Chapter Fourteen: Am I Really This Powerful?

Inside the tavern, Ye Qiu personally manipulated the mechanism, launching an attack without hesitation.

“Die for me!”

The assault began, and in an instant, the massive sword above the tavern descended, striking down with overwhelming force.

“Sun and Moon, Heaven and Earth, Suppress—”

Ye Tongtian, sensing imminent peril, unleashed his power at the Sovereign Realm. The earth trembled, sand and stones flew, and a black mist emanated from his scepter, shrouding the surroundings.

“Hiss... Is this the true power of a Sovereign Realm expert? No wonder he can wrestle with the Grand Elder—he’s terrifying…”

On the second floor, Yang Xuan and his companions were stunned!

As the giant sword descended, it was as if a blade from the heavens smashed toward the earth, unleashing a sword aura so fierce that it chilled the soul.

“Pfft…”

With only a single exchange, Ye Tongtian was struck and sent flying by the sword, powerless to resist. The supreme sword intent within the blade was horrifying, and bolstered by the sword formation, its might had multiplied hundreds of times.

Ye Qiu didn’t even need to do much; merely activating the mechanism was enough for the sword formation to unleash its fury. He had no idea of the inner workings, nor was he even aware of the formation’s existence.

“My goodness! This sword is so ferocious?”

Ye Qiu himself was dumbfounded—so, I’m this powerful? Damn, this sword is too fierce! Even a Sovereign Realm expert can be swept aside with a single strike—am I invincible now?

Why bother hiding anymore? I’m invincible—shouldn’t I just go out and flaunt it?

But then he reconsidered, “No, the giant sword may be fierce, but ultimately it’s not my own strength. If I want to show off, it’s obviously impossible. It’s safer to stay in the tavern…”

The giant sword struck heavily, raising a cloud of dust a thousand yards high. Thousands of followers of the Nether Cult were forced back hundreds of meters; the weaker ones perished under the sword aura.

Its power was even more terrifying than the Sky-Devouring Sparrow’s attack.

At that moment, everyone was shaken.

“Heavens, I can hardly believe it—this really is a sword formation. I had my suspicions before, but I never imagined…”

Yang Xuan clicked his tongue, his face full of shock.

He looked at the battered Nether Cultists below, patted his chest and sighed in relief, “Good thing we didn’t act rashly before. This senior hides his strength so deeply. You never know until he acts—what a shock.”

“Even Sovereign Realm experts can’t withstand a single strike. This sword formation is terrifying…”

“Junior sister, what sort of person do you think this senior is?”

Yang Xuan suddenly asked, curious about Ye Qiu, whom Fuyao had discovered as a master.

Fuyao shook her head. “I can’t see through him. He’s low-key, reserved, never shows his emotions, unpredictable. Sometimes he acts in ways you can’t begin to understand. I feel no trace of spiritual power from him—he seems to possess no cultivation at all. The only aura he emanates is the purest, most righteous energy between heaven and earth. You’d never notice it unless it’s unleashed, but when it is, it can destroy the world.”

“Whoa, I’ve never heard you praise someone so highly. Now I’m even more curious—what has this senior experienced, and why did he choose to live in seclusion here?”

Yang Xuan’s eyes brimmed with curiosity, but Fuyao replied bluntly, “I advise you to give up on that idea. A peerless master like him won’t tolerate being probed—beware of bringing trouble upon yourself…”

Out on the wasteland, craters covered the ground; Nether Cult followers lay scattered everywhere, the scene utterly chaotic.

“Master, are you alright?”

The crowd gathered around the huge pit and dug Ye Tongtian out. His left arm was severed, his injuries grave.

“I can’t believe it—just one exchange and my arm is gone. The giant sword has no edge, but its sword aura is razor-sharp. Too terrifying! Help me up. Our only chance now is that move…”

Ye Tongtian, his face pale, cursed inwardly. If not for that idiot shouting, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Supported by his followers, Ye Tongtian stood again, his gaze fixed solemnly on the giant sword overhead.

“Step back, let me face it…”

He pushed everyone aside, placed his scepter before him, murmured incantations, and suddenly a surge of black energy swept forth. The scepter slowly rose into the air.

With a bang, the scepter exploded.

Black energy erupted, and a terrifying force surged skyward.

“Heavens, he… destroyed his own artifact?”

Everyone was stunned—no one expected Ye Tongtian to do such a thing.

“No, he must have cultivated some forbidden technique, sacrificing his artifact and burning his own cultivation to forcibly increase his strength…”

Fuyao, adept at reading signs, saw through it instantly, her voice trembling with fear.

“I wonder if the senior can withstand this. Such terrifying power—if even the Grand Elder were here, he’d have to avoid it…”

The crowd grew anxious, but Yang Xuan protested, “What are you worried about? With the senior holding the fort, whether it’s gods or ghosts, he’ll deal with them all!”

Yang Xuan had become the number one Ye Qiu fan in the wilderness. Ye Qiu himself wouldn’t boast so much, but Yang Xuan did it for him.

Ye Qiu really wanted to say, “Brother… if you’re going to brag, brag about yourself! Why are you bragging for me?”

“Damn, is this guy going to launch a desperate counterattack?”

At the tavern counter, Ye Qiu saw what was happening outside and turned pale with fright.

He’d thought he could turn the tide, but suddenly the situation reversed again.

“No way! Damn it, I’ll fight him to the end…”

Faced with life and death, Ye Qiu refused to falter. He roared, “Die for me!”

Just as he spoke, a surge of righteous energy erupted from his body. Unfortunately, he was so focused on the scene that he failed to notice the change within himself.

That righteous energy swept out from the tavern, blanketing the sky and pressing down on Ye Tongtian. The black mist in the air vanished instantly.

“What the—where’s my spiritual power?”

At that moment, Ye Tongtian was completely dumbfounded. He had been evenly matched with the giant sword, but suddenly a force entered his body, and his spiritual energy was cut off.

Damn, is this even possible? Is he cheating? Silenced across space?

Ye Tongtian was utterly stupefied. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster a trace of spiritual power—his inner sea felt completely dried up.

The black energy above was dispelled, and the giant sword crashed down.

“It’s over…”

With a tragic cry, Ye Tongtian was smashed flat by the sword.

He died without ever knowing what happened. He’d thought his trump card would grant him a chance at survival, but it was utterly useless. His power was severed without reason—it was simply unreasonable.

How terrifying—suppressed from afar.

Not only Ye Tongtian, but everyone present was dumbfounded.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know—why did that guy suddenly withdraw his power?”

Everyone was bewildered—they had no idea what had just transpired.

Even Ye Qiu himself was confused, thinking, Did this guy lose his mind? Why’d he suddenly give up? Damn, is this the villain death buff?

Only Fuyao could see clearly, and she explained with a bitter smile, “I finally understand the terror of this righteous energy! So that’s how it is…”

“Eh, junior sister, what are you talking about?” Yang Xuan asked, confused.

Fuyao shook her head. “Heaven’s law is absolute, irresistible. This is the might of heaven…”

“What do you mean, ‘might of heaven’?”

Fuyao’s cryptic words only baffled everyone further. They hadn’t seen the surge of righteous energy, so their confusion was understandable.

Fuyao offered no further explanation and fell silent…

Her heart was still overwhelmed by Ye Qiu’s earlier display—her face ashen.

She had believed Ye Qiu to be a supremely powerful master, but now she realized he was even more terrifying than that.

How could such a peerless figure exist in the world, unnoticed by all? It was unfathomable.

Even more shocking to Fuyao was the origin of Ye Qiu’s righteous energy.

No cultivator had ever possessed such power. Could it be that only those who reach the pinnacle can access such terrifying energy?

Ye Tongtian was dead, smashed to pieces by the giant sword, utterly unable to resist.

“Master!”

All the Nether Cult followers were petrified, crying out in panic.

With Ye Tongtian dead, they had no strength left to resist. The immortal swords swiftly claimed their lives.

Once notorious, infamous for slaughter, the evil cult was now utterly wiped out before a mere tavern.

“Job done!”

The battle was over, but Ye Qiu did not retract the mechanisms, for there were still four monstrous beasts a hundred miles away yet to be dealt with.

“Manager, are our mechanisms really this fierce? They actually killed a master-level enemy?”

Cao He stood by, dumbfounded.

He had been shocked throughout, unable to believe the tavern’s mechanisms were so formidable.

“I don’t know! Probably not that strong, I guess…”

Ye Qiu shook his head, puzzled. He couldn’t explain it himself—it was all so mysterious.

By rights, he should understand the weapons he forged, shouldn’t he?

But the facts were in front of him, and Ye Qiu simply couldn’t explain it—how miraculous.

“Turns out, showing off comes with risks. I’d better stop pretending to be a master—too easy to invite trouble…”

After this lesson, Ye Qiu dared not pretend anymore. He knew nothing, yet people insisted he was extraordinary.

It was truly exasperating!