I Advise You... Don't Reach Out Your Hand!!

Long Qu's arrival had already caused quite a stir. Many had caught wind of the rumors that the Northern Heavenly King, Long Qu, had recently broken through to the early Void Refining Realm. Many even believed that Long Qu would replace Zhao Xianglu as the current Lord of Qingyun! Yet Zhao Xianglu rarely showed his face in public, so much so that few even knew what kind of person the Lord of Qingyun truly was. Long Qu's repeated visits to the Great Xia Sword Sect had long been noticed by those paying attention. Many had even assumed that the Great Xia Sword Sect would never be able to hold onto the Seven Peaks swords!! Having broken through to the Void Refining Realm, Long Qu had grown somewhat lightheaded with pride, and no sooner had he stabilized his cultivation realm than he eagerly hurried to the Great Xia Sword Sect. He had not thought much of Li Guanqi and the others; after all, his status still stood tall here. Yet who would have guessed that the moment Ye Feng heard this, his eyes would narrow, and a tremendous wave of pressure would abruptly erupt!! In an instant, the dented barrier snapped back. *Clang!* Ye Feng sheathed his sword. Holding the severed hand, he crushed it to dust with a light squeeze. Long Qu violently hurled himself back over a hundred zhang, his lips quivering slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief. Ye Feng fixed his chilling gaze on Long Qu, his voice utterly calm as he spoke. "If you don't want to die... get lost." "In consideration of the fact that you once helped our sect, I'll spare you this once." Seeing this, Lu Kangnian made no move to stop him. Now that the Great Xia Sword Sect possessed the strength to never again bow to others' whims, he was more than happy to let it unfold. He simply stood aside without uttering a word, leaving the matter entirely in Ye Feng's hands. Only now did he realize that the youths who had once needed the sect's protection and stood behind them... Without him knowing when it had begun, these youths were already capable of holding their own ground, standing before them. Standing... before a once-lofty Heavenly King! Even with his hand severed, the man dared not say a word! Long Qu's expression was exceedingly grim, yet clutching the stump of his severed wrist, he remained completely silent. *Hum! Boom!* The oppressive might radiating from Ye Feng erupted with a roar!! In an instant, the barrier shattered, and Ye Feng, one hand gripping his sword hilt, stepped slowly out from the breach. Blue veins bulged across his right arm as a wisp of black qi gradually drifted forth. In that instant, within a radius of ten thousand zhang, a sinister wind howled, as if fierce ghosts were wailing right beside the ear. When Ye Feng's entire right arm turned into a ghost hand, the mere action of drawing his sword sent Long Qu's mind shuddering violently!! His pupils contracted into pinpricks. He wanted to flee, yet found that his legs felt as though they were filled with lead, unable to budge an inch!! The terror of death enveloped him. The youth's figure before him gradually blurred, his pupils widening slightly, as if an immense, thousand-zhang demonic shadow had appeared in front of him! The demonic shadow leaned down and roared. Under its berserk might, he was like a lone leaf of a boat upon the vast ocean. It felt as though that terrifying power could overturn and swallow him at any moment!! In merely a single breath, sweat drenched his robes completely. Ye Feng felt rather underwhelmed. He could not comprehend where someone like this had found the nerve to threaten the Great Xia Sword Sect. Little did he know that Long Qu had only just emerged from seclusion, and no news had reached his ears yet. Having heard only half of his subordinate's report, he had been unable to contain himself. He still thought Li Guanqi was merely that rising star in the Soul Formation Realm. Ye Feng pressed forward step by step, and by the time Long Qu regained his senses, he discovered that a longsword was already resting against his neck. The icy edge delivered a stinging ache, and Long Qu gulped with great difficulty. Ye Feng leaned close to his ear and said softly, "You guessed right. The Xuanmen Domain's Southern Heavenly King was indeed killed by my boss." "I advise you not to even think about reaching your hand into the Great Xia Sword Sect." "Otherwise..." The sword pressed inch by inch into his neck, the calm voice sending a chill straight down to his marrow!! "I wouldn't mind making a move to kill you." With that, the sword was drawn back inch by inch. Blood spurted from Long Qu's neck, yet he dared not twitch in the slightest. *Clang!* Ye Feng flicked his wrist, blossoming a flurry of sword flowers to shake the blood off the blade, and sheathed his sword with a reverse grip. Turning around without sparing Long Qu another glance, he walked back into the barrier, mending the breach with a casual wave of his hand. Every cultivator peeking in secret at this scene felt their blood run cold!! With this, the identities of the mysterious figures who had slain the Southern Heavenly King of the Xuanmen Domain were completely confirmed! Perhaps some who had seen the youths instructing others on the Great Xia Sword Sect's plaza had harbored such suspicions before. Yet crossing domains into the Xuanmen Domain to slaughter a Southern Heavenly King was simply too horrifying to believe... "Gulp... The Northern Heavenly King really kicked an iron plate this time!" "No kidding! Still thinking of taking the Great Xia Sword Sect's seven ancient treasure swords, thinking everything would go smoothly now that he reached the Void Refining Realm. Who would've thought... he'd end up completely humiliated!" "That Ye Feng is terrifyingly strong! Why hadn't we heard of him before?" "Northern Heavenly King Long Qu broke through to the Void Refining Realm, yet before him, he had no power to resist at all! Just like a toddler..." For a time, all the cultivators lurking in the shadows were thoroughly shaken. Originally, they had thought Li Guanqi alone was the pillar supporting the Great Xia Sword Sect. Now it seemed not a single one of those who had taught on the plaza back then was ordinary! Watching this scene, Cao Yan resolved firmly in his heart that he too must go into seclusion to break through as soon as possible. The moment Lu Kangnian turned around, his smile stretched so wide the corners of his mouth nearly reached the back of his head. He had only walked a few paces before bursting into hearty laughter, clasping his hands behind his back and guffawing, "How satisfying!! Hahahaha, damn it, that felt so satisfying!" "Guanqi was right after all..." "If you want others to respect your bottom line and principles, strength is the only answer!" Ye Feng curled his lip, turned to Lu Kangnian, and shrugged. "Sect Master, if my senses aren't mistaken... if you didn't suppress your cultivation realm, you'd probably be on the verge of breaking through as well, wouldn't you?" Lu Kangnian did not deny his realm, sighing softly. "The sect is right in the middle of its expansion. At a time like this, I just can't bring myself to let go..." Ye Feng nodded; that made sense. Catching the meaningful smiles that Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian exchanged as they turned toward him, he hurriedly waved his hands. "Don't look at me! Holding a nominal title is fine, but running things? Count me out." With that, golden light flashed beneath his feet, and he vanished from the spot, heading straight to the rear mountain to stand guard for Li Guanqi. The two then directed their mischievous gazes at Cao Yan, who immediately waved his hands in terror. "Sect Master Lu, Senior Qin, junior needs to go into seclusion to prepare for my breakthrough... It's really not appropriate, not at all..." "Second Brother!! Second Brother, wait for me!!" With that, he slipped away like a puff of smoke... Without anyone noticing, a few strands of silver had crept into the hair at Lu Kangnian's temples. Watching the two figures retreat into the distance, he smiled faintly. "They're all good kids." At his side, Qin Xian nodded. "They are the sect's true hope for the future." "To see our sect in such flourishing glory in our lifetime, I can die with no regrets." The two looked at each other and couldn't help bursting into laughter. Die? They certainly couldn't bear to die right now; they still wanted to witness the sect grow even more prosperous! *** Meanwhile, on the other side, Meng Wanshu had torn through space and stepped onto the Xuanming Continent! *Riiip!!* Above the previously quiet mountain range, a pitch-black rift suddenly tore open!! Immediately after, a woman clad in an ice-blue dress stepped out slowly from within. With every step she took, countless ice crystals bloomed beneath her feet, as if welcoming their queen.