Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Yu’s father took a shaky step forward and kneeled. He pressed his fists together in salute and bowed, his voice breaking. “Territory Lord, the Li clan would never dare to disobey your orders! Someone must have framed us! I beg you, please investigate this matter thoroughly!”

Li Yu’s head snapped up. Despite Meng Jiangchu’s fiery aura, he gritted his teeth and said, “That’s right, Territory Lord! Surely even someone of your status needs evidence before making accusations?”

Li Changshan’s heart skipped a beat. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and broke all four of Li Yu’s limbs. His movements were clean and swift, as if he were venting his anger on Li Yu.

White bone pierced through Li Yu’s skin, bits of flesh still clinging to the jagged edges. Before he could wail in agony, Li Changshan slammed a palm into his throat and shattered it.

But Li Changshan was still too late.

Meng Jiangchu smirked. He looked down at Li Yu, who was lying face down on the ground like a dead dog. “Evidence? Heh. I, Meng Jiangchu, have never needed evidence to kill.”

Scorching ink-green flames appeared around Li Yu as he spoke, coalescing into the silhouette of a ghost that trapped him in the center.

Every hair on Li Yu’s body stood on end. He… He genuinely intends to kill me!

Boom!

Seated on the throne, Meng Jiangchu merely glanced upward. A powerful aura erupted from him, crushing down on everyone like the weight of the heavens themselves.Even Li Changshan, ancestor of the Li family, was pressed to the ground, unable to move. The family members with lower cultivation levels vomited blood and fainted. The land was consumed by flames, distorting the surrounding space while everyone was pressed to the ground.

Li Changshan trembled, muttering in shock, “Law of the Flames!”

His jugular vein pulsed as he strained with everything he had just to lift his head and give Meng Jiangchu a pleading look. “Territory Lord! The Li family has over two thousand people, and most of them are innocent people who know nothing about what happened.

“You are free to kill, to maim, to do whatever you want to us, but… the young children in the family can’t even understand what is happening. I beg you to show some compassion and let them live…”

Li Changshan’s face was ashen. Even now, he fought for his family’s survival. He circulated his vital force, enduring the immense pressure as he shakily got to his feet, adjusted his robes, and kneeled down.

Bam!

Li Changshan kowtowed hard, leaving a smear of blood on the ground. When he rose, his forehead was bloodied. He looked as if he had aged years in an instant. His wooden hairpin had fallen loose, and silver strands hung disheveled across his face.

The elders watched with aching hearts. In the outside world, before the other holy clans, Li Changshan was a revered figure. Every sect courteously invited him as an esteemed guest. Yet now, their lofty ancestor was kowtowing so that the younger family members might have a chance to leave.

He did not even think about whether Meng Jiangchu would let him live.

To them, the Xiao family might have been too unimportant for Meng Jiangchu to retaliate. But what Meng Jiangchu cared about was that his authority had been challenged.

“Ahh! Help me! Father! Ancestor Li!”

Li Yu had turned into a fireball, wrapped in the Five Yang Ghost Flames. He wailed in agony, screaming for someone to help him.

But everyone was pressed to the ground, unable to move.

Li Yu’s father watched helplessly as the flames swallowed his son. Tears flowed from his eyes as he murmured, “Yu’er! My son…”

Li Changshan closed his eyes painfully, ignoring Li Yu’s cries for help.

Seated on the throne, Meng Jiangchu crossed his legs and propped his cheek on one hand, watching everything with calm detachment, as though none of the wailing and begging had anything to do with him.

He remained resolute, refusing to change his mind, even as Li Changshan kowtowed repeatedly.

Suddenly, Li Changshan started to stand up, enduring Meng Jiangchu’s overwhelming aura. He trembled, but through his disheveled hair, his eyes burned with determination. His powerful life force was rapidly ebbing away.

He sat cross-legged on the ground with a look of freedom in his eyes. He looked up at Meng Jiangchu, his voice gentle. “Your Majesty, Five Yang Ghost Emperor, I am willing to abandon all my cultivation and depart for the heavens today. I only hope you will let my family live. May I pay the price for challenging your authority with my life?”

Tears streamed down the faces of the Li family members. They had never imagined it would come to this. Some did not even know why the territory lord had come to their doorstep.

The Li family was respected and revered by countless people. Yet today, their ancestor had to die to preserve his bloodline.

Meng Jiangchu raised his eyebrows slightly and snorted. “Li Changshan, who do you think you are?”

Li Changshan’s breath hitched. He looked at Meng Jiangchu, eyes vacant.

The screams had weakened. Perhaps Meng Jiangchu thought Li Yu was being too noisy, because the flames devoured him whole instantly. He was a Combined Body Realm cultivator, yet in a single breath, nothing was left of him.

“No one makes my decisions for me. Ever. Do you think your death will fix everything?”

Half a dark-red mask appeared in his hand, along with a black broken mask.

Li Yu’s father shuddered the moment he saw them.

Meng Jiangchu slowly stood up. He glared at them coldly and growled, “It looks like someone recognizes these items.”

Boom!

His aura erupted again, and terrifying flames ravaged the land. The Li family’s entire realm was filled with holograms of fearsome, flaming ghosts.

This was the Five Yang Ghost Flame, ranked seventh among the heavenly flames. The scorching flames vaporized everything they touched. Screams and wails merged into a single sound.

Countless burning people tried to run, but by the time they took a step, they had already turned to white ash scattering in the air.

“There is no need for the Li family to exist anymore.”

Just as Li Guanqi reached the entrance of the Li family’s realm, he was suddenly struck by a wave of intense heat that blasted him thousands of zhang backward. If he hadn’t used his vital force shield to block the heatwaves, he would have burned up too.