Vengeful Malice!

When Zhao Beichen arrived at the designated location and blasted away the snow on the surface, he found only scattered sprays of blood and two shattered jade slips. His throat bobbed with difficulty, and his face twitched uncontrollably. He realized he had still underestimated his opponent’s strength! It seemed the youth's power was not at all beneath his own—in fact, he might even be stronger! He recalled Elder Miao once mentioning that when Li Guanqi awakened his spirit ruins, it had shone with an unprecedented crimson light. That meant his spirit ruins were at least King grade, or perhaps... even the legendary Saint grade, unseen for ten thousand years! Knowing those two disciples were almost certainly dead, Zhao Beichen drew a deep breath. Exhaling the stale air, his eyes flickered, and he made an instant decision. Turning around, he began searching for Li Hua and the other disciple! Any disciple of Ziyang Palace could die, but Li Hua absolutely could not! Li Hua was the biological son of the Third Elder of the Tianxiao Sect. The Tianxiao Sect was one of the Three Sects that stood above the Six Palaces! If Li Hua died, the Tianxiao Sect’s wrath would inevitably fall upon Ziyang Palace! *Whoosh!* Catching sight of two figures standing atop a withered tree, Zhao Beichen finally let out a sigh of relief. Flashing to their side, he said in a low, grim voice, "Both of you, get out of here immediately! The few of us won't be enough to kill him! "Report to the elder at once and tell him what’s happening here!" As he spoke, Zhao Beichen retrieved a human skin mask from his storage ring, followed by a Hundred Transformation Talisman. The paper of this talisman was exceptionally precious, crafted from demonic beast leather. It could flawlessly replicate another person's aura, while the human skin mask could copy Zhao Beichen’s facial features. Seeing Zhao Beichen act as though facing a mortal enemy, Li Hua asked in utter confusion, "Did he really kill four people that quickly?" Zhao Beichen rapidly imprinted his likeness onto the mask while speaking at breakneck speed. "He has only killed Rong Jiang and Yuan Kai so far. As for Xu Ming and Lu Fengyu, I don't know yet, but I'm afraid they're as good as dead!" Affixing the talisman to Li Hua, Zhao Beichen handed over his sword and carefully smoothed the human skin mask onto the young man's face. "Remember, from this moment on, you are Zhao Beichen! "Given how cautious he is, he probably won't dare strike at me first!" Only after completing all this did Zhao Beichen exhale slightly. Looking at the two, he said in a heavy voice, "Let's leave this place first!" Li Hua wrenched his arm away from Zhao Beichen's grasp and growled in a low voice, "We're just going to let it go like this? "Are the people of Ziyang Palace all cowardly turtles? Someone comes slaughtering at your doorstep, and you don't even dare to fart!" Zhao Beichen ripped the human skin mask off Li Hua's face and said in a chilling voice, "If you want to die, I won't stop you. "If it weren't for your status in the Tianxiao Sect, I wouldn't bother wasting my breath on you." With that, Zhao Beichen snatched back his soul armament sword and soared into the air, flying deeper into the mountains. Indeed, he too wanted to fight Li Guanqi head-on! He wanted the world to know that even if Li Guanqi attended the Purgatory Challenge as promised, he would still be no match for Zhao Beichen! Proud as he was, how could he ever fear facing him? With a frosty expression, Zhao Beichen began searching for traces of his opponent. Meanwhile, in a snowy clearing deep in the mountain range, Li Guanqi was expressionlessly digging a pit. Xu Ming and Lu Fengyu, whose tendons had been severed in all four limbs, had also had their tongues cut out. Their dantians shattered, the two were pale as paper and vomiting large mouthfuls of blood. They could only let out muffled whimpers, their eyes filled with overwhelming terror as they looked at the youth before them. Li Guanqi soon finished digging a pit as deep as a man's height. *Roar!!* The occasional distant roar of a beast sent tremors of sheer terror through their bodies; they had already guessed what he intended to do. Li Guanqi slowly walked over, grabbed one in each hand, and threw them both into the pit. The pit was so narrow that they could not even bend their knees, forced to stand side by side at the bottom. *Bang!* A burst of inner energy knocked the loose earth around the edges inward. Li Guanqi then unstrapped the sword casket from his back and began repeatedly pounding the soft dirt firmly into place. Once that was done, Li Guanqi slowly squatted down, seized Xu Ming by the head, and drew his sword slowly across the young man's eyes! "Mmh! Mmgh!" Xu Ming squirmed frantically, but it was utterly futile! Lu Fengyu watched in horror as Li Guanqi raised the sword toward him, feeling the icy edge slice across his own eyes... The excruciating pain pushed them to the brink, yet they could not lose consciousness. Though their dantians were shattered, their Foundation Establishment physical resilience remained. In this moment, neither had ever imagined they would crave death so desperately. The pitch darkness before them plunged both men into absolute panic. Li Guanqi looked coldly upon the two and began rummaging through his storage ring. Before long, he pulled out a ceramic jar the size of a water bucket. Reaching a hand inside, he began smearing a sticky substance across their faces. Xu Ming felt the viscous paste spread over his skin. A trace seeped into his mouth, tasting devoid of any strong flavor. Li Guanqi’s voice rang in their ears like that of a demon. "I shattered your dantians, crushed your jade slips, cut out your tongues, and severed the tendons of your hands and feet." Here, he paused his movements. "Tell me, why did you have to treat her that way? "Back when I killed Pang Li at Ziyang Palace, were none of you there to see it?" With that, Li Guanqi resumed smearing the substance. As he spread it, he said softly, "As you saw, this is a cave. "I've erased every trace. Under this heavy snow, the odds of Zhao Beichen finding you are next to none. "Even if the elders of Ziyang Palace arrive, they won't find you without searching for three to five hours. "Oh, right. "I severed the tendons in your hands and feet. In less than an hour, you will faint from blood loss. "Since you're blind now, you'll have to count down the time yourselves." Li Guanqi licked his fingers and whispered, "What's on your faces is honey. Bear-type demonic beasts love this stuff most of all. "Do you know? A bear's tongue is covered with barbs. "With just one lick, it will strip away a massive, bloody sheet of skin from your face." The two writhed violently, letting out muffled groans as they frantically bowed and bobbed their heads toward Li Guanqi, begging for mercy. Yet Li Guanqi stood up, pulled out that shadow-casting stone, and stomped down on one of their faces, roaring in a low voice, "When Sui'an fell to her knees and kowtowed to you, did you spare her?! "When you broke all four of her limbs and kicked her around the ground like a ball, did she beg any less?!" *Bang!* Li Guanqi kicked Xu Ming squarely in the face and whispered coldly, "So, every bit of this is what you deserve!" With that, he turned and stepped into the wind and snow, his figure vanishing into the storm, leaving behind only the two ceaselessly sobbing men, uncertain whether they wept from regret or sheer terror. Meanwhile, the quarters of the Hundred Sects on Mount Tianyu were in total uproar! Even Long Qu went in person to investigate. Soon, an explosive piece of news spread throughout the Northern Region! "Disciples of Ziyang Palace tortured a seven-year-old girl from the Great Xia Sword Sect, leaving her grievously wounded and on the verge of death. "Li Guanqi, who was supposed to compete the day after tomorrow in the Purgatory Challenge for the championship, stormed Ziyang Palace's quarters by night and brutally slaughtered two Ziyang Palace disciples. "The remaining disciples and Li Guanqi have all vanished without a trace!" In addition, an unconfirmed rumor began circulating. "Li Guanqi left behind a message renouncing his sect." Innumerable cultivators woke up, their eyes filled with shock upon hearing the news! Some sighed, "Alas, he was still too young... "He clearly had the chance to lead his sect to the championship, yet he acted with such reckless impulse!" Yet others felt Li Guanqi was a man of true passion and loyalty, boldly striking back even in the face of a powerful sect. To avoid dragging his sect into the mire, he had even taken the initiative to sever that sole connection by renouncing the sect before making his move. Li Nanting stared at the talisman slip in his room, his face etched with profound grief and pain.