Chapter 265: The Sect Leader

As Yang Yan’s voice trailed off, he did not wait for Xie Xuantian to reply. With a flash of his figure, he rushed straight toward the forces of the Profound Heaven Temple gathered below.

This time, the Profound Heaven Temple had spared no expense, coming with the clear intention of eradicating the Azure Profound Sect. Apart from the two Spirit Sea realm powerhouses, Lu Wu and Cang Bai, they had also brought along five peak Spirit Realm powerhouses.

Such a lineup was more than enough to completely crush the current strength of the Azure Profound Sect.

With an impending war between the Profound Heaven Temple, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, and the Martial Dao Gate, the Profound Heaven Temple naturally could not afford to leave the Azure Profound Sect as an unstable internal threat. Therefore, they intended to completely wipe out the Azure Profound Sect before the major battle broke out, which was why they had dispatched such a formidable lineup to deal with both the sect and Yang Yan.

However, the only thing they had miscalculated was Yang Yan’s actual strength. The speed at which his power had grown genuinely exceeded the Profound Heaven Temple’s expectations. From the very moment Yang Yan acquired the Spirit Absorption, he had merely possessed the strength to contend with peak Spirit Realm experts. Who could have imagined that in less than a few months, Yang Yan had now grown to the point where he could kill two peak tenth-layer Spirit Sea realm experts in a short span of time? Such a rate of growth was something even the Profound Heaven Temple, one of the three major superpower sects in the empire, had never encountered before.

Although the Azure Profound Sect was the overlord of the Jinzhou cultivation world, its internal power distribution suffered from a clear generational gap. Aside from the sect master Xie Xuantian, who had reached the third layer of the Spirit Sea realm, not a single other person possessed the cultivation of the Spirit Sea realm, save for three elders who had attained the peak of the Spirit Realm.

Yang Yan had not met these three elders before; presumably, they were reclusive old monsters who had been in closed-door cultivation all along. Although their individual combat prowess surpassed that of a single opposing peak Spirit Realm expert, the Profound Heaven Temple had dispatched five such experts this time. Consequently, fighting three against five, they had fallen into a disadvantageous position.

However, the ensuing situation underwent a completely lopsided transformation due to Yang Yan’s intervention. To him now, peak Spirit Realm experts were no different from ants that could be crushed at will, posing not the slightest threat. Furthermore, following the deaths of Lu Wu and Cang Bai, the Profound Heaven Temple’s Spirit Realm experts had long since lost any will to fight. Thus, under Yang Yan’s ferocious assault, which was akin to a tiger entering a flock of sheep, they were wiped out with heavy casualties in a mere fifteen minutes.

"This kid is truly a monster. In less than a year, he has actually grown to this extent."

Down below in the sky, Elder Li Chengfeng said with a hint of emotion.

Ever since the All-Clan Martial Tournament, he had long discovered Yang Yan’s extraordinary potential, and thus he had never stinted on showing care and favor to Yang Yan back then.

From that moment on, he knew that Yang Yan was destined not to be someone confined to a mere puddle. Yet, what still astonished him was that in less than a year, the young man whose cultivation had merely been at the third layer of the Spirit Perception realm had already grown to such a terrifying degree!

Once the trouble was resolved, the entire Azure Profound Mountain was plunged into jubilation. The crisis that they had originally thought would surely end in death had completely reversed simply because of the appearance of Yang Yan alone.

Meanwhile, Xie Xuantian began instructing the managers of the Azure Profound Sect to clean up the chaotic battlefield.

Although the Azure Profound Sect had successfully repelled the offensive of the Profound Heaven Temple this time, the casualties among the sect's disciples were not insignificant, and many buildings had been severely damaged, requiring time for rest and reorganization.

After delegating the tasks, Xie Xuantian invited Yang Yan to the place where he used to practice closed-door cultivation, ensuring that just the two of them would remain undisturbed.

"I wonder why the Sect Master has invited me here, and your injuries..."

As soon as the two sat down, Yang Yan did not waste any words and asked directly.

"My injuries are nothing serious. Let’s discuss our next steps and plans instead."

Hearing this, Xie Xuantian waved his hand and spoke to Yang Yan.

"You saw what happened today. The Profound Heaven Temple has now made its move against our Azure Profound Sect. Judging by the lineup they sent today, they intended to wipe us out completely. If you hadn't appeared in time, the Azure Profound Sect would surely have been unable to escape destruction today."

Yang Yan nodded upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashing in his deep eyes. His father and family were all within the Azure Profound Sect, and the Profound Heaven Temple’s previous intent to exterminate them root and branch had thoroughly infuriated him.

"Sect Master, I have an idea."

After a brief moment of silence, a thought stirred in Yang Yan’s mind as he spoke to Xie Xuantian.

"Oh? If you have any ideas, just speak your mind. I will support you with all my might."

Xie Xuantian was momentarily startled before staring at Yang Yan with a look of curiosity.

"That is, while the Profound Heaven Temple and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion go to war against the Martial Dao Gate, we play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of theoriole behind."

Hearing Yang Yan’s increasingly gloomy words, Xie Xuantian was stunned for a moment, and then blurted out in startled shock.

"You mean you want to launch an attack from behind while the Profound Heaven Temple and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion are attacking the Martial Dao Gate, creating more obstacles for them?"

Yang Yan nodded in affirmation, though this bold decision of his clearly dealt a heavy shock to Xie Xuantian.

After all, compared to the Profound Heaven Temple, the current strength of the Azure Profound Sect was no different than a firefly competing with the bright moon. If the Profound Heaven Temple hadn't been held back by the Martial Dao Gate, dispatching their true powerhouses to annihilate the Azure Profound Sect would have been as easy as turning over a hand.

However, Yang Yan was no ordinary person. He always adhered to the principle of "if others do not offend me, I will not offend others." Since the Profound Heaven Temple had already established an irreconcilable enmity with him, Yang Yan would no longer fear them. Being a person of considerable daring, he naturally would not let go of such a prime opportunity.

Once the three factions engaged in battle, the Profound Heaven Temple would inevitably deploy the core strength of their sect entirely to the front lines, leaving their rear as the most empty and vulnerable zone. What Yang Yan needed to do was to launch a surprise attack from the rear, internally dismantling the Profound Heaven Temple’s strength. Caught in such a pincer attack from the front and back, even the Profound Heaven Temple would have a hard time.

"Very well, then let it be as you say!"

After hesitating for a moment, Xie Xuantian nodded heavily, then patted Yang Yan on the shoulder and spoke.

He was never someone prone to hesitation, and he was well aware of their current predicament. If he failed to make a decision now or continued to passively defend, once the Martial Dao Gate was destroyed under the joint forces of the Profound Heaven Temple and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, those factions would turn their attention elsewhere, and the Azure Profound Sect would still inevitably face annihilation.

Therefore, rather than sitting passively waiting for death, it was better to take the initiative. In a desperate struggle, there might still be a glimmer of survival.

Furthermore, the strength Yang Yan had displayed had given Xie Xuantian the capital to contend with the Profound Heaven Temple. Even a power like the Profound Heaven Temple could never afford to ignore a young man capable of slaying a fourth-layer Spirit Sea realm expert at the age of eighteen.

Thus, he made up his mind to completely break ties with the Profound Heaven Temple.

Besides, for so many years, the Azure Profound Sect had always acted as a subordinate sect to the Profound Heaven Temple. The younger generation with exceptional cultivation talents in the sect had all been poached by the Profound Heaven Temple, severely stifling the Azure Profound Sect's development.

Xie Xuantian had long since been displeased with being suppressed by the Profound Heaven Temple for so long, but regrettably, the gap in strength between the Azure Profound Sect and the Profound Heaven Temple was simply too vast, leaving him too fearful to harbor any thoughts of rebellion.

Yet the situation was different now. With the external suppression from the Martial Dao Gate, if their Azure Profound Sect could create a bit of internal chaos as well, the Profound Heaven Temple would fall into trouble both internally and externally, and their chances of victory would grow increasingly greater.

"However..."

Just as Xie Xuantian agreed verbally, Yang Yan felt a momentary lightness in his heart. Yet, as the man’s tone shifted, a faint ominous premonition arose within Yang Yan.

"You shall be the new Sect Master of the Azure Profound Sect!"

With those words falling into place, Xie Xuantian stared at Yang Yan with a mischievous, un-elderly grin, chuckling brightly.

"Hehe, anyway, I’ve long since grown tired of being the Sect Master of this Azure Profound Sect. Since you kid want to use the power of the Azure Profound Sect to deal with the Profound Heaven Temple, you might as well take over the position of Sect Master yourself."

A smug smile hung on Xie Xuantian's face. To be honest, the reason he had agreed to become the Azure Profound Sect’s master back then was purely out of necessity. Over the decades, with the peace in the Jinzhou cultivation world, he had practically been an absentee landlord for dozens of years. Now that there was finally an opportunity to pass on this hot potato, Xie Xuantian was naturally more than happy to do so.

"But, Sect Master..."

Yang Yan felt utterly speechless. To think that their sect master was like an old urchin; while other people would exhaust every means to eliminate rivals and seize the position of sect master, this fellow was practically desperate to dump the position onto someone else.

"Alright, say no more. In any case, the current predicament of the Azure Profound Sect was all brought about because you offended the Profound Heaven Temple and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, you are the one who must clean up this mess."

Seeing Yang Yan’s bitter expression as he tried to say something, Xie Xuantian hurriedly interrupted him, giving him no opportunity to shirk responsibility afterward.

"Tomorrow, I will summon all the disciples of the Azure Profound Sect and publicly announce that you will succeed to the position of Sect Master. Given your current strength and prestige within the sect, I presume no one will object. Alright, off you go, I need to rest. I did suffer injuries today, after all..."

In the end, Xie Xuantian did not give Yang Yan the slightest chance to speak again, directly using his need to recover from injuries as an excuse to usher Yang Yan out of his secret chamber...

Left locked outside the door, Yang Yan couldn't help but feel a wave of amusement in his heart. He never expected that the Azure Profound Sect's master, who appeared so immensely mysterious in the eyes of others, could actually possess such an endearing side...

Strictly speaking, their personalities were somewhat similar; neither of them enjoyed managing the cumbersome affairs of a sect. However, current circumstances gave Yang Yan no choice. Just as Xie Xuantian had said, the trouble facing the Azure Profound Sect had been brought about by him, so he had no qualification to shirk responsibility and play the absentee leader.

Sighing helplessly in his heart, Yang Yan slowly walked toward the residential area where the Zhang family of the Azure Profound Sect resided.

Upon arriving, Yang Yan inquired of his father regarding the losses suffered by the Zhang family during the Profound Heaven Temple’s assault. The results managed to set his mind slightly at ease.

Most of the people dispatched by the Profound Heaven Temple had been intercepted and blocked by the elders and disciples of the Azure Profound Sect, meaning the Zhang family had suffered virtually no casualties. Hearing this news, Yang Yan felt a wave of relief, and a deep sense of gratitude toward Xie Xuantian surged within his heart.

Xie Xuantian knew Yang Yan’s character all too well; in Yang Yan’s eyes, nothing was more important than his father, family, and friends. Therefore, before Yang Yan returned, Xie Xuantian had to go all out to protect Yang Yan’s family.

Although such an approach might seem unfair to the ordinary disciples of the Azure Profound Sect, humanity dictated that there were always priorities in life, and everyone was inherently selfish. People would inevitably abandon extraneous matters to protect what they cherished most—a truly helpless reality of the world.

Yet, when all was said and done, the root cause still lay in the fact that the current Yang Yan did not possess sufficient strength to rival the Profound Heaven Temple, which was why those ordinary disciples had suffered casualties.

Even so, he was no longer the useless youth of the past, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds with each passing day. Thus, Yang Yan held the absolute confidence that sooner or later, he would be capable of shaking and even completely destroying colossal entities like the Profound Heaven Temple and the Wind and Cloud Pavilion.

By then, within the Flying Cloud Empire, no faction would ever dare lay a hand on anyone Yang Yan wished to protect.

After a night of recuperation, early the next morning, Yang Yan heard the chimes ringing through the peaks, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face. Nonetheless, he got out of bed and made his way to gather at the Azure Profound Mountain plaza.

When everyone had assembled, Yang Yan swept his gaze across the disciples gathered in the plaza, feeling a deep sense of emotion in his heart.

Compared to the bustling and flourishing scenes of the Azure Profound Sect in the past, the current sight appeared somewhat desolate.

As early as when Xie Xuantian decided to confront the Profound Heaven Temple, he had spread the news throughout the sect, allowing the disciples to make their own choices. Those who wished to stay and continue cultivating in the Azure Profound Sect could do so, but they had to face the potential retaliation of the Profound Heaven Temple; as for those who wished to leave the sect at this juncture, he would not obstruct them...

Yang Yan highly approved of Xie Xuantian’s approach. Quality mattered more than quantity, a rule the Azure Profound Sect had always adhered to when recruiting disciples. Perhaps he could have used forceful methods to keep those disciples who wanted to leave, but once a true war broke out, those fellows fleeing without a fight or even turning traitor at a critical moment would only plunge them into an even more difficult predicament.

Therefore, the simplest method was to eliminate such hidden dangers from the very beginning. Thus, the Azure Profound Sect, which originally boasted nearly a thousand disciples, began to see a continuous stream of departures from that moment onward, leaving only a little over two hundred people gathered today.