The topic of cultivation realms filled Su Mo with frustration.
He’d worked his butt off, rushing all over the place to gather materials and face down powerful foes, yet he was still only at the Warrior Great Perfection realm.
And now, even eight-year-old Xiao Wan had reached the same realm.
You could say he had the lowest cultivation realm in the entire Xiao Family.
Su Mo retorted defiantly, "Hmph. Just wait until I find the Burial Ground Blood Flower and break through to the Martial Master Realm. I refuse to believe I won’t be able to surpass you all then."
Whenever people saw he was only at the Warrior Great Perfection realm, they thought he was a pushover and tried to bully him.
It had led to no small amount of trouble.
Trouble he couldn’t even avoid!
Once he entered the Martial Master Realm, he would be considered a genius in the eyes of the common person.
After all, renowned geniuses of the Northern Profound Domain, like Bai Luoxue of the Hua Celestial Sect, were only at the Martial Master Great Perfection realm.
...
Just as Su Mo was leaving the Profound Celestial Sect, two figures appeared not far away within the Northern Profound Domain.
It was a scrawny old man and a youth.
The youth asked doubtfully, "Master, do you really know the Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect?"
"Of course I do!"
The scrawny elder shot the youth a look and grumbled, "Would I lie to you? What kind of person do you take your master for?"
The youth looked completely embarrassed.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe the scrawny elder, but the Profound Celestial Sect’s standards were incredibly high. They were a power that could shake the entire Northern Profound Domain.
Who in the entire Northern Profound Domain didn’t fear the Profound Celestial Sect?
The scrawny elder seemed to read the youth’s mind and explained with an air of nonchalance, "The Profound Celestial Sect Leader and I are from the same village. We were thick as thieves, grew up together since we were kids. Later on, his aptitude was better, so he joined the Profound Celestial Sect. Who would’ve thought that in a blink of an eye, he’d actually become the Sect Leader?"
"To be brothers with the Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect, you must be quite something yourself, Master," the youth said, laying on the flattery.
The scrawny elder said proudly, "But of course. Back in the day, I was only a smidgen less talented than him. Otherwise, why would he have gone to such lengths to invite me to be an Elder of the Profound Celestial Sect?"
"What? The Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect invited you to be an Elder?"
The youth’s face was a mask of astonishment.
In his eyes, being personally invited by the Sect Leader to serve as an Elder of the Profound Celestial Sect was a matter of supreme honor.
The youth asked curiously, "Master, so did you agree?"
"Of course I agreed," the scrawny elder replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He wasn’t a complete idiot. Why would he choose the life of a Loose Cultivator, constantly dancing on the edge of death, when he could be a respected Sect Elder?
The scrawny elder chuckled. "Once I become an Elder of the Profound Celestial Sect, you’ll be a Core Disciple. You’ll have access to a wealth of resources, and you can even get a few servants to order around."
"Thank you for your patronage, Master."
The youth was ecstatic.
For years, he had followed the scrawny elder all over the world, enduring the harsh elements, not to mention being constantly hunted. He had suffered immensely.
Now, he wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.
’Once I become a Core Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, all those who used to bully me will be crushed beneath my heel.’
"Hahaha, I never thought the day would come when I’d soar to such heights!"
The youth roared with excited laughter.
The two crested a mountain peak.
The scrawny elder said, "The Profound Celestial Sect is just ahead. When you meet the Sect Leader, you must be on your best behavior, understand?"
"Yes, Master!"
The youth excitedly peered over the other side of the peak.
In the next second, he was utterly dumbfounded.
With a stunned expression, the youth stammered, "Master, why is the Profound Celestial Sect a pile of ruins?"
"Ruins?"
The scrawny elder shook his head in disbelief.
’The Profound Celestial Sect is a major power that commands respect throughout the Northern Profound Domain. Even if it can’t compare to the Sacred Lands, it should be like an Immortal Realm, shrouded in ethereal Immortal Qi, rich with Spiritual Qi, and teeming with Spirit Beasts. It can’t possibly be in ruins.’
The scrawny elder shot the youth a fierce glare and barked, "You little brat, you’re getting bold! How dare you lie to me? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you senseless and kick you out!"
"See for yourself if you don’t believe me," the youth said, his expression strange.
The scrawny elder looked doubtfully toward where the Profound Celestial Sect should be, and the expression on his face instantly froze.
Before him lay nothing but rubble and ruined walls.
Not a single building stood intact.
The youth asked in confusion, "Master, didn’t you say the Profound Celestial Sect was like an Immortal Realm, shrouded in ethereal Immortal Qi? Why isn’t there any Immortal Qi here?"
"This is impossible!"
The scrawny elder’s face was etched with confusion.
He had visited the Profound Celestial Sect three years ago. Back then, the air was thick with wisps of Immortal Qi. How had it become so dilapidated?
The youth hesitated. "Master, do you think... maybe the Profound Celestial Sect moved and forgot to tell you?"
"That’s possible!"
The scrawny elder roared in fury, "That son of a bitch! That bastard Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect! He moved the whole damn Sect and didn’t even tell me!"
’And he calls us brothers who grew up thick as thieves? What a fucking joke.’
’Some friendship. Fragile as glass.’
He was absolutely livid.
The youth was furious as well.
He had been on the verge of becoming a Core Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, only to arrive and find this miserable sight.
Wasn’t this just a cruel joke?
The youth stormed into the ruins and stomped his foot in anger, dislodging a plaque from the debris.
"Profound Celestial Sect?"
The youth stared at the plaque in confusion.
’Even if the Profound Celestial Sect had moved, they wouldn’t just abandon their Sect plaque.’
’This was the very symbol of the Profound Celestial Sect.’
’Who would just toss their symbol on the ground to be trampled on?’
The more the youth looked, the more he felt something was wrong. "Master, I don’t think they just moved. It looks more like this place was ransacked. Look, the main beam from that great hall was clearly ripped out by force. And that mountain peak—it was shattered by someone. There’s even a huge palm print on it."
"What?"
The scrawny elder looked toward the mountain peak in astonishment and saw that there was indeed a massive palm print.
That palm print wasn’t carved; it was stamped there by a person’s hand.
But who could possibly possess such immense power?
The scrawny elder said in disbelief, "Could it be? Was the Profound Celestial Sect truly... plundered? But the Profound Celestial Sect is a major power in the Northern Profound Domain! Who could possibly wipe them out overnight? And make off with so many of their Treasures?"
"Whoever did this must be some kind of supreme powerhouse," the youth mused.
Wiping away cold sweat, the scrawny elder shivered and said, "My dear disciple, it’s a good thing we were late. If we had arrived two days earlier, we might have been wiped out along with them."
"Master, can you please not scare me like that? I’m terrified!"
"What’s there to be scared of? Let’s get out of here, now!"
The master and disciple quickly fled the grounds of the Profound Celestial Sect.
「Two days later.」
News of the Profound Celestial Sect’s destruction spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves through the entire Northern Profound Domain.
"What? The Profound Celestial Sect was wiped out?"
"Who could have done it?"
"The Profound Celestial Sect had seven Martial King Powerhouses. To annihilate them so silently... I’m afraid only those bloodthirsty Evil Demons would be capable of such a thing."
"It had to be Evil Demons. Otherwise, how could there not be a single body left? They must have been devoured."
"First a beast tide, and now Evil Demons... Is a great catastrophe about to befall our Northern Profound Domain?"
For a time, a cry of despair rose from every corner of the Northern Profound Domain.
A beast tide and Evil Demons, descending at the same time.
How was anyone supposed to survive this?
Meanwhile, the Cyan Cloud Sparrow flew at top speed, calling out, "Elder Su, Celestial Demon City is just ahead."