Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The sky was awash in red, lit by the firelight of violent explosions.

A figure suddenly appeared behind Han Tiange. By the time he noticed and switched the hand holding his sword, it was too late. Earth-yellow light burst outward, and Han Tiange felt as though a mountain a hundred zhang tall was crashing down on him.

Boom!

Whoosh!

A cold gleam of steel flashed, and Han Tiange’s left arm spun into the air. Han Tiange unleashed a surge of power, using the force of the blow to retreat, fleeing hundreds of zhang away.

Lu Kangnian’s blood-drenched face was a mask of gruesome wounds, making him look utterly terrifying. Despite his severe injuries, he continued to pursue Han Tiange, hot on his heels, like the God of Slaughter.

The blasts of the cloud boats still echoed in the air. By that point, Han Tiange’s composure had cracked.

Seeing disciples of the Purple Sun Pavilion fleeing in disarray, he could no longer hold onto his pride. He had no choice but to shout, “All Purple Sun Pavilion disciples, retreat!”

At his order, the remaining disciples retreated at once.

Han Tiange cast one last glare at the pursuing Lu Kangnian, then bitterly formed a series of hand seals. Blood mist burst from his body as he shot away, streaking across the sky like a bolt of crimson light.As he fled, he threw out several array trays that glowed with purple light. At once, the jade slips on the waists of every Purple Sun Pavilion disciple lit up, engulfing each of them with blinding light.

Whoosh!

All the Purple Sun Pavilion members disappeared from the sky.

Only then did the spectators dare to breathe again. Their eyes revealed their shock and astonishment.

Ye Shaozhen did not even bother to lift his hand and point in his usual effeminate manner. He merely stared at the two faraway figures with powerful auras and said solemnly, “The power dynamic of the Northern Territory is changing!”

Every sect master who’d once clashed with the Daxia Sword Sect—including those from Azure Dragon Island and the Myriad Immortal Sword Sect—had gone pale. Only Shen Ye had rushed toward the Daxia Sword Sect grounds.

Over eight thousand cultivators watched the battle unfold from a safe distance of three thousand zhang. They all witnessed the cloud boats explode and the Purple Sun Pavilion retreat. Those with keener eyes even suspected the pavilion master had lost an arm.

They all gulped and remained silent, thoughts racing through their mind. Then, like wildfire, the news swept across the entire Northern Territory.

Meanwhile, Lu Kangnian’s aura rapidly weakened. His face had gone pale, and he staggered in the air. However, a youth with a sword coffin on his back quickly appeared next to him and helped support his weight.

Li Guanqi said nothing. He simply supported him, slowly and silently. Li Guanqi knew that the whole Northern Territory was watching. Lu Kangnian could not fall—not now, not with so many eyes on him.

Lu Kangnian glanced sideways at Li Guanqi but didn’t speak. Yet Li Guanqi could feel Lu Kangnian’s effort to stand tall, as if trying to disprove everyone who had called him a coward over the past few thousand years.

His eyes were beginning to blur, but he still stood as straight as a sword. Slowly raising his sword high, he swept his piercing gaze across the skies. A heavy pressure settled over the spectators.

His breath became heavy, and then his voice, bolstered by vital force, rolled like thunder across a million zhang.

“From today onward, anyone who crosses the Daxia Sword Sect shall be killed, no matter how far they run!”

His powerful voice shook the air, ablaze with righteous fury.

Then, all the Daxia Sword Sect disciples who had participated in the battle flew up into the sky. They released their auras, no longer suppressing them at all, then pointed their swords in the air and shouted in unison, “Anyone who crosses the Daxia Sword Sect shall be killed, no matter how far they are!

Then, the Daxia Sword Sect disciples who had fought in the battle soared into the sky. They unleashed their auras in full, no longer holding back, and pointed their swords toward the sky.

“Anyone who crosses the Daxia Sword Sect shall be killed, no matter how far they run!”

Their chant was deafening, as if threatening to split the night in two. The soul-trembling cheers of the disciples sounded like the war cry of an army charging into battle.

The disciples who had not reached the Foundation Building Realm felt so overwhelmed that tears flowed from their eyes. Their fists clenched so tightly that their nails pierced flesh and made blood flow, but they didn’t notice. A profound emotion filled their hearts.

Lu Kangnian gently pushed Li Guanqi aside, turned mid-air, and descended into the sect’s main hall. He gently pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

Buzz!

The moment he landed, Ling Daoyan waved an arm and erected a blazing heavenly fire barrier around the sect. Then, he shot toward the hall and flung the doors open.

Inside, he found Lu Kangnian lying face down, unconscious.

Although invoking an immortal’s name meant he could receive an ancestor’s blessing for great strength, this strength could be maintained only for a short period with great side effects. He likely would not be able to move for three days.

Ling Daoyan handled all subsequent matters.

When Shen Ye arrived at the sect, Ling Daoyan was frantically tending to Lu Kangnian while simultaneously barking orders to stabilize the sect.

Shen Ye said nothing. Without a word, he joined the people treating the wounded disciples.

Li Guanqi and many other injured Golden Core Realm disciples fought in the second battle. Another attack from the Purple Sun Pavilion may have overwhelmed the Daxia Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi was extremely fatigued, but still carried injured disciples to the Heavenly Water Peak. As he watched one corpse after another get sent to the sect graveyard, his sorrow turned into suppressed rage.

The Daxia Sword Sect had lost sixty-seven people in the battle. Forty-two of them were Golden Core Realm disciples.

Golden Core Realm disciples died at twice the rate of Foundation Building disciples. The Purple Sun Pavilion’s numerical advantage in that realm meant every Golden Core Realm disciple had to face two or more equal-strength opponents.

Also, the Purple Sun Pavilion frequently targeted the Foundation Building Realm disciples to lure the Golden Core Realm disciples over, often leaving them no choice but to shield the Foundation Building Realm disciples with their own bodies.

That had been their strategy all along.

Was it evil?

Yes, it was.

But Li Guanqi believed that not a single Daxia Sword Sect disciple would regret it.

Once his tasks were done, he finally leaned against a shattered boulder and began to bandage his wounds.

Ye Feng dragged his weary body over. He said nothing for a long time. Then, hoarsely, he said, “Senior Sister Lan He is dead. I carried her back myself.”

Li Guanqi’s breath caught. He turned to look at Ye Feng. Ye Feng buried his head between his knees, his shoulders trembling. He started to sob, muttering in a shaky voice, “How… how could she die just like that…? I haven’t even broken through to the Golden Core Realm yet! I still hadn’t told her… that I liked her.”

Li Guanqi’s mouth gaped, speechless. He didn’t know how to comfort Ye Feng. Even Li Guanqi had been unaware of Ye Feng’s feelings for Lan He.

Just then, Ling Daoyan’s voice echoed through the entire sect. “Attention, all disciples! Come to the sect graveyard in fifteen minutes to pay respects to the dead. In two hours, we shall strike the Purple Sun Pavilion!”