Chapter 725: Great Disaster

Kong Yuanba's face was filled with menace.

“How audacious!”

Li Qingfeng was only at the seventh stage of Core Formation, and his swordsmanship was mediocre at best. Attacking him was utterly foolish.

He casually slapped a hand forward.

*Crack*—

Li Qingfeng's sword shattered into countless pieces on the spot. His already broken ribs pierced through his skin, and large gushes of blood sprayed out.

What was shocking was that not only did Li Qingfeng not retreat, he seized the opportunity to grab Kong Yuanba's arm, a short sword sliding from his left sleeve into his palm. He immediately held it to Kong Yuanba's throat. With bloodshot eyes, he roared, "Let them go!"

His mouth full of blood, he sprayed it out, splattering all over Kong Yuanba's face and his brand-new clothes.

Everyone from the Giant Sect was terrified by Li Qingfeng's appearance at that moment. They felt a subtle sense of fear, and some even began to doubt: Was it truly alright to seize Xu Yining?

Only Kong Yuanba looked down at the blood on his clothes. He wiped the bloody froth from his face, and a murderous intent appeared in his eyes.

"You old geezer!"

If there was anyone in the Azure Cloud Sect who opposed him the most, it was undoubtedly Li Qingfeng! On the Boundless Mountain that day, when he tried to teach Jiang Fan a lesson, taking advantage of the main Azure Cloud Sect force not yet arriving, this old man had stood in his way, making him lose face in public. He had harbored murderous intent ever since! Now, with Xu Yining's capture, this old man was persistently bothering him again, and he had splattered him with his filthy old blood!

Kong Yuanba laughed furiously, his body suddenly trembling.

*Crack*—

The short sword in Li Qingfeng's hand was instantly shattered. The hand grasping Kong Yuanba's arm also burst open from the force. Kong Yuanba seized the opportunity, gripped Li Qingfeng's neck, and roared:

"You old wretch! You dare oppose me? I'll send you on your way first!"

Hearing this, Xu Yining shrieked wildly, "Don't touch my master!"

Several Grand Elders of the Giant Sect couldn't help but frown. They all tried to stop him.

"You can't kill him! We are here to force Jiang Fan to come to the Giant Sect, not to kill an elder of the Azure Cloud Sect! Don't create unnecessary complications. Just throw him aside and leave him be."

The other elders' expressions also changed. They all tried to persuade Kong Yuanba.

"Sect Leader, please calm your anger. Killing an elder openly will inevitably trigger a decisive battle between our two sects. There's no need to blow things out of proportion."

Their previously discussed plan was merely to capture Xu Yining. Killing an Azure Cloud Sect elder was not part of the plan at all. If he were truly killed, even if the Azure Cloud Sect was weaker than the Giant Sect, they would seek revenge at all costs. When the two sects clashed in a death match, even if the Giant Sect won, there would be many casualties, wouldn't there? It wasn't worth it for a moment of anger.

Kong Yuanba, upon hearing this, was furious beyond measure. He roared, "Silence, all of you! Why has my Giant Sect fallen to this state? Why are we being ridden over by a mere brat? Isn't it because all of you are so timid and hesitant? That brat killed two of our Grand Elders and got away with it. We kill one of their ordinary elders, and you're all cowardly mice! You bunch of good-for-nothings!"

He roared and slapped Li Qingfeng's chest with a palm.

*Thump*—

Li Qingfeng's heart shattered. His struggling hands instantly lost all strength. He became like a limp ragdoll. His eyes rapidly lost focus. In a blur, he saw Xu Yining's frantic screams. He saw her being knocked unconscious, moving further and further away from him.

"Yining..."

Kong Yuanba disdainfully tossed him onto the ice and snow, even spitting viciously on him.

"Old man! Die! Let's go!"

The Giant Sect members' faces were solemn. However, since the deed was done, they could only leave with a hint of trepidation, following Kong Yuanba.

Li Qingfeng's consciousness rapidly faded. He knew he was dying. But he couldn't die. Not yet. If he died, who would save Xu Yining? Mustering his last shred of consciousness, he painstakingly retrieved the only remaining Rejuvenation Pill from his pocket. With his ruptured, mangled hand, he laboriously moved it towards his mouth, inch by inch, inch by inch.

Finally, the Rejuvenation Pill reached his lips. But he found he couldn't open his mouth at all. His throat had been crushed by Kong Yuanba. He had no strength left. The Rejuvenation Pill was at his mouth, but he couldn't swallow it. Only a faint fragrance from the pill nourished him, allowing him to cling to a sliver of life.

After an unknown period, people from various sects gradually descended Boundless Mountain, heading back to their respective sects in different directions. A wave of noisy chatter reached Li Qingfeng's ears. This allowed Li Qingfeng, whose vision had already blackened and who could see nothing, to regain his consciousness.

It was the people from the Azure Cloud Sect. They had returned.

"Jiang Fan returned alive?"

"Really?"

"Where is he? Where?"

"Good heavens, he's actually alive!"

Finally, a passing sect member discovered Li Qingfeng and gasped in alarm.

"Sect Leader Liu! Azure Cloud Sect members, quickly, come here!"

The Azure Cloud Sect members, hearing the commotion, rushed over with puzzlement. Among them were Sect Leader Liu Wenchen, Grand Elders Shi Kaitian, Zhuang Yuanyin, Huang Zhantian, Zheng Qiushuang, Elders Wen Hongyao, Feng Guchan, and disciples Tang Tianlong, Su Qiuning, Tao Zhengjun, Nie Yunxi, and others. They hurried upon hearing the news. The elders from the surrounding sects made way, their expressions complex.

Liu Wenchen felt an ominous premonition. As he reached the crowd, his gaze fell upon a person covered in blood and gore, dressed in the robes of an Azure Cloud Sect elder. He froze on the spot. For a moment, he couldn't believe that the person before him was an elder of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Shi Kaitian followed closely behind. He too was stunned. Because he recognized him: this was Li Qingfeng, his most beloved disciple, who had succeeded him in governing Sky Sword Peak. After a full three breaths, he finally reacted. He cried out in agony, "Qingfeng!"

He rushed over and helped him up. But as he embraced him, he realized all of Li Qingfeng's bones were shattered.

"It's... it's Master... you're here."

Li Qingfeng could no longer see anything. He painstakingly clutched Shi Kaitian's arm: "Quickly... quickly save Xu Yining... She was taken... by the Giant... Sect..."

At this point, he couldn't even speak properly. He could only utter whispered breaths. Shi Kaitian held him, anxiously saying, "Yes, yes, we'll save her right away, we'll go save her immediately. Don't speak anymore." He noticed a Rejuvenation Pill at Li Qingfeng's lips that couldn't be swallowed. He quickly crushed the pill into powder and fed it into Li Qingfeng's mouth.

But his throat was already crushed. The medicine simply wouldn't go down. Shaking his head slightly, he uttered increasingly faint whispers: "It's no use..."

Shi Kaitian was burning with anxiety: "Wen Hongyao! Aren't you coming?"

Wen Hongyao was already hurrying over. Hearing the urgency, she realized something was wrong and even dropped her walking stick. She rushed over frantically. As she neared Li Qingfeng, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Without time to get up, she crawled on her knees and immediately grasped Li Qingfeng's wrist.

With just one touch, her face turned ashen, and tears welled up in her eyes: "His heart is shattered. His throat is also crushed; medicine can't be administered. He... he won't make it."

Shi Kaitian collapsed onto the ground, his eyes fixed blankly. In an instant, old tears streamed from his elderly eyes. He shook his head, "No, no, Qingfeng, you won't die! I'll take you to the divine physician, Shangguan Sheng! He's right here on Boundless Mountain; he can definitely save you, he definitely can!"