Everyone was startled once again.
Su Xinghe and Ding Chunqiu were fellow disciples!
Of course, it was clear to all that their relationship was poor, even marked by deep-seated hatred.
"Ding Chunqiu, you traitor, you've betrayed your master and destroyed our lineage, yet you still have the nerve to call me senior brother. Today is the day you pay with your life." Su Xinghe's cold shout rang out.
Murderous intent filled the air.
Ding Chunqiu narrowed his eyes, radiating a chilling, murderous glare. His gaze swept the surroundings subtly, his expression growing even more disdainful: "Heh, relying on you? You've played deaf and dumb for thirty years just to scrape by and survive until now.
What do you have to kill me with? Pure delusion. This old immortal could wipe out you and all your disciples with a wave of his hand."
"Star Lord, boundless in power. Vast in ability, gracing the Central Plains."
Immediately, the flattering shouts rose again.
Leaving aside Su Xinghe and his disciples, the others mostly frowned, looking on with a mix of disdain and wariness.
"Boss Ling, this Ding Chunqiu sure is full of himself, loving his disciples' bootlicking like that." Kou Zhong transmitted his voice, exasperated.
"Ding Chunqiu acts fearless and reckless, but he's actually wary and cautious now." Xu Ziling observed Ding Chunqiu calmly, speaking with certainty.
"That's normal. From what we've heard, this Deaf-Mute Scholar endured for thirty years, then suddenly tore off the mask to kill Ding Chunqiu. He must have some backing.
If Ding Chunqiu can't see that, he's wasted all those years." Kou Zhong said bluntly.
Xu Ziling nodded, said no more, and continued watching intently.
After savoring two rounds of cheers, Ding Chunqiu lightly waved his feather fan, and the shouts fell silent.
He looked down with a cold laugh: "Su Xinghe, what gives you the nerve? Speak up, and this old immortal, out of respect for our past brotherhood, will grant you a whole corpse."
"Hmph." Su Xinghe snorted disdainfully, full of confidence: "Ding Chunqiu, today is the day you, this traitor, meet your end."
"Ridiculous. Who can do anything to this old immortal?" Ding Chunqiu shook his feather fan lightly, brimming with arrogance and confidence.
"I humbly invite the Great Chief and Sect Leader." Su Xinghe wasted no more words, turning directly to bow in one direction.
Xue Muhua and the others also bowed.
Everyone was startled again, their gazes following.
As Murong Fu looked over, he instinctively shuddered.
Great Chief~!
A vague sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
"What Great Chief, what Sect Leader? Su Xinghe, are you trying to scare this old immortal? I fear no one." Ding Chunqiu sneered coldly as he looked, though his eyes were already filled with caution.
"Star Lord, boundless in power. Unstoppable in attack, invincible in battle."
Immediately, led by Ding Chunqiu's senior disciple, the flattery rang out at the right moment.
Ding Chunqiu relaxed, his confidence restored, his wariness fading slightly.
"Heh."
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from the direction everyone was looking.
As it appeared, it seemed to carry a mighty force, pressing the surroundings into silence, leaving only this amused laugh clear and distinct.
At the same time, Murong Fu's face stiffened, a complex expression surfacing.
Hearing that all-too-familiar voice, he felt an urge to leave immediately.
"Who? Who dares to play tricks? Come out now, or don't blame this old immortal for being rude." Ding Chunqiu frowned, his wariness deepening.
Murong Fu didn't dwell on it, casting a slightly pitying glance at Ding Chunqiu, all his schemes already extinguished.
"Old immortal, boundless in power, huh. This chief has never seen someone so arrogant as you."
The tone grew even more amused, as if finding a mere ant's provocation entertaining, a lofty superiority naturally emerging.
An intangible, domineering pride instantly filled everyone's hearts.
Some faces changed.
The two women behind Duan Yu's face shifted, showing some uncertainty.
Yi Jifeng also turned grim, his expression growing extremely serious.
"Who are you?" Ding Chunqiu frowned deeply, displeased.
But under his wariness, he refrained from further provocation.
Before his voice faded, a cave appeared in the cliff ahead.
A figure emerged, unhurried, and with a single step, was right before them.
Tall and sturdy, standing like a mountain, exuding an unfathomable aura.
"Chief Li!"
Yi Jifeng exclaimed, his hand tightening on his sword.
"Li Daoqiang!"
"Ah!!"
Duan Yu and the two women behind him also cried out, their tones varying.
From these exclamations, everyone, whether they knew him or not, recognized the figure's identity.
Instantly, except for those who already knew, all faces changed.
"Li Daoqiang! The Black Dragon Stronghold's peerless expert, Li Daoqiang!" Kou Zhong quickly transmitted to Xu Ziling.
Xu Ziling's face grew solemn as he slowly nodded: "It should be him."
The two became serious, holding their breath.
Jiumozhi's usually calm eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light.
As if invigorated, he stared intently at the figure.
Ou Jinghao's fists clenched tightly, his expression wary, with a hint of hostility and a faint trace of admiration.
Zhen Zhibing, Xuan Nan, and the others grew even more cautious.
Ding Chunqiu's face stiffened, his eyes uncertain as he looked there.
Then his expression twitched, his gaze flickering.
Duan Yu's look was complex, mostly awe.
The two women behind him—one was overjoyed, her small hand moving as if to greet him.
The other's face shifted, a mix of anger as she glared at the figure.
Li Daoqiang calmly surveyed the crowd, then fixed an amused gaze on Ding Chunqiu.
Looking down as if at an amusing ant, it made Ding Chunqiu deeply uncomfortable.
Fear crept in.
He shrank back slightly.
His cold arrogance and disdain had vanished without a trace.
His disciples also knew Li Daoqiang's identity, but under years of ingrained fear, aside from a few, they held up reasonably well.
"This chief is really curious—how do you have the guts to be so arrogant?" Li Daoqiang said with an intrigued smile, looking at Ding Chunqiu.
Everyone turned to Ding Chunqiu, their expressions now mostly expectant.
Some even wore mocking grins.
Unable to bear the constant flattery, Ding Chunqiu's pride wavered. Suppressing his fear, he said solemnly: "Are you the Great Chief Li of the Black Dragon Stronghold?"
Wang Yuyan and the others had also walked behind Li Daoqiang, watching quietly.
Li Daoqiang nodded patiently, even more interested: "Yes, this chief is."
"Sir, you and I—you and this old man—have always kept to our own paths. I've overstepped today, and I ask for your forgiveness." Ding Chunqiu maintained a hint of a lofty demeanor, cupping his hands.
Li Daoqiang curled his lip, his amused expression fading.
A bit disappointed, he said calmly: "Seems like just a fool spoiled by flattery."
With that, as if utterly bored, he raised his hand, like swatting a fly, and slapped the air.
Instantly, Ding Chunqiu's face changed drastically. Forgetting his lofty pose, he leaped to flee.
But a golden palm print had already appeared above his head, pressing down like a mountain.
"Ah~!"
With a terrified roar, Ding Chunqiu raised both hands, but in an instant, he was slammed into the ground.
"Boom!"
With a crash, a large handprint-shaped pit appeared, with Ding Chunqiu, his aura weakened, pinned in the center.
Like a fly caught in a swat.
His disciples turned pale, trembling all over.
The others, except for a few, were horrified.
The infamous Star Lord, casually slapped into severe injury with no resistance.
They all knew it wasn't that Ding Chunqiu was too weak or undeserving of his reputation.
It was that Li Daoqiang was too strong, beyond their comprehension.
Peerless expert~!
Jiumozhi silently repeated those four words, his longing growing.
At the same time, he restrained his aura further, trying to blend in.
Yi Jifeng, Ou Jinghao, Zhen Zhibing, Xuan Nan, and others, who had harbored various thoughts, all extinguished them, staying silent and more vigilant.
Kou Zhong pursed his lips, his eyes blazing with brilliance and fierce ambition, transmitting to Xu Ziling: "Boss Ling, one day, we'll be this strong too, right?"
Xu Ziling glanced at him, hesitated, then nodded: "Mm."
At that moment, the figure in their eyes had transformed.
If earlier he was just unfathomable with a hint of warmth,
Now he was a domineering, world-dominating force, like an invincible divine mountain.
One dared not look directly, only bow their heads.
The two women behind Duan Yu's faces also changed, looking at him with complex emotions.
Only Su Xinghe, Wang Yuyan, and the others glared happily at Ding Chunqiu.
Su Xinghe and his disciples were even weeping with joy.
"Master, your vengeance can finally be fulfilled." Su Xinghe knelt before Wu Yazi's grave, Xue Muhua and the others following suit.
"Ding Chunqiu, you old villain, your sins are full, your evil deeds endless. Today, you've finally gotten your comeuppance.
I've long been dissatisfied with you. Today, I, Zhaixingzi, sever ties with you."
Suddenly, Ding Chunqiu's senior disciple, holding a fan, shouted loudly, his face pale but resolute.
Looking like he was at odds with Ding Chunqiu.
"That's right, I've long been fed up with you. I break all ties with you."
"Yes, yes, Ding, you old scoundrel, you've plagued the martial world. You deserve to die."
······
Immediately, Ding Chunqiu's other disciples shouted without hesitation, severing their master-disciple bonds.
"Lord of the Black Dragon, wise and mighty. Roaming the world, invincible."
Zhaixingzi suddenly raised his arm and shouted, looking at Li Daoqiang with utmost reverence and respect.
Instantly, the others joined in.
Each shouting louder than the last, as if in competition.
Li Daoqiang couldn't help but chuckle, his gaze falling on them.
Zhaixingzi's legs went weak, and he knelt, his face full of terror.
The other dozens followed suit, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Great Chief, spare us. It was all Ding Chunqiu's doing. We're willing to turn from darkness to light." Zhaixingzi trembled as he spoke, the others echoing him.
"Heh, a bunch of spineless cowards." Behind Murong Fu, Feng Bo'e couldn't help but sneer disdainfully.
The others mostly showed contempt.
(Chapter 1, requesting subscriptions.) ······