Establishing Authority Through Killing, Immortals Astonished; Disciples of Jie and Chan Sects Appear

"Master! These cultivators came to our dojo out of nowhere, shouting and cursing, and even suddenly attacked Senior Disciple Brother and me. Please, Master, seek justice for us!!"

Seeing Qingyuan arrive, Wuzhiqi's face lit up with joy as he recounted the matter with grievance. Yun Zhongzi also felt relieved and bowed to Qingyuan: "Greetings, Master."

"Mm, no need for formalities. I won't let you suffer injustice in this matter, rest assured." Qingyuan soothed his two disciples, then swept his sharp gaze across the entire assembly.

In this era, the beings of the Primordial Wilderness had little regard for morality or etiquette. Their creed was Survival of the Fittest Jungle Law, each one proud, unruly, and arrogant to the core. Yet, under Qingyuan's piercing stare, not a single person in the crowd dared to meet his eyes. Especially Immortal Dingguang, who cowered into the crowd in terror, wishing he could turn and flee. His heart churned with disbelief: This, this is Qingyuan?! How is this possible?! How could this be Qingyuan?!

He was among the earliest to join the Sect of Interception. From the sect's hundreds to its thousands now, everyone knew who among the earliest disciples—Qingyuan and Duobao—was the strongest and who was the weakest. Everyone knew that Senior Disciple Qing couldn't grasp whatever their teacher taught, be it sword path, formations, alchemy... no matter the orthodox or unorthodox techniques, divine abilities, he could never comprehend them to a profound level, nor cultivate any formidable means. Hence, he had chosen Senior Disciple Duobao. But today... what was this terrifying Sword Intent all about?! Such a murderous Sword Intent, like the Senluo Death Trap, annihilated consciousness, froze flesh and Primordial Spirit, as if a single thought could wipe out any living being present! Even he, a being naturally adept at escape, dared not move! Even Senior Disciple Duobao lacked such Sword Intent—how could Qingyuan possess it? Could it be... that Qingyuan had been hiding his true ability all along?!

Staring at the handsome, tall Youth in Black standing in the void, Immortal Dingguang suddenly shuddered. He felt as if he saw the shadow of their teacher, Sect Master Tongtian, in that figure!

"What business do you have at my dojo?" Qingyuan's face was cold. None of the cultivators present dared to speak, but he had his ways. With a sneer, he said, "If you won't speak, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Senior Disciple Qing, you can't kill us! We are also disciples of the Sect of Interception." "Help! Qingyuan is harming fellow disciples!!!" "You dare kill us? Our teacher is also Sect Master Tongtian. If punishment is due, it's for the teacher to punish us. What right do you have to discipline us on the teacher's behalf?" "He, he definitely won't dare kill us. We didn't strike first, so he won't kill us. This is all just a bluff..."

Among the crowd, some cultivators begged for mercy, some questioned him, and some clear-headed ones saw through the conditions for Qingyuan to act. Yet they had not anticipated Qingyuan's resolve to kill and establish his authority!

Pfft! Pfft, pfft, pfft!! In an instant, streaks of sword light exploded through flesh. Countless bursts of blood and the sound of Primordial Spirits shattering rang out. Those who had stubbornly resisted or threatened Qingyuan—Disciples of the Sect of Interception—instantly turned into blossoms of blood blooming across the sky, their bodies dying and Daos vanishing in an instant, their Primordial Spirits unable to escape! This scene instantly terrified every cultivator present. Even Immortal Dingguang was stunned, dumbfounded. He dared to kill?

He truly dares to kill!!!

He—where does he get the nerve to kill?!!!

The other cultivators stood frozen, panicked and lost, while the quick-witted among them began begging for mercy or hurling accusations.

"Senior Disciple Brother, spare me!! I was wrong!"

"Qingyuan, you dare kill them? They are the teacher's disciples—right or wrong, shouldn't the teacher be the one to judge? Yet you recklessly slay disciples; this crime alone merits death a hundred times over!!"

"Quick, report to the teacher—Qingyuan has gone mad, slaughtering fellow disciples!!"

"You're insane! How dare you kill!"

"Senior Disciple Qing, please don't kill me—I had nothing to do with this, it was all Immortal Dingguang who put me up to it..."

Some begged for mercy.

Some questioned him.

Some exposed the schemer behind it all.

Immortal Dingguang's face turned pale with fright.

"And what if I kill you?"

Frigid.

Qingyuan's icy, merciless voice crushed all others, domineering and authoritative: "I am the foremost disciple under Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, Sect Master Tongtian, founder of the Sect of Interception—Senior Disciple Brother of the Mystic Gate, Qingyuan, bearing Heaven's might and Earth's grace, orthodox heir of the Mystic Gate. You dared to strike at me—that is betraying Master and Ancestors, showing no respect for your elder. You brawled and wrecked my dojo, murdered my beloved disciple—is this how junior brothers and sisters should behave?"

"You all—so utterly unfilial and rebellious."

"As Senior Disciple Brother of the Mystic Gate, it is my duty to cleanse the sect, to weed out the rotten and unworthy, lest they tarnish the Mystic Gate's name in days to come."

"Don't speak of killing ten or a hundred—even if I slaughter every last one of you."

"The teacher will not blame me!!!"

"If I truly bear guilt... it will be after I have killed you all, and then I will go to the teacher and beg for punishment with a birch rod on my back!!"

Boom!

At these words.

Qingyuan's killing intent erupted like a mountain flood or a tsunami.

Terrifying murderous aura and sharp Sword Intent instantly crushed thousands of Disciples of the Sect of Interception to the ground.

Immortal Dingguang, bearing the brunt of it, spat blood, his aura wilting.

Yet.

Before Qingyuan could interrogate him.

Immortal Dingguang directly knelt and began begging for mercy.

"Senior Disciple Brother, spare me!! Senior Disciple Brother, spare me!!! I had nothing to do with this—I am naturally timid and would never dare do such a thing—it was all Daoist Duobao, overreaching in his ambition for your position, who threatened me into it!!"

"Spare me, Senior Disciple Brother!!"

"Please spare my worthless life!"

Immortal Dingguang kowtowed like a pestle pounding garlic, again and again.

Tears and snot streaming down his face.

Such a savvy display left even Qingyuan without a single excuse to kill him.

"Death may be spared, but punishment cannot be escaped."

Qingyuan waved his hand casually, and four streaks of Sword Qi pinned Immortal Dingguang's limbs to the spot. The fierce Sword Qi gnawed at his flesh—without ten thousand years, it would be difficult to expel the lingering sword energy.

"Junior Disciple Duobao, now that things have come this far, will you still not show yourself?"

Qingyuan gazed into the distance.

As if he could cross mountains and rivers billions of miles away.

Staring straight at Daoist Duobao, seated on a cattail cushion in the Ten Thousand Treasures Cave.

"Senior Disciple Qing, I never imagined you had such deep schemes. I have underestimated you all these years."

Daoist Duobao felt that overbearing, piercing gaze.

His face was full of gravity.

Silent for a long time.

Finally, he stepped out of his cave, each step conjuring a Sword Lotus across the sky, appearing outside Qingyuan's dojo to face the Youth in Black.

After a long pause.

He bowed in salute: "Duobao, greets Senior Disciple Brother."

"Mm."

Qingyuan got straight to the point: "If you apologize, today's matter ends here, and I will not pursue it further. If you insist on your own way, then do not blame me for harming the bond between fellow disciples."

Daoist Duobao closed his eyes for a long time, then finally sighed: "Since it has come to this, let us begin, Senior Disciple Qing!"

The commotion here was immense.

More and more disciples of the Jie Sect gathered in response.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Wudang Holy Mother, Golden Hoop Immortal, Piluxian—all the renowned cultivators within the Jie Sect emerged one after another.

"I always thought Senior Disciple Brother Duobao was the most formidable disciple among the Three Sects, but I never imagined Senior Disciple Qing could be this strong!"

Golden Hoop Immortal's face was full of shock as he felt the vast Law of Swordsmanship enveloping heaven and earth. In awe, he said, "Both of us are at the peak of the Mystic Immortal Realm, yet Senior Disciple Qing gives me the illusion of a Taiyi descending. His comprehension of the Law of Swordsmanship runs so deep—calling him the foremost among the disciples of the Mystic Sect would not be an exaggeration!"

"When I first entered the sect, I saw Senior Disciple Brother and Senior Disciple Brother Duobao attending at Teacher's side. I heard from Senior Disciple Brother Duobao that Senior Disciple Brother had already served Teacher before Teacher attained the Dao."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother said gravely, "I always thought Teacher kept Senior Disciple Brother by his side because of his origin as a Green Lotus, but I never expected Senior Disciple Brother to comprehend the Law of Swordsmanship to such a degree. Could it be that all these years, he has only been comprehending the Law without advancing his cultivation base?"

"To comprehend the Law of Swordsmanship with a Mystic Immortal body—isn't that just too... terrifying?"

"No wonder Teacher has yet to designate the inner disciples. Could it be that he saw through Senior Disciple Brother's concealment of his true ability and thus refrained from deciding?"

"I wonder who is stronger—Senior Disciple Brother or Senior Disciple Brother Duobao..."

Gazing at the two figures confronting each other in the void.

All the immortals wore solemn expressions.

They were all murmuring quietly.

More and more disciples of the Jie Sect gathered, and even disciples of the Chan Sect were drawn over, emerging from Secluded Cultivation to watch the spectacle.

Seeing the Jie Sect put on such a display.

Guangchengzi and Chijingzi, who had only recently joined the sect, were naturally curious. They asked Immortal Elder Nanji, "What is the Jie Sect doing? Why are they suddenly having an internal conflict?"

"You two junior brothers are unaware. That cultivator in black robes is named Qingyuan. It is said his original form is a Green Lotus. He followed Uncle Tongtian long before Uncle attained the Dao, but his foundation and fortune were not remarkable. Teacher also said his foundation was lowly and his fortune shallow, unworthy of great use, unable to bear the impact of the Destiny Trend of the Mystic Sect's first disciple."

"In the past, it was fine, but after Teacher, Senior Uncle, and Uncle became saints..."

Although Immortal Elder Nanji did not finish his sentence.

The meaning.

Both Guangchengzi and the others understood.

Immediately, Guangchengzi could not help but laugh, saying, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother, did Teacher, Senior Uncle, and Uncle not bestow some treasures upon us? How about we use them to place a bet on who will win?"