In the southernmost part stood a towering mountain, its terrain steep, as if descending from the heavens and piercing straight into the clouds.
The faint path along the mountain cliff was visible, winding and twisting, further emphasizing the mountain's steepness and peril.
Upon such a perilous high mountain, countless dwellings were built clinging to the cliff, and at the very summit stood a massive city.
Within the vast city, the already sparse streets became even more deserted due to the arrival of one man.
That man was clad in a white-gold brocade robe, with the unique token of a Holy Temple Elder hanging at his waist, exuding nobility that was completely out of place in this remote mountain city.
The chilling aura released by the man caused the doors and windows of the houses lining the streets to shut tight.
Even though the visitor was from the Righteous Path-renowned Sacred Hall, the imposing presence he currently emitted deterred anyone from approaching, forcing the residents to observe his every move through the cracks in their doors and windows.
Soon, the man stopped in front of a household.
"Isn't that Wan Qing's home? Is the person from the Sacred Hall looking for them?"
"The Sacred Hall widely recruits talented individuals from across the realm; perhaps they have come for little Yuan'er."
The neighbors chattered amongst themselves, and the man from the Sacred Hall had already stepped into the home belonging to Wan Qing.
"Yuan'er, we have guests, your Mother and I will go greet them."
"The guest dislikes noise, so no matter what happens later, Yuan'er must stay here and not move, waiting for your Father to return, okay?"
The child named Yuan'er looked up at his father, not fully understanding, but he nodded gently: "Yuan'er is the best, I definitely won't disturb Father and Mother."
The man gently rubbed Yuan'er's head, waved his large hand, and a barrier protected the room where Yuan'er was located. Then, as if having made some firm decision, he walked toward the Outer Court.
The man in the white-gold brocade robe stood in the courtyard and spoke: "Chu Wanqing, your Senior Brother has come to visit, why not welcome me?"
Chu Wanqing laughed heartily upon hearing this and walked out from the Inner Court: "Haha, haha, what kind of talk is that, Senior Brother Yu Chuan? Come inside quickly."
After Chu Wanqing and the other entered the main hall, the atmosphere slowly became oppressive. Chu Wanqing sat down silently, staring intently at the brocade-robed man before him.
"Chu Wanqing, do you not know what my arrival here signifies?"
The brocade-robed man suddenly changed his tone and said solemnly.
"Ten years ago, you stole the Sacred Hall Treasure, the Blazing Flame Lotus Dragon Pill, and then fled the Sect with Junior Sister Xia Liuli."
"At that time, you two were known as the Inner Court's Twin Prodigies. If you had continued to cultivate diligently, you would have surely achieved supreme honor and become a Holy Temple Elder like me, but you made one wrong step and kept making wrong steps."
Chu Wanqing stood up and interrupted: "The Sacred Hall, one of the strongest cultivation Sects today, the world believes your Sacred Hall is a major Sect of the Righteous Path.
"Every year, tens of thousands of people try every means possible to squeeze through the Sacred Hall's Mountain Gate, but only I know the filthy deeds you commit behind the scenes."
"You collude with the Blood Demon Sect for mutual benefit, exchanging disciples for Blood Gu cultivation, and you conspire with the Evil Demon Sect, killing disciples and taking their essence souls for your own cultivation."
"This is the main reason for your rapid increase in cultivation!"
"The Blazing Flame Lotus Dragon Pill is my Master's relic, fought for with our lives against the Demonic Sect. How could Liuli and I allow it to fall back into the hands of the Demonic Sect?"
Chu Wanqing grew more agitated as he spoke, unleashing an astonishing aura: "What I didn't expect was that the person the Sacred Hall sent this time would be Senior Brother. It seems they won't leave us a way out."
The brocade-robed man named Yu Chuan spoke: "You have been on the run for ten years, and we have been searching for ten years as well."
"If it weren't for the recent unrest among the Demon Race causing the Spiritual Light of the Blazing Flame Lotus Dragon Pill to go out of control and expose your location, we never would have guessed you fled to such a remote place."
"The order from above is to clean up the internal affairs and retrieve the Blazing Flame Lotus Dragon Pill. If I show you leniency, then I will be the one who dies."
"Hah! Since things have come to this, what more is there to say!" Chu Wanqing waved his right hand, and a Long Sword encased in a dark Sword Scabbard materialized in his hand.
Seeing this, Yu Chuan stopped being polite and quickly circulated his Spiritual Power, unleashing a pressure even more astonishing than Chu Wanqing's.
"Junior Martial Brother, you are merely at the Fifth Realm: Comprehending. I have long reached the Sixth Realm and touched the threshold of the Seventh Realm. You should not waste your effort."
"Stop the nonsense. Today, even if the Hall Master himself were here, I would still cleave him with one sword!"
Chu Wanqing stepped out with his right foot, leaping into the air, and thrust the Long Sword in his hand directly toward Yu Chuan. Dark Spiritual Power enveloped the Sword Body, and the surrounding space seemed to tear apart.
Seeing this, Yu Chuan retreated a step backward, condensed golden Spiritual Power in his right palm, and thrust his palm out to meet the Long Sword.
The pressure from the collision between the two directly overturned the tables and chairs in the main hall, the gold and dark Spiritual Powers mutually restraining each other, unable to move for a long time.
Yu Chuan exerted force suddenly, pushing Chu Wanqing back. The hand holding the sword was shaken so much it trembled.
"Considering we were fellow disciples, I will grant you a quick death."
Yu Chuan flashed forward, arriving directly in front of Chu Wanqing. Before Chu Wanqing could react, Yu Chuan struck his abdomen with a palm strike.
Chu Wanqing was sent flying backward from the impact, crashing heavily against the wall behind him.
Blood flowed from the corner of Chu Wanqing's mouth. He struggled to stand up and mockingly said to Yu Chuan: "Your palm technique has indeed improved, but why does it bear some resemblance to the Blood Demon Hand of the Blood Demon Sect?"
Yu Chuan trembled slightly upon hearing this: "You are a dying man; you don't need to know so much."
Chu Wanqing stabilized his figure, raised his Long Sword horizontally before his chest: "Buzang has not been drawn for ten years. After ten years of nurturing the sword, it must finally taste blood."
Chu Wanqing drew the Long Sword, and the Sword Scabbard fell to the ground. The Sword Body of the sword named Buzang was also dark, and the hilt had no guard, signifying that using this sword injured both the enemy and the wielder.
"I didn't expect to see Junior Brother's Buzang after ten years. With no guard on the entire blade, there is only the path of attack once it is in hand."
"Decisive in killing, Buzang does not hide its sharpness, hence Junior Brother named it Buzang."
Chu Wanqing stood with the sword on his back, and a black Tortoise Phantom Image suddenly appeared behind him. This was the power he comprehended after reaching the Fifth Realm Enlightenment Realm.
Every Cultivator, upon reaching the Fifth Realm: Comprehending, will comprehend their own Origin Power, which can serve as a powerful fighting force to battle alongside them.
"Today, this Buzang will be the cause of your death!"
Chu Wanqing held the sword with both hands, channeling all his Spiritual Power directly toward the edge of Buzang, causing the originally dark Sword Body of Buzang to become even deeper in color.
Spiritual Power circled the entire sword, enveloping Buzang completely, and then the Spiritual Power burst forth.
Chu Wanqing floated into the air, and the Buzang in his hands slashed down from above. The surrounding space was distorted and torn due to the violent flow of Spiritual Power.
"This sword, I have nurtured for ten years."
Yu Chuan couldn't help but be slightly amazed by this sight; he hadn't expected Buzang to unleash such power.
Yu Chuan immediately tried to flash away to dodge, but he found himself unable to move, as if frozen in place.
Yu Chuan looked up sharply at the black Tortoise: "Not good, this black Tortoise possesses the power to return to emptiness."
Buzang's terrifying sword strike slashed directly down toward Yu Chuan. The dark Spiritual Power instantly exploded and scattered, the Spiritual Light flashing so brightly that no one could see the scene beneath the sword.
The dust and mist dispersed, and the Spiritual Power dissipated. The main hall had already collapsed into ruins. Chu Wanqing rose into the air and looked at the sword strike he had delivered.
Chu Wanqing stared at the scene before him in disbelief. That Sword Scar, dozens of meters deep, extended from behind Yu Chuan all the way across the street and even further, yet Yu Chuan was still standing in place.
Yu Chuan's Brocade Robe was already tattered, and he was covered in wounds. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and managed to raise his head to look at Chu Wanqing: "Junior Brother's sword strike was indeed ruthless enough."
"If I hadn't forcibly broken your black Tortoise power by summoning my Origin Power using my Sixth Realm strength, I might have truly lost my life to this move."
"It's just a pity that you still lost due to the gap in realms. The Barrier between the Fifth Realm and the Sixth Realm is not so easily broken."
The residents of the Mountain City, hearing the commotion, were curious and wanted to open their doors to look. Yu Chuan, perhaps to preserve the dignity of his Holy Temple Elder status, shouted loudly, causing the residents to quickly retreat back inside.
However, all the residents were now boldly speculating in their minds about the relationship between Chu Wanqing and the Sacred Hall, though in their understanding, anyone who opposed the Sacred Hall was an extremely wicked person.
"It's a pity that Junior Brother's Buzang sword strike, nurtured for ten years, still wasn't enough to kill me!"