532: Chapter 532 Reactions of the Group Upon Learning of the Joyful Union Sect's Powerful Return

The news of the Tianshu Sword Sect and Tianyan Sect being wiped out spread throughout the entire Cultivation World overnight.

The news emerged from a small town near the Tianshu Sword Sect.

Residents of the town said that that night, they saw flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the Tianshu Sword Sect and heard earth-shattering screams and the sounds of slaughter.

Early the next morning, someone gathered the courage to investigate and saw a scene they would never forget—the mountain gate of the Tianshu Sword Sect had been razed, the main hall destroyed, and there were corpses everywhere, with blood flowing like a river.

In front of the mountain gate, a small hill had been piled up with corpses, and above it hovered a line of golden characters: "Using your corpses, I announce the strong return of my Hehuan Sect!"

As the news spread, the entire Cultivation World was in an uproar.

"What? The Tianshu Sword Sect was wiped out? And the Tianyan Sect was wiped out too?"

"Who did it? The Hehuan Sect? Wasn't the Hehuan Sect just besieged by the Tianshu Sword Sect? How could they still wipe out the Tianshu Sword Sect?"

"Didn't you see that line of text? 'Using your corpses, I announce the strong return of my Hehuan Sect'! It was definitely the Hehuan Sect!"

"But how could the Hehuan Sect have such strength? Although Xiao Nianyin has reached the True Immortal Realm, she alone couldn't possibly wipe out two major Sects!"

"Who knows? Perhaps the Hehuan Sect has some hidden strength. Regardless, the Tianshu Sword Sect and the Tianyan Sect are truly gone; not a single survivor was left."

Discussions, gasps, and sounds of fear rose and fell. Every corner of the Cultivation World was talking about this matter. In restaurants, tea houses, and markets, everyone was talking about the Hehuan Sect, about Xiao Nianyin, and about Xu Ruyu.

Those who had once looked down on the Hehuan Sect were now trembling with fear.

Those who had once bullied the Hehuan Sect were now sitting on pins and needles. Those who had kicked the Hehuan Sect while it was down during its time of crisis were now filled with regret.

And the most terrified of all were the Elders and Disciples who had defected from the Hehuan Sect.

A thousand miles away from the old site of the Hehuan Sect, in a remote valley.

A few Cultivators were hiding in a simple stone house, with doors and windows tightly shut, not even daring to light a lamp.

They had once been Elders and Disciples of the Hehuan Sect, choosing to betray it during its greatest crisis.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a sinister face, known by the Daoist name "Yun Hezi", who had once been a Law Enforcement Elder of the Hehuan Sect.

His Cultivation was not low, at the Early Stage of Tribulation Transcendence, and he was considered a person of some standing in the Hehuan Sect.

But after Xu Ruyu succeeded as Sect Master, he looked down on Xu Ruyu as a "Qi Refinement Stage trash", and fearing being implicated by the Taihu Clan, he led his own Disciples to defect from the Hehuan Sect.

Before leaving, he even sold the news of the Hehuan Sect's internal emptiness to the Meiying Sect in exchange for a large sum of Spirit Stones.

He thought he had been clever, believing the Hehuan Sect was doomed and that Xu Ruyu and Xiao Nianyin would surely be killed by the Tianshu Sword Sect.

But now, the news he heard made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Master, what should we do?" A young Disciple knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his voice full of fear, "The Hehuan Sect... the Hehuan Sect wiped out the Tianshu Sword Sect and the Tianyan Sect! Will they come to settle the score with us?"

Yun Hezi's face was as pale as paper; his hands were shaking, and his legs were weak.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

He thought the Hehuan Sect was finished, that Xu Ruyu was finished, that Xiao Nianyin was finished.

He thought he could sit back and relax, taking the Spirit Stones and his Disciples to hide somewhere and live a peaceful life.

But now, he realized he was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"No... impossible..." His voice was hoarse, as if talking to himself, "How could the Hehuan Sect possibly wipe out the Tianshu Sword Sect?"

"The Tianshu Sword Sect has a Half-step True Immortal Old Ancestor, a Sect Master at the Late Stage of the Saint Realm, and so many experts... how is that possible..."

"Master, I heard that Xiao Nianyin has reached the True Immortal Realm! The True Immortal Realm! Those people from the Tianshu Sword Sect are simply no match for her!" A Disciple said with a mournful face, "Why did we defect from the Hehuan Sect back then? If we hadn't left, now..."

"Shut up!" Yun Hezi shouted sternly, but his voice was also trembling, "What's the use of saying this now? Didn't you all agree to leave back then? Weren't you all afraid of being implicated?"

The few Disciples lowered their heads, not daring to speak again.

They were indeed afraid—afraid of being implicated by the Taihu Clan, afraid of being hunted by the Jile Sect, and afraid of being wiped out by the Tianshu Sword Sect.

They thought that leaving the Hehuan Sect would save their lives, but now they realized that leaving the Hehuan Sect was the real path to death.

Yun Hezi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He paced back and forth in the stone house, constantly calculating countermeasures in his mind.

"We cannot stay here." He stopped, his voice low, "The Hehuan Sect will sooner or later track us down. We must leave, as far away as possible."

"Master, where are we going?" a Disciple asked.

Yun Hezi thought for a moment and said: "To the Northern Wastelands. It is desolate there, and no one knows us. We will hide there and wait until the heat dies down."

The few Disciples looked at each other, their eyes full of reluctance. The Northern Wastelands was a bitter and cold place, with thin Spiritual Qi and scarce resources; if they went there, they could forget about further progress in their Cultivation.

But they had no choice. Staying here meant only one path: death.

"Alright, we'll go to the Northern Wastelands." A Disciple gritted his teeth, "Master, when do we leave?"

"Now." Yun Hezi said, "Leave immediately. We cannot delay for even a moment."

They hurriedly packed their bags and, under the cover of night, left the stone house. They dared not take the main road, only taking small paths for fear of being recognized.

But they did not know that their movements had already been watched.

On the other side, in another city at the old site of the Hehuan Sect.

A woman with an enchanting face sat in a restaurant, listening to the discussions of the people around her, her face becoming increasingly ugly. She was the Sect Master of the Meiying Sect, Liu Rurao.

The Meiying Sect and the Hehuan Sect were sworn enemies; she had always wanted to annex the Hehuan Sect and replace Xiao Nianyin as the number one beauty of the Demonic Path.

Last time, she took advantage of the internal strife in the Hehuan Sect and sent people to raid the ancestral land of the Hehuan Sect, almost succeeding. Unfortunately, they were blasted, covered in dust and shame, by Xu Ruyu using the Acetylene Great Array, losing many Disciples.