43: Battle to establish authority

Li Ao's voice was like a clap of thunder, exploding above the silent Cloud Mist Sect square. The echoes reverberated between every stone pillar and every piece of rubble, striking heavily upon the heart of every Cloud Mist Sect Disciple.

"I ask the Cloud Mist Sect—to give me guidance!"

Those simple five words carried the weight of a thousand jun and an undeniable sense of challenge.

The majestic Aura that erupted as he reached the Peak, mixed with the dark iron-colored Qi and blood smoke and the fierce Saber Intent capable of cutting through everything, swept across the entire square like a tangible storm.

Disciples with weaker cultivation found it hard to breathe, their legs turning soft, nearly forcing them to kneel.

In front of the main hall, Yun Yun's moon-white robe fluttered slightly, stirred by the Aura. Her beautiful face remained calm, but ripples had already appeared in her clear, cold-pool-like eyes.

She could clearly sense that the young man before her was even more terrifying than the rumors suggested!

The purity of his Saber Intent and the profoundness of his Aura were simply not something a person so young should possess.

"Arrogant!"

Before Yun Yun could speak, a figure shot out from the Elder seats, where the fury could no longer be contained, carrying a sharp, green wind vortex, landing steadily thirty meters in front of Li Ao.

The newcomer was an old man with a flushed face and bristling hair and beard. His powerful breath indicated he was clearly a Five-Star Dou Wang!

He was Elder Yan, who managed the Cloud Mist Sect's disciplinary matters, and he possessed the most explosive temper.

"Ignorant junior! How dare you run wild in the Cloud Mist Sect! Let this old man teach you a lesson about the immensity of the world!"

Elder Yan roared, and green Dou Qi surged around him, transforming into countless sharp wind blades that tore through the air with a whistling sound.

"Wind Brake Myriad Vigor!"

He formed a Seal with his hands, and the sky full of wind blades instantly condensed, forming a massive green tornado that carried destructive cutting power, howling toward Li Ao!

This strike was powerful enough to grind refined steel into dust!

Facing an attack that would make an ordinary Five-Star Dou Wang change his expression, Li Ao's gaze remained completely unchanged.

He did not even look at the howling wind blade tornado, but slowly raised his right hand, slightly curled his five fingers, and gently clenched them toward the front.

The movement was relaxed, without the slightest hint of urgency.

However, the moment his five fingers closed, the roaring green tornado seemed to have its throat grasped by an invisible large hand, and its forward momentum abruptly halted!

The high-speed, incomparably sharp wind blades on the outside of the tornado crashed against an invisible, indestructible wall, letting out a grating friction sound before shattering and dissolving one after another!

The entire process was silent; only the slight breeze caused by the dissipating energy stirred a few strands of hair on Li Ao's forehead.

The anger on Elder Yan's face instantly froze, transforming into extreme shock!

His Profound Rank Advanced Dou Technique, unleashed with full force, was actually... crushed so casually by the opponent?!

How could this be?!

Before he could react, Li Ao's clenched fist gently shook through the air.

"Boom!"

It was as if an invisible giant drum had been struck!

Elder Yan felt an irresistible, mighty force transmit through the air, violently slamming into his chest!

"Pfft—!"

He did not even have time to use a defensive Dou Technique. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting blood profusely mid-air, and crashed heavily onto the edge of the square. After struggling a few times, he was unable to get up!

The entire venue fell into dead silence!

One could hear a pin drop!

A Five-Star Dou Wang, a high-ranking Elder of the Cloud Mist Sect, was actually... unable to even force the opponent to move a single step?

Furthermore, no one saw how Li Ao had attacked!

It was as if he had merely casually clenched his fist, and a Dou Wang had been utterly defeated!

This massive shock to their vision and understanding caused all the Cloud Mist Sect Disciples to feel a bone-chilling coldness.

The anger that had ignited earlier due to the Sect being provoked was now brutally extinguished by this cruel reality, replaced by deep fear and bewilderment.

On the high platform, Yun Ling and the other Elders had ashen faces, their fists tightly clenched, yet they felt a sense of powerlessness.

Elder Yan's strength was considered upper-middle among them, yet he was defeated so decisively...

This young man's strength had truly reached the Dou Huang level!

And he was definitely not merely a newly Advanced Dou Huang!

Yun Yun's breathing quickened slightly for a moment. She looked at the young man standing calmly and independently in the center of the square, the shock in her heart intensified beyond measure.

She finally confirmed that even without that strange purple crystal Seal in the Magical Beast Mountain Range that day, she would likely have been no match for him.

"Who else?"

Li Ao's gaze calmly swept over the Elders on the high platform, finally resting once again on Yun Yun.

His voice was still placid, but it carried an absolute confidence that looked down upon the entire arena.

"If no one offers guidance, then this 'seeking the Dao' is far too boring."

"Bastard! Stop being so presumptuous!"

Two angry shouts rang out almost simultaneously!

Two more figures rushed out from the Elder seats!

One was Elder Tie, short and plump, wielding a heavy hammer; the other was Elder Mu, tall and thin, using twin swords.

Their Auras were connected, and both were at the Peak of Six-Star Dou Wang, clearly skilled in combination techniques!

"The Cloud Mist Sect will not permit such contempt! Take our 'Wind and Thunder Double Fiend Formation'!"

Elder Tie swung his heavy hammer, bringing forth muffled thunder. His Dou Qi transformed into chains of lightning, wrapping around Li Ao's feet from the ground.

Meanwhile, Elder Mu's twin swords moved like the wind. Sword Qi intertwined into a massive green sword net, sealing the sky, the fierce Sword Intent slicing through space!

One attacked from above, the other restrained from below, one trapping and one killing. Their seamless coordination resulted in power far exceeding the sum of their individual attacks, enough to contend against a Seven-Star or even Eight-Star Dou Wang!

Facing this killing Formation attacking from both high and low, Li Ao finally moved.

He took a slight half-step forward with his left foot, lowering his center of gravity. He held his right hand with fingers pressed together like a saber, dark iron-colored light flowing across his fingertips. A terrifying Saber Intent, even more condensed and seemingly able to sever Karma and Reincarnation, began to gather.

He did not look at the sword net above, nor did he pay attention to the lightning chains below. He simply pointed his joined fingers toward the Void Realm ahead, and gently drew a line from top to bottom.

It was still so simple, so direct.

"Hiss—!"

A subtle, almost invisible silver-gray thread appeared in the air following the movement of his fingertips.

The moment this thread appeared, the light across the entire square seemed to dim for an instant!

Everyone with keen senses felt a sharp pain in their Soul!

The wrapping lightning chains, the moment they touched the silver-gray thread, silently melted and vaporized, like ice and snow thrown into raging flames!

The massive green sword net descending from above, the instant it met the thread, was easily sliced open from the middle, like a fragile spiderweb encountering a divine Sharp Weapon. The Sword Qi structure instantly collapsed, scattering into a chaotic energy storm!

The silver-gray thread's momentum did not decrease; it seemed to Transmigrate space, flashing past the sides of Elder Tie and Elder Mu instantly.

"Thump!" "Thump!"

The two men's charging figures suddenly froze, and they then knelt weakly on the ground, their heavy hammer and twin swords clattering to the floor.

Their faces were deathly pale, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their eyes were filled with lingering fear and disbelief.

Beside their necks, a subtle trace of blood was left on each of them. It was not deep, but it accurately sliced through the skin, as if warning them that if that thread had deviated even slightly, they would now be headless corpses!

Another casual strike!

Breaking a combination Formation and simultaneously subduing two Peak Six-Star Dou Wangs!

What terrifying control and strength was this?!

Above the square, there was silence.

Only heavy breathing and uncontrollable teeth chattering could be heard.

All the Cloud Mist Sect Disciples looked at the deep blue figure as if gazing up at an unconquerable god or devil.

He had consecutively defeated three Elders, including two skilled in combination attacks, yet the opponent had not even moved a single step, nor had he used the extraordinary-looking saber on his back!

Yun Yun slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, all hesitation and complexity had vanished, leaving only the decisiveness and cold clarity befitting the Cloud Mist Sect Master.

She knew that letting the Elders attack again would only bring further humiliation and shake the Sect's Foundation.

At this moment, the only one who could save the Cloud Mist Sect's prestige was she, the Sect Master, or... that person in the back mountain.

She moved with light steps, her moon-white skirt brushing the polished ground. Under the gaze of countless eyes, she walked step by step toward the center of the square, toward the young man who, by his own power, was suppressing the entire Cloud Mist Sect.

She stopped five steps in front of Li Ao, her cold gaze meeting his dark iron-colored pupils.

"Your Excellency Li Ao, you truly live up to your reputation."

Yun Yun's voice was still pleasant, but carried a hint of solemnity. "Your Excellency has consecutively defeated three Elders of my Sect. Your strength is extraordinary, and Yun Yun is impressed.

However, the Cloud Mist Sect has stood for a thousand years and possesses its own dignity.

If Your Excellency insists on 'seeking the Dao' to the very end..."

She gently raised her jade hand, and a long sword of ancient design, radiating a green halo, appeared in her grasp. The sword body trembled slightly, emitting a clear, resonant sword chime.

A majestic Aura, in no way inferior to Li Ao's, mixed with pure wind-attribute Dou Qi, slowly rose from her body, standing in opposition to Li Ao's overbearing and fierce Saber Intent!

"...Then let Yun Yun, with the long sword in her hand, experience Your Excellency's brilliant moves!"

The pressure of a Dou Huang expert was fully displayed!