Huang Yiqi glanced at the treasured blade that had once been his. His cheek twitched; losing it clearly hurt.
The blade was called Heaven-Slaying. He had unearthed it from a tomb, and its former owner had been a Martial Dao Grandmaster. Its quality was exceptional, and it was worth a fortune.
Now Li Yun was taking it. How could Huang Yiqi bear to part with it?
But he understood.
If He Pingtian had not intervened today, Huang Yiqi would already be dead beyond any hope of revival. Once he was dead, the blade would belong to Li Yun anyway. The outcome would be no different.
Giving up only the blade in exchange for his life was already a bargain.
He dropped to his knees with a thud and repeatedly knocked his head against the ground. "Thank you for sparing my life, Chief Li! Thank you!"
Li Yun could not be bothered to look at him. He merely told him to get lost, then turned and walked away.
Huang Yiqi scrambled up, called for his men to carry the wounded, and fled the Water-Fire Devil Stronghold in a stumbling rush.
Only after running more than thirty li and confirming they were safe did Huang Yiqi stop. He dropped onto a roadside boulder, panting hard.
"Chief, are we just going to let this go?" a trusted subordinate asked cautiously.
Huang Yiqi glared at him. "What else can we do? You want to fight him?"
The subordinate shrank back and gave an awkward laugh. "You must be joking, Chief. He's a Martial Dao Grandmaster. How could I possibly beat him?"
He did not dare say another word.
Huang Yiqi ignored his men and lowered his head in silence, but the battle kept replaying in his mind.
With one slash of Li Yun's blade,