Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 104 A Punch Startles the Tonghe River
Two weeks later, in Tonghe County.

In an inconspicuous inn in the south of the city, Ji Beichuan paced back and forth anxiously, making the floorboards creak.

"Old Zhang! I really can't hold it in any longer!" He suddenly stopped and slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups bounce around.

"The Chiyang Sect of Tonghe County is simply a group of bandits disguised as immortal masters."

They commit violence in the streets, prey on the villagers, and even dare to break the legs of ordinary victims and throw them out of the city.

Is Magistrate Chen in this county office blind?

"The Great Li Dynasty's 'Laws of Immortals and Mortals' are just a piece of trash here?"

Compared to his haste, Zhang Xianghua was much more composed.

He was meticulously wiping the inner shell of the Xuan Turtle bestowed upon him by the sect leader with a soft cloth, his movements slow and focused.

Only after Ji Beichuan had vented did he raise his eyelids and say in a calm voice, "Old Ji, what's the rush? The sect leader sent us here to make a name for ourselves, not to be reckless fools."

He put down his inner armor, poured a cup of cold tea, and pushed it over. "I've found out the truth these past two days. Magistrate Chen of Tonghe County is just a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator. He has no powerful backing and bought his position at great expense."

Wang Xiaotian, the sect leader of the Crimson Sun Sect, was at the Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

Ji Beichuan picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, his brows furrowed: "So what? Does a mere sect dare to openly defy the Great Li Kingdom?"

"Confrontation?" Zhang Xianghua laughed, but the laugh was somewhat cold.

"Why should he resist? He just needs to make Magistrate Chen understand that the emperor is far away, while Wang Xiaotian's fist is right in front of him."

If Magistrate Chen wants to maintain his official position and continue to make money, he has to treat Chiyang Gate like an ancestor.

The Chiyang Sect did the dirty work for him, suppressing any dissenting voices on the ground; in return, he tacitly allowed the Chiyang Sect to collect "peace money" and bully men and women.

The profits collected were split 30/70. This isn't collusion between officials and bandits; it's clearly a master-servant relationship.

These words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the anger in Ji Beichuan's heart, leaving only a chilling cold. He was stunned for a long time before finally squeezing out two words through gritted teeth: "Beast!"

Zhang Xianghua nodded, his eyes sharpening: "That's why the sect leader sent us. Our goal from the beginning wasn't to act on behalf of Heaven, but to complete the sect leader's mission—to make a name for ourselves! To pave a path for the Tianyan Sect and for the 'Furnace Scripture'!"

He paused, then said, word by word, "And this Chiyang Sect is the best 'stepping stone' that the sect leader chose for us."

It's tough enough; defeating it would shake the entire region. It's dirty enough; stepping on it to rise to power would only bring applause from the people, without a single complaint. Most importantly, the sycophantic master behind it wouldn't dare to escalate the situation.

Ji Beichuan's mind worked incredibly fast, and he instantly grasped the key point. His eyes lit up: "I understand! When we throw this punch, it's Chiyang Gate that suffers, but the county government that loses face!"
To protect his own position, Magistrate Chen would not dare retaliate; in fact, he might have to swallow his pride and accept it, and might even be hoping we would leave as soon as possible.

He rubbed his hands together, chuckled, and all his previous anxiety vanished, replaced by a hunter's excitement.

"Then what are we waiting for? Tomorrow we'll smash their apprenticeship ceremony stage, tear off their faces in front of the whole county, and trample them under our feet!"

……

The next day, the area in front of the Chiyangmen headquarters was packed with people, but the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.

The merchants and wealthy families who came to give gifts wore stiff smiles, and their eyes held a hint of fear and heartache.

Meanwhile, the young people who came from all over the countryside, dressed in rags but full of hope, stared intently at the half-person-high black spirit-testing stone in the center of the platform with an almost fanatical gaze.

To them, Chiyang Gate was an evil dragon, but it was also the only dragon gate through which they could ascend to heaven in one step and escape the fate of mortals.

On the high platform, Wang Xiaotian, the sect leader of Chiyang Sect, was beaming with pride as he basked in the gaze that mingled with awe and longing.

He cleared his throat, his voice booming: "Fellow villagers and fellow Daoists!"

Today is the grand ceremony for the founding of my Chiyang Sect and the acceptance of new disciples!

Later, anyone who wishes to become my disciple may go up on stage and touch this spirit-testing stone to test their affinity with immortality.

Before that, my son, Wang Teng, will demonstrate the 'Crimson Flame Palm' of my Crimson Sun Sect for you all, so that you may see just how majestic one becomes once one embarks on the path of immortality.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tall, arrogant young man in brocade robes standing beside him strode to the front of the stage.

Just as he was about to make his move, drawing the first wave of cheers from the audience.

Two figures silently walked through the crowd and climbed the platform step by step.

The whole place fell silent for a moment.

Wang Teng paused in his gesture as he was about to gather spiritual power, his brows furrowed, and he shouted sternly, "Who are you people? How dare you cause trouble at my Chiyang Sect?"

Ji Beichuan ignored him, his gaze sweeping over the thousands of audience members below the stage. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Tianyan Sect, Jibeichuan." "Tianyan Sect, Zhang Xianghua."

"Today, I have come specifically to seek guidance from the young master of the Crimson Sun Sect!"

"Tianyan Sect?"

"Never heard of him, where did this Tom, Dick, and Harry come from?"

"Hey, these two have some nerve, daring to cause trouble at the Chiyang Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony. Aren't they just asking for trouble?"

The thousands of audience members were taken aback at first, then burst into discussion and laughter.

The Chiyang Sect has dominated Tonghe County for many years, and its leader, Wang Xiaotian, is a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, whose "Crimson Flame Palm" is rarely matched.

His son, Wang Teng, also inherited his father's skills and reached the sixth level of Qi Refining at a young age, making him the undisputed number one among the younger generation in Tonghe County.

Today, these two unknown disciples of the "Tianyan Sect" dare to challenge the powerful figures of the entire county on stage.
Everyone looked at them like they were idiots.

On the high platform, Wang Teng's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red.

This is simply a shame!
"court death!"

He roared, not even bothering to greet anyone, and stomped his foot hard. Crimson light pulsed from his palm, and a scorching wave of air shot straight toward Ji Beichuan's face!
"It's the Crimson Flame Palm! Young Master Wang's first move was a killing blow!" a knowledgeable rogue cultivator in the audience exclaimed.

Everyone thought that the next second, this unlucky guy named Ji Beichuan would be burned to a crisp.

However, Ji Beichuan didn't even lift his eyelids in the face of this powerful palm strike.

He neither dodged nor avoided, nor even bothered to strike a pose; he simply raised his right fist.

His movements appeared slow, weak, and powerless.

"Fool! How dare you try to fight my magic with your bare fists!" A sinister smile flashed in Wang Teng's eyes, and he increased the force of his palm by three points.

He could almost see the scene of his opponent's fist, along with his entire arm, being burned to ashes by his crimson flames.

boom!
A deep, muffled bang that sent shivers down one's spine.

Fists and palms meet.

The imagined scene of flesh and blood being burned to charcoal did not occur. The crimson flames in Wang Teng's palm were instantly extinguished and dissipated, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand!
The sinister smile on his face froze.

He felt as if he had struck not a person's fist, but an unshakeable mountain.

A terrifying power, pure to the extreme and beyond his comprehension, emanated from the opponent's fist. It swept away the spiritual energy in his palm and slammed into his chest with undiminished force.

"puff!"

Wang Teng was struck as if by lightning. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tracing a tragic arc in the air before crashing heavily more than ten feet away, smashing a mahogany octagonal table to pieces!

He struggled to get up, but felt as if his internal organs had been displaced. He opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood. His head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

One punch!
Just one punch!
Wang Teng, the top young expert in Tonghe County and a Qi Refining Level 6 Immortal Master, has been defeated!
The whole place was in deathly silence.

Thousands of eyes were fixed on the man on the stage who slowly withdrew his fist without changing his expression, their eyes filled with disbelief and horror.

"This...how is this possible?"

"Young Master Wang... he's defeated just like that?"

"That person...that person didn't have a trace of spiritual energy. He...he was just a mortal?"

"A mortal? Your mortal can send a Qi Refining Level 6 Immortal Master flying more than ten feet with a single punch?"

Wang Xiaotian on the stage was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at his unconscious son, then at Ji Beichuan on the stage, who seemed utterly ordinary, his mind a complete blank.

With his Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation, he could see things more clearly than anyone else.

That punch just now had no technique, no magic, only the purest, most primal, most savage... power!
That power was domineering and mighty, as if it could tear the earth apart and shatter mountains!

This power even made him, a cultivator who was about to establish his foundation, feel a chill.

What kind of monster is this?

"Who...who exactly are you?" Wang Xiaotian pointed at Ji Beichuan, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with fear.

(End of this chapter)