Su Qingyue didn't react. She simply walked back to her throne and watched Mu Chen leave her palace.
Mu Chen and Bai Han flew away from the ruins area, moving at a steady pace toward Jiuxiao Mountain.
Her expression shifted completely the moment Mu Chen was gone, dropping from warm to cold and indifferent in an instant.
The Tianyin Sect members grew even more confused, puzzled by how quickly, and how strangely, Su Qingyue's mood had changed.
"Lin Dong!" Su Qingyue called out firmly.
A man came to the flying palace, knelt, and bowed. He was the only one who came to stand before Su Qingyue directly.
"Send all teams into the ruins. Get those ancient artifacts as fast as possible."
"All of them? But what about..."
Su Qingyue's eyes lit up with a strong golden glow, and a wave of cultivation pressure slammed into Lin Dong's body, driving his face down into the palace floor.
"Do what I tell you."
"Yes... Grand Sect Leader."
The pressure eased. Lin Dong excused himself with a respectful bow, still pressing a hand to his aching chest as he left.
Once he reached the Tianyin Sect members, he ordered all teams to enter the ruins and retrieve the ancient artifacts immediately.
Every sect member obeyed and moved through the ruins gate. The other sects watched the Tianyin Sect's movement, and as a result, their leaders gave the same order.
"It looks like you want to speed up this expedition and claim those artifacts for yourself, Fellow Daoist Su Qingyue," said Hongyan Sect Leader Hong Xu.
"Yes," Su Qingyue answered simply. "Besides, I don't particularly enjoy staying in this place too long."
The bright red uniformed Hongyan Sect members followed the Tianyin Sect inside, as did the cultivators in dark blue robes from Qingyun Sect.
There was a simple reason Su Qingyue was rushing the ruins expedition, even at the risk of putting many sect members in danger.
It had nothing to do with wanting to claim the ancient artifacts. She had something far more important to handle at Jiuxiao Mountain.
Elsewhere, Bai Han and Mu Chen continued flying away from the ruins area, heading back toward the Tianyin Sect.
Bai Han glanced at Mu Chen every so often as he flew alongside him. He couldn't make sense of Mu Chen's identity, a man who hadn't even started cultivating, somehow managing to catch Grand Sect Leader Su Qingyue's attention.
What is it about this man that has Grand Sect Leader Su so interested?
Mu Chen's eyes kept moving, taking in everything around him. Dense forests and large cities passed beneath them, and a great deal of human activity was clearly visible from the sky.
What struck him as odd was that not a single person down there paid any attention to Mu Chen and Bai Han.
Their attitude made it clear they were completely used to seeing people fly freely through the sky.
"Is that... Jiuxiao Mountain?"
"Jiuxiao Mountain is our sect's sacred peak. We have three mountain summits, and Jiuxiao is the tallest and most sacred of them all."
"It is where the sect's ancestors cultivate, train, and seek dao enlightenment," Bai Han said.
"Does... Master Su live there too?" Mu Chen asked.
"Yes."
They kept flying, crossing over forests and hills, breaking through the clouds until the Tianyin Sect's mountain range came into view.
A large sect. Grand buildings dominated by silver-white, with massive white magic runes stretching across the mountainside behind, covered in ancient script and abstract carvings.
Bai Han was right. Mu Chen could see three mountains standing at different heights. And it wasn't just the mountains that stunned him. Thousands of floating hills surrounded the entire sect, and Mu Chen had no idea what to make of them.
There was no way I could have seen scenery like this back on Earth.
Beyond the natural landscape and the floating hills, Mu Chen watched as countless sect disciples flew between one hill and the next, from one mountain to another.
There were far more of them than there had been at the ancient ruins, all dressed in silver-white robe uniforms that resembled hanfu, though noticeably more elaborate.
"Welcome to the Tianyin Sect."
Mu Chen nodded and thanked him, his eyes staying fixed ahead, taking in the full beauty of the sect.
I never expected this. I never expected to end up in a situation like this.
What was spread out before him looked vaguely like the vision he had once seen the first time he touched his grandfather's necklace.
Mu Chen had always wondered. Was this what the great change in his life was supposed to look like?
The two of them flew upward toward Jiuxiao Mountain. But a loud shout rang out from somewhere nearby and echoed sharply.
"Stop!" the voice yelled.
An old man with a thick white beard and a sect robe appeared, cutting off Bai Han and Mu Chen's flying swords.
Mu Chen went still. He could see from the old man's expression that he was not happy with what they were doing.
"Are you trying to break the sect's primary rules, Junior?!" he shouted.
Without any hesitation, the old man hit both Bai Han and Mu Chen with a wave of cultivation pressure, far stronger than anything Su Qingyue had used.
Both of them coughed up blood. Mu Chen took the worst of it, having no cultivation base to speak of.
Cultivation pressure that strong put Mu Chen's life at real risk, threatening to shut down his spiritual root from direct exposure.
"Please understand, Core Elder Wang. I was ordered by Grand Sect Leader Su to bring Brother Mu Chen to Jiuxiao Mountain."
"You think I'm stupid, Junior?!" he snapped, driving his cultivation pressure even harder.
Mu Chen was no longer under Su Qingyue's protection, and his body was starting to feel the full crushing weight of the pressure.
His instincts kicked in fast. He extended his hand and called the golden cauldron out from his body. With a single pointing motion, the cauldron shot forward and slammed hard into the sect elder.
Bai Han was startled. The cultivation pressure eased the moment Elder Wang took the hit from Mu Chen's golden cauldron. The cauldron flew back and settled beside Mu Chen.
COUGH!
Mu Chen collapsed, still on his flying sword, unable to hold himself up. He coughed up far more blood than before, suffering serious internal injuries.
His vision blurred. His body went limp. Too weak to hold on through the pain, Mu Chen lost his balance and fell from the sky.
Bai Han panicked. He was the one tasked with guiding Mu Chen. If Mu Chen died, Grand Sect Leader Su would never forgive him.
"Damn it! What kind of weapon was that?!" Elder Wang snapped.
"Brother Mu Chen!"
Just as Bai Han moved to catch the unconscious Mu Chen, a sword formation appeared and stopped his fall. Bai Han was caught off guard.
He looked to the side. It was Elder Wang who had caught Mu Chen. Under normal circumstances he could have killed a mortal like Mu Chen without a second thought, but the attack from Mu Chen's mysterious weapon had piqued Elder Wang's curiosity.
"I won't kill you, mortal!"
"But I will punish you for daring to strike me!"
Bai Han flew closer to Elder Wang. "Please, Core Elder Wang. It would be better not to punish him. Grand Sect Leader Su will be furious!"
"Sect rules come first. And I will be punishing you as well for brazenly passing through Yunhai Mountain without permission!" Elder Wang said firmly.
Without a second thought, Elder Wang took the unconscious Mu Chen to the sect's main courtyard in front of Lingxiao Mountain.
Bai Han's panic grew, dreading whatever punishment Elder Wang had in store for Mu Chen.
He flew quickly after Elder Wang. The old man with the thick white beard arrived at the front courtyard, bound Mu Chen's hands and feet, and began whipping him with a spiked lash.
The training of sect disciples nearby came to a halt. Many of them turned and watched as Elder Wang acted with the same cruelty he always had.
But this time it was brutal in a way that stood apart. He wasn't killing Mu Chen, who was nothing more than a mortal, but instead chose to torture him for his own satisfaction.
CRACK!
Elder Wang kept swinging the lash hard across Mu Chen's back. The growing pain was enough to drag Mu Chen back to consciousness in the harshest way possible.
"AKKHHHH!" Mu Chen screamed.
"You're awake, you worthless mortal?! Tell me what weapon you used!" Elder Wang shouted.
Bai Han tried to stop Elder Wang, but he received another wave of cultivation pressure for his effort, the second time the elder had put him down.
He was helpless, forced to watch Mu Chen be tortured. He was genuinely afraid that Grand Sect Leader Su's anger would be beyond anything anyone could contain.
"I... won't tell you!" Mu Chen shouted.
"Stubborn mortal! Feel this spiked lash tear through your skin and flesh!"
Bai Han shouted and managed to break free from Elder Wang's cultivation pressure. He called out his flying sword and took off at full speed toward the ancient ruins.
Elder Wang watched Bai Han run, but he didn't care. He was far more interested in Mu Chen's weapon. He let Bai Han go without a second thought.
On the way, Bai Han kept muttering to himself in a panic, repeating that this was dangerous and serious. As far as he was concerned, only Grand Sect Leader Su could stop Elder Wang's cruelty.
From a distance, Bai Han spotted the ancient ruins and Su Qingyue's flying palace. He pushed himself to fly even faster.
Su Qingyue, still seated on her throne with her eyes closed, jolted when she felt Bai Han's energy aura approaching.
Bai Han arrived near Su Qingyue's palace, alone. He pressed his hands together immediately, bowed deeply, and begged forgiveness.
"What happened? Where is Mu Chen?!" Su Qingyue demanded.
"Forgive this junior for failing to protect Mu Chen. Core Elder Wang blocked us from going to Jiuxiao Mountain."
"Brother Mu Chen is currently being whipped by Elder Wang in the sect's main courtyard," Bai Han said firmly.
Su Qingyue's eyes flew open in shock. Her chest felt like it was burning, and both of her hands tensed and clenched into fists.
The fury pouring off Su Qingyue's face sent a massive burst of qi energy exploding through the ancient ruins, shaking the trees, sending leaves and dust flying into the air.
"HOW DARE HE!"
Su Qingyue put away her flying palace and took off at full speed, far faster than Bai Han could ever fly. The Hongyan and Qingyun Sect Leaders watched her go, both of them left wondering about the woman.
She flew like a lightning strike, trailing rolling thunder and black clouds behind her. Her brows were sharp and drawn, her hands still clenched tight, her eyes cold and full of killing intent.
Back in the sect's main courtyard, Elder Wang had been punishing Mu Chen for thirty full minutes since Bai Han had left.
Mu Chen's back was covered in wounds and blood, skin peeled away. His chest had taken damage too, and he was coughing up blood, the courtyard floor beneath him soaked red.
"You still won't give it to me, you worthless mortal?!"
"Go to hell... with yourself," Mu Chen rasped.
"My patience is gone!" Elder Wang snapped. "I'll just kill you!"
Just as Elder Wang raised the lash again, his hand stopped. A mass of dark rolling clouds cracking with blue lightning appeared directly above the Tianyin Sect.
The sect disciples nearby watched, their bodies going cold with fear. Elder Wang felt the same thing.
The sight drew the attention of the Tianyin Sect Leader and the other elders. They flew down from Yunhai Mountain and arrived in front of Lingxiao Mountain.
"What have you done, Core Elder Wang?!" Tianyin Sect Leader Yun Tian demanded.
"With respect to Sect Leader Yun. This junior was punishing this mortal for entering the sect without permission!" Elder Wang said firmly.
"Punishing a mortal with a punishment meant for a cultivator. Have you lost your mind?!" Yun Tian snapped.
In the middle of their exchange, a woman's voice rang out loud and clear, echoing across every corner of the Tianyin Sect.
"Wang Wei! How dare you punish my disciple?!" Su Qingyue declared, her golden eyes blazing.
THUD!
Every cultivator in the courtyard dropped to their knees, Yun Tian included. They were hurt and coughing up blood under the weight of Su Qingyue's cultivation pressure.
"Grand... Sect Leader Su?" Elder Wang said, stunned.
Su Qingyue turned and looked at Mu Chen, badly wounded, covered in cuts, soaked in blood, and barely holding on. Seeing him like that only drove her fury higher.
"WANG WEI!" Su Qingyue screamed.
"This junior... Wang begs forgiveness from Grand Sect Leader Su," Wang Wei rasped.
The woman raised her hand, summoning qi lightning and releasing it straight at Wang Wei. "Die!"