On the Eastern Tang Continent, a grandmaster possessed unmatched power, enough to establish an empire. Though slightly weaker, a half-step grandmaster could still form a sect and dominate a region. There were only five grandmasters, as rare as phoenix feathers, while there were slightly more half-step grandmasters, numbering about a dozen across the entire continent. Today, the one who had arrived was the fourth elder of Lianyun City, and their sect had recruited six other experts of the same caliber. This clearly demonstrated just how terrifying Lianyun City was in the Eastern Tang Continent.

There was a popular saying among the people, ‘In the heavens, there’s Lianyun City; on the earth, there’s the Forbidden City’. Compared to Lianyun City, even the imperial family, with all their power, seemed less prestigious. It was no wonder that the children of the imperial family fought each other to the death in secret to gain the privilege of cultivating at Lianyun City.

When He Chongling heard that Lianyun City had sent a half-step grandmaster to eliminate him, he remained completely unperturbed. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he coldly ordered, “Let’s go and see for ourselves!”

When everyone stepped outside the hall, they saw that the foot of the mountain was already densely packed with people, and it wouldn’t be long before they would attack.

“Sect Leader, there are too many of them and they have many top experts assisting them. What should we do?” The right protector, though trying to remain calm, couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. Given the current situation, fighting was not an option. It might be better to flee while they could. Fortunately, there were many hidden passages underground, through which most of the sect members could escape.

“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’? Prepare the formation! Follow me outside to face them!” He Chongling gritted his teeth and shouted.

The sect members drew their swords, their eyes showing determination. At that moment, a deep voice resonated from mid-air, “Hear me, followers of the Eastern Sacred Sect! If you bring me He Chongling’s head, I will spare your lives. If you refuse, you will be killed without mercy!”

The voice, though it came from the distant foot of the mountain, seemed to echo right by everyone’s ears, carried by powerful inner strength. It made their eardrums ache, their blood surge painfully, and those with lower martial arts skills even bled from their orifices and died on the spot. Even He Chongling and the right protector, both higher class masters, couldn’t help but show signs of discomfort.

He Yufei suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, but instead of focusing on resisting the attack, she quickly ran to Bai Yan’s side and covered his ears with her hands. A rare smile flickered in Bai Yan’s usually calm eyes, and with a subtle motion of his fingers, He Yufei’s turbulent blood immediately calmed. She let out a small, surprised sound but didn’t dwell on it, assuming that the half-step grandmaster had withdrawn his inner strength, making her feel less discomfort.

Everyone was too occupied with their own survival to notice that while they were all struggling, Lin Dan stood in a corner with a sword, watching coldly, her face showing no sign of pain. The half-step grandmaster’s oppressive force, which was deadly to others, was just an ordinary voice to her— something she could easily ignore.

She fought a constant battle with the energy within her body, enduring unimaginable pain, so external pressure seemed insignificant to her.

The members of the Eastern Sacred Sect had never before imagined the terrifying power of a half-step grandmaster, but today, they finally witnessed it. Without lifting a finger, with just a casual word, he had killed so many martial artists. What would happen if he actually made a move? It was no exaggeration to say that today, he alone could flatten the entire Eastern Sacred Sect.

The disciples were terrified and panicked. They turned to look at He Chongling, and some began to waver, their eyes darting around as they entertained treacherous thoughts. Someone shouted, “Let’s run!” and the formation they had just set up immediately fell apart, with the disciples scattering in all directions.

The half-step grandmaster leaped to the peak of the mountain gate and, from a distance, struck with his palm. With a thunderous crash, the fleeing sect members instantly turned into clouds of blood, and a massive palm print, dozens of meters wide, appeared on the ground. Even the extremely hard granite was shattered into pieces, deeply embedded into the earth.

With one word, he had killed hundreds, and with a single palm strike, he claimed dozens more lives, destroying half the hall in the process. This half-step grandmaster’s power filled everyone with terror. The sect members, who had intended to flee in all directions, stood frozen in place, cold sweat slowly soaking through their clothes.

“Kill the sect leader and we won’t have to die!” Hidden among the crowd, He Yufei pinched her voice and shouted, immediately sparking the sect members’ survival instincts. They turned their bloodshot eyes toward He Chongling, filled with murderous intent.

“Yes, kill the sect leader! If we cut off his head, our Eastern Sacred Sect will survive!” The sect members, already resentful of He Chongling’s autocracy, shouted as they charged forward. Without needing any outside help, they began to kill each other.

He Yufei pulled Bai Yan behind a pillar, covering her mouth as she quietly laughed. Bai Yan looked down at her with gentle eyes.

He Chongling was merely a super-class master, while those attacking him, including the right protector, were all first-class masters, nearly equal in strength to him. He could still manage to fight off five of them, but as more joined the fray, he began to struggle, and soon, his body was stained with blood. However, there was no panic in his eyes. Instead, a crazed gleam appeared in them. He casually tossed aside his now-blunt sword and laughed heartily, saying, “Good, good, good! I’ve nurtured you all for so long, it’s time to reap what I’ve sown!” As he finished speaking, he stretched out his five fingers, grabbed the right protector through the air, and pulled him into his palm, turning him into a dried corpse.

The corpse of the right protector crumbled to dust as it hit the ground and disappeared into the wind, leaving behind a death that was both eerie and terrifying. The others looked at the ground, then at the maniacally laughing He Chongling, and couldn’t help but shiver. But it was too late to stop now. They had no choice but to continue their assault. He Chongling, who had previously been struggling, now seemed to be aided by some divine force. He struck everyone away with a single palm and then grabbed one elder by the throat. The elder barely struggled before his flesh rapidly withered, turning him into yet another dried corpse.

He Chongling tossed aside the remains and charged at the next person. Wherever he went, the ground was left covered in powder, and no one could withstand even a single move from him. His eerie palm technique terrified the crowd, forcing them to retreat and avoid further confrontation. With each person He Chongling drained, his aura grew more intense, and the rapidly increasing internal energy caused his clothes to billow.

Now, it was no longer the crowd besieging him, but rather him hunting them down with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

He Yufei exclaimed in horror, “Master, what is happening?”

Bai Yan responded slowly, “He is practicing the ‘Guihua^[1]Integration Technique’. As the name suggests, it involves assimilating the internal energy of others for one’s own use. If he continues killing, he will soon ascend from a super-class master to a half-step grandmaster.”

He Yufei’s eyes reddened with anxiety as she grabbed Bai Yan’s sleeve and said, “Master, we should run! If He Chongling has cultivated such a demonic art, not even a half-step grandmaster could stand against him!”

“Run? Why?” Bai Yan bent down to pick up a sword, chuckling softly. “This is the perfect opportunity. Before he breaks through, you should go up and fight him. If you don’t practice, your skills will grow rusty. There’s no better chance than this.”

He Yufei’s face turned pale with fear, but she didn’t dare defy Bai Yan. She gripped her sword tightly and instructed, “Master, you should stay far away to avoid getting hurt. If I lose, follow the secret passage I told you about last time to escape.”

Although Bai Yan couldn’t fight, he was highly knowledgeable about top-level martial arts techniques. Under his guidance, He Yufei’s martial prowess had advanced by leaps and bounds, so much so that she clung to his side and shamelessly called him master. Seeing her pure and adorable nature and her excellent potential, Bai Yan accepted her as his disciple.

Even though she knew her skills were not weak, He Yufei had almost no real combat experience, so she inevitably felt flustered as she charged out. But she quickly realized that, compared to the other sect members who were utterly defenseless, she could actually maneuver and strike with her sword under He Chongling’s assault, even nearly hitting his vital points.

“Yufei, even you have betrayed me!” He Chongling’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. He snapped He Yufei’s sword in half with his fingers and struck her away with one palm, then continued to drain the surrounding people of their internal energy. However, he couldn’t bring himself to harm the person he loved most.

He Yufei picked up another sword and resolutely pursued him, engaging He Chongling in a fierce battle. Though her initial moves were clumsy, she soon became proficient, her sword moving so swiftly it blurred into a mist. The sharp sword aura etched deep grooves into the ground and the bright sword light dazzled the eyes of onlookers.

“The saintess’s martial arts is so formidable!” The disciples exclaimed in awe as they were forced back by her fierce sword aura. Before becoming the saintess, He Yufei had been a mere maid, skilled in martial arts but not even considered a low-ranking fighter. Yet now, she could fight on equal footing with the sect leader, proving that she had reached the level of a super-class master.

Bai Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes showing satisfaction. He Chongling, however, was not as pleased. Initially, he had held back against He Yufei, unwilling to harm her, but as she pressed him relentlessly, his patience wore thin. With a resentful voice, he said, “Yufei, I truly love you, but you show no regard for my feelings.”

“Between us, there is only hatred, not affection!” He Yufei thrust her sword, piercing through He Chongling’s right hand.

“Good, good, good! No affection, you say!” He Chongling withdrew his bloodied hand and retreated swiftly, absorbing the energy of several sect members in an instant. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something, and he suddenly shouted, “Lin Dan, come to me!”

In the past, Lin Dan would silently protect him, sacrificing her own life if necessary to ensure he wasn’t harmed. As a result, he never paid much attention to her, barely acknowledging her existence. But now, with He Yufei to contend with and even stronger enemies lying in wait, Lin Dan— a first-class master second only to him— could provide the energy he needed to immediately advance to a half-step grandmaster.

Lin Dan, who had almost no presence, finally stepped forward.

He Yufei shouted urgently while still wielding her sword, “Lin Dan, don’t listen to him! He wants your life!”

But Lin Dan ignored He Yufei, continuing to walk steadily toward He Chongling.

Bai Yan sighed softly, and the hands he had kept behind his back finally lifted, his fingers pointing into the air……