The echo of the battle bell had not yet faded.
External enemies still lingered.
Yet inside the Mortal Sect—
Trouble moved first.
Inner City — Formation Maintenance Hall
A transmission array flickered.
Quietly altered.
Not destroyed.
Just… delayed.
A tiny delay.
Barely noticeable.
But enough to offset three defensive nodes—
By half a breath.
Half a breath meant nothing to ordinary people.
In the cultivation world—
It could decide life or death.
Su Wan's phone flashed red.
[Unauthorized Access Detected][Source: Internal — Tier Three Steward][Threat Level: High]
Her eyes sharpened.
"…There you are."
At the same moment—
A steward stood calmly before the formation control platform.
His expression relaxed.
Almost confident.
"So…"
"It's finally my turn."
He wasn't new.
He wasn't low rank either.
He had been among the earliest followers of the Mortal Sect.
He murmured to himself.
"Mortals are still mortals in the end."
"No matter how much they struggle…"
"They're still—"
A voice spoke behind him.
"Still what?"
The steward spun around.
His pupils shrank.
Xiao Xuanyin stood there.
No announcement.
No spiritual fluctuations.
As if he had been standing there the entire time.
"S-Sect Master…"
The steward stammered.
Xiao Xuanyin simply looked at him.
No anger.
No disappointment.
"Which node did you adjust?"
The steward opened his mouth.
But no words came out.
"I'll answer for you."
Xiao Xuanyin lifted his hand.
The air trembled.
The entire sect formation map unfolded in the void.
Every node visible.
Every connection exposed.
"Here."
"Here."
"And here."
Each point he touched—
The steward's face turned whiter.
"You didn't break the formation."
"You gambled that I'd be too busy elsewhere."
The steward finally snapped.
"You think you're so powerful?!"
"You're just a—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish—
His body was slammed into the formation projection.
Not a strike.
Not punishment.
A permissions reset.
[Authority Revoked][Rank Downgraded: Mortal]
In an instant—
The spiritual energy inside his body vanished.
He collapsed to his knees.
Fear finally surfaced.
"Your Majesty—no—Sect Master! I only—"
Xiao Xuanyin cut him off.
"You are not the first."
"And you won't be the last."
He turned.
His voice carried across the entire sect through the central formation.
"Listen carefully."
"The Mortal Sect does not fear betrayal."
"But any betrayer must understand one thing."
"You will always be caught."
At that moment—
Hidden authority nodes across the sect lit up simultaneously.
Countless cultivators felt a chill.
They realized something terrifying.
The Sect Master had not begun watching today.
He had always been watching.
Heaven Splits Again
The sky tore open once more.
Three figures descended.
Their auras were vast as mountains.
True Immortal Realm combat power.
The leader spoke coldly.
"Xiao Xuanyin."
"You have crossed the line."
Xiao Xuanyin looked up.
Calm.
"You're the ones standing too close."
The Immortal sneered.
"And you think—"
The ground lifted.
Entirely.
The environment shifted.
Su Wan's voice echoed through the battlefield.
"Environmental patch update complete."
The Immortal's footing sank.
"What?!"
"Welcome to the Mortal Sect."
"High-Load Combat Zone."
The Sect Master Moves
Xiao Xuanyin stepped forward.
Not a grand technique.
Not a killing move.
Just—
One step.
The laws of the battlefield adjusted.
The three Immortal warriors were dragged into the same rhythm.
Their attacks slowed.
Their instincts lagged.
Meanwhile—
Mortal Sect cultivators moved like a single organism.
"Left flank!"
"Reinforce!"
"Suppress!"
Their coordination was terrifyingly smooth.
Three breaths.
The first Immortal was forced to his knees.
Five breaths.
The second lost control of his spiritual flow.
Seven breaths.
The third was kicked straight out of the battlefield.
During the entire fight—
Xiao Xuanyin only did one thing.
He stood there.
Everyone understood.
This wasn't a group beating.
This was sovereign-level suppression.
The battlefield fell silent.
Xiao Xuanyin turned to the sect.
His gaze swept across every cultivator.
"Remember today."
"Not because we won."
He paused.
"But because from this moment onward—"
"Every enemy will understand one truth."
"The strength of the Mortal Sect…"
"…is not how hard we strike."
"It is that no matter how many enemies come—"
"We fight them."
"And every battle…"
"…becomes experience."