Fenglei Mystic Sect.
Soon, Wen Lang and the others received Lei Yongbiao's transmitted orders.
"Assemble at the Fire Cauldron Sect?"
They were confused…
but not shocked.
If Lin Ye ordered it, there was always a reason.
So they obeyed.
At the same time, the Azure Thunder Sword Sect sent three Heavenly Phenomenon Realm experts.
The leader was their Grand Elder—
and acting sect master:
Feng Shijin.
With Lin Ye's Star River Realm presence,
the Fenglei Mystic Sect was unshakable.
Lin Ye had shown mercy at the Azure Thunder Sword Sect.
He gave them time and opportunity.
If they dared resist again—
he would slaughter them clean.
So they came obediently.
Within three days, they arrived at Fenglei Mystic Sect.
They offered vast wealth as tribute.
Wen Lang already knew why.
They had been terrified into submission.
A Star River Realm powerhouse could wipe them out in moments.
"The Sect Master has ordered us to proceed to the Fire Cauldron Sect immediately."
Wen Lang spoke.
Then he looked toward Feng Shijin.
"Elder Feng—why not come as well?"
The Fenglei Mystic Sect was clearly planning to strike the Fire Cauldron Sect.
Such a conquest…
was perfect to involve these surrendered forces.
Not only to make them contribute—
but also to show them the true strength of Fenglei Mystic Sect.
Feng Shijin and the other two exchanged glances.
Then bowed.
"We will naturally follow Sect Master Lin's command."
They also wanted to see the firepower of Fenglei Mystic Sect.
And show loyalty.
If they refused—
there was every chance Fenglei Mystic Sect would turn around and erase them next.
So the Fenglei Mystic Sect assembled more than ten experts—
plus Feng Shijin's three—
and marched toward the Fire Cauldron Sect.
Rumor said the Fire Cauldron Sect possessed remnants of an ancient defensive formation.
That formation was what made them difficult to attack.
Any sect trying to invade first had to break it.
Even Fenglei Mystic Sect did not have the ability to build a grand formation.
The Fire Cauldron Sect had simply been lucky.
Feng Shijin also wanted to see—
could Fenglei Mystic Sect break the Fire Cauldron Sect's protection?
Afternoon.
The sun burned the earth.
Lin Ye rode the Blacksteel Panther.
Xia Wei sat behind him.
For travel convenience, she wore black shorts.
Her long legs were pale as jade.
Her calves were sleek, wrapped in tall boots.
It made movement easier.
Traveling alone with Lin Ye—
made her nervous…
and excited.
The panther sprinted.
In moments, they left Leihe City behind.
"Stop."
Lin Ye spoke.
The panther slammed all four paws into the soil—
dragging a long trench and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Xia Wei nearly flew off.
She grabbed the fur desperately and barely stayed on.
With her cultivation, remaining stable on a fourth-rank beast was already difficult.
"What is it?"
She asked breathlessly.
Lin Ye's gaze fixed on the forest ahead.
A cold smirk curled on his lips.
"Heh."
"They even set up a formation to wait for me."
A formation was hidden in the forest.
If Lin Ye stepped into it—
he would be trapped.
But Lin Ye was a formation master.
He could sense it before even approaching.
Their concealment skill was far too crude.
He scoffed.
"Still refusing to accept reality."
"Fine."
"Since I've run into them…"
"I'll end it all at once."
Lin Ye jumped down.
He looked at Xia Wei.
"You stay here."
"I'm going to kill some people."
Xia Wei shuddered.
Those words…
were so casually arrogant it felt unreal.
She could only watch as Lin Ye stepped into the forest.
Behind her, the Blacksteel Panther circled twice—
its eyes fixed on the trees.
It growled deeply, like it sensed something terrifying.
The moment Lin Ye entered—
A gigantic stone stele fell from the sky.
BOOOOM!
It smashed into the earth, carving a hundred-meter裂缝裂…裂缝—(no, sorry! corrected —)
It carved a massive trench across the ground.
CRACK!
The stele towered nearly a hundred meters tall.
It blocked Xia Wei's vision completely—
like a door of death slamming shut.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shaking sounds erupted from beyond it.
Heaven-earth Qi surged wildly toward the stele.
Xia Wei's eyes widened.
What kind of power was clashing behind that stele?
This was no battle of Heavenly Phenomenon Realm experts.
Then—
a Star-Bridge appeared.
A Star-Bridge meant a Star River Realm cultivator.
Xia Wei looked up in horror.
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
One after another—
Star-Bridges pierced the sky like spears.
They drew down violent stellar power.
Windstorms formed by condensed spiritual energy erupted.
The panther roared, releasing its aura to resist the pressure.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
"Twenty…"
"Over twenty Star-Bridges?!"
Xia Wei was frozen.
A single Star River Realm expert could dominate the entire Wind-Thunder Riverlands.
Over twenty of them—
could annihilate everything in this land.
In the direction of Leihe City, people stared from miles away.
Even at such distance, the collective pressure crushed the soul.
Lei Yongbiao stood on a rooftop.
His face was blank.
"W-what is happening?!"
Then he suddenly screamed:
"Wait…"
"The number of Star-Bridges…"
"It's decreasing!"
Star-Bridges began fading.
Vanishing.
That meant—
Star River Realm cultivators were dying.
Xia Wei watched in terror.
Still, no one escaped the stele.
The number of Star-Bridges dropped rapidly.
Then—
BOOM!
A figure burst out of the stele and crashed into the ground.
Less than a hundred meters from Xia Wei.
A crater exploded.
Xia Wei craned her neck.
The man wore black.
He was gravely wounded and struggled to crawl out.
But a figure descended from the sky.
A sword pierced straight through his skull.
Lin Ye.
Lin Ye pulled out the sword—
clean.
Not even a trace of blood remained on the blade.
His Asura Blood Armor faded away quietly.
Lin Ye stored the sword.
Third-stage Asura Blood Armor had left him completely unharmed in that battle.
And before entering—
Lin Ye had already rewritten the formation.
So not a single one of them could escape.
Over twenty Star River Realm elites—
slaughtered.
The last two had barely broken through.
But even then…
they still died.
They insisted on challenging him.
Lin Ye removed the storage ring.
Most carried only mission gear—
but luck was luck.
His spiritual sense swept it.
And he found—
a ship.
A massive ship.
Not a great treasure.
But valuable enough.
At least he didn't leave empty-handed.
After entering third stage of Ninefold Asura Art—
Lin Ye noticed something.
The more he killed—
the faster his cultivation method circulated.
The more pleasurable it felt.
And faintly—
it even improved.
"Let's go."
Lin Ye mounted the panther.
Xia Wei stared at him like she'd lost her mind.
"They… they were all…"
"Star River Realm experts?"
Lin Ye said calmly.
"They were Star River Realm."
"But they weren't 'experts.'"
He looked at her.
"They came from a place called Nether Heavens Sect."
"Have you heard of it?"
Xia Wei's blood went cold.
"Nether Heavens Sect…!"
"That sect ranked ninth in the last Dragonpool Heavenly Isle Contest."
"In the Central Rivers, they're extremely famous."
"For Lower Rivers like ours…"
"They're godlike."
Lin Ye nodded.
"Then within three months…"
"I'll exterminate Nether Heavens Sect."
His voice was flat.
But the dominance inside it was absolute.
He paused.
Then added with quiet arrogance:
"Maybe I won't even need three months."