Chapter 368: Boredom
The red-clothed figure, known by the nickname “Crimson Catastrophe,” was a harbinger of endless death during the Great Yu period. Anyone who saw him would tremble and beg for a quick death.
But now, it was his turn to feel fear.
The pressure brought on by the woman before him was something even the Grandmaster couldn’t match. Who on earth was she?
He had investigated Qingzhou beforehand and confirmed that there were no Tribulation Crossing Stage experts here. How could such a terrifying presence suddenly appear?
Even if she were a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert, it would take time to travel to Qingzhou.
And how had she appeared so silently?
How had she managed to immobilize him, someone who was an expert in space manipulation?
Which faction did she belong to?
One question after another popped up in his mind.
“Who… who are you?” Only now did he realize that in his extreme fear, his voice was trembling, and he hadn’t even noticed it.Yun Zhi had no intention of answering her enemy’s questions. He wasn’t worth her time.
She extended her jade-like hand, and the bell on her wrist jingled softly.
Thud—
The red-clothed figure’s chest suddenly caved in, and he was sent flying, losing half his teeth in the process.
The impact blew away his clothes and hat, revealing an old face stitched together from countless human skins.
He felt as though he had been struck by an overwhelming force as vast as the ocean, like stars crashing down from the sky. This power was invincible, beyond measure, and utterly terrifying.
“Run!”
Ironically, being sent flying allowed him to break free from the spatial confinement. Ignoring the two ancient Unity stage cultivators, who were completely stunned, he swung his long whip, tearing open space to escape.
As he swung the whip and the space cracked open, Yun Zhi appeared on the other side of the spatial tear, looking at him coldly and expressionlessly.
“Die!”
Lightning coiled around the long whip as he lashed it toward Yun Zhi, a single strike powerful enough to cleave a city in two.
Yun Zhi paid no heed to the lightning on the whip, grasping it firmly as it lashed toward her. With a swift kick, she sent the red-clothed figure flying again.
Thud—
The area where he was kicked was a bloody mess. He coughed up blood, staggered back two steps, and fell to his knees.
The State Governor watched, dumbfounded. The opponent was at the Tribulation Crossing Stage, but in Yun Zhi’s hands, he seemed like a mere child, incapable of causing the slightest disturbance.
The State Governor knew that Yun Zhi was the Acting Sect Leader of Dao Seeking Sect, and being in such a position meant her strength wouldn’t be weaker than Daoist Non-Speaker. But he never expected Yun Zhi’s power to be this terrifying.
Below, Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi were similarly shocked, their mouths hanging open for a long time.
Facing a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert typically required someone at the level of the sect’s grand elders. Yet, here was a junior, whose rank was even lower than the sect leaders, defeating such an expert in a completely overwhelming manner.
Lan Ting finally understood why her master was reluctant to talk about Yun Zhi. Her strength had reached a level that defied imagination.
“Wait, if Senior Sister Yun Zhi forces a marriage between herself and Lu Yang, what should I do?” Lan Ting thought to herself, a trace of delight flashing through her heart.
Bai Ming, on the other hand, felt that he should go back and convince his master. There was no need to hold a grudge against Dao Seeking Sect. After all, they were all fellow cultivators—perhaps they could sit down and have a friendly conversation.
And if Dao Seeking Sect sat while the Five Elements Sect stood during that conversation, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.
However, the issue with the Dao Seeking Sect’s Second Elder being interested in his master’s mother might be a problem. Forget it, he thought, better to continue disliking Dao Seeking Sect.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, who knew Yun Zhi’s power, were unsurprised by the scene. It would have been more shocking if a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert could cause trouble in Eldest Senior Sister’s hands.
Xia Qun finally understood why his family’s patriarch had personally left the ancestral grounds to welcome this Senior from Dao Seeking Sect.
Of all those present, the one most terrified was Vice Sect Leader Bone.
He knew that Yun Zhi had once suppressed the sect leaders of the Four Great Immortal Sects in a competition, but he never imagined she could so easily overpower the red-clothed figure.
“The red-clothed figure should be at the early Tribulation Crossing Stage, and yet she suppressed him so effortlessly. Could it be that Dao Seeking Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister is already at a level akin to the ancestral figures of the Dragon and Phoenix clans, a Half-Immortal? But she’s so young… what a monster…”
“Wait a minute, didn’t the Sect Leader of Heavenly Court Sect fight this kind of monster to a draw?”
Suddenly, another thought struck him, making him realize that the depth of Heavenly Court Sect’s power was far beyond what he had anticipated.
“What other secrets does Heavenly Court Sect have? The ancient geniuses that made even immortals wary, the Nine Great Heavenly Kings, a Half-Immortal Sect Leader… what else is there that our Nine Nether Sect doesn’t know?”
“Indeed, what we know is only what Heavenly Court Sect wants us to know. Their true strength likely goes much deeper!”
“Not opposing Heavenly Court Sect, and instead choosing to cooperate with them, was definitely the smartest choice.”
“As for Sect Leader Qin’s reincarnation… it’s best to leave her with Heavenly Court Sect. After all, she was our previous sect leader. Once she regains her memories, she should still have some feelings for our Nine Nether Sect.”
Suddenly, Vice Sect Leader Bone’s expression changed, and he hurriedly left.
“Damn it, it’s already been a month!”
…
The red-clothed figure coughed up blood, his voice muffled, and his eyes bloodshot with madness.
“Heh heh… to think I’d run into someone at the Half-Immortal level. Even if I die, I’ll take you with me!”
Driven to insanity, the red-clothed figure caused endless, blood-red flowers to bloom at his feet once more. Their bloom symbolized death.
The vibrant flowers exploded in succession, the deafening sound shaking the heavens and the earth. The very air trembled, and a primal fear of the flowers arose in people’s souls.
“If you dodge, my Mandala explosion will turn half of this province into a crater!”
(TL Note: A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala)
Yun Zhi remained indifferent, not even raising an eyebrow. The red-clothed figure’s threats weren’t worth a response.
“How boring.”
…
A series of explosions echoed across the sky, the smoke thick and impenetrable, preventing anyone from seeing the result of the battle.
“Will that master be okay?” Some of the cultivators attending the gathering began to worry. No matter how strong the one who came to save them was, it seemed impossible to block such an attack without injury.
Tribulation Crossing Stage or Half-Immortal—it was all far beyond their reach.
“There must be some method to block it,” one companion said, though not very confidently.
“Let’s hope so.”
The rest of the cultivators shared similar concerns. The red-clothed figure had brought an overwhelming sense of dread, as if the world itself were on the verge of destruction.
Just as the crowd’s anxiety peaked, Yun Zhi descended from the sky, dragging the red-clothed figure behind her. Walking through the air, she calmly approached Lu Yang.
Lu Yang, fully aware of his Eldest Senior Sister’s strength, had never once worried about her safety.
Curious, he stretched his neck to look at the red-clothed figure behind her. At this point, the figure could no longer be called the red-clothed figure. His once ominous red robes had been torn to shreds by the explosions, and his body was now charred and unrecognizable—there was no way to tell what he had looked like before.
“Is he dead?”
Lu Yang wondered silently. Eldest Senior Sister’s attack had been so ruthless that she hadn’t even left behind a soul?
In the mental space, the Everlasting Fairy pouted, “There’s only a corpse left; his soul has escaped.”
Yun Zhi’s expression remained unchanged.
“I know. I want to find out where he fled to.”