NOVEL NEXT Chapter 194: Challenge
The inner elders stared at him, stunned.
One of them shouted angrily,
"Ridiculous! A child like you thinks he can take our sect?!"
Another elder whispered, nervous,
"Wait… the gate guards didn't report anything. Did he defeat them?"
Before anyone could react, Tian Lei stepped forward.
"Since elders and true leaders can fight for the sect," he said calmly, "then hurry up and call your Sect Master. I don't have time to waste."
The elders' faces twisted with rage.
"You arrogant brat!"
"Capture him!"
All five inner elders charged at once.
Tian Lei didn't even lift both hands.
He waved one palm—
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded across the courtyard.
All five elders were blown backward, smashing into stone walls, spitting blood.
One tried to stand but his legs shook uncontrollably.
Tian Lei walked past them as if they were trash on the road.
"Too weak," he said.
A loud scream echoed from ahead.
More disciples gathered in panic. Formation plates lit up. Sword qi filled the air as dozens of inner disciples formed a blockade.
"Stop right there! You cannot go any further! This is the Elder Hall!"
"We will defend the sect with our lives!"
They shouted bravely, but their hands shook.
Tian Lei tilted his head.
"I only need the Sect Master. Move."
Of course, they didn't move.
They charged.
A wave of sword qi filled the sky.
Tian Lei exhaled lightly.
A small ripple of spiritual pressure spread outward.
FWOOM
Every disciple in front of him was thrown backward in one single wave, knocked unconscious instantly.
They collapsed like dominoes.
Tian Lei didn't stop walking.
He finally reached the final courtyard—an ornate hall with golden carvings and banners.
In front of it stood the last line of defense:
The Great Elder and the Sect Master himself.
The Sect Master was a middle-aged man with long grey hair and a blue sword on his back. His aura was stronger than the rest—True Core Realm.
He glared at Tian Lei.
"Young man," he said sternly, "you've gone too far. We have not offended you. Why attack my Iron Sky Sword Sect?"
Tian Lei shrugged.
"I want a sect. Yours is close to the capital, has a good spiritual vein, and weak elders. Easy to take."
The Sect Master's face turned red with fury.
"You— you dare say that to my face?!"
Tian Lei nodded calmly.
"Yes. That's why I'm here."
The Great Elder growled, gripping his sword.
"Fine. Since you invoked the Imperial Rule, then we accept the duel for sect ownership."
He pointed his sword at Tian Lei.
"If you defeat us… the Iron Sky Sword Sect is yours."
The Sect Master stepped forward beside him.
"But if you lose, you will die."
Tian Lei smiled slightly.
"You won't kill me."
He raised his hand and cracked his knuckles.
"Let's finish this."
The Sect Master roared and drew his sword—
The Sect Master roared and drew his sword—
but Tian Lei was already gone from his sight.
SWOOSH!
He reappeared right in front of the Great Elder.
The Great Elder's eyes widened.
"You—!"
Tian Lei's palm struck his chest.
BOOM!
The Great Elder was sent flying across the courtyard, crashing through two stone pillars before slamming into the ground. He coughed blood and couldn't get up.
The Sect Master shouted, furious:
"Great Elder!"
But Tian Lei didn't even look at him.
He raised his hand, and black lightning crackled around his fingers.
"Black Thunder Art—Paralyzing Bind."
CRACK!
Black-purple chains of lightning shot forward and wrapped around the Sect Master's legs and arms.
"W–what?! I can't move?!"
The Sect Master struggled violently, but the lightning chains tightened, burning his skin.
Tian Lei walked toward him slowly.
"You're strong for this sect," Tian Lei said calmly. "But not strong enough."
The Sect Master roared and used his full power.
"Sword Soul—Awaken!"
A massive blue sword phantom appeared behind him, breaking through the lightning bindings.
He slashed forward with everything he had.
SHING!
A wave of sword qi cut through the air toward Tian Lei.
But Tian Lei simply lifted one finger.
A black thunder symbol glowed on his forehead.
Black Thunder Divine Dragon — Scale Guard.
A thin layer of black lightning formed around his body like armor.
The sword qi hit it—
CRACKLE!
—and shattered instantly.
The Sect Master froze.
"That—what kind of beast power is that…?"
Tian Lei didn't answer.
He stepped forward and punched.
Just one punch.
BOOOOM!!
The Sect Master was blown backward, skidding through the courtyard and crashing into the main hall doors. The entire hall shook.
He tried to get up… but failed.
His sword fell from his hand.
Tian Lei stopped right in front of him.
"That's enough. I won."
The Sect Master's eyes trembled.
"You… you monster…"
Tian Lei nodded once.
"Yes. Now hand over the sect."
The Sect Master gritted his teeth.
According to Imperial Law… he had no choice.
"We still have someone you have not defeated yet," he said. Then he roared,
"Ancestor! Someone is here to take over the sect!!!"
The shout echoed like thunder through the mountain range. The disciples trembled, some covering their ears as an powerful, oppressive aura awakened from deep within the sect.
BOOM.
A wave of spiritual pressure surged out from the ancestral hall. Tiles cracked. Trees outside the sect walls bent as if kneeling.
Tian Lei raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So they still have an old monster tucked away."
The doors of the ancestral hall creaked open… slowly… as a withered figure stepped out. His body was thin, but the space around him warped from the intensity of his cultivation.
His eyes opened—two cold, ancient lanterns.
"Who dares challenge my Iron Sword Sky Sect…" the Ancestor began, his voice raspy yet filled with authority.
Tian Lei casually pointed his thumb at himself.
"Me. Tian Lei. I'm here to beat all of you and take over the sect. Imperial Law says it's allowed, right?"
A vein popped on the Ancestor's forehead.
Around them, disciples whispered fearfully: