Chapter 41 - 39: Besieged by Elders, No Time to Say Goodbye

Chapter 41: Chapter 39: Besieged by Elders, No Time to Say Goodbye

While Tang Xiao hesitated, the endless sea of people gradually recovered from their shock, their eyes filled with horror. Although this all seemed to happen over a long time, it actually occurred in a mere instant.

In the Qi Family stands.

"Yang’Er—!"

Qi Yun Mountain and the many experts of the Qi Family watched Qi Tianyang plummet downward. They cried out in agony and rushed toward his falling figure like madmen.

"Yang’Er? Yang’Er? Yang’Er—!!!"

Cradling the corpse that was rapidly losing its warmth, Qi Yun Mountain’s eyes turned bloodshot. Consumed by grief, he looked up to the sky and let out a long, anguished howl, "Yang’Er—!!!"

Countless Qi Family Elders were also heartbroken. To the Qi Family, Qi Tianyang had long been established as their pillar for the future. For him to perish on the Battle Platform today was a tragic price the entire family simply could not accept.

"You little bastard, pay with your life!"

BOOM!!!

In an instant, countless towering figures from the Qi Family erupted with towering fury and suffocating killing intent. Unleashing terrifying waves of Spiritual Power, they all charged toward the white-robed figure to strike him down.

Even Zhao Wuji stared blankly at the scene, his eyes filled with endless loss and terrifying rage.

"Everyone, hear my command! Suppress and kill this boy at all costs! We absolutely cannot let him leave Xingyue City alive."

As soon as the words left his mouth, countless disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect drew their swords, stepping through the air as they all surged toward the white-robed youth.

This Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect had also heard Gu Qingyan’s earlier words loud and clear. While her statements might have been somewhat exaggerated, it was an undeniable fact that the boy was the son of ’that man’. Coupled with the terrifying talents Jiang Hao had just displayed, leaving him alive would undoubtedly result in a grave threat to the Celestial Sword Sect in the future.

Suddenly.

Countless terrifying experts from the Qi Family and an overwhelming swarm of Cultivators from the Celestial Sword Sect tore through the sky, their killing intent instantly swallowing the entirety of Xingyue City.

Meanwhile.

Amidst the endless sea of people, over a dozen unfamiliar faces—whose auras were equally terrifying to the extreme—exchanged glances. They quickly tore off the corners of their robes and masked their faces.

Watching the countless experts launch their deadly assault, hundreds of thousands of Cultivators felt their scalps tingle with dread. Those participating in the suppression of the white-robed youth were all mighty figures; a mere stomp of their feet could cause the entire Xingyue City Earth Realm to tremble. This was especially true for the towering figures of the Qi Family. As the leading clan among the three great cultivation families of the Xingyue City Earth Realm, they possessed experts as numerous as the clouds. Even the various prodigies sitting within the boundless Tea Pavilion turned pale with shock.

"The Qi Family is furious. They are truly enraged this time."

"Qi Tianyang’s fall has completely ignited the Qi Family’s fury. That piece of trash is as good as dead."

"He won’t be able to leave the Xingyue City Earth Realm. Having killed the Qilin Child, today will likely be his death anniversary as well."

For a time, the expressions of countless Cultivators drastically changed.

"Those are figures of the older generation! No matter how astonishing that youth might be, he still hasn’t fully grown up."

"Facing the wrath of so many older-generation experts is entirely beyond what he can withstand, let alone with an Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect present."

As the countless figures charged forward to kill.

"Old Patriarch?"

The many experts of the Tang Family all looked toward Tang Xiao. If he didn’t make a decision now, it would truly be too late.

Even now, Tang Xiao continued to hesitate. If it were only the Qi Family, he might not have had any scruples. However, the four words ’Celestial Sword Sect’ were like a massive mountain pressing down on the old man’s chest, leaving him breathless.

Ultimately, it was Tang Xiaofeng whose eyes shone with unwavering resolve. "Father, fortune favors the bold! The cultivation world has always been this way."

Hearing Tang Xiaofeng’s words, Tang Xiao finally snapped his head up, his eyes brimming with determination. "Intercept the people from the Qi Family and the Celestial Sword Sect! Escort Jiang Xiaoyou out of the Xingyue City Earth Realm."

However, just as Tang Xiao’s voice faded and the countless Tang Family experts were about to take to the skies, they found themselves a step too late. From within the endless sea of people, over a dozen tremendously terrifying auras had already erupted. One by one, towering masked figures shot up into the sky, carrying boundless and profound Spiritual Power as they flew toward the white-robed youth.

"Hmph, Xingyue City’s Qi Family and the Celestial Sword Sect are truly shameless. This was agreed to be a life-and-death duel. Can you really not afford to lose?"

"Bullying the young with the old—truly, this is your usual style."

"If you want to kill this boy, you’ll have to ask if the sword in my hand agrees first!"

BOOM!!!

Over a dozen earth-shattering figures clashed directly with the Qi Family experts, while several others swept their swords horizontally, forcing back the numerous Celestial Sword Sect disciples.

Suddenly.

A massive battle between the two sides broke out instantly. Above the entire Battle Platform, Sword Qi flew about for hundreds of feet. Terrifying power surged, and the very air seemed to combust.

The leading masked middle-aged man took a single step forward, arriving by Jiang Hao’s side. He immediately said, "Young friend, come with us quickly."

It was obvious that these dozen-plus figures had no desire to drag out the fight. Their orders were to escort Jiang Hao away, not to start an all-out war with the Qi Family and the Celestial Sword Sect; otherwise, they wouldn’t have appeared with their faces covered.

Jiang Hao did not hesitate. His seemingly calm eyes—which were actually flashing with lethal intent—locked onto Zhao Wuji of the Celestial Sword Sect and the members of the Qi Family for a brief, piercing glance. He quickly turned around and flew away from the area alongside the leading masked expert.

The sudden appearance of this group of experts, however, left the hundreds of thousands of Cultivators in Xingyue City completely horrified.

"What a terrifying group of experts! Who are they?"

"It seems they’re here to protect Jiang Hao. Could they be experts from the Tang Family?"

"They’re not from the Tang Family. Their auras are completely unfamiliar; they aren’t experts from our Xingyue City Earth Realm."

"What did you say? You mean someone else is protecting him?"

For a moment, countless Cultivators were bewildered and appalled. The abrupt arrival of those dozen-odd figures had caught everyone off guard.

Back in the Qi Family stands.

Zhao Wuji also couldn’t help but step forward, his aged eyes full of surprise and fury. What sent an even deeper tremor through his heart was the heaven-shaking killing intent in the youth’s eyes just before he left. It was glaringly apparent that, at this very moment, Jiang Hao had completely deemed the Celestial Sword Sect as the murderers of his father.

"Taking him away won’t be that easy!"

BOOM!!!

In a flash, an absolutely world-shocking power erupted from Zhao Wuji’s body.

He shot into the sky, instantly blurring into an afterimage as he charged furiously at the white-robed youth and the dozen-plus towering figures. The entire void seemed to tremble in the wake of his movement.

Seeing this, the leading masked middle-aged man furrowed his brows tightly. His expression shifted slightly as he immediately barked a low command.

"Go!"

BOOM!!!

Hearing his command, the other masked experts unleashed a flurry of sword strikes and punches to force back the members of the Qi Family and the Celestial Sword Sect. Leveraging the recoil, they rapidly retreated, converging around the youth and carrying him off across the void.

"Patriarch Qi, now is not the time for sorrow! Killing this boy takes priority!"

Zhao Wuji bellowed. The grief of losing his beloved disciple mixed with the panic of discovering the son of his mortal enemy, causing his entire being to surge with monstrous killing intent.

Beneath the void, Qi Yun Mountain and countless Qi Family Elders heard his shout. They all laid down Qi Tianyang’s corpse, their eyes practically spewing flames.

"Kill!"

"You little beast, return my son’s life!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

A massive number of Qi Family Elders, along with Qi Yun Mountain, simultaneously shot into the sky, giving chase toward the horizon.

This spectacle left the endless Cultivators of Xingyue City utterly dumbfounded. It also left the countless experts of the Tang Family staring in sheer disbelief.

Tang Xiaofeng and his peers paused mid-air, their bodies coming to a subconscious halt. It was obvious that someone had intervened, but that someone was not their Tang Family.

Over a dozen towering figures tore through the sky with Jiang Hao. The two groups, one fleeing and one pursuing, streaked across the sky above Xingyue City. The scene was as magnificent as it was terrifying.

For so many peak-level experts to strike all at once was an unprecedented spectacle rarely seen even in a century. Unless two Great Cultivation Races were going to war, such a sight would absolutely never occur in the Xingyue City Earth Realm.

"Hmph, for the likes of you to think you can take him away—what a fool’s dream."

Within the void, the fastest among them was undoubtedly the Celestial Sword Sect Elder, Zhao Wuji. In terms of both cultivation and raw power, he was the most terrifying existence present.

In just a few short breaths, the Sect Elder had closed the distance, drawing infinitely close to Jiang Hao and his group.

This sight made the hearts of countless Cultivators leap into their throats.

"With just these experts, there’s likely no hope of escorting that youth out."

Quite a few older-generation figures of Xingyue City shook their heads slightly, instantly spotting the glaring disparity between the two sides. Whether it was Patriarch Qi or the masked experts, facing Zhao Wuji was an overwhelming mismatch; they were simply in a completely different league.

Even without Zhao Wuji, the experts of the Qi Family could probably intercept the group within the borders of the Xingyue City Earth Realm. Surrounding and killing them would only be a matter of time.

However, the very instant that person’s voice faded, a dense, overwhelming horde of Cultivators appeared at the end of the horizon.

Behind Gu Qingyan, an endless number of masked experts had materialized out of nowhere. Though their clothing was chaotic and varied, every single one of them had their faces covered, and each exuded a distinctly terrifying aura. Surprisingly, their numbers were not in the least inferior to the combined forces of the Qi Family and the Celestial Sword Sect.

The moment they saw Gu Qingyan personally leading countless Cultivators, an uncountable number of experts were struck with profound awe.

The Tang Family, in particular, suddenly realized the truth. The youth they had decided to abandon was evidently under the full protection of the Young Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion.

Before long, the dozen-plus masked figures brought Jiang Hao right up to the newly arrived formation. However, they did not greet Gu Qingyan or her group, nor did they pause for even a second.

"Young friend, go."

The leading masked middle-aged man brought Jiang Hao straight past the densely packed wall of masked experts. Under their watchful gazes, they soared right over them, tearing through the sky out of Xingyue City.

Jiang Hao looked at Gu Qingyan, and Gu Qingyan looked back at him. Neither spoke a word, but a silent understanding passed between them.

As he streaked away through the horizon, Jiang Hao looked down, his eyes filled with reluctance. Down there, another beautiful figure was silently watching him leave.

Their eyes met across the vast distance. There was no time for farewells, and both knew that after this glance, they had no idea when they would ever meet again. Watching the youth drift further and further away, Ye Qingxian’s beautiful eyes brimmed with reluctance, but she did not call out to him. All she offered was an understanding, relieved smile, doing her best to leave him with that final image.

Only when his figure and the dozen-plus experts completely faded into the distance did Ye Qingxian’s tears finally fall like rain. Each and every teardrop carried her deep longing and reluctance to part.

"You little fool, I will wait for you."

At the same time.

Zhao Wuji and the many older-generation experts of the Qi Family arrived in hot pursuit.

Gu Qingyan slightly raised her beautiful eyes. Leading an endless horde of terrifying figures, she cleanly blocked their path.

A hint of composure rested upon her absolutely stunning face.