The sun hung low over the sprawling peaks of the Immortal Cloud Sect, casting long shadows across the jade-white marble of the main courtyard. Disciples in black-and-white daoist robes moved with practiced grace, their laughter and chatter echoing off the stone walls that surrounded the all-female sanctuary. For centuries, this sect had stood as a bastion of feminine power, a place where female cultivators could thrive without the overbearing presence of men. But today, that peace was about to shatter.
At the sect’s eastern gate, a young disciple named Ling Wei was on duty. She was barely into Core Formation, her black hair tied in a simple bun, and she carried herself with the cocky arrogance common to those who had never faced true danger. When a figure in black appeared at the base of the stairs, she didn't recognize him. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp features that seemed carved from ice. His black training clothes hugged a lean, powerful frame, and his dark eyes held no warmth.
"State your business," Ling Wei called out, stepping forward with her hand on her sword hilt. "This is the Immortal Cloud Sect. No male cultivators are permitted beyond this gate without the Sect Leader's express invitation."
The man—Xuanfa, the Heavenly Punishment Lord—did not slow his pace. He continued walking up the stairs, each step deliberate and unhurried. "I have no business with your sect," he said, his voice low and flat. "But one of your disciples saw fit to insult me in the market square of Green Cloud City. I have come to collect recompense."
Ling Wei's face flushed with indignation. "Who insulted you? We do not—"
"You will know soon enough." Xuanfa’s fingers twitched, and a thin, almost invisible strand of spiritual energy shot forth, wrapping around Ling Wei’s wrist. She gasped, trying to pull free, but the energy held her fast. "Take me to your Sect Leader. Now."
"I will never—" Ling Wei began, but a sharp pressure on her wrist made her yelp. Xuanfa said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow. She swallowed. "This way."
The courtyard fell silent as they passed. Disciples halted their training, their eyes widening at the sight of a man leading one of their own like a misbehaving child. Whispers spread like wildfire, but no one dared intervene. The pressure emanating from Xuanfa was suffocating, a silent declaration of his realm. Nascent Soul Great Perfection. Few in the world could match him.
They reached the main hall, a vast structure of white stone and crimson pillars. At its center stood Shen Mengyue, the Sect Leader. Her waist-length black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her black-and-white daoist robe clung to a figure that was at once pure and alluring. Her face was calm, but her eyes were sharp as they took in the scene.
"Release my disciple," she said, her voice steady but cold.
Xuanfa complied, flicking his fingers. Ling Wei stumbled forward, rubbing her wrist. "Sect Leader, he—"
"I know." Shen Mengyue raised a hand to silence her. Her gaze fixed on Xuanfa. "Heavenly Punishment Lord. I have heard of you. You are not welcome here."
"Your sect's welcome is of no concern to me," Xuanfa replied. He stepped into the hall, his black boots echoing on the marble floor. "One of your disciples, a Core Formation brat named Xu Wei, saw fit to mock me in public. She said I was nothing but a brute who spanks women for sport. She laughed in my face."
Shen Mengyue’s lips tightened. Xu Wei was impulsive, but this was extreme. "I will discipline my own disciple. You have no right to—"
"I have every right." Xuanfa’s voice dropped, and the temperature in the hall seemed to plummet. "I am the Heavenly Punishment Lord. When I am insulted, I administer punishment. And I have decided that every female cultivator in this sect will receive one hundred strokes of the Profound Wood Board on her bare bottom. Every day. For three years."
A collective gasp rippled through the disciples gathered at the hall's entrance. Shen Mengyue’s eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. "You dare propose such an indignity? We are not cattle to be spanked at your whim!"
"Then resist," Xuanfa said, his expression utterly flat. "I will enjoy breaking you."
Shen Mengyue’s hand went to her sword. She was Mid Nascent Soul—no match for Nascent Soul Great Perfection in theory, but she had trained her entire life for battle. She would not let this monster humiliate her sect. "Prepare yourself, Heavenly Punishment Lord. I will not go quietly."
She drew her sword in a flash of silver light, the blade singing as it cut the air. Xuanfa did not move. He simply raised his right hand, two fingers extended, and a pale golden finger technique formed at his fingertips. The air around them crackled.
"You first," he said.
Shen Mengyue attacked. Her sword technique was a waterfall of starlight, each strike precise and deadly. She moved like a dancer, her robes flowing behind her, her hair whipping in the wind of her own power. The hall shook as her spiritual energy erupted, sending cracks across the marble floor.
Xuanfa deflected her first dozen strikes with nothing but his fingers. Each time her blade came close, he tapped it aside with a flick of his wrist, the golden energy around his digits glowing brighter. He did not step back. He did not flinch. He simply watched her, studying her movements like a predator assessing prey.
"You have skill," he said, his voice carrying over the clash of metal and energy. "But you are too emotional. You fight to defend, not to win."
"Defending my sect is winning!" Shen Mengyue roared, and she launched a crescent of sword energy that split the air in two.
Xuanfa caught it. He simply opened his palm and grabbed the crescent of spiritual light, crushing it in his grip. The energy dissipated with a soft whine. Shen Mengyue blinked, and in that moment of hesitation, Xuanfa moved.
He was faster than her. He closed the distance in a single breath, his finger technique flaring. He tapped her shoulder, and a shockwave of energy sent her stumbling. He tapped her wrist, and her sword clattered to the ground. He tapped her knee, and she buckled.
Shen Mengyue fell to the marble floor, gasping. She tried to rise, but Xuanfa’s foot pressed gently on her back, holding her down. She was defeated. Utterly. In less than a minute.
"Seventy percent of my strength," Xuanfa said, looking down at her. His voice was cold, but there was a glint in his eye—a hint of satisfaction. "You are not without merit. But you are not enough."
Shen Mengyue trembled with rage and shame. She could feel the eyes of her disciples on her, watching their leader humiliated. She wanted to scream, to fight, but her body would not obey. The spiritual pressure from Xuanfa was immense.
He crouched beside her, his voice dropping to a whisper that only she could hear. "Because you resisted, the punishment will be one hundred strokes of the Profound Wood Board on your bare bottom. Every day. For three years. And every female disciple in this sect will suffer the same."
"Please," she gasped. "Have mercy. They are innocent."
"None of you are innocent," Xuanfa said, standing up. He turned to face the gathered disciples, who cowered under his gaze. "Starting tomorrow, at dawn, you will all present yourselves in the main courtyard. Naked from the waist down. If anyone is missing, I will hunt her down and double her strokes."
He walked toward the door, leaving Shen Mengyue sprawled on the cold marble. As he passed the threshold, he paused. "Tell your disciple Xu Wei that her insolence has cost her sect dearly. I hope it was worth the laugh."
And then he was gone, leaving behind a silent, broken hall.
Shen Mengyue pushed herself to her knees, her fists clenched. Tears of fury and despair burned in her eyes, but she would not let them fall. She had a duty. She had to protect her disciples. But how could she protect them from a monster who could defeat her with only seventy percent of his power?
She looked up at the ceiling, her voice a raw whisper. "What have I done to deserve this?"
No answer came. Only the echo of Xuanfa’s footsteps, fading into the distance.