"Li Hong, you still have one last chance." Ning Qingyan said indifferently.
"Haha, Ning Qingyan, do you know what I hate most about you? You always act so self-important and superior. How are you any better than me? You're just luckier than me." Li Hong laughed somewhat neurotically.
She pointed at Ye Xingchen: "You really think this kid can protect you? There are so many of us, one person with a knife each, we can chop you all into mincemeat."
"Combat strength cannot be determined by sheer numbers," Ye Xingchen said leisurely. "You want the Heavenly Book Jade Slip?"
"That's right, Ning Qingyan, hand over the Heavenly Book Jade Slip, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse."
"The Heavenly Book Jade Slip was passed down from my great-grandfather. It doesn't contain the treasure or the secret to immortality that the outside world is talking about. It's something that concerns the fate of the nation. If it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unimaginable." Ning Qingyan sighed softly, "Why are you so stubborn?"
"Haha, it concerns the fate of the nation? Do you think I believe your nonsense?" Li Hong laughed loudly, then said sternly, "Capture them, regardless of their lives."
Li Hong has thirty disciples who are the successors of the Divine Speed Guardians. The Thirty-Six Divine Speed Guardians of the Loyal Sect are all from the same lineage. These people, with red turbans tied around their heads and carrying large swords, charged towards the two of them with loud shouts.
Although these people were all ordinary martial artists, when the thirty-odd people lined up, they could withstand the attack of hundreds of thugs. Moreover, they were all trained in killing techniques, and their attacks were deadly.
Unfortunately, this power was no match for Ye Xingchen, who had entered the Heavenly Realm.
He made a gesture with his right hand, and a gust of wind rose out of thin air, causing the surrounding flowers, plants, and leaves to float up.
He took a step forward, and in a flash, he had already covered ten feet. With a wave of his right hand, a gale carrying leaves and flowers roared away.
With a series of thuds, the dozen or so people at the front were sent flying backwards, severely injured by the soft leaves and flowers.
Ye Xingchen took another step forward, and he disappeared from the scene. A gust of wind formed again, enveloping everyone in it.
"Break!" A calm voice resounded in everyone's hearts. Everything in the world seemed to freeze in that instant. Everyone remained in an attacking posture, but they could hardly move.
A leaf slowly fell, and then the gust of wind suddenly exploded. With a bang, an invisible force rippled outwards in all directions, and with a crackling sound, dozens of large swords shattered instantly.
"Kill!" Another word resounded in everyone's hearts, and this word exploded like a thunderclap. In that instant, leaves, flowers, and pebbles turned into sharp weapons and attacked everyone.
With a scream, bursts of blood mist exploded, and in that instant, the remaining twenty-odd people were thrown into the air and then fell to the ground in disarray.
In just two moves, they had taken down more than thirty martial artists. Although these disciples of the Divine Speed Guardian were of average strength, their strength increased exponentially when they formed a formation. Now, the ground was littered with severed limbs and broken arms. Some were dead, some were seriously injured, and some had lost arms and legs and were lying on the ground groaning.
This is the power of the Heavenly Realm. During his dual cultivation with Ning Qingyan, he broke through three realms in succession, and his strength had reached the Heavenly Realm. At this level, his breath could injure people, and flying flowers and falling leaves were all weapons of harm in Ye Xingchen's eyes.
Moreover, thanks to the blessing of the Supreme Jade Purity Dao Scripture, his true strength already puts him at the level of a Great Celestial Phenomenon being.
The half-step Celestial Phenomenon realm has already surpassed the top-tier masters of the era; taking another step would make one a top expert.
Ye Xingchen slowly withdrew his killing intent, concealing his strength and falling into the Yellow Realm.
Having tested his skills, he already understood the strength of the Heavenly Realm. However, he was still young, and as the saying goes, "the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind." From now on, he would appear as a Yellow Realm cultivator to avoid unnecessary trouble. When encountering a powerful enemy, he could enter the Heavenly Realm in one step.
Li Hong patted her waist, and with a whoosh, a soft sword wrapped around her waist appeared in her hand.
Her face was deathly pale, and her hand holding the sword trembled uncontrollably. She looked at Ye Xingchen in disbelief: "You... are you from the Heavenly Realm?"
"It wasn't originally, but being chased and sniped by your mercenaries unintentionally forced out my potential, allowing me to break through three realms in a row." Ye Xingchen said with a faint smile, "So in the end, I still have to thank you."
"True energy is released outwards, condensing into a protective aura. This is truly the power of the Heavenly Realm." Li Hong murmured to herself. Suddenly, she moved her right hand, and the soft sword in her hand straightened with a hiss. She raised the sword and held it horizontally against her neck.
“This sword is called Liu Nian, isn’t it?” Ning Qingyan stepped forward and looked at Li Hong, whose expression was resolute. “Back then, my great-grandfather presented this sword to your great-grandfather, hoping that he would hold this sword and be loyal to the Zhongmen. Your great-grandfather also swore a solemn oath in the ancestral hall that all descendants of the Li family would serve the Zhongmen.”
"But who would have thought that you would now use this sword to commit suicide?"
"One person does the deed, one person takes the blame; let the others off the hook." Li Hong's body trembled, her eyes filled with tears.
Those who betray the Loyal Sect will have their entire clan exterminated. The 100,000 disciples of the Loyal Sect will pursue them to the ends of the earth and wipe out their entire clan.
Not only her, but even the disciples of the Divine Speed Guardian lineage who are loyal to her will be implicated. This is the price of betraying the loyal sect, a price too high for her to bear.
“I gave you a chance.” Ning Qingyan sighed softly. “Sister Hong, tell me why?”
“Hehe, why? My great-grandfather swore that all descendants of the Li family would be loyal to the Zhongmen and guard the Tianshou Shrine for generations. By my generation, it has been four generations.” Tears welled up in Li Hong’s eyes: “This is a curse, a fate that our Li family can never escape.”
“I don’t want my child to live this vow like a slave. I want him to live a normal life. Is that wrong?”
“You did nothing wrong, but once you enter the world of martial arts, you are no longer in control of your own destiny. If you are tired or weary, you can tell me, and I can completely release your Li family from your oath. Why did you embark on this path of no return?” Ning Qingyan asked, puzzled.
“I admit, I had selfish motives. Someone wanted the Heavenly Book Jade Slip and offered a price I couldn’t refuse.” Li Hong closed her eyes: “Qingyan… In my whole life, I have never asked you to do anything. Today is the first and last time I’m asking you for something.”
"If I die, this matter ends here. Let go of everyone in the Li family, let go of those disciples, okay?"
Ning Qingyan remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Okay, I promise you."
"Thank you." Li Hong opened her eyes, her face full of smiles. She murmured to herself, "Father, I'm sorry, I broke my promise to you."
In a hazy memory, she vaguely remembered her father leading her, who was only 6 years old, to the Tenshou Shrine for the first time, where they made a solemn vow before the successive leaders and elders of the Loyal Gate to protect it with their lives.
These things seem like they happened yesterday, but in fact, thirty years have passed.
With a flick of her right hand, the blood flowed across her neck, causing a sudden burst of blood. Li Hong spun around and fell backward.
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