"Betrayal against the Celestial Mirror Sect, and on top of that, maliciously injuring an innocent High Elder from our Sovereign Blade Sect. These are the crimes of the Sacred Jewel Sect! We’ll seek vengeance at noon, and those responsible will face justice. This is just the beginning!"
Earlier that day, an unexpected announcement echoed across the planet, bringing clarity to the cultivators about recent events. For many, what had been mere rumors now turned into a harsh reality.
"The two sects have captured the Sacred Jewel Sect disciples who came for the tournament. They’ll be killed by immolation!" The news spread quickly, shocking and angering many.
"It will all happen within the Sovereign Blade Sect, above the central mountain, where anyone from outside can watch the execution," added someone else, increasing the anticipation of those eager to witness the outcome.
"Immolation, huh? That’s ruthless and cruel... those young ones didn’t deserve such a fate just because of their superiors’ actions," commented a cultivator, dismayed at the prisoners’ harsh fate.
Immolation was a brutal form of execution: they burned the victim alive with a flame created from high-level laws, a fire that penetrated deeply, scorching every inch of bone and marrow in a slow, agonizing process. The victims begged for death, screaming until their final breath.
This punishment was merciless and sent chills down the crowd’s spine, yet no one dared to question it. Instead, everyone who could rushed to watch, intrigued by the event’s unfolding.
"Think that traitor Senior will retaliate? I can’t wait to see." murmured one spectator, excited by the spectacle. "They say that in the past, a legendary figure died because of the sects’ defensive power. If he shows up, it’s gonna be quite the show."
The traitor Senior’s power was undeniable, with reports that he had crippled the cultivation of the famous Divine Inquisitor, Gunar.
"This whole immolation setup is to lure him here. If he takes a single step inside the sect, he’s dead. But if he does nothing, the humiliation and loss of prestige will be severe," remarked a cultivator coldly.
The crowd had already gathered around the Sovereign Blade Sect, with a clear view of the central mountain peak. Seven young disciples were tied there, showing... a surprising calm and serenity? This left the spectators intrigued.
"Someone’s approaching!" noted one of the cultivators, spotting an unassuming young man with seemingly insignificant cultivation walking calmly toward the sect’s entrance.
Though everyone had heard about the traitor Senior, no one knew what he looked like—not even the members of the other two sects.
Gunar, after his return, had given a full report before entering a coma for recovery. But without Qi, it was hard to transmit memories or images. Gunar had given a vague description, but since the traitor used a morphing body, his appearance could be altered.
In the end, no one cared. After all, everyone could sense the invincible cultivation of that Senior, and no one planned to face him directly anyway. To all, such a powerful Senior would be an imposing old figure radiating a divine and invincible aura. But who was this young fool?
The leader of the Sacred Jewel Sect was right behind the young man. It took them a while to notice him. It took even longer to realize his identity, surprising the onlookers who had thought he’d died in the city.
How was that Leader still alive? They had seen his pitiful state as he fled from the capital. It was clear he would never survive this long. The spectators held their breath, eager to see what was coming.
*Boom!*
The ground shook as the sect gates closed, anything but welcoming for the approaching pair.
A gigantic guard appeared before the gate. It was a humanoid Aberrant; each of its steps shook the ground.
The massive figure wore black armor, and the visible skin looked like black metal, like a steel mountain radiating an intense pressure over the spectators. His cultivation was at the peak of the True Emperor Realm, one step away from fusing his cores.
The sect members saw the Sacred Jewel Sect leader, alive and present, so they sent only that giant. He was number two among the True Emperor Realm experts of the sect. He alone was more than enough.
"State your name!" the guard roared, his voice deafening.
"You know who I am. And this here is my sect’s Senior," the Leader replied firmly. "Please, release our disciples!"
"Hahaha!" The Gate Guardian laughed uproariously. "You fools from the Sacred Jewel Sect! Do you think bringing along some random person will scare us?"
His expression hardened as he continued with disdain, "Your sect is a worm before us, and yet you dared provoke us? You think having one powerful protector is enough? Hahaha, wait and watch your slow and inevitable destruction."
After a moment, he declared in a menacing tone, "Our leader has given an order: cut off your limbs, crawl in here begging for mercy, and then end your life. She’ll be merciful enough to spare your disciples. How about that?"
"Beg for mercy?" Alm’s voice rang out, cold and impassive. "I’m here to kill everyone in this sect. This is your punishment for conspiring against innocent disciples."
"Damn, that’s a fierce comeback!" The crowd was stunned. Few dared respond so boldly to the Sovereign Blade Sect.
"Bragging so blatantly, ignorant fool. We’ll skin you alive…" the Gate Guardian began to speak, but Alm cut him off without a second thought.
"Sword." He said, extending his hand.
The sect leader beside him handed over his personal sword without hesitation.
"I won’t intimidate you. Survive one strike from me, and I’ll spare you." Alm pointed the sword at the Gate Guardian and spoke calmly.
"One strike?!" The Gate Guardian looked furiously at the young man before him. His rage quickly turned into a mocking laugh, "Hahaha! I get it, I get it. A sword strike I supposedly won’t withstand, right?"
He growled, his face twisting into a vicious grin. "If I block it, you’ll crawl and bark like a dog for us?! Deal?"
The crowd around them understood the sect’s intentions: they couldn’t overpower this hidden Senior, so they aimed to humiliate the Sacred Jewel Sect as much as possible to trigger a reaction.
"Whatever, don’t waste my time," Alm said coldly.
"Let’s see you try to kill me in one blow!" The Gate Guardian sneered, unable to believe he could be taken down.
His defenses were formidable. Even the powerful Gunar wouldn’t be able to kill him in a single strike. Maybe two strikes would do it, but one? Never!
His armor began to glow, radiating a building light. Earth laws pulsed around him, transforming him into an unbreakable fortress.
The Aberrant then raised an enormous shield in front of him. When he placed it on the ground, the area trembled; the shield was large enough to cover his entire body.
"Kid, today is your last day!" The Gate Guardian went all out, confident that the sect leader would attack alongside him. Wielding a massive mace, he prepared to counter-attack.
"Die!" Satisfied with his defenses, he roared and swung his mace with enough force to shatter mountains.
*Slash!*
In a split second, Alm finally moved. His fist glowed with two tattoos, and the strike was delivered with a simple ease—no noise, no flash, just an ethereal glint of laws.
The blade glided through the giant figure and vanished. He paused momentarily, stunned, looking at the sect leader. Was that really just a single strike from this unassuming young man?
He came to his senses and, lifting the mace, pointed it at Alm. "Hahaha, you missed, now start barking like a dog!"
"What happened?" The crowd echoed the same confusion.
The strike had been so soft that there was no sound, no sparks, no sign of impact. It was bizarre. A random young cultivator could have made more of an impression than that.
"Hahaha, start crawling already..." The Gate Guardian taunted.
But before he could finish, his body split in half. Blood and internal organs spilled out onto the ground; his intestines were still writhing.
The two halves of his body dropped. His eyes remained open, staring at the spreading blood. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.
Silence gripped the scene, and the crowd could hardly believe what they were seeing.
"So fast... so fast he didn’t even realize what hit him." An elderly cultivator in the crowd murmured, stunned by the simplicity of that single blow.
The Gate Guardian had no idea he was already dead and still mocked his opponent. When he finally realized, it was far too late.
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"Ugh..." Someone vomited, unable to bear the gruesome, twisted sight.
Though used to death, the cultivators had never seen anything quite like this.
"Too weak."
Alm said casually, sending a shiver through the crowd. Without hesitation, he made another move—a seemingly simple and unspecial strike.
*BOOM!*
The massive gates and the walls at the entrance exploded into fragments.
*Rumble!*
Then the surrounding walls that protected the sect crumbled. The supposedly impenetrable defenses vanished in an instant, powerless before the strength of his blade. In the end, all the enchantments had been suppressed by the tattoos. It was just a stone wall with no real defensive power left.
"The… sect’s defenses..." The Sacred Jewel Sect leader murmured, trembling.
Alm stepped forward. "Time for some fun."