Su Qingyue did not react. She simply stepped back toward her throne, watching Mu Chen leave her palace.
Mu Chen and Bai Han flew away from the ruins, heading steadily toward Mount Jiuxiao.
Her expression changed drastically. The warmth from before vanished, replaced by a cold and indifferent look the moment Mu Chen left.
"Lin Dong!" Su Qingyue called out sharply.
A man entered the flying palace, dropped to one knee, and bowed.
"Send all teams into the ruins. Take that ancient artifact as quickly as possible."
"All of them? But what about..."
Su Qingyue's eyes suddenly shone with a powerful golden light. Her cultivation pressure slammed into Lin Dong's body, forcing his face against the palace floor.
"Do as I say."
"Yes... Great Sect Master."
The cultivation pressure eased. Lin Dong respectfully took his leave, still clutching his aching chest.
Once he returned to the Tianyin Sect members, he immediately ordered every team to enter the ruins and secure the ancient artifact.
Every sect member obeyed and stepped through the gate of the ruins.
The other sects noticed Tianyin Sect's movements. As a result, they do the same command as Su Qingyue.
"It seems you want to speed up this expedition and claim the artifact for yourself, Fellow Daoist Su Qingyue," said Hong Xu, the Sect Master of the Hongyan Sect.
"Yes," Su Qingyue replied briefly. "Besides, I do not enjoy staying here for too long."
The Hongyan Sect members in bright red robes entered after the Tianyin Sect. The cultivators in dark blue robes from the Qingyun Sect followed as well.
There was a simple reason why Su Qingyue had accelerated the expedition into the ruins, even though it could endanger many sect members.
It was clearly not because she wanted to seize the ancient artifact.
She simply had something far more important to do at Mount Jiuxiao.
Elsewhere, Bai Han and Mu Chen continued flying far away from the ruins, returning to the Tianyin Sect.
Bai Han occasionally glanced at Mu Chen as he guided him through the sky. He could not help but wonder about Mu Chen's identity.
A man who had not even begun cultivating had somehow drawn the attention of Great Sect Master Su Qingyue.
What exactly made Great Sect Master Su so interested in this man?
Mu Chen's eyes swept across the surroundings as he observed everything below.
Dense forests and massive cities passed beneath them. Human activity could be seen clearly from the sky.
What struck him as strange was that none of the people below paid any attention to him or Bai Han.
It seems they were already used to seeing people flying freely through the skies.
"Is that... Mount Jiuxiao?"
"Mount Jiuxiao is the sacred mountain of our sect. We have three mountain peaks, and Mount Jiuxiao is the highest and most sacred."
"It is where the sect's ancestors cultivate, train, and seek Dao enlightenment," Bai Han said.
"Does... Master Su live there too?" Mu Chen asked.
"Yes."
They continued flying across forests and hills, piercing through the clouds until the mountain range of the Tianyin Sect came into view.
It was a grand sect.
Magnificent buildings dominated in white and silver, while a giant white magical rune stretched behind the mountain, filled with ancient characters and abstract engravings.
Bai Han was right! Mu Chen saw three mountains of different heights.
Not only that, he was completely shocked by the sight of thousands of floating hills surrounding the sect.
There was no way he could ever have seen scenery like this back on Earth.
Beyond the natural landscape and floating hills, Mu Chen saw countless sect disciples flying from one hill to another, from one mountain to the next.
Their numbers far exceeded those at the ancient ruins. All of them wore white-silver robes, resembling luxurious hanfu attire.
"Welcome to the Tianyin Sect."
Mu Chen nodded and thanked him, his gaze fixed ahead as he took in the beauty of the sect more clearly.
I never imagined... I would end up in a situation like this.
What lay before him vaguely resembled the image he had once seen when he first touched his grandfather's necklace.
Mu Chen had always wondered if this was what that great change in his life truly meant.
The two of them flew upward toward Mount Jiuxiao. However, a shout suddenly echoed from elsewhere.
"Stop!" the voice roared.
An old man with a thick white beard and sect robes appeared, blocking the path of Bai Han and Mu Chen's flying sword.
Mu Chen fell silent. He could see from the old man's expression that he clearly did not approve of what they were doing.
"Are you trying to violate the sect's highest rules, Junior?!" he shouted.
Without another word, the old man unleashed a powerful wave of cultivation pressure upon Bai Han and Mu Chen. It was far stronger than Su Qingyue's.
Both of them coughed up blood, but Mu Chen suffered the most since he had no cultivation foundation.
Such pressure was enough to threaten his life and even destroy his spiritual roots on the spot.
"Please understand, Elder Wang. I was ordered by Great Sect Master Su to bring Brother Mu Chen to Mount Jiuxiao."
"You think I am a fool, Junior?!" he roared, making his cultivation pressure even more intense.
Without Su Qingyue's protection, Mu Chen's body began to suffer unbearable pain under the crushing force.
His instincts moved quickly. He thrust out his hand, summoning a golden cauldron from within his body.
With a pointing gesture, the cauldron shot forward and slammed heavily into the elder's body.
Bai Han was stunned.
The cultivation pressure eased the moment Elder Wang was struck by Mu Chen's golden cauldron.
The cauldron then flew back to Mu Chen's side.
COUGH!
Mu Chen collapsed helplessly, still atop the flying sword. He vomited even more blood than before, now accompanied by severe internal injuries.
His vision blurred and his body weakened.
Unable to endure the pain any longer, Mu Chen lost his balance and fell from the sky.
Bai Han panicked. He was the one ordered to guide Mu Chen. If Mu Chen died, Great Sect Master Su would never forgive him.
"Damn it! What weapon was that?!" Elder Wang shouted.
"Brother Mu Chen!"
Just as Bai Han moved to catch the unconscious Mu Chen, a sword formation appeared and halted his fall.
Bai Han froze in shock and turned to the side.
Elder Wang had caught Mu Chen.
Normally, he could have easily killed a mortal like Mu Chen. However, the mysterious weapon from earlier had piqued his curiosity.
"I will not kill you, mortal!"
"But I will punish you for daring to injure me!"
Bai Han flew closer to Elder Wang.
"Please show mercy, Elder Wang. You should not punish him. Great Sect Master Su will be furious!"
"The sect rules come first. Besides, I will punish you as well for arrogantly crossing Mount Yunhai without permission!" Elder Wang said sternly.
Without hesitation, Elder Wang brought the unconscious Mu Chen to the sect's main courtyard in front of Mount Lingxiao.
Bai Han became even more panicked, worried about what kind of punishment Elder Wang intended to inflict on Mu Chen.
He quickly flew after him.
The white-bearded old man arrived at the front courtyard, tied Mu Chen's hands and feet, and began whipping him with a barbed whip.
The disciples' training came to an abrupt halt. Many of them turned to watch Elder Wang once again reveal his usual cruelty.
No one dared stop him because of the status earned by Core Elder Wang Wei.
But this time, his cruelty was especially brutal.
Instead of killing Mu Chen, who was only a mortal, he chose to torture him for his own satisfaction.
SLASH!
Elder Wang continued swinging the whip hard across Mu Chen's back. The pain rapidly intensified, forcing Mu Chen awake in the cruelest way possible.
"AAAKKKH!" Mu Chen screamed.
"So you are awake, you damned mortal?! Tell me what weapon you used earlier!" Elder Wang shouted.
Bai Han tried to stop him, but he was once again struck by Elder Wang's cultivation pressure.
Powerless, he could only watch Mu Chen being tortured.
He was deeply worried that Great Sect Master Su's wrath would be impossible to withstand.
"I... won't tell you!" Mu Chen shouted.
"You stubborn mortal! Feel this barbed whip tear apart your flesh and skin!"
Bai Han shouted loudly and finally managed to break free from Elder Wang's cultivation pressure.
He immediately summoned his flying sword and sped toward the ancient ruins.
Elder Wang saw Bai Han flee, but he did not care. He was far more interested in Mu Chen's weapon, so he let Bai Han go.
Along the way, Bai Han kept muttering in panic, repeating that things were dangerous.
In his mind, only Great Sect Master Su could stop Elder Wang's cruelty.
From afar, Bai Han finally saw the ancient ruins, along with Su Qingyue's flying palace. He increased his speed even further.
Su Qingyue, who was still seated on her throne with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them when she sensed Bai Han's aura approaching.
Bai Han arrived near the palace alone. He immediately cupped his fists, knelt, and begged for forgiveness.
"What happened? Where is Mu Chen?!" Su Qingyue demanded.
"Forgive this junior for failing to protect Mu Chen. Elder Wang forbade us from going to Mount Jiuxiao."
"Right now, Brother Mu Chen is being punished by whipping in the sect's main courtyard," Bai Han said firmly.
Su Qingyue's eyes widened in shock.
Her chest burned with rage, and both of her hands clenched tightly into fists.
The anger radiating from her face triggered a massive burst of qi energy across the ancient ruins, shaking the trees and sending leaves and dust flying.
"HOW DARE HE!"
Su Qingyue stored away her flying palace and shot forward at a speed far greater than Bai Han's.
She moved like a streak of thunder, accompanied by roaring lightning and dark storm clouds.
Her brows sharpened, her fists remained tightly clenched, and her eyes were filled with killing intent.
Back at the sect's main courtyard, Elder Wang had continued punishing Mu Chen for a full thirty minutes since Bai Han's departure.
Mu Chen's back was covered in wounds and blood, his flesh torn open. Even his chest had been injured, causing blood to spill from his mouth.
The courtyard floor beneath him was soaked in his blood.
"You still refuse to give it to me, you damned mortal?!"
"To hell... with you," Mu Chen muttered weakly.
"I have lost my patience!" Elder Wang roared. "I will just kill you!"
Just as Elder Wang raised his whip again, his hand froze.
A black storm cloud filled with crackling blue lightning appeared before the Tianyin Sect.
The other disciples who saw it immediately shuddered in fear, Elder Wang felt the same.
The disturbance caught the attention of the Tianyin Sect Master and the other elders.
They flew down from Mount Yunhai and arrived before Mount Lingxiao.
"What are you doing, Elder Wang?!" Sect Master Yun Tian demanded.
"Greetings, Sect Master Yun. This junior is punishing this mortal for trespassing into the sect without permission!" Elder Wang said firmly.
"Punishing a mortal with the punishment meant for a cultivator. Are you insane?!" Yun Tian shouted.
In the middle of their exchange, the voice of a woman thundered across the entire Tianyin Sect.
"Wang Wei! How dare you punish my disciple?!" Su Qingyue shouted, her golden eyes blazing.
THUD!
Every cultivator in the courtyard dropped to their knees, including Yun Tian.
They coughed up blood as Su Qingyue's cultivation pressure crushed them.
"Great... Great Sect Master Su?" Wang Wei said in shock.
Su Qingyue turned and saw Mu Chen's grievously wounded body, covered in blood and barely conscious.
The sight only fueled her fury.
"WANG WEI!" Su Qingyue roared.
"This junior... Wang begs for Great Sect Master Su's forgiveness," Wang Wei said weakly.
She raised her hand, summoned a bolt of lightning, and unleashed it toward Wang Wei, "Die you!"