Chapter 90: Tragic and Solemn
"Lin Feng, he knew all along?"
Mo Xie's body stiffened in place, feeling a chill run through his entire being. Just now, Lin Feng hadn't even dodged—clearly, he had deliberately lured him in.
But this shadow had never appeared before. How could Lin Feng have known?
"Senior."
Mo Xie called out to the shadow, but dared not move, afraid that if he stirred, the shadow would strike him down.
"For the sect to have a corrupt elder like you is a disgrace."
A voice emerged from the void, and then a flash of emerald light streaked by, swift as lightning.
No figure was visible, only the light.
When the light faded, the owner of the shadow finally appeared.
He was draped in a black robe, as if trying to hide his entire being within the darkness. In his hand, he held an emerald dagger, and from its tip, fresh blood dripped steadily down.
The blood, of course, belonged to Mo Xie.
At this moment, Mo Xie remained in the same standing posture, completely motionless.
His eyes were wide open, filled with an expression of disbelief, as if he couldn't accept that he hadn't even had a chance to move before being killed outright.
Only now did blood begin to seep from his throat, and only now did his body fall straight down.
"I never thought this strike would be used on one of our own sect's elders. How pathetic."
The black-robed old man murmured softly, his voice filled with desolation.
"Elder Kong."
Lin Feng called out to the black-robed old man. It turned out that the shadow lurking in the void was Elder Kong, the guardian of Heaven's Precipice.
"How did you know I was here?"
Elder Kong nodded at Lin Feng and asked in confusion. He possessed a Shadow Martial Soul; when he used it, there was only a shadow, no person. Moreover, he hadn't revealed himself at all just now, yet Lin Feng had known he was nearby and deliberately lured Mo Xie in.
"Perception."
Lin Feng replied calmly. When his martial soul was released, he didn't see the world with his eyes, but with his mind and heart.
The gray world was imprinted clearly in his mind, as if he were the master of this world, with everything around him perfectly clear.
Elder Kong, though only a shadow, had still been detected by him.
He immediately understood that the shadowy expert who had appeared because of him last time was still protecting him now.
Elder Kong's eyes flickered, and then he nodded.
"Lin Feng, you are the most talented young man I have ever seen. If you can leave here alive this time, I hope that one day, the Cloud Sea Sect can reappear in the world."
Elder Kong's tone carried a hint of aged melancholy. As the sect's guardian, he was responsible for protecting the Cloud Sea Sect, but today, it was about to be annihilated.
"If I survive, I will rebuild the Cloud Sea Sect in the future."
Lin Feng nodded heavily. This was his promise to the old man, but first, he had to find a way to walk out alive.
Duan Tianlang was determined to kill him.
"Slash!"
A sharp shout came from above, and blood splattered as a gray-robed elder killed one of the Cloud Sea Sect's elders.
"Kong Ming, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
This man stepped through the air, descending from the sky to stand before Elder Kong, his battle intent blazing.
Elder Kong said nothing. His body trembled slightly, turning into a streak of light, and then his figure vanished, leaving only a shadow imprinted on the ground.
Meanwhile, in the void, a figure stared with bloodshot eyes at Mo Xie's corpse on the ground, filled with boundless hatred.
"Cloud Sea Sect, I, Mo Canglan, have given so much for you, and in the end, you killed my only son."
A mad gleam flashed in Mo Canglan's eyes. He shifted his gaze, landing on Nan Gong Ling, who was still fighting Duan Tianlang, and the flames of hatred burned wildly.
"Die!" Mo Canglan roared inwardly. He stepped through the void, instantly appearing beside Nan Gong Ling. But Nan Gong Ling, fully focused on his battle with Duan Tianlang, didn't notice Mo Xie and certainly didn't expect Mo Canglan to charge at him with murderous intent, targeting him.
A vicious palm strike landed directly on Nan Gong Ling's body, sending him straight into Duan Tianlang's sword.
Sword light flashed, and blood gushed forth. Nan Gong Ling's left arm was severed by the blade.
"Mo... Cang... Lan!"
Landing on the ground, Nan Gong Ling didn't even glance at his severed left arm. He only stared fixedly at Mo Canglan. The one who had dealt him the fatal blow was the Grand Elder who had always been by his side.
"You forced me to this." Mo Canglan glanced at Mo Xie's corpse and said coldly.
Nan Gong Ling also saw Mo Xie's body, along with his wound and Elder Kong, who was still fighting.
Mo Xie had died at the hands of Elder Kong, who had been hiding all along.
Nan Gong Ling could naturally guess what had happened.
"Well killed."
Nan Gong Ling's expression turned icy. He swept his gaze around. All the Cloud Sea Sect's elders were at a disadvantage, while the enemy still had many who hadn't joined the battle, only blocking those trying to escape.
"All Cloud Sea Sect members, listen to my command—gather around me."
Nan Gong Ling leaped into the air, landing on the Life and Death Platform, and shouted loudly.
Hearing Nan Gong Ling's command, everyone broke free from their opponents and gathered on the highest platform, clustering around Nan Gong Ling.
Aside from Nan Gong Ling's severed arm, many others were also wounded, their bodies covered in injuries. Their eyes were bloodshot and icy cold, having been driven to a killing frenzy.
Lin Feng stood quietly behind the crowd. This scene, filled with tragic solemnity, struck his heart deeply.
"Do you know what to do?"
Nan Gong Ling's hand dripped blood continuously, but his gaze was unyielding as he stared at Duan Tianlang and the others.
The Cloud Sea Sect members all nodded silently. They didn't need to be told; they all understood Nan Gong Ling's intent.
"Elder Bei, I leave him to you."
Nan Gong Ling's gaze then turned to Elder Bei, his expression heavy.
Elder Bei nodded solemnly as well. He possessed a Crane Martial Soul, making him the best among them at lightness techniques and speed.
Then, Elder Bei came to Lin Feng's side. He released his martial soul, spreading his wings, and tightly gripped Lin Feng with his arms.
Lin Feng's pupils contracted. He finally understood Nan Gong Ling's plan. They...
All the sect elders' gazes fell on Lin Feng, filled with various complex emotions. But among them, there was one common thread—hope!
Everyone looked at Lin Feng with a glimmer of hope. Lin Feng represented their hope, the hope of the Cloud Sea Sect.
It felt like a heavy blow. Lin Feng's heart grew unbearably heavy, as if a mountain were pressing down on his back, threatening to crush him.
These sect experts were going to use their lives to exchange for Lin Feng's life—so many experts' lives for just one of his.
And even if they succeeded, exchanging their lives for Lin Feng's, they would never know what the future held, what Lin Feng would do. How could their gazes not be complex and heavy?
Among them, only Nan Gong Ling didn't look at Lin Feng. His eyes were fixed ahead.
"To those who give him a drop, he returns an ocean."
For a young man who could say such words, what more could he not trust? His only concern was how to get Lin Feng out alive.
"Go!"
At that moment, Nan Gong Ling roared, stepping forward and striding through the void.
All the Cloud Sea Sect elders moved at the same instant, following Nan Gong Ling's lead. This single step was a step into eternity.
"The sect has been destroyed under my watch. I, Nan Gong Ling, have failed the Cloud Sea Sect."
An immensely powerful aura burst forth from Nan Gong Ling's body. He charged straight into the midst of the blocking experts, without hesitation, without holding back. This was a life-staking strike.
"You're asking for death!"
Several shouts rang out. Dazzling sword light devoured everything, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Nan Gong Ling's figure turned to dust, vanishing with the wind.
The youngest sect master in Cloud Sea Sect's history had fallen.
No one mourned, no one shouted. The Cloud Sea Sect elders watched this scene calmly, then stepped forward themselves, unleashing overwhelmingly powerful attacks. The space became violently chaotic, as if heaven and earth were churning.
Facing these fearless, suicidal attacks, the people blocking them dodged aside. Those people didn't care about their own lives, but they themselves didn't want to die.
"Kill!"
"Kill, kill, kill..."
The bitter wind howled desolately. The Cloud Sea Sect elders, solemn and grim, unleashed all their strength in that moment, charging at the enemy with only offense, no defense, and no retreat.
Watching the elders charge at the enemy one by one, unleashing their final, life-staking strikes, blooming with the last radiance of their lives, then falling helplessly from the sky, Lin Feng didn't even blink. Every one of those falling lives turned back to look at him in their dying moments, wanting him to see them clearly.
"Go!"
Elder Bei finally moved. When still, he was like a mountain; when moving, he was earth-shattering. His body turned into a streak of light, shooting toward the horizon.
The flapping crane wings made the air currents wildly violent, and the fierce wind howled bitterly, cutting into Lin Feng like a blade, as painful as his heart.
"Trying to escape?"
A cold snort rang out. The sword energy was incredibly sharp. Above the sky, a giant sword radiated dazzling light—it was the old man who had been following Duan Tianlang.
"Shadow Kill—Strike!"
A soft shout came from the void. The emerald light was minuscule amid the sword light, but no one could ignore its brilliance.
The Shadow Martial Soul's wielder was born for assassination. When still, nothing; when moving, he took lives.
"You dare!" The giant sword old man's expression changed. He roared in anger, and his immensely powerful sword light clashed with the emerald light, as if it could swallow the opponent instantly. But after that strike, the giant sword's luster dimmed. The old man's breathing grew heavy, and blood seeped from a hole in his chest.
The shadow in the void also appeared, its arm and the emerald dagger vanishing together.
Elder Bei didn't even glance that way. His wings flapped fiercely, and he soared into the sky.