"What... What did you say?" Cao Ren stared at Jiang Wanwan in disbelief.
Jiang Wanwan repeated herself calmly, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I've already joined the Star-Moon Sect as an outer disciple."
"Star-Moon Sect? Outer disciple?!" Cao Ren's voice cracked with disbelief.
A Cold Marrow Sacred Body… an eighth-grade spiritual root… and she was settling for an outer disciple position? Was this some kind of joke?
And Star-Moon Sect? He had never even heard of it.
Taking a deep breath, Cao Ren said, "If you return with me to Misty Cloud Sect, at the very least, you'll be accepted as a personal disciple to one of our elders."
Misty Cloud Sect was one of the four great sects of Northern Qianzhou. Becoming an elder's personal disciple there wasn't just an opportunity—it was practically a divine blessing.
How could a low-tier sect's outer disciple position possibly compare?
Jiang Wanwan wavered for a moment, clearly tempted, but then firmly shook her head. "I've already joined the Star-Moon Sect. I can't go with you."
She wasn't stupid.
Someone who could activate her Sacred Body so easily couldn't possibly be simple—even if she hadn't heard of this sect before.
Especially since, during the activation, her Cold Marrow Sacred Body had instinctively submitted to that woman—Tara York.
She was willing to bet her future on that.
Cao Ren's face darkened. He turned toward Jiang Hua, the patriarch of the Jiang clan. "Patriarch Jiang, is this your decision as well?" His tone carried a distinct edge of threat.
Such talent—Sacred Body, eighth-grade root—was exactly the kind Misty Cloud Sect couldn't afford to lose. Talented disciples were the foundation of any great sect.
Jiang Hua looked to his granddaughter, and she gave a small, confident nod.
With a deep breath, Jiang Hua replied, "This is Wanwan's decision, and the Jiang family supports her choice."
She had always been a clever girl. He trusted her judgment. And truthfully, he, too, had sensed something profound in the seemingly ordinary woman from the Star-Moon Sect.
She was clearly no simple cultivator.
Cao Ren's face twisted further, but before he could speak, Zhao Yancheng, the Zhao clan leader, stepped in smoothly, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Looks like the Jiang family doesn't think much of Misty Cloud Sect's generosity," Zhao sneered. "They've always been arrogant. And now that they've activated a Sacred Body and confirmed an eighth-grade root, I suppose they've got something to be arrogant about."
He couldn't let Jiang Wanwan join Misty Cloud Sect. If she did, the Zhao clan's position in Yong'an City would be completely crushed.
So he was here to stir the pot—anything to ruin the deal.
His words only made Cao Ren's face cloud darker.
Cao Ren turned back toward Jiang Wanwan. "Let me ask you one last time—"
A lazy voice interrupted him. "Trying to poach my disciple right in front of the Star-Moon Sect's leader… isn't that a bit shameless?"
Cao Ren spun around in fury to glare at the speaker—but the moment he locked eyes with Tara York, he froze.
His eyes widened, his mouth hung open—he looked like he could swallow two eggs whole.
Who… who was this woman?
He couldn't sense a trace of spiritual energy from her, but the robes she wore were of a quality he couldn't even identify—far superior to the seventh-tier battle garments worn by Misty Cloud Sect's peak elders.
She was no ordinary person. He had to tread carefully.
With his rage subdued, Cao Ren cupped his fists respectfully. "So you're the Sect Leader of Star-Moon Sect. My apologies for the intrusion."
His sudden shift shocked Zhao Yancheng. What was happening here?
Tara York's voice was calm and cool. "Jiang Wanwan is already a disciple of my Star-Moon Sect. Do you have any objections?"
The tone was light, almost indifferent—but to Cao Ren, it struck like thunder.
He coughed violently, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, then collapsed to the ground.
Gasps rang out around the square.
Cao Ren had just stepped into the Core Formation Realm—a powerhouse in a place like Yong'an City.
And yet a few words from this woman had crushed him?
Who was she?
Tara York raised her eyebrows slightly, giving him a faint glance.
Cao Ren shivered. Cold sweat poured down his back. "N-no objections. Jiang Wanwan… is indeed now a disciple of your honorable sect."
But before he could even finish, a formless force sent him flying—straight into the giant stone slab at the center of the square, embedding him like a ragdoll.
Tara York flicked her wrist.
The massive stone ripped itself free from the ground with a thunderous rumble and floated to her side before slamming down once more.
She looked down at Cao Ren with indifference. "The name of my sect's disciple is not something you may call so freely."
Cao Ren groaned in pain, still dazed. "I… I'm a disciple of Misty Cloud Sect…"
One of the four great sects of the Northern Qianzhou! Where was the respect?
He wanted to crush his emergency summon talisman—but his bones were shattered. He couldn't move.
"Senior Brother Cao!" several Misty Cloud disciples cried, rushing forward.
One from the Crimson Feather Sect hesitated, then gritted his teeth and raised his hand to try and split the stone slab with a powerful strike.
Tara York's cultivation was completely hidden, and he assumed she couldn't be stronger than Misty Cloud Sect. He wanted to show where his loyalty lay.
He was at the peak of the Sea Gathering Realm—half a step into the Spirit Condensation Realm. A mere stone shouldn't be a problem.
But the moment his palm struck…
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed across the square. His arm bent the wrong way, wrist swelling like a pig's hoof.
The surrounding sect representatives—Azure Cloud, Twin Extremes Palace, and Sunfire Pavilion—were all stunned.
What the hell kind of stone was that?
Tara York didn't even glance at him. Instead, she looked at Cao Ren. "Misty Cloud Sect? Not even worthy to shine our boots."
Cao Ren's face twisted with pain, shame, and rage. His vision blurred.
"P-please… call for an elder…" he managed to whisper.
The Misty Cloud disciples instantly crushed their emergency talismans. "How dare you!" they roared.
"Our Misty Cloud Sect is one of the great four sects of Northern Qianzhou—how dare you defile our name!"
"You may have more power than us, but you'll regret this!"
One disciple held the shattered talisman aloft. "I'm summoning an elder now. He'll destroy you!"
The air shifted.
A surge of powerful energy descended from the heavens as a spectral figure emerged from the broken talisman, floating above them with an expressionless gaze.
"Elder Xu!" the disciples cried, pointing furiously. "That woman insulted our sect and injured Senior Brother Cao!"
Elder Xu followed the direction of their outstretched hands—then stumbled midair.
As soon as his eyes met Tara York, his expression changed completely.
He had overcome tribulation and reached the Immortal Realm. Unlike his junior, he could sense the dense threads of Dao Law swirling around this woman.
Stronger than even their sect master's Imperial Immortal cultivation.
In that instant, he knew—she was far beyond them.
He dove down immediately.
The Misty Cloud disciples were still shouting, "Elder Xu, kill her! Kill her!"
Only to receive a giant slap across the face in return.
The Misty Cloud Sect disciple was slapped so hard that he spun eight and a half times on the spot.His neat white teeth clattered to the ground like shattered pearls, mixing with blood and foam—miserable didn't even begin to describe it.
"Silence!" Elder Xu's projected image roared at the stunned disciple.
The disciple, mouth sunken from the lack of teeth, stared blankly ahead, his eyes shining with an innocent, idiotic gleam.Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Everyone else stood frozen, utterly bewildered as they stared at Elder Xu.A million questions ran through their minds.Isn't he an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect?Didn't one of their disciples summon him for backup?Shouldn't he be giving that Star Moon Sect woman a show of force?
So… why was he slapping his own disciple instead?Did he hit the wrong target? Was he just messing around?
Elder Xu pointed again at the toothless disciple.A vicious surge of spiritual energy instantly shattered the young man's Grade Six spiritual roots.
With a cry of pain, the disciple collapsed, eyes rolling back into unconsciousness.His cultivation path was over—his spiritual roots destroyed beyond recovery.
"From this moment forward, you are no longer a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect," Elder Xu's voice boomed like thunder.The crowd was stunned speechless, their confusion rising to new heights.
But what came next was even more shocking.
They watched as Elder Xu bowed deeply to Tara York, nodding and groveling as he said, "Please forgive me, my lord. I have already crippled the boy's spiritual roots.""When I return to the sect, I will ensure that his entire bloodline is cast into the Wastelands."
His demeanor made him look like less than a servant.
Seeing this, the Misty Cloud disciples—including the half-dead Cao Ren—felt ice water run through their veins.This isn't just kicking a steel plate… this is crashing headfirst into a whole iron mountain range!
Tara blinked, then murmured in her mind, "Little Three, didn't you say no one would be able to sense my Emperor-level aura as long as I kept my cultivation hidden?"
Little Three quickly responded, "That's still true. But he has already ascended to the Immortal Realm, so he can sense the Heavenly Dao Laws flowing from your body.""Only Immortals can perceive that.""What terrified him is that your Heavenly Dao Laws are far denser than his own.""He can't tell you're an Emperor—but he knows you're way, way stronger than him."
"I see," Tara nodded inwardly. Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait, didn't you say no one in five thousand miles was above the Domain Creation Realm?"
"Misty Cloud Sect is nearly ten thousand miles away," Little Three quickly explained. "This is just a soul projection, stored in a spiritual artifact."
Tara shot a glance at Elder Xu's projection. "Well, at least you know your place."
Relieved, Elder Xu's projection grew even more deferential. "You honor me, my lord. May I ask what brings you to Yongan City?"
"To take in a few disciples," Tara said casually, then looked down at Cao Ren. "Your sect's people tried to steal one of mine."
Elder Xu froze, then turned toward Cao Ren and roared, "Insolent fool!"
He raised a hand to summon Cao Ren for punishment.
Nothing happened.
He tried again. Still nothing.
He frowned, moving his fingers rapidly to form a summoning spell—still no response.
Cao Ren remained firmly embedded in the giant stone pillar like a preserved fossil.
Elder Xu's expression twisted with disbelief. What kind of stone is this?!
Tara finally spoke again, voice cool. "Don't bother. That's my personal seal on that rock. You, a mere Immortal, think you can shake it?"
Elder Xu instantly bowed low. "Of course not, my lord. My arrogance was shameful."
The crowd didn't even dare to breathe too hard.Did… did she just say "mere Immortal"?To them, Immortals were gods walking among mortals—yet to this Star Moon Sect leader, they were just… trivial.
Cao Ren looked like he wanted to die.
Zhao Yancheng, head of the Zhao family, trembled from head to toe, then quietly knelt and began shrinking back inch by inch, burying his head as deep into the ground as he could.His new life strategy: If I can't see her, maybe she can't see me.
"My lord, may I trouble you to release him? I will handle his punishment personally," Elder Xu said with a fawning smile.
Tara waved a hand.
This time, Elder Xu succeeded in pulling Cao Ren free.He flopped onto the ground like a bag of broken bones, pale and barely breathing.
"M-My lord… spare me…" he whispered.
"Insolent fool!" Elder Xu shouted, and this time his finger flicked forward.
But this wasn't a simple crippling.With a flash of light, Cao Ren exploded into a mist of blood.
A wisp of black flame appeared in Elder Xu's palm, vaporizing the blood mist until not even a trace remained.Not even the scent of blood was left behind—gone as if he had never existed.
"From this moment on, Cao Ren is no longer a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect," Elder Xu declared."His entire bloodline will be cast into the Wastelands as well."
He turned to the other Misty Cloud disciples, who immediately dropped to their knees, trembling.
"Mercy, my lord!" they begged.
One of them had even wet himself.
Elder Xu lifted a hand again, eyes void of pity.The cultivation world was built on survival of the fittest.
"Forget it." Tara's two-word interjection dismissed the punishment as casually as brushing off dust.
"This is a day of celebration—my sect's first disciple has just been accepted. No more bloodshed."
The remaining disciples kowtowed furiously, foreheads turning purple—but carefully avoiding drawing blood.
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"They'd just made a round-trip tour of the underworld.
"Congratulations, my lord, on accepting such a fine disciple," Elder Xu said, bowing again.Then he looked up curiously. "Might I… be so fortunate as to catch a glimpse of this pupil?"
He was genuinely curious.
Yongan City was notorious for being a backwater wasteland.In the past few centuries, the only notable cultivator born here had been Zhao Wuwei, who possessed Grade Six spiritual roots.
Could there really be a hidden gem?
"Wanwan, come here," Tara called softly.
Jiang Wanwan finally snapped out of her daze and ran over, limbs all out of sync with excitement.She looked a little ridiculous.
But who dared to laugh?
Everyone else was secretly dying of envy.
Elder Xu took one look at her and gasped, "Is that… the Cold Marrow Sacred Physique?!"
Ranked twenty-ninth among all sacred physiques.
No wonder…
As he spoke, he retrieved a water-blue longsword from his paired storage ring.