Chapter 133: Entering the Taiyi Sect

"Young man, that is enough. Why must you push things to the point of total annihilation? Grant me this favor. You have already obtained what you sought, so let us leave it at that."

A white-haired, white-bearded old man appeared within his field of vision, blocking Chu Han's fist with a single hand. Behind the elder, Qin Ling was trembling uncontrollably.

"Elder, you must avenge me! This guy clearly intended to kill me. I will never let him off!" Qin Ling cried out, his voice shrill and pathetic. It was a disgraceful display for any man.

Watching him, Chu Han could not help but feel a mix of amusement and annoyance. The elder before him possessed immense strength; while Chu Han was not necessarily incapable of defeating him, continuing the conflict here would serve no purpose.

"Shut up! Look at the state of you. You are unskilled, yet you demand vengeance? Get out of here at once! Come back to seek revenge on Chu Han only once your own strength has grown."

Seeing Qin Ling’s behavior, the elder spoke with a tone of frustrated disappointment. He then chased Qin Ling away with a combination of blows and scolding. Turning back, he looked at Chu Han with a beaming smile, clearly satisfied that Chu Han had ceased his assault, which in turn had given the elder the face he desired.

"Enough, everyone disperse! What are you all still crowding around for? Chu Han’s ability to plunder you during the trial is a testament to his formidable strength. If you were as strong, you could do the same, and the Taiyi Sect would have nothing to say about it."

Seeing the elder speak in such a manner, the crowd could only retreat, feeling defeated. There was no point in staying; Chu Han’s overwhelming power left them feeling hollow, as the gap between them was simply too vast.

By defeating Qin Ling, Chu Han had ascended to the top of the Minor King Ranking. From now on, anyone wishing to move against him would have to weigh the consequences carefully. Thus, defeating Qin Ling had spared Chu Han a great deal of future trouble.

"Young man, I am Xuan Xuzi, an elder of the Taiyi Sect. The strength you displayed during the trial exceeded our expectations. Furthermore, by defeating Qin Ling to take the top spot on the Minor King Ranking, you have earned it. On behalf of the Taiyi Sect, I welcome you to join us."

The elder smiled kindly at Chu Han and extended a hand in a friendly gesture.

Chu Han shrugged and shook his hand firmly. He held no fondness for the Taiyi Sect; the memory of Yang Rong’s ordeal remained vivid in his mind. His reasons for coming to the Taiyi Sect, beyond the Yin-Yang Realm, were to avenge Yang Rong, as he had promised her.

"Your strength is sufficient to enter the inner sect. Come with me. Every disciple who enters the inner sect receives a reward from the Taiyi Sect, and the other elders are very eager to meet you."

Xuan Xuzi led the way with Chu Han following close behind. To these elders, Chu Han was undoubtedly the most impressive performer in the history of the Taiyi Sect’s trials, having completed it with a display of absolute dominance.

Although he had the help of Simon, it was Chu Han’s own strength that had shielded Simon from the lightning tribulation—a clear manifestation of his prowess. Of course, the elders were unaware of the Lightning Emperor Technique that Chu Han practiced.

Following him to the Elder’s Court, Chu Han finally spoke. "Elder Xuan Xuzi, may I ask if you know the identity of Duanmu Meng'er? Or perhaps the identity of Duanmu Chunfeng?"

He had pondered this question for a long time. If Duanmu Meng'er had come to participate in the trial, the Taiyi Sect must have been aware of it. Judging by Duanmu Chunfeng’s demeanor, Chu Han knew the Duanmu family could not be simple. As the saying goes, one must know oneself and the enemy to be invincible, so he needed to learn more about them.

"Duanmu Meng'er? Duanmu Chunfeng? I have never heard of them. Neither of those names appeared among the participants of this trial."

Hearing Chu Han’s words, Xuan Xuzi looked at him with surprise and spoke with absolute certainty. This response left Chu Han quite stunned.

If the Taiyi Sect knew nothing of this father and son, who were they? And under such circumstances, how had Duanmu Meng'er entered the Phantom Forest? His questions only multiplied.

Of course, he knew Xuan Xuzi was not lying; the surprise in his eyes had been genuine. This only deepened his confusion, but he did not press the matter. If the Taiyi Sect did not know, he would have to investigate on his own.

The two entered the Elder’s Court, where seven or eight elders sat in a row. Xuan Xuzi took his place in the center, and a stool was placed before Chu Han. He sat down without a word. He did not consider this disrespectful; he had once been a Heavenly Venerable, and these people were only fit to look up to him.

Chu Han’s composure, sitting unflinchingly under the collective pressure of the elders, caused them to nod in satisfaction. Even experts who had cultivated in the Taiyi Sect for years could not maintain such a calm expression under their scrutiny; this level of mental fortitude was terrifying.

"Chu Han, is it? I heard that you entered the treasure vault, dominated the various sects, and reached the secret realm. Tell me, did you find 'that thing'?"

One of the elders spoke, inquiring about the vault. This was standard procedure for the Taiyi Sect, as those who had entered the vault previously had failed to locate the object in question.

Chu Han paused, then shook his head. "No. Many people entered the secret realm, and everyone gained something, but I found nothing. Perhaps it was just my bad luck."

Although Chu Han did not know what "that thing" was, he denied it outright and concealed the existence of the broken iron shard. He had initially thought it was an ordinary piece of metal, only to realize later that it was anything but.

Given that even his power could not so much as dent the shard, it could hardly be an ordinary object.

Disappointed, the elders continued to brief him on the rules of the Taiyi Sect, bestowed upon him a few benefits, and dismissed him.

"Elder Xuan Xuzi, do you think the boy was lying?" the elder who had questioned him asked once Chu Han had departed.

"It does not seem so. Who wouldn't want to enter the Yin-Yang Realm? If Chu Han had obtained that item, he would certainly have traded it for entry. He is no fool."

Xuan Xuzi did not believe Chu Han was lying, and his reasoning was sound. The surrounding elders nodded in agreement, though one elder’s eyes remained sharp, lost in his own thoughts.

After leaving, Chu Han wandered through the Taiyi Sect. As he passed an area where disciples were training, a conversation caught his attention.

"Hey, have you heard? Someone has already been pre-selected for the Dachi Heaven recruitment."

"No kidding, you mean Tang Feng from the Great Chu Imperial Capital? He is a supreme genius who reached the peak of the Dao Palace realm. He has been suppressing his cultivation to avoid entering the Yin realm, but his true strength can already crush experts of the Yin realm."

Hearing that name, Chu Han was stunned. He had crippled Tang Feng previously, yet he had not perished. To think that Tang Feng had risen from the ashes to reach the peak of the Dao Palace realm in such a short time, and had even secured a spot for Dachi Heaven—this was completely unexpected.

However, this news confirmed that Tang Feng was indeed a genius of the highest caliber, perhaps even rivaling or surpassing the talents of the Central City. It seemed his own intervention had only pushed Tang Feng to even greater heights.