Annihilation

The billowing plumes of smoke and dust rising above the grounds of the Feihong Sect quickly drew the attention of the common folk in the town. "What happened? Could an earthquake have struck?!" "Could a mudslide have rushed down the mountain into the Feihong Sect? Why else would there be such a racket?!" "It sounds like a mountain collapse..." "Grandpa Mountain God has flown into a rage!" "It won't reach our town, will it? Shouldn't we get far away and run first?" "I don't see any landslides or mud flows. Could the ground have caved in?" "..." Many commoners stood on tiptoe, gazing up in utter shock at the dirt dragons soaring into the air, as if the Feihong Sect had been buried in dust and smoke. Meanwhile, at the western edge of the town, the disciples of the Feihong Sect conducting recruitment were utterly dumbfounded, staring open-mouthed at the terrifying scene that looked like the collapse of heaven and earth. "Senior Brother, our sect... isn't buried, is it?" someone asked in terror. "H-How could this happen? If everything's buried, what about the silver and money I left in my room?" "Shut up, you idiot! With the elders and the Supreme Elder in the sect, even if a mudslide came down the mountain, it wouldn't bury the entire sect!" "Junior Sister Qin is still in the sect! I'm going to save her!" "..." Some disciples froze in place, others burned with anxiety, and still others sprinted frantically back toward the sect grounds. On the third floor of an inn in town, the brothers Zhao Changguang and Zhao Changming heard the commotion. Coming to the window, they pushed open the wooden shutters and gazed far into the distance toward the Feihong Sect, nestled against the mountains by the water. Seeing it shrouded in billowing smoke and dust, their eyes widened, and they looked at each other. "Th-This commotion is a bit too immense, isn't it?" Zhao Changguang swallowed hard. "Is it a mountain collapse, or did that person do it?" Zhao Changming's eyes shone with absolute certainty. "It's definitely him! It has to be Huang Tian!" "The legends say martial arts powerhouses can topple cities and split mountains. Only today have I finally witnessed it—to think it is terrifying to this degree!" Zhao Changguang leaned toward that judgment as well. Drawing a soft breath, he murmured, "I wonder how the battle is going over there. Facing an entire sect alone is rather presumptuous, after all." Zhao Changming shook his head with firm conviction. "He'll definitely win!" "Why?" Zhao Changguang was surprised. "You're that sure?" "Because he's Huang Tian!" Zhao Changming's eyes shone with admiration, looking every bit like an infatuated fan. Zhao Changguang shook his head with a couple of sighs and said no more, turning his full attention to the distance to watch the developments at the Feihong Sect. *** Meanwhile, within the grounds of the Feihong Sect. Inside the collapsed, dust-swept Deliberation Hall. Five formidable figures enveloped in surging true qi shot out from the ruins. They were none other than Sect Master Qian Shan of the Feihong Sect and four elders! At that moment, they had been inside the Deliberation Hall discussing how to respond to Huang Tian's feat of slaying the Demonic Cult Grandmaster. Who could have expected an earth-shattering roar from the sky above, followed immediately by collapsing beams, toppling pillars, and a deluge of falling masonry and roof tiles? Only because of their formidable cultivation and rapid circulation of true qi to shield their bodies were they able to rush out in time; otherwise, like the disciples attending nearby, they might have been buried under countless tiles and mounds of debris! Even so, their brocade robes were in tatters, their hair disheveled, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths. An elder with a square, stern face looked at Huang Tian perched atop the tall stone pillar, blazing with rage and murderous intent. "What scoundrel dares destroy our sect's hall?!" With a flick of his chilling sword, his vitality surged, and he prepared to soar into the air. Yet Sect Master Qian Shan recognized Huang Tian at a single glance, utterly shaken, stormy waves surging in his heart. No matter how he racked his brains, he never could have imagined that Huang Tian would dare strike the Feihong Sect all by himself! Even if he had slain a Demonic Cult Grandmaster head-on, acting like this was far too bold! Too arrogant! One had to know that their Supreme Elder Ke Rujing also possessed the battle record of having severely injured a third-rank powerhouse! Amid his shock, Qian Shan suddenly caught sight of the Disciplinary Hall Elder leaping into midair beside him, and hurriedly shouted, "This man is Huang Tian! Do not be rash—fall back first!" However, the moment his words fell. *Swoosh!* A streak of platinum light streaked across the sky, darting straight for the Disciplinary Hall Elder like a white dragon baring its fangs and claws! The elder's pupils shrank abruptly. With a furious roar, he thrust his treasured sword, scattering hundreds of chilling starlight points—sword qi cold and sharp, true qi crisscrossing! Yet before the peerlessly potent platinum arrow radiance, those hundreds of sword qi streams failed to halt it for even an instant, washed clean away in a heartbeat by the colossal force. *Pfft!* The long arrow pierced straight through his body, its residual power still blasting a massive crater into the ground below. The Disciplinary Hall Elder shuddered violently, glancing down in utter disbelief only to see a head-sized hole blown through his chest, cold, blade-sharp true qi swirling about the wound. The long sword slipped from his hand, clattering downward. He parted his lips to speak, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood. His corpse plunged straight down like a kite with a snapped string, landing right in the deep crater blasted open by the platinum arrow. In barely the blink of an eye, an exceptionally powerful fourth-rank elder had been slain. Qian Shan cried out in terror and haste, "Form the array first! Use the array to defend! Use combined strike techniques..." Before he could finish, another sky-piercing arrow erupted from atop the tall stone pillar. The violent wind tore through layer upon layer of air, shrieking like the howl of wolves and the wail of ghosts. Then, before the terrified gazes of hundreds upon thousands of Feihong Sect disciples, it swallowed an elder's body like the towering surge of a mighty river! A thunderous blast rang out, dust scattered, and an unrecognizable corpse collapsed to the ground. Another elder was dead! Fast! Far too fast! From the moment Qian Shan and the others had shot out of the Deliberation Hall, barely a few breaths had passed, yet two fourth-rank elders had already perished beneath Huang Tian's arrows! The disciples stared, trembling from head to toe. As for the remaining two elders—one one-eyed, the other with a beard reaching his navel—the two exchanged a glance and sprang into the air without the slightest hesitation. Yet they did not leap up to fight Huang Tian. They were fleeing! As for Qian Shan's call to form an array and resist the enemy? What a joke! Facing such a monster, staying for even a second longer was taking one's life lightly, let alone fighting him. Unless led by the Supreme Elder, how could they possibly muster the courage to brace themselves and charge? Yet to this moment, the Supreme Elder had not shown himself. How could they have the stomach to defend the sect? With a leap, the one-eyed elder moved as swift and elusive as a wisp of smoke or a phantom, seeming to leave afterimages behind as he bolted toward the dense forest of the rear mountains. However. *Swoosh!* A modest streak of azure light descended from the sky. Like a serpent coiled in the woods, it bared its venomous fangs and bit straight at the one-eyed elder! Feeling a chill at the nape of his neck, goosebumps prickling across his skin and his hair standing on end, he forced his body to halt and twist midair, barely evading the incoming azure streak by a hair's breadth. Just as he caught his breath, feeling a shred of relief amid the shock, the azure arrow that had already shot past him suddenly whipped around! With a dull thud, it plunged directly into his chest. His body froze instantly. Sheer terror welled up within him. He tried to circulate his vitality and true qi to expel the arrow and mend his wound, but the bizarre true qi clinging to the azure arrow was like wood, like vines, crazily sprouting and coiling through his meridians and internal organs! The more true qi he mobilized, the more vigorously that strange energy grew, as if gorging on rich nutrients, spreading throughout his entire body. "Aaaagh!" A bloodcurdling shriek tore from his throat. His lone eye nearly burst, and eerie green veins bulged beneath his skin. In an instant, his body was drained of all moisture, collapsing rigidly forward like a desiccated corpse. As the long-bearded elder fled for his life, he faintly heard the one-eyed elder's screams. His heart hammered like a war drum. He pushed his vitality even harder, hair and beard flying wildly, accelerating his leaps. However, just as the azure light had shot toward the one-eyed elder, an arrow light of deep, abyssal black—carrying the sound of surging waves—had also streaked toward his back. The fierce wind pierced him like sharp blades. Gritting his teeth with wide eyes, he spun around, drew his saber, and poured his potent true qi into the blade. Facing the deep-black arrow rushing like a tidal wave, he cleaved out several fathoms of blade astral qi, the astral wind howling fiercely! The blade astral qi collided with the deep-black streak, seemingly cleaving the river in two, splitting the light, and surging into the air with abundant residual power. "This..." *Am I this strong?!* He was dazed for an instant, only to discover in horror that the giant wave severed by his blade astral qi had converged once more, continuing its thundering charge toward him! "What?!" With a cry of shock, he moved to slash again, but the deep-black arrow was incomparably swift. No sooner had it recombined like a surging wave than it slammed violently into him! In an instant, he felt a colossal force combining both softness and boundless might blast him off his feet. Frigid true qi swept across his entire body, freezing his boiling vitality, while the circulation of his true qi ground to a near-total halt. *Crack.* In a flash, his heart was frozen solid by the biting true qi, and with a muffled pop, it shattered into fine icy debris. *Thud.* Powerlessly collapsing to the ground, his head struck the bluestone tiles, pooling blood steadily. Struggling, he turned his head to look at Huang Tian standing atop the high stone pillar, only to find the young man's expression calm and unruffled, as though he weren't killing people at all, but merely practicing archery... "Curse you! Die!" Seeing that every fourth-rank expert besides himself was dead, terror seized Qian Shan's heart—and after terror came boundless fury! Looking at the ruined Deliberation Hall, the corpses of four elders, and the hundreds upon thousands of panicked disciples, he snapped his head up to meet Huang Tian's indifferent gaze. His eyes stretched so wide they nearly tore, blood seeping from the corners. With a wave of his long sleeves, a silver spear gleaming with cold light appeared in his grip. Stamping down heavily with his right foot, the bluestone pavers shattered instantly. His vitality erupted like a raging fire, and the boundless true qi within him surged skyward alongside his leaping form. His bowl-thick spear emitted the roars of dragons and tigers. "Die for me!" He roared furiously, the muscles on his arms bulging into knotted cords. The spear vibrated like an agitated dragon, producing an ear-piercing sonic boom that blasted visible white ripple-rings through the air! This strike was swift as lightning and weighty as a toppling mountain—the absolute pinnacle of Qian Shan's decades of spear mastery! It condensed his boundless fury and a martial will bent on mutual destruction, facing death without turning back! Its sheer power was hardly inferior to the desperate strike of a third-rank powerhouse! Yet what met him was an arrow like blazing red flame! The moment the arrow left the bowstring, a deep, violent roar erupted! It was no longer an arrow, but a raging fire dragon bursting from the abyss! The incandescent white arrowhead formed the dragon's head; the boiling, fire-like true qi formed its serpentine body. Trailing a long plume of flame, it lunged forward, baring fangs and brandishing claws! Wherever it passed, the very air ignited! *Boom! Boom!* The crimson arrow tore through the sky with a dull rumble like rolling thunder intertwined with a piercing screech—the mingled roar of a dragon and the crackle of roaring fire. It made eardrums ache and struck terror deep into every soul! At this moment, to the watching Feihong Sect disciples, the cold glint of true qi gathered at the tip of Qian Shan's spear seemed utterly insignificant before the swooping crimson dragon. *Boom!!* The two collided head-on! The spear's chilling radiance was instantly engulfed by endless flames. The red dragon detonated, turning into a ball of fire several fathoms wide that swallowed Qian Shan and his silver spear whole! The roaring waves of fire swept outward like an angry sea, resembling a miniature sun rising midair, blinding the onlookers until tears streamed from their eyes. *Whoosh...* It felt as if ages had passed, yet also as if only an instant had gone by. The dull thud of a heavy object striking the ground resounded. Disciples forced their eyes open, only to see Qian Shan's charred corpse crash heavily from above. The sect master of one of the Five Great Sects of Kunyun Commandery had failed to withstand even a single arrow before perishing. "Sect Master!" "You evil wretch, you deserve death!" "Avenge the Sect Master!" "Run! The Sect Master is dead, what's the point of revenge?!" "Where is the Supreme Elder? Why hasn't the Supreme Elder come out?!" "We beg the Supreme Elder to emerge from seclusion!" "Senior Brother Yang, run! Life comes first!" "I'm not leaving! I want to see the Supreme Elder kill this thief with my own eyes!" "..." The entire Feihong Sect grounds descended into complete chaos. Seeing the sect master and all the elders slain, some fled for their lives, sprinting toward the town or the rear mountains. Others, grimacing with rage, loosed arrows toward Huang Tian... Huang Tian could not be bothered to pursue the fleeing disciples. As for those who dared fight back, a platinum arrow shot forth like an artillery shell, blowing them to pieces on the spot. After merely a few arrows, none of the disciples below dared to resist any longer. Like panicked ants, they scattered in all directions. Only a handful of loyal deacons and disciples remained, groaning in agony as they lay dying on the ground. "Why... why is there no sign of the Supreme Elder? Can it be that Heaven truly wills the destruction of our Feihong Sect?!" "Is my Feihong Sect, standing proud in Kunyun for seven hundred years, to perish today?!" "Supreme Elder! Where is the Supreme Elder?!" "..." *** "Why keep shouting for the Supreme Elder? This old man has no desire to cross hands with that Huang Tian!" Inside a secret underground tunnel, the Feihong Sect's Supreme Elder and sole Grandmaster powerhouse, Ke Rujing, was moving at top speed. Gripping a dark-gold staff, he sprinted toward the winding tunnel's exit. Back when the Deliberation Hall had been brought down by that single arrow, he had heard the commotion and soared into the air, spotting Huang Tian perched atop the tall stone pillar. At that time, he was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that Huang Tian dared to challenge the Feihong Sect alone, and delighted that he could lead the numerous elders and deacons to surround and kill him together. Yet when he watched Huang Tian loose arrow after arrow, picking off elder after elder with a single shot each, he instantly abandoned all thought of besieging Huang Tian and fled into the tunnel without a second thought!