The Annihilation of the Nascent Soul Stage

Illusory Moon Sect.

Behind a large mountain lies a serene lake. This lake is exceptionally beautiful, with dense spiritual energy floating and swirling on its surface, creating a splendid sight. This lake is known as the Phantom Lake of the Illusory Moon Sect.

At this moment, in a wooden house at the center of Phantom Lake, an old man sat cross-legged. The old man had white hair and an imposing presence. Even with his eyes closed, he exuded an aura of authority. His cultivation was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. He was none other than Zhang Shaofeng, the patriarch of the Illusory Moon Sect.

After cultivating for a while, Zhang Shaofeng opened his eyes, which revealed a hint of weariness. "Sigh, I still can't break through," he sighed deeply. He had been stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for a long time, unable to advance despite years of cultivation. Unlike Murong Gong, he was more eager to break through because he had an enemy also at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

This enemy was a rogue cultivator he had encountered during his travels—a vile lecher. One day, while passing through a mountain range, Zhang Shaofeng had stumbled upon this rogue attempting to violate a young female cultivator. Seeing that the rogue was also at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, Zhang Shaofeng intervened decisively. After a fierce battle, he severely injured the rogue and severed one of his arms. However, before he could finish him off, the rogue escaped using a teleportation treasure.

To his surprise, the rogue claimed to know Zhang Shaofeng and threatened to return for revenge after reaching the Deity Transformation stage, vowing to destroy the Illusory Moon Sect. Given the rogue's poor foundation, Zhang Shaofeng had initially dismissed this threat, confident that he would achieve the Deity Transformation stage first. But now, he found himself stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for much longer than he had anticipated.

Recently, he had heard that disciples of his sect who had gone out on travels were disappearing mysteriously. He couldn't shake the feeling that the rogue was behind this and thus became even more desperate to break through. If the rogue reached the Deity Transformation stage, regardless of his poor foundation, he would easily crush Zhang Shaofeng, who was still at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Zhang Shaofeng looked despondent and anxious. Just then, a thunderous voice suddenly echoed across the sky of the Illusory Moon Sect. "Zhang Shaofeng, come out and face your death!" Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Shaofeng's face turned pale. It was the rogue's voice, and his cultivation level had reached the first layer of the Deity Transformation stage!

Zhang Shaofeng was stunned. How could the rogue arrive just as he had been thinking about him? His face turned grim. If he went out now, he would surely die. But if he stayed inside, the rogue might slaughter everyone in the sect out of spite. Just as he was contemplating, another cold voice resounded in the sky. "I know you're in the sect! I'll give you ten breaths to come out, or I'll massacre your entire sect! You don't want to see your disciples slaughtered, do you?"

However, before the rogue could finish his threat, he suddenly stopped. "Who are you?!" The rogue's panicked voice echoed from the sky. Zhang Shaofeng was taken aback. The next moment, a voice even more familiar to him rang out. "Did you just say you were going to massacre the Illusory Moon Sect?" It was his friend Murong Gong's voice. "No... I was just joking..."

Boom! Before the rogue could finish speaking, a massive explosion sounded in the sky, followed by an eerie silence. Zhang Shaofeng was bewildered. What had just happened? Why did the rogue sound so terrified when Murong Gong spoke?

At that moment, with a swish, a figure suddenly appeared in Zhang Shaofeng's wooden house. Startled, Zhang Shaofeng looked up and saw his friend Murong Gong, wearing a triumphant smile and holding the bloody corpse of the rogue. Zhang Shaofeng was dumbfounded. Murong Gong was now at the second layer of the Deity Transformation stage!

Murong Gong casually threw the corpse aside and sat down nonchalantly. "I just arrived and heard this guy saying he was going to massacre your sect, so I killed him. When did you offend a Deity Transformation stage cultivator?" Zhang Shaofeng was too shocked to respond, his mind reeling from the unexpected turn of events.

Seeing his old friend's expression, Murong Gong maintained a calm facade, though inwardly he was bursting with laughter. He planned to tease Zhang Shaofeng about this for the rest of their lives.

After a long while, Zhang Shaofeng finally managed to speak. "Old friend, how did your cultivation increase so dramatically?" He couldn't believe his eyes. Not long ago, Murong Gong had also been at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. It was impossible for him to advance to the second layer of the Deity Transformation stage so quickly.

Murong Gong smiled proudly, then recalled the time when he had doubted his son's words and embarrassed himself in Chen Pingan's courtyard. He glanced at Zhang Shaofeng, deciding to let his old friend experience a bit of what he had gone through and maybe get some spiritual stones out of it.

With a sly gleam in his eye, Murong Gong said, "In a mortal town within my sect's jurisdiction lives an immortal. I obtained a great opportunity from him, which allowed me to break through so many levels. That immortal's body is filled with Daoist principles, truly terrifying." He waited for Zhang Shaofeng to express disbelief so he could propose a bet and win some spiritual stones.

However, Zhang Shaofeng's reaction was unexpected. His eyes lit up, and he shouted excitedly, "An immortal?! Quick, take me to see him!" He seemed almost deranged in his enthusiasm. Murong Gong was taken aback. This was not how he had expected things to go.