Defeating Elders With a Flick of the Finger

"Uh!"

Zhang Huan suddenly felt a tight grip around his neck, a wave of suffocation crashing over him. A large hand was clamped around his throat, and as soon as that hand locked on, his Nascent Soul was sealed away—he couldn’t move at all.

For a moment, panic surged in his heart. Was this kid really going to kill him?

"Take me to see Master Mingtan!" Ian Song demanded in a low voice.

Hearing Ian Song’s words, Zhang Huan instantly understood—this kid was just threatening him, probably not daring to kill. He sneered, "Kid, you can still let me go while there's time. Otherwise...!"

"Smack, smack, smack!"

Before Zhang Huan could finish his sentence, Ian Song’s palm landed crisply and decisively on his cheek.

After a few slaps, Ian Song’s voice rang out again: "You talk too much nonsense. I’m not interested. Just tell me—are you willing to take me to see Master Mingtan or not?"

The Prime One Church’s Main Altar was enormous, even surpassing the royal palace. Inside, all sorts of formations were laid out, large and small. Without knowing the layout, it was almost impossible to find Master Mingtan’s exact location.

That was why Ian Song needed Zhang Huan to lead him to Master Mingtan.

Zhang Huan was stunned by Ian Song’s flurry of slaps. Humiliation and rage welled up inside him—he was an Outer-Sect Deacon of the Prime One Church! Even Soul-Split experts outside would have to respectfully call him Deacon Zhang.

But now he was getting slapped silly by some late Out-of-Body kid—how could he possibly endure that? The burning pain on his cheek only fueled his murderous intent. He shouted harshly, "You’re dead, kid! Nobody can save you now!"

"Smack smack smack smack smack!"

A few more slaps landed, leaving Zhang Huan seeing stars and blood trickling from both corners of his mouth.

"Looks like you still haven’t learned your lesson. If you’re so eager for a beating, I’ll gladly oblige!"

"You little bastard, I’ll tear you to pieces!"

"Smack smack smack!"

"Damn you! If you’ve got guts, kill me! Otherwise...!"

"Smack smack smack!"

After dozens of slaps in a row, Zhang Huan’s face was so swollen it looked like a pig’s head—at this point, even people who knew him probably wouldn’t recognize him just by looking at his face.

"Stop hitting me! Let me go, I’ll lead the way!"

Zhang Huan finally gave in.

Ian Song withdrew his hand from Zhang Huan’s neck and said coolly, "No tricks. Lead the way, or you’ll find out what real regret feels like."

Zhang Huan shot him a venomous glare. "Follow me!" he spat.

"Young Master, isn’t this a bit much...?" Old Man Tanner asked worriedly.

"It’s fine," Ian Song replied, unconcerned, shaking his head as he followed Zhang Huan out of the deacon’s office.

Soon, Zhang Huan led Ian Song to a massive compound. No one was guarding it, but the whole place was covered by a powerful formation.

With Ian Song’s expertise in formations, he could tell its main purpose was to gather spiritual energy. The qi inside was extremely dense, and it had some defensive function too—barely enough to hold off Soul-Split cultivators.

Suddenly, Zhang Huan dashed forward into the formation, shouting, "Help! Someone’s forcing their way into the Prime One Church!"

After yelling, Zhang Huan turned to Ian Song with a venomous look. "You little bastard, did you really think I’d take you to see the sect master? Dream on! This is where the Outer-Sect Elders live. You’re finished—dead meat!"

Sure enough, in the next instant, three figures shot over, transforming into three elderly men who landed beside Zhang Huan. Judging by their aura, all three were late Out-of-Body cultivators.

Zhang Huan’s face was so swollen that the three elders didn’t even recognize him. One of them barked, "Are you the one making all this racket?"

"Elder Feng, it’s me—Zhang Huan, the Outer-Sect Deacon!" Zhang Huan wailed, then pointed at Ian Song and sobbed, "You’ve got to help me, Elder! This little bastard captured me, beat me up, and forced me to lead him to the sect master. I had no choice but to bring him here!"

Feng Dawei, one of the Outer-Sect Elders, had given up hope of advancing his cultivation. Together with fellow elders Yang Yong and Sheng Tianjun, he managed Outer-Sect affairs. Other late Out-of-Body elders still clung to dreams of a breakthrough, so they rarely bothered with day-to-day matters.

Hearing Zhang Huan’s sob story, Feng Dawei turned a cold gaze on Ian Song. "Boy, do you know what a crime it is to barge into the Prime One Church?"

Ian Song replied calmly, "Sorry, this wasn’t my first choice. I just wanted to request an audience with Master Mingtan, but your church’s threshold is so high you wouldn’t even pass on my message. So this is the only way left."

Feng Dawei’s eyes widened. "Just because we wouldn’t pass on your message, you forced your way in? What do you take the Prime One Church for? I’ll give you one chance—cripple your own cultivation and leave, and you can keep your life!"

Ian Song shook his head. "I don’t want to waste time with you. You’ve got a higher status, so you can lead the way."

As he spoke, Ian Song stepped into the formation.

The four elders were stunned. Had the formation failed? How did he get in without an identity token?

But Feng Dawei’s anger flared. "Since you refuse to listen, I’ll cripple your cultivation myself and throw you into the Prime One Church’s Demon Prison!"

The Demon Prison was a special place in the Prime One Church, devoid of spiritual energy. It held vicious cultivators and fearsome beasts captured by the sect.

Once thrown in, there was no hope of ever getting out.

Azure Dragon Claw!!

In the next moment, Feng Dawei suddenly struck, reaching out with a claw. Wind and clouds swirled, and a solid dragon claw formed in midair, accompanied by thunderous dragon roars as it lunged at Ian Song.

He’d cultivated for over five thousand years. Unable to break through, Feng Dawei focused on refining his Daoist arts. The Azure Dragon Claw was his signature technique—its power had defeated many fellow late Out-of-Body cultivators, leaving them helpless under his grip.

Ian Song glanced up at the dragon claw and casually threw out a punch.

The punch looked ordinary, with no energy leaking out, but the moment it collided with the dragon claw, it exploded with force.

"Boom!"

The dragon claw shattered into wisps of energy, dissipating into the air.