Stalling

Ximen Qing blocked Xiao Feng's path forward. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair hung loose, yet perhaps because he was facing Xiao Feng, he still wore an air of calm composure.

The first thing that surged through Xiao Feng when he saw him was not despair, but hatred that flooded his very soul!

Qi Panjian, Huo Ling'er, Huo Rulie, Situ Hao, Situ Yao... one after another, they had lost their lives before his eyes, not even leaving behind intact corpses!

"Hahaha..." Looking into Xiao Feng's hate-filled eyes, he laughed loudly. "I love seeing that expression on your face... I love seeing you desperately wanting to kill me, yet being unable to do so!"

"Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng... do you know why I let you live until now? Because I wanted you to watch, with your own eyes, as every person you cherish died before you! I wanted to see your helplessness! And your hatred for your own powerlessness!"

"You should be thanking me... otherwise, you would already be one of countless dead souls."

"Come to think of it, I'd like to know where your Sister Ling'er ran off to. In my original plan, the last person to die before your eyes should have been that dear older sister of yours... hahaha!"

"But what I never expected was that the two of you had actually become husband and wife. That truly suited my tastes... after all, what could be more entertaining than ravaging your wife while you could only watch from the side in impotent fury?"

"How about this? Hand Qi Qingyun over to me yourself, and perhaps I'll show mercy and spare you. After all, you were someone who had managed to defeat me by sheer luck."

"What do you think?"

His tone remained even. He did not make a move himself, merely sealed off Xiao Feng's escape route. Killing Xiao Feng would only vent his anger for a moment; what he wanted was to utterly humiliate him!

"Kill me..." Qi Qingyun murmured softly in Xiao Feng's arms.

Xiao Feng did not answer. He sensed Qi Qingyun's condition. Under the healing of his Miracle of Life, the injuries she had sustained from forcibly drawing the Heaven Severing Sword were still severe, but no longer fatal.

He suppressed the hatred in his eyes, tenderness shining from them instead. A faint smile touched his lips. "Qing Yun, promise me that no matter what happens... you'll live well... all right?"

Before she could respond, his profound energy abruptly gathered and slammed fiercely into her central nervous system...

Her body was completely unguarded. The sudden impact of profound energy, combined with her grievous injuries, left Qi Qingyun with no chance to react. She immediately passed out.

Ximen Qing did not stop him at the sight. Instead, a mocking smile appeared on his lips as he clapped. "Clap, clap, clap... As expected of Divine Doctor Xiao. What a fine method... you even knew to knock her out first."

But what Xiao Feng did next left him utterly stunned. Blazing, vast sparrow flames suddenly erupted around Xiao Feng! In an instant, flames filled the sky. Ximen Qing's eyes had not reached the level of a "Divine Master," and the raging sparrow flames obscured his vision...

Unease rose within Ximen Qing at the sight. He pushed his profound energy to its limit, sensing the location of their auras through his Divine Sense, and clawed viciously forward with his right hand!

As Xiao Feng's neck was caught in Ximen Qing's grasp, the sparrow flames burning around him gradually faded away...

Ximen Qing's face had turned livid. His bloodshot eyes fixed on Xiao Feng as he demanded, "Where did Qi Qingyun go?!"

There was nothing around them. His Divine Sense swept through the area, yet found no spatial fluctuations. Before him, there was only Xiao Feng. Qi Qingyun had seemingly evaporated into thin air.

That could only mean one thing... Qi Qingyun had escaped... right under his nose!

"Heh..." Xiao Feng spoke with difficulty. "I used a Voidstone to send Qing Yun away."

"You're lying!" Ximen Qing roared in disbelief. "If you had a Voidstone, why didn't you use it sooner?!"

Then, as if he had thought of something, a sneer suddenly appeared on his face. "Xiao Feng... you really pissed me off so badly that I lost my head. Right... if you had a Voidstone, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"You must have some kind of storage space that can hold people too..."

Xiao Feng's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. The excuse he had hastily devised was indeed full of holes... but his expression did not change. Instead, he sneered. "Heh... are you trying to comfort yourself?"

"You... aren't scared, are you?"

"Hahaha..." Ximen Qing was not angered by Xiao Feng's words, but laughed instead. "If I were afraid, do you think I would have killed so many people?"

Xiao Feng mocked, "Are you trying to bolster your courage? You slaughtered everyone in the city because you were afraid your actions would be exposed. You should know it yourself, shouldn't you? You committed such grave crimes. Do you think the Abyssal Knights of the Pure Land will let you go? Or do you think you can stand against the hundreds of Abyssal Knights in the Pure Land?"

"And there's something else... you may not know this, but Qing Yun was already a knight candidate. You nearly caused the death of a knight candidate. Do you think you'll still be able to live?"

At those words, Ximen Qing's face twitched for an instant, but he quickly composed himself and said, "I joined the Creation God Sect long ago. With the Creation God Sect protecting me, what do I have to fear..."

"Oh... I nearly forgot. Perhaps you simply have no idea how influential our divine sect is. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand!"

Xiao Feng sneered. "Although I don't know just how powerful this Creation God Sect you speak of is, for you to be so confident that you don't fear the Abyssal Knights of the Pure Land... I do have a question. I wonder if you can answer it for me?"

"Oh? Since you're about to die, I can consider it..." Ximen Qing himself had not realized that he had already been drawn into Xiao Feng's rhythm... He had begun instinctively answering every question Xiao Feng asked.

The reason for it all was that he wanted to learn Qi Qingyun's whereabouts from Xiao Feng.

Or perhaps Xiao Feng's words had made him uneasy. He was seeking reassurance for himself. On the surface, he was answering Xiao Feng's questions, but in truth, he was strengthening that small shred of security in his heart...

"I am a divine doctor... everyone has seen that for themselves. I don't know whether you noticed it... but just now, I discovered that your life aura is rapidly declining. Even your internal organs are gradually withering away. I'd like to know whether your divine sect would save a man who is about to die."

"Or rather... would your so-called divine sect save someone who would have no value left to use in the future?"