The System Arrives: Leading My Clan to Become the Strongest

136: Another crisis loomsHis Soul Transformation Realm was completely different from that of ordinary Cultivators.

When ordinary Soul Transformation Cultivators first enter the Realm, they have only just begun to merge with the Laws of heaven and earth. They need to slowly refine their insights afterward to integrate the Laws with their own Dao foundation.

However, Jiang Chen had begun to comprehend Laws since the Soul Emergence Realm and even carried the aura of Laws when he broke through to Soul Transformation. The mark of Laws was already engraved within his Dao foundation. Now that he had just entered the Soul Transformation Realm, he could already harness the metal element Laws of heaven and earth for his own use.

Although he could not yet do so with perfect ease, he was already far beyond Cultivators of the same rank. Even against a Middle Stage Soul Transformation Realm Cultivator, he would have the strength to put up a fight.

This was the advantage of comprehending Laws in advance; being one step ahead meant being ahead at every step.

Jiang Chen raised his hand and grasped the Void Realm. The phantom of his life-bound Flying Sword condensed in his palm, Law runes flickering on the blade, perfectly merging with his aura.

He could clearly feel that the connection between the Flying Sword and the Laws of heaven and earth had become even closer due to his Breakthrough. In the future, the power of the Flying Sword would surely be multiplied when he activated it.

The faint aura of Laws around him slowly retracted into his body. He appeared no different from an ordinary Cultivator, but only Jiang Chen himself knew that he had already undergone a complete transformation.

On the other side.

The moment the spatial rift closed, Mo Tu’s figure fell violently from the void turbulence like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a dense forest thousands of miles away.

The backlash of the Blood Sacrifice Great Art was more intense than he had anticipated. A thousand years of cultivation was suddenly consumed, and the agonizing pain of losing half his Lifespan spread through his Meridians to his entire body. His internal organs felt as if they were being pierced by ten thousand steel needles. He opened his mouth and spat out another large mouthful of black blood, which splattered onto the withered leaves, creating a startling stain.

The ghost qi around him had long since become dim and withered, no longer possessing its previous frenzy. The wound scorched by the power of Laws when he tore through space was still constantly seeping black blood. He even had to rely on the wooden staff in his hand to barely maintain his posture. Every step he took caused intense pain in his bones, nearly making him collapse.

He had intended to use the teleportation power of the Blood Sacrifice Great Art to return directly to the Netherworld Sect, but the tearing of the void turbulence and the double backlash of the forbidden technique had nearly caused his Divine Thought to dissipate. The trajectory of his teleportation had completely shifted, causing him to land in this uninhabited dense forest.

This place was still ten thousand miles away from the Netherworld Sect. In his current state, let alone flying through the air, even ordinary travel was difficult to sustain. With the slightest carelessness, he would be targeted by Yao Beasts or Loose Cultivators in the forest, ending in his death.

Mo Tu gritted his teeth, suppressed his surging blood qi, and condensed his remaining ghost qi around him to form a weak protection. He then pulled out several sinister Medicinal Pills for healing from his storage ring and swallowed them directly, ignoring the pills’ backlash.

As the pills entered his body, although they temporarily suppressed his injuries, they also made his aura increasingly chaotic. The marks of his lost Lifespan were already etched on his face. His once relatively healthy appearance now sprouted strands of white hair, and wrinkles filled the corners of his eyes, making him age decades in an instant.

He did not dare to stay for a moment. Leaning on his wooden staff, he struggled forward through the dense forest, avoiding areas occupied by Yao Beasts. When thirsty, he drank the morning dew from the forest; when hungry, he consumed the essence blood of cold-attribute Yao Beasts. Traveling day and night, it took him a full seven days before he finally saw the headquarters of the Bone-Corroding Netherworld Sect beneath the ten-thousand-fathom precipice in the Deep part of the Great Wilderness.

When Mo Tu stumbled into the Sect’s territory, the gate-guarding Disciples were shocked by his wretched appearance and rushed forward to support him, only to be brushed aside by his sleeve. His raspy voice was full of malice:

“Take me to see the Sect Master!”

The Disciples did not dare to delay and quickly led Mo Tu to the Youluo Secret Realm deep within the Sect—this was the seclusion place of the Body Integration Realm Sect Master, Old Devil You Xue. Unless it was a major matter, no one dared to disturb him.

Inside the Youluo Secret Realm, gusts of yin wind blew and ghost qi swirled. On the black stone throne in the center sat the figure of an old man. His face was sinister, his eyes deep-set, and his body was surrounded by a thick Death Qi; he was none other than Old Devil You Xue.

His aura was condensed but not released, yet it carried a pressure that crushed everything. Even a Soul Transformation Realm Cultivator like Mo Tu was as insignificant as an ant before him.

Mo Tu knelt before the black stone throne, unable to hold on any longer, and kowtowed heavily on the ground, fully exposing his wretched state and injuries. His voice carried an irrepressible sense of humiliation and hatred.

“Sect Master, it failed. Everyone else has fallen; only I managed to escape back using the Blood Sacrifice Great Art at the last moment!”

Old Devil You Xue’s withered fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the throne. His raspy voice echoed through the Secret Realm, revealing no emotion.

“Oh? With your Void Refining Realm cultivation and four Soul Transformation Elders, you actually failed?”

Mo Tu did not dare to hide anything and reported the sequence of events in detail.

From investigating the cause of Bai Hanye’s death to finding the location of the person who killed him, the sudden appearance of the Ancestral Court Cultivators, and his forced escape using the Blood Sacrifice Great Art—losing a thousand years of cultivation and half his Lifespan while all the Disciples and four Soul Transformation Elders under his command fell—he recounted everything without missing a word.

“The Ancestral Court?”

Old Devil You Xue’s voice suddenly turned cold. A majestic Body Integration Realm pressure erupted from the black stone throne, the ghost qi in the Secret Realm churning wildly. Countless fine cracks appeared on the ground. Mo Tu was pinned to the floor by this pressure, unable even to lift his head, his bones making an overwhelmed creaking sound.

He could clearly feel the Old Ancestor’s sky-high rage. It was the fury of someone whose major plans had been ruined, and even more so, the resentment of the Ancestral Court interfering and breaking the rules of the Bone-Corroding Netherworld Sect.

You Luozi’s figure swayed slightly, a bloodthirsty cold light flashing in his withered eyes.

“The Ancestral Court is quite bold, daring to interfere in the affairs of my Netherworld Sect. Do they really think there is no one in my Netherworld Sect!”

Mo Tu was delighted, thinking the Sect Master would immediately order a confrontation with the Ancestral Court, only to see Old Devil You Xue’s pressure suddenly retract. The anger in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, leaving only a cold solemnity.

How could he not know the strength of the Ancestral Court? The Ancestral Court had deep foundations, with many Body Integration Realm ancestors and even existences at the level of Undergoing Tribulation. At this moment, if the Netherworld Sect were to go head-to-head with the Ancestral Court, they would have no chance of winning and would only end up losing everything.

“This matter shall be suppressed for now.”

You Luozi’s voice carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

“We will settle the score with the Ancestral Court later. For now, it is not suitable to confront them head-on.”

Although unwilling, Mo Tu did not dare to disobey and could only lower his head and reply: “Yes, Sect Master.”

Old Devil You Xue’s gaze fell on Mo Tu, sweeping over his aged face and chaotic aura. A flash of impatience crossed his eyes, but he also knew that this failure was not Mo Tu’s fault alone. His tone shifted, and a cold light shot out.

“The person who killed Bai Hanye is quite a significant variable.”

“If not for him, the Ancestral Court might not have intervened so quickly, and my Netherworld Sect wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses.”

Old Devil You Xue’s voice was filled with bone-chilling hatred.

“This person actually managed to get the Ancestral Court to protect him and even ruined my Sect’s great plan. He cannot be allowed to live!”

Although he temporarily suppressed his anger toward the Ancestral Court, his hatred for Jiang Chen had already seeped into his bones.

This person who appeared out of nowhere not only ruined his plan to seize the ancient star scroll but also caused heavy losses to the Netherworld Sect. He would settle this debt with interest sooner or later!

Mo Tu kowtowed in thanks, his resentment deepening. He dragged his exhausted body out of the Youluo Secret Realm with only one thought in his mind: Don’t let me find out who you are, or I will make sure you die without a burial place!

In the Youluo Secret Realm, Old Devil You Xue looked at the void in front of the black stone throne, a gloom flashing in his eyes. Amidst the churning ghost qi, a hidden shadow quietly slipped out of the Sect, heading toward the direction of Qingyun Mountain in the Yuan Kingdom—although he would not make an enemy of the Ancestral Court for now, he had to first uncover Jiang Chen’s background and wait for the opportunity to kill him.