I Became a Peak Master With No Disciples?!

Deep beneath the jagged mountains of the southern border, within the hidden stronghold of the Demonic Forces.

A massive sacrificial altar of black stone stood in the center of the chamber, surrounded by eight channels of blood. Above the crimson pool, heavy iron cages hung from the ceiling. The captive mortals inside were drained of their blood and vitality to feed the demonic altar.

Standing upon the altar platform, a young woman clad in crimson robes looked down at the pool with cold satisfaction. A twisted black mark pulsed on her forehead.

She was another vessel, a possessed elite of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect carrying the soul seed of Demonic Ancestor Mo.

Following the exposure of Cang Yun and Zhou Heng at the tournament, the righteous sects were bound to strike back. Yet Ancestor Mo remained confident in his preparations.

To ensure its survival, he had equipped this vessel with one of his greatest treasures. The supreme Heaven-Burning Talisman. Armed with this ancient artifact capable of summoning mystical flames, he was certain he could withstand even a Saint-level strike long enough to detonate the Blood Sacrifice Array and escape. He even used their signature Nine Shadows Concealment Technique to ensure any divination arts attempting to locate his body would fail.

’Let the righteous hypocrites search,’ he thought through the vessel, a cruel sneer touching his lips as demonic blood Qi coursed through the meridians. ’By the time they discover my Phantom Mountain Mirage Formation, I will already be gone.’

High above the mountain range, the sea of fog suddenly parted.

The massive Dragon-Bone flagship of the Heavenly Cloud Sect tore through the clouds, its mystical runes gradually dimming as the warship came to a steady halt over the misty canyon.

Sect Master Jun Tianya stepped out into the open air. His long dark sleeves fluttered against the mountain wind, the fabric inscribed with ancient violet lightning runes that pulsed with suppressed power.

Three Avatar Formation elders followed behind him in tight formation.

In the distance, hovering above a towering cliff, stood a middle-aged woman in flowing crimson robes with a phoenix-feather sash tied around her waist. She was the First Elder of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect.

She bowed slightly across the void toward Jun Tianya.

"Sect Master Jun," the First Elder said, her clear voice echoing across the peaks. "I have received word from Matriarch Feng. The Heavenly Phoenix Sect will not interfere. I am here only to observe."

Jun Tianya nodded. His gaze remained cold, fixed on the valley below.

"The third stronghold should be directly beneath us", Jun Tianya said, his voice flat.

With a single thought, Jun Tianya released his Saint grade divine sense.

A suffocating pressure descended upon the valley. His divine sense tore through the outer rock, pierced the illusion arrays, and laid bare the subterranean cavern in a single breath.

"Looks like it’s hidden under an illusion formation," he confirmed.

Jun Tianya saw the cages. He saw the captives.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The hostages were already beyond salvation. Their souls were fading, their life force drained dry by the demonic blood pool. Attempting an extraction would only prolong their agonizing deaths by a few days.

At the center of the altar chamber, Ancestor Mo’s vessel froze.

The crushing weight of true Saint authority slammed down upon her, pinning her physical body.

’A Saint?!’ Mo’s soul screamed in pure terror. ’The Devil?! How is that madman here in person?!’

Cold horror grabbed Ancestor Mo. Three hundred years ago, that very same person had slaughtered countless demonic experts and bathed the continent in their blood. He had never expected the Sect Master of the Heavenly Cloud Sect to cross borders in person just to strike an outer stronghold.

’The Heaven-Burning Talisman!’ he thought frantically. ’Ignite the blood pool! Burn this stronghold to ashes!’

Vessel Three raised trembling hands, biting her thumb to spit a mouthful of blood essence onto the black-gold talisman before her. Demonic flames erupted from the paper, howling like vengeful spirits as the altar shook violently.

In the sky above, Jun Tianya did not flinch.

He stood tall between heaven and earth, his silhouette casting a terrifying presence over the entire mountain range. The three Avatar Formation elders stood silently behind him. On the distant cliff, the First Elder held her breath, a chill running down her spine.

Three hundred years had passed, but the debt of blood had not been forgotten.

Jun Tianya raised his right hand. His dark pupils ignited with violet lightning, and all spiritual energy within a hundred li froze instantly, obeying his absolute command.

"It is time to pay for your sins," Jun Tianya muttered, pointing his index finger downward.

"Purple Firmament Divine Lightning - Thunderfall Annihilation!"

The clouds above the mountain range shattered into pieces.

A colossal pillar of violet divine lightning, hundreds of feet wide, plunged from the highest heavens with terrifying speed.

There was no struggle. There was no defense.

The moment the lightning struck the earth, the valley’s defensive formations collapsed like dry leaves. The flames of the Heaven-Burning Talisman, the black stone altar, and the howling blood pool were reduced to ash in less than a breath.

The vessel did not even have the breath to scream. The concentrated lightning beam struck directly, disintegrating her flesh, bones, and the embedded soul seed into absolute nothingness.

The blinding pillar of light faded into the sky.

The heavy fog was gone. Below them, where a jagged mountain valley once stood, lay a glassy crater, crackling with faint violet arcs of residual lightning.

Not a single trace of demonic presence remained. Yet, through his precise control, the surrounding spiritual veins remained completely unharmed.

On the red cliff, the First Elder stared down at the crater, her chest heaving as she struggled to keep her composure.

The mountain was leveled flat. To annihilate an entire stronghold with such catastrophic power while leaving the surrounding areas without a scratch - she shivered under her robes.

Jun Tianya slowly lowered his hand, his expression calm. The third stronghold was gone. The demionic vessel had been thoroughly destroyed.

Jun Tianya turned his back on the smoking crater, looking toward the three Avatar Formation elders behind him.

"The third stronghold has been purged," Jun Tianya said calmly, stepping back toward the warship. "Advance to the next target."