Li Qingqiu hadn't expected this revenge trip to net him a priceless treasure. As he fled, he had already settled on a century-long plan for the Qingxiao Sect.
That was to focus on cultivating Yuan Li!
He would find a way to awaken Yuan Li's constitution and let him study whatever he wanted. With the Master's Heart, Yuan Li would surely create many martial arts and spells for the Qingxiao Sect.
"Heavens really do have eyes. Good deeds are rewarded. If I hadn't softened my heart just now, I would've missed this boy. And if he'd grown up in the Seven Peaks Alliance, he would surely have become an unpredictable threat."
Li Qingqiu thought to himself, his spirits lifting.
Yuan Qi, held in one arm, thought that this big brother was incredible. He had his little brother in his arms, was holding Yuan Qi with one hand, and carrying a sword with the other. He looked so cool.
He wanted to become someone like that someday!
The Seven Peaks Alliance stood atop a mountain, with sheer cliffs on all sides. No matter how great one's lightness skill, no one could fly to the neighboring peak. The only way down was through the main gate they'd come in by.
Li Qingqiu carried Yuan Qi and Yuan Li onto a roof. Then he stopped and went no farther.
Yuan Qi turned to look. His grimy little face changed visibly, panic rising uncontrollably in his eyes.
Following his gaze, Li Qingqiu saw that a hundred zhang away, down the steps, the training grounds were filling with Seven Peaks Alliance disciples. More and more were gathering, their heads bobbing amid wavering torchlight. The scene pressed down on them like a weight.
Yuan Qi felt despair. There were so many people. How could they possibly escape?
Were he and his little brother doomed to remain trapped in this demonic den, the Seven Peaks Alliance?
Li Qingqiu felt the pressure too. He hadn't expected the Seven Peaks Alliance to act so quickly and gather so many disciples at the main gate.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his strength. He was afraid that forcing his way through would hurt Yuan Qi and Yuan Li.
He stood still and began circulating his energy, absorbing the Spirit Stone hidden against his chest and converting its spiritual energy into Origin Energy. He needed to be in peak condition to break through the encirclement.
Yuan Qi turned to look at Li Qingqiu. He couldn't tell what Li Qingqiu was thinking, and assumed he was hesitating. So he said softly, "Big brother, put us down and escape on your own. No matter what, you killed the Seven Peaks Alliance's leader. Whichever leader it was, we're grateful to you."
Li Qingqiu glanced at him. "It seems you carry a blood feud. Once we're down the mountain, you can tell me about it."
Hearing this, Yuan Qi was both moved and confused.
How could they escape down the mountain with so many people there?
He didn't dare disturb Li Qingqiu again and waited patiently.
Li Qingqiu didn't make him wait long. After steadying himself, he continued forward with Yuan Qi in his arms.
His footsteps made no sound as he crossed the rooftops, which amazed Yuan Qi. Wind roared in his ears. As the crowd ahead drew closer, Yuan Qi's heart climbed into his throat.
Was big brother really going to charge straight through?
Li Qingqiu reached the edge of the last roof, leaped down, landed, and headed for the steps.
His appearance caught the attention of quite a few Seven Peaks Alliance disciples. But seeing that he wore the alliance's robes, they didn't grow suspicious. They were merely curious about why he was carrying two children.
In the crowd, two alliance leaders were talking: the second leader, Guang Lantian, and the fourth leader, Xu Ziheng.
Xu Ziheng was thin and wiry, with unruly hair. He yawned and asked, "What's all the commotion about?"
Guang Lantian looked to be about sixty. He was somewhat stout and wore a full beard. Frowning at Xu Ziheng's question, he said, "I'm not sure, but it must be serious. It might have something to do with the Azure Cult."
"The Azure Cult again. Those lunatics really do whatever they please. Ever since they set their sights on our sect's treasured techniques, they've been pestering us nonstop."
Xu Ziheng swore, fuming at the mention of the Azure Cult.
Guang Lantian shook his head. "The Azure Cult has won the backing of high-ranking officials at the Imperial Court. They're riding high, so we have to be careful."
Xu Ziheng was about to reply when he heard other disciples talking. He turned to look and saw a disciple walking down from the highest steps with two children in his arms.
The sight instantly set his anger ablaze. He roared, "Insolence! Who told you to touch them?"
Before the words had even faded, Xu Ziheng sprang up, stepping across the shoulders of one disciple after another. Then he leaped with all his might and hurtled toward Li Qingqiu.
His voice cracked like thunder, his aura fierce as a tiger. Yuan Qi trembled all over.
Internal Energy coiled around Xu Ziheng. As he descended, his speed suddenly surged. He thrust out one palm, and a powerful gust of force hurtled toward the three of them.
Li Qingqiu drew his sword with his right hand and slashed upward. A streak of Sword Qi shot out, its gleam flashing across the faces of many Seven Peaks Alliance disciples.
Xu Ziheng, still airborne, had no time to dodge. His palm strike was scattered by Li Qingqiu's Sword Qi, which then struck him head-on.
"Pfft—"
It was as if Xu Ziheng had been hit by an immense force. His body arched backward as he spat out a stream of blood, then flew away even faster than before.
The Seven Peaks Alliance disciples below hadn't seen it coming, but instinctively reached up to catch him. They were knocked down in a heap.
Guang Lantian stared wide-eyed at the scene. The other Seven Peaks Alliance disciples were just as stunned. Xu Ziheng was an alliance leader, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Ranking of the Guzhou Martial Arts World. Unless one encountered a peerless expert ranked above him, no one could defeat him.
And yet, what had they just seen?
Xu Ziheng, so powerful, had been gravely wounded by a single sword strike!
As they looked at Li Qingqiu, still holding his sword in the finishing pose, fear filled every gaze.
Dark clouds rolled across the night sky, and the moon was half-veiled. Atop the steps, Li Qingqiu held a child in one arm and a sword in the other. He stood ramrod straight, his robes snapping violently in the wind. The aura he revealed now cowed hundreds of Seven Peaks Alliance disciples below.
A peerless expert!
That was Guang Lantian's immediate thought.
He reacted swiftly and ordered, "Form ranks! Don't let him escape!"
Then he pulled out a wooden whistle and blew hard. Its shrill note rang through the night sky.
Li Qingqiu moved, sprinting toward the steps. The sword in his hand wasn't the Heavenly Rainbow Sword, but Chen Ye's sword.
Though the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples were shaken, their numbers gave them courage. At their leader's command, they drew their blades and charged at Li Qingqiu. The swaying crowd surged up the steps like a flood.
Li Qingqiu plunged into the crowd, his sword flashing as blood sprayed. His steps were nimble, his figure a ghostly blur. He dodged blade after blade, and each time his sword struck, it found an enemy's throat.
Yuan Qi squeezed his eyes shut in terror and clung to Li Qingqiu's shoulder. Yuan Li, cradled in Li Qingqiu's arms, was disturbed by the commotion. His brows furrowed, but he was too weak to open his eyes.
Li Qingqiu took one life with every step. No matter how many enemies stood before him, he never retreated. From above, the flood of Seven Peaks Alliance disciples seemed to be forced back by the strength of one man alone.
Guang Lantian didn't falter. He used a strange, elusive footwork, threading through the crowd like a swimming dragon as he swiftly attacked Li Qingqiu from behind.
Yuan Qi, draped over Li Qingqiu's shoulder, felt a gust of wind and instinctively opened his eyes. He saw Guang Lantian swooping in like an evil flood dragon from a deep pool, his right palm thrusting forward amid a bloody wind.
Yuan Qi suddenly remembered his father being disemboweled by Guang Lantian. His pupils quivered as boundless terror engulfed him.
At that moment, Li Qingqiu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He turned and slashed.
The strike was terrifyingly fierce. Lightning even flickered along the blade, driving the darkness from Yuan Qi's eyes.
Guang Lantian was startled by Li Qingqiu's sudden turn. He hurriedly leaned back to avoid the strike, but before he could do anything else, Li Qingqiu planted a foot in his chest and kicked him away.
The kick sent Guang Lantian tumbling across the ground several times, knocking down a number of people.
Li Qingqiu pulled his leg back and felt a slight numbness in it.
His physical abilities had improved, but stopping Guang Lantian, who had charged at full speed with Internal Energy, had taken effort.
Li Qingqiu turned and continued fighting his way forward.
His aim now was to break through the encirclement, not massacre them.
Just as he turned, a large number of Seven Peaks Alliance disciples rushed down from above.
At the same time.
Far away, atop the mountain, a woman in black stood at the edge of a cliff. She watched the thick fog between the two mountains dissipate, while points of torchlight appeared in the Seven Peaks Alliance and rapidly spread.
She had been asleep, but the Seven Peaks Alliance's Invasion Horn had woken her.
"He's caused quite a commotion..."
Thinking of Li Qingqiu's face, the woman in black was secretly astonished.
After hesitating for a moment, she turned and headed down the mountain, not wanting to be caught up in the trouble.
Li Qingqiu flung away the long sword he had already hacked to pieces, drew the Heavenly Rainbow Sword from his waist, and continued fighting.
Dozens of people already lay on the ground behind him. He was surrounded on every side, trapped by hundreds of people.
Though he had shown tremendous strength, he hadn't cowed the Seven Peaks Alliance disciples into surrender.
Li Qingqiu stared ahead, his gaze sharpening. He released the sword hilt with his right hand, yet the Heavenly Rainbow Sword still hovered before him.
The Heavenly Rainbow Sword trembled as it turned, its point aimed straight ahead. The disciples at the front stared at it, transfixed.
Boom—
With a sonic boom as the air split apart, the Heavenly Rainbow Sword shot forward. Origin Energy formed Sword Qi that tore through everything in its path, and Li Qingqiu followed close behind.
The sound of the blade slicing flesh and scraping bone rang out again and again. With the Supreme Sword Control Technique, Li Qingqiu carved a bloody path through the crowd.
Clutching his chest, Guang Lantian had just managed to stand when he saw the horrifying scene. He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth. His eyes widened, filled with terror.
Under his gaze, Li Qingqiu broke through the encirclement and charged into the night.
The Seven Peaks Alliance disciples didn't dare pursue blindly. At the speed Li Qingqiu had shown, they could never catch him. They turned to Guang Lantian, their faces all written with lingering fear.
Guang Lantian gave no order. He didn't dare pursue him either.
"Disaster! The great leader has been slain by a villain!"
A voice rang out from behind. A disciple came stumbling up to the steps and shouted. To the hundreds of Seven Peaks Alliance disciples who had just survived a brutal battle, those words were a devastating blow.
Guang Lantian felt as if the sky had fallen. He turned to look at Xu Ziheng, who lay dead in a pool of blood.
Elsewhere.
Li Qingqiu carried the two children swiftly down the mountain, growing anxious. He had already used up more than half his Origin Energy and couldn't afford to get bogged down in a protracted fight.
A line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Since this is your first time decapitating an enemy sect leader and making a clean getaway, you have upheld the Qingxiao Sect's prestige and earned a chance to receive a legacy reward]
Thank you, Star Spirit Blood, for the 5,000 Qidian coins~
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