Bang! With a thunderous crash, Shi Hao's sword light was blocked. Then the towering figure of the former sect master, Dongfang Leng, appeared in front of Zhou Yong. He had intervened at the crucial moment to stop Shi Hao's flying sword. After stepping down as sect master, Dongfang Leng had stopped concerning himself with sect affairs, spending his remaining years cultivating in the cave dwelling the sect provided for its supreme elder. The spiritual energy fluctuations from the battle in Righteous Qi Hall had roused him. A sweep of his divine sense revealed that traitors among their subordinate forces had risen in rebellion, and he had rushed over, blocking Shi Hao's flying sword at the critical moment.
Shi Hao saw that the one who had blocked what he believed to be a killing blow was that old bastard, the former sect master Dongfang Leng.
"You old bastard, you finally showed yourself! I thought I'd have to slaughter all these whelps before coming to butcher you!"
"Today, I'll send you to your grave!" Shi Hao said through gritted teeth, glaring at Dongfang Leng.
"You traitor with a wolf's ambition! Let me cleanse the sect of your filth!" Dongfang Leng said, staring coldly at the enemy before him.
"You think you can..." Without another word, Shi Hao sprang into the air and struck at Dongfang Leng with his palm.
"Today, I'll send you to your grave!" His voice brimmed with resolve and authority, and a powerful aura radiated from his body. Dongfang Leng leaped into the air in an instant, his flying sword transforming into countless rays of sword light that blocked every part of Shi Hao's attack.
When his first strike failed, Shi Hao immediately circulated his spiritual energy and unleashed another palm strike. Dongfang Leng dared not be careless and concentrated on meeting it. Just then, the other four sect leaders attacked Dongfang Leng simultaneously. The pressure on him surged. Surrounded by all five, he struggled to fend them off on every side, his situation hanging by a thread.
"The leaders of the Five Great Sects are young and vigorous. Shi Hao is in the late Nascent Soul Realm, as are the other four. With all five joining forces, I'm no match for them. Besides, I have little lifespan left, and all my abilities are declining. It seems I can only use the sect master's secret art to raise my cultivation and make one final gamble today." Dongfang Leng spoke through gritted teeth, sighing inwardly.
Seeing Dongfang Leng struggling on every side and already showing signs of defeat, Shi Hao sneered at him. "Let's see how much longer you can hold out! To be reduced to dust by the combined attacks of five sect leaders today is a blessing for you!"
Dongfang Leng swung his sword, unleashing a streak of Sword Qi that drove back the attacks closing in on him. Then he drew a deep breath. Spiritual energy surged wildly throughout his body, and his aura soared at a visibly astonishing rate until it reached its peak.
"Heaven-Breaking Sword Art!" he roared. The flying sword in his hand transformed into a colossal beam of sword light, like a blade that could cleave the heavens, shooting straight into the clouds. The leaders of the Five Great Sects cried out in alarm. The might of this strike was simply too terrifying. Shi Hao's expression changed. Knowing he could not withstand it, he immediately darted backward, trying to escape the sword light's range. Then he poured out spiritual power in a frenzy, raising a spiritual shield before him. The other sect leaders also used their life-saving methods and retreated.
Yet Dongfang Leng's deadly strike, powered by a secret art that concentrated and elevated his entire cultivation, was not so easily evaded. The sword light tore through the air. Seeing that he could not escape, Shi Hao hurriedly shouted to the other four, "Quick! Attack together, or none of us will get out of this unscathed!"
The four reacted instantly. If they continued dodging, none of them could withstand Dongfang Leng's sword alone. They turned to face the flying sword hurtling toward them and unleashed their strongest strikes. Several beams of sword light collided in midair, and an explosive bang rang out. The spiritual energy storm born of the explosion blasted outward in every direction. When the sword light dissipated, their figures emerged.
Dongfang Leng slowly descended to the ground. The flying sword in his hand had lost its former luster. His face visibly aged, and his once gray-white hair had turned silver. Looking at the men, who had merely been wounded, he let out a deep sigh and straightened his slightly stooped body. Then he tucked his flying sword into his sleeve, his heart filled with anger and unwillingness to accept defeat.
Even spending what little lifespan I had left to boost all my spiritual power wasn't enough to kill them. It seems there's no turning the tide today. If only that senior from years ago could intervene again to save the Righteous Qi Sect and resolve today's calamity. But the sect has searched for years without finding that senior. "Alas! I have failed all the sect's ancestors!"
Meanwhile, Li Dalong, who had been cultivating in the forbidden grounds behind the mountain, was roused by the spiritual energy storm unleashed by Dongfang Leng's powerful strike. A battle must have been taking place within the Righteous Qi Sect. He immediately stirred his divine sense and saw the scene inside Righteous Qi Hall clearly. He also saw the tragic state of his master, Dongfang Leng, whose lifespan had been exhausted. His heart filled with fury and grief.
Li Dalong understood everything in an instant. He knew that the alliance of the Five Great Sects had betrayed the Righteous Qi Sect and attacked it. His master, Dongfang Leng, must have used the sect's secret art to forcibly raise his cultivation, exhausting what little lifespan he had left ahead of time.
His master's kindness to him weighed as heavily as a mountain. He had cultivated under his master since childhood, and Dongfang Leng had been both teacher and father to him. These traitors had driven his master to such a state. Today, he would avenge his master and bring these traitors to justice.
With a flash of movement, Li Dalong flew toward Righteous Qi Hall. His figure left a blurred afterimage across the sky, moving too quickly for the eye to follow. When he reached Righteous Qi Hall, Shi Hao and the other four leaders of the Five Great Sects were preparing to attack again.
The leaders of the Five Great Sects were all startled by Li Dalong's sudden appearance. They could not discern the slightest trace of this mysterious newcomer's cultivation realm and immediately grew wary. This mysterious man would not be easy to deal with.
Li Dalong stared coldly at the men from the Five Great Sects and forced a few words through his teeth.
"You deserve to die!"
His divine sense locked onto Shi Hao. The Azure Cloud Sword instantly appeared in Li Dalong's hand, its light flickering and its icy chill spilling in every direction. Like a bolt of lightning piercing the void, it slashed toward Shi Hao.
Shi Hao's eyes widened as he watched the flying sword flash toward him. He tried to dodge, only to discover that his body had been completely immobilized. He could not move an inch. Despair swept over him. He knew the gulf between his cultivation and this mysterious man's was far too vast. A sense of helplessness rose in his heart. He knew there was no escaping his doom today.
Just as he despaired, a thin line of blood appeared across his neck. His head flew into the air, and then he plunged into an abyss of darkness. An ambitious, ruthless overlord was extinguished just like that.
When Dong Zhilan, the leader of the Heavenly Crane Sect, saw that Shi Hao, the strongest among them, could not withstand even one strike from this mysterious man, he immediately darted away to flee. Seeing Dong Zhilan escape, the others also took flight, scattering in every direction. But Li Dalong's killing intent had already risen. How could he possibly let them flee right under his nose? He poured spiritual power into the Azure Cloud Sword and swung it. A streak of Sword Qi shot forth, slicing through their bodies in an instant.
Several thuds rang out as the corpses fell from the sky and landed before Righteous Qi Hall. The men who had been utterly arrogant just a few breaths earlier had become corpses in an instant. Fate truly made fools of men.
Before you continue