I Lay My Words Right Here: I Will Not Hand Him Over!

The old man opened his mouth, then looked down at Zhao Beichen and the shrieking Li Hua beside him, saying nothing. Looking up, he said in a deep voice, "In that case, further words are useless!" "Ziyang Palace will never let this matter rest." *Hum!!* Suddenly! More than a dozen pitch-black rifts tore open around the old man! Several sects that had participated in the Hundred Sects Tournament had not departed at all. They had all been paying close attention to the unfolding situation, and when they saw the atrocities committed by the Ziyang Palace disciples, none could help inwardly cursing them for bringing this upon themselves. Yet even so, when they saw those dozen-odd void rifts, their hearts shuddered. "Reinforcements from Ziyang Palace have arrived!" From within the pitch-black rifts, a middle-aged man stepped slowly into view, alongside an elderly man Li Guanqi had seen before. The middle-aged man was none other than the current Palace Master of Ziyang Palace, the mighty middle Soul Formation Realm cultivator Han Tiange! Beside him stood the Vice Palace Master, half-step Soul Formation powerhouse Gu Xiong—the very elder who had once wished to take Li Guanqi as his disciple. At the sight of them, Li Guanqi snapped his head up! He knew this matter had blown completely out of proportion! Immediately following them, seventeen purple-robed cultivators strode out from the rifts! Without exception, every single one of them was a Nascent Soul realm powerhouse! Be they rogue cultivators or sect elders, the onlookers all swallowed hard with dry throats. Han Tiange glanced up at the light screen suspended in midair and casually flicked his fingers. The images on the screen rapidly rewound, and his brow furrowed deeper with every passing second. Seeing Han Tiange arrive, Lu Kangnian instinctively tightened his grip on his sword. Yet his stance before everyone did not yield by half a step! Han Tiange glanced toward Li Hua, a trace of ferocity flickering deep in his eyes. Beside him, Gu Xiong’s face darkened completely as he glared daggers at Li Hua. Yet given how well Lu Kangnian understood Han Tiange, he knew this matter would not be swept aside so easily. Sure enough! Han Tiange, whose stern face bore a long scar, raised his eyes slightly. Looking calmly at Lu Kangnian, he said in an even tone, "When all is said and done, it was that little girl who spoke insolently first." "My Ziyang—" Before he could finish, Lu Kangnian sneered, "Quick to make excuses for yourselves, aren't you? What, does the fish rot from the head down?" Han Tiange remained unbothered and continued, "Say whatever you like." "Even if my Ziyang Palace disciples were at fault, they were not yours to kill!" "Li Hua did not die, so the Tianxiao Sect will not say much." "Hand that boy over to me, and I will let this matter drop." Hearing this, rage surfaced on the faces of the peak elders standing behind Lu Kangnian. Lu Kangnian narrowed his eyes, sneering, "Heh. A couple of glib sentences, spoken as if my Great Xia Sword Sect owes you some immense debt of gratitude." "I'll lay my words right here today!" "I will not hand him over!" "If I cannot even protect my own disciples today, then tomorrow not a single disciple of my sect will be able to hold their head high when stepping out into the world!" "I will not hand him over! If you want a war, my Great Xia Sword Sect will gladly oblige anytime!!" The moment these words left his mouth, the expressions of numerous sect elders changed drastically. Lu Kangnian of the Great Xia Sword Sect was renowned for his mild temper. Not only that, nearly every sect master across the Northern Region assessed him as 'lacking the ambition to expand, fit only to hold the walls.' It implied that Lu Kangnian was weak of resolve; bearing earth-element cultivation, he was steady and cautious, always prioritizing the bigger picture. Yet today, Lu Kangnian made everyone view him in a completely new light. Because Lu Kangnian knew that everything that had transpired recently, and the shift in the disciples' spirits, all stemmed from that blind youth! The sect's pride and backbone had not been hoisted by them, but shouldered by a young boy. He had seen every change with his own eyes. He understood that if they truly wanted to rid the Great Xia Sword Sect of its former stagnation, they had to take the lead and set the example! He, too, had had enough of the outside world's sneering remarks about the Great Xia Sword Sect. *Boom!!!* In an instant, Lu Kangnian's aura erupted violently, unleashing the terrifying pressure of the half-step Soul Formation Realm!! Wind and clouds churned across the heavens as gale-force winds howled. Beside him, Qin Xian took a step forward, his middle Nascent Soul aura abruptly surging straight into the late stage!! Among the other peak elders, three broke through a minor realm alongside Qin Xian! Sudden whooshes tore through the horizon! Over a thousand white-robed figures rode their flying swords through the sky!! All of the disciples aligned themselves behind Lu Kangnian, radiating a formidable presence. Standing atop mountain peaks or hovering in midair, the onlookers could not help feeling their blood boil at the sight! The Great Xia Sword Sect had arrived in full force! A flash of light gleamed in Lu Kangnian's hand as he swallowed a medicinal pill, his aura surging violently once more!! Dark clouds spanning eight hundred zhang gathered in the sky, accompanied by crackling lightning. Lu Kangnian had actually chosen to break through right at this moment!! He had long made up his mind: if war was upon them, he would step into Soul Formation! Pointing his sword toward the void, the man roared, "Han Tiange! If you want war, even if my Great Xia Sword Sect must fight down to the very last man, we will see it through to the end!!" A hundred zhang away, Han Tiange could no longer maintain his composure, his face darkening until it seemed ready to drip water. Behind him, several pitch-black rifts spanning over a hundred zhang slowly tore open. One massive cloud boat after another emerged, and disciples poured out like schools of fish, stepping onto the empty air! Han Tiange spoke with chilling detachment: "I will ask one last time: will you hand him over, or not?" Lu Kangnian cursed savagely, "Hand over your mother! Today, I'm standing tall with my back straight!" As the words fell, Han Tiange swept his right hand down! A ruthless glint flared in his eyes. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!" With a surge of origin power, immense pressure erupted instantly! He barked, "Great Formless Palm!!" A purple palm print spanning a hundred zhang materialized high in the sky! As it stirred the clouds and winds, even the tribulation thunderclouds in the sky came to a momentary halt! Lu Kangnian felt a tightness in his chest. Shifting his weight into the Great Windward Steps, he met the palm print head-on, his sword slashing out with ferocious force. *Mountain Cleaver!!* *Boom!!!* An earthy-yellow sword light, carrying the sheer momentum to split mountains, swept violently upward! A sword beam dozens of zhang in length soared into the sky. *Rumble!!* The sword light shattered, and what remained of the palm print struck Lu Kangnian squarely on the chest! Han Tiange’s purple robes whipped wildly in the wind as he swung his hand and roared, "Kill!!" Immediately, several thousand disciples from both sides charged toward each other in midair!! Han Tiange drew a long saber and had barely shifted his foot an inch— When suddenly!! A freezing blade was brought right against his neck!! A stout old man clad in tattered hemp robes, with a wine gourd tied at his waist, stood abruptly beside him. Ling Daoyan turned to the man, his voice flat, devoid of joy or sorrow. "Little whelp, did I give you too much face?"