"Who are you?!" Xia Ming exclaimed, staggering back. The person in front of him seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
Wuji had been just 12 years old back then, but now, at 17, he had grown taller, his features more defined and mature. His once boyish appearance had transformed into that of a young man, with a stronger build and sharper facial features that made him almost unrecognizable from his former self.
Although the powerful sects of the continent had a portrait of Wuji, Xia Ming, being just an inner disciple with a measly Spirit Profound Realm, didn't have the qualifications to access this information.
"Oh, you don't remember me?" Wuji said with a smile. "Don't worry, I have many ways to refresh your memory later."
"This is the Sword Unity Sect! Don't be arrogant!" Xia Ming quickly gathered his profound strength to attack but suddenly realized he couldn't move.
"What... what did you do to me?"
"You don't need to know." Wuji walked closer, step by step, and when he was just a few steps away, he whispered, "Sleep."
"I..." Xia Ming opened his mouth, but he didn't manage to say anything before losing consciousness.
Glancing at the unconscious trash, Wuji's smile faded as he clenched his fists, memories of the past flooding back.
Xia Ming and Wang Hai had coveted Yun Gu's medical skills and pills, particularly his pill recipes. Their greed led them to accidentally discover the Sky Poison Pearl. Although they didn't recognize its significance, their sect master did. This discovery brought calamity upon Yun Gu and Wuji.
Wuji grabbed Xia Ming and disappeared.
"Who are you?!" Wang Hai was startled when he saw someone appear in his bedroom.
Wuji didn't answer. With a light tap on the ground, he moved swiftly, leaving a trail of afterimages. He reached Wang Hai before he could react and punched him in the gut.
"Argh!" Wang Hai fell to the ground, throwing up.
"What... what are you doing?! This is the Sword Unity Sect!" He shouted at Wuji, confused and terrified. How had such a person managed to sneak into the sect, and why was he targeting him?
"..." What answered him was a kick in the face, knocking out some teeth.
"Stop! Don't do anything foolish! I advise you to leave. If the elders or the sect master find out, you will regret it!" Wang Hai shouted again, hoping to buy some time, hoping the sect would notice something amiss.
Unfortunately, Wuji wasn't interested in answering. His eyes were cold, barely restraining his killing intent.
After nearly breaking all of Wang Hai's bones, Wuji knocked him out and grabbed him before teleporting.
He reappeared in a cave not far from the sect and threw Wang Hai next to the unconscious Xia Ming.
Giving them one last glance, Wuji then teleported back to the sect.
Although Wang Hai and Xia Ming are the main cause, the people who killed Yun Gu are the high-ranked members of this sect.
-----
In the central area, the sect master Lin Mo was in his study room, busy with paperwork. As the sect master of a large sect, he wielded significant authority, but this also meant he had to dedicate considerable time to managing the sect's affairs, leaving less time for his own cultivation.
This was also one of the reasons why his father, the previous sect master, passed the seat to him.
"Hmm, after finishing this last paper, I'll go visit Yue'er. It's been a while since I saw her," Lin Mo was in a good mood. After completing his work, he stood up and stretched his back.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a sword pierced through the void, heading towards him with such speed that he couldn't react in time.
He was a rank four Overlord and naturally, his speed was fast, but the speed and the timing of the attack left him no room to dodge!
Shi!
The sword was milliseconds away from piercing him. With great effort, Lin Mo managed to shift his position just enough, causing the sword to penetrate his right back, narrowly saving his life.
"Who... who are you?!" Turning his head with great difficulty, Lin Mo saw his attacker.
It was a handsome young man wrapped in a thin, white transparent membrane, holding a purple Heavy Sword.
"Sigh, why do you all ask the same question?" Wuji shrugged, his shoulders relaxed. "Don't you remember me, sect master?" He smiled at Lin Mo.
"I bet you were dreaming of meeting me day and night." His smile was warm, giving people a sense of closeness, but Lin Mo felt a cold chill run down his spine.
"You!! You are Yun Wuji!!!" Lin Mo exclaimed in shock. Never would he have thought that the brat they had chased away years ago would reappear here and attack him!
Back then, one of his biggest regrets was letting the Sky Poison Pearl slip from his grasp.
"Correct! Unfortunately, there is no prize~" Wuji nodded cheerfully, shaking his index finger.
"How... how did you manage to become this strong?" Lin Mo asked, his voice strained.
"Of course, because I am a gen..." Wuji began to answer, but suddenly Lin Mo, despite his grievous injuries, launched an attack, interrupting him!
Boom!
With a resounding boom, the force of the attack propelled him dozens of meters away from Wuji.
The shockwave ripped through the room, causing the roof to collapse and the walls to crumble.
After managing to escape, ignore the falling rubbles and Lin Mo glanced down at his chest and saw a wide hole, around 40 centimeters in diameter.
"To think that the owner of the Sky Poison Pearl would actually become this strong! As expected of a heavenly treasure!" Glancing at Wuji through the dust, he didn't seem to be affected by the sudden attack, Lin Mo sighed.
He attributed Wuji's rapid cultivation to the Sky Poison Pearl.
"Hey, it's impolite to interrupt someone when they're talking," Wuji said calmly, seemingly unfazed as if the earlier attack had been within his expectations.
"Youngster, you're still inexperienced. You didn't finish me off when you had the chance, and now you will regret it," Lin Mo said solemnly, looking at Wuji.
"Oh really?" Wuji replied casually, he wasn't concerned about Lin Mo's warning.
"If this were anywhere else, I might be at your mercy. But this is the Unity Sword Sect! You can forget about leaving now that you're here," Lin Mo declared firmly. Despite his injuries, he wasn't distressed; in fact, he was glad. The fact that the owner of the Sky Poison Pearl had delivered himself to their doorstep was beyond his imagination.
For the past few years, the entire continent had been searching for any trace of him, but they all came up empty-handed.
"Really, why do you all repeat the same script?" Wuji retorted sarcastically.
"Hmph," Lin Mo snorted at him.
"Sect master!"
"Lord Sect master, are you alright?"
At that moment, the Grand Elder followed by elders appeared. Far away, the deacons and inner sect disciples were also approaching.
The commotion from the attack drew the attention of all the high-ranking sect members present.
"Good! Take down this intruder!" Lin Mo nodded at them, giving the order. He has been staying for time waiting for reinforcement to arrive.
"Yes, sect master!"
"As you command, Lord sect master," the Grand Elder answered, and the others followed suit.
"Kid, surrender now, and we may spare your life." They surrounded Wuji from all directions, with the Grand Elder taking the lead.
"Good, it seems that everyone is here." Wuji nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Domain expansion." Finishing his talking, a domain expanded envelope everyone present.