Chapter 1134: Chapter 1128: Fear
“Not good—I can sense the aura of the family’s grand array.”
“Heaven-damned Li Clan, you will die a miserable death!”
“How long are these bastards going to keep following us?!!”
On the road back to the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain, pressing forward through the blizzard, the Qiu clansmen—who had originally been heading toward the Northern Border City to carve a bloody path to the Azure Cloud Prefecture—were now anxiously retreating.
The resonance within their bloodlines allowed them to realize that the Li Clan had launched a surprise attack on their rear.
Every one of them burned with rage, their eyes wide with fury.
As they retraced their path, they discovered that all of their branch lineages had indeed been wiped out by the Li Clan.
Cultivators in the major cities all said the same thing: the Li clansmen had stormed in without a word, slaughtering anyone bearing the surname Qiu without mercy.
It wasn’t that those cities lacked experts.
Some were even under the control of factions with Body Integration realm cultivators.
Yet those same factions—which had once cooperated with the Qiu Clan and loudly proclaimed they would share life and death together—had merely watched coldly from the sidelines.
Especially in the void behind them.
Qiu Xundao twisted his head back, teeth grinding.
“Such colossal audacity!”
From the moment they turned back to rescue their clan, Void Refining auras had appeared behind them, pursuing them relentlessly through the void.
Because of this, their own Void Refining experts dared not rush ahead toward the family, even by a single step.
Qiu Xundao could vaguely sense that the Li Clan had anticipated his every move.
They were playing with him—mocking his arrogance.
Everything happening to the family now was the price he had to pay.
“Clan Elder!”
A heart-wrenching roar rang out, so furious it seemed to shake heaven and earth, leaving every Qiu clansman pale and chilled to the bone.
Before them lay the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain.
The land where their family had lived and flourished for tens of thousands of years was now sealed beneath a thick layer of ice.
Their Immortal Mountain had become a flawless work of art in a crystalline world—an ice sculpture carved after a massacre, preserving the Qiu clansmen’s final will of desperate resistance, along with their flesh and blood.
At the mountain peak, the hundred-meter-tall Snow God giant knelt, its hands pressed to the ground.
Bloody tears dripped one by one from its lowered head.
Aside from him, there was not a single trace of life anywhere on the Immortal Mountain.
……..
The blizzard came to a halt over the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain.
The returning clansmen frantically unleashed their Spiritual Power, trying to break open the iceberg.
Clinging to the last shred of hope in their hearts, they attempted to rescue their kin—even though they knew, deep down, that everyone inside was already dead.
“How could this happen? Xundao… you lied to me.”
The icy wind whipped through Qiu Naihe’s dry white hair, deepening the lines etched across his face.
Qiu Naihe and the other three Clan Elders flew before the Snow Spirit giant formed by Qiu Anran.
They remained silent.
Hatred toward the Li Clan and despair over their family’s ruin intertwined in their hearts, leaving them at a loss.
The instigator, Qiu Xunfa, stood pale-faced, his gaze flickering as his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Qiu Chuhui covered her face, struggling to hold back her tears, unable to accept what had happened.
Qiu Xundao’s eyes brimmed with endless hatred, veins bulging across his body.
Qiu Naihe trembled all over.
He could not tell whether it was from anger or regret—until the Snow God giant slowly raised its head.
Those bloodshot eyes, weeping tears of blood, fixed themselves upon the four Clan Elders.
Once, they had seemed like gods in Qiu Anran’s eyes.
Now, only hatred remained.
“Anran!”
Qiu Chuhui choked out a sob and stepped forward, but Qiu Xundao stopped her.
She turned sharply, shouting, “Qiu Xundao, look at the disaster you and Qiu Xunfa have brought upon our clan!”
“…”
Qiu Xundao fell silent.
He shook his head, not daring to respond, and instead pointed at the Snow God giant.
“The Spiritual Power within him is abnormal. Do not let it touch you.”
Cracks riddled Qiu Anran’s massive form—no fewer than a thousand.
Around them were dark, bruise-like marks, profound and ominous, exuding an extreme malice.
That malice had already seeped into his bones, corroding both body and soul.
Dark energy circulated through his icy body—it was thoroughly rotten.
Behind him stood hundreds of ice sculptures.
Without exception, each bore a blank, terrified expression.
Even frozen, their incomprehension seemed to pierce through the cold, as though they had died while trying to flee.
And the Spiritual Power that killed them… came from Qiu Anran.
“He said because it amused him.”
Qiu Anran’s trembling voice echoed.
Those blood-weeping eyes made the four elders unable to meet his gaze.
“He is a lunatic. I have never seen such an existence. Even after using the family’s foundation, I was no match for him.”
“Anyone who touches him becomes enslaved by his resentment.
I watched as he tortured our clansmen, bit by bit.
My Spiritual Power far exceeded his, yet I was utterly powerless against him.
The moment I saw him, I had already lost.”
“A rational lunatic.”
“His torture was a trap. He was using my anger.
Every time he seized a clansman, he clouded my judgment.
Every time he touched me, he left something behind—until my body and soul were corrupted.”
“He was tormenting me as well. In the end… I saw everyone as him. I…”
“I killed all our clansmen.”
“…”
A mournful wind swept past.
No one could comprehend the despair Qiu Anran felt—killing his own people, only to realize the truth afterward.
Qiu Xundao’s eyes burned with killing intent.
“Who?”
But no answer came.
The ice and snow trembled.
“Bang!”
Qiu Anran smashed the iceberg with fury, causing the clansmen below to look up in shock.
They saw him glaring, Spiritual Power surging.
Using the same technique as before, countless ice pillars formed in the sky, aimed at the four elders.
He roared hoarsely:
“You! It was you who killed my clansmen!”
“Anran, have you gone mad?!!”
Qiu Naihe shouted in alarm.
But only another furious roar answered him.
The sky filled with ice pillars—it was as though a god’s wrath had descended.
“Do you truly not understand why things turned out this way?”
Whether influenced by Li Tianming’s technique or driven by his own fury, Qiu Anran’s voice trembled with rage.
He glared angrily at the four Ancestors, whose eyes were filled with fear.
Fear. What a laughable fear.
“Qiu Xunfa, your hands are filthy! You caused this disaster—so why did the entire clan pay the price?”
“I…”
Qiu Xunfa dared not respond.
Qiu Chuhui originally wanted to say something, but Qiu Anran had already shouted.
“Who are you crying for?” Qiu Anran shouted at Qiu Chuhui. “When the clan faced calamity, where were you?!!”
“And you, Qiu Xundao!”
Qiu Anran let out a scornful laugh.
“Qiu Xundao, oh Qiu Xundao… the family has fallen to this state entirely because of you!
You’ve spent your whole life cleaning up Qiu Xunfa’s messes—surely that must make you feel very accomplished.
The two of you brothers suffered hardships since childhood.
You pushed yourself to climb higher than Qiu Xunfa, just to prove that you were the better elder brother.
You’ve always used him as a warning to the entire clan—that even Qiu Xunfa cannot be provoked, let alone you.”
“Deep down, you despise him, yet you still choose to protect him.
Even now, for his sake, you dragged the entire family into becoming enemies of the Li Clan.
You weren’t afraid of his death, nor did you lack the means to compensate the Li Clan.
What you truly feared… was that once you lowered your head, you would never be able to raise it again within the clan.”
“That’s enough!” A cold glint flashed in Qiu Xundao’s eyes as his anger surged.
“Enough? Not even close!”
Qiu Anran roared,
“For your own selfish desires, you sought out your so-called allies to enumerate the Li Clan’s ‘ten deadly sins.’
In the end, it all came down to your lack of confidence in finding your Dao path in the Northern Border.
You claimed to understand the Li Clan completely—but that was nothing more than delusion! Could you have foreseen today? No. You couldn’t.”
“Anran!”
Qiu Anran’s Spiritual Power continued to gather, the force of ice and snow enveloping the towering ice pillars.
With each of his furious accusations, the expressions of the returning Qiu clansmen grew darker and more distorted.
They looked toward the four Clan Elders with suspicion and anger.
“And you, Qiu Naihe!”
“…”
Qiu Naihe’s brows furrowed deeply. Faced with the family’s current devastation, his heart was filled with boundless guilt.
He was even furious at Qiu Xundao, yet utterly powerless to change anything.
Just as he was about to think of a way to stabilize the situation, he never expected Qiu Anran’s accusation to turn toward him.
“As the most ancient figure in the family, why have you always indulged Qiu Xundao and Qiu Xunfa?”
Qiu Anran demanded fiercely,
“It was your cowardice and indulgence that slowly led our family to this very day.
You knew long ago what kind of person Qiu Xunfa was—yet you were just as greedy!
You couldn’t bring yourself to let go of Qiu Xundao’s power within the Asura Army.
Whatever Qiu Xundao said, you chose to believe.”
“You knew full well that by paying a certain price, we could have given the Li Clan an explanation.
That price wouldn’t even have required Qiu Xunfa’s life! But you… you couldn’t restrain your greed.”
Tears of blood streamed down without end.
“You wanted more—just as you couldn’t let go of Qiu Xundao’s power.
The moment he claimed that annihilating the Li Clan would bring immense benefits, your greed was laid bare.
It may have looked like Qiu Xundao was leading the charge—but in truth, you were the one guiding him from the shadows.
You disguised yourself as someone worldly and wise… but your heart is utterly ruthless!”
“But did you ever think about us…?”
Silence engulfed the iceberg.
Only Qiu Anran’s quiet sobbing remained.
“We were born in the Northern Border.
We cultivated in silence, braving blizzards and fighting the Demon Race generation after generation.
Every one of us was innocent—yet bound by blood, we stood on the same battlefield as you.”
“All we ever wanted was our home… to watch our descendants grow amidst the ice and snow, to return with prey from the frozen plains.”
“The Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain belongs to the Northern Border—not the Azure Cloud of the South.
Even if we went there… we would never become the Azure Cloud Qiu Clan.”
“You… why did you kill my clansmen? Why did you kill me?”
Those grief-stricken cries made the hearts of the four Clan Elders tremble.
If only they could start over…
“That’s not right!”
Qiu Naihe’s expression abruptly changed.
He stared at Qiu Anran in horror.
Sensing the hatred and resentment the surrounding clansmen now directed at them, he fixed a cold gaze on Qiu Anran.
“How could you possibly know all this? When you came out of seclusion, your only order was to protect the family!”
“What?” The other three Clan Elders’ expressions darkened.
“It’s you!”
Qiu Xundao’s eyes turned bloodshot as he looked toward the cloudy sky.
Within the range of his divine sense, spirit boats had already encircled the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain from every direction.
The Li Clan’s Void Refining experts stood silently within the void.
His eyes nearly split apart with rage.
He even saw the figure shrouded in black mist, standing before eight demonic figures, a smug smile of triumph on his face.
“They had already taken control of Anran!
Their goal was to use him—after we experienced the rage of our clansmen’s deaths—to shatter our clan’s faith!
They want our people to lose the will to fight to the death!”
“Li Clan… you beasts!”
At this moment—
Above the clouds and mist—
Li Wei slowly raised his hand.
Behind him stood the Seven Ironclads and the Blood Demon Lord, who had returned from the Auric Empire, their demonic Qi surging violently.
Elsewhere stood Li Xinghuo, who had broken through to the Void Refining realm, alongside his wife Zishu Wandong; Fairy Hongxiu of the same realm, leading many clansmen from the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
There was also the Martial Emperor from the Imperial Capital; and…
Li Tianming, who had previously defeated Qiu Anran and, even in his crazed state, had followed Li Wei’s orders to manipulate Qiu Anran.
Now, he wore an aggrieved expression because his clansmen feared him.
Hearing Qiu Xundao’s furious roar, Li Wei’s expression turned cold.
Clearly, Qiu Xundao had already sensed something was wrong.
But it was far too late.
What stood before them now was the Li Clan’s ancestor—tempered by countless experiences, his cunning sharpened to terrifying levels—Li Wei.
As his raised hand fell in unison with the sky filled with Qiu Anran’s ice spikes, his voice rang out, cold and absolute.
“Kill them all.”
—
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 90 Chapters: Search for “Dark Tea” on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!