Dense demonic energy surged forth from the gap in the fissure.
With a dark expression, Meng Jiangchu brought out several magic treasures; three golden seals suppressed the void in quick succession, quelling the breach in the blink of an eye.
Gu Yong flickered to a stop above the breach in the seal, crouching down to inspect it closely.
With the old man's discerning eye, he quickly spotted a problem!
A sharp gleam suddenly flashed across his murky eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, come take a look at this!"
Meng Jiangchu looked where Gu Yong was pointing, only to see a fragment resting upon the seal!
At the sight, Meng Jiangchu could not help drawing a sharp breath.
Pinching the fragment between his fingers, he closed his eyes to sense it, then narrowed them into slits.
"It seems... someone intentionally gouged through the barrier using a dharma artifact specifically forged to break seals!!!"
Gu Yong picked up the fragment, examined it, and suddenly frowned. "The craftsmanship of this fragment... doesn't resemble the work of any renowned weapon refiner in the Six Domains."
"I know all the top weapon refiners across the Six Domains, and I'm thoroughly familiar with their techniques."
"Yet this..."
Meng Jiangchu said nothing, merely raising a hand to toss half of a blood-red mask to the old man.
Gu Yong studied it for a moment, then snapped his head up to look at Meng Jiangchu.
"A weapon refiner of such supreme caliber... I don't know them. The forging technique is utterly foreign."
"One thing is certain, though: this weapon refiner definitely belongs to the Sha organization."
Gu Yong slowly rose to his feet, murmuring with deep, pensive eyes, "Then it seems the massacre of nearly half the Xiao clan was no coincidence!"
"Perhaps we ought to look into what the Xiao clan has been doing lately."
The two of them then followed the fissure to inspect the seals on the lower levels. Finding no other cracks, they were finally able to put their minds somewhat at ease.
Before departing, both left behind an avatar of spiritual light upon the seal.
Should anything happen, they would be alerted at the earliest possible moment.
Yet right after they departed the Purgatory Abyss, a dark silhouette silently faded into the void.
Buzz!
Meng Jiangchu, having just emerged from the Purgatory Abyss, was still discussing the matter with Gu Yong.
Suddenly, he cut off mid-sentence and produced a jade slip, from which Li Guanqi's voice happened to come through.
Li Guanqi gave a brief account of everything that had just transpired.
Upon hearing it, Meng Jiangchu's face instantly darkened!
Gu Yong heard Li Guanqi's words as well. Looking up at the gloomy Meng Jiangchu, he could not help but silently say a prayer for those families and whoever was pulling their strings.
"Has the Shenbao Domain... forgotten how Meng Jiangchu claimed the seat of Domain Lord in the first place?"
Naturally, he only dared murmur this in his heart.
Having lived long enough to be an old monster, Gu Yong could tell at a single glance that someone was undoubtedly orchestrating those six families from the shadows.
What had happened to the Xiao clan could not possibly be kept secret. Once word leaked, many people would inevitably speculate that the Xiao clan had come into possession of some supreme treasure.
Only that could explain why that group of mysterious figures had slaughtered the members of the Xiao clan.
The old man's eyes flickered. "I'll have someone investigate what happened with the Xiao clan recently right away."
At this point, his voice paused briefly before he added softly, "Would you like me to help find out who is pulling strings behind the scenes at a time like this?"
Dark-faced, Meng Jiangchu did not decline the offer. After all, Tianji Pavilion would likely uncover the truth far faster than he could on his own.
The radiance of an array appeared beneath Meng Jiangchu's feet as he took a step, his voice icy.
"Then I shall trouble you, Fellow Daoist Gu. No need to investigate the whys and wherefores."
He turned to the old man, his tone chilling.
"Just tell me which clan it is."
With that, he stepped into the teleportation array and vanished in a flash of light.
The old man tucked his hands into his sleeves, a jade slip hovering beside him.
Gu Yong said softly, "Find out who is behind the move against the Xiao clan in the Shenbao Domain."
"Also, look into what happened to the Xiao clan beforehand, and whether they obtained anything."
Having spoken, the old man took a step and vanished from the spot.
***
In the Shenbao Domain.
Two silhouettes were streaking rapidly through the pitch-black void.
In Li Guanqi's hand was a silver writing brush given to him by Li Changqing.
It turned out that when the elders went to one of these families, their unusual presence had been noticed by others, so Li Changqing had directly brought him a Realm Crossing Brush!
As long as he possessed the spatial coordinates of the other great families' domains, a single stroke of the silver brush allowed him to traverse the void straight there.
One hand behind his back, Li Guanqi suddenly raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling upward as his brow slightly relaxed.
Trailing behind with his head lowered, Xiao Chen noticed nothing amiss; his mind was entirely occupied by the scenes of Li Guanqi's domineering slaughter earlier.
He could even sense that the way the elders and disciples of the Xiao clan looked at him had changed.
Perhaps in the past, they had supported him merely because he carried the Xiao bloodline.
But now...
First, Ye Feng had split the grand hall while practicing his sword; then, Li Guanqi had suppressed six Void Refinement experts single-handedly, lopping off their heads to back him up.
It was as if they were each telling everyone in their own way:
As long as Xiao Chen was here... the Xiao clan would never fall.
Drenched in bloodstained clothes, Xiao Chen felt a warm current flowing through his heart, his expression complicated.
Without turning his head, Li Guanqi took in Xiao Chen's demeanor completely.
A gentle voice slowly sounded by his ear.
"Old Xiao."
"Hm?"
"I know your temperament wouldn't normally lead you to come kill people with me."
Li Guanqi looked back at Xiao Chen behind him and spoke softly.
"But... you must understand."
"If you don't do this today, from now on even a beggar on the street will dare trample on your Xiao clan twice over, knowing you won't fight back anyway."
Xiao Chen nodded silently, his gaze turning resolute as he spoke.
"Don't worry, Eldest Brother. I understand."
"You and Second Brother... have gone to so much trouble for me."
Buzz!
Space tore open, and the two emerged atop a soaring mountain framed by emerald waters and verdant peaks.
Sunlight poured across the earth, while rich spiritual energy drifted over the water's surface like spiritual mist, dancing with the wind.
A cold sneer appeared on Li Guanqi's face. The sword coffin behind him sprang open, and the Red Lotus sword swept into his grip.
Boom!
As primal energy surged, a terrifyingly immense sword beam flashed forth in an instant!
The peak shattered, and the distorted space was cleaved right open by the single strike!
Li Guanqi licked his lips. Watching the cultivators fleeing outward, he barked chillingly, "Kill!!"
Thump!
Behind him, Xiao Chen swung his red spear again and again. Before those cultivators could even react, a rain of blood scattered across the sky!
Severed limbs fell pattering from the air, and corpses dropped like dumplings plunged into boiling water.
Holding Red Lotus, Li Guanqi raised a hand and sealed the entire Ding clan domain inside.
An icy murderous intent flickered in his eyes as he said chillingly, "Every cultivator who took part in what happened to the Xiao clan—leave not a single one alive!!"
By this time, Xiao Chen had killed until his eyes turned red, and he had not caught the true weight of what Li Guanqi meant by leaving not a single one alive...
Not until he saw Li Guanqi perform soul searching, beheading every last person connected to the conspiracy against the Xiao clan regardless of whether they were man or woman, young or old.
Only then did he finally realize what Li Guanqi truly meant by leaving not a single one alive...
Chapter 621