One Finger, One Word, Slaying the Ninth Rank

The spiritual vein had been stolen, leaving the Jingyun Sect in a state of turmoil and lamentation.

East Sun Hall.

Meng Tangtang broke through her seclusion, and upon learning of the incident, she hurried toward the Library Pavilion without a word.

She had to see her Master!

Even the Supreme Elder had been injured; the thief's strength must be formidable. The only option now was to request her Master's intervention!

She hoped she wasn't too late!

After fleeing, Elder Earth and Elder Jue immediately went into hiding.

"Hmph, those trash from the Jingyun Sect would never guess that instead of rushing out of the sect, we did the opposite and ventured deeper into it. This place is remote; we'll stay here for the night. Once they fail to find us tomorrow and their defenses slacken, we'll seize the chance to leave!"

Elder Earth gave himself a mental pat on the back for his cleverness.

Elder Jue nodded in agreement.

"Fourth, it seems your calculation was spot on this time. Who would have thought that old hag, Old Lady Xu, could unleash such power while on the verge of death? We almost fell for it! Good thing we ran fast!"

Now that they were safe, Elder Earth became talkative, but he received no reply.

Turning his head, he asked in confusion, "Fourth? Fourth, why are you shaking?"

Elder Earth's voice rang in his ears, yet Elder Jue remained oblivious. He felt an increasingly restless anxiety, like a small animal sensing an impending earthquake, feeling as though disaster could strike at any moment.

"Third Brother, I sense danger!"

"Danger?"

Elder Earth was baffled. Could Old Lady Xu have tracked them down?

He immediately became slightly more vigilant.

Knowing that Fourth was timid, he didn't forget to comfort him: "Don't panic. We have the precious treasure with us. Even if that old hag really comes, it's not as if we lack the strength to fight. There's nothing to fear! You're a dignified Ninth-Grade expert, pull yourself together!"

"No, it's not Old Lady Xu!"

Elder Jue shook his head immediately, certain that the danger did not come from her. Although Old Lady Xu was an Innate expert, she wasn't enough to instill such a massive sense of threat in them. "I sense a great terror descending. Don't you think this place is too quiet?"

The surroundings were indeed a bit quiet.

There wasn't a soul in sight.

The buildings were sparse, and in the vast open space, there was nothing but the dilapidated Library Pavilion not far away.

If they didn't know they were in the Jingyun Sect, they would have thought they had arrived in some godforsaken corner of the wilderness.

They looked left and right.

The only thing that stood out was that shabby-looking Library Pavilion.

"Typical of the Jingyun Sect, as stingy as ever. They can't even be bothered to repair a book pavilion; it's broken and ragged—simply laughable!" Elder Earth didn't sense anything amiss and relaxed, assuming Fourth was just making a fuss over nothing.

"Oh?"

"I think so too!"

"Who wouldn't?" Elder Earth had just finished replying when he suddenly felt something was wrong.

He hadn't felt anything when he first heard the sentence, but a second later, his blood began to race, and his hair stood on end from sheer terror!

He looked at Fourth.

Fourth shook his head in horror.

Don't look at him—he didn't say it!

At that moment, the hair on both their bodies stood up.

Elder Earth even jumped, his scalp tingling: "Who's talking? Stop playing ghost! Show yourself!"

"Heh, actually, I also think the Jingyun Sect is a bit stingy. Hearing your words, I found them quite reasonable, so I thought I'd come and greet you." A gentle, refined voice echoed from the void, delicate and soothing, like a spring breeze.

"Who!"

"Who is speaking?"

Elder Earth and Elder Jue looked around, but the voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint the source.

Had they run into a ghost?

"It's me."

Glancing out of the corner of their eyes, the two were horrified to discover that, at some point, a youth in white had appeared like a phantom before them, standing with his hands behind his back, watching them with a smile.

"An ordinary person?"

"No, he must be practicing some kind of technique to conceal his aura."

Elder Earth made a judgment in an instant. He realized he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation. In such a situation, there were only two possibilities: either the other party's strength was far superior to his own—which was clearly impossible, as the youth was very young and likely just a disciple of the Jingyun Sect—or he was simply hiding it.

Even if he were a genius, wouldn't Sixth-Grade be an overestimation?

At most, he would count him as a seventh-grade.

In any case, it was impossible for him to surpass himself.

Then, there was clearly only one answer.

The other party's strength was not high; he was only appearing now to bluff and scare them away, relying on some kind of sonic technique to play tricks without actually making a move!

Right!

Thinking of this, Elder Earth's eyes lit up!

If the other party were truly powerful, he would have attacked directly.

Why bother with all that chatter?

He had guessed correctly; the other party's strength was definitely very weak!

The slight trepidation that had just appeared in his heart instantly dissipated, and he relaxed, his gaze toward the youth opposite him turning malicious.

Scared the hell out of me!

"Hmph, playing the hero without any real strength. You almost fooled me, but you didn't account for how firm my resolve is! Your little tricks were seen through by me long ago." Elder Earth suddenly sneered and flashed forward.

"Don't attack!"

Elder Jue, standing to the side, suddenly shrieked as if his tail had been stepped on, his voice turning thin!

Elder Earth ignored him.

Stop?

How could that be!

Just for the fact that this brat had played tricks to scare him, he had to kill him!

"Brat, remember not to provoke the strong in your next life!"

BOOM!

Elder Earth's pupils constricted. He saw that his full-force palm strike hadn't even touched the corner of the other party's clothes; it was as if he had slammed into an invisible wall, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple.

Gradually, large beads of cold sweat rolled down Elder Earth's forehead.

He realized something.

He had truly kicked an iron plate this time.

He roared internally: wasn't the Jingyun Sect in decline? Their only Xiantian expert was half-dead, so how could such a terrifying existence be guarding the place?

They should have said so earlier!

If they had said so, he wouldn't have dared to come and cause trouble for the Jingyun Sect even if he were beaten to death!

With such a powerful existence hidden away, wasn't it a waste of talent? Were the people of the Jingyun Sect all idiots?

Didn't they know that a powerful figure in the open was far more useful than one hidden in the shadows?

Elder Earth felt incredibly aggrieved!

He had nowhere to vent his rage!

It was over!

"Th-th-th-third... Third Brother, under, under, under your feet." Elder Jue's trembling voice came from behind.

Elder Earth almost cursed. How dare he speak up at a time like this? Was he not afraid of completely infuriating this senior and having him crush them both with a single slap?

He had a premonition.

This person's strength was far above Old Lady Xu's. Even if the two of them used their heavy treasures, they wouldn't be a match for a single blow!

"Under my feet? What under my feet?"

Although dissatisfied, Elder Earth still subconsciously looked at his own feet. There was nothing there?

He looked again at the feet of the youth in white.

Still empty, nothing...

Wait!

Empty?

Elder Earth's soul suddenly left his body, and he began to tremble violently like a sieve. Only then did he realize that the young man in front of him had never touched the ground; he was standing on thin air as if it were flat ground.

"F-f-f-foundation... Establishment, Honored... Honored One."

Elder Earth began to stutter as well.

Walking on air—this was a technique only possessed by the legendary Foundation Establishment Honored Ones!

"Heaven is going to destroy me!"

Elder Earth let the cold sweat pour down his forehead, remaining in the posture of his thrown punch. He didn't dare to move a muscle, as if his entire body had lost control, his pupils tightly constricted.

Elder Jue was likewise trembling, unable to speak.

After a long silence, a raspy, intermittent voice finally emerged: "Senior, we two failed to recognize your greatness and offended your sect. We feel deeply guilty and are willing to pay any price in compensation; we only hope you will spare our lives..."

Guilty?

Who are you trying to fool!

If they weren't outmatched and their lives weren't at stake, where would this guilt even come from?

Lin Cheng shook his head and slowly raised his palm.

"Run!"

Elder Earth was terrified out of his wits; he shouted to run, not to fight!

There was no way to fight!

Who would dare to fight a Foundation Establishment Venerable to the death?

Who could even fight a Foundation Establishment Venerable to the death!

"Death throes, like an ant trying to shake a tree."

Watching the two men frantically urge their spiritual artifacts to flee, Lin Cheng pointed a finger casually. To their absolute horror, the two Blood-Oath Sect elders discovered they could no longer sense the power of heaven and earth!

Their escape speed plummeted instantly!

"Perish."

Lin Cheng spat out the word again. An invisible ripple of divine sense swept over their bodies like a gentle breeze. The eyes of the two elders suddenly dimmed, and their lifeless corpses fell coldly to the ground.

One finger, one word.

Two Ninth-Grade experts executed!

Lin Cheng looked at the two dead men, his heart devoid of emotion. The Blood-Oath Sect was guilty of heinous crimes; dying so easily was letting them off lightly.

Ever since he broke through to Foundation Establishment, the divine abilities he had previously acquired had also been strengthened. Now, he could kill anyone below the Xiantian realm through the air using only his divine sense; only those at the Xiantian realm could offer any resistance.

Just then, a slight movement came from the distance.

Lin Cheng sensed it instantly, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"So, the little one has arrived."