Chapter Ninety-Three: The Sect of the Self Stirs

“Sword, come!”

As Wang Ran’s voice fell, the golden longsword in his hand surged with dazzling light, radiating an aura of absolute purity and immense virtue. It expanded three feet in length, becoming the most brilliant and arresting streak of light in this place, slicing through the sky.

A chilling hiss resounded. In that instant, the Demon Queen Bee’s pupils flashed with ferocity. She knew her fate was sealed today and that only a desperate struggle remained. With a roar, her demonic energy erupted, her entire carapace swelling to twice its size, barbs protruding menacingly from it.

Meanwhile, because they were now so close to the hive, the Demon Queen Bee’s cultivation began to recover. Yet, the wound Wang Ran’s earlier strike had inflicted was too grievous—her cultivation may have risen, but the weakness came all the faster and more violently.

Wang Ran saw clearly that the Queen Bee was spent, a bow with no strength left to draw, and thus was fearless. Without the slightest hesitation, his momentum undiminished, he charged forward like a meteor, throwing himself into the fray with unyielding resolve.

Boom!

Sword light without end clashed fiercely with the Queen Bee’s razor-sharp mandibles midair, producing a deafening explosion. From the point of contact, two surges of energy erupted—one spiritual, one demonic—raging in wild torrents across the surroundings.

“Hmph! Today I act in accordance with the heavenly mandate, ridding our human cultivators of your evil!”

Sensing the Queen Bee’s strength waning, her power nearly spent, and the disciples of the Hongyuan Sect watching in stupefied awe, Wang Ran’s eyes flashed. He seized the moment to strike a pose, his voice ringing with heroic bravado.

Sure enough, in the next moment, the Queen Bee was utterly spent. With a single stroke, Wang Ran shattered her defenses, the sword’s blade piercing through her mandibles and cleaving her massive body cleanly in two.

Momentum still carrying him forward, Wang Ran—unable to brake—plunged headlong into the hive, dragging half the Queen Bee’s corpse with him.

At the same time, countless Hongyuan Sect disciples watching from afar stood with jaws agape, their minds blank with shock.

“T-The Queen Bee is dead?”

“What just happened?”

“A mighty Golden Core-class demon beast, slain by a cultivator at only the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment? Am I dreaming?”

“Inconceivable, utterly inconceivable!”

“A sixth-layer Foundation Establishment killing a mid-stage Golden Core beast... has the world gone mad?”

The disciples were left utterly dumbfounded, especially at the sight of Wang Ran splitting the Queen Bee in half with a single sword—an image so striking it left their minds reeling.

Even Lin Jun was stunned, unable to respond for a long moment.

The youngest junior sister lifted her chin with pride, watching the Hongyuan Sect disciples’ shock with satisfaction. “Our Only Me Sect has ten more disciples as powerful as Senior Brother Wang!” she declared.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ke and Zhao Xiaobai couldn’t help but smile, knowing their little junior sister was teasing the others, but seeing Lin Jun and his companions’ bewildered expressions, they too felt vindicated.

“The Queen Bee is dead. The demonic energy should have been absorbed into the command token by now and likely transmitted back to the sect,” Zhao Xiaobai mused, stroking his chin.

Having often ventured out on missions, he was familiar with the process. The Law Enforcement Hall’s command tokens could communicate with the sect; when a disciple completed a mission, the demonic energy would be collected and sent back to the sect, recorded by the Law Enforcement Hall.

Xu Ke’s face lit up with excitement. Clenching his fist, he exclaimed, “Heh, this time our Haoran Alliance can finally hold our heads high! I bet the Four Great Alliances are scared witless already!”

The other Haoran Alliance disciples, wiping sweat from their brows, wore exhausted but proud smiles, as radiant as the rising sun.

Meanwhile, far to the south in Yunzhou, within the Only Me Sect—

The disciples continued their daily cultivation; each mountain peak buzzed with lively vigor.

Within the Law Enforcement Hall, the great alliances occupied their territories as usual, quietly building their strength for the coming competition for the title of true disciple.

In the Chu Alliance, which neighbored the Haoran Alliance—

Chu Yingxuan sat in her courtyard, reading a jade slip. Her fox-like features creased in thought from time to time.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flared from the mission stone nearby, catching her eye. She glanced up absently, only to freeze in shock a moment later, rooted to the spot.

At that very moment, within the Beidou Alliance—

“Brother, look! Grandfather just gave me this Condensing Essence Pill. It’d be wasted on me, but if you take it your cultivation will skyrocket—you might not even have to fear Wang Ran anymore!”

A clear, spirited voice rang out as Bei Guoxia burst into Bei Minglie’s room, holding a blue pill with delight.

Bei Minglie chuckled, ruffling his younger brother’s hair with affection. “Good brother, relax. One day, Wang Ran will be the one beneath my feet.”

“I believe in you!” Bei Guoxia grinned, and the two brothers began to chatter enthusiastically about the future.

Abruptly, a blinding light shot up from the stone tablet in the courtyard, drawing their eyes. At the same time, a voice boomed in their ears, leaving them utterly dumbstruck.

“Disciple Wang Ran of the Law Enforcement Hall and his team have completed a Heaven-rank mission: ‘Slay the Demon Queen Bee.’ Congratulations! Truly a dragon among men!”

The voice was majestic, echoing like a bell throughout the sect, reverberating to the heavens, leaving Bei Minglie and his brother staring in open-mouthed disbelief.

Heaven-rank missions were the most perilous within the sect, standing above all others. Whenever a disciple completed one, the achievement was announced sect-wide in recognition.

In that instant, nearly every disciple heard the announcement. As they looked skyward, many were slow to react—until, one after another, the sound of sharp, indrawn breaths filled the air.

“A Heaven-rank mission—someone actually completed a Heaven-rank mission!”

“Heavens, which senior brother could be so formidable?”

“It’s Wang Ran! No wonder he hasn’t been seen around the sect lately—he was off on a Heaven-rank mission!”

“What’s a Heaven-rank mission?”

The disciples buzzed with speculation, and some newer disciples outside the Law Enforcement Hall looked around in confusion.

A more senior disciple let out a long sigh, his tone filled with emotion. “Heaven-rank missions are the most dangerous in the sect, since every target is at the Golden Core level!”

“To finish one is to prove yourself a dragon among men. I remember the last time this announcement was made—it was over a decade ago, when the peerless genius Brother Xiao Fan completed one. He’s now one of the two great true disciples, roaming the Nine Provinces in freedom.”

He spoke with longing and excitement, as if to hear the sect-wide announcement was itself an honor.

The other disciples were full of awe, and as they thought of Senior Brother Wang Ran’s prowess, their eyes shone with admiration.

The last Heaven-rank mission had been completed more than a decade ago. The task Ye Cang had finished before was merely considered Earth-rank by the sect, though the disciples themselves deemed it comparable to Heaven-rank—it did not truly count.

Within the River Alliance—

Meng Jiang heard the announcement and remained in a daze for a long time. When he finally came to, he let out a deep sigh.

He beckoned a trusted disciple over and whispered something in his ear. The disciple’s expression changed, and after a moment, he hurried off, covering his face.

Meng Jiang stood where he was, gazing toward the northern marshes, his eyes full of complexity, uncertain whether his decision was right or wrong...

While the entire sect was in an uproar, within a cave on the Fifth Mountain, a figure in white sat meditating. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was cool, spiritual power surging around him—already at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, just a breath away from the Golden Core stage.

“Wang Ran... Ten-star Foundation Establishment, are you truly so powerful?” the white-clad youth murmured, a rare glint flickering in his eyes. “Who would have thought a salted fish could turn the tides? Well then, let’s see which of us will prove superior in the end.”

This man was none other than Ye Cang. He smiled faintly, hands clasped behind his back, a barely discernible killing intent swirling about him.