Having finished everything, Li Guanqi turned and vanished into the wind and snow.
Before long, waves of bear roars echoed from within the forest.
He knew he had acted too rashly this time.
Yet all his reason had crumbled away beneath Yu Sui'an's repeated whimpers: "Little Blindie, it hurts..."
Yu Sui'an's childhood misery was not a whit less than his own.
Yet now, she lived each day happily, because she was so easily satisfied.
What was more, everyone across the entire Great Xia Sword Sect, from top to bottom, treated her like a precious treasure.
Though she sometimes tended to stir up trouble outside, in the end, it was never her fault.
This time had been no different. The first time, when they threw away her beloved meat bun, she hadn't uttered a sound.
The second time, when the Ziyang Palace disciples intercepted her, they had directly struck her.
Yet upon returning to their lodgings, she had still pretended nothing was wrong, screwing up her face and claiming she was only heartbroken because the bun had fallen to the ground.
Li Guanqi hadn't known that when the little girl sat alone on her bed applying the medicine, she had wept uncontrollably.
Because Yu Sui'an didn't want the elders to worry.
She felt heartache for Li Guanqi, and had felt guilty for a long time over the previous clash with Ziyang Palace.
That was why she had endured the excruciating pain to greet them with a smile, insisting she was fine.
Yet this time, she had merely mumbled a single sentence, wanting to stand up for him.
He didn't understand. He didn't understand why these people were so excessively arrogant.
Merely because of a little girl's word in his defense, she had suffered such brutal torment.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath. He did not regret the decision he had made.
He didn't know when it had begun, but that little girl who had secretly touched his sword casket outside his door and had her ribs broken...
Without him even realizing it, he had already come to view her as his own little sister.
Perhaps it was her unfortunate childhood that made him feel they were kindred spirits, making him want to protect her.
Or perhaps it was how, every time the little girl saw him, she would flash a bright smile, leap into his arms, and pull out a bun from her lapels to feed him.
Or perhaps... it was that afternoon of gentle spring rain, when the little girl had leaned against him and fallen into a peaceful slumber, murmuring "Little Blindie" in her sleep.
The cold-eyed youth slowly melted into the billowing snow.
This mountain range stretched for hundreds of li; its complex terrain was difficult to search even if Nascent Soul realm cultivators arrived.
The raging blizzard further hindered the spread of divine sense.
Flying through the air, Li Guanqi fully restrained his aura, yet the origin power churning within his body showed signs of surging restlessly!
Soaring away, Li Guanqi began searching for the tracks of the remaining people!
Since he had decided to do this, he would never leave a single soul alive!
*Whoosh!*
Relying on his divine sense and his perception of the shifting blizzard, Li Guanqi looked at the snapped branches and swiftly discerned their direction.
Sure enough, before long he spotted two figures speeding toward the edge of the mountain range.
Yet the Fuyou Mountain Range was immense, stretching hundreds of li without end, counted among the three great mountain ranges of the Northern Region.
Their group had been in the forest for several shichen now, having long lost their bearings; how could leaving be so easy?
Looking at those two silhouettes, the youth, having stripped down to his white undergarments, instantly blended into the surrounding landscape.
Amidst the vast expanse of wind and snow, unless one looked closely, his form was completely invisible.
Channeling the Roaming the Clouds movement technique, the youth's figure moved like a snowflake in the wind, closing in on the pair without making the slightest sound!
With cold eyes, Li Guanqi swept toward their backs.
Every movement was carried out in absolute silence. Just as he closed to within a zhang behind them,
the slightly chubby youth beside Li Hua finally sensed something. The chill creeping up his back made his hairs stand on end!
*Whoosh!*
When he spun around, he found nothing behind him except the driving snow.
Suddenly!
Purely on instinct, he raised his hand, channeling all the origin power in his body to swing his sword with all his might!
*Clang!!*
*Bang!!*
With just a single strike, the dharma artifact longsword in his hand abruptly snapped, and a glint of cold light flashed past the corner of his eye.
His left hand, originally concealed within his sleeve, punched out violently!
*Clang!!*
As it turned out, his left hand wore a knuckle duster radiating brilliant light.
This punch blasted Li Guanqi several zhang away in an instant!
Yet that sword blow had shattered all the fingers on the youth's left hand, showing just how terrifying the force behind Li Guanqi's strike had been!
The youth's face changed drastically. Enduring the excruciating agony in his left hand, he dragged Li Hua along as he retreated explosively!
Li Hua's face blanched instantly. If that sword strike had been aimed at him just now, he would have likely met his end right then and there.
The youth was named Yang Dinghai, exceptionally formidable in his own right, and the knuckle duster on his hand was his spirit ruins artifact soul!
Yang Dinghai's face was cold, his voice laden with killing intent as he growled, "Li Guanqi!! Do you really intend to wipe us all out?!"
Li Guanqi furrowed his brows slightly, making his eyes look even more ruthless.
"Wipe you all out? That depends on what you all did in the first place!!!"
*Boom!!*
The origin power around Yang Dinghai began to surge violently, and the falling snow between heaven and earth noticeably slowed.
*Rumble!!*
Oppressive gray storm clouds actually gathered in the sky, from which tiny arcs of lightning could be seen leaping out through the clouds.
Yang Dinghai barked coldly, "Don't force me to break through!!"
Even so, the killing intent in Li Guanqi's eyes did not waver!
Channeling his movement technique, he closed in!
In an instant, sword light poured over him like a tempest. Having abandoned his sword to rely on his knuckle duster, Yang Dinghai now realized the other's resolve.
Even if Li Guanqi didn't kill him now, once the Ziyang Palace elders arrived, he wouldn't survive either.
Harboring the will to die, the origin power within Yang Dinghai's body surged as he began to charge into the Core Formation realm!!
As the origin power within his body continuously compressed, his punches grew faster and faster.
Yet merely three breaths had passed, and all ten fingers on both of his fists had fractured.
Li Guanqi's sword was too heavy!
Yet just as the origin power in his body began compressing from liquid form,
an exceedingly swift sword gleam suddenly flashed before his eyes!!
Shrouded in eerie purple lightning, the sword light was swift as a bolt of thunder!
Yet in his eyes, the trajectory of this strike was ethereal and elusive—it was actually slashing toward Li Hua at his side!
Without time to think, Yang Dinghai naturally raised his hand, intending to parry the strike away to the side.
Suddenly!!
A massive force slammed into him from his flank!!
Yang Dinghai could only watch helplessly as he was hurled directly toward the blade!
Turning his head, Yang Dinghai caught sight of the terror in Li Hua's eyes, and venomous hatred surged in his heart.
"Li Hua!! Fuck your mother!!"
*Pfft!!*
With the webbing of his hand tearing open, Yang Dinghai raised his left hand in a desperate bid to block, only to be run through by the sword!!
The longsword plunged viciously into his chest.
The Core Formation heavenly tribulation gathering in the sky slowly dispersed, and the light in Yang Dinghai's eyes gradually faded.
*Whoosh!!*
Li Guanqi twisted his wrist, his left hand gripping the hilt with violent force as he swept the longsword horizontally outward!
The blade of Canglang rippled with scale-like patterns, sweeping horizontally toward Li Hua with unrivaled force!!
Just as the longsword was about to cleave through Li Hua's waist,
suddenly!!
A beam of golden sword light lanced out from behind Li Guanqi's head!
Chapter 155