Chapter 159 - 158: The Weight of the Sect
BOOOOOOM!
The massive gates of the Grand Concourse were violently blown inward by a shockwave of pure spiritual pressure. The heavy metal groaned and buckled as a torrential gale of Qi swept through the hall, extinguishing dozens of floating spirit-lanterns in an instant.
Every cultivator present, from the lowest Qi Condensation servant to the highest Core Formation sect master, felt a suffocating weight press down upon their chests. The air grew thick and stagnant, charged with the crackling scent of an impending storm.
From the darkened threshold stepped an elderly man.
He was dressed in voluminous, layered robes of pure white and deep blue, the traditional vestments of the Pure Cloud Sect. His hair was entirely white, cascading down his back like a frozen waterfall, and his face was carved with the deep, weathered lines of centuries spent absorbing the Qi of Heaven and Earth. He leaned on a gnarled wooden staff, but there was absolutely no frailty in his posture.
This was Patriarch Yun.
He was the Ancestor of the Pure Cloud Sect. He was a monster who had sat at the absolute Peak of the Nascent Soul stage for over three hundred years. Across the Zhao Province, frantic speculation had been brewing for decades that Patriarch Yun was on the very precipice of breaking through to the Half-Step Spirit Severing realm. If he succeeded, he would become the second-most powerful entity in the entire province, standing only beneath Lord Zhao Shenming himself.
Even the Grandmaster of the Cultivation Council of Zhao Province could still be considered beneath him!
Because of this terrifying strength, the Pure Cloud Sect was the most prominent, and heavily favored orthodox sect in the Zhao Province. They were Lord Zhao’s military and political backbone.
"WHO DARES TEST THE HONOR OF THE PURE CLOUD SECT?!"
Patriarch Yun’s voice was a physical force. It bypassed the eardrums and struck directly at the Sea of Consciousness of everyone in the hall. Several weaker cultivators collapsed to their knees, blood dripping from their noses.
The Peak Nascent Soul elder who had previously tried to de-escalate the situation instantly bowed deeply, his expression filled with immense relief and absolute reverence.
"Ancestor!" the elder greeted, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the jade tiles.
Mu Tianyang, who had been internally panicking just moments before, felt a surge of euphoric, vindictive triumph. He immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head in a flawless display of aggrieved subservience.
"Ancestor!" Mu Tianyang cried out, his voice laced with the perfect amount of righteous sorrow. "Forgive this disciple! I was forced to release my Qi in anger, but I had no choice! Our sect’s honor is being trampled in the mud, and they are attempting to silence us!"
Patriarch Yun’s piercing, cloud-white eyes swept the room and landed immediately on Mu Tianyang. The terrifying, oppressive aura radiating from the old monster softened by a fraction. It was a well-known fact across the province that Patriarch Yun had no blood heirs; he viewed Mu Tianyang, the sect’s most brilliant prodigy, exactly as he would his own favored son.
"Rise, Tianyang," Patriarch Yun commanded softly, though the words still carried an immense weight. He struck the base of his wooden staff against the jade floor, producing a dull, echoing thud. "Tell me. Who has dared to insult our lineage? Who has provoked my favored disciple?"
Mu Tianyang stood, pointing a steady, accusatory finger directly at Bai Chen.
"That boy, Ancestor. Bai Chen," Mu Tianyang declared, his voice ringing with fabricated conviction. "He bypassed the palace wards. He infiltrated the private sanctuary of Envoy Su Yin and stole her personal Frost-Moon Hairpin. He was caught red-handed, the artifact falling directly from his robes in front of this entire assembly. Yet, when I moved to discipline him for defiling a Saintess’s honor, his family threatened my life and demanded we drop the matter!"
Patriarch Yun’s gaze shifted to Bai Chen. The old man’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure, freezing judgment.
"A Foundation Establishment ant," Patriarch Yun sneered, the sheer disdain in his voice palpable. "You dare harbor such vile, degenerate obsessions toward a daughter of the Pure Cloud Sect?"
"I didn’t do it!" Bai Chen shouted, his voice cracking slightly under the overwhelming pressure of the Ancestor’s aura. He stood his ground, his fists clenched at his sides. "It was planted on me! I have been in this hall all night!"
"The artifact fell from your robes. The evidence is absolute," Patriarch Yun stated coldly, completely ignoring the boy’s defense. He raised a hand, gesturing to the heavily armored Pure Cloud Sect enforcers who had flooded into the hall behind him.
"Seize him," the Ancestor commanded.
Clang!
A dozen elite Core Formation enforcers drew their spiritual weapons in unison, stepping forward to form a tight, inescapable ring around Bai Chen.
Bai Qingyue, seated in her wheelchair, gripped the armrests so tightly her knuckles turned bone-white. She looked up at Lin Yuan, her eyes flashing with a mixture of fear for her cousin and absolute trust in her husband.
Deep within Lin Yuan’s spiritual sea, the mist of his Spirit Severing Cultivation began to boil. Lin Yuan looked at Patriarch Yun, calculating the exact trajectory required to sever the old man’s head from his shoulders. It would take less than half a breath. He could slaughter the Ancestor, eradicate the enforcers, and turn Mu Tianyang into a cloud of red mist before anyone in the hall could even blink.
He took a half-step forward. The air around him began to warp, the temperature plummeting as he prepared to drop the Great Tortoise Breath concealment and unleash his true might.
Suddenly, a heavy, warm hand clamped down firmly on Lin Yuan’s forearm.
Lin Yuan stopped, his deep purple eyes sliding sideways.
******
A/N: Thanks for reading this far, starting today, I will be doing a massive release schedule to help boost the book popularity.
I will be doing 6 Chapters a day, and I will appreciate everyone support.
Also you can gift to request for more Chapters.
Luxury car is 4 extra Chapters
Dragon is 6 extra Chapters
Magic castle is 8 extra Chapters