In the heart of the mountain.
The main hall of the Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Xiao suddenly opened his eyes.
He sat in the sect leader's seat, his hands resting on the edge of the armrest.
"The sect's protective formation has been activated."
The elders in the main hall all stood up at the same time.
Tang Yuehua stood to the side, her face grave.
"It's Qian Chen."
Tang Xiao looked at her.
Are you sure?
Tang Hao died in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Tang Yuehua lowered her eyes.
"Currently, he's the only one who can directly contact the sect."
An elder in black robes stepped forward.
"Sect Master, activate all Defensive Soul Tool immediately."
"Let the clansmen enter the Back Mountain."
"As long as we hold the mountain gate, the Spirit Hall will not dare to attack easily."
Tang Xiao looked at him.
"It wasn't the Spirit Hall that came."
"Only Qian Chen."
The hall fell silent.
The elder's expression gradually changed.
Tang Xiao stood up.
"Pass down the order."
"All Soul Master, proceed to the mountain gate."
"The Clear Sky Sect will fight him to the death today."
Tang Yuehua looked at Tang Xiao.
"Brother, Tang Hao is dead."
Do you intend to send your people to their deaths again?
Tang Xiao turned his face away.
"He killed people from the Clear Sky Sect."
"The Clear Sky Sect cannot retreat."
"If they withdraw, the sect will never be able to hold its head high again."
Tang Yuehua did not continue to persuade her.
She watched as the Formation light gradually illuminated outside the main hall, her fingertips slowly closing.
Outside the mountain gate.
Qian Chen raised the Dragon God Spear.
Nine-Color rays of light extended from the spearhead.
He did not release his Soul Ring.
He simply thrust his spear forward once.
The sect's protective formation trembled violently.
The illusory image of the Clear Sky Hammer rose from the center of the valley, meeting the Nine-Color spear light.
Two forces collided.
The entire Soulbreak Mountain Range was shaking.
Huge boulders tumbled down the mountainside one after another.
The next moment.
The illusory image of the Clear Sky Hammer split open from the center.
The Nine-Color spear light pierced through the Formation and landed outside the mountain's interior.
Boom!
The stone steps in front of the mountain gate have all crumbled.
The Formation that had shrouded the Clear Sky Sect for many years was completely dissipated by this single spear thrust.
Qian Renxue folded her wings.
She looked ahead.
Hundreds of the Clear Sky Sect Soul Master were already standing in front of the mountain gate.
The person in charge was Tang Xiao.
He held a massive Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
Nine Soul Ring encircled the hammer.
Tang Xiao looked at Qian Chen.
"You killed Tang Hao."
He came to kill me.
Qian Chen took a step forward.
He lost.
Tang Xiao raised the Clear Sky Hammer.
"So you want to exterminate them all?"
"You chose to stand on his side."
"The Clear Sky Sect will not hand over the sect to an outsider."
The Soul Ring beneath Tang Xiao's feet lit up simultaneously.
The enormous Clear Sky Hammer, carrying immense force, crashed down upon Qian Chen.
Qian Chen raised the Dragon God Spear.
The spearhead points upwards.
The Nine-Color spear light pierced through the Clear Sky Hammer and went straight into Tang Xiao's chest.
Tang Xiao's body remained suspended in mid-air.
Fresh blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
He looked down at the spearhead in his chest, his eyes still showing reluctance to accept it.
Qian Chen withdrew the Dragon God Spear.
Tang Xiao fell from mid-air and crashed onto the broken stone steps.
"Metropolitan!"
The Clear Sky Sect's Soul Master charged out simultaneously.
Snow Empress took a step forward.
A white, chilling aura spread from beneath her feet.
The Soul Master at the forefront stopped abruptly.
Frost spread along their robes.
Ice Empress raised their hand.
A verdant light enveloped the mountain gate.
Several ice pillars rose from the ground, blasting away all the remaining Soul Master.
Qian Renxue unleashed her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
A golden beam of light descended upon the Clear Sky Sect.
She looked at the Soul Master lying on the ground.
Those who lay down their weapons will be spared death.
No one responded.
An elder rushed out from the crowd.
His Ninth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
The black Clear Sky Hammer, carrying immense force, crashed down upon Qian Renxue.
Qian Chen raised his hand.
Spatial forces solidified.
The Clear Sky Hammer stopped in front of Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue raised her golden longsword.
She took a step forward.
The longsword pierced through the elder's chest.
You have no other way.
Qian Renxue drew her longsword.
The elder collapsed.
Qian Chen put away the Dragon God Spear.
Nine-Color rays of light converged above the mountain gate.
The entire Clear Sky Sect began to tremble.
One building after another collapsed inside the mountain.
The sect's plaque fell from a height and crashed onto the shattered stone steps.
The symbol of the Clear Sky Sect was also broken in two at that moment.
Qian Renxue looked at the ruins before her.
She raised her hand and grasped Qian Chen's sleeve.
"Elder brother."
"Um?"
Is this the end?
Qian Chen looked into the depths of the mountain.
"Not yet."
The Nine-Colored Soul Power spread once more.
The mountain wall was peeled away layer by layer.
The secret underground chamber, Soul Tool, Martial Soul manuals, and resources accumulated by the Clear Sky Sect over the years were all exposed.
Qian Chen raised his hand and waved it.
All resources were swept up by spatial forces and landed in front of Qian Renxue.
These are for you.
Qian Renxue looked at the Soul Tool and herbs scattered all over the ground.
What about the legacy of the Clear Sky Sect?
"Here too."
Qian Chen gripped the Dragon God Spear.
The Nine-Color spear light fell.
The Clear Sky Sect's inheritance stele split open from the center.
The patterns of Soul Power then dissipated.
Qian Chen left nothing behind.
"Starting today."
"The Clear Sky Sect no longer exists on the mainland."
The broken stone tablet fell into the dust.
The bell tower behind the mountain gate lost its support and tilted towards the square.
Qian Chen raised his hand and gently flicked his fingertips to the side.
The entire bell tower stopped in mid-air, then passed over the kneeling Clear Sky Sect disciples and fell into the unguarded deep valley.
Tang Yuehua stood beside the dilapidated steps, her gaze falling on Tang Xiao.
The Clear Sky Hammer that once guarded the sect has vanished.
She knelt down and straightened Tang Xiao's blood-stained collar.
"Brother, I tried to persuade you."
Tang Xiao did not answer.
His palm hung at the edge of the stone steps, his fingertips only half a foot away from the broken sect plaque.
Qian Chen did not urge him.
A silver-white cloak hung down behind him, its hem remaining untouched by the dust from in front of the mountain gate.
Hundreds of Soul Master stared at him, but none dared to step forward.
They saw Tang Xiao make his move, and they also saw the sect leader fall.
Qian Chen didn't even use his Ninth Soul Skill.
Everything in front of the mountain gate has come to an end.
Behind the crowd, an elder in gray robes stood up, leaning against the crumbling wall.
His gaze shifted from Tang Xiao to the end of the valley.
There is also a narrow stone path there.
The gray-robed elder hid his hand in his sleeve and crushed a black jade tablet.
Deep in the valley, six stone platforms lit up simultaneously.
The remaining array patterns connect underground, leading directly to the Back Mountain.
Qian Chen turned her face away.
What else do you want to take with you?
The gray-robed elder did not answer.
His Seventh Soul Ring lit up, the Clear Sky Hammer condensed above his head, and his body retreated towards the stone path.
Qian Renxue raised her golden longsword.
Qian Chen reached out to stop her.
You stay here.
He did not give chase.
A ray of Nine-Color light fell from his fingertips into the ground.
The six stone platforms went out one after another.
The newly opened stone path was sealed off by a spatial barrier.
The gray-robed elder stopped in front of the barrier, raised the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands, and smashed it forward.
The black hammerhead collided with the Nine-Color screen.
The barrier remained completely unmoved.
The shockwave traveled back along the hammer handle, causing the gray-robed elder to stagger backward, his hands split open at the base of his thumbs.
He reactivated his Soul Power.
Before the nine Soul Ring could be fully deployed, they were forced back into his body by a Nine-Color halo of light.
Qian Chen stood still, slowly closing his palms.
The Clear Sky Hammer shrank inch by inch, eventually dissipating into black specks of light.
The gray-robed elder was brought back to the mountain gate by the Spatial Power, and his knees landed in front of the broken plaque.
A Storage Soul Tool fell out of his sleeve.
Qian Renxue raised her hand to catch it and wiped away the Soul Power imprint on it.
Three volumes of ancient texts and a patriarch's seal lay on the stone steps.
She looked at the gray-robed elder.
"You're not taking your people with you."
"These are the things."
The gray-robed elder raised his head.
"As long as the legacy endures, the Clear Sky Sect will continue to exist!"
Qian Chen lowered his eyes to look at the seal.
"Then look carefully."
Nine-Color light descended.
The seal split open from the center, and the three volumes of books scattered into fine ash.
The gray-robed elder reached out and caught only a small piece of paper that hadn't completely burned out.
The corner of the paper disappeared in his palm.
Qian Chen withdrew his hand, but the Spatial Power pressing down on the other party did not dissipate.
If you lay a hand on me again, I will not spare your life.
The gray-robed elder looked at Tang Xiao, who had collapsed on the long steps.
His palm slowly descended.
Finally, someone put away their Martial Soul in front of the mountain gate.
A Clear Sky Hammer vanished.
Then came the second one, and the third one.
The remaining Soul Master stepped back one after another, clearing the path to the Back Mountain.
Tang Yuehua stood up.
She walked up to Qian Chen, the hem of her dress stained with dust from the stone steps.
"You have destroyed the sect."
"Can the rest of you leave?"
Qian Renxue descended half a step.
"I said, those who lay down their weapons will be spared death."
She took out a blank roster and placed it on the still intact stone platform.
"Take them to register their names."
"Leave all weapons and Soul Tool belonging to the sect."
"After leaving here, you are no longer permitted to summon Soul Master in the name of the Clear Sky Sect."
Tang Yuehua looked at Qian Chen.
"Can I take Tang Xiao with me?"
Qian Chen stepped aside, making way for the long steps.
"Can."
She paused for a moment, then turned and walked back to Tang Xiao's side.
Two sect disciples stepped forward and lifted the lifeless body.
No one bothered to pick up the plaques from the ground anymore.
The mountain breeze swept through the empty square.
After the last group of disciples left the Back Mountain, Qian Renxue closed the roster and sealed away the confiscated Soul Tool one by one.
The Snow Empress raised his hand to disperse the frost on the mountain path.
Ice Empress approached Qian Chen and touched his sleeve with her fingertips.
"Chen'er, there's no one inside anymore."
Qian Chen began to use his senses.
Mountain belly, secret room, stone path.
Every corner was reflected in his perception.
He only raised his right hand again after confirming that the last trace of life had left the mountain gate.
Nine-Color halo hangs in front of the palm.
There was no dragon roar, nor did any Soul Ring rise.
The halo descended, enveloping the dilapidated sect.
The Clear Sky Hammer statue in the center of the square was the first to collapse.
Immediately afterwards, the training ground, the council hall, and the Formation Core hidden in the mountainside turned into rubble.
Qian Renxue stood to the side, watching the halo of light slowly rotate.
Such immense power never crossed even half a step beyond the mountain gate.
A pine tree beside the mountain path remains intact.
The snow on its branches didn't even fall.
She turned her face and looked at Qian Chen.
"Brother, do you still need the Dragon God Spear?"
Qian Chen folded his five fingers together.
The last Formation Core inside the mountain was subsequently destroyed.
"It's not needed here."
The Nine-Color halo dissipated.
Behind the mountain gate, only a flat area of rubble remained.
The plaque bearing the three characters "Clear Sky Sect" was completely buried by falling rocks.
Qian Chen lowered his hand.
Qian Renxue stored the roster into her Soul Tool, and took one last look at the spot where Tang Xiao had fallen.
The stone steps are gone.
The Clear Sky Sect is gone too.
The mountain wind blew across the gravelly ground.
Qian Chen withdrew her gaze, and a slender, pale hand gently pressed down on her cloak.
Snow Empress stood beside him and untied the thin thread wrapped around his silver buckle.
"Don't move."
He lowered his eyes and watched her unwind the thin thread.
Her long, silvery-white hair was blown by the wind to her front, obscuring the silver clasp.
Qian Chen raised his hand to cover her, his fingertips resting on her shoulder.
"Shall we go back?"
"Um."
She fastened his cloak for him, but did not immediately withdraw her hand.
Qian Chen took her fingertips in his hand.
Nine-Color light unfolded beneath their feet, and the cold mountain wind gradually receded.
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace
The Rear Garden.
Qian Renxue took the register to the front hall, while Ice Empress returned to his residence first.
Qian Chen accompanied Snow Empress through the long corridor and stopped outside her room.
A shallow porcelain plate sat by the window.
The water in the dish had dried up, and a few sprigs of Moon Orchid leaned against the edge of the dish, their petals still pure white.
Snow Empress opened the window and moved the porcelain plate to a spot where it could be seen in the sunlight.
"Please add some water for me."
He picked up the kettle from the table and slowly poured water along the rim of the plate.
Tiny water droplets landed on the petals.
She reached out and straightened the branch that was pressing down underneath.
The plain white sleeves slid down to her wrists, and the silver thread at the edge of the sleeves caught on the flower branches.
Qian Chen put down the kettle.
"I'll do it."
His fingers supported her wrist, while his other hand parted the flower branches, slowly removing the silver thread.
Snow Empress did not move.
She watched his lowered eyes until his sleeves were straightened, then gently rotated her wrist.
"It's been untied."
Qian Chen was still holding her hand.
"I know."
"Then why aren't you letting go?"
He raised his eyes.
"I was just up on the mountain, preoccupied with handling matters."
I want to spend some time with you now.
Her gaze fell on their clasped hands.
A moment later, Snow Empress placed her free hand on the windowsill and closed the window slightly, letting the wind through.
I didn't kick you out.
Qian Chen then let go of her and pulled out a chair for her by the window.
Instead of sitting down, she walked to the clothes rack and took down a light silver outer garment.
"Wait for me in the outer room."
He noticed the dust stains on her sleeve.
That stain was from when I was adjusting his cloak earlier.
I've brewed the tea.
Snow Empress nodded and raised her hand to lower the curtain of the inner room.
The tea leaves unfurled in the hot water.
Just as Qian Chen put down the teapot, the curtain was lifted by a slender hand.
Snow Empress changed into a light silver long dress.
The collar was not adorned with elaborate beads, but only with Xiao Xue embroidered in white silk thread, and a matching sash was tied around the waist.
Her long hair was not tied up, hanging down her shoulders and back, the ends of which gently brushed against her dress with each step.
Qian Chen held the teacup but did not immediately offer it to Qianchen.
She walked to the table and glanced at the tea in his hand.
"Not for me?"
"Yes."
He placed the teacup in front of her.
Snow Empress sat down and touched the rim of the cup with her fingertips.
What were you looking at just now?
"Look at you."
She paused for a moment as she served the tea.
Qian Chen did not avoid her gaze.
You rarely wear this dress.
"Wide sleeves make it inconvenient to do things."
"No work today."
He pushed aside the sewing box she was about to pick up.
"The cloak wasn't torn, and the hairband wasn't undone."
Snow Empress looked at the box that he had moved aside, a smile appearing in his eyes.
"You've checked even these?"
"It's been checked."
Qian Chen sat down beside her.
The two chairs were close together, and his falling sleeve brushed against the hem of her skirt.
She didn't move it, but simply placed the teacup further down the table.
"So what do you want to do?"
"I'll have tea with you."
He picked up another cup, only to find the teapot beside her.
Snow Empress picked up the handle of the teapot first and poured him half a cup.
"I'm not even allowed to do this?"