Dawn City. Within that same mountain forest where Li Xinghuo had previously fled while being hunted by a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator, a host of black-robed figures now materialized – at least a hundred strong.
A biting autumn wind gusted through, whipping at their dark robes. They remained utterly still and silent, their presence imbuing the unremarkable forest with an unsettling, enigmatic air.
Arrayed before them stood one hundred and thirty-seven individuals – all close associates or kin of the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had pursued Li Xinghuo on that prior occasion. Among the captives, an elderly man of the False Core realm prostrated himself again and again before the apparent leader of the black-robed assembly.
"Your Excellency, spare me! This lowly one truly has no idea what has transpired! Why have we been apprehended like this, ah?! In Dawn City, this lowly one has always conducted himself with utmost diligence, and I have never before had the honor of meeting Your Excellency. What, precisely, is the meaning of..."
Observing the old man's desperate pleas, the leader of the black-robed figures replied, his voice devoid of inflection, "Fifteen years ago, an apprentice of yours pursued a youth. That youth's name was Li Xinghuo."
"This lowly one was unaware! That apprentice... he... he met his end, utterly destroyed, many years past!" The elder's face was a mask of utter bereavement, as if mourning his own father and mother.
And well he might. For in the very next breath, as autumn leaves drifted down around them, all one hundred and thirty-seven captives met their end. The sudden sprays of crimson light against the backdrop of the withered forest floor were starkly, horrifically brilliant.
A soft breeze stirred, gently lifting the hoods from the foremost of the black-robed figures, unveiling their faces —
The Heavenly Star Sword Saint!
Ye Xiu!
Mi Shufeng...
Liu Wuhuan – son of Li Tianyue, who possessed a measure of Li family blood and had inherited the mantle of the Liu Family Head!
And Gu Donglai – son of Li Kuangming, who had in the past been adopted into the Gu family and subsequently became their Family Head!
This entire force numbered precisely one hundred and eight individuals. Astoundingly, not one among them possessed a cultivation base below the Golden Core realm, and every single one shared close ties of kinship or alliance with the Li family.
Their assembly here, for this dark purpose, signified that the Azure Cloud region itself had instantly been deprived of at least a fifth of its total fighting strength.
Over the last few years, this group had gradually come together.
It was Gu Donglai who had first initiated their departure from Eternal Sun Prefecture.
They were well aware that the adversary the Li family had confronted was monstrously powerful; otherwise, even a surprise assault, however devastating, would not have led to such a cataclysm – the virtual annihilation of an entire clan. Thus, for years, they had lived under assumed identities, meticulously covering their movements, all while searching for the true circumstances surrounding the Li family's near-destruction. And deep within their hearts, every one of them held onto the conviction that somewhere, some members of the Li family had to have survived!
Gu Donglai himself was eighty years old, though he possessed the outward look of a young man. His very skin was intricately tattooed with an array of patterns and esoteric sigils. With his hands tucked deep into the voluminous sleeves of his robes, his face usually wore an expression of quiet, reserved contemplation.
When calamity struck the Li Clan, the Gu family had also been caught in the storm. A Nascent Soul expert had unleashed a devastating technique, and Gu Donglai had been forced to watch, helpless, as his own father, Li Kuangming, was consumed by that very technique.
Of the more than one thousand souls in the Gu household, only a tenth survived. Yet, he had received word directly from Daoist Shanchen, confirming that within the main branch of the Li family, a significant number had indeed survived.
This knowledge fueled their hope for eventual vengeance. Every individual in this assembled group shared an unbreakable, fateful tie with the Li Clan.
"Li Xinghuo himself is only at the peak of Qi Refining. For him to have escaped the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment Peak expert, he absolutely must have received assistance."
Liu Wuhuan, proving himself a worthy son of Li Tianyue, offered his assessment in a solemn voice: "It appears the Li Clan could not have been utterly wiped out. They must be in deep hiding. The ones who sought their annihilation are likely still hunting them from the shadows, compelling them to such extreme measures of concealment."
Gu Donglai's voice was grave. "If that is so, then all the more reason we must cease our search for any Li survivors. Should we succeed in finding them, I fear we would merely be leading that shadowy enemy directly to their doorstep. We would then be the culprits for their final doom."
At these words, the Heavenly Star Sword Saint's brow creased into a frown. "Then what is our course?" he demanded.
If the proposal were to halt their search entirely, he would never consent!
He had been stationed in Eternal Sun Prefecture, assisting Li Changsheng and Li Changyao with the affairs of the Hall of Heavenly Principle.
Then, in the span of a single, horrific day, everything had shattered: the Li family's great 'Thousand-Year Blood Exchange Plan' had collapsed in ruins, and every Li descendant he knew there had perished.
He hadn't even had a chance to see Li Yaowen again. The only thing that reached him was that she, along with his sworn brother Li Yaozu, had been slain within Merit City.
He simply could not accept this grim reality.
There was so much left undone! He was still waiting for Li Yaozu to make a full recovery, so they could storm the gates of the Clear Wind Sect together and exact their vengeance!
And... and he still dreamt of having a brood of little Sword Saints with Li Yaowen!
"We've just received an intelligence report from Hall of Heavenly Principle," the Sword Saint declared, his eyes alight.
"In the North Sea City, at a village named Fishermen's Village, a tremendous gale blew, and a massive electrical storm persisted for an entire day. Word is, someone there was undergoing the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation! And based on prior intelligence I possess, there is a known Li family offshoot residing in that very locale. I strongly suspect it was one of our Li kin attempting that breakthrough!"
Mi Shufeng let out a cold, sharp snort. "I can't speak for anyone else," he declared, "but come what may, I intend to find what's left of the Li family. I must learn the identity of the culprits! And I swear, the day will come when I hunt them down and exact full vengeance for Changyao, to cleanse this burning hatred from my heart!"
His declaration immediately sparked a division within the black-robed assembly.
One faction worried that any rash moves on their part might inadvertently lead to further catastrophe for the already scattered and hunted Li survivors.
The opposing faction, however, maintained that, regardless of the risks, their paramount duty was to locate the remaining Lis and stand with them, to face these hardships side-by-side.
Even as they debated this very point, Ye Xiu had wandered off alone to find a tranquil, solitary place deep within the mountain woods.
Years had passed since he had helped Li Kuanghua make her escape, and in all that time, not a single word had reached him concerning his disciple.
The familiar, incessant chatter by his side was long gone.
Suddenly, a distinct 'shā-shā' rustle – the unmistakable sound of someone treading upon dry leaves – echoed through the silent woods.
Ye Xiu's expression tightened at once; he whirled around, his gaze sharp.
"Who goes there?!!"
An explosive wave of power burst forth from Ye Xiu. In that same instant, he perceived it – the presence drawing near from behind him was profoundly, dangerously, potent!
It was an aura he knew intimately – that of a martial path body cultivator.
Yet, this particular aura radiating from the approaching figure was profoundly evil, and simultaneously, paradoxically, imbued with a bizarre and unsettling serenity!
Yet, when he finally got a clear look at the newcomer's form, Ye Xiu froze where he stood, utterly speechless for a long, disbelieving moment.
"Appren... Apprentice?" Ye Xiu stammered, his mind reeling. "No, it can't be! That blockheaded disciple of mine... she was never this strong!"
"My, what a way to greet your student!" a familiar, teasing voice retorted – it was Li Kuanghua. "You silly old man of a Master!"
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