Seeing Xiao Chen in such a state, Li Guanqi chuckled and handed him the string of severed heads behind him.
The bloody heads suddenly tossed his way gave Xiao Chen a fright.
"Damn it! Boss, what are you doing?"
Li Guanqi smiled. "What do you mean? Take them back.
"Once you're back, open the Xiao clan's domain wide and hang all these heads right at the gate for me."
Xiao Chen asked blankly, "Huh? Open the Xiao clan's domain wide?"
Li Guanqi said exasperatedly, "What are you afraid of? The Li clan still hasn't shown up—haven't you figured out what's going on yet?
"A power with a Body Integration Realm ancestor likely has little interest in the modest resources of the Xiao clan.
"As for powers that only possess Void Refining cultivators, once you hang these heads out for all to see, their only thought will be how to avoid provoking the Xiao clan.
"In short: deterrence!"
Xiao Chen took a deep breath and nodded, turning to leave.
Watching the sorrow in his eyes and his lonely, receding figure, Li Guanqi could not hold back from calling out to him after all.
"Fourth Brother, wait!"
Xiao Chen turned around and looked at Li Guanqi with some confusion.
With a flicker of movement, Li Guanqi appeared at his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
With a surge of primal energy, he shattered the bloody outer robe, restoring Xiao Chen to his pristine white robes.
Facing Xiao Chen's stunned look, Li Guanqi spoke in a gentle voice.
"Don't rely on this to constantly remind yourself of your hatred."
With that, he tapped a finger against Xiao Chen's chest and said softly, "Remember it here."
Xiao Chen kept his head down, uttering not a word.
Li Guanqi continued, "If you keep wearing that blood-stained robe, and your father's spirit in heaven were to see you like this, do you think he could rest easy?
"Every time your mother looks at you, how is she supposed to face you?
"Some things... are better kept in your heart.
"Complaining of your suffering to everyone you meet only breeds annoyance. Others have no way to truly empathize or feel what you feel.
"Instead, they will only call you pretentious and shallow."
After a long silence, Xiao Chen squeezed out a faint smile, lifted his head, and murmured, "Understood, Eldest Brother."
Seeing that his spirits had improved and much of the gloom stifling his heart had cleared, Li Guanqi finally felt at ease letting him go.
Once Xiao Chen had departed, Li Guanqi's expression gradually darkened.
Recalling that bizarre magic treasure from earlier, a mask appeared in his hand.
In a bone-chilling whisper, he murmured, "The Sha organization, is it...?
"One day, I will make you all pay the price!"
*Whoosh!!*
Li Guanqi sped toward the Li clan's domain.
***
Meanwhile, within the Li clan's domain, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. The clan master, along with every elder and ancestor of the clan, had exited seclusion and gathered on the grand plaza.
Every single one of them stood in grim formation on the plaza, fully on guard, as if awaiting someone's arrival.
Across the vast plaza, complete silence reigned—not even a pin drop could be heard.
Leading them was a middle-aged man clad in a purple-gold python robe, a white jade belt cinched at his waist, and his hair bound in a purple-gold crown.
He had sharp features, monolid eyes, and a resolute face.
Yet deep within his tiger-like gaze flickered a trace of unease.
The man was none other than the current head of the Li clan, the mighty early Body Integration Realm expert, Li Yu!
Behind him stood two elderly men of weathered countenance. One wore a cyan changshan and leaned on a green bamboo cane.
His eyes deep, his expression grim, the elder sent a low voice transmission: "Yu'er..."
"Acting as you did this time was truly reckless."
Li Yu's face darkened, and he transmitted back, "Father, it is too late to say anything now.
"Meng Jiangchu is coming, and this matter will not end peacefully. We will just have to see what his intentions are."
Beside the man stood an old man in coarse gray hemp garments.
His hair was grizzled and he wore a goatee. Though his face was heavily wrinkled, he appeared even more energetic and spirited than Li Yu's father.
This old man was the supreme ancestor of the Li clan, Li Yu's great-grandfather, Li Changshan!
He was the clan's pillar of stability—a mighty late Body Integration Realm powerhouse.
At this moment, Li Changshan looked utterly grim, the gaze he cast toward Li Yu brimming with cold, murderous intent.
Had it not been for Li Yu, he would never have broken out of seclusion today.
And after learning everything that had transpired, fury had blazed within his chest.
Though aged, Li Changshan's features made it clear that he must have been a handsome young nobleman in his youth.
With his deep eyes glaring at Li Yu, he barked in a low voice:
"Remember this: the moment Meng Jiangchu arrives, no matter who you are, drop to your knees and admit your wrongs!
"Whether we are spared or slaughtered will be entirely up to the Domain Lord!"
Hearing this, Li Yu furrowed his brows and scoffed coldly, "On what grounds?
"Our Li clan boasts three Body Integration cultivators under one roof! Even if Meng Jiangchu comes, so what? Are we supposed to fear him?
"All we did was make a move against a trivial Xiao clan! Once the six clans are destroyed, could he truly bring himself to wipe out our Li clan as well?!"
Hearing this, Li Changshan said nothing more. Flashing forward, he swung his palm across Li Yu's face.
*Smack!!!*
The resounding slap startled everyone present, sending Li Yu flying out of control.
His cheek swelled up instantly, and a distinct handprint quickly surfaced on the left side of his face.
Flung dozens of zhang away, blood leaked from the corner of Li Yu's mouth as he spat out teeth mixed with gore.
"Ancestor!!! What are you doing?!"
The crowd cried out in shock, hurriedly trying to intervene.
Yet Li Changshan turned with a chilling gaze and repeated his words with an icy tone.
However, right as he spoke, slow applause suddenly sounded by everyone's ears—*clap, clap, clap.*
Startled, everyone raised their heads toward the sky.
A cluster of dark-green flames abruptly blossomed in the void.
A figure in a white robe walked atop the flames. With every step he took, a sea of fire stretching a hundred zhang spread across heaven and earth.
The terrifying blaze instantly caused the surrounding temperature to skyrocket wildly. In the blink of an eye, everyone felt as though they had been cast into a furnace.
With a loud *thud*, Li Changshan dropped to his knees, pressing his hands and head flat to the ground as he called out at the top of his lungs:
"Li Changshan of the Li clan respectfully welcomes the Domain Lord!"
This sight terrified the Li clansmen to the core, and they fell to their knees one after another.
Li Changshan's face had gone pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his forehead, pattering steadily against the stone!
*Ranked seventh among heavenly flames—Five Yang Ghost!*
That familiar aura...
In Li Changshan's mind, the image of that man suddenly surfaced—standing atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, treading upon dark-green flames...
The world knew Domain Lord Meng Jiangchu.
Yet how many knew who had battled ten Mahayana cultivators single-handedly during the clash for Domain Lord three thousand years ago?!
The world respectfully called Meng Jiangchu the Five Yang Ghost Emperor!!
A sword cultivator?
Meng Jiangchu's weapon was no precious sword—it was a crafting hammer that had pulverized ten Mahayana cultivators!!
Recalling all this, Li Changshan could not help but tremble uncontrollably...
Meng Jiangchu arrived riding the heavenly flame, making no attempt to conceal his killing intent.
Standing above the clouds, the flames beneath him suddenly manifested into a zhang-wide throne!!
Sitting upon the throne in the center of the sea of fire, the man leaned forward, cast his eyes down, and slowly spoke:
"Since the Li clan dared to disregard my decree and act against the Xiao clan, then there is no longer any need for the Li clan... to exist."
Chapter 625