Taking a light breath, he closed his eyes slightly, forcing himself to stay calm and composed, as if it were no big deal. Li Daoqiang felt the soft warmth in his arms and was even more delighted. But he quickly pulled his focus back—this was not the time to relax. With all the preparations made beforehand, this step was the crucial one.
At that moment, countless gazes were fixed tightly on Li Daoqiang. Among them, many were itching to make a move. Zhu Yuyan, Geshu Tian, and others were the same; even those from the righteous path were stirring restlessly. Their true essence had already been raised to its peak, ready to strike at any moment.
But as they watched the two figures moving away at a leisurely pace, still, no one made a move. The scene of that single palm strike injuring Zhu Yuyan was too deeply shocking. Even Zhu Yuyan herself dared not act now, engaging Li Daoqiang in a fight to the death.
This was one of the main reasons they hadn’t joined forces to surround him. If Li Daoqiang had merely been seizing the Heavenly Demon Qin, no matter how strong he was, both the righteous and demonic paths would have tacitly allied to stop him from taking it. But now, things were different. Huang Xuemei was going to marry Li Daoqiang. With that relationship established, the title was there. To surround Li Daoqiang now would mean a fight to the death—truly, no quarter given.
Faced with Li Daoqiang’s unfathomable strength, no one wanted a fight to the death with him. Zhu Yuyan didn’t want it, nor did she dare. That was the power of legitimacy. Sometimes it seemed useless, but in truth, it was incredibly effective. Fighting with a just cause—something sought after since ancient times—was that formidable.
So even though Zhu Yuyan and Geshu Tian desperately wanted the Heavenly Demon Qin, they dared not act. Even if they were willing to take the lead and risk a fight to the death with Li Daoqiang, they couldn’t be sure other experts would join them in surrounding him. At the very least, Wuqing, Zhuiming, and Zhu Xiawu—the three from the imperial court—were beyond their control. With that title in place, would they easily make a move and bring such a big trouble to the court? Once they acted, the repercussions would be immense. After all, they were officials of the Song Kingdom; every move had to be cautious.
If those three didn’t act, would the remaining three from the righteous path make a move? Certainly not. That left only their two factions to deal with Li Daoqiang, and Zhu Yuyan was wary of that earlier palm strike. That strike had left too deep an impression on her—deeper than even a peerless expert’s. She dared not act.
As for Geshu Tian, he was even less likely to, because he knew he couldn’t compete with Zhu Yuyan. The other side had four grandmasters. If a fight broke out, he would be the first to suffer.
All of them were seasoned veterans of the martial world or possessed keen intellect. They had thoroughly thought through every angle. And precisely because they had, none of them dared to act now, forced to watch helplessly as Li Daoqiang carried Huang Xuemei away into the distance. Their eyes held a mix of emotions.
Burning with extreme reluctance, Zhu Yuyan suddenly spoke coldly: “Chief Li, seventy million taels of silver delivered within a day—can we make a deal?” Her desire for the Heavenly Demon Qin, her craving for power, had finally suppressed everything else.
Huang Xuemei’s expression remained unchanged, but she lifted her eyes to calmly look at Li Daoqiang. Li Daoqiang laughed heartily a few times and replied without hesitation: “Is the Yin Empress offering seventy million taels as a wedding gift? If so, I, the chief, will accept it. Today’s matter is settled, and we’ll still be good friends from now on.”
Huang Xuemei withdrew her gaze. Zhu Yuyan wanted to curse loudly, but her composure left her at a loss for words. All she could do was glare with reddened eyes, staring at Li Daoqiang as if she wanted to bite him to death with her gaze.
Geshu Tian’s eyes flickered. He glanced at Sun Lutang and said loudly: “Sun Lutang, your junior brother Han Xun and his nephew Han Ping—are they just dead like that?”
Instantly, many eyes turned to Sun Lutang, who had remained silent. Curiosity, mockery, doubt, anticipation—all were present. The Diancang Sect was a renowned orthodox sect, famous across the land, arguably one of the pillars of the righteous path. A sect elder and his son had died, and they would just let the murderer walk away without a reaction?
Sun Lutang cursed inwardly. He had stayed silent to keep a low profile and avoid attention. But Geshu Tian had bluntly called him out.
His heart sank, but his face hardened with righteous indignation as he shouted: “Hmph, what happens in the Diancang Sect is none of your concern, demon.”
Geshu Tian smiled without a word. Under the weight of all those gazes, Sun Lutang then said solemnly: “Chief Li, Huang Xuemei, the deaths of Junior Brother Han and his son—the Diancang Sect will pursue this to the end.”
Though wary, with so many eyes on him, he couldn’t back down. Otherwise, the Diancang Sect’s face would be utterly lost.
At this mere display of bravado, Geshu Tian and Zhu Yuyan both let out disdainful snorts. Li Daoqiang glanced sidelong and then declared loudly: “Good, I, the chief, accept it. From now on, anyone who opposes Huang Xuemei, including those coveting the Heavenly Demon Qin, I will take them all on. I’ll be waiting anytime.”
With that, his speed increased, and he vanished from everyone’s sight.
Immediately, a storm of discussion erupted and boiled over. “He’s gone just like that! Li Daoqiang came out ahead this time.” “Now that’s the bearing of a true man. So what if there are many grandmasters? They still didn’t dare make a move.” “Do you think Li Daoqiang has already reached the level of a peerless expert? Otherwise, how could he make the Yin Empress and the others hold back?” “With Li Daoqiang backing her, no one will dare covet the Heavenly Demon Qin anymore.” “A top-tier expert joining Black Dragon Stronghold—their strength is about to soar.” “I’ve decided to join Black Dragon Stronghold. With a leader like Chief Li, it’s bound to shine.” “I’m going too. I think Chief Li might already be at the peerless level. Now’s the perfect time to join.” ······ ······
Amid the heated discussions, the two factions of grandmasters exchanged cold, sharp glances and began to depart separately. No matter how reluctant, Zhu Yuyan had to leave for now.
Soon, the gathering of tens of thousands dispersed in all directions. Various pieces of news began spreading rapidly across the entire world. Everyone could foresee that today’s events would spark heated debates everywhere. Even those present wouldn’t stop talking about it.
On the other side, seeing that no one had made a move, Li Daoqiang breathed a sigh of relief and sped up to his residence. He arrived shortly.
Huang Xuemei immediately began to struggle. Li Daoqiang didn’t force it, carrying her into the room as he said with a smile: “Don’t be tense. What I promised you will be done soon, and you’ll be my wife before long, so relax.”
Huang Xuemei was speechless, unsure what to say. Suddenly, she felt she might have preferred facing the crowd earlier. Now that they were alone, she was even more at a loss. It was just awkward.
After a moment of silence, she maintained her cool demeanor and said: “Wait until you’ve done it.”
Li Daoqiang smiled and nodded, seeing through her embarrassment and unease. He didn’t push further, his expression turning serious: “Next, we’re not truly at ease yet. We’d better head back to Black Dragon Stronghold as soon as possible.”
Seeing his gravity, Huang Xuemei felt a bit more at ease and asked with slight confusion: “Why?”
“Today’s events will spread quickly. If the mastermind behind this learns of it, what do you think he’ll do?” Li Daoqiang said sternly.
Huang Xuemei’s gaze turned cold, killing intent surfacing. She said through gritted teeth: “He’ll come as fast as he can to kill me.”
“Exactly. And there might still be experts coveting the Heavenly Demon Qin. Only back at Black Dragon Stronghold can I treat your injuries faster. Once you’re recovered, no matter who attacks, we won’t have to worry.” Li Daoqiang spoke steadily and confidently.
He wasn’t deceiving Huang Xuemei; this was indeed a concern of his. If a peerless expert came, the injured Huang Xuemei would be a liability. Back at the stronghold, with Ding Dian’s Divine Illumination Sutra, her recovery would be quicker.
Huang Xuemei nodded in agreement. After a pause, she said: “I need to arrange some things.”
“Alright, but don’t stray far from me. We should leave within two hours at most. Also, tell me something distinctive about your brother so I can confirm his identity.” Li Daoqiang nodded.
Huang Xuemei’s expression immediately grew agitated. She stepped forward, breathing unevenly: “You know who it is?”
“I only have a suspect. Don’t get worked up. I’ll confirm it before I tell you.” Li Daoqiang reached out and patted her shoulder gently.
Huang Xuemei instinctively flinched from his hand, turned her head away, took a deep breath to suppress some of her excitement, and said firmly: “Fine. My brother has a birthmark on his chest. That can confirm his identity.”
“I understand. Make your arrangements quickly.” Li Daoqiang nodded.
Huang Xuemei assessed her own condition, hesitated briefly, then said: “Take me somewhere.”
“Alright, let’s go now.” Li Daoqiang agreed immediately. Without ceremony, he wrapped an arm around her and flew out.
Huang Xuemei’s body tensed, but she forced herself to act indifferent. Li Daoqiang chuckled inwardly but didn’t call her out.
Soon, they arrived at a manor and met a hunchbacked man waiting anxiously.
“Miss.” Seeing them, the man hurried forward with joy.
“Qi Fu, sorry to have worried you.” Huang Xuemei’s expression softened as she spoke gently.
Qi Fu shook his head, beaming with relief that she was safe. Then, with gratitude and a hint of wariness, he looked at Li Daoqiang and bowed: “Greetings, Chief Li.”
“Mm.” Li Daoqiang nodded without saying much, stepping aside to give Huang Xuemei privacy.
Huang Xuemei said a few words. Qi Fu hesitated but eventually nodded and left.
“Let’s go.” Huang Xuemei walked toward Li Daoqiang on her own.
Li Daoqiang gave a slight nod, wrapped his arm around her, and left the place. Before long, he found the Blood Saber Old Ancestor and his group.
He ordered: “Let’s go. Head back to Black Dragon Stronghold at top speed.” With that, he took Huang Xuemei and flew off first.
The Blood Saber Old Ancestor and the others quickly acknowledged and followed swiftly.
(Thanks for the support, please vote.) ······