123: You know nothing about power.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no vision of Law collapsing.

For a moment, all things stood still.

Then, within the suddenly constricted pupils of Wang Tianlong and the ten elite Disciples of the Qingmu Sect behind him,

that azure Dragon, transformed from the Medium Grade Immortal Grade Magic Treasure [qingmu dragon-imprisoning rope] and capable of sealing space and strangling a Profound Immortal, let out a silent wail.

Its body began to break inch by inch, starting from the Dragon's head.

Those vines shimmering with profound runes and those Law chains that condensed the ten thousand years of spiritual power of the Qingmu Sect were now as fragile as rotten wood exposed to the sun for a thousand years.

"Crack... Crack..."

The fine sound of shattering was the only sound in this deathly silent valley.

Finally, that overbearing azure Dragon completely disintegrated in the air.

It turned into azure light fragments dancing all over the sky.

Like a brilliant yet deadly rain of fireflies.

"Pfft—!"

Wang Tianlong suddenly spat out a mouthful of heart's blood, his body shaking violently, almost falling from mid-air.

He was mentally connected to the [qingmu dragon-imprisoning rope]; with the Magic Treasure destroyed, his Divine Soul felt as if it had been struck hard by an invisible heavy hammer.

The ten True Immortal Realm Disciples behind him were also in bad shape.

Although they didn't control the Magic Treasure, they had each contributed a wisp of their mind to bolster it.

At this moment, their faces were pale, their Qi was in disorder, and the look in their eyes toward that figure in the valley was filled only with endless fear.

"Im... impossible..."

Wang Tianlong clutched his aching chest, his voice hoarse and filled with incomprehensible horror.

"That was the [qingmu dragon-imprisoning rope]! A Medium Grade Immortal Grade Magic Treasure! How could it... how could it be destroyed with just a wave of a hand..."

He couldn't understand it.

He completely couldn't understand it!

Even if the Sect Master himself came, facing the full strike of the [qingmu dragon-imprisoning rope], he could never be so calm and casual!

This was simply not power on the same level!

Inside the valley.

Chu Xuanjin was still lying on that rocking chair, not even changing his posture.

He frowned, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with the result just now.

"So noisy."

He complained. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of Wang Tianlong and the others.

"I told you to treat people with courtesy, so why won't you listen?"

"You just had to force me to act."

"I, for one, hate trouble the most."

Wang Tianlong's body trembled even more violently.

He finally realized that he—no, the entire Qingmu Sect—had made a foolish, fatal mistake from the very beginning!

The one they provoked was not some country bumpkin who had just achieved Ascension!

"Escape!"

That was the only thought in his mind!

"Retreat! Retreat quickly! Back to the Sect! Activate the Mountain-Protecting Array!"

Wang Tianlong let out the shrillest, most terrified roar of his life.

He turned around, wanting to burn his essence blood and perform a Blood Escape Art to flee from this place that made his Divine Soul tremble.

But just as he turned,

a calm voice sounded behind him.

"Did I let you leave?"

Wang Tianlong's body instantly froze.

He felt an invisible aura had already locked onto him tightly.

That aura was not sharp or overbearing.

Instead, it was like a boundless Universe, vast and deep, making it impossible for him to even think of resisting.

He turned his head with difficulty, inch by inch.

He saw the scene that made him the most desperate in his life.

In the valley, those men and women who had been standing behind the youth, also ascenders, moved.

The youth carrying a long sword stepped forward.

"Revered Master is tired."

Ye Chenfeng's voice was very faint.

"You ants are not yet qualified to make his honorable self stand up from his chair."

He slowly raised his hand, pointed his fingers like a sword, and lightly slashed toward the ten True Immortal Disciples who were also preparing to flee.

No sword light, no Sword Qi.

There was only a pure "Principle" that seemed capable of severing Karma and cutting through Reincarnation.

The next second.

The ten True Immortal elites of the Qingmu Sect all stiffened.

Their faces still held expressions of horror and flight.

But their life force, their Divine Soul, and their everything had been completely erased from this world by that one slash.

Ten immortal bodies, like puppets that had lost their strings, fell straight down from mid-air.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

They kicked up a cloud of dust.

*Gulp.*

Wang Tianlong swallowed hard.

He looked at Ye Chenfeng and felt his understanding was refreshed once again.

Earth Immortal!

That person was clearly just an Early-stage Earth Immortal Cultivator!

Yet he had killed ten True Immortals in a single move!

Among them, there were even two at the Late True Immortal stage!

What kind of monsters are these people?!

"You... you all..."

Wang Tianlong's lips trembled, unable to speak a complete sentence.

"The taste is not bad."

A ghost-like figure appeared beside Wang Tianlong.

Ye Wushang stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing with an excited and cruel light.

Just now, taking advantage of the moment Ye Chenfeng attacked, he had sucked the Divine Souls of those ten True Immortals dry.

"It's just a bit too little, not enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."

Wang Tianlong felt a warmth in his crotch.

He, a grand Profound Immortal powerhouse and the Law Enforcement Elder of the Qingmu Sect, had actually wet himself in fear.

"Revered Master."

Zhao Wuyou carried the dragon emperor halberd and asked in a muffled voice.

"How should we handle this old one?"

"Should I just smash him into meat paste?"

Chu Xuanjin was still lying on the chair, not even bothering to lift an eyelid.

He thought for a moment.

"Killing him would be too easy on him."

"But directly robbing them would make our Myriad Dao Divine Sect seem too unreasonable."

He pondered for a while, and suddenly, a brilliant idea came to him.

He beckoned to Wang Tianlong with his finger.

"You, come here."

Wang Tianlong's body flew toward Chu Xuanjin uncontrollably.

Finally, he crashed in front of the rocking chair like a dead dog.

He lay on the ground, not even daring to raise his head, his whole body shaking like a massive sieve.

"Your name is Wang Tianlong?" Chu Xuanjin's voice came from above his head.

"Yes... yes... Junior Wang Tianlong..."

"Law Enforcement Elder of the Qingmu Sect?"

"Yes... no, no, no! Junior is not! Junior is just a floor-sweeper in the Qingmu Sect! Junior had eyes but failed to see Mount Tai and offended Senior! I beg Senior to spare my dog life!"

Wang Tianlong kowtowed frantically, smashing the stones on the ground to pieces.

"Enough."

Chu Xuanjin's voice carried a hint of impatience.

"I will ask, and you will answer."

"Answer well, and there will be a reward."

"Answer poorly..."

He didn't continue.

But Wang Tianlong felt as if his Divine Soul had been thrown into the Nine Nether Purgatory, repeatedly scorched by billions of demonic fires.

"Senior, please ask! Junior will definitely tell you everything I know!"

"How much wealth does your Qingmu Sect have?" Chu Xuanjin got straight to the point.

"Ah?" Wang Tianlong was stunned.

"immortal jade, immortal veins, Immortal Plants, immortal mines, Cultivation Techniques, Magic Treasures... count them all up. Roughly, how much is it worth?"

Wang Tianlong's mind went blank.

What kind of question was this?

Was he doing an asset appraisal before raiding the house?"

"In... in reply to Senior..."

He didn't dare to hesitate and quickly went through the Qingmu Sect's assets in his mind.

"My... my Sect has three Low Grade immortal veins and one Medium Grade immortal vein."

"The stored immortal jade is roughly... roughly three million."

"Various Immortal Plants and spiritual mines, converted to immortal jade, are worth about five million."

"In the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, there are over three hundred Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques and... nineteen Immortal Grade Cultivation Techniques."

"In the Magic Treasure vault, there are ten thousand Spiritual Artifacts and... seventy-two Immortal Artifacts. Among them are three Medium Grade Immortal Artifacts and one High Grade... High Grade one, which is the [Azure Origin Treasure Robe] worn by the Sect Master himself..."

His voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke.

Because he felt his heart bleeding with every sentence he uttered.

This was the wealth that the Qingmu Sect had accumulated over tens of thousands of years!

After listening, Chu Xuanjin stroked his chin.

"Hmm, a bit poorer than I imagined."

"But even a mosquito's leg is meat."

"Alright, it's settled then."

Wang Tianlong looked bewildered: "Set... settled what?"

Chu Xuanjin sat up from the rocking chair.

This was the first time today he had sat up straight.

He looked at Wang Tianlong with a kind smile that made Wang Tianlong feel even more terrified than a demon.

"I have decided to use the lives of your Sect Master and everyone in your Sect to buy all the assets of your Qingmu Sect."

"Do you think this price is fair?"

Wang Tianlong's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

He opened his mouth but couldn't make any sound.

Fair?

You call this fucking fair?

This was clearly blatant, undisguised robbery!

"It seems you think it's very fair."

Chu Xuanjin nodded with satisfaction.

"In that case, it's settled."

He stood up and stretched.

"I originally wanted to have a good talk with you all."

"Unfortunately, you insisted on doing things the hard way."

"Sigh, why is it so difficult to be a reasonable person?"

While lamenting, he lightly blew a breath toward the Void Realm.

The next second.

A figure identical to him walked out of his body.

That figure also wore azure clothes, had the same lazy appearance, and even the expression on his face was identical.

The only difference was that this figure appeared to be slightly more ethereal than the original body.

One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones!

Wang Tianlong's eyes widened even further.

He recognized this Divine Ability!

This was the legendary, supreme secret method of the Dao Sect that had been lost for countless millions of years!

Who... who exactly was he!

"Go on."

Chu Xuanjin's original body waved his hand at the Clone.

"Go and return quickly, don't delay my afternoon nap."

"Understood."

The Clone nodded and also let out a yawn.

Then, he took a step forward.

His figure vanished from the spot... The Discussion Hall of the Qingmu Sect.

Sect Master Mu Changqing was resting with his eyes closed.

He believed that with Elder Wang taking action with the [qingmu dragon-imprisoning rope], the matter was already as good as settled.

Now, he only needed to consider how to deal with those ascenders who didn't know their place.

Should he kill them directly, or cripple their cultivation and throw them into the mines to dig until they die?

Just then.

"Boom—!"

An earth-shattering explosion came from the direction of the mountain gate!

The entire Discussion Hall shook violently!

Mu Changqing snapped his eyes open, two terrifying beams of light shooting from them!

"What's going on!"

He roared, and with a flash, he appeared outside the hall.

The other Elders also followed.

When they saw the scene before them, everyone's face showed an expression of disbelief.

The Medium Grade Immortal Grade Mountain-Protecting Array [Myriad Trees Everlasting Array], which enveloped the entire Qingmu Sect and was enough to withstand the joint attacks of several Profound Immortals, now had a massive hole in it, as if it were a punctured balloon!

Countless array runes were collapsing and dissipating!

Outside that hole, an azure-robed figure stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of apology on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't control my strength well when I entered the door just now."

"I accidentally kicked your family's door broken."

The youth's voice was very calm and spread throughout the entire Qingmu Sect.

Mu Changqing's pupils suddenly constricted!

He stared fixedly at that figure, feeling his heart skip a beat.

"You... who are you!"

The azure-robed youth laughed upon hearing this.

He cupped his hands toward Mu Changqing from a distance.

"I am Chu Xuanjin."

"At the gracious invitation of your Sect's Elder Wang Tianlong, I have come specifically to your Sect to discuss the matter of the land deed transfer."

"And by the way, to take your Sect Master's head."

---

Writing to this point, the sound of the keyboard under my fingers suddenly stopped. Everything around seemed to quiet down, with only the shadow of the old locust tree outside the window swaying back and forth in the wind, like a hesitant ghost.

Most likely, something has gone wrong with my brain again.

The joys and sorrows of the people in the story, their paths forward, have all fallen silent in my mind. As if by agreement, they all turned their heads away, leaving me with desolate backs; no matter how I call out, they refuse to take another step or say another word. My thoughts are like a mess of tangled yarn clawed by a wild cat, the ends knotted and entwined, no longer able to find that single thread that can move the whole situation.

I often wonder, what is the purpose of building this up word by word? Is it for that bit of my own displaced obsession, or for the pairs of eyes on the other side of the screen that may or may not exist? This is truly difficult to solve. Like the dark night, you know it will eventually pass and the day will come, but when you are in the midst of it, that boundless ink-black color still brings a coldness and confusion that pierces to the bone.

The screen before me glows with a ghastly white light, like a dry well whose bottom cannot be reached; no matter how I turn the windlass, I cannot draw a single drop of water. The characters under my pen stand frozen halfway through the story, the path ahead a white mist and the path behind the old tales already told; they look at me, and I look at them, speechless, with only awkwardness remaining.

People need a bit of warmth, especially in the deep of the night. A cup of warm wine, a distant cheer, or a couple of "what happens next?" prompts are enough to make a frozen traveler wrap their clothes tighter and move a few more steps forward. I don't know where their story will lead, just as I don't know if tomorrow's weather will be sunny or rainy. But if on this night road, one or two echoes can be heard, or a few fireflies can be seen, perhaps this trek will not have been entirely in vain.

Enough, enough. Tonight's nonsense can be considered a small pile of dry wood lit by a traveler on the way, just to keep warm, not a proper bonfire. As for the rest of the story, allow me to go look for it in my dreams, or ask the passing wind. If you all can still keep it in mind, that will be the greatest consolation for this bitter journey of mine.