Chapter 73: Erasing a Sect
Two resounding booms rang out as the giant golden ape's fists came crashing down. The black light barrier ripped as two deep indentations appeared on the sections that were struck.
"Where did this thing come from? Its strength is incredible!"
"This thing seems to be rather similar to the legendary true spirit, the Giant Mountain Ape! Could it be..."
"In any case, we can't just allow this neanderthal to do as it pleases! We must capture it and execute it for challenging the authority of our sect!"
All of the Body Integration Stage elders initially faltered slightly at the sight of the giant golden ape, following which they briefly speculated about its origins, then summoned their treasures before flying up to oppose the giant ape.
Elder Lu was just about to join them when a hint of recognition flashed through his eyes, and he immediately stopped cold in his tracks. He wasn't the only one who was hanging behind. Aside from the sect master, there was also a hunch-backed elderly man, a beautiful woman, and a one-eyed man who were also refraining from joining the others.
These four were the same elders who had joined forces to attack Han Li in the Devilish Flame Valley during Han Li's previous visit to the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and all of them exchanged a glance with one another to find their own astonishment mirrored in each other's eyes.
At the same time, countless streaks of light emerged from all over the Heavenly Ghost Sect as virtually all of the elders and disciples flew out before landing on the nearby mountain peaks or plazas, then directed their attention upward with perplexed looks on their faces.
The giant golden ape paid no heed to the oncoming assailants, and not only did it not stop what it was doing, it let loose a thunderous roar instead as it rained a barrage of punches down upon the black light barrier.
An earth-shattering boom rang out, and the black light barrier trembled violently before warping significantly, then shattering into countless pieces.
The giant ape passed through the shattered section of the array before crashing down onto a mountain. At this point, the Body Integration Stage elders who had charged over from the Serene Offering Peak were already on the scene.
The elder charging at the forefront of the group let loose a loud roar as crimson mist surged out of his body, completely enveloping him in the blink of an eye, and he quickly transformed into a giant crimson-armored ghost that was around 500 to 600 feet tall.
The giant ghost was wielding a huge bloodstained ax, which it swung down toward the golden ape's head.
As the sharp edge of the giant ax descended through the air, a pair of crimson vortexes appeared out of thin air on either side of it, releasing bursts of powerful suction force that threatened to draw everything nearby into the path of the falling ax.
Close behind the giant crimson ax were several ghostly treasures of different forms and colors that were releasing clouds of black mist or rivers of blood, concealing the entire sky as they surged toward the giant golden ape with unstoppable might.
Gusts of Yin wind were howling ferociously through the sky like the shrieks and wails of countless ghosts, and the air temperature in the area was plummeting rapidly.
The giant golden ape gave a cold harrumph upon seeing this, and it didn't slow down in the slightest in its descent as it raised an arm up high before swatting an enormous palm at the river of blood and ghostly mist down below.
An indescribably powerful blast of energy immediately came crashing down like an impenetrable wall, descending with devastating force.
The crimson-armored giant was leading the way from the front, and the huge crimson ax crashed violently into the energy blast, only to be instantly shattered without being able to put up any resistance.
Immediately thereafter, half of the giant's body caved in as if it had crashed into a massive rock, following which its entire body exploded into a ball of crimson light.
As for the Yin clouds and blood mist behind the crimson giant, even before they came into contact with the energy blast, most of them were already dispelled by the tremendous force released by the energy blast. All of the treasures concealed within were instantly revealed, then exploded amid a string of loud bangs.
A string of agonized cries rang out as several figures threw up mouthfuls of blood as a result of suffering backlash from having their bonded treasures destroyed, then plummeted out of the sky.
Everyone else was greatly alarmed by this turn of events, and they hurriedly staged a retreat.
In the next instant, the giant golden ape came crashing heavily down onto a mountain like an asteroid, and the surrounding earth trembled violently as half of the mountain instantly collapsed, sending a huge cloud of dust and shrapnel flying up into the sky.
Cries of alarm rang out incessantly near the mountain as several hundred streaks of light rose up into the air before dispersing in all directions in a panicked frenzy.
Right at this moment, a nascent soul that was several inches tall suddenly emerged from the chaotic scene. The nascent soul was extremely similar in appearance to the elder who had transformed into the crimson-armored giant, and it wore a horrified expression as it turned to flee into the distance.
However, before it was able to get anywhere, a portly figure appeared silently beside it. It was none other than Daoist Closed Mountain.
He swung his palm down in an expressionless manner, and the nascent soul immediately felt the air constrict around it. Before it even had a chance to cry out, it had already exploded into a ball of crimson light.
On the Serene Offering Peak, the sect master of the Heavenly Ghost Sect was already astonished upon seeing the giant golden ape crushing all of the Body Integration Stage elders at once on its own, and his expression instantly darkened significantly at the sight of Daoist Closed Mountain's sudden arrival.
He forced himself to remain calm as he asked, "What is the meaning of this, Senior Closed Mountain?"
Daoist Closed Mountain cast his gaze toward the giant golden ape in the distance, then turned back before shaking his head as he replied, "Allow me to enlighten you, Sect Master Shi. Both of your sect's Grand Ascension Stage supreme elders have already fallen at the hands of Senior Han. It's over for the Heavenly Ghost Sect."
His voice wasn't very loud, but it was akin to a deafening thunderclap for the sect master and the Body Integration Stage elders of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
In particular, the four elders who had teamed up against Han Li in the Devilish Flame Valley were completely distraught.
Earlier, they had already sensed a familiar aura from the giant golden ape, and now that they had received confirmation from Daoist Closed Mountain that the Giant Mountain Ape was indeed none other than Han Li, they knew that Daoist Closed Mountain was telling the truth about the demise of their sect's supreme elders.
Elder Lu took a deep breath, then communicated something to Sect Master Shi through voice transmission.
A conflicted look appeared on Sect Master Shi's face, but in the end, he gritted his teeth as he extended a respectful salute toward Daoist Closed Mountain, then said, "Senior Closed Mountain, if our Heavenly Ghost Sect is doomed to fall, then we would rather surrender and serve Senior Han from now on rather than throw away our lives for no good cause."
"Hehe, my Origin Realm Temple alone is sufficient to serve Senior Han and cater to his needs. As for all of you, I'm afraid you'll have to bear Senior Han's wrath," Daoist Closed Mountain chuckled as a cold look appeared on his face.
As soon as his voice trailed off, he swept a sleeve through the air to release an antiquated peach wood sword, which rose up into the air before rapidly expanding, transforming into an enormous sword of light that was over 100 feet in length. Countless profound runes were surging over the surface of the sword, and it was also radiating dazzling golden light.
Immediately thereafter, the giant sword swept directly toward Sect Master Shi and his group.
The surrounding space shuddered as a long and pitch-black rift was sliced open.
Sect Master Shi and the others were greatly alarmed by this turn of events, and they all flew back in different directions while frantically taking defensive measures to protect themselves from the attack.
While this conversation was taking place, the giant golden ape leaped over to a huge mountain, then let loose a thunderous roar as it raised both of its fists up high before slamming them down onto the mountain with tremendous force.
Immediately thereafter, the entire mountain shuddered violently before collapsing in a gigantic heap, sending massive plumes of dust rising up into the sky.
Moments later, Han Li emerged from the dust before hovering in mid-air, having reverted back to his human form.
He quickly swept his gaze over the surrounding area to see countless streaks of light dispersing in all directions. Virtually all of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's elders and disciples were fleeing the scene.
Far away on the Serene Offering Peak, light was flashing incessantly amid strings of loud explosions, and it seemed that Daoist Closed Mountain was locked in a fierce battle against the sect master of the Heavenly Ghost Sect and several of its Body Integration Stage elders.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly chanted an incantation, then abruptly opened his mouth to release a silver fireball, which instantly transformed into a silver fire raven that was around a foot in size.
He then made a hand seal before pointing a finger at the fire raven, which threw its head back and let loose a clear cry, following which its body began to swell rapidly at an incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, it had swelled to the size of a small mountain, and it spread its wings before swooping down toward a dense cluster of buildings down below.
An earth-shattering boom rang out as the giant fire raven crashed directly into the center of the cluster of buildings, then exploded into a sea of fire that engulfed everything.
Instead of lingering on the scene, Han Li suddenly turned and flew toward another mountain that was several hundred kilometers away.
He had already learned from Daoist Closed Mountain that the name of the mountain was the Serene Treasure Peak, and it was one of the most important places in the Heavenly Ghost Sect, home to its scripture library and pill and treasure storage facilities.
……
Several days later.
In a courtyard in the purple bamboo forest on the Holy Fire Peak.
Sima Jingming was holding a communication plate as he paced back and forth in the room with an elated look on his face.
Given the countless years he had spent cultivating and honing his mental state, he shouldn't have been displaying such clear emotions, but he was unable to suppress his joy.
All of a sudden, the scroll hanging on the wall in front of him suddenly lit up, and Patriarch Cold Flame emerged from within.
"Patriarch Cold Flame!" Sima Jingming hurriedly stopped in his tracks before extending a respectful bow.
"So? Has there been an outcome?" Patriarch Cold Flame asked in an indifferent voice.
"Yes, Patriarch, I have brilliant news to share with you!" Sima Jingming immediately replied with elation glowing in his eyes.
Patriarch Cold Flame's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he didn't say anything in response.
Sima Jingming immediately realized that he had lost his composure, and he hurriedly apologized before continuing in a more self-restrained manner, "I was informed by Senior Han earlier today that the Heavenly Ghost Sect has already been wiped from the face of the Spirit Domain Realm, and he told me to take over some of the nations and sects previously controlled by the Heavenly Ghost Sect as compensation for the scriptures of our sect that he destroyed."
Patriarch Cold Flame's expression remained unchanged despite the good news. "He's only granting us some of the nations and sects previously under the Heavenly Ghost Sect's jurisdiction? What about the Origin Realm Temple?"
"Senior Han didn't mention anything about the Origin Realm Temple to me, but according to what I've heard, the Origin Realm Temple has been dealt a heavy blow, but it hasn't been completely eradicated like the Heavenly Ghost Sect," Sima Jingming replied.
Patriarch Cold Flame's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and only after a long while did he heave a faint sigh. "I had thought that he would be able to inflict heavy damage onto both sects at the cost of his life, but I didn't think that he would be able to wipe out the Heavenly Ghost Sect and live to tell the tale. Looks like I've still managed to underestimate him."
"Patriarch Cold Flame, after all of this, our Cold Flame Sect will be sure to become the number one sect in the Spirit Domain Realm!" Sima Jingming said.
"Don't get complacent. Make sure to keep a close eye on the Origin Realm Temple. Also, I recall that Han Li has a younger sister who's staying in our sect. Make sure to look after her well and ensure her safety at all times. In addition to that, allocate extra resources to everyone in the sect who has any ties with him," Patriarch Cold Flame instructed.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦