Chu Tian sheathed his sword, his demeanor shifting as he smiled and asked, "What’s the matter? Scared?"

Ling Zi snapped out of her daze and replied, "You’ve provoked Tian Sheng Sect. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

Chu Tian chuckled, "I don’t know what’s so terrifying about Tian Sheng Sect, but I do know this—once you’ve offended someone, it’s like water spilled on the ground: you can’t take it back."

With that, Chu Tian began disposing of the corpses. Ling Zi stood frozen, staring at his retreating figure. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was much more to Chu Tian than met the eye, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Realizing she’d only bring trouble to the sect if she stayed, Ling Zi decided to leave. She returned to her quarters, left a letter behind, and quietly departed.

When Chu Tian returned to the sect after disposing of the bodies, he went looking for Ling Zi, only to find her gone. In the kitchen, he saw Tu Feng busy cooking alongside his father. Curious, Chu Tian asked, "Hey, have you seen Ling Zi?"

"No idea. Maybe she’s in her room," Tu Feng replied.

Chu Tian headed to Ling Zi’s guest quarters, but when he arrived, all he found was a letter on the table. Picking it up, he read it quickly before rushing out of the sect, shouting, "Ling Zi!"

But there was no response. Chu Tian could only sigh as he looked at the letter, her smiling face flashing through his mind. "She’s gone," he muttered to himself.

Left with no choice, Chu Tian set the matter aside. He knew he had more pressing issues—strengthening himself. The Tian Xing Sect wouldn’t take their losses lying down and would certainly retaliate.

Chu Tian warned the sect master and Tu Feng to stay vigilant and to retreat to the underground shelter at the first sign of trouble. Then, he left the sect to raid the other four mines belonging to Tian Xing Sect. Over the course of several days, Chu Tian looted every mine, enraging Tian Xing Sect to the point that they sent a large force to surround Tian Yun Sect.

When Tu Feng hurriedly informed Chu Tian that the sect was surrounded, Chu Tian remained calm and confident, as if he had been expecting this. "Finally, they’ve arrived!" he said with a smirk.

Tu Feng, panicking, said, "Big Brother, the sect master wants us to hide!"

Chu Tian shook his head with a smile. "You take care of my father. Keep him safe in the shelter. Leave the rest to me."

"But—"

"Just go. Take care of my dad. Make sure he stays put."

Tu Feng had no choice but to comply. Meanwhile, Chu Tian walked out of the main hall, his smile growing as he took in the scene outside. The skies and ground were filled with Tian Xing Sect disciples.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Leading them was a young man Chu Tian recognized—Feng Luo's elder brother, Feng You. Upon seeing Chu Tian, Feng You seethed with anger. "Chu Tian! Let’s see where you’ll run this time!"

Chu Tian looked at him mockingly. "Oh? I thought I heard a dog barking. Turns out it was you, little grandson!"

Feng You’s face turned red with rage. "You bastard! Today, I’ll wipe Tian Yun Sect off the map!"

"Ding! Rage points +1."

Chu Tian, delighted at the system prompt, teased, "What, just you and your lackeys? Why don’t you go back home and play in the mud instead of embarrassing yourselves here? We don’t have any mud for you to play with here!"

His words enraged the Tian Xing Sect disciples, and rage points kept accumulating. Chu Tian, pleased, thought, "This is great! Rage points are building up so fast. Looks like group fights are the way to go!"

Feng You, fuming, yelled, "Enough! We’ve brought 50 Golden Core experts and 200 Foundation Establishment disciples today. Let’s see if you can survive this!"

Chu Tian scanned the crowd and sneered. "What’s this? Where’s your daddy? The elders? And your bratty little sister?"

"I’m enough to deal with you!"

Chu Tian smirked. "Alright then. Let’s see how you and your little gang handle my swordsmanship!"

He drew his sword, the red glow it emitted even stronger than before. Over the past few days, Chu Tian’s cultivation had advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage, reaching system level 13. His Thousand-Layer Demon Armor had reached the ninth layer, and he had unlocked the third stage of the Blazing Sword Technique: Blazing Firestorm.

Blazing Firestorm was a terrifying technique. A massive wave of sword energy laced with flames erupted from Chu Tian’s sword, instantly forcing Golden Core disciples out of the sky. Even mid- and late-stage Golden Core cultivators were so shaken that they landed, unwilling to remain airborne.

Chu Tian laughed triumphantly. "What’s wrong? Not staying in the air as targets anymore?"

Feng You, furious, shouted at the others, "He’s just one man! Everyone, attack together!"

The disciples were emboldened and launched a coordinated attack. Feng You sneered. "Let’s see how you dodge this, you bastard!"

As countless attacks surged toward him, Chu Tian moved toward the Foundation Establishment disciples, their attacks harmlessly absorbed by his ninth-layer Demon Armor. Grinning like a demon, Chu Tian said, "You’ve got a death wish!"

The Foundation Establishment disciples were terrified. The Golden Core experts tried to redirect their attacks, but it was too late. Chu Tian unleashed his sword energy, explosions erupting as dozens of disciples fell injured. In no time, all 200 Foundation Establishment disciples were incapacitated.

Feng You was dumbfounded. Chu Tian turned his gaze to the remaining Golden Core experts and smirked. "Your turn."

Panicked, Feng You shouted, "Retreat! Retreat!"

The Golden Core experts quickly gathered to protect Feng You as they attempted to flee. But Chu Tian, not letting them off so easily, sent a blazing sword energy toward Feng You. The explosion sent him crashing to the ground.

Just as Chu Tian was about to finish him off, a system alert sounded.

"Ding! Rage points +5. Self-destruction imminent!"

"Self-destruction?!" Chu Tian’s face changed. Feng You, consumed by rage, was about to detonate himself. Chu Tian quickly activated his Demon Armor and retreated.

A deafening explosion followed, shaking the ground. Chu Tian steadied himself, unscathed thanks to his precautions. But as he looked at the ruins of Tian Yun Sect, he inhaled sharply. "What a terrifying self-destruction."

A golden light streaked from the rubble—Feng You’s Golden Core. Before fleeing, he roared, "You bastard! My sister and the elders will avenge me!"

The Golden Core vanished into the horizon. Chu Tian sighed at Feng You’s cunning but quickly turned cold. He made sure no Tian Xing Sect disciples were left alive, eliminating all survivors.

As the dust settled, the system chimed again.

"Ding! Mysterious task: Kill Feng You. Reward: Celestial Maiden Illustration."

"An illustration? Of a celestial maiden? What’s it for?"