Beneath the Supreme, Mortals Are Like Ants

Qinglan Holy Land, forbidden area behind the mountain.

"That girl has finally left."

Sect Master Xuanmingzi stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the stone chamber. Under the flickering candlelight, his face, which usually wore a kind smile, was now as sinister as a ghost.

He tapped his fingertips lightly against the stone wall, the dull echoes reverberating through the secret chamber.

"Two years..." his voice was hoarse. "Ever since those people from the Upper Realm came and executed Elder Mo that day, we have been walking on thin ice."

Four figures emerged one after another from the shadows of the stone chamber—all of them core elders of the Holy Land.

Their expressions were grave, and the aura surrounding them was obscure and difficult to discern; there was no trace left of their usual immortal, refined demeanor.

"We had intended to devote all our resources to Elder Mo, to help him break through. Had we succeeded, our Qinglan Holy Land could have claimed the top spot."

"Yet, we never expected that a casual move by a powerful figure from the Upper Realm would destroy decades of our planning in an instant."

Operating as a den of evil cultivators under the name of Qinglan was truly a last resort; after all, they were not the only Holy Land in this world.

If they didn't secure a trump card, they wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly.

"Who cares if it's an Evil Art or a righteous one? As long as it makes us stronger, it's fine." The Third Elder spoke with a sinister tone, his withered fingers twisting a blood-colored jade slip. "So, shall we continue?"

"If we stop now, years of hard work will be ruined."

"But if we continue, who will be the one to do it?"

Who?

The candlelight suddenly flickered violently, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone simultaneously recalled the nightmarish scene from two years ago—

Nine figures in golden armor stood in the air, and the mere leakage of their aura caused the Holy Land's entire Mountain Protection Array to crack.

Mo Qianjue, a dignified mid-stage Third Realm expert, hadn't even had time to scream before he was reduced to a mist of blood in front of such beings.

Only today, after Yin Qiyue left the Holy Land, did they dare to gather here to discuss the matter.

The Fourth Elder slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Stop talking about that for a moment! Think of a way to deal with her first!"

"Watch your tongue!" The First Elder swept a cold gaze over him. "Have you forgotten the might of the immortals from the Upper Realm when they descended that day? What if she carries a mark from the Upper Realm on her..."

"We can't do this, we can't do that, so what do you suggest we do?!"

"We raised her for so many years, poured in so many resources..." the Sect Master suddenly said gloomily, "That girl's primordial yin was supposed to be the finest supplement."

He flicked his sleeve, and the stone wall suddenly flipped open, revealing rows upon rows of dense jade tablets behind it.

Each jade tablet was engraved with a name, the majority of which had already dimmed—these were the disciples who had "gone missing" over the years.

"We cannot delay any longer." A flash of blood-red light flickered in Xuanmingzi's eyes. "Since the Upper Realm hasn't paid any attention for two years, it means that girl is nothing more than an insignificant pawn."

He suddenly crushed the jade slip in his hand, and the blood-colored dust coalesced in the air into a phantom image of Yin Qiyue.

"Forget about her Primordial Yin; we cannot be greedy for a momentary gain."

"When she returns to the mountain in a few days..." He curled his fingers into a Five-Finger Claw, and the phantom shattered at his command. "...we shall send her to meet Elder Mo!"

The elders exchanged glances and nodded one after another.

Having cultivated for a century, they were all shrewd individuals; they would never risk their lives just for the sake of a young girl's beauty.

Just as they were deliberating, the entire stone chamber suddenly shook violently!

"What is happening?!" The First Elder's expression changed in horror, and the whisk—a magical treasure in his hand—strangely snapped in two with a crack.

The group rushed out of the secret chamber, but the moment they crossed the threshold, they were struck as if by lightning—

"BOOM—!!!"

The entire Qinglan Mountain Range trembled violently, and rocks tumbled down with a rustling sound.

Looking up, a Cyan Jade Flying Ship that blotted out the sky had arrived at the apex of the Mountain Protection Array at some unknown time. The shadow cast by its thousand-foot hull plunged the entire main peak into darkness.

"This... this is impossible!" Sect Master Xuanmingzi stammered, his voice filled with disbelief. "Is this a flying ship? How could there be such a massive flying ship in this world?"

It wasn't that they were inexperienced; it was simply that the flying ship before them was too enormous.

The Cyan Phoenix statue at the bow alone was larger than the entire Qinglan main peak.

At this moment, it was slowly descending, and the golden light curtain of the Mountain Protection Array appeared, clearly having been triggered.

"Enemy attack! Quickly! Activate the array with full power!" The elder responsible for guarding the array core, still unaware of what was happening, could only roar hysterically at those beside him.

As Spirit Stones were poured in, the light of the Mountain Protection Array surged.

However—

With a crisp crack.

This Mountain Protection Array, which claimed to be able to withstand the full-force strike of a Fifth Realm expert, was now like a soap bubble blown by a child. Under the gentle pressure of the flying ship, it couldn't even hold for a single breath before it shattered with a roar.

Amidst the falling golden light particles, the flying ship continued to descend slowly.

It hadn't even activated any offensive or defensive measures; it simply crushed the Mountain Protection Array, which had been passed down in the Qinglan Holy Land for a thousand years, into powder at the speed of a leisurely stroll.

Xuanmingzi's legs went weak, and he collapsed directly to his knees.

"An Immortal from the Upper Realm..."

In the face of true power, the Mountain Protection Array they took such pride in couldn't even slow this Flying Ship down by a fraction.

Just as an ant could never comprehend the weight of a giant elephant's stride.

Without a doubt, this was an almighty being from the Upper Realm!

On the rear deck of the Flying Ship, Yin Qiyue gazed down at the crumbling Holy Land beneath her feet, feeling as though she were in a dream.

Only a few breaths ago, she had been conversing with a mysterious youth under the old locust tree in Qingshi Town; in the blink of an eye, she had returned to the Holy Land.

Not only that.

This Holy Land, the largest and most powerful within a radius of ten thousand miles, the one she took the most pride in, was currently disintegrating beneath her.

The mere spiritual pressure storm emitted by the Flying Ship as it descended was enough to destroy an entire Holy Land.

"So this is... an Upper Realm person..." she murmured to herself.

However, these words sounded utterly ridiculous to the ears of the Li Clan Sword Servant standing nearby.

He let out a scoff: "Upper Realm?"

His tone was one of extreme disdain for the very term.

"Not the Upper Realm?" Yin Qiyue suddenly realized that these terrifying beings before her had never actually claimed to be from the Upper Realm. She hurriedly asked, "Then, may I ask where the Immortal hails from?"

"Immortal?" The Sword Servant pondered for a moment, not bothering to refute the title.

He did not answer, however, but merely shook his head.

"The place from which we come cannot be spoken of, nor can it be described, in this realm."

"People of the Lower Thousand Provinces often call the Middle Thousand Provinces the 'Upper Realm.' While not entirely wrong, it is not entirely correct either."

"Only when you truly step into the Upper Realm and learn of the existence of the Heaven Above Heaven will you understand our origins."

To utter the words Ten Directions Immortal Court in the Lower Thousand Provinces and the Middle Thousand Provinces would invite karma.

While it wasn't a major issue, there was no need to explain the details to the person before him.

"Heaven Above Heaven...?" The young girl was stunned by these words and instinctively looked up.

A few short words had shattered the understanding she had held since childhood like a thunderbolt.

"There is... a heaven above the sky?"