Dawn broke the next morning, and the golden rooster crowed.
Zhao Kingdom, Hengyue Sect.
As news of Ancestor Luo Chuan's return to the Hengyue Sect spread throughout Zhao Kingdom, the Progenitors of the great sects came one after another to see for themselves.
After all, Luo Chuan's talent was so outrageously high that even these old-timers couldn't help but feel inferior. As soon as they received the news, they hurried to the Hengyue Sect without stopping.
The first to arrive at the Hengyue Sect were the experts of the Joyous Union Sect.
The man leading them looked to be in his thirties, with an oddly handsome face. The moment he saw Luo Chuan, he respectfully said, "Chen Huan of the Joyous Union Sect pays his respects to Fellow Daoist Luo Chuan."
The woman was dressed like a young matron. Not only had she retained her charms, but her eyes were alluring, too. Gazing at Luo Chuan, she respectfully said, "Chen Yan of the Joyous Union Sect pays her respects, Fellow Daoist."
Before long, many more Nascent Soul Realm cultivators arrived one after another. They were all peak experts of Zhao Kingdom.
Among them were Wu Qingfeng, Progenitor of Peakless Valley; Gao Qiming, Progenitor of the Ethereal Sect; Yun Shu and Zhi Yi, Progenitors of the Heavenly Dao Gate; and Ye Zizai, Sect Master of the Corpse Yin Sect, among others.
These cultivators had all reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, the same cultivation level as Pu Nanzi had once possessed. For that reason, they held extremely high status in Zhao Kingdom.
"We once thought that all the Hengyue Sect's Progenitors had perished on the Outer Realm Battlefield. Who would've thought that Fellow Daoist Luo Chuan, a Progenitor from those days, would have broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm and even slain Pu Nanzi, Progenitor of the Mystic Dao Sect?"
The first to speak was an elderly man dressed in fine robes. His snow-white hair was meticulously combed, and the exquisite crown on his head lent him an even more imposing air.
This man was none other than Teng Huayuan, Ancestor of the Teng Clan in Zhao Kingdom, whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage.
Teng Huayuan was the weakest among those present, but he was the shrewdest. He understood that building a good relationship with the strong could only benefit the Teng Clan.
Wu Qingfeng, Progenitor of Peakless Valley, stepped forward, his expression impassive. "Fellow Daoist Luo Chuan, you killed Pu Nanzi, Progenitor of the Mystic Dao Sect, without authorization and claimed the sect for yourself. Don't you think that went too far?"
By their rules, unless a sect had no Nascent Soul Realm expert guarding it, the great sects were forbidden from destroying one another at will.
Now that Luo Chuan had killed Pu Nanzi, all the Mystic Dao Sect's resources had fallen into the hands of the Hengyue Sect. This had already made the Hengyue Sect far more powerful than the other sects.
Luo Chuan nodded. "Fellow Daoist Wu Qingfeng, the cultivation world has always been governed by the law of the jungle. Was Pu Nanzi allowed to attack us, but I wasn't allowed to fight back?"
Wu Qingfeng's expression turned grave, and a trace of barely perceptible chill flickered in his eyes.
Pu Nanzi had, after all, been a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator and had enjoyed good relations with them. His death would naturally leave many cultivators dissatisfied.
"Fellow Daoists, please calm yourselves."
Just then, Teng Huayuan, Soul Banner in hand, walked over with a smile. "Pu Nanzi's death means he was fated to suffer this calamity. No one else can be blamed."
"Besides, don't forget that Fellow Daoist Luo Chuan is the youngest Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in Zhao Kingdom. His future is limitless. He might even break through to the elusive Spirit Severing Realm."
"If Fellow Daoist can reach the Spirit Severing Realm, that would be nothing but a boon to the sects of Zhao Kingdom."
The other Nascent Soul Realm experts exchanged glances and nodded. Clearly, they agreed with Teng Huayuan.
If Luo Chuan could break through to the Spirit Severing Realm and then remain here to guard Zhao Kingdom for a hundred years, Zhao Kingdom would advance to a Level 4 Cultivation Country, raising the overall strength of the nation.
The resources that would bring were beyond anything these Nascent Soul Realm experts could imagine. They might even have a chance to advance to the Spirit Severing Realm themselves.
Luo Chuan's gaze swept over the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators present. "Fellow Daoists, I invited you here today simply to foster better ties among our sects."
"There is one other matter."
At Luo Chuan's words, the Progenitors of the various sects stopped what they were doing and instinctively looked toward him, unsure what he wanted to say.
Luo Chuan slowly rose to his feet, one hand clasped behind his back. Surging energy spread outward like a raging sea, and everywhere it passed, the surrounding space warped in an instant.
Feeling the energy radiating from Luo Chuan, Teng Huayuan and the others all wore expressions of utter disbelief.
They had assumed that Luo Chuan had only reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage. But now it seemed that he had already broken through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.
Was that even the limit a human could reach?
"Nascent Soul Late Stage... A Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator at twenty-five? How is that possible!"
Wu Qingfeng and the others fell to their knees. Their eyes were wide as bells as they stared at Luo Chuan, their gazes filled with horror.
A Nascent Soul Late Stage expert this young would be extraordinary even across the entire Vermilion Bird Planet, let alone compared with a group of old monsters like them, who had needed hundreds of years to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.
"Fellow Daoists, I'm not a bloodthirsty man. I'm simply warning you that the Hengyue Sect is no longer what it once was. Even with all its Progenitors gone, it isn't a sect any of you can covet."
In an instant, the Nascent Soul cultivators present felt their hearts seize. They suddenly found it difficult to breathe; their faces flushed red, and blood vessels surfaced in their eyes.
Every Nascent Soul Realm expert in Zhao Kingdom, Teng Huayuan and the others included, felt their hearts pound with terror as soon as Luo Chuan finished speaking. Their Nascent Souls had nearly crumbled.
They had no doubt that if Luo Chuan continued releasing his spiritual power for even a moment longer, their Nascent Souls would be unable to withstand the immense pressure and would burst apart on their own.
Ye Zizai, Sect Master of the Corpse Yin Sect, was just as terrified. "So this is Luo Chuan, the prodigy who made his name across the Vermilion Bird Planet a few years ago. With power like this, all of Zhao Kingdom must be as fragile as ants before him."
The cultivation world had always been a place of intrigue and deceit, where the weak were prey to the strong. Only those with the might to back themselves up could survive. As for the weak, the only way to scrape by was to please the powerful.
Seeing that the message had gotten through, Luo Chuan withdrew his energy, turned, and sat back down. He swirled the teacup in his hand.
Teng Huayuan wiped the sweat from his cheek and cleared his throat. "I didn't expect you to have already reached the Nascent Soul Late Stage. I'm in awe."
In the cultivation world, strength had always commanded respect. Though Luo Chuan was only in his twenties, he was a Nascent Soul Late Stage expert, so his seniority surpassed that of everyone present.
It was only natural to address Luo Chuan as Senior.
Wu Qingfeng wiped the sweat from his cheek. His throat bobbed as he thought to himself:
Good thing I didn't openly challenge him just now... Otherwise, Peakless Valley would have become an affiliated sect of the Hengyue Sect, just like the Mystic Dao Sect...
The Sect Master of the Joyous Union Sect, Chen Yan, licked her rosy lips as she gazed at Luo Chuan, her heart stirred by the man before her.