Deeply moved, Lu Kangnian accepted the gifts from the three cultivators and said in a heavy voice, "Rest assured! I will ensure that the Great Xia Sword Sect shines with boundless brilliance!"
"Because..."
As Lu Kangnian spoke, his voice could not help but tremble slightly.
He pointed down at the numerous disciples drenched in blood, his eyes brighter than ever before!
"Because we have them!"
"With a generation of disciples like them, I believe... the future Great Xia Sword Sect is bound to stand at the pinnacle!!"
Kong Yan and the others nodded heavily at his words.
Indeed, in this generation of disciples, they had witnessed a unity and hot-blooded spirit that had never been seen before!
Kong Yan nodded and said, "Handle the remaining sects as you see fit. I still have matters to attend to in the Taiqing Domain, so I shall take my leave."
Tu Shan and Cui Quan also nodded slightly and voiced their farewells.
Lu Kangnian cupped his fists in salute, and the figures of the three gradually faded into the horizon.
Many of the remaining returnees also exchanged brief words of farewell with Lu Kangnian before hurriedly departing.
However, quite a few chose to stay behind, wanting to return to the Great Xia Sword Sect to take another look.
Lu Kangnian waved his broad sleeve and shouted in a deep voice, "Leave a portion behind to clean up the battlefield! The rest, follow me to the other three sects!"
"If any disciples resist, cripple their cultivation completely!"
Lu Kangnian moved to lead the force himself, but Ling Daoyan stopped him.
By now, Lu Kangnian was already at the end of his strength, yet he could not allow himself to collapse at such a moment.
Supporting him by the shoulder, the elder said deeply, "Enough. Leave the rest to us! Take the disciples back quickly to tend to your wounds."
Lu Kangnian swayed slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a slight nod.
Led by Lu Kangnian, the crowd began to fly on their swords toward the Great Xia Sword Sect.
The mighty, surging procession was an awe-inspiring sight.
Li Guanqi's hands were empty now.
That thirty-foot sect banner stood planted straight and proud on the rooftop of Ziyang Palace's grand hall, proclaiming to all that the Great Xia Sword Sect had won this war between the two sects!
The peak masters and elders of the eight peaks now all rushed toward the other three sects.
Along the return journey, the Great Xia Sword Sect encountered no obstruction whatsoever. Passing many sect territories along the way, countless onlookers watched from afar, their eyes filled with involuntary respect and admiration!
Every disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect was covered in wounds, their bloodstained white robes tattered and torn.
Yet every single one held their head high, their chests thrust forward, standing straight as honed swords!
The Great Xia Sword Sect had won. After a night of fierce back-and-forth combat, just when everyone had thought both sides would call a truce following Ziyang Palace's retreat, the Great Xia Sword Sect had shocked everyone by launching a counteroffensive against Ziyang Palace in the latter half of the night!
The ferocity of the clash had far exceeded all expectations.
Later in the battle, eight arrows from the Great Xia Sword Sect had shattered Ziyang Palace's sect-protecting grand formation.
What shocked the onlookers even more was the Great Xia Sword Sect's sect summons order!
Such a thing... although nearly every sect possessed one to some degree, whether it was Ziyang Palace or any other faction, it was usually little more than an ornament.
Leaving aside how far departing disciples would have to travel to return, many had long lost all attachment or gratitude toward their sect. Even if they received the call, they might not choose to return—especially when doing so meant facing unknown dangers or even losing their lives.
Thus, the Great Xia Sword Sect had thoroughly commanded everyone's newfound respect.
"One must look at someone with new eyes after three days apart"—no saying could be more fitting for the Great Xia Sword Sect today.
And to change the outside world's view of them, the Great Xia Sword Sect had taken only a single day and night.
Everyone understood that from this day forward, nothing could halt the rising momentum of the Great Xia Sword Sect!
Anyone encountering a Great Xia Sword Sect disciple out in the world would look upon them with high regard and weigh their words carefully.
On that day, the news spread across virtually the entire Great Xia Domain.
The Great Xia Sword Sect had annihilated Ziyang Palace overnight!!
The Northern Region's Three Sects and Six Palaces had completely turned into Four Sects and Five Palaces!
And the newly added sect was, of course, the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Although the Great Xia Sword Sect's current strength was not yet comparable to the established Three Sects, everyone knew its overall might would soar rapidly in the days to come.
The three sects that had sought to fish in troubled waters also ceased to exist in the Northern Region.
The Qixian Sect, Qinglong Island, and the Zixiao Pavilion...
The disciples of all three sects were stripped of their cultivation and disbanded.
Their territories were completely absorbed into the sphere of influence of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
When Lu Kangnian and the others returned, all the disciples and elders remaining within the sect stood in solemn formation upon the shattered square of Tianjian Peak!
As the sword-flying procession slowly appeared on the horizon, everyone roared at the top of their lungs:
"Draw your swords! Welcome home our heroes!!"
Clang!
Every disciple raised their sword to their chest in salute!
In an instant, all the disciples cried out together:
"Welcome home our heroes!!"
Indeed. At this moment, they were heroes!
The eyes of the disciples still in Qi Refinement shone with brilliant light.
Their thirst for strength reached its absolute peak at this very moment!
By now, Lu Kangnian was on the verge of collapsing into unconsciousness, unable even to speak.
Ling Daoyan hurriedly had people take him away, gave a few instructions to the disciples below, and then everyone began treating the wounded in an orderly manner.
Several elders had long since prepared healing medicinal pills.
Li Guanqi's injuries were not overly severe, and he helped out until midnight.
Yet all the while, he remained immersed in grief.
Elder Xu, the skinny old man who had flown him into the sky for the very first time... was dead...
He had died right before his eyes—a mere ten zhang away!!
Just ten zhang more, and he could have saved him!!
Hatred...
He hated that his cultivation was not high enough, not strong enough!
If only he possessed the might of those three who had arrived at the end, or of that elder named Kong Yan, who could slay Han Tiange with a mere flip of his hand...
Everything would have been different.
Yet there were no "ifs" in this world.
Night fell.
Wails and muffled groans of pain echoed throughout the entire Great Xia Sword Sect without pause.
After taking count, the Great Xia Sword Sect had lost one hundred and seventy-two Foundation Establishment disciples in battle!
And Core Formation disciples and elders... forty-nine!
The wind blew bleak and chill. Li Guanqi pulled his collar tight and crouched before a tombstone.
Upon it was carved: *Tiantu Peak Disciple, Lin Dong, Fell in Battle at Ziyang Palace!*
Leaning against the tombstone, Li Guanqi poured a pot of fine wine.
He looked up at the bright moon and sparse stars in the sky, murmuring softly, "Dongzi... it's all my fault..."
"I didn't expect you to leave so soon. If I'd known, I would have taken you out to truly wander the mortal world."
Shadows moved about the Sect Cemetery as many gathered to murmur their grief.
Suppressed sobs rose and fell in waves.
Meanwhile, Ye Feng stood before a grave, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.
His face was covered in wounds, yet he had changed into the golden robe he considered his finest.
Standing before the grave, he set down the flowers and parted his lips.
Before any words could leave his mouth, tears burst from his eyes.
His shoulders shook as muffled weeping forced its way from his throat, the sobs growing louder and louder.
That night, the Great Xia Sword Sect remained brightly lit; no one slept.
Only when dawn broke did Ye Feng walk over to Li Guanqi's side.
He offered a stick of incense before the tombstone of Xu Zhengjie behind them and asked in a hoarse voice, "Zhong Lin... hasn't come to see Dongzi?"
Li Guanqi whispered, "He hasn't woken up yet."
Saying this, Li Guanqi turned to look at Ye Feng, whose eyes were just as red and swollen as his own, and murmured, "I plan to leave."
"Oh... huh? What?!"
Ye Feng snapped his head up, his voice spiking. "You're leaving?"
Li Guanqi looked toward the early morning sun on the horizon, nodded slightly, and murmured, "Yeah. I want to travel and see the world."
Ye Feng mumbled, "Just going down the mountain? Or... leaving the sect to wander?"
Li Guanqi looked at him and said nothing.
Ye Feng plopped down beside him, stared at that streak of sunlight, and murmured, "I'm coming with you."
Ignoring Li Guanqi's surprised look, Ye Feng continued on his own, "I've wanted to call you boss for a long time now."
"I don't care. If you're leaving, I'm coming along."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi grinned, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "All right."
Chapter 182