All the way to Fire Cauldron Sect…
Xia Wei's heart was still pounding.
She couldn't stop replaying what she had witnessed outside Thunder River City.
Lin Ye—alone—had faced more than twenty Star River Realm experts.
And not only did he survive…
He wiped them all out.
Not a single one escaped.
And the most terrifying part?
Lin Ye came out of it without a scratch.
Even if she told the truth, no one would believe it.
How could someone in Wind-Thunder River Domain possibly provoke an existence like Tianming Sect… a powerhouse from Midstream Lands?
Yet Lin Ye looked as calm as ever.
As if killing twenty Star River experts was nothing more than brushing dust off his sleeve.
Even worse—after hearing that Tianming Sect ranked Ninth in the Dragon Pool Heavenly Isle competition, he still said:
"I'll wipe them out within three months."
That was Midstream Lands.
A completely different world.
A place where sects like Fire Cauldron Sect were no more than ants.
But Lin Ye…
He didn't sound arrogant.
He sounded like he was stating a fact.
"Terrifying…"
Xia Wei swallowed hard, tightening her grip around the waist of the black panther beneath her.
The Wind-Thunder River Domain…
had just gained a monster.
Not long after—
The black panther sped across hundreds of miles of forest and arrived at the foot of Fire Cauldron Sect's mountain.
And at the very moment Lin Ye appeared…
The Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect's forces reacted instantly.
Wen Lang and the others' eyes lit up.
They had received Lin Ye's order to gather here, but none of them knew why.
Fire Cauldron Sect, meanwhile, had long fallen into panic.
They had already activated their sect-guarding formation, and several times they sent people to negotiate—
Only to receive complete silence in return.
Wen Lang and the elders had tried to break the formation.
But the defense was absurd.
It didn't just resist damage…
It absorbed the impact and reflected it back, like a mirror made of heaven-grade steel.
For a while, even all the experts gathered here had been unable to crack it.
Then—
Lin Ye arrived.
The moment everyone saw him, they all bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
Even Feng Shijin and the three elders from Azure Thunder Sword Sect lowered their heads.
When they saw the black panther…
their shock deepened.
Just days ago, they hadn't even seen a fourth-rank beast.
Now Lin Ye had subdued a Uugang Panther and kept it as a mount.
A single beast like that…
could reduce their entire Azure Thunder Sword Sect to ashes.
Then their eyes slid toward Xia Wei by Lin Ye's side.
Exchanging silent looks.
Their expressions all said the same thing:
"From now on… treat the Xia Family better."
Xia Wei smiled gracefully and greeted them with perfect etiquette.
"Elders, it's an honor to meet you."
They nodded back politely—though inwardly, they were even more certain.
A woman who could stand beside Lin Ye…
was not someone to offend.
Lin Ye looked up at the mountain gates.
A massive translucent barrier covered Fire Cauldron Sect like an invisible dome.
"A sect-guarding formation?"
He raised a brow.
In Wind-Thunder River Domain, most sects couldn't even afford proper defensive arrays.
But Fire Cauldron Sect had one.
Wen Lang explained:
"Fire Cauldron Sect was built atop the ruins of an ancient sect. They found remnants of old formations and repaired them into a defensive array."
Lin Ye nodded slowly.
No wonder.
True sect-guarding formations cost unimaginable resources.
Some major sects could burn an entire small sect's wealth… just by activating their formation once.
This one was incomplete, but the foundation was still strong.
"Call them out," Lin Ye said.
Wen Lang stepped forward and shouted toward the gates.
In response—
Fire Cauldron Sect's formation rippled.
And two figures appeared behind the barrier.
Fire Cauldron Sect Master.
A fourth-grade alchemist—Hou Liang.
And beside him—
Third-grade alchemist Sanhuo.
The very same old bastard who had once extorted Xia Wei at Great Fortune Auction House.
The moment Xia Wei saw him, disgust flashed in her eyes.
Hou Liang raised his voice, full of confidence.
"You people are truly lawless! Do you think Fire Cauldron Sect can be bullied?!"
He slapped the barrier behind him.
"If you have the ability, break the sect-guarding formation!"
"We've already sent word. Our allies will arrive soon!"
Wen Lang's expression stayed calm.
But Hou Liang then sneered when he spotted Feng Shijin.
"So even Azure Thunder Sword Sect has become Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect's dogs?"
Feng Shijin sighed, shaking his head.
Anything worth saying had already been said.
Hou Liang was simply too stubborn—still dreaming that someone would save him.
Then Lin Ye stepped forward.
His gaze fell on the shimmering barrier.
"A formation…"
He said calmly.
"You still have a chance."
"Open the formation. Submit to Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect."
"Or when I break it… Fire Cauldron Sect won't just lose its walls."
"You'll lose your sect master."
Hou Liang laughed.
"Trying to scare us?"
"If you have the ability, come!"
Beside him, Sanhuo sneered viciously.
"Better hurry!"
"Before sunset, the people from Mad Lion Sect arrive!"
"They'll make this your grave!"
Mad Lion Sect?
Xia Wei's pupils shrank.
Fire Cauldron Sect had ties with the northern霸主-level powerhouse?
She felt a chill.
But Lin Ye blinked.
"…What sect?"
He almost looked confused.
Hou Liang's face twisted in triumph.
"Mad Lion Sect! You're afraid now, aren't you—"
Before he could finish—
Lin Ye cut him off.
"You mean the Mad Lion Sect I wiped out last night?"
Dead silence.
Hou Liang froze.
Sanhuo froze.
Every disciple behind the barrier froze.
Even Wen Lang and Feng Shijin paused.
Hou Liang's lips trembled.
"…Y-you're lying…"
Lin Ye sighed like someone tired of stupidity.
"If you refuse to open it, I won't waste time."
He stepped forward.
Everyone instinctively backed away.
Even Xia Wei, without thinking, slid behind the Uugang Panther.
Because she understood something:
If a storm erupted…
That beast would survive it.
But she might not.
Hou Liang laughed nervously, forcing arrogance back onto his face.
"Heh… foolish kid…"
"This sect-guarding formation couldn't be broken even by Star River Realm!"
"The stronger you attack, the stronger the反震 will be!"
He expected Lin Ye to embarrass himself.
To be injured by the formation's recoil.
To fail publicly.
But Lin Ye didn't even look at him.
He simply lifted his hand.
His eyes grew cold.
The Nine Revolutions Asura Art surged.
A terrifying murderous aura condensed around him like a blood-red storm.
Hou Liang swallowed.
Suddenly… he felt uneasy.
Then Lin Ye spoke two words.
"Shatter Calamity Claw."
He stepped forward.
Five fingers formed into a claw.
Above his head, blood-asura energy gathered into a massive crimson talon—like the claw of a divine beast descending from the sky.
Then—
He slammed it down.
BOOM!!!
The sky shook.
The earth cracked.
The sect-guarding formation trembled violently.
Light flickered like it was about to collapse.
Hou Liang's face went pale.
His entire back drenched in sweat.
"Blocked…?"
He forced himself to believe it had held.
But Lin Ye simply looked at him, bored.
And said one word.
"Explode."
A second later—
BOOM!!!!!
The formation shattered like glass.
A hurricane of wild energy swept outward.
The translucent barrier disintegrated into countless fragments of light.
Hou Liang and Sanhuo screamed and stumbled backward, almost falling on their faces.
Xia Wei shook her head quietly.
If they'd seen Lin Ye's battle outside Thunder River City…
they would never have dared.
Never.
Hou Liang's voice broke.
"W-wait! We can talk—!"
Sanhuo trembled too, his arrogance gone.
But Lin Ye only turned away.
"Take them."
With Lin Ye's command, Wen Lang and the elders rushed in.
Hou Liang and Sanhuo were pinned down and beaten senseless—yet deliberately kept alive.
Because even dogs like them…
could still refine pills.