Chapter 106: Deity vs Azure Cloud Sect Disciples
The disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect stood proudly beneath the heavens after completing their oaths.
Moments earlier, fear had existed within their hearts.
Moments earlier, many of them had hesitated.
Moments earlier, some had even considered retreating.
However, after speaking their vows aloud and hearing the confidence of their fellow disciples, the fear gradually transformed into stubborn pride.
Cultivators who spent centuries pursuing power often shared one flaw.
The stronger they became, the harder it became to admit weakness.
Liang Feng was no exception.
Although his instincts still screamed that something about the giant was wrong, his pride refused to surrender.
His status.
His cultivation.
His reputation.
His identity as a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.
All of it stood behind him.
How could he retreat before a group of cultivators from a continent he considered backward?
How could he lower his head before disciples whose strongest members would not even qualify as elders in his homeland?
The thought alone felt unbearable.
His eyes gradually sharpened.
The hesitation disappeared.
Soon, the surrounding Azure Cloud disciples experienced the same transformation.
One cultivator laughed loudly.
"That is right! We have already made our vows. If we retreat now, we will become the laughingstock of our continent for generations."
Another immediately stepped forward.
"The heavens witness our words. The Dao witnesses our words. If we cannot even challenge an unknown existence after traveling this far, then what qualifications do we have to pursue immortality?"
A third cultivator raised his sword high above his head.
The blade shone brilliantly beneath the spiritual light surrounding the floating islands.
"We have explored countless forbidden lands. We have entered ancient inheritances abandoned by immortal experts. We have challenged beasts capable of destroying entire regions. We have survived calamities that would have wiped out ordinary sects. Why should we fear a single being merely because its appearance is strange?"
The Azure Cloud disciples immediately roared their agreement.
Their confidence increased further.
Their pride expanded.
The atmosphere around them became increasingly heated.
Several cultivators began recalling stories from previous expeditions.
One spoke of entering a ruin guarded by a colossal illusion that claimed itself to be a heavenly dragon.
Another spoke of an ancient soul that had terrified entire sects before being annihilated.
Another recounted the destruction of an entire hidden realm that was supposedly blessed by an immortal.
The stories continued.
Each tale fed their courage.
Each memory strengthened their confidence.
Soon many of them genuinely believed that the faceless giant before them was merely another mystery waiting to be solved.
Above them, Clayne quietly listened.
The more he listened, the more amused he became.
These tiny cultivators reminded him of internet commenters arguing with complete confidence despite knowing nothing.
Eventually, he chuckled.
The sound rolled through the heavens.
Then his voice descended.
"So all of you have decided to stop being afraid?"
The Azure Cloud disciples stiffened slightly.
Clayne continued.
"Interesting. A short while ago, many of you looked ready to kneel yourselves into the ground."
Several cultivators immediately became embarrassed.
Others looked away.
Before anyone could respond, Clayne spoke again.
"I hope all of you remember the promises you just made. I would hate to discover later that your vows were only another joke. After all, the ant leading your group seems remarkably talented at making promises before immediately searching for excuses."
The moment those words descended, countless eyes turned toward Liang Feng.
The Azure Cloud cultivator nearly exploded from embarrassment.
His face reddened.
His fists clenched.
The humiliation burned through him.
The disciples behind him also became uncomfortable.
The memory remained fresh.
Everyone had witnessed it.
Everyone remembered.
Liang Feng had indeed attempted to back out of his previous declaration.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then he finally exploded.
"Enough!"
His roar shook the clouds.
Spiritual energy erupted from his body.
The floating islands trembled.
His eyes locked onto the colossal giant.
"This time there will be no excuses."
His voice became louder.
"This time there will be no misunderstandings."
His aura surged higher.
"This time there will be no retreat."
The surrounding Azure Cloud disciples immediately roared their support.
Liang Feng pointed toward the heavens.
"If all of us attack together and still fail to defeat you, then every vow spoken here today shall remain valid. Every disciple who made that oath shall willingly accept the consequences."
The surrounding cultivators immediately raised their weapons.
Their voices shook the sky.
"We swear it!"
"We swear it upon our cultivation!"
"We swear it upon our Dao Hearts!"
"We swear it upon our future paths!"
The declaration thundered throughout the region.
Even the disciples of the Silent Sword Sect could feel the sincerity behind the words.
The Azure Cloud cultivators had completely committed themselves.
Above them, Clayne nodded.
Then he calmly replied.
"Good. Since all of you appear so eager, I shall allow you to attack first."
The statement immediately ignited the Azure Cloud disciples.
Thousands of years of cultivation erupted simultaneously.
Liang Feng moved first.
His robes fluttered violently.
Countless golden runes appeared around him.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged toward his body.
The clouds above transformed into a massive vortex.
His cultivation erupted without reservation.
The pressure alone caused nearby mountains to tremble.
Then he extended both palms toward the sky.
An enormous golden hand materialized above him.
The hand looked capable of crushing cities.
Golden light flooded the heavens.
The surrounding space distorted under its weight.
Liang Feng’s voice echoed throughout the world.
"Azure Heaven Divine Crushing Palm!"
The giant hand surged upward.
The clouds beneath it exploded.
The pressure generated by its ascent caused the floating islands to shake violently.
At the same moment, Yue Lin unleashed her own attack.
Silver light erupted from her body.
The temperature throughout the region plummeted instantly.
Snow began falling.
The rivers below froze.
The waterfalls transformed into glittering pillars of ice.
A silver moon appeared behind her.
Its brilliance illuminated the heavens.
The moon rapidly expanded.
Then countless icy crescent blades emerged from its surface.
Each one radiated terrifying killing intent.
Yue Lin raised her hand.
The moon trembled.
"Frozen Moon Heavenly Judgment!"
The silver crescents shot upward.
They sliced through the sky like divine punishment descending upon mortal sinners.
Han Mo immediately followed.
His muscles expanded dramatically.
Ancient runes spread across his skin.
The ground beneath him shattered.
His body seemed capable of supporting mountains.
He drew back his fist.
The surrounding air collapsed inward.
Then he punched upward.
"Heavenly Titan Worldbreaker Fist!"
The strike erupted like a volcanic explosion.
A massive phantom formed behind him.
The phantom resembled an ancient giant capable of splitting continents apart.
Its fist surged toward the heavens.
The pressure generated by the attack shattered distant clouds.
Another Azure Cloud disciple drew his sword.
The blade emitted a cry that echoed across thousands of kilometers.
The sky darkened.
Then countless sword rays appeared.
One thousand.
Three thousand.
Five thousand.
Ten thousand.
The entire sky transformed into a sea of blades.
"Ten Thousand Heavenly Sword Rivers!"
The sword rays surged upward.
Each one possessed enough power to annihilate ordinary cultivators.
Together, they resembled a celestial flood.
Another disciple raised a jade flute.
The melody that emerged sounded ancient.
Strange.
Mysterious.
The sound waves became visible.
They spread throughout the heavens.
Even souls seemed affected.
"Song of Heavenly Spirit Extinction!"
Invisible attacks followed the others upward.
Soon every Azure Cloud disciple joined the assault.
The heavens became a battlefield.
Lightning dragons emerged.
Ancient beast phantoms appeared.
Mountain-sized spears formed.
Storms of fire erupted.
Countless techniques illuminated the world.
The disciples of the Silent Sword Sect stared in complete shock.
Many had never imagined so many powerful cultivators attacking simultaneously.
The sky itself seemed unable to contain the destruction.
The combined power of the Azure Cloud Sect surged upward like an unstoppable tide.
Then every attack converged.
Every technique.
Every treasure.
Every divine art.
Every killing move.
Everything targeted the same existence.
The colossal faceless giant.
The attacks rushed upward.
The heavens shook.
The clouds vanished.
The floating islands trembled.
The world seemed on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, Clayne simply watched.
Then he took a deep breath.
The motion appeared ordinary.
Completely ordinary.
Yet the result was not.
The moment he inhaled, the surrounding world changed.
The countless attacks slowed.
The sword rivers bent.
The lightning dragons twisted.
The flames curved.
The mountain phantoms distorted.
Everything began moving toward him.
The Azure Cloud disciples stared.
Confusion appeared first.
Then disbelief.
Then horror.
The attacks they had unleashed no longer obeyed them.
Every technique was being dragged toward the giant.
The phenomenon resembled leaves being pulled into a hurricane.
The giant continued inhaling.
The attacks accelerated.
The giant continued inhaling.
The heavens themselves seemed to bend.
The giant continued inhaling.
Then every Azure Cloud cultivator watched in absolute horror as their strongest attacks disappeared into the giant’s mouth.
Complete silence followed.
The world became still.
Then the giant’s chest expanded slightly.
The stars within his body seemed to brighten.
The galaxies beneath his skin appeared to rotate faster.
And finally—
Clayne exhaled.