Despair Under the Dark Night

Boom—!

Thunder roared through the torrential night, like an enraged deity bellowing, plunging the Tai Kun Mountain Range into suffocating oppression.

Within the woods, Yang Jueding and Li Qingqiu pressed forward through the storm. When they reached a stretch of level ground, Yang Jueding turned his head to look at Li Qingqiu.

"Braving such heavy rain is bound to affect our physical condition. Besides, the Seven Peaks Alliance is far from here—it'll take days to reach even with haste. Why don't we rest for the night, then head to town tomorrow to borrow two horses for the road?"

Yang Jueding felt Li Qingqiu had lost his reason; he'd thought accompanying him through the rain for a while might sober him up.

Li Qingqiu spoke up: "It's fine. We don't need to rush. As long as we catch up to that batch of people who fled from the Seven Peaks Alliance, that's enough. They're dragging many wounded along—they shouldn't have gotten far."

"I see. I really thought you were going to charge straight into the Seven Peaks Alliance."

Yang Jueding breathed a sigh of relief. He'd nearly said he thought the man had gone mad.

For the two of them to go to the Seven Peaks Alliance would be certain death.

But chasing down a group of injured martial artists? That was a sure thing.

"In that case, let's pick up the pace!"

Yang Jueding perked up and quickened his steps. Li Qingqiu didn't stop him—this suited his plans just fine.

In the dim mountain forest, Yang Jueding employed his lightness skill while Li Qingqiu used the Gale Technique. The two flitted through like ghosts; at a glance, their feet seemed never to touch the ground.

The night deepened, and the merciless rain began to slacken, as if the heavens themselves had nearly spent their fury.

On a mountain path winding between peaks, several hundred sturdy horses trudged slowly forward. Many of the horses bore wounded martial artists lying across their backs, while over a hundred more martial artists led the horses, advancing at a sluggish pace.

Yue Zhenchuan walked at the very front. Rainwater streamed down his cheeks; his gaze was icy, but his heart was filled with lingering dread.

A wound still marked his neck, nearly having sliced his throat.

Jiang Zhaoxia's maddened figure haunted his thoughts, along with that young girl who had almost slain him with a single sword strike.

The Qingxiao Sect had actually hidden two such terrifying youths, a boy and a girl, plus Li Sifeng—Yue Zhenchuan simply couldn't fathom it.

Not even the Hegemon Sect he had visited, let alone the Seven Peaks Alliance, had ever produced monstrous geniuses like these.

This grudge was already set; the Seven Peaks Alliance could never resolve it. He had to bring the news back and mobilize the entire alliance to wipe out the Qingxiao Sect. Otherwise, in ten years—no, perhaps in five—the Seven Peaks Alliance would face utter annihilation.

The more Yue Zhenchuan thought, the more terrified he became. He even suspected that demons or monsters lurked within the Qingxiao Sect. News of Lin Xunfeng's search for immortals had long spread; many martial heroes mocked Lin Xunfeng for losing his mind, himself included. But now, thinking back, had Lin Xunfeng encountered something that sparked his quest for immortality?

The rain had stopped, yet Yue Zhenchuan's mood could not clear.

"Heroes ahead, please hold!"

A deep, booming voice came from behind, startling the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples into turning around, fearing it was the Qingxiao Sect coming to kill them.

Yue Zhenchuan also jolted in fright. He twisted his head to look and saw two figures in straw raincoats rapidly approaching. In the darkness, with poor visibility, they could barely make out the shapes as human.

Though there were only two, the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples, having endured that brutal battle during the day, couldn't help but tremble with fear. They dared not let their guard down and drew their weapons, bracing for battle.

Dragging the wounded, and themselves injured, they couldn't outrun anyone. If they fled, they'd be easy to pick off one by one.

"This Humble One is Yang Jueding. Have any of you heroes heard my name?"

Yang Jueding's voice rang out again. After he announced himself, the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples exchanged glances and all relaxed.

The Dragon Subduing Great Hero, Yang Jueding—in the Guzhou martial world, no one didn't know him.

Yue Zhenchuan also breathed easier. He knew Yang Jueding. When Yang Jueding had once visited the Seven Peaks Alliance, he'd witnessed his skill. Though perhaps not a match for himself, Yang Jueding's palm strength indeed lived up to his top-ten reputation on the Heavenly Ranking.

"So it's Brother Yang! Come over and talk!"

Yue Zhenchuan called out, even waving at the two.

If Yang Jueding traveled with them, they'd surely be safer.

Yang Jueding seemed to recognize him and quickened his pace toward him. The Seven Peaks Alliance disciples parted to make way.

"How'd you end up in such a fix? Had a fight with the Azure Cult?"

After drawing close, Yang Jueding took off his straw hat and asked, his tone laced with teasing amusement.

Yue Zhenchuan paid no attention to the man behind him and replied helplessly, "Came out to handle some business and ended up taking a loss."

Yang Jueding stepped up to Yue Zhenchuan, sizing up his injuries, and clicked his tongue in wonder: "A real expert. From the sword wounds, the strikes were fast—every one aimed at your life."

Yue Zhenchuan's expression turned stiff. He snorted, "An expert indeed. I was careless today..."

"Are you the experts of the Seven Peaks Alliance?"

Li Qingqiu stepped around Yang Jueding, looking at Yue Zhenchuan as he asked.

Yue Zhenchuan didn't get a clear look at his face, assuming he was a junior of Yang Jueding's, and replied offhandedly, "Mm. Our Seven Peaks Alliance and this Dragon Subduing Great Hero beside you are old acquaintances..."

Before he could finish, a flash of sword light blazed. Yang Jueding had no time to dodge and was splattered with blood across his face. His eyes went wide with shock.

Yue Zhenchuan's eyes also flew open. His hands instinctively clutched his throat, but blood gushed out uncontrollably, impossible to stem.

"You..."

Yue Zhenchuan stared at Li Qingqiu in disbelief, his body trembling as he staggered backward.

The nearby Seven Peaks Alliance disciples' faces changed drastically. They instinctively tried to shout, but Li Qingqiu turned and swung his sword, slitting another throat.

Not far off, Yue Zhenchuan's disciple, a young man, had taken the chance to rest. He sat on a rock, about to pull down his pants to check the wound on his thigh, when he suddenly saw his master stumbling back, then fall to the ground with a thud. He froze.

He was just about to ask when he saw the straw-cloaked figure beside Yang Jueding turn and hurl his sword directly at him.

Puchi—

The blade pierced the young man's forehead, dragging his entire body backward across several zhang of ground. By the time he stopped, his life force had already been completely severed, his eyes staring wide in death.

Li Qingqiu rushed over in quick strides, yanked the sword from his head, and charged toward the other Seven Peaks Alliance disciples like a ghostly apparition.

Those Seven Peaks Alliance disciples snapped to their senses as well, turning around to face Li Qingqiu.

Having broken through to the Nourishing Yuan Realm Third Layer, Li Qingqiu could be said to have shed his bones and changed his marrow. His senses had grown keener, his body more agile, and his reactions incomparably faster.

Every person he passed, he killed. No wasted movements. The sound of blades cutting through flesh rang out without pause.

After a brief moment of shock, Yang Jueding quickly turned to look. Seeing the ground littered with corpses, he was startled by Li Qingqiu.

So fast!

So ruthless!

He had long guessed that Li Qingqiu was strong, but he never imagined he would be this strong—not even Jiang Zhaoxia could compare.

"Kill him!"

An older Seven Peaks Alliance disciple, his face twisted in fury, raised his blade and shouted. With that, he charged straight at Li Qingqiu.

The other Seven Peaks Alliance disciples surged forward as well, causing more and more horses to panic. Neighs rang out one after another, and some horses even bolted. Wounded men were thrown from their saddles, only to be trampled to death by hooves.

In an instant, the mountain terrain descended into chaos.

Every one of these Seven Peaks Alliance disciples was wounded. Even if they had been in peak condition, they would have been no match for Li Qingqiu, let alone fighting with injuries.

For this very reason, the battle became a one-sided slaughter. Watching Li Qingqiu run rampant, Yang Jueding felt a chill run down his spine.

Such heavy killing intent!

Though Yang Jueding had roamed the jianghu, he cared more about martial prowess and reputation than about bloodshed—that was also why he had become a great hero. The Li Qingqiu before him now made him deeply uncomfortable.

He tried to convince himself that the Seven Peaks Alliance had started this, and that they were no righteous sect—they had committed plenty of evil deeds in the jianghu over the years.

Back when he had visited the Seven Peaks Alliance, he had called it a martial arts exchange, but in truth, he had wanted to suppress them. Unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded and had to pretend he was there to build ties.

But no matter how he comforted himself, watching Li Qingqiu tear through them like a tiger among sheep, he couldn't help but wonder—if he himself faced an enraged Li Qingqiu, how many moves could he withstand?

When more than half of the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples lay dead, the remaining ones finally broke. They began to flee, but Li Qingqiu had no intention of letting them go. He hunted them down one by one.

These Seven Peaks Alliance disciples were already wounded and exhausted from the journey. They hadn't run far before Li Qingqiu cut them down.

One incense stick's time later.

Li Qingqiu walked up to Yang Jueding, sword in hand. He raised his head, and beneath his straw hat, his blood-streaked face was revealed.

"There's just one left. He won't get far. I'll kill him and then head to the Seven Peaks Alliance. You stay here. Without these men to carry word back, the Seven Peaks Alliance won't come again. Tomorrow, take the disciples and clean up the corpses on the mountain, so we don't breed a plague."

Li Qingqiu spoke. With that, he turned and walked in the direction the last Seven Peaks Alliance disciple had fled.

After taking only two steps, Li Qingqiu seemed to remember something. He looked back at Yang Jueding and said, "One more thing for you—search all these bodies. See if there's anything valuable, and take it all back up the mountain. Also, don't breathe a word of tonight's events to the disciples. Not even my junior brother or junior sister. Don't tell them where I've gone. Just say I'm patrolling the mountain."

With those words, Li Qingqiu turned and walked away, sword in hand.

The night stretched vast and dim. Yang Jueding watched Li Qingqiu's retreating figure, opened his mouth, but couldn't force out a single word.

Having witnessed Li Qingqiu's terrifying strength, he felt that even if Li Qingqiu failed at the Seven Peaks Alliance, he could still escape unscathed.

He stood there, watching until Li Qingqiu vanished over the ridge. Only then did he snap back to reality. He turned around, looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He suddenly felt that the task Li Qingqiu had left him was no easier than fighting.

On the other side, three li away.

The last Seven Peaks Alliance disciple was fleeing down a slope. In his panic, his foot caught on a rock along the way, and he tumbled down the hillside, crashing and stumbling all the way.

By the time he finally managed to stop, his entire body ached, and his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

Gasping for air, he struggled to climb to his feet. The moment he lifted his head, his eyes went wide, and despair spread across his face.

Following his gaze, on the hilltop above, the straw-cloaked Li Qingqiu stood looking down at him, sword in hand. The dark clouds in the night sky had just parted, and the bright moon hung directly above Li Qingqiu's head.

(Thanks to Blood God of the Brocade Guard for the 5000 starting point coin tip~)