The End of the Immortal Path

After Jiang Man and the others left, the Lingyue Sect had returned to its usual tranquility.

Moreover, it hadn’t suffered any repercussions.

They thought they had dodged a bullet.

But today, the Sect Leader received news: someone had arrived.

Someone from the Wuyun Sect, most likely.

He knew nothing else, but he was certain that the visitor was an incomprehensibly powerful expert.

The Sect Leader immediately sought out the Grand Elder. "Elder Luo, we have a problem."

Elder Luo was puzzled. "But we haven’t launched any operations against undercover agents recently."

"It’s not about agents! Someone from the Wuyun Sect has come. We’re counting on you, Elder Luo," the Sect Leader said anxiously.

Elder Luo had come from the Wuyun Sect, so he had some understanding of how they operated.

Although the Sect Leader was a Primordial Spirit expert, he didn’t dare act arrogantly when facing a behemoth like the Wuyun Sect.

He had heard that the Wuyun Sect’s Inner Sect was filled with Primordial Spirit Student Cultivators. The only reason his sect remained unscathed was because they weren’t worth the Wuyun Sect’s time.

But now...

It seemed they were taking things seriously.

Hearing this, Elder Luo also felt a surge of panic, but he quickly calmed his Heart Spirit. "Sect Leader, do not worry. Our actions aren’t enough to make the Wuyun Sect declare war."

"Let’s go and see first."

It was impossible not to be afraid.

They were already walking on a knife’s edge.

At any moment, they could fall into a bottomless abyss.

Not daring to delay, they rushed to the Sword Tomb immediately.

The moment they saw the figure’s back, the hope that had kept their hearts suspended died.

From that simple view of his back, they could perceive an insurmountable gap between them.

He was a being they could never hope to reach.

His aura was extraordinary, as deep and vast as the ocean.

The two men hurried over to Ji Hao and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Immortal."

Ji Hao withdrew his gaze from the Sword Tomb and let it fall upon the two of them.

His eyes lingered on Elder Luo for a moment before turning to the Sect Leader. "Middle Stage of Primordial Spirit?"

"I was merely fortunate to break through. It’s not worth mentioning," the Sect Leader said, bowing his head respectfully.

Ji Hao remarked with some emotion, "That’s still quite impressive. However, you’ve captured a fair number of people. The Wuyun Sect rarely meddles in outside affairs, but when we come across something, we have to deal with it."

The Sect Leader trembled all over and immediately said, "We will abide by whatever the Immortal decides."

"Just release the prisoners for now," Ji Hao said.

"Yes." The Sect Leader didn’t dare hesitate for a second. "I’ll release them at once."

"There’s no need for such trouble." Ji Hao took a step forward, and a massive Array began to spread out from under his feet.

It then enveloped all the prisoners who had been captured and brought to the Sword Sect.

In the next moment, to everyone’s astonishment, the prisoners transformed into streaks of light.

They shot outwards, vanishing to an unknown destination.

Witnessing this world-shaking technique, the legs of the onlookers grew even weaker.

They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

"Did a man named Ah Niu come here a while ago?" Ji Hao asked.

The Sect Leader nodded. "That Immortal had a pleasant conversation with us. There was no conflict whatsoever."

"He told me there was a strand of Sword Intent here. Are you aware of it?" Ji Hao said softly.

They all shook their heads.

They had never heard of such a thing.

Ji Hao nodded. "Then let me show you this Sword Intent."

As he spoke, he stepped forward. As he drew closer, the once-tranquil Sword Tomb suddenly began to tremble.

Every Spirit Sword on the mountain peak quivered, emitting waves of sonorous ringing.

They seemed to be resonating with the approaching man.

It was as if countless Spirit Swords would erupt from the ground with a mere wave of his hand.

Soon, rays of light emerged from the Spirit Swords, beginning to converge upward.

An ethereal Sword Intent gathered, carrying an aura that could annihilate everything.

The Sect Leader and the others were stunned.

They watched as a Long Sword materialized in the sky. The instant they saw it, they felt as if they were witnessing a vision of the void being cleaved apart, of mountains shattering, seas parting, and stars disintegrating.

But in the next instant, they saw the sword appear before the Immortal.

Ji Hao looked at the Sword Intent and murmured with emotion, ’This is the Sword Intent an ancestor once possessed?’

He had thought it was merely an ancient Sword Intent, never imagining it would be so special.

He knew a little about this Sword Intent; its origins were said to be exceptionally unique.

Then, he reached out and grasped the Sword Intent.

For a moment, the Sword Intent seemed to release an incomparable will of its own.

But Ji Hao quickly suppressed it.

Finally, the Sword Intent vanished into his hand.

With that done, Ji Hao turned to the others and said, "I’m taking the Sword Intent. You can spread the news. Just say that Ji Hao of the Wuyun Sect has taken the Sword Intent."

The Sect Leader and the others were confused.

But when they wanted to ask, they discovered that Ji Hao had already disappeared.

He immediately looked to Elder Luo.

Elder Luo pondered for a moment before saying, "This Sword Intent is more of a curse than a blessing. Someone will definitely come looking for it in the future. The Lingyue Sect cannot be the only ones who know of this."

"If that person decides to suppress the news, then..."

’...it would mean the annihilation of our sect.’ The Sect Leader broke out in a cold sweat.

He immediately gave the order to start spreading the news.

As long as everyone knew...

...then any attempt to suppress the information would be meaningless.

Perhaps they could avert disaster.

——

「Wuyun Sect.」

Mr. Yan was walking down a path, followed by Jiang Man and four others.

They were the top five students from the Third Courtyard of Cloud Mist Peak.

"Mr. Yan, when we meet them this time, will they decide who challenges us?" Zhao Yaoyao asked.

Yan Yiqiu nodded slightly. "After we go over this time, they’ll probably provoke you a bit first, then issue their challenges."

"At most, they’ll just decide the matchups. There won’t be any actual fighting."

"The exchange itself won’t happen until tomorrow at the earliest."

"What happens if we lose?" Lin Qingshan asked curiously.

It didn’t seem possible for them to lose, but there was always a chance.

"Lose?" Yan Yiqiu turned to look at them, his expression impassive. "The other instructors will use me as a laughingstock for the rest of my life."

"And if my life becomes difficult, yours will too."

Everyone: "..."

’So direct?’

"I’m probably in the most danger, right? I’m holding the number one spot, so that Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator will definitely provoke me," Zhuo Bufan said.

Even as the publicly ranked number three, he would still be targeted.