Upon entering the sect, Jiang Yun followed the commotion, his curiosity piqued by the sudden uproar. As he pushed his way through the gathering crowd, he found them surrounding a group of men dressed in dark, rugged robes—a stark contrast to the elegant attire of the Flower Supreme Sect.
The leader of the group stepped forward, his voice booming with arrogance. "I have come here today to prove that my Earth Fiend Sect is the undisputed powerhouse of the Central Region. You lot will be the first to fall to our might. As for your sect gate that we just shattered, consider it a warning—if you wish to vent your anger, feel free, though I doubt you have the stomach for it."
The surrounding disciples were filled with indignation. How could anyone be so brazen as to barge into another’s territory and incite a fight? However, sensing the oppressive aura radiating from the men—a pressure far greater than their own—the disciples hesitated, keeping their distance while they waited for their elders to arrive.
The invaders seemed content to wait, not bothering to attack the disciples further. Soon, the elders of the Flower Supreme Sect arrived, led by their Sect Leader, who held the cultivation of a Half-Immortal. Having been briefed on the situation, the Sect Leader approached with restrained composure. "My Flower Supreme Sect has no ambition to fight for supremacy in the Central Region. Please, leave at once."
The Earth Fiend leader sneered, "It is not your choice to make. If you refuse to compete, we will simply raze this place to the ground. Our expansion begins with your sect."
Anger flared among the elders. One, unable to contain her fury, launched a full-power strike at the leader. To everyone’s shock, the Earth Fiend leader merely countered with a single, brutal punch, sending the elder flying back, heavily injured.
The Sect Leader’s heart sank; the elder had been at the ninth level of the Mahayana realm—the same as the intruder. Yet, she had been defeated with effortless ease. The Earth Fiend leader then dropped his facade, releasing a terrifying aura—a cultivation level of a Half-Immortal, infinitesimally close to godhood. His subordinates followed suit, revealing their true strength: many were at the late stage of the Mahayana realm, and among them were two other Half-Immortals.
The Flower Supreme Sect, while a top power in the region, possessed only one Half-Immortal and a handful of Mahayana practitioners. They were hopelessly outmatched.
The Sect Leader’s face turned pale as she asked, "What do you want? You are clearly superior to us in power."
"Annexation," the Earth Fiend leader replied coldly. "You will become an affiliated sect under our banner. In time, many will follow suit, and my Earth Fiend Sect shall become the overlord of the Central Region. We have the strength to demand it."
"And if I refuse?" the Sect Leader asked.
"Then your sect will cease to exist today. What is your choice?"
The Sect Leader hesitated, torn between the survival of her people and their pride. Behind her, the elders shouted, "Sect Leader, do not agree! We have our pride as disciples of the Flower Supreme Sect. Even if we must fight to the death, we will not bow to these tyrants!"
Steeling herself, the Sect Leader commanded, "Elders, stand with me! We shall repel these invaders. If we fall, we fall with our honor intact."
The ensuing battle was one-sided. Though the women fought valiantly, they were systematically dismantled and left heavily injured, while the Earth Fiend group remained untouched.
The leader sighed, shaking his head. "One final chance. I am merely a commander; the true strength of the Earth Fiend Sect—including several more Half-Immortals—remains at our base. Submit, and you will rise in the new order. Resist, and you will be erased."
"I refuse," the Sect Leader said, her voice steady despite her injuries. "I will not tarnish the legacy of this sect."
The leader of the Earth Fiend group grunted in disappointment and raised his hand, gathering a lethal strike. Just as he prepared to deliver the killing blow, a figure stepped into the fray.
It was Jiang Yun. While he had no formal connection to the sect, Su Qing was an elder here, and he knew these women had nurtured her talent for years. Resolving to intervene, he walked calmly into the center of the conflict.
The spectators were stunned. Who is this man? they wondered. Does he seek death, walking so casually into a slaughter?
Ignoring their stares, Jiang Yun stopped in front of the Earth Fiend leader, blocking his strike.
"Who are you to stop me?" the leader snarled, his eyes flashing with rage. "You are but an ant! Move aside, and I might let you live."
Jiang Yun met his gaze, unfazed. "I suggest you take your own advice. Leave now, and I will let you live."
Enraged by the perceived insult, the leader lunged at Jiang Yun. With a casual flick of his wrist, Jiang Yun shoved the man, sending him crashing into his own subordinates. The impact was controlled but forceful, causing the entire group to tumble and suffer injuries.
The leader, humiliated and refusing to believe he had been countered so easily, scrambled up to attack again. This time, Jiang Yun’s expression hardened. He had no personal grudge, but as the leader persisted in his murderous intent, Jiang Yun decided he would no longer hold back.
With a sudden, precise movement, Jiang Yun delivered a strike that instantly ended the leader’s life. Before the remaining invaders could react, Jiang Yun moved like a blur, striking them down with terrifying efficiency until not one was left standing.
The women of the Flower Supreme Sect watched in stunned silence. In the blink of an eye, the tide had turned completely. The formidable invaders lay dead, and Jiang Yun stood amidst the silence, completely unharmed.
Finally finding her voice, the Sect Leader stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Senior... thank you for your intervention. If not for you, I shudder to think of what would have become of us today."
Jiang Yun turned to the Sect Leader and replied, "I did not do this for fame or reward; I acted only for the sake of my friend, who is an elder of your sect. I could not simply stand by and watch her lose her home."
The Sect Leader, visibly moved, asked, "Who is this elder you speak of?"
Instead of answering directly, Jiang Yun turned his gaze toward Su Qing. He bowed slightly to her and said, "Su Qing, thank you for your hard work in looking after her all this time. Please, continue to do so in the future."
Having said his piece, Jiang Yun offered no further explanation. With a calm nod, he turned away. "Well then," he said, "I will take my leave now."
Before the Sect Leader could press him for more information, Jiang Yun vanished into thin air, leaving the scene as quietly as he had arrived.
The onlookers, who had been frozen in shock, erupted into a frantic uproar. Whispers rippled through the crowd: Who is this man? When did such a powerful expert appear in the Central Region? How is it that no one has ever heard of him before?
However, the relief of the moment was quickly overshadowed by a growing sense of dread. The invaders had explicitly stated that they were only an advance team; the bulk of the Earth Fiend Sect’s strength—including several other Half-Immortals—remained at their home base. If they discovered that their elite squad had been wiped out here, they would undoubtedly return for revenge.
A new, more dangerous problem loomed on the horizon. Realizing that the threat was far from over, the elders stood in uneasy silence, their faces pale. The Sect Leader immediately convened an emergency meeting to discuss their next course of action, knowing that the survival of the Flower Supreme Sect now hung by a thread.
Jiang Yun appeared at the territory of the Earth Fiend sect. The structure was grand, the territory vast, and a powerful, oppressive presence emanated from its center.
Not minding this, Jiang Yun summoned an energy hand and slammed it down with great force. Those within the sect immediately felt death looming over them and looked up to see an unavoidable hand of death descending. Before they could even attempt to escape, the hand smashed down, leaving a massive, deep palm print across the territory. Within that radius, everyone and everything was reduced to nothing but a smudge on the ground.
Feeling satisfied, Jiang Yun disappeared again, heading back home.
An uproar followed as news spread that a top power known as the Earth Fiend sect had been wiped out so decisively. Not a single piece of land was left unscathed; nothing remained. The people in the Central Region were afraid, as they had never seen such power displayed before, other than when an immortal descended. The general consensus was that an immortal had been offended by the sect and unleashed their wrath. After much discussion, this was deemed the most likely possibility. People eventually calmed down, as they believed this was typical behavior for an immortal, and since immortals could not stay in the mortal realm for long, they felt they needn’t worry much.
However, this incident caused most sects to warn their members to be more restrained in their actions, or they might end up just like the Earth Fiend sect. This resulted in an unprecedented period of peace throughout the Central Region as the sects became more disciplined. This peace lasted for several months before the sects lost their initial fear, returned to their old ways, and, unable to restrain themselves any longer, went back to causing trouble everywhere.
Jiang Yun, enjoying his peace, continued his lazy life until he grew bored again. Several months had passed, and Su Qing, having heard about the fate of the Earth Fiend sect, had come to visit many times. She thanked Jiang Yun and spent time playing with her childhood friend again. She also became friendly with the rest of the Invincible Cloud sect, as she was curious about what Jiang Yun had been up to for all the years they had been apart, viewing his life from a different perspective.
Life went on peacefully like this for a couple more months.
Soon, news spread that a secret realm was opening. This secret realm was famous and jointly run by the leaders of each region, intended for those at or below the Tribulation Transformation stage. This realm would decide the next generation of sect powerhouses, and many sects needed to participate to maintain their strength.
As it happened, this secret realm was in the Eastern Region, the weakest of the five. Although many disliked traveling to such an underdeveloped place, the five regions slowly converged there. Jiang Yun didn’t care about this, as it didn’t concern him, but to his misfortune, the secret realm was close to his own sect, and he could see many cultivators passing by these days.
Jiang Yun didn’t pay this any mind, but unfortunately, trouble came anyway.
A group of Mahayana cultivators, leading a group of talented disciples at the Tribulation Transformation stage and below, arrived to cause trouble. The leader of the group said, "All the surroundings have been occupied by other sects, and we have nowhere to stay while waiting for the secret realm. Give us some territory to stay at, or suffer the consequences."
Jiang Yun was annoyed; this was his territory, and it was certainly not someone else’s turn to issue commands. With a voice of annoyance, he refused: "I will not hand over my territory. Go find a place somewhere else."
The leader of the group, seemingly expecting Jiang Yun to resist, issued a command to one of his sect elders: "Go teach this boy a lesson and make him hand over his territory."
The sect elder stepped forward, reaching his hand out to grab Jiang Yun, intent on making him realize his mistake. Jiang Yun, who had sensed this would happen, also reached out his hand to grab the sect elder. The power disparity between the two was far too great; in an instant, Jiang Yun’s hand reached across to the elder’s neck and crushed it, killing him instantly.
The group, seeing such an unexpected result, was puzzled. Jiang Yun had felt like being kind today and offered a way out, yet they still provoked him. Turning his head toward the group, Jiang Yun launched another attack, this time sending a scorching fireball directly toward them. The group, unable to defend against the attack, screamed from the heat and turned to ashes.
Jiang Yun then turned his gaze toward the secret realm, wondering if more trouble would come with its opening.