The vast island was cleaved in two, seawater rushing into the breach. The entire East Sea branch of the Hongchen Pavilion descended into chaos.
Ye Qingyan stood in the study, gazing blankly at the sky now exposed above, her expression still dazed.
Ye Ling, with a single sword strike, had split the entire island in half…
She couldn't fathom what kind of power it took to achieve such a feat!
"Alright, the commotion is big enough. Those fellows will likely all be rushing here. It's time for us to go out and collect some heads," Ye Ling said with a light chuckle, as if he had done something insignificant. He tossed the sword back to Ye Qingyan and strode out of the sealed study.
Outside the study, various metal gears and linkages were scattered everywhere.
Where Ye Ling had cut, sparks still flickered. Those seemingly ordinary metal gears concealed unimaginable circuitry. A glance at the circuits alone revealed the immense cost of this pyramid.
"So this is what the Hongchen Pavilion needed so much money for, it was all spent on things like this."
Ye Ling surveyed the metal gears. Judging by their materials and internal construction, even a single piece chipped off would be worth enough to buy a building in a first-tier city in China.
This so-called "Tongtian Tower" was a bottomless pit.
Ye Ling smiled and led Ye Qingyan out of the Tongtian Tower.
"They're here!"
Just then, a clamor of shouts erupted from outside the Tongtian Tower. Ye Ling looked over and saw a large number of fully armed soldiers surrounding them, guns aimed at Ye Ling.
Among the soldiers, many cultivators with not-weak power were hidden.
Seeing that they had completely fallen out with the Hongchen Pavilion, Ye Qingyan had no choice but to step up. She moved closer to Ye Ling, sword in hand, and cautioned, "Be careful. I've never seen the weapons they wield. Those things might be able to harm us. Don't get caught off guard!"
"Mm."
Ye Ling responded, but Ye Qingyan couldn't discern any hint of caution in his eyes.
"Where did this guy come from?"
Hidden among the crowd, Mao Jianhe stared at Ye Ling and Ye Qingyan with a look of utter horror, his mind a muddled mess.
When the sword energy had sliced through earlier, it had passed right by him, nearly bisecting him!
Even now, Mao Jianhe felt lingering fear, unable to comprehend what kind of monster could cleave the Tongtian Tower and the island along with it!
However, no matter how terrified Mao Jianhe was, as an external affairs officer of the Hongchen Pavilion, he had to step forward at this moment and call out to Ye Ling from a distance, "Friend ahead, please do not resist. As long as you surrender obediently, we guarantee you..."
*Chii!*
Before Mao Jianhe could finish speaking, a spiritual blade pierced through his chest and flew out towards the island.
Blood spurted from Mao Jianhe's chest, silencing him!
Seeing this, the commander of the armed forces realized Ye Ling was not open to negotiation. He quickly barked into his unit's communication channel, "Attention everyone, the target is an extremely dangerous individual. No negotiation. No holding back. Focus all fire to eliminate them!"
As the commander issued the order, all the poised soldiers unhesitatingly pulled their triggers. A barrage of blue orbs of light shot from their gun barrels, hurtling towards Ye Ling and Ye Qingyan.
The orbs exploded about ten meters in front of Ye Ling, instantly vaporizing the air and spiritual energy around Ye Ling and Ye Qingyan!
The surroundings became a complete vacuum. Ye Qingyan immediately felt her spiritual power draining away, her body growing weaker.
"What is this?"
Ye Qingyan could no longer stand, kneeling on one knee, using her sword to support herself, gasping for breath.
Within seconds, she began to feel dizzy.
"Second wave of attacks, fire!"
At this moment, the Hongchen Pavilion's unit commander issued the order again. The soldiers, in perfect unison, drew modified automatic rifles from their exoskeletons and mercilessly unleashed a hail of bullets towards Ye Ling and Ye Qingyan.
"These troops are quite interesting. First, they blockade the cultivators' movements, then they use these bullets that ignore spiritual energy to kill... A concentrated volley like this could probably take down even an eighth-grade peak cultivator."
Watching the bullets etched with complex patterns pour towards him, Ye Ling chuckled and raised his arm, his fingers slightly spread.
"Pity, you met me."
*Weng!*
A colossal, obsidian gate suddenly rose before Ye Ling. The soldiers' bullets all plunged into the gate without causing the slightest ripple.
"What is this now?"
Upon seeing the gate appear, the Hongchen Pavilion troops were all astonished, staring at the ever-growing obsidian gate with shock. They even forgot to continue their attack.
However, the cultivators with keen sixth senses felt an extreme danger emanating from the gate. Disregarding the need to investigate what lay beyond, they shouted sternly, "Danger!!! Everyone retreat! All retreat to the rear!"
In an instant, nearly a hundred cultivators of third-grade and above darted out from the soldier ranks, madly fleeing from the obsidian gate that had already reached a hundred meters in height!
Seeing this, the unit commander also quickly ordered, "Abandon the attack, all units withdraw!!!"
"Leave this place to me!!!"
At this moment, a white-haired man in dark Hanfu soared into the sky, three flying swords trailing behind him. They then transformed into countless flying swords, which condensed into a colossal sword a hundred zhang long!
"Taiyi Sword Art - Myriad Swords Slash Void!"
The white-haired man roared, forming a hand seal and smashing the giant sword towards the obsidian gate!
"How does he know the strongest killing move of my Taiyi Sword Art?"
Ye Qingyan exclaimed, staring at the hundred-zhang-long giant sword in the sky with utter shock!
This white-haired man was Jin Kui, the deputy head of the Hongchen Pavilion's East Sea branch, an eighth-grade cultivator like Yi Zhe.
He had cultivated in the sea for a long time, tempering his physique. After Ye Ling cleaved the island, he had emerged from the sea and rushed back to the island.
He had intended to conceal himself among the crowd first and let the armed forces test Ye Ling's strength, but he never expected Ye Ling to conjure a gate out of thin air!
Although Jin Kui didn't know what method Ye Ling was using, his instincts told him that if that gate wasn't destroyed quickly...
Everyone present would perish!
Ye Ling watched the giant sword slash towards him, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. He whispered, "Gate of Life and Death - Demon God's Usurpation."
*Screech—!*
As the words fell, the obsidian gate suddenly opened, and an ancient howl echoed from within.
"Woooo—!"
The giant sword condensed by Jin Kui instantly shattered. A tremendous suction force emanated from the gate, and countless soldiers and fleeing cultivators were mercilessly drawn into it!
All structures on the island, the wild forests, the synthetic beasts, even the seawater, without exception, were all swallowed by the obsidian gate!
"What is this?"
Ye Qingyan, standing behind Ye Ling, watched the gate devour everything with a blank mind.
*Bang!*
As the last cultivator was sucked into the gate, the black gate slammed shut and gradually dissipated.
In front of the gate...
Only a barren island remained.
Everything belonging to the Hongchen Pavilion's East Sea branch had turned to dust.