Chapter 1: The Return of the Strong

The Celestial Devil Cave, a place of sure death, one of the ancient relics passed down for thousands of years!

"Congratulations, you've passed the defiance of heaven's assessment. Three years' time has not been wasted," an ancient and mysterious voice emanated from an old, black monolithic stone, sounding particularly eerie.

Three years in the cave, but only three months in the outside world!

"Kneel thrice before the Celestial Devil, and no more will you revere heaven, earth, and mankind!"

Once again, the black monolith projected a voice of great gravity.

"Don't forget, your destiny…is to overthrow the heavens!"

……

"Three months have passed. I, Ye Feng, am finally out!"

The young man appeared ragged, his body smudged with blood. He slowly crawled up from the depths of a cliff, experiencing a profound sense of seeing daylight again.

Three months prior, he was pushed off a cliff out of competition for a Seven-color grass, backstabbed by his Dao companion Qin Ya and his good friend Su Feng. He believed he was beyond redemption, ready to meet his end. Unexpectedly, due to a chain of fortuitous events, he mistakenly entered the Celestial Devil Cave, received the heritage of the Defiance Path, and managed to escape death, returning to Mount Shu.

The Defiance Path, among the three thousand great paths, it ranked the second, only inferior to the Heavenly Path!

"Qin Ya, Su Feng, I won't let you off!"

"I, Ye Feng, have returned!"

The young man, although in a sorry state, his eyes were sharp and gleaming at this moment, radiating a chilling murderous intent, heavy with the belief for revenge.

This time, Ye Feng has returned, seeking to exact his revenge!

Ye Feng, originally the crown prince of the Kingdom of Tian Feng, who would have thought that the ruler of Tian Feng, due to a slip of the tongue, would provoke the furious wrath of Chu Tian Dao, the disciple of Tian Dao Sect.

Henceforth, the reign of the Kingdom of Tian Feng was usurped, his mother brutally murdered, his father suppressed by the Tian Dao Sect, and he, the crown prince, tragically exiled, ultimately seeking refuge on Mount Shu, becoming an outer sect disciple.

His country and family devastated!

The instigator of all these calamities was none other than Chu Tian Dao of the Tian Dao Sect, also Ye Feng's sworn enemy!

"Chu Tian Dao, I, Ye Feng, will surely save my parents and reclaim justice from you!"

A resolute determination seeped out of Ye Feng's eyes as he muttered to himself.

Now, Ye Feng, reborn from the ashes, received the inheritance of the "Way Against Heaven", he would certainly reclaim everything that was taken, one by one!

Hearing the bustling activity within the outer sect of Mount Shu, Ye Feng was shaken, like a bolt out of the blue, he awoke with a start.

"Three months from today, that is... the outer sect examination!"

The annual outer sect examination is, undoubtedly, the most exciting day for all the outer sect disciples!

On this day every year, ten people will successfully advance to the inner sect, and henceforth, they could transform their lives, with promising futures boundless as the sea!

Of course, there are indeed a thousand outer sect disciples, but each year, only ten could join the inner sect, showcasing the fierce level of competition, it could be described as cruel beyond imagination.

These ten individuals are, doubtlessly, the cream of the crop among the outer sect's prodigies!

It could be said that every year, the Outer Sect Competition always gave rise to some dark horses, charging directly into the Inner Sect!

Once one enters the Inner Sect, they get access to more connections, more resources, making cultivation all the more easier!

At this moment, thousands of Outer Sect disciples had gathered on the martial ground of Mount Shu, waiting anxiously, a sight of a sea of people, truly awe-inspiring!

This was the grand annual event of the Outer Sect, hence the extravagance!

Ye Feng, looking at the martial ground ahead, a trace of menacing intent curled up the corner of his mouth as he murmur, "It all starts here."

Truth be told, Ye Feng's appearance was indeed strikingly odd!

At the Outer Sect Competition, everyone was dressed extravagantly, showing their best self, whereas Ye Feng was nothing short of a beggar, tattered and in a sorry state.

Nevertheless, Ye Feng was completely undeterred, continuing to stride toward the martial ground, forming a unique sight.

"Hmm? How did something strange get mixed in?"

"Is that fellow a beggar?"

"Who is he?"

"Get lost! How could our Mount Shu have such a disciple!"

"Such an embarrassment!"

"........."

Upon seeing Ye Feng's appearance, one by one, they showed contempt, completely failing to recognize that this was the same Ye Feng who had disappeared for three months.

After all, given the vastness of the outer sect, the death of one or two people was far too normal to be memorable and was easily forgotten.

That was until Ye Feng approached, and everyone widened their eyes in recognition of him.

“Ye Feng!”

“Mother of god, wasn't this guy rumored to have fallen to his death?”

“How come he is back!”

In an instant, a cacophony erupted within the outer sect. In this place, Ye Feng had a certain level of fame. Albeit, it was the fame of a good-for-nothing, someone who always finished last in every assessment and whose performance was abysmally bad. Rumors were swirling that he would soon be expelled from the sect.

Three months ago, Ye Feng mysteriously disappeared. Supposedly, he couldn’t endure his failures and leapt off a cliff to his death. Many even found satisfaction in his misfortune, and his death turned into a laughing matter.

Who would have thought that he'd actually return today!

At that moment, a sleazy-looking, short man with a pock-marked face stepped forward, glanced at Ye Feng, and instantly started laughing in ridicule.

“Heh, look who’s back, the great waste!”

“So, have you returned to bring down the bottom line of our outer-sect disciples again?”

This man was none other than Situ Lin. Insufferably sarcastic, he found joy in disparaging Ye Feng, even going as far as creating humiliating stories about him.

Titles like "useless good-for-nothing" and "number one waste of Shushan" were all coined by Situ Lin. They spread widely among the outer sect disciples and were often the subject of their jokes.

Situ Lin, possessing the strength of a five-layered body cultivator, enjoyed bullying Ye Feng and gave him a good beating multiple times. He was honestly a nightmare for Ye Feng.

Now that he had returned to the Shushan sect and seen Situ Lin again, Ye Feng's mouth curved into an eerily cold smile. New grudges and old hatred surged in his heart.

"Hey, you idiot, are you laughing at your own idiocies?"

Noticing Ye Feng's peculiar smile, Situ Lin couldn't help but roar in anger, obviously annoyed by Ye Feng and itching to find a fault in him just to vent his pent-up rage.

"You're an orphan with neither a father nor a mother, you can't cultivate, why aren't you rolling out of Shushan yet? Such a disgrace! If I were you, I would have jumped off the cliff already!"

With a sly grin, Situ Lin continued to mock him uninhibitedly, fully unaware of Ye Feng's gradually grimacing face and trembling body.

Insulting Ye Feng was one thing, but insulting his parents was an absolute taboo!

His parents had willingly been taken away by the Heaven Path Sect to protect him, saving Ye Feng's life.

"Are you done yet?" Ye Feng's face turned placid like stormy waters, a murderous intent bloomed in his eyes as he ominously murmured.

"I've found that some people are just begging for a beating."

“Might as well, let me give you a good lesson and teach you some manners in the process!"

Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Situ Lin instantly burst out laughing uproariously, scornful laughter echoing through the air.

"What did you say? Teach me some manners? Have you gone mad?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the clear sound of a slap echoed, landing heavily on Situ Lin's face.

"Ah!"

Situ Lin was completely stunned, his eyes bulging out as he stood frozen in place. He couldn’t possibly imagine that this guy had the audacity to slap him.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"How dare you hit me!" Situ Lin let out a furious roar, his eyes seemingly about to burst from rage, his body shivered, and instantly, he unleashed the power of the 5th level of Physique Refining Stage!

The Physique Refining Stage, considered as the fundamental realm of cultivation, was mainly about tempering one's body and training physical fitness. It was subdivided into nine levels, and Situ Lin, who had already reached the 5th level, was indeed quite remarkable.

In an instant, everyone who witnessed this scene dramatically changed their expressions, their facial expressions got more lively, revealing the appearance of onlookers eagerly waiting for a show.

"Insane, insane, Ye Feng has gone mad, he dares to hit Situ Lin!"

"Hehe, there's another good show to watch now!"

"After all, the big competition hasn't started yet, watching a show is not bad!"

Many people displayed an enthusiastic mood for the spectacle, sparking off heated debates.

Situ Lin, under broad daylight, in front of everyone, was humiliated. His face turned an extreme shade of red from anger due to his loss of face. Roaring in rage, he fiercely struck Ye Feng!

"You're courting death!"

Situ Lin smacked forcefully, his palm wind resounding like thunder, as fast as lightning, attempting to slap Ye Feng across the face!

Fast, so fast!

Technically speaking, there was no way Ye Feng could dodge his attack.

However, unexpectedly, Ye Feng's silhouette flickered, easily dodging this attack. Simultaneously, he waved his right hand forcefully, producing yet another extremely resounding slap.

Smack!

The force this time was ten times that of the last one!

On Situ Lin's face, two extremely red handprints appeared instantly. He was struck so hard, he let out a miserable scream and fell heavily onto the ground. His body was convulsing incessantly.

"Ahh!"

Situ Lin let out an angry roar, struggled to his feet, and swung another hard punch towards Ye Feng.

Alas, the strength of this punch was effortlessly caught by Ye Feng.

"What!" Situ Lin was taken aback in surprise.

"Is that all you got?" Ye Feng's voice echoed coldly.

Crack!

The next second, Situ Lin's right hand shattered, his face twisted in pain, and he let out a shrill scream!

Ye Feng's left hand, fast like lightning, heavily slapped Situ Lin, one after another, producing more than a dozen slapping sounds.

Smack, smack, smack.....

One after another, the crisp sound of slaps echoed. Everyone was agape, looking at this scene in utter shock.

Ye Feng was absolutely crazy!

In Shu Mountain, spars among fellow apprentices were allowed, but killing each other was not. However, Ye Feng acted as if the rules meant nothing to him!

"I remember, the rules of Shu Mountain doesn’t allow killing, right? Well then, I'll cripple you instead!"

A glimmer of murderous intent flashed in Ye Feng's eyes. With a light tap on Situ Lin's dantian, Situ Lin was instantly sent flying backward. His dantian was directly ruined, and after another wailing, he fell unconscious.

Thus, Situ Lin had essentially become a complete cripple.

"Stop, youngster!"

At this moment, a tall man stood up. A furious roar erupted from him as he intended to intervene. but it was already too late!

This man was none other than Situ Lin's older brother, Situ Chen, one of the geniuses of the outer sect!