“Fourth Brother, no… Zhang Hanxiao, you’ve lost.”
Li Qingran, looking at the fallen Zhang Hanxiao, felt her inner distress suddenly clear up, and she became much more relaxed.
The entire sect square was deathly silent, with everyone staring in shock at this scene.
The spiritual energy fluctuations from Li Qingran were clearly at the peak of Qi Refinement. Yet, Zhang Hanxiao, who was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, was no match for Li Qingran? Even though Zhang Hanxiao was the last to lift his cultivation suppression, and even though his flying sword had broken… he shouldn’t have been defeated so easily.
Patriarch Wu Duantian also looked surprised. He twisted his stiff neck and asked Qingxuan Daoist beside him, “Elder Qingxuan, did Li Qingran really have her spirit root removed and her dantian destroyed?”
At that time, he actually thought these punishments were a bit excessive. But since the rules of Bluecloud Sect stated each peak managed its own affairs and the patriarch was only responsible for overall coordination, plus Qingxuan Daoist was the strongest and had some connection with the old ancestor of Bluecloud Sect, he turned a blind eye.
Now, however, he was somewhat bewildered.
His personally taught eldest disciple, Zhao Lingtian, also had his dantian destroyed, and the cultivating spiritual energy would gradually dissipate, leaving him completely without fighting power. This Li Qingran also had her dantian destroyed, yet how could she beat Zhang Hanxiao, who was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, like this? She was too powerful!
Qingxuan Daoist stared intently at Li Qingran without speaking.
He was not only shocked by the combat strength Li Qingran had unleashed, but also by her mastery of the Small Non-Form Sword Technique.
He vaguely remembered Li Qingran asking him many times before. However, due to her limited insight into sword techniques, after explaining it several times and finding Li Qingran still unable to comprehend, he gradually became impatient with her, telling her to think independently or ask Lu Changtian.
When Li Qingran left Chixiao Peak, the Small Non-Form Sword Technique was only partially accomplished. Now she could use ‘Tree Shadow Flutter’, which meant she had at least fully comprehended it. Although the Small Non-Form Sword Technique wasn’t an extremely profound sword technique, just a玄stage one, it wasn’t something that could be comprehended from partial to full accomplishment in just a few short months.
“Brother Zhang!”
“Fourth Brother!”
Seeing Zhang Hanxiao struck down, Lu Changtian and others immediately rushed over.
Yun Zimo propped up Zhang Hanxiao’s upper body while Xiao Yifeng took out healing pills and helped Zhang Hanxiao circulate his energy to regulate his breathing.
Mu Baishuang cried tearfully against Zhang Hanxiao’s chest: “Senior Brother, it’s all my fault, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have accepted your sword. If you still had that sword, you wouldn’t have been injured this badly…”
But inside, she was thinking.
Fortunately, Zhang Hanxiao gave her that sword, otherwise wouldn’t it have gone to waste? The sword in Li Qingran’s hand clearly looked like a good thing; even if another sword was used, it probably would have ended up being cut in half anyway.
She was also more puzzled and somewhat frightened.
What exactly happened to Li Qingran?
Who is the great cultivator standing behind her?
Will they see through her disguise?
No, her identity absolutely cannot be discovered!
The young master’s lifespan is almost over, and she must do everything possible to help the young master gain a sliver of hope. Once the young master breaks through the bottleneck and reconnects with the elder ancestor in seclusion, they will still have a chance to rise again!
Mu Baishuang quietly reminded herself three times to keep a low profile, immediately getting up from Zhang Hanxiao, lowering her head as if crying, and stealthily retreating behind Lu Changtian.
“Li Qingran, you’ve gone too far,” Lu Changtian pointed at Li Qingran, his expression stern. “Regardless of what, Zhang Hanxiao was once your senior brother. How could you use such a venomous hand?”
“Venomous hand?” Li Qingran shrugged both hands and shook her head. “I am merely at the peak of Qi Refinement, not the peak of Foundation Establishment. To injure him is already my limit. Do you think I could seriously wound him and make him unconscious?”
Lu Changtian opened his mouth but was speechless.
Turning his head to look at the ‘unconscious’ Zhang Hanxiao.
Zhang Hanxiao’s face was red like a brick, how could he not know that this junior brother was pretending to faint? His external injuries were indeed severe, but he certainly wasn’t unconscious. He just couldn’t accept the fact that he was beaten by Li Qingran.
“Li Qingran, has your dantian been repaired?”
Qingxuan Daoist, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, suddenly said a sentence.
All the personal disciples of Chixiao Peak were stunned, staring at Li Qingran, and Mu Baishuang also peeked out from behind Lu Changtian.
“Thanks to the kindness of the senior, I was able to repair my dantian.” Li Qingran smoothed her ear hair, holding the sword scabbard with one hand, gazing down at her toes, two streaks of red quietly climbed up her earlobes, and there was none of her previous calmness.
However, everyone’s attention was on her words, and no one noticed her feminine demeanor except Mu Baishuang, who squinted her eyes.
Women understand women best.
She didn’t know what had happened to Li Qingran during this time.
But she could see that Li Qingran had developed some special feelings for that mysterious cultivator.
It’s just unknown how that cultivator feels about Li Qingran…
There’s a bit of trouble now.
If that cultivator’s goal is also Li Qingran’s Yin Tao Body, then with her current strength, how can she compete with such an old monster?
Mu Baishuang bit her lips, her eyes rolling, and came up with a plan.
“Sister Qingran,” she stepped out from behind Lu Changtian, timidly saying, “I heard Master say before that repairing the dantian requires an extremely precious pill called the Primordial Yuan Replenishing Heaven Pill. This pill has already been lost to time, and only such a pill can repair the dantian…
What I mean to say is, has Sister Qingran’s dantian truly been repaired? One must beware of those with ill intentions, giving Sister Qingran a false impression on the surface, but actually coveting something else from Sister Qingran…”
“Shut up!”
Before Mu Baishuang could finish her sentence, a fierce killing intent had already rushed towards her, cutting off her words.
Li Qingran tightly gripped the Su Xian Sword, her knuckles white, her body trembling slightly: “The senior has shown me great grace, how dare you slander them so casually?”
Mu Baishuang was terrified, quickly waving her hands: “Ah, I’m sorry, Senior Sister, I was just worried about you…”
Tzzz—!
In response to Mu Baishuang was a sharp sword hum.
Li Qingran lowered her head, her side strands of hair fluttered up, and the Su Xian Sword was already unsheathed.
A streak of sword light flew diagonally towards Mu Baishuang.
Without any mercy, it was heading straight for Mu Baishuang’s throat.
Mu Baishuang remained motionless.
She just closed her eyes pitifully.
She knew someone would move before her,
so as not to expose her true abilities.
Clang—!
Sure enough, this sword was intercepted.
Mu Baishuang opened her eyes, the third personal disciple of Chixiao Peak, Yun Zimo, had blocked her.
Li Qingran and Yun Zimo exchanged glances.
That former third brother who once protected her now looked at her with hatred and disgust.
How ironic…
But, it doesn’t matter anymore.
She doesn’t need to care about these things now.
She doesn’t need to live for anyone else.
She is herself – Li Qingran.
No longer anyone’s junior sister, no longer the former personal disciple of Chixiao Peak, nor anyone’s ‘you and me’. If in this life she really needs to bloom for someone, then only the senior deserves it.
Li Qingran touched the tassel of the Su Xian Sword, the indifference and coldness in her eyes grew stronger as memories flashed by, and her lips curved slightly upward:
“Yun Zimo, since you’ve come forward now…
Then let’s start with you.
Let’s settle accounts!”
