracking sounds erupted from within him, his bones rattling like popping beans. Streams of visible spiritual power surged from his brow, forming dense dragon scales, dragon claws, and a dragon's body around him!

"Roar--"

A dragon's roar suddenly sounded, echoing endlessly. The low dragon's growl grew louder and clearer. Zhong Yue, under the pressure of the two Turtle Mountain totems, slowly began to rise. The dragon patterns and dragon body around him became increasingly distinct!

It was as if a coiling dragon's body was moving around him, its thick scales standing on end.

The Upper Court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan was startled and quickly shouted. The patterns on the two Turtle Mountain Totem divine pillars brightened, the ripples on the totems surging to form two mountains, shaped like turtles, pressing down on Zhong Yue!

The power of these two totem pillars had been pushed to its limit, determined to crush Zhong Yue!

"Tian Feng Clan!"

Zhong Yue roared, his back straightening. As he stood up, an incredibly wild and violent aura emanated from behind him. A ferocious and terrifying dragon head slowly rose from behind his head, its dragon eyes flashing with malevolent light. Dragon claws gripped Zhong Yue's shoulders!

Zhong Yue stood up completely under the weight of the two turtle mountains. The straw sandals on his feet were crushed to powder. He suddenly lifted his large foot and stomped heavily. The ground shook violently. The two Turtle Mountain Totem divine pillars were jolted from the ground, and the ripples of the two turtle mountain totems shattered with a roar!

The Upper Court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan grunted. Suddenly, he heard a faint cracking sound from the two Turtle Mountain Totem divine pillars, followed by a sharp snap as they exploded into countless wooden splinters flying everywhere. They had failed to suppress Zhong Yue; instead, the totem pillars had been shattered by Zhong Yue's dragon power!

"Tian Feng Clan is nothing!"

Zhong Yue swept his leg forward. The Tian Feng Clan disciple was horrified. He saw a coiling dragon body, formed from highly condensed spiritual power, wrapped around Zhong Yue's leg, making it appear incredibly thick and filled with unimaginable explosive force!

He had been kicking the bend of Zhong Yue's knees one after another, so he was extremely close. Zhong Yue suddenly exerted his strength, shattering the Turtle Mountain Totem pillars, and swept his leg out. The disciple had no chance to dodge!

The power contained in this kick was far greater than that of low-level demons like the alien demons. The kick seemed capable of toppling mountains and tilting the earth!

A resounding crash echoed as a figure was sent flying through the air, slamming violently into the doors and windows of the Scripture Pavilion, shattering them instantly!

The Upper Court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan flew directly towards the old man from the Tian Feng Clan of Azure Sky Hall. With a plop, he landed on his knees in front of the old man, his knees hitting the ground, blood gushing out and staining the ground red.

In the quiet room, many disciples of the Tian Feng Clan were stunned. The old man from the Tian Feng Clan was also taken aback.

Outside the Scripture Pavilion, the Upper Court disciples who had been watching the spectacle were also staring blankly at the scene, utterly bewildered. They had expected Zhong Yue to be thoroughly humiliated, forced to kneel for hours in front of the Scripture Pavilion, and then slink away from Sword Gate in disgrace.

After all, Zhong Yue had only recently entered the Upper Court, his cultivation only at the Soul Egress stage. That Upper Court disciple, however, had been cultivating in the Upper Court for a long time and was far beyond Zhong Yue in cultivation.

Furthermore, Zhong Yue had nothing, while his opponent had the Turtle Mountain Totem pillars to pin him down, and not just one, but two!

Yet, that Upper Court disciple had been kicked flying by Zhong Yue!

Zhong Yue retracted his leg, shook the animal skin jacket he was wearing, and looked up at the quiet room of the Scripture Transmitting Pavilion. The elder of the Tian Feng Clan was also looking at him, his expression grim.

The disciple of the Upper Court kneeling before him was both ashamed and furious. He struggled to get up, then suddenly let out a muffled groan and fell back down.

The power of Zhong Yue's kick just now was immense. Although the disciple's cultivation was deeper and he had entered the sect earlier, he was still crushed by Zhong Yue's Dragon Power, which had injured the muscles, tendons, and bones in his legs, leaving him unable to use them and forcing him to remain kneeling.

"You're seeking death!"

The Upper Court disciple was filled with shock and rage. Suddenly, a sharp blade rose from his waist, etched with magnificent totem patterns – it was his Soul Weapon.

Without hesitation, the Upper Court disciple summoned his Soul Weapon. As it was summoned, the air filled with sword light, slashing towards Zhong Yue!

The sword light was clearly a sword formation, likely a high-level attack technique of the Sword Gate. Zhong Yue could only see a blur of white before him, unable to discern any reality within it!

This was the power of the Sword Gate's heritage. Although Zhong Yue had also reached the Soul Sacrifice realm and even manifested his spiritual power visibly, he had not cultivated any profound attack techniques. Faced with such a Soul Weapon and sword technique, he was unable to respond.

The Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization was a cultivation method, and the Dragon Totem Body Coiling Art was a body-refining method. Without an attack technique, it was like having immense strength but no way to unleash it.

The dense sword light arrived before him in the blink of an eye. Zhong Yue, with dragons coiling around him, retreated rapidly, covering five to six zhang in an instant.

The sword light pursued him relentlessly, and the rain of swords fell from the sky, faster than his retreat. The sharp sword light could cut hair and would likely turn even an iron body into a sieve if struck!

"This is too much!"

Zhong Yue gritted his teeth. His soul suddenly egressed, and he forcefully summoned his soul into the bluestone slab beneath his feet. With a whoosh, the bluestone slab, weighing several hundred jin, flew up and smashed towards the Scripture Transmitting Pavilion!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

His soul retracted and then projected again. As soon as he threw one bluestone slab, he immediately summoned his soul into another. In an instant, the bluestone slabs in front of the Scripture Transmitting Pavilion rose like waves, forming a straight line and whistling towards the pavilion!

The Upper Court disciple inside the Scripture Transmitting Pavilion was startled. He hurriedly recalled his Soul Weapon and swung his sword, slicing at the incoming bluestone slabs. Instantly, rubble flew everywhere, and dust billowed, creating a fog-like atmosphere.

"Useless! You can't even deal with a junior who just entered the Upper Court!"

The elder of the Tian Feng Clan was enraged. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and flicked his finger subtly. The Upper Court disciple's Soul Weapon suddenly shot out with a thud, piercing through the dust and flashing towards Zhong Yue like lightning. No one noticed his subtle move!

"So fast?" Zhong Yue's heart leaped. The Soul Weapon was already at his brow!

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