"What… what kind of formation is this?!"
Venerable Yin Gu shrieked, his voice cracking.
He, a mighty Union Realm cultivator, could not break through the mountain-protecting formation of a tiny border sect?
Not only did he fail to shatter it in an overwhelming fashion—he had been sent flying by the rebound.
He had been humiliated in front of everyone!
Before he came to kill the Primordial Beginning Sect, he could never have imagined this.
Before Jiang Ling could speak, the fiery-tempered Black Rock Demon Lord had long grown sick of this yapping nuisance.
If the Sect Master hadn't told him to stay calm and watch the show, he would have charged out and torn the man to shreds.
"ROAR! What fly is this, making such a racket?!"
Black Rock Demon Lord bellowed in his booming voice. He raised a hand and casually swatted at Venerable Yin Gu, who had just climbed out of the pit and was still unsteady—swatting him like a fly!
At first, the paw was only normal bear-sized. Venerable Yin Gu flew into a rage, preparing to counterattack.
But in the next moment, the paw exploded in size, turning into a massive grinding stone, crashing down with earth-shaking force!
This time, there was no formation in the way.
Before the strike even neared, Venerable Yin Gu felt a crushing weight descend, as if an entire star had pressed down on him. He could not move an inch.
BOOM!
Even space twisted under that single slap.
"No…!"
Venerable Yin Gu only managed a short, terrified cry.
In the next instant, his protective spiritual light shattered like paper. His entire body was smashed beneath the shadow of the bear paw, as if struck by a speeding ancient war chariot.
Splat!
Blood mist and bone fragments sprayed into the sky.
Venerable Yin Gu, Union Realm cultivator, deacon of Black Wind Ridge—dead.
Slapped into a bloody paste by Black Rock Demon Lord before his Nascent Soul could even escape.
Scarlet Sun Demon Sage frowned at the splattered blood and remains, thinking it sullied the sect's entrance.
He opened his mouth and breathed out a wisp of extremely condensed True Sun Fire.
Sizzle!
The golden flame swept over the ground. The leftover flesh, blood, bone scraps, and even the deep pit instantly vaporized, leaving only slightly hot, charred black earth—as if nothing had happened at all.
Clink.
A bloodstained storage ring fell to the ground, conspicuous.
The entire area fell deathly silent again!
This time, not even breathing could be heard.
All onlookers were completely frozen.
A Union Realm Venerable…
slapped to death…
then burned to nothingness by a single breath of fire?!
What in the world were those two gate guards?
Just what kind of deadly den was the Primordial Beginning Sect?
Anyone who came to attack ended up dead.
Black Rock Demon Lord retracted his paw and stared viciously at the distant figures, as if weighing who the next unlucky victim would be.
He had just refined a Star Core and had far too much pent-up power. These people who came knocking were all scum.
The more he killed, the better.
His gaze was so terrifying that many cultivators fled in panic, not daring to watch any longer.
Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow and called into the sect:
"You there, Hua Yuntian. Go pick up that fellow daoist's storage ring. Don't let it go to waste."
Hua Yuntian's face darkened. But under his master's kind eyes, he snorted, moved like a ghost out of the formation, snatched the unburned ring with precision, and flashed back in an instant.
His movements were clean and sharp. His expression was just even more sour.
Jiang Ling then slowly swept his gaze over the petrified onlookers in the distance, his voice calm but clear to every ear:
"Scatter. Next time, if any more blind fools come disturbing my peace…"
He paused, pointing at the charred patch of earth.
"This will be their fate."
With that, he turned, hands behind his back, humming a little tune, and sauntered back to the main hall.
Leaving countless stunned, disheveled onlookers outside the gate, blown away in the wind.
Fuck!
From now on, if anyone says the Primordial Beginning Sect is a worthless, low-rank broken sect—I'll fight them to the end!
Far away, Valley Master Yin Li of Nether Valley watched the scene. His previously gloating face turned as pale as paper. A chill shot from his soles to the top of his skull.
His lips trembled as he ordered his followers:
"Prepare heavy gifts at once! No—I will go to the Primordial Beginning Sect personally to apologize to Fellow Daoist Jiang…"
He felt his Nether Valley was only one slap away from becoming another charred patch of earth.
Soon, news spread like a hurricane across the entire Border Wasteland:
- The Primordial Beginning Sect had a terrifying guardian beast that could slap a Union Realm Venerable to death.
- And an absurdly tough formation that made a Venerable face-plant into the ground.
For the first time, the name Primordial Beginning Sect exploded onto the scene in the most brutal way possible.
…
Inside the Primordial Beginning Sect.
Peace returned outside the gate. Inside, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The disciples had been terrified at first, fearing Venerable Yin Gu would break in.
After all, he was a Union Realm expert—an existence they could never hope to reach in their entire lives.
But in the blink of an eye:
The Venerable was repelled by the formation…
then slapped to death by Black Rock Demon Lord.
Everything happened too fast for them to process.
Only when Jiang Ling returned did they truly feel they had survived a disaster, their racing hearts finally settling.
Outside the thatched-hut area stood groups of disciples and the rescued youths.
Nourished by the Life Creation Pills and the increasingly dense spiritual energy of the sect, the boys and girls had lost their ashen paleness, regaining some color.
Among them, Jiang Munan recovered the fastest.
His thin figure now moved nimbly, helping distribute food and caring for the severely wounded. His eyes were bright, filled with calm and capability far beyond his years.
Everyone looked at Jiang Ling with worshipful eyes, as if gazing at a god.
Especially Jiang Munan.
Everything in this sect—the mountain-protecting formation, the two gate-guarding beasts, the unfathomable Sect Master—had completely blown his mind.
Everything he saw defied everything he had ever known about the cultivation world.
Just that formation above their heads—was this really something that should exist in the Northern Border?
Watching Jiang Ling's calm back, Jiang Munan's eyes shone brighter and brighter.
On that day, Jiang Ling stood at the edge of the square, hands behind his back, his sharp gaze sweeping over the newly expanded hundred-li territory.
He was planning, envisioning how to turn this land into the foundation for the Primordial Beginning Sect's rise.
Jiang Munan saw his chance, stepped forward quickly, and bowed deeply. His posture was respectful, yet his words carried unmistakable logic and confidence:
"Sect Master, you have granted me a new life. Munan will never forget this grace. I dare to speak my mind: the sect's fortune is flourishing, but many affairs await attention, spirit fields lie uncultivated, and the rescued people need proper arrangement.
Though my cultivation is low and my body mortal, I believe I can contribute in organization, planning, and managing resources. I humbly beg you, Sect Master: allow me to join the sect and serve with all my loyalty, to help build the Primordial Beginning Sect's prosperity!"
His words were clear, the pros and cons laid out plainly, his request direct—a stark contrast to his ragged appearance.
Jiang Ling's gaze fell upon him, deep and unfathomable.