Chapter 327: The Fury of Burning Heaven (1)
"Xiao... oh no, Yun Che..." Xiao Ze's legs trembled as he swallowed hard and said, "My grandson Chengzhi went to the Xiao Sect with Xiao Kuangyun three years ago, and now he's also a member of the main Xiao Sect. Could you... could you show some consideration for Chengzhi's sake..."
To them, the Xiao Sect was like a divine palace; being able to enter the Xiao Sect was the greatest honor of a lifetime. Xiao Ze thought that bringing up Xiao Chengzhi, who had entered the Xiao Sect, would make Yun Che think twice, but before he could finish, Yun Che's suddenly turned gaze, cold and dark, pierced him so deeply that he could no longer speak. "Xiao Chengzhi? Heh, don't say that after entering the Xiao Sect, he's only at the very bottom, even less than a gatekeeping servant. Even if Xiao Juetian himself came today, I would settle accounts with him too! The debts his son owes—he, as the father, cannot escape responsibility!"
Yun Che's words were icy and piercing, clearly showing that he did not even put Xiao Juetian, the Sect Master of the Xiao Sect, in his eyes. Everyone's hearts trembled at this... If even Xiao Juetian wasn't worth considering, then what was Xiao Chengzhi? Nothing! Not even a fart!
Bang!!
Yun Che kicked out, sending Xiao Yunhai flying sideways, knocking over more than a dozen disciples behind him. However, Yun Che's several attacks so far had not been lethal; otherwise, with his current strength, even using just one percent of his power would have been enough to leave anyone dead without a complete corpse. Xiao Yunhai, as the Sect Master of the Xiao Sect, was not a complete fool; he realized this as well. Struggling to sit up, he said, "Yun Che... what happened back then... we wronged you and the Fifth Elder... but at that time, we were forced by circumstances. We simply couldn't afford to offend the people from the Xiao Sect... if we hadn't done that, none of us would have had a good ending... We drove you out of the Xiao Sect only because you truly didn't have the Xiao Sect's bloodline... but after all, the Xiao Sect raised you for sixteen years..."
Xiao Yunhai was naturally not a person of unwavering integrity who would rather die than submit; otherwise, he wouldn't have betrayed and framed his own clan member to please Xiao Kuangyun back then. So, realizing that Yun Che seemed unwilling to kill them, he immediately began to beg.
"Nonsense!" Yun Che frowned and shouted angrily. "Forced by circumstances? On the very first day Xiao Kuangyun arrived here, he hadn't even seen my little aunt! How could he have had dirty thoughts about her! And the frame-up you staged the next day—you have the nerve to say it was forced by circumstances? Moreover, the person who raised me was my grandfather, Xiao Lie, not your Xiao Sect! What you gave me was nothing but contempt, disdain, mockery, and bullying from your high horse! These are things I will never forget."
As Yun Che spoke, his gaze swept over everyone present. Whoever met his eyes felt a chill run through their entire body. Especially those who had once mocked and ridiculed him as a waste—they all lowered their heads like lightning, trembling all over, not daring to take a deep breath.
If the person standing before them were just an ordinary strong practitioner, they would not have been so cowering. After all, the entire Xiao Sect combined was a formidable force, arguably the strongest in Liuyun City. But the power Yun Che displayed was simply too terrifying. Xiao Bo, Xiao Yunhai, Xiao Li—these three, who were basically the strongest in the current Xiao Sect—could not even put up a shred of resistance against him. And with a casual sword strike, he had split the earth, causing many people's hearts to nearly burst from shock.
Faced with the pressure brought by such strength, they could only feel fear, without the courage to resist.
Xiao Bo's right arm was completely crippled, Xiao Li was pinned to the wall, his screams growing hoarse. Sect Master Xiao Yunhai was kneeling on one knee, his face covered in blood. Xiao Cheng and Xiao Ze's legs were clearly trembling, not daring to step forward... The entire Xiao Sect was enveloped in an almost despairing atmosphere. As they looked at Yun Che, who was radiating heavy pressure, resentment, and killing intent, their intestines nearly twisted in regret. The Yun Che who was now famous throughout the world was actually the Xiao Che who had been driven out years ago under their venomous words! If back then they hadn't done those vile things to please Xiao Kuangyun, the glory of Yun Che today would have benefited their Xiao Sect! The reputation of the Xiao Sect would have soared without question, perhaps even surpassing the Xiao Sect's branches.
The name of the Xiao Sect would be known throughout the world.
Because of Yun Che, they would also have connections with the Imperial Clan and the Bing Yun Fairy Palace.
This was something they wouldn't even dare dream of, surpassing the paltry charity from the Xiao Sect three years ago by countless times!
And all of this, which could have been realized, was utterly destroyed by their greed and treachery three years ago. In its place was Yun Che's resentment, and the extremely likely arrival of utter ruin.
For the first time in their lives, Xiao Yunhai and the several elders understood perfectly how to write the word "regret." But there was no regret drug in this world, and they could never turn back time. This was the fruit they had planted themselves, and they could blame no one else. They had to endure this bitter result painfully.
Xiao Cheng cautiously said, "Yes... these were all our mistakes. At that time, we were completely blinded by the prestige of the Xiao Sect. But... but all of this was the idea of the former Young Sect Master, Xiao Yulong! We only... only cooperated with Xiao Yulong. And Xiao Yulong got his retribution afterward. That very night, he had his eyes gouged out, his nose and ears cut off, his tongue severed, and his hand and foot tendons cut... and he also... became a eunuch... and died within a few days... None of that was our idea!"
Regarding Xiao Yulong's matter, it had always been a forbidden topic in the Xiao Sect, never allowed to be mentioned. Otherwise, Xiao Yunhai would go mad. But now, to gain a chance at survival, Xiao Cheng had no choice but to bring it up, placing all the blame on the already horribly dead Xiao Yulong. Yun Che glanced sideways and sneered, "You're right. This is all retribution... the retribution he deserved! And after doing what you did back then, didn't you ever think that one day, you too would face retribution?!"
Yun Che's voice was still ringing in their ears, but his figure had instantly disappeared. Xiao Cheng and Xiao Ze simultaneously felt a wave of profound energy rushing toward them, as sharp as a blade and as violent as a tsunami.
Slap!
Slap!
The sound of two slaps overlapped, loud enough to make everyone's eardrums vibrate. Xiao Ze and Xiao Cheng were both sent flying by the slaps, landing far away, collapsing to the ground, unable to stand for a long time. Blood seeped from the corners of their mouths, and their old faces became a bloody red. The side of their face that was slapped swelled to two or three times its normal size. They covered their burning old faces, groaning in pain.
With another flicker, Yun Che had returned to his previous position. His speed was such that no one present could see it clearly. Yun Che crossed his arms and sneered, "But don't worry, I'm not going to kill you yet. Otherwise, you'd already be a pile of mangled flesh. It's not that I don't want to kill you, but my grandfather and little aunt are both kind and merciful by nature. They've never killed in their lives. Moreover, you are from the same clan as my grandfather and little aunt. If I were to kill you all just like that, they would feel that your deaths are related to them and would thus bear a sense of guilt."
Those who had been on the verge of despair suddenly felt overjoyed upon hearing this. But immediately, they seemed to think of something, and their expressions changed again, becoming even uglier than before.
Xiao Yunhai quickly struggled to stand and said, "Yes... we wronged the Fifth Elder first. For the great mistake we made back then, it is only right that we receive today's retribution. As long as you spare us today, from now on, the Xiao Sect will follow your lead. For any reasonable request you have—no, any command—even if we have to go through fire and water, we will absolutely obey, hoping to make up for the mistakes of the past."
Yun Che saw the change in their expressions clearly and felt a slight doubt, but he didn't take it too seriously. He looked coldly at Xiao Yunhai and said, "Xiao Yunhai, you sure are calculating. You drove me out of the Xiao Sect back then, and now you want to be associated with me? Fine, since you want to obediently submit, I have one thing for you to do right now!"
Yun Che's gaze deepened as he looked at everyone and said coldly, "Every single one of you will now go to the Siguo Gorge on the back mountain, kneel before the place where you imprisoned my grandfather and little aunt, and beg them to leave the Siguo Gorge! If you manage to get them to leave, I will consider sparing your lives and let my grandfather decide your fate. If you fail to move them... then you will kneel there until you die!"
Yun Che was not a merciful person, but Xiao Lie was, and so was Xiao Lingxi. Especially Xiao Lie—if he weren't so deeply loyal and righteous, would he have endured countless mockeries and criticisms to raise Yun Che, a crippled in meridians who wasn't even his own grandson? Yun Che knew very well what would happen if he left these people's fate to Xiao Lie's judgment. Even if they had treated Xiao Lie terribly, Xiao Lie still wouldn't have the heart to be cruel to them. Yun Che understood this clearly, but he could only choose this path. Otherwise, as he himself had said, it would make his grandfather bear a heavy sense of guilt and sin that he could never unload.
But he hadn't expected that after he said these words, the faces of the Xiao Sect members before him showed not joy or relief, but a fear magnified several times over. His brow tightened suddenly, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.
"This... this... this..." This was clearly a great hope falling from the sky, almost a favor, but Xiao Yunhai and the others felt cold all over. Xiao Yunhai knelt back down, his entire body limp, unable to stand up. He spoke in a hoarse voice filled with deep fear: "The Fifth Elder... and Xiao Lingxi... they have already... already..."
Yun Che's pupils sharply contracted, and his whole body suddenly released an icy, extreme killing intent and malevolent aura. His figure flickered as he rushed in front of Xiao Yunhai, grabbed him by the collar, and with reddened eyes, said, "What happened to my grandfather and little aunt? What happened to them? Speak! Speak quickly!"
Being grabbed by Yun Che, Xiao Yunhai choked, his face turning deathly pale. Xiao Cheng beside him covered his swollen face and cowered, saying, "They... they are no longer on the back mountain..."
Yun Che's head went "buzz," and the world spun violently around him.
A malevolent aura, as cold as if it came from hell, made everyone shudder. Xiao Cheng swallowed hard, afraid that Yun Che would suddenly fly into a rage and kill him, and hastily said, "It was the Fen Tian Gate... it was the people from the Fen Tian Gate..."
"Three days ago, a group of people from the Fen Tian Gate suddenly arrived here... They claimed they wanted to take Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi away... We had no idea why, and they didn't explain anything to us... The orders of the Fen Tian Gate—we simply didn't dare resist. We could only watch helplessly as they went to the back mountain and took away the Fifth Elder and Xiao Lingxi... It was the people from the Fen Tian Gate... It really has nothing to do with us..."
"~！#￥%..." In Yun Che's mind, something seemed to explode. Every drop of blood, every nerve, every shred of his soul was completely filled with a suddenly surging rage and hatred.
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