Fortunately, Xiang Huaizhi was present; the foundations and reserves of a top-tier alchemist far surpassed anything ordinary people could match.
Although Xiang Huaizhi appeared drenched in blood, his strength and aura had not suffered significantly.
The reason he had taken so long to arrive was partly because he had to handle matters in the Qilian Mountain Range, and partly because of the considerable distance from the Qilian Mountains to this place.
Too many had been injured this time; nearly every cultivator who had taken part in the battle was grievously wounded.
Xiang Huaizhi sent a voice transmission to Li Guanqi, his tone grave: "Take the others back to the Great Xia Sword Sect."
"Second Sister and the others are too severely injured. I must take them back to the Seven Domains immediately!"
In a daze, Li Guanqi nodded. He affixed an inscribed talisman to himself to forcibly suppress his emotions.
Yet even with the talisman applied, thoughts of Ye Feng continued to surface unbidden in his mind.
He could not simply turn a blind eye...
Clutching her arm, Meng Wanshu came to his side, her eyes filled with heartache.
Perhaps Meng Wanshu often appeared cold and unfeeling, whether regarding Ye Feng's affair this time or during that past life-or-death choice concerning Li Song; to outsiders, she seemed wicked and callous.
Yet only those who truly knew her understood.
Everything Meng Wanshu thought and did stemmed entirely from Li Guanqi's perspective.
To her, even if Li Song was a living, breathing person, if his existence threatened Li Guanqi, Meng Wanshu would not hesitate for a second to obliterate him.
Ye Feng...
Although she had no desire to do so, if Ye Feng were to become Li Guanqi's enemy in the future, she would rather Ye Feng die by her own hands!!
Rather than have Li Guanqi and Ye Feng cross swords after many years had passed!!
For Meng Wanshu knew that, given how deeply Li Guanqi valued bonds and affection, he could never bring himself to strike a lethal blow...
To outsiders, the Yanluo Sword Venerable was decisive in slaughter, icy and bloodthirsty.
Yet it was precisely such a person who cherished feelings above all else.
Meng Wanshu remained silent. Her eyes flickered as she recalled the woman named Song Zhi'ang.
"Hmph! I should have struck her dead instantly last time—then none of this would have happened!!"
Li Guanqi forced himself to rally his spirits, calling over Cao Yan and Xiao Chen to begin sweeping the battlefield, using the power of heavenly flame to cleanse the grounds.
Flames scorched the heavens, utterly erasing the leaking demonic qi.
Li Guanqi reached out and crushed a teleportation scroll. Silver light flashed at once, instantly constructing a teleportation corridor fully ten zhang across.
Meng Jiangchu was panting heavily as he raised his hand to recall the power of the Five Yang Ghost Fire.
Seeing Meng Wanshu injured, he let out a breath of relief—it was merely a minor injury.
Fortunately, he had left many life-saving magic treasures with her in advance.
The man looked at Li Guanqi with a complicated expression, saying softly, "The Sha organization was completely eradicated this time. That, at least, is a good thing."
"As for Ye Feng..."
Li Guanqi cut him off: "Father-in-law, let me go check on the others first. Let's not speak of this for now."
Meng Jiangchu parted his lips, but in the end said nothing more, staying at Li Guanqi's side to help manage the aftermath.
Cao Yan and Xiao Chen remained completely silent, their moods sunken in dejection.
Cao Yan found it hardest of all to accept; he could not fathom why Ye Feng had done what he did...
Xiang Huaizhi did not notice that in the distance, Wumian's eyes kept subtly drifting toward the unconscious Youming.
Suddenly!!
A chill touched Youming's neck as Wumian pressed a pair of icy hands against it.
The unconscious Youming jolted awake with a start. Unable to move his body, he looked helplessly at Wumian.
"Could you find a different way to wake someone up next time?"
Wumian shrugged and said bluntly, "I was just checking whether you had any connection to that fellow."
"Now it seems you truly don't."
Grimacing in pain, Youming cursed through gritted teeth, "Am I really that unreliable? Why does every single one of you have to suspect I'm connected to that guy?"
Holding a dagger, Wumian helped carve away Youming's necrotic flesh. Supporting his neck with his left hand, he smiled calmly. "Silly, because I love you, of course."
Youming twitched his lips. "Don't love me, then. Your hand is strangling me so hard I can't breathe."
Even as he spoke, Youming weakly pawed at Wumian's hand.
This time, he truly had given his all.
Wumian gave a faint smile and rose to leave, forcibly swallowing back the churning blood in his throat so he wouldn't spit it up.
Beneath his black robes, his finger lightly traced a stroke, and an undetectable tremor vanished in an instant.
Within a study in the Seventh Domain.
A mysterious rune suddenly materialized before Su Xuan.
"Sha's remnant soul has taken residence in Ye Feng's arm, escaping under the pull of an ancient soul lamp."
"Youming has been cleared of suspicion."
The old man reached out and wiped away the writing before him, shrewd brilliance gleaming within his cloudy eyes.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face grew grave.
An aged voice murmured softly, "Who exactly is the person behind Sha?"
The old man sighed, looking up toward the heavens above with narrowed eyes.
"It seems this old man has been striking too gently lately."
With those words, the old man stood and spoke:
"Inform the Four Kings. No need to hold back. Begin the slaughter."
"Have Long Hou return to look after them."
His words fell, and the old man raised his hand to draw a scabbard out of the void!
A flicker of heartache passed through the white-robed elder's eyes as he murmured softly:
"Guanqi, your life was never fated to be smooth sailing."
"Every hurdle is hard to cross, yet cross them all you shall. A life of trials will ultimately make you only stronger!!"
"All this grandfather of yours can do to help is this much."
While the lingering resonance still echoed in the room, the old man's figure had already vanished without a trace.
In a mysterious realm, boundary light surged across the sky.
Countless formidable auras descended from the heavens!!
Four figures fought bathed in blood like gods of war, their pairs of eyes utterly calm as they charged and slaughtered tirelessly like killing machines.
Beneath the screen of light, dozens of other figures clashed as sword qi crisscrossed and storms raged.
The battle here was even more ferocious and tragic than the battle to annihilate the Sha organization.
The instant the old man appeared, the entire battlefield fell dead silent, as if seized by the throat by a colossal hand.
Ignoring the obstructing light barrier, Su Xuan strode forward unhurriedly. His withered right hand slowly tightened into an empty grip.
In an instant, a boundless momentum rose to suppress heaven and earth!!
The scabbard trembled slightly, and then an impossibly swift flash of blade light flickered across the sky and vanished!!!
Whoosh...
The old man's chest rose and fell slightly as corpse after corpse plummeted from the vault of heaven.
It was an unadorned, simple slash, yet it seemed to have torn the firmament apart.
Facing the sky-filling rain of blood, the old man stepped forward at a measured pace. Reaching the fissure, he slowly raised his head.
Although beyond the rift was a hazy blur where nothing could be seen, every single powerhouse beneath the light screen wore an expression of intense tension!!
Tense to the bone with primal energy surging, each one acted as if facing their greatest mortal foe!
Su Xuan sneered, thin lips parting to speak softly: "Do you dare come down?"
Silence.
After a prolonged silence, the old man received no answer.
Suddenly finding it dull, Su Xuan slowly turned back toward the light barrier.
Yet just as the old man was about to step back, a voice resembling the voice of the Heavenly Dao resonated in everyone's minds!!
"Do you dare come up?"
Su Xuan paused slightly, and then a hearty, aged laugh erupted!!
"Hahahahaha!!!"
"Hahaha!"
"Come up?"
"I cannot speak for others, but you—I can kill."
Silence fell again, as if the speaker was weighing whether Su Xuan's words held true.
Yet the more he pondered, the more he felt Su Xuan was not boasting.
From within the rift, the man said in a deep voice, "I hope you can stand guard here forever!!"
Su Xuan turned and lashed out violently with his blade!!!
"Ugh!"
A muffled groan of pain sounded. Su Xuan narrowed his eyes and said, "If you don't dare come down, then shut your mouth."
Chapter 932