Ye Yunfei walked up to the mountain gate of the Tianyuan Sect and took out the silver token Elder Du had given him.
"I'm here to report in," said Ye Yunfei.
"What's your name!" a gatekeeping disciple barked in interrogation.
"Ye Yunfei," Ye Yunfei replied, while lightly frowning. Logically speaking, these disciples responsible for guarding the mountain gate should recognize Elder Du's token. Yet, even after he had produced Elder Du's token, he was still being questioned. It seemed something wasn't quite right.
"Ye Yunfei is here!" The dozen or so gatekeeping disciples couldn't help but exchange looks among themselves. They had just been discussing Ye Yunfei moments ago. Little did they expect, Ye Yunfei would arrive right then.
"Turn back. You cannot enter this mountain gate," one of the disciples stated. An Elder Su within the Tianyuan Sect had secretly instructed these dozen-plus gatekeeping disciples that under no circumstances should Ye Yunfei be allowed to enter.
"Why! Look clearly. This is Elder Du's token. It was Elder Du who told me to come and report. Surely you wouldn't dare disobey Elder Du?" Ye Yunfei snorted coldly.
"Kid, don't cause trouble here. You simply cannot enter this gate," another disciple sneered.
"And what if I insist on entering?" Ye Yunfei's expression darkened. He could see clearly now; these dozen-odd gatekeeping disciples were deliberately giving him a hard time. He had traveled for three days, sleeping rough, only to arrive here, and now these gatekeepers wouldn't let him in. Rage simmered within Ye Yunfei.
"Kid, this is the Tianyuan Sect, not a place where you can run wild! Trespassing through the mountain gate without permission is a grave offense!" Seeing Ye Yunfei's attitude, the dozen gatekeepers grew furious.
"Hahaha... Who exactly are you trying to scare? I have come here bearing Elder Du's token; naturally, I have the right to enter this mountain gate. Whoever dares to obstruct me shouldn't blame me for not holding back," Ye Yunfei laughed loudly and strode straight ahead, walking through the mountain gate.
"Audacious ruffian, apprehend him first!" The gatekeepers, enraged one and all, rushed towards Ye Yunfei. In their minds, what strength could a punk who hadn't even set foot inside the Tianyuan Sect's gate possibly possess?
The result: Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a single slap each, Ye Yunfei sent the entire dozen gatekeepers flying, tumbling to the side and struggling to get up for quite some time. Ye Yunfei didn't look back, marching in long strides into the interior beyond the gate. All these gatekeepers were only at the Body Tempering Realm, far from being Ye Yunfei's match.
"Quick, fire the signal flare! Someone is forcing his way through the mountain gate!"
"Hurry, inform Elder Su!"
"Hmph, this Ye Yunfei, the moment he arrives at the Tianyuan Sect, dares to injure us gatekeepers and trespass forcefully. Let's see how the sect punishes him!"
...
The dozen gatekeepers, struggling to their feet, one after another pulled out signal flares. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several red signal flares shot into the sky, exploding high above.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei strode into the headquarters of the Tianyuan Sect. Along the way, he saw pavilions, towers, and mansions scattered across the mountainsides. Some lofty palaces brimmed with imposing majesty. Fine trees flourished green, vines and creepers entwined, with flowing springs and leaping waterfalls. Furthermore, numerous cobblestone paths meandered into the depths of the beautiful mountains, a winding course leading to seclusion.
Moreover, even more precious was that the Spiritual Qi here was at least ten times denser than the outside world! Undeniably, the Tianyuan Sect's headquarters was truly an excellent place for cultivation!
"Hmm? I didn't expect to find a Tianxuan Five Elements Divine Mountain Formation here! Five main peaks in total, occupying five directions, echoing each other from afar, with their Qi connected. Unfortunately, among them, only two main peaks still retain their spiritual nature. The remaining three peaks have lost their spirituality, their mountain roots buried. Otherwise, this Tianxuan Five Elements Divine Mountain Formation alone would have boosted the Tianyuan Sect's overall strength by a large margin." Walking within the sect headquarters, Ye Yunfei very quickly gained a clear understanding of the land's layout.
What a joke; Ye Yunfei had once been a Heavenly Emperor, treading across the divine mountains of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Among all beneath the heavens, any manner of terrain or mountain configuration, Ye Yunfei could discern its nature at a single glance.
"The Tianyuan Sect's headquarters has a small Earth Vein beneath it. Moreover, a Tianxuan Five Elements Divine Mountain Formation is arranged within the grounds. It seems the sect's founding patriarch must have been quite a formidable expert. A pity, the present Tianyuan Sect's strength must be far inferior to ancient times." Ye Yunfei evaluated briefly in his heart.
"Audacious ruffian! You dare to trespass forcefully!"
"That kid is leisurely strolling around! Go, apprehend him!"
...
Just as Ye Yunfei was observing the terrain and features within the headquarters, a large group of disciples clamored, surrounding him menacingly. In the blink of an eye, dozens of disciples encircled Ye Yunfei, cutting off all sides. Some had the strength of the Body Tempering Realm, others the Earth Realm.
"Senior brothers, junior brothers! Just moments ago, this kid here committed violence and evil, injuring the gatekeeping disciples and trespassing forcefully," one disciple with blood at the corner of his mouth pointed at Ye Yunfei, his gaze filled with fury. He was one of the dozen gatekeepers injured by Ye Yunfei earlier.
"I said, I am here bearing Elder Du's token. You'd best not provoke me. Otherwise, don't blame me for holding back," Ye Yunfei responded with a cold laugh.
"Kid! The Tianyuan Sect is no place for you to act recklessly! Now, kneel down obediently and surrender. Come with us to the Disciplinary Hall to receive punishment. Otherwise, we won't be polite!"
A disciple dressed in flowing white robes, tall and slender with a handsome face, stepped forward, pointing at Ye Yunfei and shouting.
Smack!
Before his words even finished, a palm slapped across his face like lightning, sending his body flying out to land dozens of meters away.
"I said, don't provoke me," Ye Yunfei said with another cold laugh.
"Ahhh..." That white-robed disciple's face was now swollen like a pig's, clutching his cheek and wailing in pain. He was at the Body Tempering Ninth Level, yet he had been defeated in a single move. The surrounding disciples were stunned. Clearly, they hadn't anticipated Ye Yunfei's combat prowess to be so formidable.
"Kid! Stop running rampant! I'll be the one to handle you!" A man in purple robes stepped forward from the crowd, pointing at Ye Yunfei. This purple-robed man possessed the strength of the Early Stage Earth Realm.
Smack!
A palm exuding terrifying force, bursting through the air, swiped through empty space, smacking directly onto the purple-robed man's face. He desperately tried to dodge. Helplessly, the speed of that palm was simply too fast. So fast he didn't even have time to react! Bang! The purple-robed man's body was flung through the air like a kite with a severed string, crashing to the ground dozens of meters away, howling pitifully and unable to rise.
Yet again, defeated in a single move! The surrounding disciples all changed color in their faces. Ye Yunfei's combat strength utterly exceeded their expectations.
"Heh heh, those old fogies of the Tianyuan Sect, each hiding in the dark and observing, just won't come out. Seems they want to see how I handle this situation before me. Fine, then I'll fight my way in! Let's see how long those senior figures of the Tianyuan Sect can endure!" Ye Yunfei sneered coldly. The scope of Ye Yunfei's Soul Power perception had already detected that quite a few powerful experts were hidden in the shadows, watching him. It went without saying; those experts must be senior figures of the Tianyuan Sect. Furthermore, someone forcing their way through the mountain gate—such a major incident—should have been reported to the Tianyuan Sect's higher-ups long ago. Yet, until now, not a single senior figure had stepped forward to deal with it. Something strange was afoot.