157: Chapter 157 Severe Measures in Chaotic Times

“My Lord! This general requests to fight!”

Du Wei, who had the most explosive temper, was the first to step forward. His copper-bell-like tiger eyes burned with raging fury.

“A mere Jianghu School dares to provoke the Divine Might of my Panshi Army?! Give me three thousand of the Tiger Guard Battalion! This general will surely trample that bullshit Cangyun Mountain to the ground! I will leave no one, not even a chicken or dog, alive in the Cangyun Sword Sect!”

“Du Wei, calm down.”

Gao Feng slowly set down the teacup in his hand; there was no expression on his Face.

However, within his deep eyes flashed a piercing cold light, colder than ten-thousand-year black ice.

He had not expected that he had already given the other party enough Face.

He had only sent Wulu to lead ten thousand of the Green Wolf Battalion to “pay a visit,” intending to show some strength and force them to submit voluntarily.

Yet he had not expected that they would refuse to show respect!

Not only did they refuse to see him, they even set an ambush and heavily damaged his ace troops!

This was slapping his Face!

This was a provocation against the supreme majesty of him, the newly promoted king of the northern border!

“Very well.”

Gao Feng slowly stood up.

A cold killing intent, so terrifying that it caused the air inside the entire tent to solidify, erupted from his body!

“It seems that I have been silent for too long.”

“Long enough for some ants who do not know whether they are living or dead to forget that this blade of mine is used for killing!”

He did not say another word of nonsense.

He simply walked out of the tent, step by step.

Then, amidst the shocked and awe-filled gazes of everyone, he mounted his magnificent black steed and rode off alone towards the mist-shrouded Cangyun Mountain!

He did not even bring a single personal guard!

He would go alone to meet that so-called Sixth-Rank Grandmaster who dared to provoke him!

He would use the most shocking and bloody massacre to declare one thing to the entire Suzhou Province and even the entire world—those who submit to him will prosper! Those who oppose him will perish!

...

Cangyun Mountain, before the mountain gate.

Clouds and mist swirled, and Immortal Qi permeated the air.

Thousands of Cangyun Sword Sect Disciples, dressed in cyan martial attire and holding three-foot-long sharp blades, formed profound sword formations, guarding the entire mountain gate so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

Their Faces carried a trace of relief from surviving a disaster and the pride of having defeated a powerful enemy.

“Hahaha, what bullshit Panshi Army! What invincible Green Wolf heavy cavalry! Weren't they beaten until they fled in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons!”

“Exactly! Our Cangyun Sword Sect has stood in Suzhou Province for hundreds of years; how could those mud-legged peasants shake us?”

“With our Sect Head Revered Master here! With our mountain-protecting sword formation here! Even if that Yan King, Gao Feng, comes in person, we will make sure he never returns!”

The Disciples talked among themselves, their words filled with contempt for the Panshi Army and blind confidence in their own Sect.

However, at this moment.

“Clack! Clack! Clack!”

A crisp and rhythmic sound of hooves slowly came from the mist at the foot of the mountain.

The sound was neither rushed nor slow, yet it seemed to step precisely on everyone's heartstrings, bringing a suffocating sense of heavy oppression.

All the noise ceased abruptly at this moment.

Thousands of Cangyun Sword Sect Disciples subconsciously tightened their grips on their long swords, looking down the mountain with nervous expressions.

The mist slowly dispersed, and a young figure dressed in black martial attire, carrying a strangely shaped and ferocious long saber on his back, was slowly approaching the mountain gate on horseback, all alone.

Beneath him was a magnificent horse, black all over.

There was no expression on his Face, but his deep eyes were like two cold stars from the Nine Heavens, emitting a piercing chill capable of freezing all things.

He came just like that, quietly, without an army of thousands, without banners blocking the sun, only one man, one horse, and one saber.

But the terrifying Aura radiating from him, as if it were about to crush the very heavens and earth, was even more suffocating than an army of thousands!

“Who goes there! How dare you trespass into our Cangyun Mountain gate!”

An Inner Sect Disciple responsible for guarding the mountain mustered his courage and shouted sternly, though his words were hollow.

However, the man did not answer him; he only slowly raised his head.

His gaze passed over the thousands of Disciples standing in battle formation and over the majestic mountain gate that towered into the clouds.

Finally, it landed on the roof of the Cangyun Main Hall, on the figure dressed in white, standing with hands behind his back, possessing the air of an immortal.

“The Sect Head of the Cangyun Sword Sect, ‘Floating Cloud Sword’ Li Qingyun?”

His voice was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, clearly entering everyone's ears.

“Get down here.”

“Prepare to die.”

Arrogant! Too arrogant! Insolent! Too insolent!

The entire area before the Cangyun Mountain gate instantly fell into a deathly silence.

All the Cangyun Disciples looked at the man who did not know whether he was living or dead as if they were looking at a madman.

They had never dreamed that someone would dare to speak to their Sect Head Revered Master, who was high and mighty like a god, on their own turf, in such an insulting tone!

“Presumptuous!”

“Bold madman! How dare you disrespect our Sect Head! You are courting death!”

“Form the sword formation! Kill him! Tear him into ten thousand pieces!”

After a brief silence came soaring rage! Thousands of Cangyun Disciples were furious!

The long swords in their hands were drawn in unison, sword light flashed, Sword Qi crisscrossed, and they were about to form a sword formation to shred this arrogant madman who did not know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth on the spot!

However, at this moment.

“All of you, stop.”

An ethereal and dignified voice slowly drifted down from the roof of the Cangyun Main Hall.

The figure in white lightly tapped his toes on the roof, and his whole body drifted down like a weightless feather.

He was none other than the Sect Head of the Cangyun Sword Sect, Li Qingyun, a Great Grandmaster whose strength had reached the Peak of the Sixth-Rank “Organ Refining” stage and who was famous throughout the northern border for his masterful “Floating Cloud Sword Technique”!

He looked to be only forty or fifty years old, with a Face like jade and three long wisps of beard fluttering on his chest, looking every bit like an immortal, peerless expert.

His gaze fell upon Gao Feng, and for the first time, a trace of gravity flashed in those eyes that were usually as calm as an ancient well.

He could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within this young man before him, like a dormant volcano; this was a peerless expert of the same rank as himself!

“Is Your Excellency the Yan King, Gao Feng?” Li Qingyun spoke slowly, his voice neither servile nor overbearing.

“I am.” Gao Feng answered indifferently.

“Your Highness, the Yan King, not staying in Ji City to hold the center and resist the barbarians, but instead coming alone on horseback to my small Cangyun Mountain—what is your intention?” A trace of vigilance flashed in Li Qingyun's eyes.

“What is my intention?”

Gao Feng laughed, a cold smile filled with undisguised mockery.

“Your Cangyun Sword Sect closed your doors to defy orders, ambushed my Panshi Army, heavily damaged my general, and slaughtered nearly a thousand of my elite soldiers!”

“Now, you ask me what my intention is?”

His voice suddenly turned cold! A towering killing intent, as if it were substantial, erupted!

“I have come here today for only two things.”

“First, to trample your Cangyun Mountain to the ground!”

“Second, to take your head!”

As the words fell, he had no more nonsense!

The black steed beneath him seemed to sense its Revered Master's boundless rage, letting out a high-pitched, long neigh filled with Battle Intent!

“Boom!” The hooves struck the ground, and the earth cracked!

One man and one horse turned into a black bolt of death, charging fiercely toward the grim sword formation composed of thousands of Cangyun Disciples!

He was actually going to use his own strength to hard-shake this mountain-protecting sword formation that had been passed down for hundreds of years!

“Arrogant!”

Seeing this, Li Qingyun was furious! He did not expect Gao Feng to be so unreasonable and so domineering!

“Form the formation! Kill him!” He shouted sternly!

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Thousands of Cangyun Disciples roared in unison! The long swords in their hands traced the same trajectory at the same time!

“Hum—!”

Thousands of sharp Sword Qi intertwined and gathered in the air! Instantly, they formed a huge sword web composed of the purest Sword Qi!

The sword web blotted out the sky and sun, emitting a terrifying power capable of shredding everything, and descended upon that small black figure!

This was the Cangyun Sword Sect's mountain-protecting formation—the “Heavenly Net Cloud Sea Sword Formation”!

This formation was created by the founding Ancestral Master of the Cangyun Sword Sect.

Once activated, it could combine the Sword Qi of thousands of Disciples into one, multiplying its power!

Even if a Sixth-Rank Grandmaster were trapped inside, the only outcome would be to be shredded alive into a puddle of meat paste!

However, facing this absolute killing formation that would make any expert change their expression, there was not the slightest fear on Gao Feng's Face.

A trace of disdain even flashed in his eyes.

“A grain of rice dares to shine?”

He snorted coldly.

Just as the huge sword web was about to descend, he finally drew the peerless Sharp Weapon on his back, which had never truly tasted the blood of an expert since it was forged! — the sky-splitting star river blade!

“Clang—!!!”

A clear dragon roar, as if from the Nine Heavens, resounded through the sky!

A dark golden blade light, so brilliant that it made the heavens and earth lose their color, shot up into the sky!

Within that blade light, it seemed as if billions of stars were born, dying, and in Reincarnation!

A terrifying Saber Intent, ancient, vast, and filled with supreme domineering and destructive Aura, erupted and swept out!

“For me—break!!!”

Gao Feng let out a thunderous roar like a god or demon!

The sky-splitting star river blade in his hand, carrying the supreme Divine Might to tear the sky and sever the galaxy, slashed fiercely upward!

“Boom—!!!!!”

The dark golden blade light and the huge sword web that blotted out the sky collided head-on!

At that moment, time seemed to stand still!

Immediately after, a destructive energy storm that could not be described in words erupted!

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

That indestructible sword web, condensed from the heart's blood of thousands of Disciples, actually cracked inch by inch like fragile glass before that incomparably domineering blade light!

Then, with a “bang,” it exploded! Turning into golden light spots all over the sky!

“Puff!”

“Pfft!”

The sword formation was broken, and under the traction of the Qi, those thousands of Cangyun Disciples were all struck as if by a heavy blow!

They spat out a large mouthful of blood, and the long swords in their hands shattered inch by inch!

They fell down in rows like cut wheat!

One slash! Just one slash! It broke the mountain-protecting formation that the Cangyun Sword Sect had passed down for hundreds of years! Heavily damaging thousands of elite Disciples!

This is the true strength of the Sixth-Rank Peak Yan King, Gao Feng!

This was the unparalleled edge of the peerless divine weapon, the "sky-splitting star river blade," revealed to the world for the first time!

"No! Impossible!"

Li Qingyun stared at the scene before him, which was like a miracle, and was completely stunned!

For the first time, his Face, which usually bore an expression of immortal-like calm, revealed a look of sheer horror called "fear"!

He never in his wildest dreams expected that his pride and joy, the mountain-protecting array, would be broken by the other party with such a casual slash!

Just what kind of monster was this man?!

However, Gao Feng did not give him any time to think.

The moment the sword array was broken, the Wuzhui horse beneath him turned into a streak of black lightning once again, crossing hundreds of zhang in an instant to appear before Li Qingyun!

"Now, it's your turn."

Gao Feng looked down at this so-called "Great Grandmaster," who had long since been scared out of his wits, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion.

The sky-splitting star river blade in his hand was slowly raised once again.

On the dark golden blade, stars and rivers flowed, emitting a suffocating Aura of death.

"No!"

Li Qingyun finally snapped out of that extreme shock!

He let out a sharp roar filled with fear and unwillingness!

He knew he had no way out!

Only a fight to the death remained!

"Cloud Flow Sword Technique — Boundless Sea of Clouds!"

He unleashed his full strength as a Sixth-Rank Grandmaster without reservation!

The three-foot-long blue blade in his hand, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, seemed to come alive at this moment!

It transformed into ethereal clouds filling the sky!

It turned into endless, razor-sharp sword light!

The sword light was illusory and unpredictable, seemingly endless and boundless, shrouding all of Gao Feng's vital points!

This was his strongest ultimate technique, the one he relied on to make a name for himself!

He believed that even another Great Grandmaster at the Sixth-Rank Peak would never dare to take this Move head-on!

However, he was facing Gao Feng.

A peerless Prodigy who could no longer be judged by common sense!

Facing the overwhelming, infinite sword light, there was not the slightest ripple on Gao Feng's Face.

He did not even blink.

He simply slashed the sky-splitting star river blade in his hand forward!

This slash was still as simple and direct as ever.

There were no fancy Moves.

There were no profound changes.

All that remained was pure power, returning to the basics yet domineering to the extreme!

And that supreme Saber Intent capable of severing and destroying everything!

"Boom—!!!"

The dark golden blade radiance and the sky-filling sword light collided with a massive roar once again!

There was no intense clash as imagined.

Nor was there any stalemate as imagined.

The seemingly endless and unpredictable sword light, before that domineering blade radiance, was like ice and snow under the sun, fragile and incapable of withstanding a single blow!

In an instant, it was completely torn apart and evaporated, as if sweeping away withered leaves!

"Pfft!"

Li Qingyun felt an unprecedented, terrifying force come surging from his blade like a mountain collapse!

The divine Sharp Weapon in his hand, passed down for hundreds of years, snapped right in the middle with a "crack"!

And that dark golden blade radiance, after severing his long sword, lost none of its momentum and continued forward!

Finally, it came to a silent halt at his neck, which was already soaked in cold sweat.

It was just a hair's breadth away.

Time seemed to have stopped completely at this moment.

Silence reigned before the entire Cangyun Sword Sect gate.

All the surviving Cangyun Disciples stared blankly at the man standing there with his blade like a god or demon, and at their Sect Head Revered Master, who lay limp on the ground as if all his spirit and energy had been drained away.

Their faith, their pride, were completely shattered at this moment by that domineering blade radiance!

Feeling the cold, biting chill on his neck that seemed capable of freezing his Soul, Li Qingyun's body trembled violently.

He knew he had lost, lost so thoroughly, and lost without any suspense.

In the Face of absolute power, his pride and joy, the so-called "Cloud Flow Sword Technique," was simply a joke.

"Wh... why... not kill me?"

He squeezed these words out with difficulty from his throat, his voice hoarse and filled with endless confusion.

Gao Feng slowly retracted the sky-splitting star river blade.

He looked down at this Sixth-Rank Grandmaster, who had completely lost all will to fight, and said calmly:

"Your sword technique is not bad."

"It would be a pity to kill you."

"From today on, you and your entire Cangyun Sword Sect will serve me."

"I will have you form a 'sharp sword' that belongs only to my Panshi Army."

"A special forces unit dedicated to assassination and decapitation."

"Are you willing?"

His voice was calm, yet filled with an irresistible majesty.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyun shuddered!

He raised his head and looked into Gao Feng's eyes, which were as deep as the sea, and a massive storm stirred in his heart!

He had not expected that Gao Feng would make such a condition!

He would not kill him, nor would he destroy his Sect.

Instead, he wanted to promote him!

Such magnanimity!

Such breadth of mind!

It was simply unheard of!

He remained silent for a long, long time.

Finally, he slowly knelt on one knee before the man who was countless years younger than him.

He put down all his pride and dignity.

"This sinful subject, Li Qingyun..."

"Is willing to serve Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, unto death!"

Subjugating the Cangyun Sword Sect was only the first step in Gao Feng's path of iron-blooded integration.

He did not stay on Cangyun Mountain for any amount of time.

That very night, he personally led the ten thousand heavy armored infantry of the Tiger Guard Battalion and the three thousand iron cavalry of the Green Wolf Battalion, who had been waiting at the foot of the mountain for a long time, like a shadow of death descending from the sky, completely surrounding the fortress of the Longxi Li Clan, which had entrenched itself in Suzhou Province for hundreds of years and possessed wealth that could rival a nation!

"Listen up, those inside!"

Du Wei rode on his tall warhorse, his roar, like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent night sky!

"The Longxi Li Clan, at a time of national crisis, not only failed to serve the country, but instead hoarded goods, resisted royal orders, and even colluded with the Hu barbarians, harboring evil intentions!"

"Their crimes deserve death!"

"His Highness, the Prince of Yan, has issued an order!"

"All core members of the Li Clan and all their private soldiers who offer stubborn resistance are to be executed without exception!"

"All servants and tenant farmers who lay down their weapons and open the gates to surrender will be spared!"

"Attack the fortress!"

Following his command!

Thousands of Tiger Guard Battalion soldiers, like tigers released from their cages, launched a tidal wave of fierce attacks against the seemingly impregnable fortress!

A bloody and suspense-free massacre unfolded!

Although the Longxi Li Clan was wealthy and powerful, having raised thousands of elite private soldiers and several Fifth-Rank retainers.

However, they were facing a battle-hardened army that had just experienced a bloody war with the Heavenly Wolves!

It was an army of tigers and wolves personally led by the god of slaughter, Du Wei!

In just one hour!

The sturdy fortress that had taken generations of the Li Clan's efforts to build was smashed open by a giant battering ram!

The soldiers of the Panshi Army surged in like a breached flood!

Blades flashed, swords gleamed, and flesh and blood flew!

Screams and wails resounded throughout the night sky!

Two hours later, the battle ended.

The entire fortress of the Longxi Li Clan was already flowing with rivers of blood, and corpses were piled up like mountains.

All core members of the Li Clan who participated in the resistance, along with their private soldiers and retainers, were all executed on the spot!

A top-tier noble family that had been passed down in Suzhou Province for nearly a thousand years was thus wiped out!

And their vast wealth, accumulated over hundreds of years like a mountain of gold and a sea of silver, along with the salt and iron industries that could control the economic lifeline of the entire Suzhou Province, all fell into Gao Feng's pockets!

Gao Feng stood at the highest point of the blood-stained fortress, looking down at the Hell on earth beneath his feet with an expressionless Face.

There was not the slightest pity in his eyes.

In troubled times, use heavy codes.

He never showed mercy to these parasites who dared to provoke his majesty, and even thought of betraying their own nation during a time of national crisis!

He wanted to use the bloodiest and most direct way to tell everyone on this land—

Who was the only Revered Master here!

"My Lord,"

Xu Changqing appeared silently behind him and reported respectfully, "The core members of the Li Clan have all been executed. However..."

A strange expression appeared on his Face.

"We discovered an unexpected person in the secret dungeon of the Li Clan patriarch's bedroom."

"Oh?" Gao Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.

He followed Xu Changqing into the dark and damp dungeon.

In the deepest part of the dungeon, a young girl wearing white prisoner clothes, which were already stained beyond recognition by blood and dust, was locked to the wall with heavy iron chains.

Her hair was disheveled, covering most of her Face.

Her body was covered with shocking whip marks, her Aura was withered, and it seemed as if she could lose her life at any moment.

But even in such a sorry state, it could not hide her innate, peerless elegance and the nobility and stubbornness that permeated from her very bones.

"Take her down," Gao Feng said in a deep voice.

When two soldiers cut the chains, helped the young girl up, and pushed aside her disheveled hair, even Gao Feng, who had long been accustomed to stunning beauties, could not help but have his breath hitch.

What a Face that could topple cities and kingdoms it was!

Her skin was whiter than snow, and her features were as picturesque as a painting.

Her jade-like nose and cherry lips seemed like the most perfect masterpiece of heaven.

Her beauty was different from Su Yue's gentleness, different from Luo Qin's intelligence, and different from Aiyire's passion.

It was a kind of coldness and ethereal quality that seemed untouched by the world.

It was just like the brightest moon above the Nine Heavens, making one only able to admire it from afar, not daring to have the slightest thought of blasphemy.

But deep within those cold eyes, there was hidden a trace of wisdom and liveliness that could drive any man crazy.

"Who are you?" Gao Feng looked at her and asked slowly.

The young girl raised her head, her clear eyes, like autumn water, meeting Gao Feng's gaze without any fear.

Although her voice was a bit hoarse due to weakness, it was like an oriole in an empty valley, crisp and pleasant.

"This young woman is Li Qingzhao."

"A collateral branch of the Longxi Li Clan, the daughter of a sinful subject."