Chapter 58: Destruction
Li Yang kept whipping continuously as the black horse beneath him galloped at full speed, cutting through the vast curtain of snow and mist like a black dragon. Fortunately, this stretch of mountains was relatively flat, and the snow had not yet melted, allowing the black horse to charge freely.
After shaking off Zhao Linglong for a while, Li Yang finally saw human figures ahead. At the end of the vast land stood two towering mountains, and between them, a large crowd of martial artists had gathered. Seeing this from afar, his brows furrowed tightly.
With one hand gripping the reins and the other tucking the horsewhip into his belt, he reached behind his back and drew out his long spear, his figure resembling a fierce general charging alone into an army of thousands—swift as lightning, utterly resolute.
The closer he got to the area where the various sects had gathered, the darker his expression became. He hadn’t expected there to be so many people attacking the Clear Sky Sect.
Though he had lost to Wu Man’er and witnessed the might of Jiang Zhaoxia, he still did not believe the Clear Sky Sect could withstand such a large number of martial artists.
At that moment, he noticed figures flying up one after another from within the crowd ahead, which made him realize that a fierce battle was already underway.
“Outrageous!”
Li Yang bellowed angrily, but unfortunately, the group of martial artists did not hear him; their attention was all fixed on the fight ahead.
Dozens of experts from the Seven Peaks Alliance, the Azure Sect, and Iron Mountain Peak were surrounding and attacking Yang Jueding, while the others merely stood and watched, unable—or unwilling—to intervene.
As Yang Jueding dodged the combined attacks of Bai He, Guang Lantian, and Zhang Songjing, he struck out with his palm.
The Nine Heavens Divine Palm erupted, surging qi sweeping up the snow like a coiling dragon, sending martial experts flying. His stance was domineering—fierce and unstoppable.
“The Dragon-Subduing Hero truly lives up to his name. No wonder the provincial authorities placed him in the top ten of the Heaven Ranking. In my opinion, had he attended the last Martial Arts Tournament, the number one under heaven might not have been Yu Zhiyi.”
“Could it be that he really obtained the secret art of the Martial Legend?”
“His palm force is terrifying! Even from here, I can feel it.”
“No wonder the three major sects brought so many people. Just one Yang Jueding is already this strong—add Jiang Zhaoxia, and taking them down will be no easy task.”
“Look! The Azure Sect’s Vice Leader might get beaten to death!”
Members of each sect murmured among themselves.
Some were affiliated with the three major sects; others, like the Ironbone Sect, had come merely for the rumored divine art, hoping to seize it amidst the chaos.
They had brought so many people not merely to attack the Clear Sky Sect, but to compete with the other factions for the legendary skill.
At that moment, the Azure Sect’s Vice Leader, Bai He, was in the worst shape—his robe torn, hair disheveled. Yang Jueding was attacking him the fiercest.
Guang Lantian and Zhang Songjing were both shocked by Yang Jueding’s newfound strength.
They deliberately held back, unwilling to clash head-on, choosing instead to wear down his inner energy and exhaust him to death.
They already believed Yang Jueding had indeed obtained the divine art, for they knew his former level of skill—his progress in the past few years was simply too extraordinary to be explained otherwise.
“Stop!”
A furious roar echoed out, but Guang Lantian and the others merely cast a glance toward the source without halting their battle.
Without needing orders, someone rushed out to block the rider charging toward them—it was Li Yang.
Seeing someone bar his way, Li Yang flew into a rage and thrust his spear forward, sending the man flying. But this only drew even more martial artists toward him.
A short, stout middle-aged man leapt out from the crowd and grabbed Li Yang’s reins, dragging hard.
The black horse lost its balance and stumbled sideways. Li Yang reacted swiftly, leaping into the air just in time.
The moment he landed, he was surrounded by a group of martial artists.
“Which sect are you from?”
The short, burly man fixed his eyes on Li Yang and asked coldly. Having just dragged down a galloping horse without injury, his strength made Li Yang wary.
Li Yang gripped his long spear and shouted angrily, “I am the Martial Champion, Li Yang! You dare gather such a force—what are you trying to do? Rebel against the Great Li Dynasty? Do you take our laws for nothing?”
Martial Champion!
The crowd stirred. Those who had attended the Martial Arts Tournament recognized him immediately, passing the word along until everyone knew his identity. Yet, instead of being intimidated, they looked at Li Yang with mocking eyes.
Being encircled by countless people was a wholly different feeling from observing it from afar.
The pressure on Li Yang grew immensely. He looked around—heads upon heads, an uncountable sea of people.
The stout man sneered and said with disdain, “Martial Champion, if we were to kill you here, do you think the officials would ever find out the truth?”
Li Yang was furious at those words. Pointing his spear at the man, he shouted, “You wretch! Name yourself!”
The man cracked his neck and sneered. “Azure Sect Branch Leader—Duan Tu.”
As he spoke, he strode toward Li Yang. Around them, martial artists watched with glee, even cheering—eager to witness the Martial Champion’s abilities.
Yang Jueding, still in battle, also noticed Li Yang’s peril and cursed inwardly—this Martial Champion was truly troublesome.
But he had heard Li Yang’s earlier words—it was clear he had come to aid the Clear Sky Sect. How could he stand by and do nothing?
Thus, Yang Jueding charged toward Li Yang’s direction, his right palm surging forward, qi rolling like a dragon, sweeping all before it.
Guang Lantian and Zhang Songjing no longer held back. They both landed in front of Yang Jueding and struck together.
Two domineering streams of inner energy collided with Yang Jueding’s strike.
The snow burst several zhang high, and the fierce qi blast forced all nearby experts to retreat.
……
Half an hour earlier, Yang Jueding had already noticed the approaching sects from the mountain.
He sent disciples up to report. When he was about to go assist Li Yang, the messenger disciple had run all the way into Lingxiao Courtyard to find Zhang Yuchun and relay the news.
Zhang Yuchun’s face darkened instantly. He immediately ordered the disciples to gather and prepare for battle.
The Clear Sky Sect reacted swiftly.
The messenger disciples ran to every working area, while Zhang Yuchun led the first group down the mountain, recruiting any disciples he met who were training along the way.
In another courtyard, Zhu Yan, who had just prepared to paint, saw shadows rushing past outside and asked in confusion, “What’s happening?”
Su Xiling immediately went out to inquire. She stopped a disciple running by, who hastily shouted that enemies were attacking before rushing down the mountain.
Su Xiling returned and relayed the news to Zhu Yan.
Having stayed on the mountain for the past two years, Zhu Yan knew little of worldly rumors. She asked in surprise, “The Clear Sky Sect has no quarrel with the world—why would there be an attack? Judging by the commotion, the enemy seems numerous.”
Su Xiling, however, was unsurprised. She said casually, “That’s normal, Miss. Haven’t you noticed how many geniuses the Clear Sky Sect has? No sect could have so many by chance—surely their secret arts are extraordinary. Now that Jiang Zhaoxia’s name is spreading across the martial world, it’s only natural that others covet them.”
Zhu Yan frowned deeply, all thoughts of painting gone.
“If you’re worried, Miss, shall I go down the mountain to take a look?” Su Xiling asked with a grin.
“Go,” Zhu Yan nodded. Su Xiling saluted and departed at once.
In another courtyard, Yan Lan sat on a stone stool, watching as the Clear Sky Sect disciples summoned Qin Ye away. He instantly guessed what was happening below.
Gazing down at the book in his hands, he sighed softly. “The strife of the martial world is no less than that of the imperial court. Living in this mortal realm, no one can remain untouched.”
Ku Yi approached him and asked, “Your Highness, shall I go down and assess the situation?”
“Mm. Be cautious,” Yan Lan replied softly, then returned to his reading.
Ku Yi picked up his silver staff and went down the mountain.
Ku Er, still meditating under the tree in the courtyard, was regulating his qi—he had yet to recover from the injuries inflicted by Li Qingqiu.
Snowflakes fell endlessly from the eaves, blanketing the mountain in white. None of them knew that a man was standing atop the peak, overlooking them all—Li Qingqiu.
Standing at the edge of a cliff, Li Qingqiu saw Su Xiling and Ku Yi descend the mountain. He pondered whether he should take Zhu Yan and Su Xiling as his disciples.
As for Ku Yi and Ku Er, he had no such thought.
The Crown Prince could not remain in the Clear Sky Sect forever, and Li Qingqiu disliked unnecessary trouble—he would not let the prince stay long.
As for the battle below, Li Qingqiu felt no worry. He believed that the current Clear Sky Sect was strong enough to resist the assault. Still, to prevent any accident, he decided to go and see for himself—though he would avoid intervening unless necessary.
The Clear Sky Sect was still in its early stage of growth; losing even one disciple would pain him greatly.
Just as Li Qingqiu was musing, a prompt suddenly appeared before his eyes:
【Due to the Clear Sky Sect disciples destroying a faction hostile to the Dao Lineage and displaying its might, you have obtained one chance for a Heritage Reward.】
A smile spread across Li Qingqiu’s face. He raised his hand to his lips and blew a whistle.
Empowered by vital energy, the sound carried far and wide.
Soon, a colossal figure loomed from within the blizzard, the howling wind whipping Li Qingqiu’s robe violently.
……
Between the two mountains, upon the snowy plain—bodies and blood stained the white ground.
Yang Jueding and Li Yang were still fighting, now only five zhang apart.
Compared to Yang Jueding, Li Yang looked utterly miserable. His long hair was scattered, his face streaked with blood, his chest soaked crimson.
He gripped his long spear tightly, his strength and speed greatly diminished.
He thrust his spear forward, piercing a martial artist’s shoulder and flinging him away—but the effort made him stagger, almost falling. He hastily planted the spear into the ground to steady himself.
The ones primarily attacking the two now were still the experts of the three major sects; smaller sects merely surrounded and watched from the edges.
By this point, many martial artists felt uneasy—this feeling stemmed from Li Yang.
“This Martial Champion’s skill is strong, but he refuses to kill. He’s dooming himself.”
“Indeed. Yang Jueding, on the other hand, fights without restraint and is still uninjured.”
“Perhaps he fears violating the Great Li laws.”
“Could it be they’ll actually kill the Martial Champion here?”
The minor sect members whispered among themselves—some moved by pity for Li Yang’s conduct, others fearful that things might escalate too far.
Martial world conflicts, no matter how fierce, were still affairs of the martial world. Who among them did not already bear blood on their hands?
Reporting to the authorities would mean mutual destruction.
They had come only to seize the divine art, not to offend the imperial court.
Regardless of their thoughts, the masters of the three great sects were now enraged—vowing to kill Li Yang right here.
Yang Jueding, while fending off enemies, occasionally supported Li Yang—otherwise, Li Yang would not have lasted this long.
Barely catching his breath, Li Yang was again besieged and forced to grit his teeth and fight on.
For the first time, he truly experienced what it felt like to stand in the midst of a battlefield.
After earning the title of Martial Champion, he had longed to join the army, but his father had forbidden it, claiming his temperament was not yet suited for command. Thus, Li Yang had ventured into the martial world instead.
Now, facing only a few hundred attackers already made him feel helpless. He could hardly imagine what it would be like to face hundreds of thousands on an actual battlefield.