97: Master Ziyang

[Everyone continued to watch the screen.]

[When you were two hundred years old—]

[On the screen, all one thousand bottles of your ningyuan pill were used up, and you finally reached the fifth layer of Golden Core.]

[You continued to Cultivate, but found it difficult to make further progress.]

[So you went to the Yingcai Hall to collect your annual stipend—you could actually collect it every year, but you always felt guilty towards the Holy Land and were too embarrassed to go.]

[Now that your Cultivation resources were exhausted and progress was truly difficult, you had no choice but to brazenly come to Yingcai Hall.]

[As soon as you walked into the hall, Steward Xie, who was responsible for daily affairs, saw your unfamiliar face and asked to check your Disciple token.]

[You took out your Outer Sect Disciple token, and Steward Xie learned about your past through the token's information—]

[Your identity, born in the Tianhuang Secret Realm, was as insignificant as an ant. In the eyes of some Cultivator, you were almost like livestock, even lower in status than a servant.]

[He also saw that it took you decades to Breakthrough a single layer, and immediately frowned, coldly saying, "How can the Holy Land have such a good-for-nothing like you? And you still dare to brazenly come and waste resources?"]

[You were indignant and retorted, "Am I not a Holy Land Disciple? Is Steward going to break the rules?"]

["Hahaha," Steward Xie laughed loudly, "Rules? Do you know that every Disciple who can enter the Holy Land is a Genius of exceptional Aptitude?"]

[He continued to sneer, "Your Aptitude and status will only bring shame to the Holy Land! I advise you to request to withdraw and leave gracefully."]

[After speaking, he squeezed hard, crushing your identity jade pendant into powder.]

[You looked at Steward Xie, sneering inwardly. You had seen too many people like him; he was merely another corpse.]

[You understood that no matter where you were, there were always such snobs. You suppressed your impulse, glared at him with the gaze reserved for dead men, then turned and left.]

[Steward Xie's sneer came from behind you: "Pah! A captive ant, how dare such a lowly being enter my Holy Land?"]

[Many onlookers also echoed—]

["Steward Xie is right! I heard this kid entered Golden Core at eighteen, and after more than a hundred years, he's still Golden Core. It's hilarious!"]

["Exactly, if such a good-for-nothing stays in the Holy Land, wouldn't we become a huge joke if word got out?"]

["I wonder which blind person recommended him!"]

[Until a certain night three days later, you found Steward Xie's residence, quietly snuck in, killed him, and destroyed the body.]

[Later, you inquired about the Family behind Steward Xie, but you found that they were too powerful to offend, so you temporarily abandoned the plan to annihilate the Xie Family.]

[When you were two hundred and fifty years old—]

[A piece of news spread throughout the entire Zixiao Immortal Domain: Canglan Holy Land had taken in the "Number One Good-for-Nothing of the Cultivation World," whose origins were as humble as an ant.]

[The always transcendent Holy Land actually had a good-for-nothing, and its image instantly collapsed, becoming the object of ridicule for all forces.]

[Canglan Holy Land was thus disgraced, and major forces mocked the Elders for taking in Disciples who were untalented and of poor character.]

[You stood amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd, bearing the title of "Number One Good-for-Nothing of the Cultivation World" and the debt you owed to your sect. The path ahead seemed even more difficult than before...]

[On the screen, when you were three hundred years old—]

[Perhaps due to a problem with your state of mind or resources, this time it took you a hundred years to Breakthrough to the sixth layer of Golden Core.]

[The long years and slow progress made you impatient once again.]

[The huge disparity in Cultivation gave rise to evil thoughts in your heart, and you audaciously decided to steal the enlightenment fruit!]

[At the same time, you also used flowery words to deceive the Sixth Elder of the Pill Pavilion, tricking him into giving you the Pill Formula for the heavenly spirit pill.]

[After successfully stealing the enlightenment fruit and the Pill Formula, you fled the Holy Land in a panic.]

[The Holy Land was enraged and sent Disciples to capture you, the traitor.]

[Seeing the situation on the screen, the Elders fell silent, looking at you with serious expressions and sighing.]

[When you were three hundred and ten years old—]

[In these ten years, you encountered more than a dozen encirclements and pursuits by Holy Land Disciples, but each time you successfully escaped.]

[The main reason was that only Golden Core Realm Disciples were sent, which gave you a chance to escape.]

[You were also very curious why those Nascent Soul Cultivator didn't come to catch you? With the Holy Land's strength, catching you should have been easy.]

[Fortunately, during your escape, while hiding, you collected Materials and finally successfully refined the heavenly spirit pill, and with its help, you instantly Broke through to the Supernatural Power Realm!]

[With your Supernatural Power Realm Cultivation, you fiercely counterattacked and even injured many Holy Land Disciples who came to capture you.]

[With your current strength, these Golden Core Disciples naturally couldn't do anything to you.]

[However, out of gratitude for the Holy Land's past kindness, you only injured them and did not kill them.]

[When you were three hundred and twenty years old—]

[You fled to a remote Star Continent called Ziyang Star, which was almost deserted, making you very curious.]

[You searched everywhere and finally discovered a huge city. Three large characters were written on the city gate: "Ziyang City."]

[Walking into Ziyang City, you were instantly bewildered—]

[In the vast city, you only saw one person every hundred steps. The population was extremely sparse, and their strength was very weak, with the highest being Foundation Establishment Cultivation.]

[After inquiring, you learned that this was the territory of Ziyang Palace. And Ziyang Palace was a declining force in the Zixiao Immortal Domain, one of the weakest.]

[There were countless forces in the Zixiao Immortal Domain, so being at the bottom showed how weak they were.]

[Presumably, any Genius and Family with even a little Aptitude would have long left Ziyang Star to seek other opportunities.]

[However, you quite liked this place because it was suitable for hiding and escaping.]

[You disguised your identity and strength, and easily joined Ziyang Palace, becoming an ordinary Disciple.]

[When you were three hundred and thirty years old—]

[The news of you joining Ziyang Palace seemed to have completely enraged the Holy Land. They believed you were mocking them.]

[The Second Elder personally led people to Ziyang Palace.]

[The Palace Master of Ziyang Palace was called True Man Ziyang, a hunched old man who seemed to have little Lifespan left.]

[The Second Elder stared coldly at True Man Ziyang: "Immediately expel Qin Chen, otherwise, don't blame our Holy Land for being merciless."]

[True Man Ziyang, facing the colossal Holy Land, showed no fear and said indifferently, "Back when my Ziyang Palace was strong, the Holy Land even received our care. Are you now planning to return kindness with enmity?"]

[The Second Elder frowned: "Has the Holy Land not taken care of your Ziyang Palace enough over the years? But by taking in a traitor from our Holy Land, aren't you slapping our face?"]

[True Man Ziyang sneered, "Taking in a Disciple is slapping your face? Do you look down on my Ziyang Palace that much?"]

["Back then, our Ziyang Old Ancestor led Prodigies to rampage through the Rakshasa Demon Domain and Haotian Demon Domain, killing their way in and out seven times. Did you dare to speak like that then?" True Man Ziyang said indignantly.]

["If it weren't for our Ziyang Palace maintaining the peace of the Zixiao Immortal Domain back then, there wouldn't be your Holy Land today!" he continued to say unhappily.]

[The Second Elder's face darkened: "I am speaking kindly. Don't make things difficult for me."]

[True Man Ziyang sneered, "You, the Second Elder, killed hundreds of millions of people back then, and the Holy Land still gave you a chance and nurtured you? Now you're unwilling to let go of a junior. Isn't that ridiculous?"]

["I am different from him. I only killed those who deserved to die." The Second Elder said indifferently.]

["Among those hundreds of millions of lives, there were unborn infants and toddlers who had just learned to walk. What wrong did they commit?" True Man Ziyang shook his head and sneered.]

["They were all remnants of their clan. Eliminating future troubles, what's wrong with that?" The Second Elder said coldly.]

["Hahaha, it's just that you're strong, so you think you're right." True Man Ziyang laughed loudly.]

["More talk is useless. Since you refuse to release him, let's settle it with our hands." After saying that, the Second Elder immediately attacked.]