Cleaning House
Looking at the saber shattered by sword Qi, Xiong Zhendong smiled in relief. "Nothing special after all. No need to see me off, young master Qie. Your good days are still ahead of you."
With that, he turned and continued running toward the woods.
He had already been a peak Silver Moon Knight, and now, using a secret technique to fight desperately with an explosive burst of power, he had reached the very threshold of Title Rank.
He now felt that although he could not possibly defeat a true Title Rank expert, he could still hold out for a few moves and retreat from him.
"You're all going to die today." Qie Qiong's voice was calm, but it pronounced Xiong Zhendong's death sentence.
As he spoke, Qie Qiong raised his left foot, and black light flashed.
Qie Qiong had still been standing where he was a moment ago, but after the flash of black light, he was already close to Xiong Zhendong.
"You're too slow." Qie Qiong's voice rang out behind Xiong Zhendong.
Although Xiong Zhendong had used a secret technique to reach a speed comparable to some Title Rank experts, that only applied to those who did not specialize in speed.
The Thunder's Five Transformation Technique and Thunder Light that Qie Qiong cultivated were a cultivation technique and a secret technique that both specialized in speed, so he naturally did not fall into that category.
He might have thought he could escape because the Title Rank experts he had seen moving at full speed were the Xiong Clan's two Title Rank experts.
But those two did not specialize in speed, which had given him the illusion that he could get away.
The hairs on Xiong Zhendong's body stood on end, and he once again squeezed the Dou Qi from his dantian to keep charging forward.
But his speed was like a tortoise's crawl before Qie Qiong.
Qie Qiong caught up to him in an instant, before he even had time to react.
Puchi-
Xiong Zhendong felt a pain in his back, and the Azure Edge Sword in Qie Qiong's hand had already pierced through his body.
Qie Qiong abruptly pulled out his sword, and Xiong Zhendong slowly collapsed to the ground.
Even at the very end, he had believed he could escape.
Qie Qiong slowly turned and walked back.
From the Xiong Clan's ambush to their deaths, it took a long time to describe, but in truth, less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea had passed.
At the scene, only Xiong Zhixuan remained, still standing stiffly in place.
His face had long since turned deathly pale, and even the dagger and sword in his hands had fallen to the ground.
He had just witnessed eight of his clan's elites, including a Silver Moon Knight, die without resistance at the hands of the youth he had served for years. He had long since lost the courage to resist.
Thud...
Watching Qie Qiong walk slowly toward him, he dropped to his knees without hesitation.
He knocked his head against the ground again and again.
"Young master, for the sake of all the years I've served you, please spare me this once."
"I told you, not one of you is getting away today," Qie Qiong said calmly.
But his words made Xiong Zhixuan's entire body stiffen.
Qie Qiong made no unnecessary movements. With a turn of his wrist, a streak of black sword Qi swiftly sliced through Xiong Zhixuan's neck.
Xiong Zhixuan's body trembled, and the light in his eyes faded completely.
A heavy stench of blood filled the air.
In less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea,
all nine Xiong Clan experts who had been so aggressive moments ago had died beneath the swords of Qie Qiong and Qi Lingfei.
Strangely, this was Qie Qiong's first time killing people, yet he felt no discomfort whatsoever.
Qi Lingfei stood to the side, only recovering from his shock when Xiong Zhixuan fell.
He swallowed and looked at the sword-wielding youth standing there, his eyes filled with awe.
"Young... young master." His voice trembled slightly, with a trace of barely perceptible delight.
He naturally knew what had just happened, and what it meant for an eleven-year-old to reach Title Rank.
Qie Qiong withdrew the imposing presence around him, as though the pressure of his union with heaven and earth just now had been an illusion.
Qie Qiong glanced at the corpses lying on the ground and said evenly:
"Uncle Qi, you saw it too. Uncle Kang betrayed me first. I had no choice."
Qi Lingfei nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course. He brought this on himself."
Qie Qiong nodded and instructed him, "Uncle Qi, check them. If any are still alive, finish them off."
"Keep twenty percent of the money and valuables, and give me the rest when you get back. Send up a signal arrow later and have the city guards dispose of the bodies here."
Qie Qiong paused. "Just say they were blind bandits who offended us and were killed by us. Understand?"
Qi Lingfei bowed and accepted the orders. "Yes, young master. Rest assured, I know what to do. But I would be ashamed to accept the money and valuables."
He also understood that Qie Qiong's strength could not be allowed to leak out.
If news of an eleven-year-old Title Rank expert got out, the Qie Clan would enjoy a brief period of glory, but a devastating calamity would soon follow.
But as for the rest of the spoils, he genuinely felt he could not accept them.
"Keep it, Uncle Qi. You've earned it. I can rest easy leaving the rest to you." Qie Qiong nodded slightly.
Qi Lingfei had neither surrendered nor turned traitor at the outset, so he had passed Qie Qiong's test. Besides, this could also be considered hush money.
Qie Qiong swung himself onto his horse.
"Come find me at the mining area once you're finished."
With that, Qie Qiong headed for the mining area.
The third-tier Cloud-Treading Steed shot away like an arrow loosed from its string, leaving dust in its wake.
The third-tier Cloud-Treading Steed was extremely fast, and it soon reached the new mining area.
Because this new mining area had been seized from the Xiong Clan, it was heavily guarded, with the Qie Clan's guards patrolling back and forth. (To explain why they could seize a mine belonging to a clan from another country: both countries considered the Qiyun Mountain Range their own, but since they had not gone to war, they could contend for it.)
The ore produced by this vein was only of some use to the Qie Clan, but the possibility of finding the Transcendent material "Thunder Adamantine" in every hundred thousand jin made it extremely important.
That was why it was heavily guarded. Even his father, Qie Yunzhou, would come and take a look whenever bad news came from here.
After all, Qie Yunzhou's main concern now was refining his Dou Qi and becoming a Transcendent.
When they saw the figure riding toward them, some guards were about to speak, but guards who recognized Qie Qiong stopped them.
"Greetings, young master." The guards saluted and let him through.
He handed the Cloud-Treading Steed over to a guard.
Qie Qiong then made his way to the entrance of the mine, where he spotted his father, Qie Yunzhou, at a glance.
He wore a cyan robe and stood with his hands behind his back, gazing deep into the mine with a grave expression.
He was listening to a report from a middle-aged man dressed as a steward.
Perhaps the matter was extremely important, for Qie Yunzhou did not immediately notice his son's arrival.
This was also because Qie Qiong had made a breakthrough. If he had still been at Silver Moon Rank, Qie Yunzhou would have noticed him long ago.
Only when Qie Qiong came closer did Qie Yunzhou sense him. He turned his head slightly and saw who it was.
"Qiong'er?" Qie Yunzhou was somewhat surprised.
Over the past few years, Qie Qiong had rarely left the city except for necessary training.
"What brought you here? Has something happened at home?" As he spoke, he looked Qie Qiong over.
Although Qie Qiong had concealed his presence, Qie Yunzhou was, after all, a Title Rank expert at the Myriad Things Realm, and he could still faintly sense a change in Qie Qiong's presence.
A brilliant smile appeared on Qie Qiong's face as he walked over to his father. "Everything is fine at home. I came to see you."
He paused. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you in private."