Chương 97: The Finale

"Silence!" Ancestor Ming Diao roared, his face contorting into a mask of sinister fury.

"Zhanchen was merely consumed by a momentary lapse of reason, driven mad by the heat of battle! How dare you take the ravings of a maddened youth as gospel? Cease your baseless slander at once!" In the face of the Golden Core expert's pressure, Reyn's eyes remained chips of frozen ice.

"A temporary lapse of reason, Senior Ming Diao?" he echoed, his voice cutting through the hall with clinical precision.

"Perhaps my kin are not yours, and thus you find it easy to dismiss this as a mere misunderstanding. But I cannot, and I will not, gamble with their lives."

"You—!"

"Any man who has not completely abandoned his conscience would have struck to kill when faced with such a threat," Reyn continued, his voice rising with a sharp, righteous edge that commanded the room.

"I merely shattered his Dantian; I have already shown immense mercy. Or does the Qingyan Sect believe its might is so absolute that it can trample the sacred rules of our world? Do you intend to allow your disciples to hunt the mortal families of fellow cultivators? If this is permitted to continue, today the victim is Reyn, but tomorrow, it may very well be any of the fellow Daoists sitting here!" As Reyn's voice thundered, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.

The representatives of the various sects of the North Yue State felt a cold shiver of realization. Their gazes toward Ancestor Ming Diao turned sharp, laced with growing hostility and suspicion.

"Nonsense! Do not speak such filth! My Qingyan Sect has never engaged in such atrocities!" Ancestor Ming Diao's heart hammered against his ribs. He felt a flicker of genuine panic; if this accusation were allowed to take root, they would be branded enemies of the entire North Yue cultivation world. Even with the Qingyan Sect's strength, they would not survive such a pariah status.

"Whether you have or haven't is not for me to decide," Reyn sneered, refusing to yield an inch.

"The hearts of our fellow Daoists are not blind. Furthermore, we are on the Ascension Terrace. Spells have no eyes, and injuries are inevitable. Your grandson wounded over a dozen of my Xuanxiao Sect brothers earlier, yet I saw no concern from you. You even claimed that as long as lives weren't taken, all was fair. I have merely broken this man's Dantian and shattered his meridians. He lives. By your own logic, I have broken no rules. Why, then, is your reaction so hypocritically different? Unless...

Senior Ming Diao intends to use his Golden Core cultivation to bully a junior? Do you truly not fear the mockery of the world?"

"You little bastard, shut your mouth!" The Ancestor's face turned the color of bruised liver. His eyes turned bloodshot as a violent, chaotic aura erupted from his body like a dam bursting. Kill! Kill! Kill! The thought consumed him. He wanted to grind Reyn into dust and soul-search his remains for eternity. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Wake up!" Tiandaozi's voice boomed like a thunderclap, infused with a soul-stabilizing mantra. The sound waves rippled through the hall, jolting every cultivator present out of their shock. The murderous haze in Ming Diao's eyes receded, replaced by a cold sweat. He had been on the verge of a total cultivation backlash. Had Tiandaozi not intervened, his unstable Golden Core foundation—already fragile from his recent breakthrough—would have crumbled, potentially dropping him an entire realm in rank.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your timely assistance," Ming Diao whispered, his voice trembling as he struggled to stabilize his roiling True Essence. Tiandaozi's face remained a mask of cold fury. He stepped onto the Dueling Platform, his voice like cracking ice.

"Sect Leader Qingxiaozi, the Qingyan Sect concedes this duel. Within one year, send your representatives to take over the mountain gate as agreed. We have matters to attend to and shall not linger. Farewell!" With a flash of light, he vanished toward the Spirit Beast Pavilion. Ancestor Ming Diao cast one final, venomous look at Reyn. A secret transmission hissed in Reyn's ear: "Little beast, never step foot outside your sect alone. I will personally ensure you never return."

He scooped up the broken heap that was his grandson and prepared to leave. But then, a sound erupted from the mangled youth—a laugh like a cuckoo weeping blood, a screech of a dying crow. It was a sound of such profound, ancient hatred that it seemed to chill the very air.

"Hahaha! Reyn... Reyn!" Ming Diao Zhanchen shrieked, blood-tears streaming down his face in a horrific display.

"From this day forth, I am no longer Zhanchen. I am Mie Lei—the Thunder Destroyer! I will come for you! I will come for everything you hold dear!" Reyn watched him depart, his expression unreadable.

"I'll be waiting," he said simply, his voice devoid of emotion. Ancestor Ming Diao felt a surge of grief for the grandson he had poured so much effort into, now a ruined shell.

"Xuanxiao Sect, this matter is far from over!" The Qingyan Sect party departed, their three giant toads roaring in frustration as they ascended, trailing black clouds toward the north.

"Daoist Qingxiaozi, Daoist Dan Chenzi, I shall take my leave as well," Xuan Wuqing said, his gaze lingering on Reyn with complex emotions. He sighed softly.

"For the next few centuries, the North Yue State will surely be the stage for this youth's brilliance." Bai Sha of the Earth Fiend Sect followed suit, departing without a word. As the thousand-legged centipede rose into the air, its massive, lantern-like eyes caught sight of Reyn. The beast, remembering the agony Reyn had inflicted, flinched and fled in a panicked blur before it could even let out a roar. On the platform, Reyn's lips curled into a faint smirk. The beast had finally learned the meaning of fear.

For the next hour, leaders of over a hundred sects approached to offer their respects. Their attitudes were no longer condescending; they were fawning. The rise of the Xuanxiao Sect was now an undeniable reality. Finally, only the Xuanxiao disciples remained. Qingxiaozi and Dan Chenzi shared a look of profound relief. The Sect Leader stepped forward, his voice carrying across the mountain.

"Today, our sect was saved from the brink of destruction. This victory belongs to Reyn! His brilliance has cowed our enemies and restored our honor! I hereby declare Reyn a Core Disciple and the Great Elder of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion! His status is second only to myself and Junior Brother Dan Chenzi! Disciples, pay your respects!"

"We greet Elder Reyn!" The disciples, regardless of their rank or age, turned and bowed deeply to the young man who had changed their destiny. Reyn felt a surge of emotion. A year ago, he was a mere registered disciple; now, he stood at the pinnacle of the sect.