The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

Lingxiao, Qingzhou Headquarters.

A massive magic array was set up here, with a crystal disc three zhang in diameter suspended in the center. The surface of the disc shimmered with light, and countless runes flowed within it.

This is Lingxiao's "Heavenly Eye" system, which combines modern technology with ancient formations to observe any corner of the land in real time.

At this moment, an image is being displayed on the disc.

Lingyuan Sect Mountain Gate.

It was a huge mountain range suspended in mid-air, shrouded in clouds and mist, with cranes circling around it.

Countless palaces and pavilions were built on the mountain range, each one adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding a magnificent aura.

At the very center of the main peak stands a towering archway, hundreds of feet high, with three gilded characters inscribed on it: Lingyuan Sect.

A person stands below the archway.

A woman wearing a long, crimson-gold dress.

Wu Minghuang.

She stood there quietly, her crimson-gold dress fluttering gently in the wind, with nine golden phoenixes spreading their wings on the hem as if about to take flight.

Behind her was a vast sea of ​​clouds, surging and rolling, as if it were boiling with excitement for her arrival.

Before her stood the gate tower of the Lingyuan Sect.

Behind her was the entire sky.

She stood alone, blocking the entrance to an ancient sect's mountain gate.

Before the crystal disc, everyone in Lingxiao held their breath.

They looked at Wu Minghuang in the picture, at the Lingyuan Sect floating in the air, and at the densely packed figures flying up from various mountain peaks.

Dozens of Golden Core Elders!

Hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples!

The entire Lingyuan Sect was alarmed.

"This...this is the true strength of the Lingyuan Sect?"

Someone murmured to themselves, their voice filled with shock.

Although it was already known that the ancient sects had profound foundations, the visual impact of seeing dozens of Golden Core elders appear at the same time was still terrifying.

It should be noted that Lingxiao, as the number one power in Shenzhou, only has Cang Laodao as a Golden Core cultivator in its entire Qingzhou branch.

Ke Lingyuan Sect........

There are more than thirty Golden Core elders who have appeared at this moment!

This doesn't even include those who are in seclusion, have gone out, or are hiding!

"The ancient great sect... truly lives up to its reputation."

The old man spoke slowly, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

In the scene, the atmosphere in front of the Lingyuan Sect's mountain gate is so heavy it seems to freeze.

More than thirty Golden Core elders hovered in the air, surrounding Wu Minghuang.

Their faces looked very grim.

It's an utter disgrace that our own mountain gate has been blocked!

But they dared not make a move.

Because the person blocking the door was the Empress.

"The Empress!"

An elderly man in a purple Taoist robe stepped forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger, "What do you mean by this? Blocking the gates of my Lingyuan Sect, are you trying to start a war?"

Wu Minghuang raised her head and looked at him.

His eyes were calm, without any emotion.

"Go to war?"

She repeated it softly, then shook her head, "I'm just here to collect a debt."

"Collecting debts?"

The purple-robed elder was taken aback. "What debt does my Lingyuan Sect owe you?"

"You've messed with the wrong person."

Wu Minghuang said slowly, "If I make him unhappy, I'll be unhappy too."

"I'm unhappy, so I want to destroy the Immortal Sect."

She paused, then continued:

"In my past life, the thing I did most was destroy major sects."

These words, spoken casually, sent a chill down the spines of all the Lingyuan Sect elders present.

They recalled the records about the empress's past life.

That empress who ruled the land of China reigned for three hundred years and destroyed more than a hundred immortal sects, demonic sects, and demon races in total!

Among them are ancient sects that are even more powerful than Lingyuan Sect!

She really dares to destroy an entire sect!

"you......."

The purple-robed elder's face turned ashen. "Empress, don't push your luck! Our Lingyuan Sect is an ancient sect with a history of ten thousand years! You..."

"Passed down for ten thousand years?"

Wu Minghuang interrupted him, "So what?"

She looked at the old man in purple robes, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

"Which of the immortal sects I destroyed didn't have a lineage spanning ten thousand years?"

The old man in purple robes was speechless.

Just then.

"The Empress."

A deep voice came from the depths of the Lingyuan Sect.

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire mountain range.

The next second, a figure slowly rose from the depths of the main peak.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a blue Taoist robe, with a thin face, eyes like lightning, and faint phantom images of dragons and tigers surrounding him.

The current sect leader of Lingyuan Sect, Qingyang Zhenren, has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage and possesses combat strength at the half-step Nascent Soul stage.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at Wu Minghuang in front of the mountain gate.

"Empress, what exactly do you want?"

Master Qingyang spoke slowly, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger, "You killed Su Yanhan, you killed Yue Qingyi, and now you want to block the gates of my Lingyuan Sect? Aren't you being a bit too domineering?"

"overbearing?"

Wu Minghuang raised her head, looked at him, and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"My holy teacher taught me that an emperor should be domineering."

She paused, then continued:

"Only the weak try to reason."

"I'm not in the mood to reason with you."

"Who is your Daoist partner?" Master Qingyang asked with difficulty.

"none of your business."

Wu Minghuang looked at Qingyang Zhenren, her eyes gradually turning cold.

"Now, I'm giving you two choices."

"First, the Lingyuan Sect will be closed for a hundred years, and all cultivators above the Golden Core stage are not allowed to leave."

"Secondly, I will destroy your Lingyuan Sect."

She spoke calmly, as if stating a very simple fact.

But these words, when heard by the members of the Lingyuan Sect, were more terrifying than any threat.

A century of closure of the mountain?

Are cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above not allowed to go out?

How is this any different from annihilating an entire sect?!

"The Empress!"

Master Qingyang finally couldn't hold back any longer, his voice filled with resentment and anger, "Don't go too far! My Lingyuan Sect is, after all, an ancient great sect, how dare you humiliate us like this!"

"humiliation?"

Wu Minghuang shook her head. "I'm just giving you a chance."

"Wu Minghuang! You really think my Lingyuan Sect is afraid of you?!"

Master Qingyang finally erupted completely.

That once slender face was now twisted and deformed by extreme anger, his eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling.

He stared intently at Wu Minghuang in front of the mountain gate, his voice hoarse like a broken gong:

"My ancient sect has a lineage spanning ten thousand years! How dare you humiliate us like this!"

He suddenly flicked his sleeve, and the phantom images of dragons and tigers around him roared wildly, their terrifying aura soaring into the sky and shattering a large part of the clouds above.

With his Golden Core fully formed and his cultivation at the half-step Nascent Soul stage complete, he unleashed his full potential without reservation at this moment.

"My Holy Maiden of the Lingyuan Sect was killed by you, and instead of giving an explanation, you blocked my mountain gate, forcing me to close my mountain for a hundred years?!"

"Wu Minghuang, you've gone too far!"

With each word he spoke, his voice rose a notch, until finally it was almost a roar:

"If my Lingyuan Sect swallows this insult today, what face will we have left to stand on the land of Shenzhou in the future?!"

"What will the other ancient powerful sects think of us?!"

"What will those sects and families that depend on us think?!"

"They'll think that the Lingyuan Sect has declined! They'll think that the Lingyuan Sect can be bullied at will!"

He became more and more agitated and angry as he spoke, his chest heaving violently, as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the past three hundred years.

Lingyuan Sect, a great sect of ancient times.

They once held sway over the cultivation world of China, and with a single word, all sects bowed down.

However, the millennium of spiritual energy depletion forced them to close their mountains and live in seclusion, hiding their sect's lineage and waiting for the day when spiritual energy would recover.

Now, the spiritual energy has been restored.

An era of great contention has begun.

They believed that their era was about to return.

But the result?

The holy maiden was killed, the mountain gate was blocked, and now they're being forced to close the mountain for a hundred years?!

What is this?!

This is an absolute disgrace!

"Martial Phoenix!"

Master Qingyang stared intently at her, enunciating each word clearly, "If my Lingyuan Sect bows its head today, how will it ever stand in this world of great strife?!"

"so--"

He suddenly raised his right hand, pointed it at the sky, and clenched it tightly.

"Please, all of you venerable ancestors, emerge from seclusion!"