289: trample

That year, Xiao Qingxu was still an ordinary Elder of the Taixu Sect.

After a great battle, he was patrolling the mountains to a dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain when he suddenly heard the sound of crying.

Inside the temple, a three-year-old boy was curled up among a pile of corpses, covered in mud, yet his eyes were like stars, neither crying nor afraid.

His mother was dead, but he still clutched a jade pendant engraved with the character "Cloud" in his arms.

Xiao Qingxu's heart trembled. He performed a quick divination and discovered that this child's fate was extraordinary—

He possessed the "Nine Yang Pure Spirit Body," naturally attuned to the Taixu Mind-Cultivation Technique, and furthermore, a thread of "Dao affinity" was intertwined with his destiny!

He could have handed the child over to the outer Sect for upbringing, but when the child looked up at him, there was no fear in his eyes, only a stubborn light.

Xiao Qingxu's heart-mind trembled, and he blurted out, "From today onwards, you are my Disciple, Xiao Qingxu's, and I will raise you personally!"

He named him Child of the Clouds, taking the meaning of "clouds emerging from the mountains and returning to the Great Void."

From then on, he was no longer just a Master, but also a father.

He personally taught him to read, practice sword, and cultivate his Heart-Nature;

Whenever he was injured during practice, Xiao Qingxu would stay up all night, using his own spiritual power to heal him;

Whenever his Heart-Nature wavered, Xiao Qingxu would take him to the peak to gaze at the moon, speaking of the Dao of heaven and earth, and discussing the goodness of the human heart.

At twelve, Child of the Clouds guided Qi into his body, his talent astonishing the entire Sect.

At eighteen, he condensed Qi into a core, slaying a third-tier Yao Beast with a single sword strike, his name echoing throughout the Southern Wilderness.

At twenty-five, he took charge of the Law Enforcement Hall, enforcing rules without mercy but with a compassionate heart, earning the respect of everyone in the Sect.

That year, when he was thirty-five, Xiao Qingxu publicly announced at the Sect Assembly:

"From today onwards, Child of the Clouds is my direct Disciple, and the position of future Sect Head of the Taixu Sect belongs to no one but him!"

At that moment, Child of the Clouds knelt and kowtowed, tears streaming down his face:

"Revered Master's kindness, this Disciple would be shattered to pieces, yet still unable to repay!"

Xiao Qingxu helped him up, smiling, "You and I are like father and son, what need is there for thanks?"

Over the years, he had long regarded Child of the Clouds as his own flesh and blood.

He chose a Dao Companion for Child of the Clouds, planned his future, and even began preparing for the succession ceremony.

But now—

Everything had come to naught.

He looked at the ashes in his hand, as if he could still hear Child of the Clouds's last call of "Revered Master."

That voice, he would never hear again.

"My child..."

Xiao Qingxu let out a tragic roar to the sky, his voice shaking the Nine Heavens, even causing heaven and earth to resonate!

Thunderclouds rolled in the sky, mountains and rivers lost their color, and even the Mortals in the distance knelt and wept bitterly, as if heaven and earth were mourning the fall of a hero.

He suddenly turned, staring intently at Ling Tian, his eyes devoid of any reason, filled only with monstrous hatred!

"Ling Tian! You are too arrogant!!!"

"How dare you, in front of my Taixu Sect, before thousands of Disciples and thousands of Mortals, personally slay my child?!"

His fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping.

"Today—"

"I don't care about this old life of mine!

I will make you—pay for this blood debt with blood!!"

Heaven and earth changed color, the nine peaks trembled!

Xiao Qingxu's eyes were bloodshot, his white hair danced wildly in the Spiritual Pressure storm, golden flames burned around his body—that was the sign of him forcefully entering the Nascent Soul realm by burning his Lifespan and vital blood with the "Reverse Fate Soul Burning Art"!

Five hundred years of cultivation, at this moment, all transformed into monstrous Battle Intent!

"Ling Tian! Today, I will use the Taixu Sect's treasure—the Nine Heavens Return to Origin Sword Array, to send you to the Yellow Springs, to offer sacrifice to the soul of my son, Child of the Clouds!!!"

Before his voice fell, he formed hand seals, and vital blood spurted from his palms, scattering into the sky!

"Nine swords return to position, all spirits heed my command—rise!!!"

Boom—!!!

Nine world-shaking sword lights shot up from the nine main peaks of the Taixu Sect!

Within each sword light, an ancient longsword floated—

Azure Nether, Profound Frost, Scarlet Sky, White Rainbow, Ink Feather, Golden Palace, Jade Pivot, Heavenly Axis, and Return to the Void!

These nine swords were forged by the Taixu Sect's Ancestral Master with Nine Heavens divine iron, nurtured for tens of thousands of years, they had long become sentient, and were the strongest array weapon combination on the entire Tianqi Continent!

The nine swords hovered in the air, forming the "Nine Palaces Return to Origin Array," Sword Qi intertwined, forming a giant sword net covering a hundred miles!

The thunderclouds in the sky were forcibly torn apart, and nine purple heavenly lightning bolts pierced into the sword array, drawing upon the "power of heaven and man"!

In the center of the sword array, a hundred-zhang giant sword condensed, with the characters "Taixu" engraved on its blade. Where its tip pointed, mountains and rivers shattered, and space twisted!

"Go!!!"

Xiao Qingxu pointed at Ling Tian, and the giant sword slashed down with a roar!

The light arrived before the sword!

The light was like a falling sun, incinerating the air and melting the earth wherever it passed, even the lingering spiritual light of the mountain protection array was instantly purified!

Tens of thousands of Mortals knelt, trembling, gazing at this world-destroying strike, some weeping, "The might of the Immortal Sect is truly terrifying!"

Facing this peerless strike capable of slaying an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator, Ling Tian merely sneered.

He slowly raised his right hand, and three phantoms appeared behind him—

The Azure Dragon roared on his left shoulder, stirring wind and thunder;

The White Tiger roared on his right shoulder, Evil Qi soaring to the sky;

The Black Tortoise floated behind him, its shell's inscriptions flickering, its defense unparalleled!

"Old dog, with your broken body, you dare to recklessly use the power of the Nascent Soul?"

"It's nothing but a dying struggle!"

He suddenly punched out!

The Azure Dragon coiled around his fist, the White Tiger imbued its strength, and the Black Tortoise protected his body. The three forces superimposed, forming a spiral Qi current as dark as an abyss!

"Three Symbols United—Break!!!"

Boom—!!!

The hundred-zhang giant sword and the pitch-black Qi current collided with a thunderous crash!

In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent, and space collapsed!

Only a "crack" sound was heard—

The giant sword actually broke in half!

The nine divine swords wailed and trembled, cracks appeared on their blades, and their spiritual light rapidly dimmed!

"No!!!" Xiao Qingxu roared, frantically urging his spiritual power, attempting to stabilize the sword array.

But Ling Tian had already stepped through the air and struck with a palm!

"Shatter!"

Black flames erupted from his palm, sweeping over the nine swords like the breath of a demon god!

Azure Nether broke! Profound Frost cracked! Scarlet Sky collapsed! White Rainbow shattered!

Ink Feather turned to dust! Golden Palace exploded! Jade Pivot was incinerated! Heavenly Axis was annihilated! Return to the Void... completely vanished!

The nine divine swords, passed down for tens of thousands of years, were all destroyed in an instant!

The sword spirits wailed, transforming into specks of light dust, scattering in the wind, as if the Taixu Sect's Luck also crumbled with them!

"Pfft—!!!"

Xiao Qingxu was struck by an immense force, his chest suddenly caved in, and a mouthful of fresh blood gushed out, staining his Daoist robe.

Immediately after, a second and third mouthful of blood spewed out. His knees buckled, and he fell from the air, crashing heavily in front of the mountain gate, cracking the ground for a hundred zhang!

Xiao Qingxu struggled to look up, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes remained unyielding.

Ling Tian slowly approached, his black robe fluttering, looking down from above, like the arrival of the Grim Reaper.

He looked down at this Sect Head who once shook Tianqi Continent, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"Old dog, you're old, don't make a fool of yourself."

"Your cultivation is not even as good as an ant's in front of me."

He stomped on Xiao Qingxu's chest, and his bones made a "cracking" sound!

"Now, hand over Liu Lanyan. If I'm in a good mood, I might even let your Taixu Sect lineage survive."

Xiao Qingxu lay in a pool of blood, his body in excruciating pain, his internal organs shattered, but he suddenly laughed.

He laughed desolate, he laughed tragic.

He looked at Ling Tian, his voice hoarse but firm:

"The Taixu Sect... has a Legacy of tens of thousands of years... how can you alone destroy it?"

"Even if I die... there will be successors... to cut off your head and offer it to my soul!"

Ling Tian sneered, "Stubborn?"

He pressed down harder with his foot, and Xiao Qingxu immediately let out a scream, his ribs breaking!