Five years earlier, two of his disciples had descended the mountain to temper themselves. Overcome by lust, they had committed a beastly act against a female demonic cultivator from the Slaughter Hall, sowing the seeds of a feud.
Originally, it had been no great matter.
After all, the Demon Gate's lands were steeped in depravity.
Most women there were unlike those outside, who valued their chastity above their lives.
What his disciples had done would, at most, have been considered a moment of impulse. Some spiritual herbs and treasures in compensation would have settled it, and no one would have mentioned it again.
But.
As ill luck would have it.
That female cultivator was Ma Yi's disciple.
Upon learning the truth.
Ma Yi had raged like a Devil Lord, erupting into murderous violence in his hatred.
He had hacked Xiao Lingfeng's two disciples into a thousand pieces.
And abandoned them in the wilderness to feed the beasts.
Knowing Ma Yi's vicious nature, Xiao Lingfeng had visited him several times after the incident, offering goodwill in hopes of resolving their feud and letting the matter rest.
But Ma Yi would not listen at all.
He had one principle.
Harm one of his people.
And there would be no peace until death.
Eventually, during a moment of carelessness on Xiao Lingfeng's part, Ma Yi had seized his chance and struck mercilessly, brutally torturing those two disciples to death.
Afterward, Xiao Lingfeng had flown into a rage and personally fought Ma Yi.
The two were evenly matched.
Both were at the fifth stage of the martial emperor realm.
Even after three days and nights of bloody combat, neither had gained the upper hand.
In the end.
Other elders of the sect had persuaded them to withdraw.
Their conflict had temporarily ceased.
Yet all