25: My disciple, you won't blame your master, will you?

"Elder Tan is dead?!"

Originally, with Elder Tan standing up for her, Li Keyan had been thinking about how to humiliate Xiao Bufan and vent all the frustration she had just felt.

But in the blink of an eye, the situation had reversed.

Elder Tan, who was at the Middle Stage of the Mahayana Realm, was instantly blasted into dust!

This... this... wasn't there supposed to be only one person at the Peak Integration Stage?

How did such a terrifyingly powerful expert suddenly appear?

Li Keyan broke out in a cold sweat, her delicate body unable to stop trembling.

Especially when Lin Chen looked at her with a smile and said the words 'it's your turn,' she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar!

Death... she was really going to die!

That heartfelt fear of death made her tremble so much she almost fainted!

"Senior, my daughter was blind!"

"I beg you, for the sake of her young age and ignorance, please forgive her this once!"

"She won't dare to do it again!"

Although Li Jiamao was also trembling with fear, for the sake of his daughter, he only hesitated for a moment before kneeling in front of Lin Chen with a 'thud'.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

His forehead struck the ground as he pleaded bitterly.

Heh, I still preferred the arrogant and overbearing way you all acted just now.

Regretting it only now?

Too late!

Lin Chen remained unmoved.

"Bufan... my dear nephew..."

"For the sake of how your uncle has taken such good care of you all these years, please plead with your Revered Master..."

Seeing that pleading with Lin Chen was useless, Li Jiamao turned to beg Xiao Bufan.

However, Xiao Bufan seemed like a changed person.

His gaze was cold.

"One must accept the consequences of their gamble."

Xiao Bufan's cold words caused the light in Li Jiamao's eyes to instantly dim.

It's over... Yaner, your father cannot protect you anymore... "Father..."

Li Keyan was overwhelmed with shame and despair.

This was the first time she had seen her father disregard his dignity like this, kneeling and begging for mercy.

And just a short while ago, she had been high-spirited.

Thinking that after calling off the engagement, she would head toward a bright future.

She never dreamed that things would turn out like this... Tears streamed down her face.

"Enough!"

"Father, don't beg them!"

After a long time, Li Keyan finally had enough and cried out, "Xiao Bufan!"

"Don't you just want to keep the engagement?!"

"Fine!"

"I won't call off the wedding!"

"I'll marry you!!"

"Just stop making things difficult for my father!"

Huh?

Everyone who heard this was dumbfounded.

What kind of bizarre logic was this?

At this point, Li Keyan actually thought Xiao Bufan would still marry her... "I refuse."

Xiao Bufan said coldly.

What does that mean?

Li Keyan could hardly believe her ears!

She had given up the Batian Sect, given up Senior Brother Wu, and given up a great future... yet he actually refused?!

While Li Keyan was in disbelief, Xiao Dong sighed and stepped forward.

"Niece Li."

"The Zhao Family and the Sun Family have already been wiped out."

"..."

Xiao Dong recounted everything that had happened previously.

Only then did Li Jiamao and his daughter learn that the Xiao Family's clan-exterminating disaster had long since been casually resolved by the Wending Sect.

Xiao Bufan had awakened the Primal Sword Body; if no accidents occurred, he would be able to Cultivate to at least the Great Emperor Realm in the future.

Moreover, under the protection of the Wending Sect, it was very likely he could break through to an even higher Realm.

He would walk a path that no one had ever walked before.

Even so.

The Xiao Family still did not look down on the Li Family and was quite willing to proceed with the marriage alliance.

However, Li Keyan had personally rejected the marriage and come to the door to publicly call it off!

How Li Keyan regretted it now!

She nearly cried her eyes blind!

But now... it was all too late!

"Brother Bufan, I was wrong..."

"Please forgive me..."

Li Keyan wept bitterly.

"We are no longer from the same world."

Xiao Bufan coldly refused and turned to walk away.

Watching Xiao Bufan's resolute departing back, Li Keyan stood dazed on the spot.

Subsequently.

A massive wave of terror suddenly enveloped her... "Disciple, you won't blame Revered Master, will you?"

After Fang Hong finished handling matters, Lin Chen went to the backyard and found Xiao Bufan.

However, Lin Chen did not take Li Keyan's life.

He only followed the agreement and crippled Li Keyan's Spiritual Root and cultivation.

From then on, Li Keyan would never be able to Cultivate again; she was destined to live this life in regret and pain, eventually dying in misery.

A person is destined to pay the corresponding price for their actions.

And as her father, Li Jiamao had failed to teach his daughter properly.

Lin Chen also had Fang Hong cripple his cultivation, leaving the father and daughter to fend for themselves.

"I do not blame Revered Master."

Far from blaming Lin Chen, Xiao Bufan was actually grateful to him.

If not for Revered Master, he wouldn't have seen through Li Keyan's true colors, and from now on, he would no longer be shackled by romantic feelings.

With no distractions, his Dao Heart was firm.

"That's good then."

Lin Chen smiled with satisfaction.

Afterward, the Revered Master and disciple stayed at the Xiao Family for two more days before setting off on the road back to the Wending Sect... "Liu Ruoxi, obediently hand over the azure dragon stone and I'll spare your life!"

Up ahead, two women in palace attire were fleeing in panic.

No matter how the people behind them tried to persuade them, they did not dare to slow down.

Behind them, a squad of soldiers, about three hundred strong, was in hot pursuit.

As they chased, their mouths continuously spewed various foul words.

"Your Majesty, stop struggling, you can't escape!"

"Hahaha... who would have thought the high and mighty Empress would have such a day!"

"I'm going to taste what the Empress is like today!"

"Once the General is done, don't forget your subordinates!"

"Hahaha, just you wait!"

"..."

Hearing these words, Empress Liu Ruoxi finally couldn't help but turn her head and curse, "Zhang Tie! I trusted you so much in vain; you actually colluded with outsiders and chose to betray me!"

"So what if I betrayed you?"

"What you couldn't give this General, naturally someone else can!"

"Once this General catches you, you're going to suffer greatly!"

Zhang Tie was not angry but instead laughed loudly.

He was clearly in an excellent mood.

Previously.

A rebellion had broken out in the Great Liang Dynasty. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, Zhang Tie should have been Empress Liu Ruoxi's final line of defense.

For a long time, this extremely important position had been held by Zhang Tie, whom the Empress trusted most.

But to the Empress's complete surprise, at the critical moment of the rebellion in the Imperial City, Zhang Tie had directly opened the palace city's defensive array from the inside, welcoming the rebel army to storm the palace!

The palace city quickly fell!

The previously loyal generals and civil officials turned coat in an instant!

Almost all the armies of the Great Liang Dynasty were controlled by the rebels. Fortunately, there were still some extremely loyal Guards who risked their lives to help the Empress break through the encirclement.

However, after fleeing all the way here, only the Empress and another female official remained!

Everyone else had died in battle!

"Your Majesty, hurry and go! I will stop them!"

Seeing that they were about to be caught, the female official stepped forward.

"Qingniao!"

The Empress's heart was torn with pain.

"Go!"

The female official named Qingniao pushed the Empress away and turned to go in the opposite direction!

This trip was certain to be a death sentence with no chance of survival.

But Qingniao faced death with equanimity!

"Qingniao, we shall meet in the next life!"

The Empress wiped her tears, gritted her teeth, and turned to continue fleeing for her life.

Not long after, a huge commotion came from behind.

"Damn it!"

"That bitch actually self-detonated her Primordial Spirit!"

"Curse it, what a waste!"

The soldiers' cursing voices reached her, making the Empress feel a wave of distress.

She secretly made up her mind.

Once they caught up, she would immediately self-detonate her Primordial Spirit—

She would rather die than let them defile her body!

But before she could run much further, she felt her spiritual power becoming increasingly depleted.

The pursuers were getting closer and closer.

"Is it going to end?"

The Empress's heart was full of bitterness.

However, just as she was about to give up, three figures suddenly appeared not far away, leisurely traveling forward on a spirit boat.

They didn't seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere, but were instead enjoying the scenery along the way.

A flicker of hope ignited in the Empress's heart; regardless of who they were or what their cultivation was.

She stumbled directly toward the spirit boat.

Running while shouting anxiously—

"Three Fellow Daoists, save me—"