In the southern region, above the Tianfeng Dynasty.
The clouds hung low, pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe. Xiao Chen stood with his spear on his back, his blue robe fluttering slightly in the wind.
Stone, clad in black iron armor, stood beside him, exuding a faint aura of ferocity—the two had barely stepped into the dynasty's territory when the entire Tianfeng City was already abuzz with excitement.
On the high platform of the imperial palace, King Li Gan leaned on the railing, his temples showing even more white hair than last month, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
His second son, Li Mo, standing beside him, was pale-faced, his fists clenched tightly. He stared at the two figures in mid-air, his voice trembling: "Father... he really came."
"It's good that they've come." Li Gan sighed, his eyes filled with exhaustion and regret. "Back then, when the Xuantian Sect came to borrow a route to kill Xiao Chen, in order to curry favor with the Northern Region forces, I not only borrowed the city's defenses but also sent three hundred elite cultivators to help in the battle... In the end, this move was a mistake, and I bet on the wrong person."
He should have realized long ago that the young man who managed to escape from the Xuan Tian Sect's siege was no ordinary person.
Now, Xiao Chen is famous throughout the four regions, killing Mahayana cultivators as easily as slaughtering dogs. The Tianfeng Dynasty's resources are nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot in front of him.
"Pass on my order!" Li Gan straightened his back abruptly, his voice regaining some of its monarchical authority, "Activate the 'National Defense Array'! All cultivators above the Golden Core stage, ascend into the air to meet the enemy!"
"Father!" Li Mo exclaimed anxiously, "That Xiao Chen can even kill those undergoing tribulation, what about our cultivators..."
“I know,” Li Gan interrupted him, his eyes resolute, “but the Tianfeng Dynasty is the foundation of the Li family. Even if we can’t stop it, we will die standing!”
He turned to look at his several sons behind him, whose faces were filled with fear, and said in a deep voice, "Take the young members of the clan and go through the secret passage to escape into the depths of the Southern Region. Every one of them who can escape is one more person away. Preserve the bloodline of the Li family."
"Father! And what about you?" the eldest son asked urgently.
Li Gan smiled, a desolate smile: "I am the ruler of Tianfeng Kingdom. My kingdom exists as long as I exist, and I perish when my kingdom perishes. What kind of monarch would desert in the face of battle?"
He waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Hurry up! It'll be too late if we wait any longer!"
The sons kowtowed with tears in their eyes, then turned and hurriedly left with the rest of the clan.
Almost simultaneously, several major families in Tianfeng City also made their moves.
At the Li family mansion, patriarch Li Kuo roared hoarsely, "Quick! Get all the children under the age of fifteen into the secret passage! Take the family heirloom and run in all directions! Don't look back!" The Li family was one of the main forces that participated in the ambush of Xiao Chen, and he knew better than anyone that Xiao Chen would never let them go.
In the Su family compound, the Su family patriarch watched his family members frantically packing their belongings, slumped into a chair, and muttered to himself, "Regret... If only I hadn't been greedy for the Xuan Tian Sect's meager benefits and hadn't helped them deal with the Xiao family's orphan, things wouldn't have come to this."
But there's no going back in life, so he could only grit his teeth and order: "Women go first, men stay behind to cover the retreat, stall for as long as possible!"
Only one ordinary house in the south of the city was deserted—that was the Xiao family's old residence.
Long before Xiao Chen began to make a name for himself at Cangdao Mountain, the Xiao family members, guided by a mysterious old man, moved to a valley on the southern border to avoid the inevitable reckoning.
"Buzz—!"
The protective array of the Tianfeng Dynasty lit up, and a pale golden light screen enveloped the entire city. Countless cultivators rose into the air from various families and armies, densely blocking Xiao Chen and Shi Tou's path.
Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Refinement... the highest level is only the mid-stage of Integration. In front of Xiao Chen, who is at the peak of Void Refinement, they are like children facing a strong man.
"Xiao Chen! You may be strong, but my Tianfeng Dynasty is not a pushover!" a Nascent Soul elder shouted, his voice trembling as he gripped his magic weapon.
Xiao Chen didn't even lift his eyelids; these cultivators posed no threat to him whatsoever. He turned his head to look at the stone and said calmly, "Apart from the direct descendants of the Li family and the mastermind behind the ambush back then, the other cultivators..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shi Tou interrupted in a muffled voice, "Kill them all?" His hands were itching; he hadn't had enough of fighting in the training ground and was looking for a place to vent his frustration.
Xiao Chen remained silent for a moment, then nodded. Those who participated in the ambush, regardless of their role, deserved to die.
"Let's do it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Chen did not move, but simply pointed his fingers forward.
"Wildfire Spear Intent—Disperse!"
The invisible spear intent spread like a tide, and wherever it passed, the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators fell from the sky without even letting out a scream, their lives cut off.
The two elders, who were at the mid-stage of the Fusion Realm, tried to resist, but their protective spiritual power was instantly pierced by the spear intent, and their physical bodies disintegrated.
Stone could no longer contain himself. The black iron armor clanged as it clashed. Like a human tank, he charged into the group of cultivators, swinging his fists. Each punch carried the force to shatter mountains and split rocks. The cultivators' magic weapons and spiritual power were like paper in front of him. In the blink of an eye, dozens of people were smashed into mincemeat.
Li Gan, standing on the high platform, watched the scene resembling a massacre, closed his eyes, and a tear slid down his cheek. He knew it was all over.
The Great Array that protected the nation shattered like paper under Xiao Chen's spear intent, with a "crack." Shi Tou grabbed the blustering but cowardly Nascent Soul elder, crushed his head like a chick, and then rushed towards the palace.
Xiao Chen followed slowly, occasionally tapping the ground with the tip of his spear, and any cultivator who tried to escape died instantly.
At the Li family mansion, Li Kuo had just sent the last batch of disciples into the secret passage when he turned around and saw a green figure appear in front of him.
"Xiao... Xiao Chen..." Li Kuo was terrified and knelt down, begging for mercy, "Spare me! I'm willing to offer up all my family's wealth..."
Xiao Chen's spear tip pierced his throat, his voice icy: "Too late."
In the Su family compound, the Su family patriarch saw Shi Tou burst through the door, his vision went black, and he fainted from fright. Shi Tou then smashed him flat with a punch.
Throughout Tianfeng City, screams and cries rose and fell, but soon fell silent.
Less than fifteen minutes.
There were no more Tianfeng Dynasty cultivators standing in the sky. Fragments of the city's protective array fell like meteors, and the glazed tiles of the imperial palace reflected a blood-red light in the sunlight.
Stone walked over carrying Li Gan's head, casually tossed it on the ground, and asked in a simple-minded manner, "Senior Brother, are there any others who escaped?"
Xiao Chen glanced around the city, making sure there were no survivors, and shook his head: "There's still an old guy inside."
"He must have been in a life-or-death retreat before, and he's about to wake up. Let's wait for him."
Let's see what's so great about this old guy. He beat this guy like he was beating a child. It ended before he even used his strength. Is it because he's too strong?
At this moment, the capital of the Tianfeng Dynasty gradually fell silent under the setting sun, and its former prosperity vanished like a bubble.
Blood debts must eventually be repaid with blood.
Xiao Chen's path of revenge has only just begun. His next stop is the Xuan Tian Sect in the Northern Region.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com