Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Premier Sect

Inside the valley, Wang Ran and the others grew solemn after this discovery.

If there were still other cultivators in this valley, then matters had become rather complicated.

Zhao Xiaobai glanced at the traces of battle on the ground, picked up a torn strip of cloth, and said thoughtfully, “This is clothing made with golden-threaded silk. It seems this group has a rather high rank and status.”

The others nodded in agreement. Golden-threaded silk was a very rare material; garments made from it could resist fire and water, ward off insects and mosquitoes, and even provide a measure of protection. Anyone who could wear clothes made of such silk was surely a person of power and importance.

“Whatever this group’s purpose may be, our plan remains unchanged. We press on.” Though this unexpected turn had occurred, Wang Ran did not hesitate. They had already come this far, and today, no matter what, the Sky Demon Queen Bee had to die.

If anyone with no sense of judgment dared block their way, he would not mind dealing with them as well.

After adjusting their condition, the group continued onward. They had not gone far when they suddenly caught sight, far ahead, of a gigantic nest floating in the air. Countless bee-like demon beasts clung to it, and from within came a buzzing sound that made the heart tremble. Clearly, this was the queen bee’s lair.

At the same time, streaks of spell-light flashed continuously through the sky. A cluster of human figures could be seen attempting to assault the hive, shouting battle cries as they did so.

There were about twelve or thirteen people in this group, and their cultivation was far from ordinary. From the faintly revealed fluctuations of spiritual power, each of them possessed at least the cultivation of Liu Junhou, meaning the weakest among them was still at the half-step Core Formation stage.

Even the one with the thickest aura had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, only a hair’s breadth away from the Core Formation realm, yet the intensity of his spiritual power was already no different from that of a Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, their coordination was highly tacit. They were clearly not some makeshift band of loose cultivators. Looking at their clothing, the material was indeed the golden-threaded silk they had seen earlier, and each person’s sleeve bore a black pattern, uniform across the board, as though they were disciples of some sect.

Xu Ke had especially keen eyesight. At first glance, he recognized the origin of those patterns, and his face turned slightly pale as he looked at the disciples.

“It’s actually... people from the Azure Vast Gate!”

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the other disciples changed drastically as well, and they stared in shock at the cultivators whose strength was so formidable.

Wang Ran was somewhat puzzled, but from Xu Ke and the others’ expressions, he could tell these cultivators were no ordinary people.

“What is the Azure Vast Gate...?” he asked.

Hearing Wang Ran’s question, a Cloud-Guard disciple beside him could not help but reveal a look of worry and said gravely, “A top-tier sect!”

Wang Ran was startled upon hearing this.

Just four simple words, yet they carried tremendous weight.

In this world, most things were ranked by hierarchy, and sects were no exception. Depending on strength, they were divided into carefully distinguished levels.

In Cloud Province, the Sovereign Sect was merely an upper-tier sect. Even so, it was still renowned far and wide, intimidating the four directions; in Cloud Province it stood as a hegemon-level existence. Sects like North Marsh Sect would be utterly wiped out before it, as easily as turning over a hand.

From this alone, one could see what sort of weight a top-tier sect, one rank above an upper-tier sect, possessed.

It was said that within every top-tier sect there was an unrivaled powerhouse surpassing the Nascent Soul realm, standing above all things, possessing the qualifications to seek the Dao of Immortals and ascend beyond the boundless void.

Such a level of power was beyond what Wang Ran and the others could imagine. And this Azure Vast Gate before them was precisely a top-tier sect, and moreover, the only top-tier sect in all of Cloud Province.

It held supreme authority in Cloud Province. Neither the Sovereign Sect nor the Purple Firmament Palace would dare ignore it lightly.

Of course, this did not mean the Sovereign Sect truly feared them. After all, the Sovereign Sect was also an ancient and well-established major faction with profound foundations. Even the Azure Vast Gate could not casually annihilate it.

However, encountering disciples of the Azure Vast Gate here was something none of them had expected.

“Senior Brother, what should we do?” Everyone turned to Wang Ran. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said after some thought, “Let’s watch and wait.”

Because they could not discern the purpose of the Azure Vast Gate disciples’ presence here, Wang Ran chose to remain still for the moment. Yet he did not retreat. The Sky Demon Queen Bee had to be killed, no matter what.

Those five hundred thousand contribution points absolutely could not be handed over to anyone else.

If conflict truly arose, then at worst they would simply seize the kill. He had done plenty of that in his previous life and felt no fear at all.

At this moment, the little junior sister seemed somewhat hesitant. She stepped forward and said, “As for the Azure Vast Gate, I once heard my grandfather speak of it. Our Sovereign Sect has always disliked this sect. It seems even the sect’s forebears have more than once wanted to march on the Azure Vast Gate. Our two sides have a deep hostility toward each other.”

None of those present were ordinary disciples. Those who had become prodigies of the Enforcement Hall were naturally core members of the Sovereign Sect, so they all knew the little junior sister’s background and were aware that her grandfather was the sect’s Second Elder.

Upon hearing her words, everyone’s expressions changed again. They had not expected there to be such enmity between their sect and the Azure Vast Gate. But then, as if they had thought of something, smiles appeared on their faces once more.

Zhao Xiaobai, in particular, gazed at the Azure Vast Gate disciples in the distance, battle intent gleaming in his eyes. Licking his lips, he said, “If that’s the case, then if we really do clash with them later, do we not need to hold back?”

“Haha, since even our own ancestors wanted to wipe them out, what reason do we have to worry? I’d like to see just how capable these so-called top-tier sect disciples really are!” Xu Ke also recovered from his initial shock, and when he looked again at the Azure Vast Gate disciples, battle intent surged in him as well.

They were all the foremost prodigies of the Sovereign Sect, arrogant to the core, so naturally they were unconvinced by prodigies from a sect stronger than their own.

Though those people were powerful, Zhao Xiaobai, Xu Ke, Wang Ran, and the others were not pushovers either.

Wang Ran’s eyes flickered as he considered it for a moment, then he made the decision with finality. “Good. Then let us meet these Azure Vast Gate disciples and play the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind.”

...

At the same time.

Beneath the hive, the Azure Vast Gate disciples unleashed flying swords and spells in unison. Spiritual power swept outward in all directions, driving countless bee-type demon beasts, such as jade-yellow bees, into disordered flight as they were slaughtered.

Among them, one blue-haired youth was the most conspicuous. With a sweep of his sleeve, a sea of fire roared forth, reducing the many demon beasts before him to ash. Compared with the other disciples, he slaughtered these beasts with far greater ease.

Clearly, his strength was the highest among them, and the others all centered themselves around him, taking their cues from him.

After killing another Ghost-Faced Bee at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, a nearby disciple flashed over and whispered into his ear, “Brother Jun, there are people behind us.”

“I know.” The blue-haired youth’s gaze was indifferent, carrying a hint of proud aloofness. With a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, he said, “A few ants, nothing worth paying attention to.”

“Tell the brothers to stay focused. Don’t let those few ants distract us and delay Senior Brother Ling’s important matter!”