Nan Gonglin had struck with his palm, fully expecting to personally kill Nan Gongwan with this blow.
His justification was righteous - on her wedding day, she had inexplicably murdered her own betrothed husband, provoking conflict between the Nan Gong and Sun families. For the greater good, he had no choice but to uphold justice by eliminating his own kin.
At this critical moment, a figure suddenly flashed before Nan Gongwan's eyes, accurately intercepting Nan Gonglin's palm strike.
Seeing this, Nan Gonglin narrowed his eyes. He could sense the opponent's palm force was astonishingly powerful, completely unmoved by his own strike. Deciding to hold back no longer, he increased his strength.
Yet despite Nan Gonglin unleashing such formidable palm power, the silver-haired young man opposite him remained utterly composed, showing no sign of pressure. Instead, it was Nan Gonglin who was sent flying backward by the counterforce.
"Clan Head!"
Stabilizing his posture, Nan Gonglin stared in astonishment at Li Xuanxiao. "Who are you, sir?"
Li Xuanxiao scoffed, "What I am is none of your concern. But this person belongs to me - how I deal with her is my business. What right do you have to interfere?"
Nan Gonglin's expression turned icy as he said coldly, "Nan Gongwan is a member of my Nan Gong family. Having committed grave misdeeds today, do you presume to interfere in our family affairs?"
"Get lost!""Arrogant!"
Initially cautious due to his inability to gauge the opponent's strength, Nan Gonglin now found himself publicly humiliated in his own territory, having just assumed the clan head position. Yet he refrained from attacking again, having confirmed through their brief exchange that his opponent was at least his equal in strength.
Immediately, other Nan Gong clansmen charged at Li Xuanxiao, only to be annihilated almost instantly. In one encounter, a Golden Core Stage clansman had his core crushed before Nan Gonglin's shocked eyes - he hadn't even seen how Li Xuanxiao made his move.
"Kill Nan Gongwan! Avenge our young master!"
Members of the Sun family arrived in waves. With furious shouts, several Sun family figures rushed forward simultaneously.
Li Xuanxiao casually picked up a fallen longsword and drew a cold arc through the air, instantly cutting down the Sun family attackers. Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the ground crimson once more. The Sun family members didn't even have time to scream before meeting their end.
Li Xuanxiao's sword moved with terrifying speed, appearing before Nan Gonglin in the blink of an eye. Nan Gonglin instinctively produced a defensive treasure - a dark green turtle shell. But with one slash from Li Xuanxiao's sword—
"CRACK!"
The turtle shell split in two. Nan Gonglin retreated rapidly, but a gash had already appeared on his chest, his protective robe torn open to reveal a bloody wound.
"Wan'er, how wonderful! I never imagined you had such a powerful friend." Nan Gonglin reacted swiftly, ignoring his injury as he spoke rapidly, "This way our family needn't fear the Sun family's retaliation, and your parents' vengeance can be achieved!" He forced a smile. "Wan'er, come, bring your friend and return home with your uncle first. It's dangerous here."
Nan Gongwan stared blankly at Nan Gonglin, momentarily stunned by his drastic change in attitude.
But Li Xuanxiao had already raised his sword with a fierce grin. Terror filled Nan Gonglin's eyes. "W-wait!!" Nan Gongwan cried out. After all, Nan Gonglin was her blood relative - she'd never intended to kill him.
Yet Li Xuanxiao's sword fell without hesitation.
Raging flames surged like furious waves, mercilessly consuming everything around them. Li Xuanxiao stood amidst the inferno, his hair and beard whipping wildly in the wind as if merging with the fiery tempest.
Nan Gongwan struggled to rise from the ground, her body trembling slightly. Still clad in her bright red wedding dress, now stained with blood that made the crimson even more striking, the once-beautiful garment hung in tatters. Before she could speak, Li Xuanxiao kicked her squarely in the chest, sending her flying dozens of feet away.
Nan Gongwan landed heavily, curling into a ball from the pain. "If not for your usefulness, you'd be dead already," Li Xuanxiao said calmly.
Nan Gongwan nodded, her gaze toward Li Xuanxiao now devoid of previous resentment and unwillingness. In a way, Li Xuanxiao had genuinely saved her twice now. Surveying the corpses littering the ground, the former young mistress's thoughts were complex. Finally, her eyes returned to Li Xuanxiao.
Family destroyed, loved ones dead.
Li Xuanxiao knew this woman would likely become his most loyal subordinate from now on.
".............."
"Cough cough cough~"
Di Nü Feng: (๑′ㅂ`๑)
Looking at the poisonous blood she'd coughed up, Di Nü Feng's expression darkened. Another mouthful of tainted blood followed. The wound left by the Ancient Snake God still hadn't healed, emitting a pungent stench that lingered no matter what. Greatly troubled, she'd taken to wrapping her arm in thick layers.
Previously, she'd always proudly displayed her lotus-root-white arm bare, as if it were her most prized possession. She'd seemed particularly fond of that flawless skin. Now she hung her head dejectedly.
After Li Xuanxiao had seized the opportunity during Mirror God's tribulation to break through to the Transformation Spirit Stage, he'd spent the time since in seclusion stabilizing his cultivation. The Snakefolk Tribe had been devastated, their shrine destroyed along with their Snake God. Fewer than one in ten of the major tribe leaders survived - the Snakefolk Tribe had truly fallen into decline.
Xiao Qing didn't know where to go. She felt no guilt over her indirect role in the tribe's destruction - even without her, when Mirror God fully awakened, the Snakefolk would still have become stepping stones. So she stayed by Li Xuanxiao's side, quietly cultivating.
Li Xuanxiao had emerged from seclusion twice during this period, but hadn't seen Di Nü Feng either time. Whenever she spotted him, she'd immediately clutch her wrapped arm and run off without looking back, leaving Li Xuanxiao utterly confused. But since Di Nü Feng being abnormal was normal for her, he didn't dwell on it.
Now that he'd reached the Transformation Spirit Stage, Li Xuanxiao could keenly sense his particularly unique connection to the Heavenly Dao. To mitigate the risk of Heavenly Dao suppression, he had to seal his spiritual aura and employ special runes.