Lu Kangnian's Fury

Thoom!!! Ling Daoyan had rolled up both sleeves, manning an unimaginably colossal siege ballista. A massive bolt measuring a full fifteen zhang gleamed dark gold from tip to nock, etched with intricate, profound patterns. A dull rumble resonated from the peak of one among the Great Xia Sword Sect's three thousand singular peaks. The bowstring snapped. The moment the bolt shot forth, the void collapsed, reducing the entire mountain peak to rubble. Wherever the bolt tore through, the void shattered in its wake, carving a collapsed rift a full thousand zhang long! Lu Tao's heart pounded madly, his pupils contracting to pinpricks. From that bolt, he sensed a fatal crisis! An azure longsword appeared in his palm. Unleashing every ounce of his power, he gripped the hilt with both hands and slashed out a terrifying arc of azure sword light! "Azure Smoke Wild Stream Sword!" Boom!!! The sword light was effortlessly pulverized by the bolt like dead wood, which continued closing in on Lu Tao without slowing! Terrified to his very soul, Lu Tao roared, "How dare the Great Xia Sword Sect try to kill me?!" His mind felt as though it would split open. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the Great Xia Sword Sect possessed such a devastating weapon! Boom!!! The bolt mercilessly rent the sword light apart, hurtling straight toward Lu Tao. Just as it was about to pierce clean through his skull, a white-robed young man suddenly barred its path. Lu Wuhen was draped in white robes, bearing an elegant demeanor, strands of hair fluttering over his forehead as his deep eyes gazed forward. With one hand clasped behind his back, he snapped his right hand forward, seizing the thick, hurtling bolt, his figure forced back over a hundred zhang across the air! Yet the bolt remained firmly clutched within his palm! At this sight, Lu Tao gasped for air in lingering terror, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. His throat bobbed with difficulty. Casting a frightened glance at the young man before him, he bowed and greeted, "Eldest Brother..." Li Guanqi stepped forward to shield Lu Kangnian. The young man before them gave him an unprecedented sense of danger and oppression! The man had clearly done nothing, and even his aura was barely detectable. Yet Li Guanqi felt his heart race with apprehension—an instinct even more terrifying than what he had felt facing Cang Lu back then. He even had a feeling... that this handsome youth would be his fated nemesis! As if to confirm his suspicion, the sword spirit's startled voice rang in his ear: "Be careful. This fellow also possesses an Inherent Sword Embryo Physique. He's probably already touched upon sword intent at the Sword Soul Realm!" Li Guanqi's heart chilled. This was the first time he had encountered someone else who possessed an Inherent Sword Embryo Physique like himself. Furthermore, he could sense that the man was not much older than him—at most ten years his senior! Which meant... this cultivator of half-step Body Integration realm strength was not even forty years old. Lu Wuhen exerted slight force with his fingers, and the spear-like bolt shattered with a loud detonation. A few droplets of blood slipped from his palm, yet even that minor injury vanished in the blink of an eye. Lu Wuhen tilted his head slightly toward Lu Kangnian and smiled. "In ancient times, opposing armies did not execute envoys. The Great Xia Sword Sect certainly puts on quite the airs." Lu Kangnian sneered with mocking contempt. "Not executing envoys... but I've never seen anyone deliver a challenge letter with such haughty, strutting arrogance." The young man glanced back indifferently at Lu Tao. Though his gaze was cold, he said nothing. He merely chuckled with derision. "I never imagined present-day sects would be so unyielding... It seems you truly lack all self-awareness." Wuuuuum! One powerful aura after another surfaced in rapid succession! Figure after figure tore through the void and arrived, each wearing a somber countenance and arrogant eyes. They tread upon the void, and every single one possessed an aura at least in the Void Refining Realm—more than twenty in all! Beyond the Void Refining Realm cultivators, eight middle-aged men and women stood aloft, looking down coldly upon everything. And every last one of these eight was a mighty cultivator of the Body Integration Realm! Down below, the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect gasped in unison, their airborne figures sinking lower and lower. That terrifying pressure permeated the sky, rending cracks through the void for a hundred li around. Merely standing behind Lu Wuhen, they projected an indescribable weight of oppression. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Ji Yuchuan and Xi Yunhuai sped forward, their expressions grave as they surveyed the scene before them. Yet without hesitation, they positioned themselves behind Li Guanqi. Ji Yuchuan drew out his Shenzha and murmured softly, "Unify." Immediately, hundreds of figures darted forth from the domain within the Great Xia Sword Sect! Each figure appeared somewhat ethereal, then merged into Ji Yuchuan, causing his aura to surge continuously. "Pavilion Master, if needed, I can break through to the middle Body Integration Realm at any moment!" Li Guanqi nodded and replied quietly, "Rest assured, don't use it unless absolutely necessary. "Besides... they don't have the guts to make a move against me!" Just then, bursts of wild laughter abruptly rang in Li Guanqi's ears. "Hahahahaha! That's all? "Hahahahaha! To think an esteemed Ancient Clan would stoop to using sheer weight to intimidate others! Ridiculous! Utterly laughable!" Lu Wuhen's expression remained unchanged as he calmly watched the laughing man. He could not comprehend why this person could still laugh so brazenly at such a moment. Could it be... he had powerful allies coming to his aid? Yet after all this time, within a thousand li, they had sensed no aura of any cultivator rushing to provide reinforcements. "What are you laughing at?" Lu Wuhen had brought everyone today precisely to intimidate the Great Xia Sword Sect. Yet now... Lu Kangnian took a sudden stride forward, his aura erupting violently as disheveled hair whipped wildly in the wind, glaring at all the Lu clan cultivators before him! "I laugh at your arrogance!" As he spoke, Lu Kangnian swung his hand forcefully! Densely packed antique jade slips of various shapes floated behind the man. A closer look would reveal that there were a staggering two thousand nine hundred-plus jade slips! Instantly, all three thousand singular peaks across the rear mountains of the Great Xia Sword Sect began to shake! The void within the Great Xia Sword Sect abruptly fractured, and the world's spiritual energy boiled up as if running rampant. Countless brilliant spiritual lights soared into the heavens from those peaks, forming pillar after pillar of radiance. Boom!!! Lu Kangnian's white robe flapped wildly as his aura forcefully surged into the middle Void Refining Realm! Sword qi swirled around Lu Kangnian as he gripped his sword. Pointing the blade toward all the cultivators ten zhang before him, he spoke word by word: "Do you want to make a wager? "Wager... whether my Great Xia's heritage can slaughter... EVERY! SINGLE! ONE! OF! YOU!" Rumble! Wind and clouds roiled across the heavens and earth as howling gales intertwined with booming thunder that echoed hundreds of li away. Lightning raged across the sky, crashing down on all sides. Up in the void behind them, Ling Daoyan threw back his head and laughed heartily, waving his hand to spread out boundless spiritual light. The Demon-Slaying Ballistas that had been ruined earlier now appeared once more—over ten of them in total!