6: Chapter 6 Those who offend my sect shall be punished!

The afternoon sun spilled onto the brand-new gold-lettered plaque of the "Hehuan Sect," reflecting a lavish, nouveau-riche brilliance.

On the mountain path, dust billowed into the air.

"Faster! Everyone, move faster!"

Zhao Heihu, the Third Elder of the Iron Fist Sect, led the way. Clutched in his hand was the Perfect-grade Medicinal Pill he had snatched from Lin Dahai, his eyes flashing with a greedy red light.

Behind him, four sturdy elite Disciples of the Iron Fist Sect were also filled with excitement, looking as if they were about to go pick up gold.

Zhao Heihu was no ordinary person; he was a powerful figure within the Iron Fist Sect with a cultivation at the Late Stage of Qi Refining. He was a ranked expert within a hundred-mile radius.

"Third Elder, that Lin Dahai said there's a 'Hehuan Sect' up here with an Immortal-like Sect Master. If we charge in like this, will we..." a slightly more cautious subordinate asked, panting for breath.

"Immortal, my ass!"

Zhao Heihu spat fiercely, his feet moving like the wind. "Who within a hundred miles doesn't know? This dilapidated Taoist temple on the barren mountain has been abandoned for decades! If there really were an Immortal, would a Mortal martial artist like Lin Dahai be allowed to come and go as he pleased?"

"In my opinion, someone on this mountain just got lucky and dug up some Medicinal Pills left behind by predecessors, then intentionally made up a lie to scare people!"

As they spoke, the group of five had already reached halfway up the mountain.

Suddenly, the view ahead opened up.

The originally overgrown, broken path had turned into smooth bluestone steps.

The originally rickety, broken gate had become a grand and magnificent mountain gate. Especially that huge gold-leafed plaque—it was so bright it nearly blinded Zhao Heihu.

"Good heavens... just how much of a fortune did Lin Dahai strike?"

Zhao Heihu stopped in his tracks. Looking at this completely renovated Sect, the greed in his eyes instantly swelled tenfold. "To build it so grandly, there must be even more treasures hidden inside!"

"Brothers! Charge in! Chop that so-called Sect Master into pieces to feed the dogs, and seize that little girl to use as a Cauldron. All the treasures will be ours!"

"Yes!"

Like hungry wolves pouncing on prey, the five of them didn't hesitate for a second, howling as they charged into the mountain gate.

Little did they know that the moment they crossed the threshold of the mountain gate, the temperature in Wang Yang's eyes, as he sat on the throne in the main hall, dropped to freezing point.

On the System panel, five red dots had completely entered the green circle—the 320-meter Domain.

"You refused the path to heaven and barged into Hell where there was no door."

...

On the plaza in front of the main hall, Lin Xiaowan was supporting Lin Dahai, who had just been treated with medicine, as he sat in a chair.

Seeing Zhao Heihu and the others charge in, Lin Xiaowan's grip on her wooden staff tightened instantly. Lin Dahai, on the other hand, turned pale with fright and subconsciously tried to shield his daughter.

"Hahahaha! Old Man Lin, you sure ran fast!"

Zhao Heihu led his men into the plaza with an arrogant swagger. He released his Late Stage Qi Refining Spiritual Pressure without reservation, pressing down so hard that the Mortal Lin Dahai could barely breathe.

He didn't even spare a glance at Wang Yang, who was sitting at the head of the hall drinking tea; his gaze locked directly onto Lin Xiaowan.

"Ooh, so this is your daughter? She's quite the beauty! No wonder my second nephew was so obsessed with marrying her."

Zhao Heihu rubbed his hands with a lewd grin. "Perfect. Since my second nephew has gone missing, I'll handle this marriage for him! But it won't be as a wife—I'm taking her back as a plaything!"

"Zhao Heihu! You beast!" Lin Xiaowan's face flushed red with rage, her wooden staff trembling in her hands.

"Go ahead and curse. You'll be crying soon enough!"

Laughing wildly, Zhao Heihu pulled out the stolen Qi Induction Pill from his robes and tossed it in his hand.

He then bragged, "And this Medicinal Pill is mine now too! Old Man Lin, if you know what's good for you, hand over the rest of the pills and the Pill Formula, or I'll cripple you right now!"

"Put down the pill."

A cold and indifferent voice suddenly came from above.

The voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to explode in everyone's ears. Zhao Heihu paused his movements, finally looking directly at the young man in black whom he had been treating as if he were invisible.

He saw Wang Yang sitting upright in a grand chair, holding a cup of hot tea. He gently blew on the floating tea leaves, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Playing the mystic!"

Zhao Heihu hated this kind of pretty boy the most, especially one acting all high and mighty in a place that looked quite expensive.

He snorted coldly, his Ghost-Head Blade suddenly pointing at Wang Yang:

"Kid, you're that bullshit Hehuan Sect Revered Master? I'll count to three. If you don't crawl down here and kowtow to your grandpa, I'll skin you alive and turn your hide into a lantern!"

"One!"

The four Disciples behind Zhao Heihu also drew their weapons, approaching with ferocious expressions.

Wang Yang finally put down his teacup.

He slowly raised his head. In those deep eyes, there was no emotion at all, as if he were looking at a few corpses that had already gone cold.

"On my territory, you threaten my Disciple and even want to skin me?"

Wang Yang shook his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a cruel arc.

"I originally intended to leave you dogs alive to shovel manure in the back mountain, but now it seems..."

"Leaving you alive is an insult to the air."

Zhao Heihu felt an inexplicable surge of panic from Wang Yang's gaze, but he immediately became fly-blown with rage. "You're asking for death! Get him! Chop him up!"

He roared, and his entire body shot out like a cannonball. His Ghost-Head Blade, wrapped in the fierce wind of the Late Stage of Qi Refining, slashed straight toward Wang Yang's face!

This strike was heavy and powerful; if it landed, it could cleave even steel in two!

Lin Xiaowan cried out, "Revered Master, be careful!"

However, facing this killing blow, Wang Yang didn't even move.

He only softly uttered a single word:

"Extinguish."

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling light effects.

Just as the Ghost-Head Blade was three inches from Wang Yang's forehead, and the ferocious grin on Zhao Heihu's face had fully blossomed—

Time seemed to stand still.

Immediately after, an incomprehensible and irresistible power of rules descended.

"Poof!"

A very faint sound, like the popping of a soap bubble.

Under the horrified gaze of Lin Xiaowan and Lin Dahai, Zhao Heihu—who was at the very front—along with his steel Ghost-Head Blade, instantly disintegrated into the finest dust!

It wasn't being hacked into a thousand pieces; it was direct annihilation!

One second he was a living, breathing person; the next, he had turned into a cloud of red blood mist. Then, blown by an invisible wind, he vanished without a trace.

Clatter.

Only the Qi Induction Pill and the bag of money, affected by gravity, fell from mid-air and made a crisp sound.

"Th-Third Elder?!"

The four Disciples following closely behind had too much momentum. Before they could even realize what had happened, they found that their strongest fighter was suddenly "gone."

They froze in place, staring at the empty space ahead, their minds a total blank.

"Run... Run! He's a devil!!"

The Disciple with the fastest reaction let out a shrill scream, turning around to flee out of the mountain gate.

Wang Yang picked up his teacup again and took a light sip, his tone as indifferent as ice:

"Since you have come, make yourselves at home."

"Since you're here, stay and become fertilizer."

Buzz—!

With a thought from Wang Yang, the rules within the Domain acted once more.

The four Disciples who had just turned to flee suddenly stiffened. Then, like weathered sand sculptures, they crumbled inch by inch while still in their running poses, turning into four clouds of blood mist that dissipated into the world.

The entire process took less than three breaths.

A Late Stage Qi Refining expert and four elites were completely erased just like that, without even a shard of bone remaining.

The plaza was dead silent.

Lin Dahai trembled all over. Looking at the dissipating clouds of blood mist, his awe for this "bargain son-in-law"... no, this "bargain Sect Master" reached its peak.

Is this what an Immortal is?

Wang Yang put down his teacup and crooked his finger slightly.

The Qi Induction Pill and the money bag on the ground automatically flew back into his hand.

He tossed the pill to Lin Dahai.

"Take it!"

Wang Yang's voice remained calm, as if he hadn't just crushed five people, but five mosquitoes.

"By the way, Hall Master Lin."

Wang Yang looked at the terrified Lin Dahai and gave a gentle smile. "If there are any more of these 'Wealth-bearing Boys' in the future, remember to bring them up the mountain earlier. This Sect Master's pockets have been a bit tight lately."

Lin Dahai swallowed hard and nodded frantically. "Yes... Yes! I shall obey the Sect Master's decree!"

...

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, in the west of Qingshi Town.

The Iron Fist Sect, Soul Guarding Hall.

This place enshrined the "Life Soul Lamps" of the Sect's core members. As long as the lamp stayed lit, the person lived; if the lamp went out, the person died.

A guard Disciple was currently dozing off out of boredom.

Suddenly.

Crack!

A crisp sound of shattering echoed in the silent hall.

The Disciple jerked awake, blearily opening his eyes and looking toward the sound.

With one look, he slumped to the ground, his face turning as white as paper.

The soul lamp representing Third Elder Zhao Heihu, enshrined right in the center of the second row, had not only gone out but the entire lamp stand had shattered into powder!

This meant that Zhao Heihu had not just died, but his soul and body were both utterly destroyed—a truly miserable death!

"Oh no... this is bad!"

The Disciple scrambled out of the Soul Guarding Hall, his shrill screams echoing throughout the entire Iron Fist Sect compound:

"Sect Head! Disaster has struck! The Third Elder's soul lamp... has shattered!!!"

A moment later, in the main hall of the Iron Fist Sect.

A powerful aura of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment erupted, shattering the tables and chairs in the hall.

Sect Head Zhao Tiequan of the Iron Fist Sect listened to the Disciple's report with a dark expression, killing intent boiling in his eyes.

"Old Third is dead?"

Zhao Tiequan clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

Zhao Heihu was at the Late Stage of Qi Refining. In the area around Qingshi Town, as long as he didn't provoke those passing Foundation Establishment experts, he could basically do as he pleased.

Although Zhao Tiequan was furious, as the Sect Head, he was more calculating than Zhao Heihu.

The Sect Disciple Wang Ergou had gone missing, and now the Third Elder Zhao Heihu had died a violent death. These consecutive losses showed that the opponent was definitely not a pushover.

"Pass down my orders!"

Zhao Tiequan turned abruptly, his gaze cold.

"Block all news! Immediately send out the 'Shadow Guards' who are best at stealth to lie in wait and investigate the area!"

"I want to find out exactly which 'Immortal' dares to kill my brother, Zhao Tiequan!"

"If it's truly a powerful outsider, I, Zhao Tiequan, will accept defeat; but if they are just playing tricks..."

A look of ruthlessness flashed in Zhao Tiequan's eyes.

"I will wash them in blood, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive!"