The ground shook as the **Azure Valley Sect Leader** stormed out from the central hall of the sect's grand temple, his heavy footsteps echoing like thunder in the courtyard. His expression was a dark storm of rage, his brows drawn tightly as the elders flanked him, their faces equally twisted with fury and disbelief. The last of their members, Elder Yun, had just been struck down in an unimaginable display of power, and now, their greatest fear had come to pass. This young man—this monster—had decimated their pride.
The **sect leader**, a towering figure in his early fifties, stood at **Spiritual Bonding Stage**, the fifth stage of cultivation. He was a **First-Level Spiritual Bonding cultivator**, one of the most powerful men in the **Scarlet Flame Empire**, and his aura radiated with crushing power. The elders had been crushed, but this—this would be different. He would not let this boy walk away from the **Azure Valley Sect** alive.
With a slow, deliberate motion, the sect leader extended his hands, channeling energy into the air. A series of intricate **spiritual sigils** and **elemental runes** appeared around him, their dazzling light forming a barrier of protection. He raised his head high, his voice booming with authority.
"Do you think you can defy the **Azure Valley Sect**, boy? Do you know who you face?" His words dripped with arrogance. "I am the sect leader, a **Spiritual Bonding Stage** cultivator, the highest power within this sect, and none shall stand against me. You will pay for your insolence."
At his side, the elders stood, their expressions hardening. They, too, were all at the **Peak Elemental Control Stage**, the highest of the intermediate cultivation stages. Despite their strength, the events of the last few moments had shaken their confidence. But now, with the sect leader stepping forward, they felt emboldened. Together, they would crush this insignificant ant.
The sect leader raised his arm, and with a single command, the disciples attacked. Dozens of energy beams, infused with lightning, flame, and ice, surged toward Liang Zhen. The air was filled with the crackling power of their combined assault. Yet, to their disbelief, not a single attack landed.
Liang Zhen stood motionless in the center of the courtyard, his expression cold and distant, his body seemingly unaffected by the ferocious barrage of attacks. The elders' skills—developed over decades—met his form, but there was no reaction. The strikes seemed to dissipate before they even made contact, as though his body had become an impenetrable wall.
"What... what is this?" Elder Zhang whispered, his voice trembling with fear. He had unleashed an **earthquake punch**, the force of which could shatter mountains, yet it had passed through Liang Zhen like air.
The sect leader narrowed his eyes, taking in the absurdity of the situation. "Impossible! How can you not be harmed by our attacks?" His voice was a low growl of frustration, his mind racing for an explanation.
Liang Zhen, still silent and unmoving, slowly tilted his head to the side. His eyes, empty and unfeeling, scanned each elder in turn, before landing on the sect leader. His voice was soft, but it rang out in the charged atmosphere with chilling clarity.
"I must admit, I am disappointed," Liang Zhen said, his tone flat and emotionless. "This is the third-class sect you speak of? The **greatest sect** in the empire, the one your elders boast about? And yet, this is all you have to offer?" He paused for a moment, his eyes empty, as if he were speaking to himself more than to them. "I had expected more."
The elders trembled at the cold disdain in his words. To be reduced to such weakness in the presence of this young man was an insult none of them could bear. They had never felt so powerless.
Liang Zhen's voice broke the silence again, his words cutting deep. "You want to kill me? Then understand this: You need to grasp the true nature of this world. Only then will you see where you stand."
In that instant, without any flourish or sign, Liang Zhen moved. His body blurred as he surged forward, his fist slicing through the air with terrifying speed. The **sect leader** was the first to react, summoning all of his power to raise his defenses, but it was too late. The punch hit him square in the chest.
The sound was deafening—a sickening crack that echoed across the sect as the sect leader's body was torn apart from the inside. His chest caved in under the weight of the blow, and blood exploded from his mouth as he was sent flying into the air, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.
The **elders** watched in disbelief as their leader lay crumpled, his body mangled, his eyes wide with terror and disbelief. He was still alive, barely, but his power was shattered. He had been struck down in a single blow—an instant of utter destruction that none of them could have foreseen.
Liang Zhen stood in the center of the chaos, his eyes cold and empty, as he surveyed the remaining elders, their faces a mixture of horror and rage.
"For all your boasting," he continued, his voice still as detached as before, "this is the extent of your strength. A single punch was enough to bring your leader to the ground. And now, I stand here, awaiting whoever dares to challenge me next."
As his words settled in, the **two girls**, **Lian Hua** and **Zhen Yue**, watched from the distance, their hearts racing. The **scarlet flames** of the forest reflected in their eyes, and the magnitude of the battle unfolded before them. They had seen Liang Zhen's power before, but never on this scale, never with such devastating ease.
Zhen Yue, her face pale with disbelief, whispered to Lian Hua. "Is this... is this him? The man we searched for... is he the one we were looking for all this time?"
Lian Hua, equally stunned, could only nod in response. "I don't know... but this power—this... rage—it's something beyond what I could have imagined."
Liang Zhen's next words seemed to echo across the entire sect, breaking the tension in the air with a chilling clarity.
"You wanted to kill me," he said softly. "But in the end, I am the one who stands."
And with that, he stood motionless, his back to the broken sect that had once boasted of its greatness, waiting for anyone who would dare challenge him next.
In the distance, the **Azure Valley Sect** trembled at the revelation of its inadequacy.