"I...I..."

Zuo Feng stared at the black card that originally belonged to him in Xiang Wantang's hand, his eyes filled with despair and helplessness. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

His mind was in complete disarray, as if the whole world had collapsed at that moment.

However, even in this dire situation, he still couldn't bring himself to do it.

"snort!"

Seeing this, Xiang Wantang let out another cold snort, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes.

She gently raised her right hand, her index and middle fingers together, and an extremely sharp finger gust shot out from her fingertip, striking Zuo Feng's dantian like a bolt of lightning.

This gust of wind was extremely domineering; wherever it passed, the air seemed to be torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

The finger strike accurately hit Zuo Feng's dantian, and with a muffled "poof," Zuo Feng's dantian was instantly shattered.

In an instant, Zuo Feng felt a sharp pain spreading from his dantian, as if countless steel needles were stabbing wildly inside his body.

Immediately afterwards, the true energy that was originally abundant in his body leaked out uncontrollably like a flood bursting its banks.

Soon, his dantian was completely empty, like a container that had been hollowed out.

His major meridians, including the eight extraordinary meridians, were all broken.

Zuo Feng was originally at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and his physical body was quite powerful after many years of cultivation.

Even though his cultivation was destroyed, his physical fitness was still better than that of an average person.

However, without the support of true qi, he was at most only a martial artist's combat strength, and his former prestige and power had vanished at this moment.

Xiang Wantang coldly glanced at Zuo Feng and the others, and said in an icy voice, "Get out of here! If I find you doing evil again in the future, my punishment for you will be different from today. Then, I will make you wish you were dead!"

The Zuo family members were already terrified and their legs were weak. Upon hearing Xiang Wantang's words, they felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They hurriedly and clumsily lifted Zuo Jingwen's body and scrambled away.

In the alley, the once bustling and noisy scene instantly fell silent. Apart from some shocking bloodstains left on the ground, it was as if nothing had happened.

Old Joe's house was bought many years ago for a few taels of silver.

Stepping inside the house, one finds it almost bare, with only a dilapidated wooden bed, a rickety table, and a few chairs with missing legs—that's all the family's possessions.

Dim light filtered through the tattered window paper, casting dappled shadows on the ground and adding to the desolation and bleakness.

"Old Joe, have you been living in this cramped and shabby place all these years?"

Fang Han looked around at the dilapidated scene, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with heartache and emotion, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, and he was filled with guilt.

If Qiao Qianshan hadn't resolutely refined that extremely special pill for him back then, how could he have suffered such a severe injury?

If he hadn't been injured and his strength greatly reduced as a result, how could he have been so wantonly coerced by a villain like Meng Kai, ultimately ending up as a gatekeeper?

All of this was caused by him, so he was determined to make amends to Qiao Qianshan and his daughter Qiao Yue so that they would no longer suffer in the future.

"Yes, Brother Fang, I have really had a miserable few years."

Qiao Qianshan raised his head slightly, looking at the dilapidated roof, his eyes filled with vicissitudes and helplessness, and slowly said, "If it weren't for my daughter Qiao Yue by my side, giving me hope to live, I'm afraid I would have been unable to bear the humiliation from Meng Kai and the others and would have chosen to commit suicide long ago."

Looking back on all the hardships he had endured, Qiao Qianshan felt a mix of emotions and was filled with emotion.

Those days when Meng Kai and others wantonly trampled on his dignity were like sharp blades, leaving deep scars on his heart.

But for his daughter's sake, he could only grit his teeth and endure it all silently.

“Brother Fang, in my opinion, let’s take Qiao Qianshan and Qiao Yue directly to the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect now.”

Looking at Qiao Qianshan's dilapidated dwelling, Xiang Wantang felt a pang of sympathy and suggested, "The spiritual energy within the Longyuan Sword Sect is extremely rich, like a fairyland, which is of great benefit to cultivators. Moreover, the sect also possesses various rare medicinal herbs. With these, it would be much easier to repair Qiao Qianshan's damaged meridians."

“That would be excellent. However, Brother Xiang, there are two other people I would also like to have join the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect.”

Fang Han nodded slightly, and after a moment's thought, he recounted the story of Ma Kun and Ma Rou in its entirety.

"In that case, let's go pick them up first, and then head to the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect together."

Xiang Wantang said without hesitation, "Qiao Qianshan is a disciple of the sect leader, Xiaoyao Wang, and Qiao Yue is also Qiao Qianshan's disciple. In this way, let Ma Kun and Ma Rou also learn from Qiao Qianshan. This way, it will be convenient for them to take care of each other, and the seniority will not be confused. Of course, they can also receive personal guidance from the sect leader, Xiaoyao Wang."

"Alright, we'll do as you say, Brother Xiang."

Fang Han immediately agreed.

From now on, Qiao Qianshan and the others will have a very high seniority in the Longyuan Sword Sect.

It should be noted that Zhao Ziyi's master, Elder Sword Maniac, was the prized disciple of the sect leader, Xiaoyao Wang.

Therefore, Qiao Qianshan and Elder Jianchi will be equal fellow disciples from now on.

Qiao Yue, Ma Kun, and Ma Rou naturally became Zhao Ziyi's fellow disciples.

Zhao Ziyi always thought she was a genius, but Fang Han wanted to destroy her spirit by having Ma Kun, Ma Rou, and Qiao Yue surpass her in cultivation through their own efforts and talent, so that she could taste what it was like to be surpassed by someone she once looked down on.

With his current abilities, killing Zhao Ziyi with a single sword strike would be a simple matter, an easy task.

But it meant nothing to him anymore.

He planned to make Zhao Ziyi live in constant fear, to subject her to endless torment and pain; this was the greatest torture for this woman.

Soon, Fang Han and Xiang Wantang took Qiao Qianshan and Qiao Yue to find Ma Kun and Ma Rou.

When Ma Kun and Ma Rou learned that they could directly enter the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect to cultivate, and even become the grand-disciple of the sect master, the Carefree King, and receive guidance from him, they were extremely excited.

Of course, they were overjoyed to learn that the man who came with Fang Han, who looked to be only in his forties or fifties, was Xiang Wantang, the former sect leader of the Longyuan Sword Sect.

You have to understand, Xiang Wantang is a legendary figure. They had only heard of his name before, but now, this legendary figure was standing in front of them and talking to them. For them, it was like a dream.