"Uh—"
Chu Xisheng stared blankly at the crowd at the stairwell.Could these people be thinking that he was responsible for this?This would be a huge scapegoat!Subconsciously, Chu Xisheng tried to hide the stick in his hand behind him, but then he thought it wouldn't be appropriate. Wasn't this just adding fuel to the fire?
He didn't want to take the blame, and as he was preparing his words to explain, another brilliant scene exploded in his field of vision.Chu Xisheng focused his attention and found that although his reputation had not changed, still ranked as Ninth Rank (actual), his martial arts points inexplicably increased from 5 to 11.Chu Xisheng blinked in surprise.He couldn't understand the reason behind this, but could taking the blame actually have benefits?
Just then, the crowd surging out of the stairwell caused an uproar.
"No wonder they're screaming in pain, their limbs are all broken. I wonder if they're still alive?"
"Is it this guy's doing? It can't be, he single-handedly took care of so many people?"
"Besides him, who else is there? This person is called Chu Xisheng, they say his knife skills are at the Ninth Rank (actual), but I didn't expect him to be this formidable.""He's truly ruthless. I heard that yesterday he almost chopped off Young Master Long's hand."
Everyone was whispering quietly, and some timid ones didn't dare to meet Chu Xisheng's gaze.Only one stern-faced martial artist glared at Chu Xisheng and said, "Did you inflict these injuries on them? Your methods are too cruel."
"May I ask, instructor, which eye did you see me injuring someone with? Do you have any concrete evidence?"
Chu Xisheng smiled nonchalantly, showing no respect. "I don't know who injured them, but it would be best for the instructor to invite the owner or a few instructors to come and see for themselves."Although taking the blame had its benefits, he couldn't unjustly become a scapegoat.Something was clearly amiss here.But as he observed the expressions of the instructors opposite him, he noticed a hint of anxiety and fear.
Chu Xisheng pondered for a moment and understood the reason.These few people actually thought he was responsible for this incident.They were worried about the situation escalating and implicating themselves.The owner of this martial arts hall, Lei Yuan, was an inner disciple sent down from the Unseen God Sect to gain experience in the martial arts hall. He had a single-minded goal of cultivating talented individuals to help him return to the sect and make further progress.If he were to hear about this incident, he would be furious.No one who had accepted money from the Long family could expect to escape unscathed.As for the Long family in the inner city, they were nothing more than dust in front of the Unseen God Sect.The martial artist with the dark face had an unpredictable expression.
"If these nine individuals weren't injured by Chu Xisheng, then who could it be? This person's words are just excuses!"Just as the martial arts instructor was at a loss, not knowing what to do, he suddenly felt the ground sway beneath his feet, and the entire building shook violently in an instant.Many people present were unable to stay standing and fell to the ground.Above, dust and debris fell from the ceiling, covering everything.
Chu Xisheng also struggled to maintain his balance and immediately looked up with a surprised and astonished expression.What's going on? Could it be an earthquake?As the entire library shook, Li Daogui stepped heavily onto the final step of the twelfth floor of the library.This floor was extremely spacious, with dimensions of seventy zhang in length and width, without any walls to separate it.
The walls were all tall wooden bookshelves, filled with various books and scrolls.But the moment Li Daogui stepped onto this floor, all the bookshelves turned into dust in an instant, leaving deep marks on the surrounding walls.A fierce blood-red sword energy emanated from Li Daogui's sleeve, colliding and clashing with a powerful and masculine energy.
Countless fragmented sword energies sliced through everything, while shattered energy overflowed and swept through the surroundings.In the center of this floor, a white-haired old man in a white robe floated up from behind a nanmu wood desk.Although he appeared aged, he had a towering stature and looked down upon the young man at the staircase entrance, who wore a blue disciple's robe and had a blue sword scar on his forehead.
"The Blood-Drifting Sword? You are Li Daogui of the Blood Wind Sword?" the white-robed old man said with surprise and anger. "You have quite the audacity. Have you considered the consequences of your actions?"
"How could I not know?" Li Daogui chuckled at his words, his eyes filled with arrogance. "Isn't it because your Unbounded Divine Sect treats me as an enemy? But now that I'm here, why would I be afraid?"At that moment, his clothes turned blood-red.In an instant, countless blood-red sword energies merged together, forming a massive blood sword that struck directly towards the white-robed old man.
"This is simply outrageous!"
The white-robed old man took out a whisk from his sleeve and casually waved it to shatter the blood sword: "In these years, you have willingly descended into the evil path, committing all sorts of atrocities. If your master were still alive, he would be ashamed of you."
"If I hadn't entered the Blood Sea, I would have been a ghost under the imperial blade several years ago," said Li Daogui with disdain, his eyes filled with a bloody intent. "I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries. I'm here for the things that Qin Mughe left in this building. Hand over all her notes, annotations, and true intentions, and my subordinates and I will leave immediately, not harming a single thing in this building."
The white-robed old man was puzzled and bewildered. "Is that why you've come? In this building, there are a few true intention drawings that Qin Mughe imitated when she was young, but are they worth such a fuss from you?"Li Daogui snorted discontentedly, his words laced with murderous intent. "Don't pretend to be clueless! Her childish doodles mean nothing to me. What I want is Qin Mughe's Reverse God Flag!"Upon hearing this, the white-robed old man's expression became even more bewildered, as if he couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Li Daogui continued, "Qin Mughe began martial arts training at the age of ten and reached the first rank at the age of twenty-two, undefeated throughout her life, dominating the northern region. Such achievements are beyond explanation by talent alone. Some people have speculated that the ancient artifact 'Reverse God Flag' was in Qin Mughe's hands. Only this item in the world can defy fate and gather the creation of heaven and earth into one's body. However, after Qin Mughe's death, the Qin family and the experts of the Inner Court searched through all her belongings but found no trace of the Reverse God Flag."
The white-robed old man shook his head. "Regardless of whether the Reverse God Flag was in Qin Mughe's possession, what does it have to do with our righteous martial arts school? When she left the martial arts school and went to the No-Form God Sect, she was only twelve years old. Since then, she never set foot in this place again."
"She was a sixth-rank martial practitioner at the age of just twelve!" Li Daogui sneered coldly. "At that time, she was still young, making it more likely for her to leave clues about the Reverse God Flag in this place. Half a month ago, the emperor asked the current national teacher to expend his life to divine the whereabouts of the Reverse God Flag, and received the prophecy 'The treacherous mountain road is truly like iron, but now take a step forward from the beginning.'"He suddenly changed his expression, and a hint of fierceness appeared in his eyes. "You're stalling for time, waiting for someone else to come to your aid? It's wishful thinking!"
Li Daogui abruptly moved forward, pointing a single finger at the white-robed old man's forehead.Countless blood-colored sword energy converged, swirling like fish, cutting and striking forward like a blood-colored storm.The pure Yang Qi in front of the white-robed old man shattered inch by inch, but he remained calm. His body's Qi instantly changed from Yang to Yin, and then he clapped his palm forward.
In an instant, Li Daogui and the blood-colored sword energy were all frozen three feet in front of him. Outside his body, countless water vapor condensed and solidified into ice.However, the white-robed old man showed no joy. Instead, he took a few steps back and drew a soft sword from his sleeve, gathering his true essence to its fullest.The ice around Li Daogui cracked inch by inch, and countless blood-colored sword energy seeped out from within.
Li Daogui praised lightly, "This is the yang-anode reversing yin palm that Qin Mughe often used before reaching the fourth rank, a martial art she created herself. Did you learn it in this building? So, she could create a fourth-rank martial art at the tender age of twelve? Truly remarkable."The white-robed old man couldn't help but inhale a breath of cold air.
He thought to himself, this person is deeply immersed in the blood sea, with a strong aura of ferocity—