Chapter 189: Wipe Them Out Completely
Yuzhou, Liyang City.
Heavy snow fell in profusion, sprinkling down upon this prosperous great city.
Most of Liyang City’s buildings were constructed with red walls and red pillars, possessing a style all its own and famed throughout the land.
At this moment, in the eastern district of Liyang City, dust and snow mist filled the air as large numbers of commoners and merchants fled in panic.
Inside a certain residence, buildings had collapsed, and ruins lay everywhere.
One martial artist after another was scattered throughout the area, their expressions extremely unsightly as they all looked toward the same direction.
Following their gazes, one could see Xue Jin gripping a longsword, standing atop the ruins.
His eyes were icy cold, his killing intent undisguised.
“Clear Sky Sect, do you truly intend to wipe us out completely?”
A black-robed old man with disheveled hair roared in anger.
He had previously exchanged blows with Xue Jin, yet in fewer than three moves he had been defeated and had nearly been beheaded.
He was the Great Protector of the Lingtian Sect, Wu Huan.
He had practiced martial arts for forty years and inherited a divine art.
Ordinary Entry-Realm experts who ran into him would only be instantly killed.
Yet such a powerful existence as him had faced Xue Jin and found himself utterly unable to put up a defense.
He had attempted a sneak attack on Xue Jin and had nearly been counter-killed instead, something he found impossible to accept.
Standing beside Wu Huan was an imposing and heroic man, the Second Protector of the Lingtian Sect, Xiao Wuhui.
Xiao Wuhui was tall, wearing a bamboo hat.
His face was weathered, his long hair casually draped over his shoulders.
Although his attire was not as luxurious as Wu Huan’s, his presence was in no way inferior.
At first glance, he looked as if Xiao Wudi had grown to middle age.
His gaze was locked tightly on Xue Jin, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Xue Jin was likewise looking at Xiao Wuhui.
He could sense that Xiao Wuhui was the strongest among the remaining remnants of the Lingtian Sect.
Not only that, this man was also an immortal cultivator!
“Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Fourth Layer. Remarkable,” Xue Jin said coldly, ignoring Wu Huan entirely as his gaze looked down upon Xiao Wuhui.
Xiao Wuhui watched as this young man evaluated him in the tone of a senior.
Naturally, displeasure arose in his heart.
However, he had to admit that Xue Jin was stronger than him.
Xiao Wuhui’s gaze shifted toward the distance.
He saw a figure walking atop the courtyard wall—it was Shen Yue.
Looking in other directions, he could also see the figures of other Clear Sky Sect disciples.
They had already been surrounded, with nowhere to escape.
Xiao Wuhui slowly lowered his head and let out a strange laugh.
“Trash, truly trash. A bunch of useless wine sacks, insisting on provoking the Clear Sky Sect, insisting on obeying the Qi Clan. How could you ever accomplish a great enterprise?”
Xue Jin stared at him, not rushing to make a move.
It was not that he was deliberately giving Xiao Wuhui a chance, but rather that he was waiting for the other disciples to locate the Lingtian Sect’s Sect Master, Ji Wuye.
The Lingtian Sect had emerged out of nowhere and unified half of the martial world under heaven.
Everyone knew that its Sect Master was named Ji Wuye, yet no one had ever seen him with their own eyes.
Previously, Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia had swept through the Lingtian Sect as well, yet they too had never seen Ji Wuye.
Xue Jin would not be as reckless as those two, alerting the enemy too early.
He had chosen the day when Lingtian Sect martial artists were gathered to strike, intending to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
However, he had failed to find Ji Wuye, which filled him with caution.
His intuition told him that Ji Wuye was hiding within this very residence, merely pretending not to be present.
Otherwise, the Lingtian Sect would not have gathered so completely.
Hearing Xiao Wuhui’s words, Wu Huan flew into a rage.
He angrily berated Xiao Wuhui, saying, “Not provoke the Clear Sky Sect? You want to bypass the Clear Sky Sect and unify the martial world under heaven? Delusional dreaming!”
Bang—
Xiao Wuhui suddenly raised his palm and struck toward Wu Huan, actually blasting Wu Huan’s head apart from afar.
Flesh and blood splattered everywhere, frightening the Lingtian Sect martial artists into stepping back in unison as they stared at Xiao Wuhui in terror.
Xiao Wuhui ignored the gazes of his fellow sect members.
He looked at Xue Jin, stepped forward, and said, “Xue Jin, you are the first person to force me to use the Martial God secret art. However, facing an expert like you, even if it costs me my lifespan, it is worth it.”
Boom—
A violent surge of force erupted from Xiao Wuhui’s body, blowing his bamboo hat away.
The ground beneath his feet shattered, and within the surging force there were even faint strands of blood essence mixed in.
The Lingtian Sect martial artists stared at Xiao Wuhui in disbelief.
This was the first time they had felt such a terrifying aura.
Coupled with Xiao Wuhui’s actions just now, they felt deep apprehension toward him.
This was humanity’s instinctive response to danger.
Xue Jin narrowed his eyes, a cold and fierce light flashing within them.
He could sense that Xiao Wuhui’s aura had already surpassed the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.
From here on, if he wanted to kill Xiao Wuhui, it would not be so easy.
However, with Shen Yue present, Xue Jin was not flustered.
Without another word, he leaped up and raised his sword as he charged toward Xiao Wuhui, like a fierce eagle diving for its prey, unstoppable in momentum.
Xiao Wuhui stepped forward with his right foot and struck a palm upward.
Surging vital energy burst forth like a mountain flood, sweeping up rolling dust and accumulated snow, resembling a vast dragon rising as it surged toward Xue Jin.
……
In mid-December, the first batch of Spirit Copper began to be delivered to Clear Sky Mountain.
Li Qingqiu directly had the disciples transfer it to the Heavenly Works Hall.
Only three days passed before Wu Xingyue came to visit Li Qingqiu.
“Sect Master, this Spirit Copper is an excellent material for forging magic implements. Its usefulness is immense. You must strictly control the Spirit Copper and absolutely not allow others to waste it!”
Just as Li Qingqiu stepped into Lingxiao Courtyard, Wu Xingyue rushed over holding a sword, her tone excited.
As she spoke, she handed the sword to Li Qingqiu.
At a glance, the material of this sword was clearly extraordinary.
A strange cold light flowed across it, making it very eye-catching.
The blade was three fingers wide and nearly four feet long, slightly longer than most swords used in the secular martial world.
Li Qingqiu gripped the longsword and injected vital energy into it.
The blade emitted a trembling hum, causing his eyebrows to lift.
Ordinary mortal weapons could not bear the infusion of vital energy.
At most, vital energy could only be spread across the surface of the blade for combat.
Yet this sword could carry vital energy within it—this was no simple matter!
If the blade were filled with vital energy, an immortal cultivator’s control over the sword would become much easier.
At the same time, it proved that the blade could withstand the impact of vital energy and would not shatter at the slightest touch.
“Is it difficult to forge a sword like this?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Wu Xingyue answered excitedly, “It only takes three days. That’s why I say Spirit Copper is very important. The forging process is very easy—Spirit Copper only needs shaping and is not easily scrapped.”
“Not bad. Then forge ten thousand swords like this first. In the future, I’ll distribute them to the sect’s disciples,” Li Qingqiu instructed generously.
Although this sword could not be considered a powerful magic implement, it was definitely a peerless divine weapon.
Sect disciples carrying such swords while traveling the martial world would find things far more convenient.
“No problem, Sect Master. Would you like to name this sword?” Wu Xingyue nodded in agreement.
Li Qingqiu hesitated for a moment, then said, “Call it the Clear Sky Sword. In the future, beneath the sword guard of every sword, the two characters ‘Clear Sky’ must be engraved. It’s best if they cannot be erased.”
After hearing this, Wu Xingyue fell into thought.
She had already mastered quite a few basic restrictions, all originating from the Formation Foundation Manuscript.
Her learning speed was not much slower than Ming Guang’s, only that the two of them pursued different directions.
“I’ll give it a try,” Wu Xingyue replied, not daring to make promises too confidently.
Li Qingqiu returned the Clear Sky Sword to her, then encouraged her a few words before letting her leave.
After Wu Xingyue exited Lingxiao Courtyard, a smile appeared on Li Qingqiu’s face.
Spirit Copper was indeed suitable for forging magic implements.
Relying on the Spirit Copper Mountain Range, the Clear Sky Sect would take a major step forward.
Even without an immediate threat from powerful enemies, Li Qingqiu still planned to seize the time to equip his disciples with magic implements.
He could not wait until powerful enemies appeared before beginning preparations.
He wanted to strengthen the sect as much as possible, giving the Clear Sky Sect the confidence to face any trouble.
Because of the Clear Sky Sword forged by Wu Xingyue, Li Qingqiu’s mood became pleasant.
He headed down the mountain, preparing to guide his beloved disciples in cultivation.
At present, the three Xiao brothers and Yun Cai had already stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation.
They no longer needed Li Qingqiu to watch over them constantly and could rely on their own cultivation.
Thus, Li Qingqiu usually did not worry much, offering guidance only occasionally.
News about the Clear Sky Sword soon spread without effort.
More and more disciples learned that the sect was preparing to forge magic implements for them, greatly exciting everyone.
They began pulling strings and asking around, inquiring about the qualifications required to possess a magic implement.
The sect could not possibly prepare magic implements for every single disciple.
Only after clarifying matters would they know in which direction to strive.
Time reached the year’s end.
Shen Yue and Xue Jin returned with their people.
Li Qingqiu summoned the two into Lingxiao Courtyard.
When he saw Xue Jin, his brows furrowed.
Xue Jin’s right arm was actually severed.
His right sleeve hung empty, causing killing intent to arise in Li Qingqiu’s heart as his expression immediately darkened.
Shen Yue stepped forward and said, “The mission is complete, but I have wronged Xue Jin.”
Xue Jin placed the bundle in his hand on the table and said, “This is the head of Xiao Wuhui, the Second Protector of the Lingtian Sect. I preserved it with a secret medicine, so it can still be identified.”
Li Qingqiu looked at him and asked, “Who did this?”
“Xiao Wuhui.”
“What happened?”
Li Qingqiu’s brows furrowed even tighter as Shen Yue began to recount, “Xiao Wuhui was also an immortal cultivator, and his cultivation had reached the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm. He knew that his three sons were cultivating immortality in the Clear Sky Sect and were following by your side. After he and Xue Jin injured each other, he begged me for mercy, hoping I would bring him back alive, saying that you might not necessarily kill him. I hesitated for a moment, and as a result, Xue Jin directly swung his sword, trying to behead Xiao Wuhui. However, Xiao Wuhui was no ordinary man. Just before death, he struck out with a palm and broke Xue Jin’s sword-wielding right arm. At the critical moment, Xue Jin actually drew the sword floating in midair into his mouth, bit down on the hilt, and beheaded him with a single strike.”
As he spoke of this, Shen Yue’s expression was extremely strange.
Even now, recalling the scene of Xue Jin biting the sword, he still found it absurd.
It was the first time he felt that Xue Jin was not a simple person.
Xue Jin spoke up, “It’s not Senior Shen’s fault. He gave me face by saying it was mutual destruction. But if Senior Shen hadn’t intervened, I probably wouldn’t have been Xiao Wuhui’s match. As for losing an arm, that’s nothing.”
His expression was calm, as if he truly had not taken the matter to heart.
Li Qingqiu asked, “Did you bring your severed arm back?”
“I did. I thought that with your medical skill, it might be reattached, so I personally carried it,” Shen Yue said as he removed the bundle from his back and placed it on the table.
Xue Jin looked at Li Qingqiu and said, “Sect Master, I was afraid you would be put in a difficult position, so I directly killed him. If the three Xiao brothers ask about it, please tell them the truth. If they hate someone, let them hate me. Of course, if Sect Master yourself did not want to kill him, then please punish me.”
Li Qingqiu glared at him and said, “What nonsense are you saying? This matter was something I ordered you to do in the first place, so naturally I will bear responsibility. If those three truly want to hate you, I would rather abandon them than fail to protect you.”
Xue Jin was stunned upon hearing this.
Throughout the entire sect, who did not know that the Sect Master valued the three Xiao brothers extremely highly? Though there was no formal master-disciple title, there was master-disciple substance.
Under such circumstances, hearing Li Qingqiu say such words now, how could he not be moved?