Moral blackmail? Sorry

Outside the White Tiger Sect.

Li Dan had gathered all the Li Lineage disciples here in advance. The blood tiger will's rampage had not harmed a single person the Li Lineage had brought along.

"Brother Dan, did you see what happened inside? It's complete chaos."

"It seems to be over. Did the young master make his move?"

"The blood tiger's presence alone felt strong enough to crush me to death just now. It scared me to death."

"Thank goodness the young master told us to leave early. Good thing we ran fast, or we would've been the ones dying."

Smelling the bloody Qi drifting through the air, the Li Lineage disciples felt lingering fear and profound admiration for Li Xiao.

Li Dan scoffed. "When the young master and I passed that courtyard earlier, he was already about to act. Who knew those two useless White Tiger Sect elders would stop us? They deserved it."

Hearing Li Dan's words, the Li Lineage disciples nodded in agreement. "Exactly. The young master could've suppressed it with a mere lift of his hand."

"It's over. Let's go in."

Li Dan glanced at the White Tiger Sect. Detecting nothing unusual, he led the main contingent of the Li Lineage toward White Tiger Hall.

White Tiger Hall.

The hall no longer possessed its former splendor. The floor had caved in, the walls had shattered, and even the white tiger statue symbolizing the White Tiger Sect had toppled to the ground and broken apart. The entire White Tiger Hall teetered on the verge of collapse, as though it would crumble the very next second.

Li Xiao looked at Nangong Meng and said with a perfectly straight face,

"I already went very easy on it. Who knew White Tiger Hall couldn't take a little pounding? This is definitely tofu-dreg construction."

Nangong Meng rolled her eyes.

White Tiger Hall had been built from the finest jade bricks. Even an ordinary Saint Realm cultivator's full-powered strike could not shatter them. Yet today, it had encountered a freak like Li Xiao. The hall could not withstand even the slightest trace of his Peak Saint presence leaking out.

"Ah, we can simply rebuild White Tiger Hall if it collapses. But these people..."

Nangong Meng sighed, looking at the corpses strewn across the hall, guilt showing on her face.

These people had all come to attend the ceremony at her White Tiger Sect's invitation. Now, because of the accident in the White Tiger Sect's forbidden grounds, they had died in the White Tiger Sect. This matter would likely not end peacefully.

"Young master, are you all right?"

Just then, Li Dan entered from outside the sect with the Li Lineage disciples.

Looking at the shocking scene around him, Li Dan's heart sank, and his admiration for Li Xiao deepened.

Had the young master not told them to leave early, there was no telling how many people the Li Lineage would have lost in this hall.

Li Xiao waved a hand. "I'm fine. None of the Li Lineage disciples were injured, were they?"

At this, Li Dan shook his head. "Young master, because the Li Lineage disciples evacuated in time, none of them were caught up in it."

The Li Lineage disciples all cast admiring looks at Li Xiao.

The young master always thought of the Li Lineage members' safety first, leaving them inexplicably moved.

Perhaps this was what made a good leader.

Just as everyone was immersed in the relief of surviving a calamity, a voice rang out through the spacious hall.

"You Li Lineage people are shameless!"

Everyone looked up toward the voice.

They saw an old man in white robes with black cloth wrapped around his head pointing at Li Xiao and angrily cursing him.

"Not a single member of your Li Lineage was killed or injured. Clearly, you knew something and evacuated early! Why didn't you tell us to come with you, instead of letting our sects' disciples die here for nothing?"

Filled with righteous indignation, his face seething with anger, the old man continued,

"And you, Li Xiao! You clearly had the ability to deal with it, yet you waited until our sects' disciples had suffered heavy casualties before acting. Just what were your Li Lineage's intentions?"

The old man's words struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

With the old man taking the lead, some of the surviving sect disciples spoke up in agreement.

Hearing this, Li Dan and the other Li Lineage disciples looked furious and fired back.

At that moment, Li Xiao's face remained as still as an ancient well, betraying no emotion.

Just as the old man was about to speak again, Li Xiao turned his palm over, gathered essence, and struck out at him.

Before everyone's eyes, the old man instantly turned into a mist of blood.

Everyone's hearts jolted, and they looked at Li Xiao in terror.

Among them were quite a few more who courted death. Pointing at Li Xiao in horror, they said in trembling voices,

"Y-you... Li Xiao, you actually dare commit murder right in front of us!"

Li Xiao's eyes snapped wide open. A series of muffled bursts rang out through the hall as heads exploded one after another in the crowd, adding yet more bloodshed to the hall.

"Anyone else have a problem?"

Li Xiao sneered, clasped his hands behind his back, and swept his gaze around.

"Since when did I, Li Xiao, need you to dictate my actions? Don't all of you who are still standing here owe me your lives? Don't try your moral blackmail on me, or you can all go down and join the dead."

Li Xiao's words left everyone silent as cicadas in winter, afraid that the next moment, they would no longer see today's sun.

At this point, Nangong Meng stepped forward to smooth things over and said,

"Fellow Daoists, this happened because of our White Tiger Sect's negligence, allowing that white tiger will to escape. Our White Tiger Sect will compensate each of you for your losses. Our White Tiger Sect also lost many disciples this time. I hope you can all understand."

Hearing this, everyone glanced at Li Xiao, then promptly nodded in agreement.

That god of slaughter, Li Xiao, was still here. If they refused to compromise, they probably would not leave the White Tiger Sect alive today.

They were all old foxes who had cultivated for hundreds or thousands of years. They valued their lives above all else.