The golden crow sank in the west, the silver moon rose in the east, the cycle repeated...
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
On this day, outside Misty Mountain, the clouds and mist were still vast, enveloping thousands of meters around the mountain.
Mortals who entered would probably be unable to discern any direction.
Even cultivators would be unable to see clearly with the naked eye and would have to rely on their divine sense to navigate.
The Great Elder from Qiandi Dao Sect arrived with two elite disciples within the range of the clouds and mist.
They were there to visit the Wayless Sect, this 'Hidden Sect'.
The Great Elder looked back at the two disciples following him.
"Remember, when visiting a Hidden Sect, you must not offend them. Put down your arrogance for me."
"This visit represents the Qiandi Dao Sect of the Holy Ground of the Eastern State, and if we can befriend a Hidden Sect, we certainly must."
The Great Elder instructed slowly.
He feared that his two disciples, in a moment of hot-headedness, might screw this up.
He also sighed internally.
If the Sect Master hadn't personally ordered him to bring two elite disciples from his sect to gain some experience, he would have never brought disciples along.
However, he could understand the Sect Master's intentions.
Bringing two elite disciples to gain experience was one thing.
The most important was to show the Hidden Sect the strength of his Qiandi Dao Sect.
These two elite disciples were young, yet they were already at the Golden Core Realm.
Sufficient to represent the face of his Qiandi Dao Sect.
Upon hearing his words, the two disciples dared not complain and bowed their hands in respect.
"Yes, Elder."
Seeing their reaction, the Great Elder said no more, waved his wide sleeves, and flew forward with the two disciples.
He planned to reach the place Zhang San mentioned last time and then make further observations.
Ten minutes after the three of them stepped into the cloud and mist, before they reached their destination, they encountered a figure that forced them to stop.
This place was within the territory of a Hidden Sect...
Anyone who appeared here was either from a Hidden Sect or a powerful cultivator visiting one; in any case, they were all related to the Hidden Sect.
It was wise to observe first.
They moved a little closer.
Even with the clouds, they could see the scene ahead clearly.
A figure was confronting a fierce tiger with a colorful coat...
Upon closer examination,
The figure was a young man dressed in an Azure Crane Cloud Robe, wielding a long sword with an aloof air, like a peerless Sword Immortal.
But any cultivator could tell.
This was a mortal.
Turning to look at the tiger, its huge body was six or seven meters long, radiating a murderous aura, and in the tiger's eyes, there was not only bloodthirst but also traces of sentience.
With sentience, this was a demon!
Even if the sentience was sparse, once categorized as a 'demon,' it could not be treated as an ordinary beast.
Once stepping into the 'demon' category, it was already different from mere beasts; ordinary Qi Refinement Stage cultivators would lose their lives encountering even a minor demon.
Even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators would have to act cautiously.
This mortal encountering such a demon tiger was probably doomed.
The Great Elder initially did not want to intervene.
There was a difference between immortals and mortals.
Upon stepping onto the path of cultivation, they no longer had any ties to mortals.
They wouldn't bother with mundane affairs.
However, since this was considered the territory of a Hidden Sect, having a demon harming people here ultimately would not reflect well.
Just as the Great Elder was about to act and kill the demon tiger,
The young man suddenly drew his sword.
With a single slash.
Hum...
In the eyes of the three from the Great Elder's group, a bright flash of sword light passed by, and the endless sounds of sword cries echoed, instantly throwing their Dao hearts into chaos.
The vast sky seemed to collapse,
And the ground splintered, breaking apart layer by layer.
At this moment, the three of them felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance and helplessness.
The sky seemed to collapse, and they were unable to do anything but watch helplessly as their deaths approached...
"Break!"
The Great Elder, a being from the Divinity Transformation Realm, immediately realized something was amiss and let out a forceful shout.
In an instant, he shattered everything.
The scene of the collapsing sky vanished like an ephemeral mirror reflection or a moon reflected on water.
The sky was still that sky.
The earth was still that earth.
Everything was like an illusion.
With a wave of his hands, mana coursed out, and the two disciples woke up.
Thump...
When the two disciples awoke, their legs were trembling uncontrollably, drenched in cold sweat, they collapsed to the ground, unable to regain their composure for a long time.
After a short while,
The two disciples regained their senses and looked at the Great Elder with terror in their eyes.
"Elder, what... what just happened?"
"Elder, we have disgraced the Dao Sect..."
The Great Elder waved his hand, his gaze deeply serious.
"That sword just now involved the Divinity Transformation Realm's understanding of the Dao, it's normal for you, at the Golden Core Realm, to be unable to withstand it."
"But I am very curious about who this young man really is. He seems like a mortal, yet his sword contains the essence of Dao, which directly slashes the Dao heart and Divine Soul..."
The Great Elder spoke with weight in his voice.
He looked over into the distance.
The Demon Tiger had long been dead.
The young man also sheathed his sword, grabbed the tail of the Demon Tiger, and turned around to leave.
But with that turn,
he faced the Great Elder and his companions.
Eye to eye,
they stood in silence.
The Great Elder and his two companions were pondering the true identity of this person.
Ye Luo, holding the Demon Tiger's tail, was also stunned.
He had no idea who these three people were.
Or what business they had at the foot of Misty Mountain.
The next moment, the Great Elder was the first to speak, breaking the silence.
He said, "May I ask who this young friend might be? And why are you here in this place?"
Ye Luo was baffled.
You are near my sect's grounds, and you're asking who I am and why I'm here?
What exactly do these three people want?
He responded oddly, "This is the territory of the Wayless Sect, why are you asking me who I am? Shouldn't I be the one asking who you are instead?"
The territory of the Wayless Sect!
Hiss!!
The Great Elder inhaled sharply, indeed, the Hidden Sect was here.
That's right.
Only a Hidden Sect could raise someone as extraordinary as the figure before them.
He appeared to be a mere mortal, but capable of cutting through a person's Dao heart and Divine Soul with a sword...
"So the young friend is from the Wayless Sect, no wonder you are so handsome and dashing, graceful and elegant, mild and cultured, standing tall like a jade tree in the breeze, a promising youth... That is indeed the case, I am the Great Elder of the Qiandi Dao Sect. We have come to visit the Wayless Sect, and if we have caused any offense, please be so kind as to overlook it."
In order to make a good impression in front of Ye Luo, the Great Elder went all out, letting go of the idol facade he maintained within the Sect, and flattered him vigorously.
He then went on to introduce his own background.
This spectacle left the two Elite Disciples behind him nearly dropping their eyes in astonishment.
Is this... is this really their dignified, solemn Elder who wouldn't tolerate the slightest fault in his presence??
Speak up! Which obsequious dog has taken over our Great Elder?!
Our Great Elder could never be so sycophantic...