Fire Qilin Appears

Though Nie Feng and his father had no way to break the deadlock for the moment.

Li Chenfeng, however, knew clearly that if he remembered correctly, there was still someone around the Leshan Giant Buddha capable of saving him!

Li Chenfeng stared fixedly at the bushes opposite him. If he had guessed correctly, Bu Jingyun and the two Death Slaves were hiding there right now.

Just as Nie Feng was about to bring down his strike, the situation changed once more!

Countless streaks of sword light suddenly pierced into the sealed darkness, instantly weaving into another dense sword net that blocked the sword net Duan Shuai had cast toward Nie Feng.

What a sorrowful sword net! What a despairing sword net! What a sword net of wailing ghosts and howling spirits!

That was what Duan Shuai and Nie Feng, the two involved parties, felt.

Inexpressible Grief!

It was precisely Bu Jingyun's Inexpressible Grief!

At the sight of this, Li Chenfeng finally let out a breath of relief. It seemed nothing unexpected had happened; the events in his memory were still completely accurate.

Then came the climax of the story: Duan Shuai and Nie Renwang battling the Fire Qilin.

Er... or rather, being brutally beaten by the Fire Qilin...

Two experts of their caliber had no ability to fight back before the Fire Qilin. Just how strong would he need to become to suppress that beast? And what about the Divine Dragon in the future?

The more Li Chenfeng thought about it, the more insignificant he felt.

Suddenly, Li Chenfeng felt a cool sensation sweep through his mind, and he immediately realized that he had inadvertently lost control of his mind just now and had nearly fallen into a heart demon.

The thought instantly drenched Li Chenfeng in cold sweat.

It seemed that knowing too much was not necessarily beneficial for cultivation. At the very least, without strength to match that knowledge, knowing too much could easily lead to unforeseen consequences.

Though it had happened in only an instant, Li Chenfeng's concealed aura had leaked out and drawn the attention of everyone present.

Seeing this, Li Chenfeng could only shake his head helplessly and walk out of the woods with the Sword Servant.

"Ao Feng of Sword Worship Villa pays respects to Senior Duan, Southern Qilin Sword Chief, and to everyone else!"

"Sword Worship Villa?" Duan Shuai, who had been about to make a move, paused slightly and frowned. "Why would someone from Sword Worship Villa be here?"

Li Chenfeng smiled as he explained, "In reply to Senior, I have been practicing swordsmanship at the villa all this time and know very little of matters in the martial world. I came out this time specifically to gain experience.

"By chance, I learned that the Southern Qilin Sword Chief and the North-Drinking Mad Saber would be sparring at the Leshan Giant Buddha. I have long admired the two seniors and wished to witness your bearing for myself."

"Humph!"

With a cold snort, Duan Shuai was deeply displeased by Li Chenfeng's sudden appearance. Compared with Bu Jingyun, who had managed to block one of his sword strikes, his attitude toward Li Chenfeng was far worse.

Still, Sword Worship Villa was now a significant force in its own right. Furthermore, Duan Shuai had heard that Sword Demon had remained within Sword Worship Villa all these years. Considering Li Chenfeng's identity as well, the clear-minded Duan Shuai would not attack him over this.

Li Chenfeng secretly let out a long breath. Seeing that the other party did not seem intent on giving him trouble, he said nothing more and led the Sword Servant quietly to the edge to watch what happened next.

What followed likewise did not change. Death Slave tried to ambush Nie Feng but was stopped by Bu Jingyun. Then Prison Slave used Duan Lang to threaten Duan Shuai into handing over the Fire Qilin Sword. Yet Duan Shuai refused to be coerced and directly killed Death Slave. Soon after, the legless Nie Renwang finally arrived and rescued Duan Lang from Prison Slave.

Seeing this, Li Chenfeng thought to himself, This is the moment!

Suddenly, a heaven-rending roar burst from within Lingyun Grotto!

The roar was like thunder, deafening to the ears!

It was a beast. Only a wild beast could make such a cry! But what kind of beast could produce such a ferocious, terrifying sound?

Everyone present was stunned by the roar. Li Chenfeng alone was not afraid; instead, he felt faintly excited, because his plan was about to succeed!

With that thought, Li Chenfeng led the Sword Servant farther away again. He had no desire to be caught up in this at such a time.

If the Fire Qilin charged out and began slaughtering everyone, he could immediately leap into the river with the Sword Servant and escape!

The sudden roar shocked everyone. Even Duan Shuai, who already knew the true nature of the thing inside the cave, was no exception.

Prison Slave, who stood closest to the cave entrance, turned around to see what kind of savage beast had made the sound. A torrent of flame suddenly surged out from Lingyun Grotto. Prison Slave was too slow to evade and was immediately struck by the flames.

What no one expected was that the flames contained fierce inner force as well. With several sharp slashes, Prison Slave was not merely set ablaze—the flames also cut him into pieces. Without even a groan, he died on the spot in a horrifying state!

Duan Shuai, who had long known what was inside, rolled away from the cave entrance. Nie Renwang, whose legs were impaired, was far less fortunate... His knee had been shattered, so he could not evade even if he wanted to.

A massive four-clawed paw shot out from the cave and seized Nie Renwang by the lower leg.

But how could Nie Renwang, known as the Mad Saber, fear this? Though he had no saber in hand, he raised his fist and smashed it into the giant claw.

Yet what he had not expected was that the claw was as hard as refined steel and paid no heed to Nie Renwang's attack. With a tug of its claw force, it forcibly dragged Nie Renwang into the cave.

This sudden turn of events greatly alarmed Nie Feng. He cried out and tried to rush forward, but Duan Shuai appeared directly behind him and stopped him.

Nie Feng shouted and struggled with all his strength, but Duan Shuai did not loosen his grip in the slightest.

He turned to Duan Lang, abruptly pulled a letter from his robes, and swiftly tucked it into Duan Lang's chest. Solemnly, he said, "Lang'er, this letter contains all the secrets and martial arts of our Duan Clan. You may only open it after you turn fifteen."

Before Duan Lang could speak, Duan Shuai turned back and glared at the still-struggling Nie Feng. "Boy, throwing your life away for nothing is merely foolish bravery! Your character and talent are both outstanding. Do not throw yourself away!"

As he spoke, he tightened his hold on Nie Feng's hand and flung him away with force. Nie Feng's entire body was hurled toward Duan Lang. The move contained immense pulling force; with a deft sweep, Duan Lang cried out and was swept along as well. Neither could control their bodies as they rolled toward the edge of Buddha's Knee.

Duan Shuai glanced into the cave, then shouted once more toward the two boys, "Go! Live well for me! Even if you survive, never come back!"

After saying this, Duan Shuai did not hesitate again. Sword in hand, he charged directly into the cave and disappeared.

Li Chenfeng, who had been watching everything closely, had already made his preparations the moment Duan Shuai acted...

Seeing Duan Lang fall from Buddha's Knee, he leaped down at once. Stretching out his right hand, he seized Duan Lang's small arm, then drove the Changli Sword, sheath and all, into the stone wall with his left hand. Their falling bodies immediately came to a halt.