Chapter 598: A Sect Within a Cave Heaven

The ancient tribe army was annihilated, not a single survivor. The moment Lin Fan's cave heaven dissipated, the will of the Ancient Saint Realm had already sensed it.

Rage, boundless rage.

All living beings in the Ancient Saint Realm saw lightning flickering in the void, as if it were the end of the world.

They did not know what had happened, for such a situation had never occurred before.

The eight supreme beings of the ancient tribe sat leisurely on their thrones. Upon seeing the message conveyed by the will of the Ancient Saint Realm, they smiled faintly.

To the other seven supremes, this had nothing to do with them.

But to the ancient tribe supreme of the region where Lin Fan was, it was a blazing fury.

Even the deaths of the Despair Marquis and the Might Sovereign had not enraged him so.

But now the situation was different. The ancient tribe army, claiming to be a million strong, with ten commanders and countless chiliarchs, had all perished in the Water-Fire Secret Realm. How could this not enrage the ancient tribe supreme?

When a supreme is enraged, all sovereigns tremble in fear.

Though they held high status, they knew that in the eyes of the supreme, they were but ants.

If one of them died, the supreme could create more sovereigns.

The newly appointed Might Sovereign enjoyed boundless power, but now he trembled, prostrate on the ground, his domineering head buried deep in the earth, not daring to lift it.

The void shook, and a whip appeared, lashing toward the Might Sovereign.

With each lash, the void exploded, and the Might Sovereign's primordial spirit scattered, as if it might dissipate entirely.

“Find this human for me, and bring me his head.”

After several hundred lashes, the supreme roared, shaking the Might Sovereign's palace nearly to pieces. The Might Sovereign, terrified, trembled all over and quickly nodded.

“As you command, Supreme. This subordinate will surely find this human.”

When the void calmed, the Might Sovereign stood up. His fearful expression changed, turning grim.

“Find him. If you cannot find this human, you will all die.” The Might Sovereign was furious. He had not expected a single human to annihilate the ancient tribe army. This was an endless disgrace to the ancient tribe. If not washed away, they would be mocked by the world.

“Yes, Sovereign.” Countless ancient tribesmen prostrated themselves, trembling as they nodded.

…

“Ahead is Cloud Sect.” Deep in the void, a group was flying. Elder Yunhe pointed to a stretch of void ahead and said.

Lin Fan looked up. Though the area seemed empty, he knew that Cloud Sect must be well hidden.

Otherwise, if it were so easily discovered, the ancient tribe would have attacked long ago.

As they drew near, Elder Yunhe clapped his palm, and mana surged. The void ahead suddenly split open.

“In the Ancient Saint Realm, all sects are deeply hidden, but many have been discovered by the ancient tribe and annihilated.” Elder Yunhe said, then led Lin Fan and the others into the rift.

In an instant, the scenery before them changed.

No longer empty, it was now a land of clear waters, green mountains, birdsong, and floral fragrance—truly a paradise on earth.

Lin Fan looked up. This should not be within the Ancient Saint Realm but rather a dimension.

Lin Fan marveled inwardly. What great power must a mighty being possess to be able to open up such a dimension?

Elder Yunhe seemed to read Lin Fan's doubt and spoke with pride.

“This is a cave heaven opened by Cloud Sect's founding patriarch with great divine power, attached to the Ancient Saint Realm. Without the unique mana of Cloud Sect to open it, outsiders cannot enter.” Elder Yunhe said.

“A cave heaven?” Lin Fan was somewhat stunned. Could it be that Cloud Sect lived within the cave heaven of some mighty being?

If that mighty being died, then this cave heaven would also collapse.

But in Lin Fan's view, that seemed impossible. Still, he did not ask further. Since Elder Yunhe hadn't explained, he wouldn't pry.

Magnificent buildings floated in the void, each connected by a passage.

Just then, a beam of light flashed from afar and appeared before Lin Fan in an instant.

“Who goes there?” The one who appeared before Lin Fan was a young man with a cultivation at the mid-stage of Azure Heaven rank. When he saw Yunhe and the others, his face lit up with joy. “Elder Yunhe, you're back. I'll report this immediately.”

The young man took out a jade-green flute, put it to his lips, and blew, then put it away.

“Elder Yunhe, did your trip to the Water-Fire Secret Realm go smoothly?” the young man asked curiously.

Those at their level rarely had the chance to go out. Unless led by an elder or having reached the Divine Heaven rank, they could only cultivate within this cave heaven.

“It was a narrow escape from death,” Yunhe said.

The young man's expression changed. He looked around and saw that only half of those who had left had returned. His face darkened.

He knew that those fellow disciples had likely perished.

“Lin Fan, let's go to the main hall first,” Elder Yunhe said.

“Alright,” Lin Fan nodded.

After Lin Fan and Elder Yunhe left, the young man who had come to greet them looked curiously at the departing Lin Fan.

“Senior Sister, who is that?” the young man asked.

“A human prodigy. If it weren't for him, we would all have died at the hands of the ancient tribe this time.”

“Yeah, Junior Brother, you didn't see how formidable he was. If you had, you'd have been scared to tears.”

…

The young man listened to his senior brothers and sisters, his mouth growing wider and wider, his eyes shining with admiration.

But here, Fang Weifeng was seething with resentment. He broke free from Wei Tian and flew off alone into the distance.

Wei Tian watched Senior Brother Fang's departing figure, frowned slightly, then relaxed.

“Senior Brother is burning with anger, but he'd better not seek death.” Wei Tian was now convinced; he no longer dared to oppose Lin Fan.

In his view, this human Lin Fan was simply inhuman, too powerful.

Even the senior disciple Liu Hen, presumably, was not as monstrous as this human.

In the main hall.

Lin Fan locked eyes with a man.

This middle-aged man wore white robes, like a frail scholar, his aura ethereal and elusive, yet he carried a certain majesty.

But such a middle-aged man was the sect master of Cloud Sect, who had weathered a cave heaven tribulation with a full one hundred and eighty-eight spiritual storms.

And in Lin Fan's view, this Cloud Sect master's cultivation was even stronger than the Might Sovereign's.

Divine Heaven rank, eighth layer, the Earthly Divine Pill realm.

“Truly a human prodigy. Such strength is astounding. Thank you for rescuing my disciples.” The Cloud Sect master's eyes seemed to see through everything, and he clasped his hands in gratitude.

“Sect Master Yun is too kind. It was only to help me cross the tribulation that Elder Yunhe gave me the dao artifacts obtained from the Water-Fire Secret Realm. I hope you won't blame them,” Lin Fan said.

“Yunhe did the right thing. A few mere dao artifacts in exchange for saving a human prodigy—if it were Cloud Sect, even if it meant mobilizing the entire sect's resources, it would be worth it,” the Cloud Sect master said.

Lin Fan saw no pretense in the sect master's words and felt great respect.

He had come to a good sect. Resting here briefly would not be a problem.

“Alas, I didn't expect the ancient tribe to discover us. I need to investigate this matter. Yunhe, arrange accommodations. Once I've looked into this, I'll receive you properly.”

“Yes, Sect Master.”

…