To Ke Rujing, the continuation of the sect, the glory of the sect, the lives of disciples, his own face—none of it mattered as much as his own life.
Only with life did one have everything!
If his life was lost, what meaning was there even if the Feihong Sect, with its seven centuries of heritage, was preserved?
Was he supposed to care about some future disciple sighing after his death, "If not for Supreme Elder Ke back then, our sect might have perished long ago"?
No!
He harbored no such lofty sentiments, nor was he capable of sacrificing himself for others.
If Huang Tian had been somewhat weaker, he would have been willing to step in and capture or kill him. But judging merely from the terrifying might of those arrows Huang Tian had loosed, his strength was definitely not beneath his own!
He was faintly even stronger!
Against such a formidable adversary, there was no way he would take immense risks to engage in battle.
"As long as I live, the Feihong Sect endures! If I die, only then is the Feihong Sect truly destroyed!"
So long as he escaped smoothly today, with his third-rank strength, he could easily establish another Feihong Sect.
If Huang Tian occupied Qin Province, he could simply relocate to another province. At worst, he could flee to the State of Lan or the State of Yu. Huang Tian couldn't possibly storm out of Great Gan just to hunt him down endlessly, could he?
Just as Ke Rujing was sprinting through the hidden tunnel, Huang Tian, standing atop the tall stone pillar, cast his gaze toward the small town outside the headquarters. The southern edge of that town happened to be the exit of the secret underground tunnel.
With a press of his toes, a thunderous boom erupted. The massive stone pillar was crushed beneath his foot, crumbling and collapsing straight down. Borrowing the counterforce, Huang Tian spread his arms like great wings and glided through the air away from the grounds.
After gliding over a hundred zhang across midair, he kicked off the crown of a tall tree, shooting toward the south of the town with blistering speed.
Down on the ground, the Feihong Sect disciples who were fleeing in utter panic were scared out of their wits, dreading that Huang Tian was pursuing them to wipe them out completely. Many dropped to their knees, knocking their heads against the dirt and begging for mercy. To their shock, Huang Tian paid no heed whatsoever to these terrified disciples, sweeping overhead like a gust of wild gale.
"He... he didn't kill us?!" a disciple wept tears of joy.
"He doesn't even deign to kill us! He looks like he's going after someone in particular!" another disciple deduced after regaining his composure.
"The sect master and several elders are dead, and two other elders are far away in Funing. Is he rushing off to Funing County?"
"Impossible! There are treasures stored in the sect treasury—he wouldn't leave without plundering them!"
"Right! There are plenty of spirit pills and precious herbs in the sect treasury! We can sneak back during the chaos and grab them!"
"Idiot! You're just an ordinary disciple, do you even know where the real treasury is? Even if you did, could you get inside without knowing the mechanisms? Besides, if that man catches you fleeing with treasures, you're dead for sure! Is your life more important, or treasures?"
"Life! Life is more important!"
"Then keep running, you fool!"
"..."
The throng of disciples continued their frantic scramble.
Huang Tian streaked across the sky like a roc, dragging waves of sonic booms in his wake. With a nimble flip, he descended as lightly as a goose feather onto a stretch of flat ground to the south of the town.
His gaze turned piercing as lightning. He swept his eyes across the open terrain, silently perceiving the frantic aura rushing through the depths of the earth below.
A few breaths later, he abruptly channeled his surging, boundless true qi into his right foot, raised his leg high, and stomped down heavily—like an ancient mammoth stomping the earth!
Dong!!
A muted, earth-shaking rumble tore through the air, like a mountain being rammed, like a meteor plummeting into the world!
The solid earth, spanning a hundred zhang, shuddered violently. As if turning into the surface of water rippling with waves, it arched upward before undulating outward in visible, violent swells!
Waves of earth and stone spread and surged in all directions at a horrifying speed.
Wherever the shockwaves swept, layers of soil were flipped, tree roots buried deep underground were torn loose, and rocks of all sizes bounced and flew into the air!
Beneath the surface, the secret tunnel shook violently. Countless clods of dirt and gravel rained down like a deluge. Ke Rujing, who was holding his breath and creeping through the tunnel, instantly turned pale.
Mere dirt and debris could never bury him, of course, but this meant he had already been discovered!
"Curse it!"
Unable to fathom how Huang Tian had pinpointed his position, Ke Rujing cursed viciously. With no other choice, he burst out of the violently rocking tunnel amidst a cloud of earth and stone, landing steadily upon the ground.
The moment he appeared, he was recognized by the fleeing Feihong Sect disciples nearby.
"It's the Supreme Elder!"
"Why is the Supreme Elder here? Shouldn't he be inside the sect?"
"You fool, you're fleeing for your life, and the Supreme Elder is fleeing for his too!"
"Impossible! Elder Ke is a Grandmaster! How could he run away in a panic before even fighting?!"
"The truth is right before your eyes. Disbelieving it changes nothing!"
"To think Elder Ke fled first and was still intercepted by that fie—by that man!"
"Should we get out of here right now?"
"Wait and see! It's still hard to say who will win. If Elder Ke wins, we'll return to the sect immediately. If... if he doesn't, we'll run as far as we can! We'll renounce our status as Feihong Sect disciples; being solitary vagrants in the pugilistic world is better than being hunted down!"
"..."
Not only did the fleeing disciples notice Ke Rujing, but many townspeople across a clear stream also watched from afar.
The guest room occupied by Zhao Changguang and Zhao Changming commanded an excellent vantage point. By merely standing on their tiptoes, they could clearly see Ke Rujing and Huang Tian confronting each other in the distance.
Zhao Changming jumped excitedly. "I knew it! I just knew it!"
No one knew what he claimed to know, but he kept hopping up and down without pause.
Zhao Changguang instinctively held his breath, as though afraid the sound of his breathing might disturb the two men.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew down from the high heavens, bending the grass and trees.
Ke Rujing gripped his dark-gold staff in his right hand and looked up at Huang Tian. He saw the young man standing quietly with his foot already lowered, looking as if that terrain-shattering stomp had been nothing more than a casual gesture.
Suppressing his fury, Ke Rujing tried his best to maintain an even, peaceful tone. "Huang Tian, there is no blood feud between you and me. The one who ordered your assassination was Qian Shan, and I was completely unaware of it. Now that he is dead, why must you pursue me relentlessly?"
Huang Tian said nothing. Through his unique ability, he knew every flicker of killing intent directed toward him like the back of his hand. Ke Rujing's words were pleasant, but beneath the surface, his desire to kill Huang Tian raged like an overflowing river; even grinding Huang Tian's bones to dust would scarcely appease him.
Seeing Huang Tian remain silent, Ke Rujing assumed his words had struck a chord and pressed on: "I know you possess formidable strength, having defeated and slain Pei Guan in head-on combat. But I am no weakling either—even against a second-rank expert, I can exchange several blows!
"You and I are like a dragon and a tiger. If we fight, both will inevitably suffer wounds, only to be exploited by others. Why not stay our hands and make peace?
"Destroy this Feihong Sect if you wish; this old man will not intervene. I promise never to seek vengeance in the future, nor will I re-establish the Feihong Sect. In return, make way and let me leave. What say you?"
"You are no dragon, nor are you a tiger. At best, you are merely a stray dog,"
Huang Tian shook his head, his tone flat. "Words are useless. Make your move."
Upon hearing this, Ke Rujing's gaze instantly frosted over, his beard and hair bristling. "It seems you are bent on a life-and-death battle with me! Hah! Having not displayed my might for so many years, people seem to think I fear battle and death—even a junior like you dares look down on this old man!
"Arrogant fool!"
With a furious roar, his blood boiled to the absolute limit. Surging true qi erupted outward, whipping up howling gusts. With a step that cracked the earth, he shot forward like a cannonball, swinging the dark-gold staff in his hands with a thunderous roar!
Hundreds, thousands of solid staff shadows materialized in the air at once. Each shadow was imbued with monstrous force, surging like tempestuous ocean waves rolling over one another, carrying a mountain-shattering might that came crashing down directly toward Huang Tian's head!
Faced with this overwhelming staff momentum that could overturn mountains and seas, Huang Tian's gaze grew resolute. He clenched his fingers into a fist, snapping the air with a heart-stopping sonic crack. Then, his right fist, heavy as a ten-thousand-jin sledgehammer, drove straight into the path of the dark-gold staff!
Clang!!
Fist collided with staff. The piercing ring of metal piercing the clouds brought the drifting vapors to a standstill.
A ferocious sound wave, tangible as an artillery shell, snapped the surrounding trees and plowed the earth, churning up layers of soil and stone. Tens of zhang away, the stream exploded, erecting walls of water several zhang high!
Ke Rujing felt an overbearing, unstoppable force travel up the shaft of his staff, shaking his blood into chaos and leaving his arms throbbing with numbness.
Stumbling back several zhang and plowing deep grooves into the ground with his feet, Ke Rujing was filled with sheer horror.
'How can his strength be so monstrous?!'
He was wielding a Grandmaster-grade divine armament, and a staff at that, which excelled at sheer power. Yet Huang Tian had used only his bare fist—and in that direct clash, it was he who had come out on the losing end?!
It was simply inconceivable!
Even as shock gripped him, Huang Tian had already leaped into the air, robes fluttering as scorching heat rolled off his frame. His right palm gleamed like crimson glaze, stirring the spiritual qi of the surroundings. Crimson swells rolled about him, resembling a boiling sea of clouds!
Boom!!
A palm strike akin to a volcanic furnace descended toward Ke Rujing's chest. Ke Rujing's expression warped.
Though the strike appeared slow, it was unimaginably fast!
The moment the palm form took shape, it displaced the air like liquid, pressing straight before his chest!
"Block it!"
Gritting his teeth, Ke Rujing forcibly suppressed the churning blood inside him. Every muscle bulging, his bones and tendons creaking in unison, he raised the dark-gold staff horizontally across his chest.
Bang!!
With an explosive roar, his entire body was blasted backward through the air for dozens of zhang, crashing violently into the flowing waters of the stream and kicking up massive waves.
Having sent Ke Rujing flying with a single palm, Huang Tian pushed off with his foot. In a single bound, he appeared above the clear, flowing water, aiming another palm strike at Ke Rujing, who was struggling to stand in the water!
Before the palm had even descended, the blistering heat waves were already bringing the stream below to a near boil!
Ke Rujing was experienced after all. Without a second thought, he darted backward and to the side, sweeping his staff before him to churn the water into a dense, protective wall.
Whoosh—
Countless sprays and surges stirred up by the staff were instantly vaporized by the palm strike. Ke Rujing dodged by the narrowest margin, but his thick beard was scorched black by the heat wave, giving him a rather comical appearance.
"Huang Tian, you deserve to die!"
The humiliation of having his face singed completely unleashed his ferocious savagery. Riding his backward momentum, he stomped against a crashing wave behind him. Like a flood dragon surging upstream, he redirected the counterforce and charged forward, raising the staff high above his head with both hands.
His blood roared!
His true qi raged like a gale!
The dark glow of the staff blazed brighter than ever before!
"One Staff Cleaves the Heavens!"
He roared, the staff cleaving through the air with a shrill whistle reminiscent of weeping ghosts and howling gods. Even before the strike landed, the sheer ferocity of the wind split the stream below in two, exposing the deep riverbed!
Huang Tian did not dodge. Instead, he reached out his right palm like a cloud dragon extending its claw, his fingers slightly hooked as he met that mountain-heavy strike head-on!
Poof—
No world-shaking explosion occurred.
Huang Tian had applied deft deflection. The instant his right palm made contact with the dark-gold staff, he guided and dismantled the force layer by layer, like a raging torrent channeled into winding waterways, swiftly venting the power in all directions.
Around the two men, the entire stretch of the stream looked as if it had been seized by an invisible giant hand and violently crushed downward!
Rumble!!
The peerless force compressed the stream water before blasting it outward, forming a colossal circular tidal wave of mud, gravel, and water that roared toward both banks!
At the same time, the fingers of Huang Tian's hand clamped onto the staff, suddenly gripping and wrenching it. Ke Rujing felt as if he were holding onto a swaying mountain; his hands went numb with piercing pain, and the dark-gold staff slipped from his grasp, changing hands!
With the staff in his grip, Huang Tian's aura shifted abruptly. Replaying Ke Rujing's earlier strike in his mind, he raised the iron staff high and brought it crashing down right onto Ke Rujing's head!
This strike was like sundering a mountain, like churning a great sea!
As it came crashing down, it seemed as though the entire canopy of heaven was pressing down upon him!
'This is the true One Staff Cleaves the Heavens...'
Amidst his dazed terror, this was the bizarre thought that surfaced in Ke Rujing's mind.
Dong!!
As though a divine elephant had stomped the earth, an utterly boundless force blasted through the tip of the staff, pouring into Ke Rujing's body and venting unreservedly into the surging stream beneath his feet.
A towering wave of water and earth shot up into the sky, soaring over a dozen zhang high. The riverbed sank abruptly, cracking into a spiderweb of fissures as the bubbling stream water rushed into the crevices!
Ke Rujing stood frozen in place. From the outside, his body appeared intact, yet everything within had been completely shattered. Every spark of life vanished from his eyes.
Plop—
He collapsed limply to his knees in the water, his upper body plunging forward and kicking up a spray of sparkling droplets.
"The Supreme Elder... the Supreme Elder is dead?!!" In the distance, a Feihong Sect disciple hiding behind a large tree let out a grief-stricken cry.
"Elder Ke is dead, the sect master is dead, and nearly all the elders are wiped out! Our grand Feihong Sect is finished!"
"What are you wailing for? Run, damn it! Do you want to stay and be buried with them?!"
"Run, run! Don't linger! Don't hesitate!"
"..."
The Feihong Sect disciples who had harbored a sliver of hope completely lost their souls upon witnessing their seemingly invincible Supreme Elder struck down by Huang Tian. Wishing they had been born with an extra pair of legs, they fled as fast as they could away from Huang Tian.
As they ran, they silently prayed in their hearts: 'Don't chase me! Don't chase me! If you're going to chase someone, go chase the others!'
In merely a few moments, every Feihong Sect disciple who had been watching the battle vanished without a trace.
The townspeople were also pale with fright. Terrified that this bringer of slaughter would come for the town, they scattered in panic. Only Zhao Changguang and his brother in the inn remained, watching in mesmerized awe and profound shock.
"Only today do I understand what a Grandmaster truly is, and what it means to crush mountains and sever rivers!"
Chapter 108