Chương 108: Striking from the Records

By the time Senior Brother Ma and Elder Sun reached the courtyard, all that remained was a charred husk amidst a landscape of pulverized stone. Elder Sun's pupils constricted. The blackened remains still held a human shape, but the features were unrecognizable. Only the scorched tatters of fabric—bearing the distinct patterns of the Jinshan Sect—hinted at the victim's identity. A Foundation Establishment cultivator had been snuffed out in a single breath, his soul extinguished before it could even attempt to flee.

He looked at Reyn, his gaze a turbulent mix of awe and dread.

"Elder Reyn..." Ma's throat bobbed as he struggled to find words.

"This man..."

"Too weak. Hardly worth the effort," Reyn replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

"What is the reputation of this Jinshan Sect?"

"I've investigated them," Ma answered quickly, his voice tight.

"A third-rate sect. Their disciples are notorious for their arrogance, preying on the common folk under the protection of their banner. The local populace has suffered under their tyranny for years." Reyn turned. His gaze swept over the two Foundation Establishment elders and the eleven pale-faced Qi Condensation disciples behind them. Finally, his eyes locked onto Lei Tianqi, who was cowering at the very back of the group. Lei Tianqi flinched as if bitten by a viper.

He bowed his head, unable to meet those obsidian eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul.

"Lei Tianqi." The voice wasn't loud, but it struck like a whip across the back. Tianqi's legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed. He forced himself to look up, a smile plastered on his face that looked more like a pained sob.

"Uncle Reyn..."

"Lead the way."

"To... to where?"

"The Jinshan Sect," Reyn said, stepping toward the exit. His green robes brushed against the threshold, trailing a cold breeze.

"We are striking them from the records."

Lei Tianqi sat atop Senior Brother Ma's flying sword, trembling like a leaf in a gale. He stole a glance at the figure in green leading the way. Reyn didn't use a sword or a light-streak. He simply walked through the void. With every step he took, a blossom of lightning erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward with terrifying speed. He looked as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll through a garden, yet Ma had to push his flying sword to its absolute limit just to keep pace.

"Uncle Reyn..." Ma finally ventured, unable to contain his anxiety.

"The Jinshan Sect may be third-rate, but their leader, Jin Sansheng, is at the False Core stage. They also have a mid-stage Foundation Establishment elder named Zhang Duo and dozens of capable disciples. Should we... perhaps inform the Sect Leader first?"

"No need. I decide everything here." The words fell like a hammer on a jade platter, shattering any further protest. Ma and Sun exchanged a bitter look. They remembered Qingxiaozi's secret order: "Reyn makes the decisions; you are merely there to assist." That old fox had likely foreseen this exact moment. Hundreds of kilometers away, atop a minor spirit vein, Jin Sansheng sat on his meditation mat, his heart racing. He had already heard of Cheng Ergui's death from the fleeing disciples.

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was heavy enough to crush iron. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"Senior Brother," Zhang Duo said, his face grim.

"That Reyn is only at the Qi Condensation stage. Even with his tricks, if we join forces..."

"You fool!" Jin Sansheng roared. The pressure of a False Core cultivator surged, snuffing out every candle in the hall.

"Cheng Ergui was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he didn't even survive a single move! Do you have any idea what that implies?" Zhang Duo fell silent, his face paling. Jin Sansheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He hadn't reached the False Core stage through recklessness, but through survival. Right now, his instincts—honed by a lifetime on the edge of death—were screaming.

"Order all disciples to pack their valuables and evacuate through the secret mountain pass. Zhang Duo, take the elites. I will hold the rear—" There was no thunderous explosion, only a dull, sickening crack. The mountain-protecting array, supposedly impregnable, shattered like fragile glass. An invisible force had gripped it and crushed it in an instant. The defensive barrier vanished, leaving the Jinshan Sect exposed. Jin Sansheng and Zhang Duo rushed out of the hall, their faces pale.

High above, the youth in green stood with his hands behind his back, looking down upon the sect like a god observing ants.

"Jin Sansheng?" The cold voice drifted down, devoid of heat but carrying the weight of divine judgment. Jin Sansheng's legs nearly gave out. He unleashed his full False Core aura, a massive wave of spiritual energy meant to intimidate. But against the figure in green, his power melted like snow before a blazing sun. He couldn't even touch the hem of Reyn's robe.

"Senior! Senior, have mercy!" Jin Sansheng trembled, his dignity as a Sect Leader vanishing.

"Cheng Ergui acted on his own! The Jinshan Sect has nothing to do with this! I will give you everything—every spirit stone, every treasure—just spare our lives!"

"Too late." Reyn raised a hand. At his fingertip, a faint light gathered. There were no flashy mudras, no world-shaking phenomena. It was the Earth-Shaking Finger. The strike seemed unremarkable, yet it locked onto the core flaws of Jin Sansheng's spiritual flow with surgical precision. Jin Sansheng's pupils shrank. He realized this wasn't a brute force attack; it was a strike aimed at the very seams of his defense.

"No! He can see through my shields!" Jin Sansheng screamed as he deployed nine layers of overlapping elemental shields—Earth, Gold, and Fire. Each layer was strong enough to withstand a full-strength blow from a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Together, they should have stopped a False Core's killing blow. Then, the impossible happened. Reyn's lightning didn't smash through. It pierced the gaps between the layers—the tiny, hidden blind spots that even Jin Sansheng rarely acknowledged. Crack!

The first layer shattered. Crack! The second layer dissolved. One, two, three... nine layers of "impenetrable" defense were dismantled like wet paper. Every strike hit a fatal weakness. It was clean, efficient, and terrifyingly precise. Below, Ma and Sun stood frozen, their eyes wide with horror.

"This... this isn't just power," Ma whispered.

"He understands the structure of a False Core shield! He knows every flaw! This is a total suppression of insight, foundation, and experience!" Elder Sun shivered.

"We thought he was just using overwhelming spiritual energy. We were wrong. He is using Qi Condensation energy to dismantle a False Core's life-work through pure skill. This level of combat dao... even a Golden Core Elder might not possess it." The Earth-Shaking Finger surged forward, piercing Jin Sansheng's chest. Pfft— Blood sprayed. Jin Sansheng's body convulsed as his False Core energy collapsed. He died in a state of utter disbelief, unable to comprehend how a Qi Condensation brat had dismantled him so easily.

Zhang Duo stood at the hall entrance, his robes soaked with urine. He looked at the charred remains of his leader, then up at the demon-god in the sky.

"You..." Reyn's voice descended.

"Do you intend to run?" Zhang Duo collapsed to his knees, slamming his forehead against the stone until blood splattered.

"Senior, spare me! I will be your slave! I know all of Cheng Ergui's secrets! I can tell you who the traitor in the Lei Clan is!" Reyn appeared before him in a flash. His boot was inches from Zhang Duo's nose. The pressure was suffocating.

"Speak."

"It's... it's Lei Wanjun!" Zhang Duo babbled.

"The incident at the Cold Pond twenty years ago—it was him! Your parents' deaths a year ago—he planned it all! Cheng Ergui was just the messenger. The one who truly wanted them dead was Lei Wanjun!" Reyn's expression didn't flicker. He looked down at Zhang Duo as if he were a piece of filth to be washed away. Then, he smiled. A faint, fleeting ripple.

"I know." He brought his foot down. Like crushing a cockroach. Zhang Duo's head exploded against the stone, a grotesque splash of red and white. Reyn withdrew his foot and wiped the sole against the threshold, as if removing a stain that wasn't even there.

"Still too weak."