Chapter 405: Deep Schemes and Cunning Plans
“No!!”
Zuoqiu Yi roared in anguish, two streams of bloody tears cascading down her face. She reached out futilely, desperate to stop the horror unfolding before her eyes, but could only watch helplessly as her nephew was crushed in a single grip, his body dissolving into a bloody mist that vanished into the heavens.
Pfft!
Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Zuoqiu Yi spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes rolling back as she immediately lost consciousness.
The flying sword carried her swiftly across the lake, disappearing into the dense forest lining the shores. Lin Fan caught her in his arms, tenderly wiping the blood from her lips, his gaze turning malevolent as he glared at the two Li Clan members.
Xu Sanyan observed the scene, though he didn’t recognize the pair, he already had his suspicions.
The Chaotic Cloud Mountains were home to few void harmony realm experts, each renowned by name. Given the timing of their appearance and their wretched state, he could only assume they were the Li Clan Patriarch and his chief steward.
“The Li Clan Patriarch is locked in battle,” Xu Sanyan remarked to Li Hai beside him, his tone laced with mockery. “Aren’t you going to lend a hand, fellow cultivator?”
Li Hai’s expression remained calm, showing no hint of embarrassment. “This old man’s skills are meager. I wouldn’t want to add to the chaos. The clan head’s cultivation level is unparalleled; the Zuoqiu Clan poses no threat to him. Besides, with the chief steward assisting, his escape is assured.”
As soon as the words left his lips, the Zuoqiu Clan members shifted their formation, a faint layer of fluorescent light encircling the two Li Clan members. A barrage of attacks rained down from all directions, overwhelming them.
The pair had already been exhausted from their long journey, their spiritual energy depleted by more than half. Now, trapped in this encirclement, their situation grew even more dire.
“Clan Head, you must escape! I’ll hold them off!” the Li Clan’s Chief Steward roared, channeling his spiritual power to condense a cyan-black wave before him. The wave rippled like a phantom, its profound aura sweeping across the battlefield, jolting everyone’s spirits and sharpening their focus.
His stance made it clear he was prepared to fight to the death.
The Li Clan Patriarch’s face twisted with anguish, but he knew that any hesitation would doom them both. Without another moment’s delay, he waited for the chief steward to create an opening for his escape.
“Run?!” Zuoqiu Shen sneered, his face contorted with malice. “Hmph, none of you will escape!” He had already sacrificed the lives of his clansmen; he wouldn’t let them slip away so easily.
The Li Clan’s Chief Steward completed his preparations. Spotting a weak point in the encirclement, he stretched out his arms and thrust them forward. The wave surged forward like a tidal wave,
Whoosh!
The faint sound of crashing waves echoed in everyone’s ears as layers of dark blue waves surged toward them.
The Zuoqiu Clan Elder, facing the oncoming waves, felt a chill run down his spine. He dared not let his guard down for even a moment, frantically channeling every ounce of spiritual power from his body and drawing upon the combined power of the formation’s other members. The luminous barrier before him blazed with renewed intensity.
“Now’s our chance!”
The Li Clan Patriarch rejoiced. This was the perfect opportunity to escape!
He immediately shifted his stance and surged forward, following closely behind the advancing waves.
Zuoqiu Shen’s pupils narrowed, a fierce determination hardening his gaze. With a flicker of movement, he vanished from his position and hurtled toward the Li Clan Patriarch’s escape route.
I won’t let him get away!
The situation on the battlefield shifted in an instant. As Zuoqiu Shen moved, the previously evenly distributed Zuoqiu Clan members suddenly found themselves divided into two groups: one with more members and the other with fewer.
The hastily assembled formation of the Zuoqiu Clan was inherently fragile, demanding precise positioning from each member. Every position was crucial, and Zuoqiu Shen’s sudden shift left his original spot undefended, creating the formation’s weakest point.
A glint flashed in the Li Clan’s Chief Steward’s eyes as he cast one last glance at the Li Clan Patriarch. His aura suddenly surged, becoming several times more intense than before!
He had never intended to help the Li Clan Patriarch escape.
This had been his plan all along: to use the Patriarch’s life as bait, creating an opportunity for his own escape!
Brotherly loyalty? The clan’s survival? Such sentiments were mere jokes in the face of life and death.
The Chief Steward felt no remorse for betraying the Li Clan Patriarch.
We’re both in the void harmony realm. Why should I die while you escape?
Just because you’re the clan head?
What a joke!
In that fleeting moment, the situation reversed once more. Zuoqiu Shen whirled around, his gaze locking onto the Chief Steward who had broken free of the formation. He instantly realized he had been played.
The Li Clan Patriarch understood as well, his face twisting with venomous resentment. “Li Xiong, you betrayed me!”
The Chief Steward didn’t even glance back as he sprinted into the distance.
Zuoqiu Shen gritted his teeth in fury, then turned his gaze to the Li Clan Patriarch. We’ve already let one escape. This one will not get away!
“Kill him!”
At the riverbank, hidden among the bushes, Zuoqiu Yi slowly opened her eyes. She immediately saw the middle-aged man standing before her and froze in surprise. “Who are you…?”
Lin Fan reacted quickly, tearing off his hood. “It’s me, Lin Fan.”
“Cough, cough—”
Zuoqiu Yi’s chest tightened, and she suddenly began to cough violently. Memories of what had just happened flooded back: her second sister was dead, her nephew was dead…
An overwhelming pain surged through Zuoqiu Yi’s heart. She couldn’t understand why fate had been so cruel to her, taking away everyone she loved and leaving her alone to bear this agony.
Xu Sanyan chewed on a blade of grass, his gaze fixed on the distant battlefield, taking in every detail.
Suddenly, a figure shattered through the formation and hurtled out of the battle at breakneck speed. By sheer coincidence, the figure was flying directly toward them.
“Who’s that?” Xu Sanyan asked Li Hai, who stood beside him.
“Li Clan’s Chief Steward, Li Xiong. Void Harmony realm cultivation,” Li Hai replied without hesitation.
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly, about to ask another question, when a piercing, anguished cry erupted beside him. The voice trembled with intense emotion:
“It’s him! He killed my nephew! I’ll have my revenge!”
Zuoqiu Yi glared at the approaching Li Xiong, her silver teeth grinding together. Ignoring Lin Fan’s attempts to restrain her, she lunged forward, determined to offer her life in vain.
Zuoqiu Yi, consumed by hatred, was oblivious to the vast disparity in power between them. Perhaps she was actively seeking death, unwilling to live any longer.
Her nephew’s death had extinguished all hope within her.
Zuoqiu Yi and Lin Fan seemed to represent opposite extremes. One was favored by the heavenly dao, turning misfortune into fortune and disaster into blessing. The other was a cursed star, destined to witness the tragic deaths of her family and friends.
Consider the fates of those close to Zuoqiu Zhen: her six sisters had all met violent ends, and her parents had died early. Even her beloved nephew, Zuoqiu Xu, had been crushed before her eyes. What meaning could her life possibly hold now?
“Kill!”
Zuoqiu Yi’s eyes burned with hatred and resolve. With a flick of her clear water longsword, she charged toward the Li Clan’s Chief Steward.
“No!”
Lin Fan cried out in alarm, racing after her. But the black sword slung across his back moved even faster, soaring through the air with an almost sentient grace to flank Zuoqiu Yi.
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, observing the scene with detached interest. This affair had nothing to do with him; he had no intention of intervening and preferred to remain a silent spectator.
The chief steward narrowed his eyes, completely unconcerned by the two insignificant ants rushing toward him. His attention was focused solely on the black sword, which had left a deep impression on him.
“Return my nephew’s life!”
“Hmph…”
The chief steward sneered dismissively and casually raised his hand to strike.
(End of the Chapter)