Chapter 23: The Oppressive Might of the Great Dao

Idle Cloud Sect.

Beside the grand protective formation.

Ordinarily, this was merely the passage for inner disciples to enter and leave the sect; one could open it with an outer task jade slip in hand.

But at this moment, a tremendous battle had erupted here!

Jiang Ning struck out with a punch—fluid and unhesitating—intent only on snatching the task jade slip and escaping the sect.

Yet in the next instant, he sensed a deadly threat closing in from behind!

A thunderous crash echoed—the flying swords Yang Xiangtian unleashed exploded, two of them shattering and propelling the remaining blades forward even faster!

Like icy glints at his back, a frigid aura swept toward Jiang Ning.

"Too fast!"

Possessing a spiritual body attuned to danger far beyond the ordinary, Jiang Ning instantly realized that if he completed his punch, those flying swords would strike his back before he could react.

In a swift motion, he pulled back his strength, stepping into the air, and with blinding speed, escaped the encirclement of the sword attack.

"Woof!"

Erhuang, perched on Jiang Ning’s shoulder, had been groggy since their sudden displacement. Now, regaining his senses, he saw the scene and barked furiously at Yang Xiangtian, baring his teeth in protest.

Yang Xiangtian’s face remained impassive. The swords were too quick to alter their course; he seemed to merge with the void itself, stepping forward in a single stride.

But he did not pursue Jiang Ning—he stepped behind the terrified inner disciple!

That disciple, who had narrowly avoided Jiang Ning’s punch, wore a mask of horror. He was but a newly advanced cultivator at the second level of the Opening Orifices Realm.

Today, as usual, he had come to take on an easy outer mission to earn some contribution points—a task so trivial that few would bother to accept it. Who could have imagined that Jiang Ning would suddenly attack to seize his mission, and that Yang Xiangtian would intervene as well!

Yang Xiangtian’s expression was frigid.

As he circled behind, the flying swords simultaneously closed in on the inner disciple.

In the next heartbeat, a bloody scene unfolded!

With a chilling sound, the four remaining flying swords pierced straight through the disciple’s body!

Blood sprayed, and a chill pervaded the air.

Yang Xiangtian reached forward, snatching the outer task jade slip from the corpse. In the next moment, his hand closed around it.

A sharp crack—the jade slip shattered.

Jiang Ning’s face darkened.

This man was here for no other reason than to prevent his escape!

"Erhuang!" Jiang Ning called out. Erhuang, now spiritually aware, crouched on Jiang Ning’s shoulder. "Seek out any weak points in the grand formation. If you find a way out, go first!"

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Erhuang nodded and instantly slipped into the void, vanishing from sight.

"If all else fails, I cannot let Erhuang remain here. In the worst case, perhaps his inherited secret art will let him escape…"

Jiang Ning had no confidence.

The sect’s grand formation was nothing like the herb garden’s array—it was a supreme formation, guarding the sect itself.

Within it lay deadly traps, binding spells, and illusions interwoven in an intricate web.

Forcing a passage was perilous and could easily lead to catastrophe.

Erhuang’s inherited secret art might become a death sentence here; Jiang Ning’s own version, copied through bloodline absorption, was inferior to Erhuang’s original.

That was why Jiang Ning needed the task jade slip—and had not considered breaching the formation directly.

If he had to do that, he might as well shatter all obstacles and blast his way out.

"I hope Erhuang can find a weakness. I’ll use brute force to break the array’s barrier and escape…"

This was his best option now.

He wanted to leave.

He did not wish to be trapped.

Besides, if he was detained, not only would his own life be in peril, but letting Erhuang attempt escape in the final moments would also be risky.

…

"He’s killed someone…"

The other inner disciples, stunned by the unfolding calamity, stared in disbelief at the spectacle before them.

The inner disciple who had been skewered by flying swords stared ahead, his pupils slowly dimming.

In his final moment, his eyes were wide with incomprehension—the one who had killed him without a second thought was none other than Yang Xiangtian, the prodigious senior brother of Idle Cloud Sect…

His body, riddled with holes, fell from the sky, plummeting into the mountain ravine, erased from existence.

Jiang Ning watched coldly.

He had not expected such ruthless methods.

But this only made things clear—he could not remain in Idle Cloud Sect any longer.

The more they tried to keep him, the more it proved that something was gravely amiss.

Yang Xiangtian remained silent.

Killing an inner disciple seemed no different to him than slaying a beast. He guided the flying swords with spiritual energy, keeping them suspended behind him as he faced Jiang Ning.

"Senior Brother Yang Xiangtian has killed someone…"

"Why did he attack so suddenly?"

"Isn’t killing forbidden within the sect?"

"Did that disciple offend him somehow?"

"It doesn’t seem so. Senior Brother Yang Xiangtian’s aura feels different from usual."

"He’s going to move against Jiang Ning next!"

One by one, the remaining inner disciples retreated, fearful of being caught up in the confrontation—the fate of their peer a grim warning, his body now lying at the foot of the cliff.

"Jiang Ning isn’t dodging…"

"Is he waiting for the same end?"

They were all astonished to see Jiang Ning standing his ground in midair, faintly at odds with Yang Xiangtian.

The events on the Enlightenment Cliff yesterday had not yet spread.

Most only knew that Jiang Ning had defeated Zhao Feng and Wang Shuo, but many still doubted his strength…

Some, holding grudges against Jiang Ning, lingered at a distance, eager to see him beaten.

…

"You killed someone." Jiang Ning spoke, eyes on Yang Xiangtian.

"He lacked the strength to evade." Yang Xiangtian’s voice was cold, his words carrying a chilling finality.

"You seem like a different person," Jiang Ning remarked.

He sensed that the man before him was utterly changed. Yang Xiangtian had always seemed open and upright, a sword of light meant to pierce all falsehoods.

But now, there was only boundless coldness in him.

Yang Xiangtian ignored the comment.

"You attacked an inner disciple. I must take you to the Law Enforcement Squad."

"Yet you killed him?" Jiang Ning understood—these words were for the ears of the watching disciples.

"It’s because you dodged that he met his doom."

"By that logic, should I have stood still and let you kill me?" Jiang Ning’s anger flared.

The onlookers watched in silence.

"You deserve death."

"And how do I deserve to die?" Jiang Ning could barely hold back from smashing his fist into that impassive face.

"Zhao Feng’s disappearance is because of you."

Yang Xiangtian’s expression did not waver; he pronounced Jiang Ning’s death sentence as if he were a judge.

"Senior Brother Zhao Feng’s disappearance is due to Jiang Ning?"

"That explains it…"

"Did he kill Senior Brother Zhao Feng?"

The inner disciples all knew of Jiang Ning’s conflict with Zhao Feng and Wang Shuo and made the connection, though they lacked proof.

Jiang Ning sneered. "Because you say so? Is that enough to attack me, to claim my life? If I said you’ve betrayed the sect, should I grind your bones to dust right here?"

Zhao Feng’s disappearance was not his doing.

Li Qiaochan had quietly left Idle Cloud Sect; Yang Xiangtian could not possibly have proof.

"No more words. Come with me to the Elder Hall."

Jiang Ning smirked—this was the true purpose.

He was almost certain that Yang Zhengfeng, the sect master, was the one pulling strings behind the scenes. Being of such high status, he dared not act directly, so he sent Yang Xiangtian instead.

"They said ten days’ delay, but now that I’m about to leave, they fear I won’t return and can’t help themselves…"

Jiang Ning pondered silently.

"Since I’ve been exposed and have no task jade slip, I’ll defeat him and force my way out!"

There was no need to hold back!

Jiang Ning acted without hesitation; now that he had true fire within, he moved at incredible speed, riding a rainbow, his spiritual energy roaring inside him without leaking a trace—he would strike first!

As Jiang Ning moved, so did Yang Xiangtian.

A resounding boom—their auras collided!

Jiang Ning’s punch blasted aside the flying swords, dodging the attack, and the two faced off directly.

Yang Xiangtian was just as strong, advancing relentlessly, his blows carrying the mark of the Dao.

"He’s reached the tenth layer of the Opening Orifices Realm!"

Jiang Ning was utterly astonished!

At that moment, a shocking pressure emanated from Yang Xiangtian—one that only Jiang Ning could sense.

It struck directly at the Dao imprint within him that had not yet faded, weighing on him like a mountain, restricting his movements, causing the golden light of the Dao’s mark to shimmer within his body.

It was like a chain of laws, pressing down with the weight of ten thousand tons!

"This is… Dao Suppression!"