182: Chapter 182 Not a Single One Left Behind

It was a female Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Jinyang Sect. With all her might, she shoved aside a Qinglan Disciple and used her own body to block that sword!

Thud!

The sword tip pierced her chest, and blood gushed forth!

She looked back at Qin Hao, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"Live... live on..."

She slowly collapsed.

Qin Hao's eyes widened, and he let out a heart-rending roar!

"No!"

He charged forward like a madman, his sword piercing through the throat of that Qinglan Disciple!

With a backhanded slash, he severed another's head!

A third Qinglan Disciple turned to flee in terror, but his sword pierced through their back, striking the heart!

Three swords, three people!

Bathed in blood, he stood beside the female cultivator's corpse, gasping for breath.

Then, he raised his head, his gaze piercing through the chaotic battlefield to land on one person.

Li Changsheng.

Their eyes met, for only a moment.

In Qin Hao's eyes, there was gratitude, grief and indignation, and also a trace of... understanding.

He withdrew his gaze, turned, and continued to fight the enemy.

Li Changsheng stood in place, motionless for a long time.

After a long while, he stood up and moved to a secluded corner, intending to take a brief respite.

Suddenly, he saw a person.

Zhao Kun.

That Elder who was close to the Qinglan Sword Sect was standing beside a corpse, bent over, seemingly searching for something.

His movements were very discreet, impossible to notice without careful observation.

Li Changsheng's heart tightened. He quietly approached a few steps, hiding behind a large boulder, and peered through a crevice.

He saw Zhao Kun retrieve a Jade Slip from the corpse. After glancing at it, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

He tucked that Jade Slip into his robe, then retrieved a few other items, similarly stowing them away.

Those items bore faint, blood-red patterns.

Blood Fiend Sect runes.

Li Changsheng's pupils contracted slightly.

Zhao Kun... was collecting Blood Fiend Sect items?

What was he trying to do?

Li Changsheng didn't dare to think too deeply. He just quietly memorized this scene, then turned and left.

Behind him, Zhao Kun stood up, glanced around, and after confirming no one was paying attention, walked away as if nothing had happened.

But he didn't know that a pair of eyes had already seen him.

At night, Li Changsheng sat in a temporarily erected tent. He pondered many things, and a terrifying conjecture suddenly arose.

Perhaps, the relationship between the Qinglan Sword Sect and the Blood Fiend Sect wasn't as irreconcilably hostile as it appeared on the surface.

Perhaps, there was some unknown connection between them.

The battle within the Jinyang Sect's Secret Realm continued.

On the evening of the third day, Ling Cang stood in the center of the valley, gazing at the corpses strewn everywhere, his brow slightly furrowed.

"How many are left?"

A Golden Core Elder behind him bowed and replied.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, the Disciples of the conservative faction have suffered heavy casualties. The remaining two to three hundred have retreated to a cave in the rear mountains. They... refuse to surrender."

Ling Cang remained silent for a moment, then said indifferently.

"Pass down the order: kill all who resist. Leave no survivors."

The Elder hesitated for a moment and said.

"Sect Master, those young Disciples..."

Ling Cang looked at him.

The Elder trembled all over and hurriedly lowered his head.

"This subordinate understands."

He turned and left to convey the order.

Ling Cang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking towards the distant rear mountains, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Leave no survivors.

Uproot the weeds, destroy the roots.

This is the Righteous Path.

When Li Changsheng heard this order, he was clearing the battlefield.

His hand paused slightly. He raised his head and looked towards the Golden Core Elder who had conveyed the order.

Leave no survivors.

Including those young Disciples?

He recalled the children he had seen on the battlefield.

Some were only eight or nine years old, holding swords taller than themselves, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

They were not soldiers. They had merely been dragged into a war that should never have belonged to them.

They too must die?

He tightened his grip on the sword in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

Zhao Qian beside him was also stunned, muttering softly.

"Even killing children? This..."

Before he could finish, Wang Hai beside him covered his mouth.

"Shut up! Do you want to die?"

Li Changsheng did not move.

He just stood there, gazing towards the distant rear mountains.

From there, faint sounds of fighting and screams could be heard.

He took a deep breath and turned to walk in that direction.

In front of a hidden cave in the rear mountains, three Foundation Establishment Disciples of the Qinglan Sword Sect were advancing with ferocious smiles.

At the cave entrance, several children were crouching.

The oldest was no more than twelve or thirteen, the youngest only five or six.

They were covered in bloodstains and mud, their eyes full of fear.

A slightly older boy spread his arms, blocking the front of the group, a broken sword clutched in his trembling hand.

"D-don't come any closer..."

The three Qinglan Disciples laughed heartily.

"Little brat, still trying to resist?"

A Disciple at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage stepped forward, kicked away the broken sword from the boy's hand, and sent him sprawling to the ground with a kick.

The boy screamed, blood spraying from his mouth, yet he still struggled to get up, stubbornly shielding the children behind him.

"Please... I beg you... let them go... they're still young..."

That Qinglan Disciple sneered.

"Let them go? The Sect Master's order is to leave no survivors."

He raised his sword, aiming it at the boy's head.

The boy closed his eyes, awaiting death.

The sword did not fall.

He opened his eyes and saw a man in green robes standing before him, one hand gripping a sword, blocking the descending blade.

Li Changsheng.

That Qinglan Disciple was stunned, then his face darkened.

"Li Changsheng? What are you doing?"

Li Changsheng didn't look at him, merely stating calmly.

"Leave these children to me."

The Qinglan Disciple said angrily.

"Leave them to you? The Sect Master's order is to leave no survivors! Are you defying orders?"

Li Changsheng turned his head to look at him.

That gaze was calm as still water, yet it made the Qinglan Disciple involuntarily take a step back.

"I said,"

Li Changsheng enunciated each word clearly.

"Leave these children to me."

The Qinglan Disciple's face turned livid with rage. He wanted to lash out but was pulled back by someone behind him.

"Forget it, forget it, don't provoke him. He's killed at the Golden Core Stage before."

The Qinglan Disciple gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Li Changsheng, then turned and left.

Li Changsheng stood in place, watching their retreating figures for a long time without moving.

Behind him, the boy trembled as he stood up, looking at him.

"You... you are..."

Li Changsheng turned around, crouched down, and looked at him eye to eye.

"What's your name?"

The boy was taken aback for a moment, then said.

"I... I'm called Little Stone."

Li Changsheng nodded.

"Take them, and follow me."

He picked up the youngest child, turned, and walked deeper into the rear mountains.

Little Stone stared blankly at his retreating back, his eyes suddenly growing hot.

He rubbed his eyes hard, then urged the children behind him to follow.

Deep in the rear mountains, there was an extremely concealed rock crevice.

Li Changsheng had discovered it earlier while scouting the terrain.

The crevice was deep, containing a small space inside, barely able to accommodate a dozen or so people.

Outside, it was concealed by vines, impossible to find without careful searching.

He settled the children there, then took out dry rations and water from his robe, distributing them.

The youngest child took the rations and ate hungrily, his eyes still full of fear.

Li Changsheng gently ruffled his hair.

"Don't be afraid. Someone will come for you."

The child looked at him and suddenly asked.

"Uncle, are you a good person?"

Li Changsheng froze.

A good person?

He didn't know.

But he knew he didn't want to see these children die.

He stood up, preparing to leave.

Little Stone suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

"Benefactor... what is your name?"

Li Changsheng looked back at him, remained silent for a moment, then said.

"Li Changsheng."

Little Stone nodded vigorously, as if engraving this name in his heart.

Li Changsheng turned, crawled out of the rock crevice, and used the vines to cover the entrance again.

He stood outside, gazing at the concealed entrance for a long time without moving.

Then, he took a deep breath, turned, and left.

He hadn't gone far when he suddenly stopped.

Ahead, a figure stood on the mountain path, hands clasped behind his back.

Chu Feng.

Li Changsheng's heart sank heavily.

Chu Feng looked at him, his gaze complex.

"Junior Brother Li,"

He spoke, his voice low.

"I saw what you just did."