Chapter 261: Situation

You can rest assured about that, Uncle. The Azure Profound Sect is, after all, the overlord of Jin Province, and these people can certainly be accommodated, Yang Yan smiled and said.

He naturally understood that Ji Yuanxuan was also a man of deep loyalty and righteousness, who could not possibly abandon the brothers who had fought the world alongside him. If Ji Yuanxuan had truly done such a thing, even Yang Yan would have looked down upon him.

Due to the Azure Profound Sect's stringent disciple recruitment criteria—preferring to take no disciples at all rather than accept trash—it possessed the fewest members despite being hailed as the premier sect in Jin Province, falling short even when compared to the Liu Clan of Shang Province.

Moreover, the grounds of Azure Profound Mountain were extremely vast. Upholding the selection principle of prioritizing quality over quantity, there were plenty of vacant spaces on the mountain to accommodate the newly arrived initiates.

Although Yang Yan had previously settled the members of the Zhang, Liu, and Sun clans on Azure Profound Mountain, there were still numerous empty rooms and areas left, meaning that accommodating the nearly one hundred people from the Vaisravana Valley would be completely unproblematic.

Then I can rest easy.

Hearing this, Ji Yuanxuan let out a soft sigh of relief in his heart, and then continued to ask, When do you plan to make your move?

Now.

A chilling voice slipped from Yang Yan's lips.

Following the demise of Lu Qingishan and Bai Yunfei, both the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Cloud Mountain Sect had plunged into chaos.

Yang Yan had made a formidable return, single-handedly slaying the sect masters of both factions. The moment this news reached their respective headquarters, the entire factions descended into pandemonium.

Those who had joined the two sects recently or held little emotional attachment to them looted whatever resources they could carry and fled for their lives.

As for the veteran powerhouses who had painstakingly built up the legacy alongside Lu Qingishan and Bai Yunfei, though they wished to maintain order amidst the chaos, they found themselves powerless to do so. Terror had already taken root in their hearts, spreading as swiftly as a plague.

During the period of Yang Yan's unconsciousness, the ranks of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Cloud Mountain Sect had already dispersed considerably. The once bustling mountain gates had grown desolate and quiet. Thus, when Yang Yan arrived alone at the two sects, aside from a few old zealots determined to share the fate of their sects, he encountered virtually no resistance.

Those who dared to oppose him possessed at most the strength of the eighth stage of the Spirit Communication Realm, posing no obstacle whatsoever to the current Yang Yan. Therefore, after a mere half-day passed, the two major powers of Bing Province—the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Cloud Mountain Sect—were reduced to ashes amidst blazing fires.

Yang Yan had no use for the spoils of the two sects, but to prevent anyone from returning after his departure, he simply put them to the torch.

The events that transpired in Bing Province over those few days swept across the entire Flying Cloud Empire at a breakneck speed. Yang Yan's reputation within the empire's cultivation world was now at its zenith, forcing even the empire's three major sects to treat him with utmost gravity.

Naturally, one man's joy is another's sorrow. The Martial Dao Sect, having chosen to stand by Yang Yan, rejoiced at the growth of his strength. As long as Yang Yan grew increasingly powerful, the Martial Dao Sect would acquire the qualification to contend against the other two major sects.

In contrast to the Martial Dao Sect, the higher-ups of the Profound Heaven Palace and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion felt somewhat uneasy.

First, in Jinhuan City, Yang Yan had single-handedly defeated the Xu family, the Dragon-Taming Fortress, and the Jade Sword Sect. Later, at the grand assembly within the Liu Clan's estate in front of countless witnesses, the master of the Martial Dao Sect even personally tore through space to aid him. Afterward, this fellow had recklessly rushed to the Kunyang Sect in Qing Province, fought the Kunyang Sect master for unknown reasons, and ultimately slain Sun Tianyang, whose strength had reached the second stage of the Spirit Sea Realm, causing the entire Kunyang Sect to disband.

By now, the original tripartite balance of power in Bing Province had been utterly shattered by Yang Yan's emergence. Lu Qingishan, whose strength was nearing the threshold of the Spirit Sea Realm, could not even withstand a single blow from Yang Yan, while the Cloud Mountain Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect had vanished into thin air in less than half a day.

It was hard to imagine that such a series of jaw-dropping feats had been accomplished by a youth of merely seventeen or eighteen years of age.

Only at this moment did the higher-ups of the Profound Heaven Palace and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion realize they had indeed underestimated Yang Yan's cultivation talent, failing to anticipate that his strength would reach such a terrifying degree in a mere month or so.

Yet they also understood that their relationship with Yang Yan had already reached an irreconcilable point. The Profound Heaven Palace and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion had repeatedly dispatched operatives, overtly and covertly, to take Yang Yan's life. Given his vengeful nature, even if the two sects were to extend an olive branch to him once more, he would never accept it.

Realizing this, both the Profound Heaven Palace and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion began intensifying their preparations for an assault on the Martial Dao Sect. Once the two sects united to eradicate the Martial Dao Sect, Yang Yan would be entirely isolated. No matter how defying of the heavens his cultivation talent might be, he would undoubtedly fail to escape alive from the encirclement of the two major sects.

Having settled the remaining remnants of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Cloud Mountain Sect, Yang Yan wasted no time and led the contingent from the Vaisravana Valley in a grand march toward the territory of the Azure Profound Sect.

Yang Yan understood that with his killing of Xu Chao from the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, any subsequent attempts by the Profound Heaven Palace and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion to deal with him would inevitably involve top-tier experts from their sects, leaving him no path of retreat.

Therefore, along the journey, Yang Yan dared not delay in the slightest, urging everyone onward. After traveling day and night for dozens of days, they finally arrived at the foot of Azure Profound Mountain on this particular day.

Yet, as Yang Yan gazed at Azure Profound Mountain from afar, his expression suddenly turned gloomy, for the peaks were ablaze with beacon fires, thick smoke billowing around them, bearing no trace of their former ethereal beauty.

Hurry!

Ji Wuyue, standing beside Yang Yan, also sensed that something was amiss. Especially upon seeing Yang Yan's drastic change in expression, she exchanged a glance with her father and rushed toward the mountain.

Yang Yan's heart burned with anxiety. The Azure Profound Sect could be considered his primary base; his family and friends were all there. What if something were to happen to Zhang Tai and the others?

Yang Yan shook his head, refusing to let his mind wander further. In this critical moment, he could not afford to wait for the others. His figure soared directly into the air, hurtling toward Azure Profound Mountain.

I wonder if our sect master is overestimating the Azure Profound Sect? To think he sent the two of us just because of some greenhorn looking for trouble, a pale-faced middle-aged man said with a chuckle to a red-robed man beside him, watching the members of the Azure Profound Sect retreating in defeat up the mountain.

Don't be careless. Xie Xuantian, the master of the Azure Profound Sect, has also reached the third stage of the Spirit Sea Realm. Besides, it's rumored that that brat Yang Yan previously slew Sun Tianyang, the master of the Kunyang Sect, and that fellow possessed the strength of the second stage of the Spirit Sea Realm, the red-robed man warned.

So what? Is that why the sect master dispatched two Spirit Sea Realm stage four cultivators here?

The pale-faced man let out a mocking laugh. This task should have been handled by him alone; he had not expected the sect master to be so cautious as to send this fellow along with him. Naturally, in his heart, he was loath to share the credit with anyone else.

Of course, he would not voice these thoughts aloud to the other man, but lingering annoyance remained in his breast. With growing impatience, he glanced at Xie Xuantian, who cut a somewhat battered figure mid-air, and roared,

Hey, I say, hand over that brat called Yang Yan right now! If I'm in a good mood, I might grant you a swift death; otherwise...

An exceptionally chilling smile crept across his face as he spoke these words.

Keep dreaming.

Xie Xuantian's expression remained unchanged. Glancing indifferently at the pale-faced man, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and replied,

His own strength was at the third stage of the Spirit Sea Realm, but either of the two men before him surpassed him individually, let alone acting in concert. If not for their desire to humiliate him in order to flush out Yang Yan, they would likely have dealt him a fatal blow long ago.

Didn't they say that brat was quite capable? Why has he now turned into a turtle hiding away in his shell? No matter, once I finish you off, I can slowly hunt him down.

With a sinister chuckle, the pale-faced middle-aged man exchanged a glance with the red-robed man, and both figures simultaneously surged toward Xie Xuantian not far away.

Seeing both men launching an assault upon him at once, Xie Xuantian's expression shifted, yet he found himself entirely helpless.

Within the Azure Profound Sect, no second Spirit Sea Realm expert could be found, forcing him to hold off both opponents single-handedly to buy as much time as possible. Once he fell and the two fourth-stage Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses were freed, the members of the Azure Profound Sect would be slaughtered like helpless chicks.

With that thought, Xie Xuantian gritted his teeth hard, surging spiritual energy erupting from within him as he launched a counterattack against the pair.

Overestimating your capabilities.

Seeing Xie Xuantian stubbornly choosing to resist to the bitter end, the pale-faced middle-aged man sneered coldly. Hand seals shifting, a torrent of spiritual energy measuring five or six zhang wide suddenly blasted toward Xie Xuantian with devastating force!

Xie Xuantian's expression altered drastically, and without a moment's hesitation, spiritual energy surged across his body as well. A beam of light, slightly narrower than the incoming attack, shot forth explosively, colliding violently with the enemy's force mid-air.

As a tempest of spiritual energy raged wildly outward, Xie Xuantian's body was forced back dozens of steps in mid-air. Conversely, the pale-faced middle-aged man stood entirely unfazed, and before Xie Xuantian could even catch his breath, a sharp sound of breaking wind erupted from his right flank.

Dropping his gaze to look, he saw a freezing glint shooting straight toward him at a terrifying speed. Realizing it was too late to evade, he poured his remaining spiritual energy onto his body's surface to form a defensive barrier, twisting his body frantically in mid-air. The razor-sharp glint pierced directly into his shoulder.

Upon contacting Xie Xuantian's shoulder, the spiritual energy defense gathered on his skin failed to offer any resistance. With a soft tear, it was instantly pierced through, and the sharp glint embedded itself straight into his flesh. Looking closer, it proved to be a diamond-shaped hidden weapon, its tip having fully driven through his shoulder as trails of crimson blood began to trickle down.

Since you won't talk, there's no need to keep you alive.

Following the chilling cry, the pale-faced middle-aged man abandoned any intention of sparing Xie Xuantian further. His figure burst forward once more, palm raised to strike down directly upon Xie Xuantian's crown.

You rascal, why haven't you returned yet?

Feeling the biting killing intent bearing down upon him, Xie Xuantian cursed inwardly. Just as he closed his eyes to await death, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air beside him. To his utter astonishment, a slender palm met the incoming palm strike with explosive impact.

Bang!

The moment their palms collided in mid-air, a violent storm of spiritual energy swept outward like a gale. Seeing his attack blocked, the pale-faced middle-aged man wore a look of utter shock. He hurriedly retreated to stand beside the red-robed man, fixing his gaze upon the lean young man who had suddenly appeared.

Sect Master, are you alright?

Ignoring the chilling glints in the two men's eyes, Yang Yan asked with a hint of apology in his tone.

If you brat hadn't returned right now, I'd be a dead man, Xie Xuantian replied, though deep worry remained etched across his face.

After all, the opponents were two fourth-stage Spirit Sea Realm experts. At his peak, he could have held off one, while Yang Yan's strength might have matched the other. Even if they couldn't secure victory, buying time would have been feasible while awaiting reinforcements from the Martial Dao Sect.

Of course, one could not hold excessive hope for that, as this was Profound Heaven Palace territory; even with numerous experts, the Martial Dao Sect would find it extremely difficult to arrive here undetected.

Yet now, even that final thread of hope had snapped. Although Yang Yan had stepped in to save him, he was already severely wounded with his spiritual energy nearly exhausted, making it impossible for him to assist in holding off either opponent.

Sect Master, just rest and tend to your wounds for now. Leave the rest to me.