The hundreds gathered there were all annihilated, not a single soul surviving. Only within that valley did a few seem to linger.

The owner of the giant chain and ghostly claw let out a mournful howl, yet his voice clearly lacked fundamental strength; he was grievously wounded and no longer dared to counter Wei Xu, relying solely on the protective spiritual array to maintain his defense. He roared in anger, "Just who are you, Venerable Sir? What grievance or enmity does my Demon Mountain Sect hold against you, that you would deal such a vicious blow, annihilating our sect?"

Wei Xu let out a dry chuckle, not bothering to answer. His gaze settled upon the darkest corner of the small valley, and he addressed Zong Shou with a mocking tone, "I recall that during the Demon Mountain Sect's zenith over these past few millennia, they seemed to wipe out countless clans, slaughtering no less than ten million across the Central Cloud Continent. Yet now, they actually possess the standing to call others vicious? How utterly laughable! This reveals the true face of these so-called sect cultivators. When they are strong, they adhere to no principle. When they are weak, they complain that others are unreasonable. Enough of this! It’s the pot calling the kettle black. I wonder what will become of our Primordial Way if it ever declines. Hmm, this mountain gate's spiritual array is quite well-constructed. It must have been built by an expert at the Immortal Realm who lent a hand."

Just as he was about to bring his foot down again, he suddenly felt the sky churn with clouds and mist. The vast expanse of white clouds swiftly turned a deep, dark color.

Zong Shou's hair stood on end as he felt several immensely powerful intents suddenly descend upon the location.

As for Wei Xu, he seemed to have anticipated this, a slight curl playing on his lips: "They've arrived quickly!"

Before the words fully faded, a man clad in Daoist robes manifested in the clouds, looking down upon the pair.

He had white hair and a white beard, radiating an aura of immortal elegance and bearing. However, what hovered behind him bore absolutely no resemblance to the word "immortal."

A sea of demonic clouds churned, within which faint cries of infant weeping could be heard. One could even glimpse scenes of infanticide, the abandonment of children, forced abortions—horrific atrocities contrary to human ethics—flashing continuously within the cloud.

The white-bearded Daoist first observed Wei Xu closely, seemingly unable to discern his true strength or depth. After a moment of contemplation, he did not attack, but merely dispersed a wave of demonic cloud, securely shielding the valley below. "I am the Demon Infant Venerable, an Elder of the Cloud Realm Demonic Alliance. Forgive my poor sight, but I cannot ascertain your origin, Venerable Sir. I am unsure how the Demon Mountain Sect offended you. I only know that nine out of ten disciples of the sect are now dead; surely, even the deepest enmity must be settled by now. I implore you to show mercy and preserve this last remnant for our Alliance."

Wei Xu's expression was placid, offering no affirmation or denial, waiting quietly. Subsequently, several more formidable intents began to hover overhead.

However, any intent that was slightly weaker was violently repelled by an overwhelming force, unable to draw near.

Only when a total of six intents, each surpassing the Immortal Realm, intermingled in the sky did Wei Xu suddenly bring his foot down once more. The surging demonic clouds, which only a moment before had been roaring with power, were instantly crushed by a tremendous force, dissolving completely.

And the white-bearded elder spewed blood, his entire being suddenly collapsing, shock flickering in his eyes.

"Demon Infant Venerable? Never heard of him. What kind of entity dares to obstruct the proceedings of my Primordial Way? Demonic Alliance or not, the Demon Mountain Sect will be destroyed by me."

With an almost expressionless face, a ray of sunlight suddenly shone down from behind Wei Xu, piercing directly into the valley.

Everything within instantly began to melt. First, the residual spiritual array completely shattered. Then, the buildings and earth itself, reduced to molten slag in mere moments, accompanied by a few final cries of agony.

They could not resist for even three breaths before everyone inside was utterly annihilated.

Zong Shou's brow twitched; he felt no sound emanating from the mountain peak anymore.

He thought to himself that while Wei Xu appeared refined and scholarly, his actions were undeniably domineering!

Within that valley, a Ninth-Rank Spirit Martial Venerable expert had perished on the spot!

It was rumored that any cultivator who stepped through the gate to the Martial Immortal Realm, once inside the Cloud Realm, would have ninety-nine percent of their power locked away. No matter how mighty they were outside the realm, their combat strength within the Cloud Realm was only slightly superior to a Ninth-Rank Spirit Martial Venerable.

Yet this disparity seemed far too vast.

Zong Shou even began to doubt that this long-held conclusion might be a mistake made by those powerful experts.

The formidable intents in the sky had remained entirely uninvolved until Wei Xu had completely wiped out the Demon Mountain Sect. Only then did an aged voice speak: "Great Sun Saber Art! This means you are the Esteemed Seat Wei Xu of the Primordial Way?" Seeing Wei Xu remain silent, he took it as confirmation. The voice continued, "I hear you entered the Saint Realm six thousand years ago; truly remarkable talent. Your Master did not misjudge you. However, your conduct is far too arrogant and excessively ruthless. I suspect you became carried away upon reaching the Saint Realm, forgetting exactly what kind of place the Cloud Realm is."

"Carried away?"

Wei Xu scoffed, suddenly grasping empty air. A curved saber instantly materialized in his palm. With a single slash across the sky... the entire firmament began to crackle audibly.

Zong Shou’s mind wavered for a moment, and when he regained clarity, he realized the entire expanse of space had been split apart.

Split, indeed. Cracks could be seen spreading in all directions. Thirty miles away, everything remained as normal—trees swaying gently in the breeze. Within thirty miles, however, there was absolute silence, the spiritual energy violently chaotic.

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but faint, gentle breaths seemed to reach his ears from an unknown source.

Then, Wei Xu suddenly retracted his saber and placed his hands behind his back.

"Whether I, Wei Xu, am carried away is not for you to decide. What do you all think?"

The sky fell silent; none of the six powerful intents spoke. After a moment, the old voice spoke again: "So, you are a Half-Step Apex Realm expert, a true Great Sun Saber Saint. Only half a step away from where your Master stood in those years. Heh, this level of cultivation does indeed grant you the standing to speak with us six. However, on this matter of the Demon Mountain Sect, Your Esteemed Seat has gone too far. Above the Martial Immortal Realm, interference in Cloud Realm affairs is forbidden. Even if forced to act, the power displayed must not exceed the Celestial Realm. This was an agreement set forth by the Three Sages long ago, in conjunction with the various sects of the Cloud Realm. Your Master was part of that consensus. Your Esteemed Seat had best provide an explanation to the Demonic Alliance later. As we are Realm Sovereigns, our actions must be fair and impartial. We ask that Your Esteemed Seat not make things difficult for us."

Zong Shou's heart was filled with renewed astonishment, confirming yet another ancient secret. He had only vaguely heard whispers of this in his previous life.

Body Meridians Nine Cycles, Earth Meridians Nine Cycles, Heaven Meridians Nine Cycles. These were essentially the Body, Earth, and Heaven Realms.

Body, Earth, Heaven, Spirit, Immortal, Divine, Saint, Apex, True—these nine realms were merely the lowest three tiers in the power system existing beyond the Cloud Realm.

"An explanation? For what? Does my action today, in destroying the Demonic Alliance, count as an explanation? You claim it was a joint agreement. In my memory, it was merely temporary?"

He felt the auras of the figures in the sky tense slightly. Wei Xu shook his head faintly. "Such a joint agreement is only meant to restrain the weak. If I, Wei Xu, grant you face and choose to abide by it, then this formal pact retains some value for our Primordial Way. If I choose not to, it is simply nonexistent. What can you do to me? Forget it, we won't discuss that today. To give you some face, the members of the Demon Mountain Sect provoked my direct disciples first. As their senior brother, I acted on behalf of my junior brother. Destroying them is entirely justifiable, and I presume you can offer the Demonic Alliance some form of explanation."

A female voice from the sky laughed in anger: "Wei Xu, you truly are reasonable! You claim the Demon Mountain Sect provoked your junior brother first, yet my divine calculations showed your junior brother was the one who initiated the slaughter of Demon Mountain Sect disciples first? And that was before your junior brother even joined the Primordial Way. If we speak of reason, shouldn't the Primordial Sect be held at fault first?"

Zong Shou felt a flicker of anger rising, about to explain, but Wei Xu strode directly past him, stopping before the Demon Infant Venerable.

While everyone was confused by his intent, Wei Xu suddenly slapped out with a resounding smack, striking the white-bearded elder squarely across the face. This expert, who was at least above the Immortal Realm, was violently knocked away, plummeting down the mountain like a shooting star. Upon impact, a massive boom shook the ground, kicking up a storm of dust.

Then, Wei Xu let out a cold laugh: "Fault lies with us first? That is not necessarily true! The logic of my Primordial Way has always been: only we are permitted to bully others, and others may not offend us in the slightest. I just slapped this so-called Demon Infant Venerable; now ask him if he dares to slap back. Reason is the same. For my junior brother, let alone killing outer sect disciples of the Demon Mountain Sect, even if he slaughtered their Sect Master, they would have to endure it for me. If they refuse to endure, then their entire sect will be annihilated!"

"You!" The female voice was instantly furious, finally turning into a cold snort: "Utterly irrational! Do you truly believe that reaching the Half-Step Apex Realm means no one in the world can touch you?"

A sword light suddenly flashed across the sky, severing downward with breathtaking intensity, piercing into this isolated pocket of space.

Wei Xu roared with laughter. Behind his head, a circular sun suddenly emerged. With a casual flick of his sleeve, he forcefully slapped the sword light away, causing it to dissipate!

Zong Shou's brow beaded with cold sweat.

How could there be so many powerful figures in the Cloud Realm? Even though his current cultivation was low, he could sense that the sword light contained countless profound mysteries involving time, space, life, death, beginning, and end. It far exceeded the scope of his comprehension.

Yet Wei Xu’s casual swat contained similarly peerless divine ability.

"Great Sun Vast Spirit Disc! You actually succeeded. No, there’s also the Primordial Way Spirit Talisman..." The voice abruptly cut off. The six intents instantly fell silent again, without the slightest whisper. The entire space fell into a dead hush.

"Did you truly think that upon returning to the Cloud Realm, I would be completely unprepared?" Wei Xu said as the image of the Great Sun behind him slowly faded. "Learning from my Master's prior experience, I, Wei Xu, dare not be careless in the slightest. I have kept every grievance and debt owed between us firmly in mind. Never forgotten!"