Chapter 5: Taking On the Role of Sect Leader

After traveling through tens of thousands of space teleportation arrays over three months, Qu Yi finally arrived at his fated land—Feiyun Star. Feiyun Star was also a large planet in the cultivation world, extremely vast in size. The entire planet had only one continent, whose shape was quite peculiar: a large circle at the center with three smaller circles embedded within it. Visually, it resembled a round flesh ball with three more flesh balls growing from it. This continent was called Feiyun Continent.

Above Feiyun Continent, there were many floating clouds. These clouds had condensed into solid materials that could be used to build houses, practice cultivation on, or even refined into flying magic artifacts. These floating clouds were also the reason why the planet was named Feiyun Star.

The central region of Feiyun Continent belonged to the cultivation sect Yin Yun Men, a large sect that was a branch of Tai Yuan Men. However, this sect had recently faced a severe crisis—there was only one elder at the early stage of the Convergence Phase within it, while none of the sect leaders, elders, or disciples had reached that stage. In contrast, other sects on this large planet had several powerful cultivators at the Convergence Phase, putting Yin Yun Men’s status in grave danger.

To the southeast of Feiyun Continent lay one of the three protruding circular “peninsulas,” which was the territory of the demonic cultivation sect Qian Huo Gong. To the west was another such peninsula, belonging to the demonic cultivation sect Bi Yun Lou. In the northeast was yet another peninsula, considered a paradise for demon cultivators—entirely covered in ancient forests, deep and mysterious, known as Qian Yao Lin.

Qu Yi first arrived at Ying Xian Island on Feiyun Star, then took out the lower-grade spiritual artifact, the Flowing Gold Boat, and flew toward the center of Feiyun Continent to head to Yin Yun Men. Ying Xian Island was located in the eastern seas of Feiyun Continent, quite far from its center. Qu Yi estimated that it would take about two months for the Flowing Gold Boat to reach Yin Yun Men, so he used one part of his spiritual awareness to control the boat while using the other five parts to scan the Three Yuan Dao.

Qu Yi practiced cultivation constantly…

Two months later, Qu Yi finally saw a towering mountain, its height obscured by layers of white clouds. This mountain was Yin Yun Peak, and the headquarters of Yin Yun Men was located atop it.

Qu Yi controlled the Flowing Gold Boat and swiftly arrived above Hidden Cloud Peak, hovering motionless as he released all of his vital energy waves.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures suddenly rushed out of Hidden Cloud Peak and appeared in front of the Flowing Gold Boat, staring at Qu Yi with expressions of tension.
These two were Han Jin, the leader of Hidden Cloud Sect, and Fu Yun, the only expert in the early stage of merging their powers.
“Who are you? What brings you to our Hidden Cloud Sect?” Han Jin asked cautiously, probing him.
Fu Yun, on the other hand, stared at Qu Yi intently with a serious expression.
Qu Yi smiled, retracted the Flowing Gold Boat, and then took out a token from his space ring, bearing the character “Tai.” This token was a symbol given by the Tai Yuan Sect to Qu Yi, granting him authority over Hidden Cloud Sect, and all branches of the Tai Yuan Sect were required to obey it.
“I’m Li Mu!” Qu Yi said with a smile.
Upon seeing the token with the character “Tai,” Han Jin and Fu Yun’s expressions changed instantly. They immediately bowed to accept it and exclaimed, “Leader Li Mu!”
Indeed, they immediately recognized Qu Yi as their leader, simply because it was an order from the Tai Yuan Sect.
Qu Yi smiled again and said, “There’s no need for formalities. From now on, let’s work together to make Hidden Cloud Sect thrive and expand its influence across the entire Feiyun Continent.”
Upon hearing this, Han Jin and Fu Yun’s faces twitched, and they immediately concluded that this new leader was someone full of pretense. Yet they didn’t say anything, instead maintaining cheerful expressions.
“We are willing to follow behind the leader and help develop Hidden Cloud Sect,” said Han Jin, the former leader, in agreement.
Qu Yi also sensed their thoughts but chose not to point them out. Since they didn’t trust him, he would do something to earn their faith.
“Alright, let’s return to the sect together,” Qu Yi said with a smile.
Immediately, Han Jin and Fu Yun led the way up Hidden Cloud Peak, telling Qu Yi their titles as they went.
At the top of Hidden Cloud Peak stood the Smiling Cloud Palace, the most important place in Hidden Cloud Sect, where Han Jin and Fu Yun lived and practiced.
Now, Qu Yi arrived at the Smiling Cloud Palace and entered a large hall inside, sitting down on the soft jade bed in the center.
Han Jin and Fu Yun sat on either side, watching Qu Yi quietly.
“Han Jin, could you tell me about the current situation in the Feiyun Continent?” Qu Yi asked with a smile.

This former sect leader had mastered a gold-element cultivation technique and reached the late Divination stage. In appearance, he was a cultivated man of great restraint, not skilled in power struggles, and was able to hold the position of sect leader solely due to his cultivation level.

Upon hearing this, True Master Hanjin recalled and then said calmly, “Sect leader, our Hidden Cloud Sect is located in the center of the Flying Cloud Continent. To the southeast lies the demon-cultivating sect Qianhuo Palace, to the west is the immortal-cultivating sect Biyun Tower, and to the northeast is the Thousand Demons Forest. Now, these three factions are inciting their subordinate sects to harass us… Since our Hidden Cloud Sect only has True Master Fuyun, a master at the Consolidation stage, we have always endured and yielded. Now, our sect’s influence is less than one-tenth of what it used to be.”

After saying this, both True Master Hanjin and True Master Fuyun looked ashamed, with a hint of sorrow and anger in their expressions.

After listening, Qu Yi quickly figured things out and smiled, “Very good. Since the Taiyuan Sect has entrusted me to manage Hidden Cloud Sect, it is my duty to protect its interests. Both masters, from today onward, we no longer need to endure—let’s confront our enemies head-on.”

Hearing this, True Master Hanjin and True Master Fuyun panicked and looked at Qu Yi. True Master Hanjin even cried out, “Sect leader, it’s impossible! Including you, Hidden Cloud Sect now has only one person at the early Consolidation stage and two at the late Divination stage. The three of us simply cannot defeat the demon cultivators from Qianhuo Palace, Biyun Tower, and the Thousand Demons Forest. If we anger any of these three factions, our sect will be destroyed.”

In fact, True Master Hanjin also wanted to say that Hidden Cloud Sect could still exist only because those three factions were wary of the Taiyuan Sect, allowing it to survive barely.

True Master Fuyun also looked at Qu Yi anxiously. If it weren’t for respecting Qu Yi as the sect leader, he would have slapped him right away.

Qu Yi seemed to think life had no meaning unless he scared those two to death. He immediately stood up, “What’s there to fear? I’ll destroy these three factions tomorrow.”

True Master Hanjin and True Master Fuyun felt dizzy, deeply suspicious—what reason did the Taiyuan Sect have to send such an overbearing disciple? Wasn’t this meant to harm Hidden Cloud Sect on purpose?

Qu Yi was too lazy to explain to them. He sat down on the soft jade bed and continued, “True Master Hanjin, which sect is bullying Hidden Cloud Sect the most right now?”

Seeing Qu Yi’s determination to confront other sects, Han Jin Zhenren couldn’t help but stick out his head, mustered up courage, and said outright, “Elder Master, I oppose your plan. We should focus on cultivating disciples slowly. Once we have more disciples at the Integration stage, then we can reclaim our territory.”
Fu Yun Zhenren immediately added, “I agree with Han Jin Zhenren’s opinion.”
Upon hearing this, Qu Yi lay down on the soft jade bed and laughed heartily. After his laughter subsided, he sat up straight, stared at the two of them, and said, “Fu Yun Zhenren, attack me! Use your strongest move!”
At that moment, Qu Yi exuded an air of dominance and confidence that made people feel compelled to submit to him.
Fu Yun Zhenren closed his eyes for a moment to calm his thoughts before smiling and saying, “Elder Master, it seems you want to overwhelm me with your strength. Very well, then I’ll spar with you a bit.”
With that, Fu Yun Zhenren flew out of the Smile Cloud Palace and landed steadily on a cloud in the sky.
Qu Yi also left the palace in a flash and appeared on another cloud, stepping on the cloud layer as if it were solid ground, marveling at it.
“Fu Yun, come and attack me,” Qu Yi said with a smile, already holding the mid-tier spiritual weapon, the Gold Pointing Spear.
Standing on the cloud, Fu Yun Zhenren watched Qu Yi, who appeared completely at ease. Suddenly, a golden flower appeared in his hand and flew toward Qu Yi. This flower-shaped magical weapon was a low-tier spiritual artifact. It was created by Fu Yun Zhenren after discovering a cloud containing a layer of flower-shaped ore during one of his travels. He refined it using his own life essence and named it Cloud Flower.
As Fu Yun Zhenren held Cloud Flower, his golden energy surged, causing the Cloud Flower to emit intense light and shoot out a thousand golden needle-like beams of energy, mercilessly targeting Qu Yi.
Qu Yi smiled, suddenly disappeared, and reappeared behind Fu Yun Zhenren. The Gold Pointing Spear was already pressed against Fu Yun Zhenren’s back—just a little further and it could injure him.
Fu Yun Zhenren held Cloud Flower in his hand, floating there dumbfounded, as if frozen in place.
Qu Yi smiled and teleported back to the Smile Cloud Palace, sitting down on the soft jade bed again.
Han Jin Zhenren, who was watching from the air, was no better off than Fu Yun Zhenren. He had been using his spiritual sense to track Qu Yi, but suddenly lost his sense of Qu Yi’s presence. The next moment, he saw Qu Yi having taken control of Fu Yun Zhenren.
What kind of secret technique is this? What kind of speed is this?

True Man Floating Cloud and True Man Hanjin were stunned for a while, confused and frustrated, before slowly flying back to Smile Cloud Palace and sitting down in their seats awkwardly.
“Alright, True Man Floating Cloud, don’t overthink what just happened. I just wanted to let you know that I, Li Mu, am not afraid of experts at the fusion stage. Now, you surely have no objections to my plan, right?” Qu Yi said with a smile, looking at the two casually.
“No!”
“Support!”
True Man Hanjin and True Man Floating Cloud had no further objections. Qu Yi had already shown his strength, which meant he truly had the ability to confront other sects. In such a situation, continuing to live like timid turtles would only lead to disaster.
“Very good, True Man Hanjin. Now you can tell me which sect has been bullying our Hidden Cloud Sect the most and is the most arrogant?” Qu Yi asked with a smile.
Although Qu Yi had the strength to head straight to the headquarters of the three rival sects, he still felt it was better to find a good excuse before making a visit. How could he just show up with weapons and destroy a sect outright? That would have a very bad impact.
True Man Hanjin spoke excitedly, “The most arrogant sect right now is one under the Qianhuo Palace, called Shanghuo Palace. This sect sends a group of people almost every day to our Hidden Cloud Sect’s spirit stone mines to insult us. Moreover, Shanghuo Palace divides its disciples into ten groups, rotating through them to insult our disciples, and they never stop.”
After hearing this, Qu Yi placed a hand on his forehead. How had Hidden Cloud Sect managed to get to this point before, allowing such a small sect to bully them so badly?
“Alright, then let’s start with Shanghuo Palace. We’ll return all the insults they’ve dealt us this time,” Qu Yi ordered angrily.
True Man Hanjin and True Man Floating Cloud’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. They felt excited and looked at Qu Yi with enthusiasm.
※※※
Ten thousand miles away from Hidden Cloud Peak, in a mountainous area, there was a small vein of spirit stones—this was the last vein left for Hidden Cloud Sect.
Most of the sect’s disciples below the Yuan Ying stage were stationed here, either mining spirit stones or guarding the deposits. In this ten-mile-radius spirit stone mining area, ten people dressed in bright red clothes stood on tiptoes, leaning back, looking down on Hidden Cloud Sect’s mining area with contempt.
“You wretched dogs of Hidden Cloud Sect! What are you doing practicing cultivation when you’re nothing but ants? Wasting spirit stones!”
“Disciples of Hidden Cloud Sect, come out and fight me one-on-one! I’ll break your arms and legs!”

“Why are you guys from the Hidden Cloud Sect still staying on Flying Cloud Star? Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”
……
These people were disciples of the Shanghuo Palace, cursing the disciples of the Hidden Cloud Sect as if on a mission.
Suddenly, three figures appeared in the air—Qu Yi, True Man Han Jin, and True Man Fu Yun.