"How... could this be..."
This was the last hazy thought before his consciousness was completely extinguished.
This spiritual imprint avatar could not even leave behind a complete final message before it was utterly shattered beneath that sword strike like a bubble, vanishing without a trace.
In the alley, Gu Sheng stood silently, though no one knew when he had arrived.
He held an ancient-looking longsword in his hand, its entire body radiating a faint imperial pressure—the Southern Emperor Sword. Its blade was as pristine as new, unstained by any filth, as though the ghostly swift strike that had annihilated the spiritual imprint had not come from it.
Gu Sheng expressionlessly flicked his wrist, and the Southern Emperor Sword vanished soundlessly from his hand.
He did not even glance at the place where the spiritual imprint had dissipated, as though he had merely crushed a noisy fly.
His figure moved again, returning as if by teleportation to the blood-soaked front courtyard of the Gu residence.
The surviving Gu Jianghe still sat collapsed in the pool of blood, grief filling his eyes. Dozens of Linlang Guards stood solemnly nearby like statues, silently keeping watch as suffocating sorrow and killing intent filled the air.
Gu Sheng's gaze swept over the corpses of his clansmen scattered across the ground. A flash of profound pain passed through his eyes, but it was swiftly replaced by an even colder resolve.
He spoke in a low voice, not loudly, yet every Linlang Guard heard him clearly.
"See to the families of all the dead and give the deceased proper burials. All expenses will be paid from my share of Linlang Pavilion's accounts. Spare no expense."
"Yes! We shall obey the Third Pavilion Master's orders!"
The leader of the Linlang Guards clasped his fists and bowed, answering in