Chapter 18: Yangsheng Sect? Am I Afraid of You?

"Master... Sect Leader, has your strength increased?"

When Liang Chuan appeared, Liu Ruyan sensed that his power had grown once more.

"I am ready to make a breakthrough." Liang Chuan looked at Liu Ruyan with a faint smile in his eyes. "And if you find it uncomfortable, you can continue calling me Senior Brother in the future!"

In terms of seniority, his Fourth Junior Sister and Fifth Junior Brother were both entitled to address him as Senior Brother. After all, they were all direct disciples of their master; their use of "Sect Leader" was merely a gesture of respect.

"Senior Brother!" A brilliant smile spread across Liu Ruyan's face. It felt much closer to address him directly as Senior Brother; calling him Sect Leader always created an invisible barrier between them.

Liang Chuan turned his gaze toward the sect disciples below. It had to be said that with the backing of sufficient resources, many disciples had already achieved breakthroughs. Although resources were currently scarce, they were at least pooling the reserves of four sects to foster the cultivation of one. If time hadn't been so tight—even with just another half-year—most disciples, provided their talent wasn't abysmal, could have reached the ninth stage of the Qi Refining period.

There was a massive bottleneck between the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. Even though they were only at the early stages of cultivation, breaking through to Foundation Establishment was extremely difficult without adequate resources. Take his predecessor, for instance; it had taken a full two years to progress from the early stage to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The White Sword Sect was not a wealthy sect, and even as a direct disciple, he had rarely been able to access the Spirit Chamber—which, even then, wasn't a room powered by spirit stones!

The path of cultivation was arduous and filled with hardship; otherwise, the Blood Moon Sect would not have turned against the other three sects just for spirit stones.

"Senior Brother, everyone has arrived." Liu Ruyan took stock of the group descending the mountain.

Liang Chuan nodded slightly, his eyes filled with resolve. "In that case, let the disciples follow me down the mountain!"

The journey from Lingyun Peak to Nanyang City took nearly twenty hours. When the distant city walls finally appeared before them, the group's mood turned somber.

"So this is Nanyang City!" Liu Ruyan looked up at the towering walls, unable to hold back her amazement. Many of them had come straight from their villages and, upon joining the White Sword Sect, had rarely ever left its grounds. Even when they occasionally needed supplies, it was usually the elders who took the stronger senior disciples to make the purchases.

Liang Chuan, however, felt little stirring in his heart upon seeing the walls. At most, they were only six meters high, and Nanyang City itself was not particularly large. According to the records, their region was a backwater; the others were only impressed because they had never seen a grander city.

"Follow me into the city!" Liang Chuan did not let them delay.

In the distance, the guards at the city gate turned pale the moment they saw the massive procession of cultivators approaching. "Quick! Go report to the City Lord! The immortals from the White Sword Sect are here!" Although they were guards, they were only slightly stronger than commoners; they wouldn't dare dream of resisting.

Inside the City Lord's manor, the City Lord sat in a grand armchair, leisurely brewing a cup of tea. Suddenly, a guard burst across the threshold, breathless. "City Lord, people from the White Sword Sect have arrived!"

The City Lord, who was just about to rinse the tea, felt his hand tremble, spilling the hot water. "How are they here so soon?" His expression shifted drastically as he scrambled to his feet. "Tell them I've already left!"

But before he could finish his sentence, he saw Liang Chuan leading a group of disciples into the hall.

"City Lord, where exactly are you planning to go?" Liang Chuan asked with a faint, mocking smile, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.

"Senior, please spare me!" The City Lord scurried over to Liang Chuan and knelt down without a word. Though he was a City Lord, he was only at the middle stage of Qi Refining. While he lived a comfortable life, that was only by the standards of ordinary people. Even though the young man before him looked unfamiliar, he recognized the aura of a Foundation Establishment expert and the robes of the White Sword Sect.

Liang Chuan didn't speak immediately. Instead, he made himself at home, sitting down in the grand armchair. "Get up."

Only after receiving permission did the City Lord crawl to Liang Chuan’s side, bowing and scraping. Liang Chuan picked up the teapot and examined it. "Hmm, not bad. A purple clay teapot. It seems you've been living quite well."

The City Lord trembled even more. "It is all thanks to the four great sects; otherwise, how could a small man like me ever ascend to the position of City Lord?" He had held this position for long enough to know that this was a warning.

Liang Chuan’s expression remained indifferent. He placed the teapot back on the table and tapped the lid with his finger. "Tell me, why was the tribute not delivered on time?"

At this, the City Lord wore a bitter expression. "It is not that I dared to delay, but the Yangsheng Sect stationed two Foundation Establishment experts here, and with my strength..."

"Two Foundation Establishment experts?" Liang Chuan felt reassured. His only fear was that they might have sent a Golden Core expert, which would have required a different approach. "In that case, tell me their current location!"

They were only two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Not to mention that both he and Liu Ruyan were at the Foundation Establishment stage, there were five of them in total who could handle such opponents. Dealing with two Foundation Establishment cultivators would be no problem at all.

In an obscure residence, the two Foundation Establishment experts were sitting by a pond, fishing. Once they hooked a carp, they would unhurriedly toss it back into the water. One of them, however, looked particularly anxious.

"Senior Brother, are we truly not worried about the Lingyun Peak cultivators coming to cause trouble?" The younger junior brother kept glancing toward the entrance as he spoke.

The senior brother snorted and cast his line back into the water. "Rest assured. Those fellows at Lingyun Peak are busy with infighting; they're likely all dead by now. Besides, we are from the Yangsheng Sect! Even if they did see us, they would have to bow and scrape before us!"

In truth, the Yangsheng Sect didn't care much for this tiny territory, but thinking that even a mosquito had meat on its bones, they had sent these two over. They certainly wouldn't waste stronger cultivators on such a small city.

"I hope so," the junior brother sighed. This was his first time on a garrison mission. While the danger level was low, it still couldn't compare to the comfort of the sect.

*Bang!*

The next second, the gates of the residence were shattered. The two men, who had been chatting, bolted upright.

A group of people poured in.

The two men immediately drew their long swords. "Who are you to dare cause trouble on the territory of our Yangsheng Sect!"

Liang Chuan swept a cold glance over them and said in a flat tone, "The people here to take your lives."