Chapter 84: Slaughter

The young man’s throat was crushed by a surge of force from the speaker’s palm, and he died beyond all saving. The corpse was casually tossed aside. With a slight movement of will, golden sword qi crisscrossed the great hall, and screams rose and fell in succession. In moments, silence returned.

Blood spread across the floor, and the stench of it thickened through the hall. The dozen or so young men who had earlier hesitated and not moved against Yin Tianfang now stared at the scene before them, their faces drained white, their eyes filled with awe and fear.

“If you commit evil, you will end up like them.”

The cold words rang by everyone’s ears, making their hearts tremble.

Yin Tianfang stood in the hall, expression impassive. Dozens of scarlet rays surged into his body, entered his dantian, and were absorbed by the crimson lotus. The lotus unfolded ever so slightly, and at that moment the aura around Yin Tianfang also changed by a small degree.

He moved and headed straight for the exit.

Under the night sky, the quiet of the Azure Dao Sect was shattered by the disturbance in the hall. Figures from all corners of the sect swept over at once, all rushing toward the Hall of Discipline.

Just as Yin Tianfang stepped out of the hall, dozens of young men were already waiting outside, each bristling with hostility and killing intent. His figure paused briefly in midair as he lifted his head and swept his gaze across them. These people had all once been disciples of the Azure Dao Sect. Though he had not known them well before, they had still been fellow sect members.

They, too, recognized Yin Tianfang. Some looked uncertain and alarmed, while others remained utterly indifferent. Even if they had once been senior and junior brothers of the same sect, by this day they were no longer disciples of the Azure Dao Sect.

“Who dares to be so bold as to trespass into my Azure Cloud Sect?”

A sharp shout rang out, and several streaks of light swept in at high speed, each exuding an extremely powerful aura. All of them had clearly reached the higher levels of the Qi Condensation stage.

Yin Tianfang spread out his spiritual sense, instantly covering more than half of the Azure Dao Sect. Under his sweep, countless figures were converging here, and among them the strongest had already reached the great perfection of Qi Condensation.

Watching the gathering crowd grow denser and denser, Yin Tianfang’s expression turned ever colder. These people had all once been disciples of the Azure Dao Sect. The Azure Dao Sect had been crushed by the Azure Cloud Sect and fallen apart, and the Azure Cloud Sect had occupied its lands. Yet these people had actually betrayed the Azure Dao Sect and chosen to submit to the Azure Cloud Sect.

And now they intended to lay hands on Yin Tianfang as well.

Yin Tianfang’s eyes grew colder still. Looking around at the crowd, a shadowed smile touched the corner of his mouth, and his voice, like the freezing wind of the netherworld, carried far and wide.

“For the sake of our former shared sect, I will give you three breaths. Anyone who still blocks my way after that shall die.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes. One breath later, Yin Tianfang opened them again, and a streak of red flashed across his gaze. At the same time, his body shot forward like lightning.

With a sweep of his sleeve, wind and clouds surged. An invisible great hand slammed forward, and the air itself burst with violent cracking sounds. Wherever that unseen hand passed, weaker disciples exploded instantly into clouds of blood mist.

The shockwave swept over many others, sending them vomiting blood and flying backward. Yin Tianfang lifted a finger, and a golden beam shot forth. The small golden sword roamed through empty space, and those injured men who had coughed blood and been flung back, before they could even steady themselves, had their hearts pierced by the golden blade.

In just a few breaths’ time, those former disciples of the Azure Dao Sect had all died miserably at Yin Tianfang’s hands. The thick reek of blood filled the air, and on the ground lay bodies in ruin and pieces.

The remaining people showed looks of terror and hurriedly retreated. Gradually, the majority of the disciples unleashed all their spiritual power and fled as fast as they could. Yet those who tried to escape did not get far before a flash of gold streaked past, tore open a hole through their chests, and left them dying in a spray of blood.

Yin Tianfang remained cold and detached, his eyes flickering with uncanny red light. As the number of deaths increased, ever more scarlet streams of killing aura poured into his body and were absorbed into the crimson lotus.

Within his dantian, the petals of the crimson lotus, nourished by that blood-red aura, were slowly unfolding. And as it bloomed, the aura surrounding Yin Tianfang gradually grew stronger as well.

Once the crimson lotus fully opened, Yin Tianfang would truly step into the foundation realm.

More and more people died, and more of that scarlet killing aura flowed into Yin Tianfang’s body. His face stayed ice-cold, and within those red-glimmering eyes there was a faint hint of merciless cruelty. Wherever that flash of cold light passed, any former Azure Dao Sect disciple who refused to retreat either burst apart or had their hearts pierced by the small golden sword.

He did not even spare a glance for the dead. His figure swept on at full speed without the slightest pause.

At this moment, every former disciple of the Azure Dao Sect had long been broken inside, watching their fellow disciples explode one after another into blood mist. Deep terror spread through their hearts without restraint.

“Impudent madman, cease your rampage!”

A furious shout rang out. The few among the crowd with the highest cultivation had finally recovered their wits, but Yin Tianfang was simply too fast. In just a few breaths, he had already killed several hundred people.

This both shocked and enraged them. One by one they leaped into the air, spiritual power surging around them, and all attacked Yin Tianfang together.

Yin Tianfang halted and fixed his gaze on those few.

All of them had once been inner sect disciples of the Azure Dao Sect, gifted beyond the ordinary. After two years, their cultivation had already reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and with one more step they could reach great perfection. Given a little more time, they would certainly have entered the foundation realm.

“Hmph. Seeking death.”

Yin Tianfang stopped, extended both hands, and suddenly struck at one of them. The Attraction Art transformed into an invisible palm and slammed heavily into that man’s body.

A mouthful of blood spurted wildly as he was sent flying at once, crashing hard to the ground. Yin Tianfang did not even glance at him. His gaze moved to another man, and with a reaching grasp, the invisible great hand seized that person and tightened brutally.

With a boom, a cloud of blood mist exploded outward. The man was crushed alive by the great hand and scattered into blood that filled the sky.

The few who had been preparing to attack abruptly froze, staring at Yin Tianfang in fear.

What kind of cultivation was this? To kill a ninth-level Qi Condensation expert with a single move?

Could he be a foundation realm powerhouse?

The thought surfaced in everyone’s minds, and they could not help but retreat step by step. To attack a foundation realm expert was like lighting a lantern in a cesspit—courting death.

At that very moment, in another direction of the Azure Dao Sect, several elderly men stood silently. None of them spoke; they only frowned and fixed their eyes on Yin Tianfang, their expressions heavy with solemnity.