Volume 1, Chapter 216 – Decisive Grand Elder

The outskirts of the Nether Soul Mountain Range.

Li Hanyi and Liu Ruyan hovered above the mountain range like two drawn swords.

Below them, dense miasma of strange, shifting hues churned without end.

Visibility was nearly nonexistent, and even divine sense met with immense resistance when extended into it.

“Ruyan, is the Xuanming Sect here?”

Li Hanyi’s cool gaze swept over the scene below, her tone questioning.

“Yes, Grand Elder… The Xuanming Sect lies at the heart of the mountain range.”

Liu Ruyan replied respectfully.

She had once visited this mountain range in her second life and remembered it clearly.

Back then, however, her cultivation had been too weak. She could only wander the outskirts and had never truly ventured deeper in.

Now, returning to this familiar place, her status, strength, and state of mind were entirely different.

“Grand Elder, the miasma and natural maze formations here are rather troublesome. Should we…”

Before Liu Ruyan could finish, Li Hanyi raised a hand and flicked her finger.

“Break.”

She spoke the single word lightly.

A streak of white light shot from her fingertip and plunged into the roiling miasma below.

There was no earth-shattering blast.

Yet wherever that white radiance passed, the dense miasma melted away and receded like snow beneath the sun.

“Buzz…”

A low tremor rippled through the air.

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The miasma that had blanketed the Nether Soul Mountain Range for countless years began thinning at a visible rate.

The naturally formed maze formations and deadly zones that muddled cultivators’ senses became noticeably sluggish and unstable.

A relatively clear passage leading straight toward the heart of the mountain range gradually emerged.

Shock flashed through Liu Ruyan’s eyes.

She knew the Grand Elder was powerful, but seeing her reshape the terrain with a mere gesture still left Liu Ruyan deeply shaken.

Was this the strength of the ninth heaven of Tribulation Transcendence?

“Let’s go.”

Li Hanyi said no more and flew toward the passage she had forcibly opened.

Liu Ruyan quickly composed herself and followed close behind.

The two moved at tremendous speed, the scenery on either side of the passage blurring past.

The deeper they went, the denser the Yin baleful energy became and the colder the air grew.

From time to time, they spotted low-level heretical cultivators. But the instant those cultivators sensed the terrifying sword intent emanating from Li Hanyi, they dropped to the ground, trembling and not daring to make the slightest move.

After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The miasma vanished completely, replaced by an enormous sect compound of gloomy yet imposing architecture.

Dense Yin energy had condensed into streams of black mist that drifted slowly through the pavilions and towers.

Countless corpse puppets stood motionless throughout the compound like statues, forming a chilling forest of corpses.

At the sect’s outer perimeter, a semitransparent barrier had already risen, enveloping the entire core area.

The Xuanming Sect’s sect-protecting grand formation was fully activated.

Several figures with formidable auras hovered before the formation.

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At their head stood Mingyue, Deputy Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect.

Today, she wore a formal jet-black court robe, her hair swept into an elaborate high coiffure. Her face was filled with unease.

Behind her stood several elders at the Mahayana and Body Integration realms, along with many Spirit Transformation stewards and personal disciples.

Everyone looked grave, as though facing a formidable enemy.

Mingyue’s heart tightened when she saw the newcomers. Though this was her first time meeting Li Hanyi, she had heard no shortage of rumors about her.

Judging by the intelligence they had gathered and Li Hanyi’s distinguishing features, there was no doubt that she was the last person Mingyue wanted to see at this moment.

Li Hanyi’s gaze swept over the fully activated sect-protecting grand formation and the Xuanming Sect members waiting in battle formation before it.

Her expression remained unchanged as she spoke calmly to Liu Ruyan at her side.

“You wait here.”

Liu Ruyan’s heart tightened, but she respectfully accepted the order.

“Yes, Grand Elder.”

Li Hanyi stepped forward, hovering several yards before the barrier of the Xuanming Sect’s sect-protecting grand formation.

Her gaze settled on the elegant woman at the front. Her voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.

“The Xuanming Sect?”

Alarm bells rang in Mingyue’s mind, but she forced herself to suppress her unease.

She stepped forward and bowed respectfully, striving to keep her voice steady.

“This junior is Mingyue, Deputy Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect. I was unaware of Senior’s arrival and have failed to properly welcome you…”

“I’m asking you.”

Li Hanyi cut her off directly, her gaze sweeping over the people behind Mingyue and the motionless corpse puppets.

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“Was your sect responsible for what happened to the Liu family of Qingyang City?”

Mingyue’s heart sank. The worst-case scenario had come to pass after all.

She drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed again, lowering herself as much as possible.

“My Xuanming Sect does indeed bear responsibility that cannot be shirked.”

“Mingquan acted out of personal vengeance, mobilizing force without authorization and offending the relatives of your palace’s disciple. His crimes are truly grievous.”

She paused, then raised her voice slightly, her tone resolute.

“Our sect has investigated the matter and confirmed the truth. Mingquan’s cultivation has been crippled, and he has been brought before the formation to await Senior’s judgment.”

As her words fell, two Xuanming Sect disciples escorted an elderly man with disheveled hair forward. It was Mingquan.

His eyes were vacant, his dantian shattered, and his cultivation completely destroyed. He was no different from a cripple.

Mingyue waved a hand again, and several disciples carried forward a number of jade chests that gave off dense fluctuations of spiritual energy.

“These are a few humble offerings our sect has prepared as an expression of apology. Please accept them as compensation. We hope Senior will…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Li Hanyi calmly cut Mingyue off.

Her gaze did not linger on the crippled Mingquan or the offerings. Instead, she looked at the semitransparent barrier enveloping the Xuanming Sect.

“This matter is not the fault of one person alone.”

She slowly raised her hand, her long, pale fingers curling in the air.

“Your Xuanming Sect has endured to this day. You should have had rules and discipline of your own.”

“Even if someone was briefly led astray, you should have discovered it early.”

“But did you discover it? Did you stop it? No.”

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“Only once the matter was exposed and a powerful enemy stood at your gates did you present a cripple and offer a few possessions, expecting the matter to be put behind you?”

Li Hanyi’s voice remained cold, but every word was like an icicle piercing the hearts of Mingyue and the Xuanming Sect’s upper ranks.

“What you were thinking of was not remorse, nor was it taking responsibility.”

“It was how to preserve the sect, how to test the limits, and even…”

Her gaze finally settled on Mingyue’s slightly changed expression.

Then she looked beyond her, toward the depths of the sect, which appeared calm but concealed turbulent undercurrents.

“You were prepared to fight to the death, weren’t you?”

The moment those words were spoken, Mingyue’s face turned deathly pale.

Their intentions had been seen through at a glance.

“Senior…”

Mingyue still wanted to say something.

“There is no need to say more.”

As Li Hanyi spoke, a long sword appeared in her hand, as though forged from ice crystals, with starlight flowing across its blade.

It was none other than Li Hanyi’s heaven-rank supreme-grade artifact, Listening Rain.

The moment the sword appeared, the Yin baleful energy filling the skies above the Nether Soul Mountain Range seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, hissing as it recoiled.

Everyone from the Xuanming Sect felt a sharp pain pierce their souls, as though invisible sword intent had locked onto them. Even breathing became difficult.