Instead of becoming frightened...

The bound disciples of the Silent Sword Sect suddenly laughed even harder.

"Hahahaha!"

One disciple raised his bloodied face proudly while staring toward the floating demonic cultivator with complete mockery.

"What happened earlier?"

"Aren’t you people extremely arrogant?"

Another disciple beside him laughed loudly despite the wounds covering his body.

"Your Master died!"

"Your fellow cultivators died!"

"And now all you can do is threaten us?"

Several younger disciples began laughing through tears.

"That disgusting Blood Soul Sovereign finally died!"

"He deserved worse!"

"You demonic dogs finally received heavenly punishment!"

The floating demonic cultivator’s expression instantly became uglier.

Veins slowly bulged across his forehead.

Yet the disciples only continued louder and louder.

"Hahaha!"

"What happened to your confidence earlier?"

"You were acting so mighty!"

"Didn’t you people say our Senior Sister would become your Master’s vessel?"

One heavily injured disciple spat blood toward the arena floor mockingly.

"Looks like your pathetic Master got destroyed instead!"

The surrounding disciples immediately followed emotionally.

"That’s right!"

"Our Senior Sister actually killed him!"

"She avenged the sect!"

"She avenged the Patriarch!"

"She avenged the elders!"

Their voices echoed endlessly across the ruined arena.

Meanwhile, the floating demonic cultivator’s face gradually turned darker and darker.

The veins across his forehead thickened visibly while spiritual Qi around him started becoming unstable.

Still...

The bound disciples refused stopping.

"Hahaha!"

"You demonic cultivators are doomed now!"

"Without the Blood Soul Sovereign, your sect will collapse completely!"

One younger disciple laughed loudly despite trembling from exhaustion.

"You people spent hundreds of years trying reviving that monster!"

"And now he still died!"

"How embarrassing!"

The floating cultivator’s fingers slowly twitched.

Veins continued bulging larger across his forehead.

His breathing gradually became heavier.

Still...

The disciples kept mocking endlessly.

"What’s wrong?"

"Why are you becoming angry?"

"Did your precious Master truly die?"

"Hahaha!"

"Maybe Senior Sister Zi Yue crushed his soul apart!"

"Maybe he begged for mercy before dying!"

Several disciples laughed so hard they nearly cried again.

The floating cultivator’s face finally began turning red.

Not slightly red.

Completely red.

Spiritual Qi exploded wildly around his body while killing intent surged endlessly from him.

Then suddenly—

"Hah..."

A terrifying smile slowly appeared across his face.

The disciples gradually quieted slightly afterward.

The floating cultivator’s eyes became filled with madness.

"You all..."

His voice sounded horrifyingly calm now.

"...I will perform soul searches on every single one of you."

Instantly—

The bound Silent Sword Sect disciples froze.

The floating cultivator slowly descended lower toward them while smiling coldly.

"One by one..."

His spiritual pressure slowly pressed downward.

"I am certain one of you knows something regarding Zi Yue."

The disciples’ expressions immediately changed.

Soul search.

Every cultivator understood what that meant.

A brutal technique capable of forcefully tearing through someone’s memories.

And most importantly...

Most people who suffered soul searches ended up mentally crippled afterward.

Some became idiots permanently.

Others died instantly from soul damage.

The floating cultivator’s smile gradually widened.

"As for how she survived..."

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"...we will eventually know."

The bound disciples completely froze now.

Several younger disciples visibly trembled.

The floating cultivator immediately laughed loudly afterward.

"Hahahahaha!"

"That’s what you get!"

His laughter echoed across the ruined arena endlessly.

"You people became too arrogant merely because Master died!"

"But in the end..."

His eyes became cruel again.

"...you are still nothing more than prisoners beneath my feet!"

The floating cultivator slowly raised one hand afterward.

"Bring them here."

His tone became colder.

"We will start soul searching immediately."

But then—

Silence.

Complete silence followed afterward.

No one moved.

The floating cultivator frowned slightly.

"...What are you people doing?"

Still...

Silence.

No demonic cultivator responded.

The floating cultivator slowly froze.

Something felt wrong suddenly.

Very wrong.

The atmosphere changed completely without him realizing.

The bound Silent Sword Sect disciples were no longer staring at him.

Instead...

All of them stared upward.

The floating cultivator slowly turned around.

Then instantly—

His pupils shrank violently.

Because the bodies of the surrounding demonic cultivators...

Were gone.

No...

Not gone.

Flattened.

Their corpses looked like horrifying red smears spread across the arena floor as though enormous mountains crushed them completely.

Bones.

Organs.

Flesh.

Everything became flattened into horrifying bloody paste.

The floating cultivator’s breathing instantly stopped.

Then slowly...

He raised his head upward.

And the moment he looked above himself—

A gigantic finger filled his vision completely.

The floating cultivator’s mind went blank.

Before he could even react—

BAM!

The enormous finger smashed directly into his face.

The force instantly blasted him downward like a meteor crashing from the heavens.

Then—

BANG!

The floating cultivator exploded upon impact.

Not merely exploded.

His entire body turned into bloody paste instantly.

Bones vanished completely.

Even the arena floor cracked apart beneath the impact.

Silence.

Complete silence filled the ruined island.

The bound disciples of the Silent Sword Sect stared blankly upward.

Every single one of them looked stunned beyond belief.

Meanwhile...

Clayne awkwardly looked downward at them.

Then quietly spoke.

"...Hey, you all."

Still—

The disciples remained completely frozen.

They simply stared upward at the gigantic existence beyond the sky.

Clayne immediately became awkward.

"...You’re all from the Silent Sword Sect, right?"

Still...

Silence.

The disciples continued staring upward blankly.

Then suddenly—

Clayne spoke louder.

"Hey!"

Instantly—

The disciples finally snapped awake.

Several disciples immediately scrambled desperately despite remaining bound.

"Senior!"

"Senior!"

One disciple hurriedly lowered his head respectfully.

"May we know this esteemed Senior’s name?"

The others immediately followed.

"Yes!"

"Please forgive this junior’s ignorance!"

"We did not recognize Senior earlier!"

Meanwhile, Clayne scratched his cheek slightly awkwardly.

Honestly...

He did not even know what he should call himself anymore.

Then eventually—

He spoke.

"I’m your sect’s newest member."

The disciples froze briefly.

"...Newest member?"

Clayne nodded calmly afterward.

"You can call me..."

He paused briefly.

"...Senior Deity."

Silence filled the arena again.

The disciples stared blankly upward.

A deity...?

Meanwhile, Clayne nodded naturally.

"That’s what little Zi Yue calls me anyway."

Little... Zi Yue?

The disciples froze completely once more.

Their minds struggled processing those words.

Little Zi Yue?

Senior Sister Zi Yue?

The strongest genius of their generation?

The pride of the Silent Sword Sect?

Called little?

Several disciples nearly stopped breathing from shock.

Then suddenly—

The realization finally struck them.

Immediately afterward—

The bound disciples nearly collapsed emotionally.

"Senior Deity!"

Several disciples began crying instantly.

"Thank you for saving us!"

"Thank you, Senior Deity!"

The arena instantly became chaotic.

One disciple repeatedly slammed his head against the ground while crying.

"If not for Senior Deity..."

"We would already be dead!"

Another disciple’s eyes became completely red from emotion.

"Senior Deity even killed those demonic cultivators for us..."

"We truly do not know how to repay such kindness..."

The more they spoke...

The more emotional they became.

Some disciples openly cried while thanking him repeatedly.

Others bowed desperately despite remaining tied up.

"Our Silent Sword Sect will never forget Senior Deity’s grace!"

"Senior Deity saved our sect’s final hope!"

"You even protected Senior Sister Zi Yue!"

One younger disciple cried heavily.

"Senior Deity is truly our benefactor..."

The atmosphere gradually became overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Clayne immediately became awkward again.

"Alright, alright..."

His giant voice echoed across the arena softly.

The disciples immediately quieted respectfully afterward.

Then suddenly—

One disciple looked upward seriously.

"Senior Deity..."

His voice became emotional.

"Thank you for joining our humble Silent Sword Sect."

Immediately afterward, the surrounding disciples followed respectfully.

"Our Silent Sword Sect may have declined..."

"Our elders may have died..."

"Our sect may have fallen..."

"But with Senior Deity joining..."

Several disciples became emotional again.

"Our sect truly received heavenly fortune!"

"It is our Silent Sword Sect’s greatest honor!"

"We are unworthy of such blessing!"

Meanwhile, Clayne quietly listened before eventually speaking honestly.

"I’m interested in immortal cultivation."

Immediately—

Every disciple focused completely upon him.

Clayne continued calmly.

"It’s pretty fun."

The disciples blinked blankly.

Meanwhile, Clayne casually added,

"I recently reached the Third Stage of the Qi Infusion Realm."

"And honestly..."

He slightly clenched his fist.

"...my body feels like it wants more."

The disciples instantly became shocked.

Third Stage Qi Infusion?

For a being they viewed as a supreme deity...

That sentence sounded completely different in their ears.

To them...

It sounded like a bored heavenly existence amusing himself through low level cultivation.

And somehow...

That made them feel incredibly fortunate.

Immediately afterward, numerous disciples began speaking excitedly all at once.

"Senior Deity!"

"The Third Stage mainly strengthens internal organs!"

"One must stabilize spiritual Qi carefully afterward!"

Another disciple immediately followed.

"Yes!"

"If Senior Deity cultivates too quickly, your meridians may become unstable!"

A female disciple hurriedly added respectfully.

"The Silent Sword Sect emphasizes foundation stability!"

"Especially during the Qi Infusion Realm!"

Another disciple quickly spoke afterward.

"At the Fourth Stage, spiritual Qi circulation becomes far more important!"

"One should continuously refine impurities while nourishing the body simultaneously!"

Several disciples began explaining together passionately.

"Senior Deity should focus upon breathing techniques!"

"And sword resonance!"

"Also movement arts!"

"Do not ignore body refinement completely either!"

One disciple excitedly explained further.

"Actually, many cultivators fail because they focus entirely upon cultivation realms while neglecting combat instincts!"

Another immediately nodded.

"That’s right!"

"Even among the same realm, combat experience creates enormous differences!"

A younger disciple looked upward respectfully afterward.

"Senior Deity, the reason our sect specialized in sword cultivation was because sword cultivators possess stronger offensive power than ordinary cultivators!"

Another disciple quickly added,

"And because sword cultivators refine intent alongside spiritual Qi, our reactions become sharper too!"

The disciples gradually became increasingly enthusiastic while explaining everything they knew.

Even though none of them were powerful experts...

They still eagerly shared their insights toward Clayne.

Because in their minds...

This mysterious Senior Deity genuinely treated cultivation as interesting and fun.

And somehow...

That made them feel strangely close to him despite the overwhelming difference between them.

Then suddenly—

One disciple carefully looked upward again.

"Senior Deity..."

His voice became hesitant.

"...Do you happen to know where Senior Sister Zi Yue is?"