Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Long Qu’s arrival had already caused quite a stir.

Many had only heard rumors. Apparently, Long Qu had just broken through to the early stage of the Illusory Refinement Realm. Some even believed he might replace Zhao Xianglu, the current Azure Cloud Territory Lord. However, Zhao Xianglu rarely appeared in public, and most didn’t even know what kind of person he actually was.

Long Qu had visited the Daxia Sword Sect repeatedly, and the keen-eyed among the crowd had taken notice. Many assumed the Seven Peaks Swords of the Daxia Sword Sect were as good as gone.

Fresh off his breakthrough and brimming with confidence, Long Qu had barely stabilized his new realm before rushing to the Daxia Sword Sect. He paid little attention to Li Guanqi and the others. After all, Long Qu’s status was well established.

But to everyone’s shock, Ye Feng narrowed his eyes, and a terrifying pressure erupted with a thunderous roar. The concave array barrier rebounded violently.

Clang!

The longsword returned to its sheath. Ye Feng held the severed hand in his palm and squeezed gently, crushing it.

Long Qu leaped back over a hundred zhang. His lips trembled, eyes wide with disbelief.

Ye Feng’s stony gaze locked onto him, his voice calm. “If you don’t want to die… stay far away. You’ve helped the sect before, so I’ll spare you this time.”

Lu Kangnian didn’t intervene. The Daxia Sword Sect no longer needed to appease anyone, and he was more than happy to let things play out. He stood aside in silence, letting Ye Feng handle everything.Only then did Lu Kangnian realize that the young men who had once needed the sect’s protection had grown strong enough to stand on their own, even surpassing the once-lofty Northern Heavenly King.

Long Qu’s face darkened, but even with his hand severed, he dared not utter a word. He clenched the stump of his wrist and said nothing.

Buzz!Boom!

Ye Feng’s aura erupted again, and the array barrier shattered. He emerged from it with one hand gripping his sword hilt. Veins bulged along his right arm, and a wave of black energy slowly dissipated. A chilling wind howled across tens of thousands of zhang, and the onlookers felt as if fierce spirits were wailing beside their ears.

When Ye Feng’s entire right arm transformed into a Ghost Arm, just the motion of drawing his sword sent tremors through Long Qu’s mind. His pupils widened in terror. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn’t move, as if weighted with lead. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.

The figure of the young man before him seemed to warp and vanish, replaced by the looming silhouette of a thousand-zhang-tall demonic shadow. Long Qu’s eyes widened. The shadow bent forward and roared, its violent power making Long Qu feel like a tiny boat in a storm. The force alone drenched his robes in sweat.

Ye Feng felt bored. He didn’t understand how someone so weak could have the audacity to threaten the Daxia Sword Sect. He hadn’t even heard about Long Qu’s breakthrough.

Long Qu had impatiently barged into the Daxia Sword Sect before his subordinates could finish their report, assuming Li Guanqi was still the rising star of the Divine Transformation Realm.

Ye Feng pressed closer, step by step. By the time Long Qu realized what was happening, a longsword was already at his throat. The cold blade stung, and Long Qu swallowed hard.

Ye Feng leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You guessed right. The Southern Heavenly King of Black Sect Territory was killed by my boss. I’ll give you some advice: don’t even think about touching the Daxia Sword Sect. Or else…”

He pressed the blade deeper. His calm voice made Long Qu shiver despite himself.

“I wouldn’t mind killing you myself.”

With that, he withdrew the sword bit by bit. Blood sprayed from Long Qu’s neck, but he dared not move.

Clang!

Ye Feng flicked his wrist, tracing a pattern with the blade before flinging the blood off and sheathing it in a single motion. He turned and walked back through the array barrier without another glance at Long Qu, raising his hand to restore the formation.

Every cultivator watching from the shadows felt a chill run through them. The identities of the mysterious figures who had killed the Southern Heavenly King of the Black Sect Territory were confirmed at last.

Perhaps some had suspected as much after seeing five Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators at the Daxia Sword Sect’s plaza. But actually crossing into the Black Sect Territory to kill the Southern Heavenly King… even now, it was almost too shocking to imagine.

“Ugh… this time the Northern Heavenly King really walked into a wall!”

“Exactly! He thought he could just waltz in and take the seven ancient swords. He broke through to the Illusory Refinement Realm and figured it’d be easy, but look at him now. What a failure.”

“Ye Feng is so strong! How have we never heard of him?”

“Even the Northern Heavenly King Long Qu, after breaking through to the Illusory Refinement Realm, couldn’t fight back at all! He was as helpless as a child.”

Every cultivator in the shadows was shocked to the core. They’d assumed only Li Guanqi could be considered a pillar of the Daxia Sword Sect. Now, it was clear that none of the teachers at the sect’s lecture were pushovers.

Cao Yan watched the scene and quietly resolved to enter seclusion and break through as soon as possible.

Lu Kangnian had just turned around, his smile stretching almost to the back of his head. He barely made it a few steps before bursting into laughter, hands clasped behind his back. “Incredible! Hahaha, this is so satisfying! Guanqi was right. Only strength can make others respect our boundaries and principles.”

Ye Feng pursed his lips, glanced at Lu Kangnian, and shrugged. “Sect Master, if I’m not mistaken… you’re close to breaking through yourself, aren’t you? Unless you’re deliberately suppressing your realm.”

Lu Kangnian didn’t deny it. He sighed softly. “The sect is in a period of growth. Sometimes I can’t help but worry…”

Ye Feng nodded, thinking it over. He caught Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian exchanging a knowing smile and quickly waved his hand. “Don’t look at me like that. I can be the figurehead, sure, but actually running things? That’s way beyond me.”

With that, a flash of golden light enveloped Ye Feng, and he vanished, heading straight to the back mountain to serve as Li Guanqi’s protector.

Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian glanced mischievously at Cao Yan, who waved his hands in a panic. “Sect Master Lu, Senior Qin… I need to go into seclusion and prepare for my breakthrough… I’m really not the right person for this… Second Brother! Second Brother, wait for me!”

He dashed off in a flash.

A few streaks of silver hair had crept into Lu Kangnian’s temples. He smiled. “They’re all good kids.”

Qin Xian nodded beside him. “They are the future of our sect. I never thought I’d live to see the sect at its peak. Now, I can die with no regrets.”

The two exchanged a glance and laughed heartily. Die? Not now. They wanted to see the sect grow even stronger.

***

Meanwhile, Meng Wanshu had already arrived at the Black Tortoise Continent.

Above the silent mountains, a black rift tore open. From it, a woman in a long ice-blue dress slowly emerged. With each step, countless ice crystals bloomed at her feet, as if greeting their queen.