Chapter 1231: Hundred-Saints Hall
"Dongting Lake now…" After hearing this, Li Qiye glanced at Hong Yujiao and shook his head disapprovingly: "This once all-accommodating land of treasures has lost the model crafted by the old wise sages. It no longer has the same temperament in its attempt to vie for power."
After hearing such words, Hong Yujiao's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't too clear on the meaning of his emotional statement.
Li Qiye dazedly stared at the barely visible islands scattered across the lake. He eventually calmed down and stared at her to speak with a dismissive tone: "I am only here for a bit and will leave soon. Don't worry about me."
She looked back at him and cupped her fists to say: "If Fellow Daoist will leave soon, then I won't bother you any longer. However, if you want to stay here for more than one day, I hope that you will cooperate with us by filing and receiving a label. If you have any questions, feel free to find me anytime."
Li Qiye only smiled and lied down on the sand to watch the blue sky and white clouds without a care for others.
Hong Yujiao took another look at this ordinary and strange fella. Eventually, she refrained from commenting and let her people steer the ship away.
Li Qiye softly sighed again. Dongting Lake was indeed a nice place. In the past, several wise sages established this location as a starting point for the humans to have a strong backing in the Heaven Spirit World.
These sages were very broad-minded; they were oceans that could shelter a hundred streams. Because of this, the lake was once more powerful than the Exquisite Valley.
Unfortunately, prosperity came and a desire for profits and gains arose. Not just anyone could be so magnanimous and altruistic like these sages; their descendants didn't share the same attitude. When they eventually gained power, they couldn't escape the temptation of having even more.
"This lake used to be so wonderful…" Li Qiye was slightly disappointed: "Alas, its descendants have fallen short."
He dispelled these thoughts from his mind since he was enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Time continued to pass like the quiet white clouds gently drifting in the sky, something that nobody would pay attention to.
No one knows how long he had been lying on the sand for. Suddenly, his mind shifted after feeling a summons and immediately opened his eyes. In a split second, he leaped into the sky and rushed out of the lake.
The Giant Dragon Mountain Range was more than just a ring of mountains surrounding Dongting Lake. Many islets were right outside, and the majority of them already had owners. These islets scattered outside the lake were like thrown out pearls.
One of these islets in particular was quite large. Many old pavilions and buildings were built on it, though most had collapsed and were invaded by thickets of weeds.
It was a desolate location. Only a few buildings at the very top of the island remained intact. These buildings were built around an ancient temple.
The temple was very old. The whole structure seemed to have stemmed from one solid piece. The gray walls appeared to have been carved out of a single gigantic stone.
An old plaque was hung above the old temple. It appeared to be made out of bronze yet wasn’t bronze, iron but not iron, wood but not wood. Who knows what it was made from?
The plaque had been through many years and looked like time had polished away all traces of what was written on this plaque. Nevertheless, one could still see three faintly visible words engraved on it — Hundred-Saints Hall.
These words were etched with an archaic style, so only the knowledgeable would be able to recognize them. The three words had suffered the battering of time for too long, so they became quite blurred. One could almost see stars lingering around them, as if they contained a portion of a vast universe.
If someone with good insight took an even more careful look, they would find something else. It looked like there was indeed a celestial system and a universe around them. Within this universe was a great army, an invincible cavalry that was stationed here.
However, they were too tiny, especially for those with weaker vision. Everything was placed around these three words. There was also a figure. Upon careful examination, one would find a crow carved above these three words. When it spread its wings, the crow shielded the words as if it was granting them its protection.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" At this time, sounds of violence could be heard. A young man holding a giant hammer was fiercely smashing the doors to the ancient temple. Alas, it didn't matter how hard he slammed down, he couldn’t break open the doors even though they were made out of wood.
An old man that looked nearly fifty shouted: "Stop!" He wore gray clothing and had distinct facial features, but his body was thin and feeble. One could see that he was a cultivator, but his blood energy was incredibly weak, indicating his shallow cultivation.
The old man shouted to stop the young man, but before he could do anything, five other burly men stopped and immobilized him.
"Bang!" The youth mercilessly smashed the door, but it still wouldn't open.
He had a pair of hawk-like eyes while his back was covered with armored fish scales. The five men holding down the old men had the same scales.
This was a big race in the Heaven Spirit World. The scales were the defining characteristic of the Ironscale School, a fish tribe among the sea demons. They barely meet the qualifications to be considered a big race with their nest being around one thousand miles away from the Giant Dragon Mountain Range. The ideal nests for them were deep in trenches.
The youth was the young lord of the Ironscale School, Lei Yu. He wanted to establish a stronghold outside of his school and had chosen this island.
Unfortunately, the only descendant of the Hundred-Saints Hall was this old man. He didn't want to sell the island, leading to this conflict.
"Old geezer, didn't you say your hall was protected by the sacred sages of the nine heavens and ten earths? Where are they now?" Lei Yu looked at the captured old man and laughed boisterously.
It was a pity that the old man's cultivation was too weak. He simply was not a match for the muscular men.
He struggled but was pushed down again. Alas, he was unyielding and lifted up his head to declare: "I will not sell off the Hundred-Saints Hall even if it means my death!"
"If you don't want to sell it, then I might as well smash it apart!" Lei Yu turned cruel and glared at the ancient temple.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" More explosions could be heard, but he still couldn't break open the temple no matter how hard he tried.
He mustered all of his strength like a baby drinking its mother's milk, but it was all for naught. He became quite angry and decided to take it out on this old man by mercilessly stomping on him.
"Old geezer, I have plenty of time. Today, I'll torture you to death and my school will take its time breaking down this place. Don't worry, I won't kill you quickly, not until I flatten this land. I want to see the despair in your eyes!" With that, he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on the old man.
The youth was livid. He originally wanted to break this temple down first before forcing the sale. However, he simply couldn't destroy this building at all; this only provoked his greed to possess this place. He believed that there was definitely an incredible treasure on this island, perhaps inside the temple.
He became even more determined to occupy this island before others caught wind of it.
The old man was quite stubborn. Despite vomiting blood from Lei Yu's barrage, he still kept his head high without letting out a single groan.
"Old geezer, your bones are quite hard, yeah?" Lei Yu sneered and stomped on him again; a crisp crack made it apparent that a bone snapped.
The old man finally grunted. He was clearly in deep pain, but he didn't let out a full scream.
"Heh, geezer Zhang, no matter how hard your bones are, I can still kill you as easily as killing an ant. Beg for your saints to come and save you. Where are they now?"
The old man still didn't utter a word and spent all of his energy on keeping his head high. His unyielding attitude only further enraged Lei Yu.
Lei Yu stomped on the old man's face and sneered: "Hahaha, tell these saints protecting your temple to appear already so that I can see what these so-called saints of the nine heavens and ten earths look like!"
"Is that so?" A chilling voice sounded at this time: "Do you really wish to see the saints of the nine heavens and ten earths?"
Li Qiye landed in front of the temple with a frigid demeanor and glared at Lei Yu's group.
Chapter 1232: Zhang Baitu
Lei Yu and his robust followers couldn't contain their laughter after seeing an ordinary human like Li Qiye.
Lei Yu mocked: "Boy, what now? You want to stand up for your fellow race? But before doing that, you need to weigh yourself—"
"Boom!" But before he could finish his spiel, his five followers were rendered into pulp, their blood staining the stone slabs on the ground.
These men didn't even know how or why they died. They couldn't even react before being crushed completely.
Meanwhile, Lei Yu started seeing stars. Li Qiye had one foot on his body, so he couldn't move at all.
The previously captured old man was also frightened out of his mind. He stared at Li Qiye in disbelief since he couldn't even see part of the process.
His followers being annihilated as well as his lack of ability to retaliate while being trampled upon made Lei Yu's soul leave his body.
Li Qiye chillingly spoke: "No one is allowed to defile the Hundred-Saints Hall!"
Lei Yu shouted: "Little, little boy… do you, you know who I am? I am the young lord of the Ironscale School and my father is the schoolmaster. If, if you dare to hurt me, my father will not only kill you, he'll annihilate the entire hall as well…!" He was quite afraid, so he had to bring up his father.
"Crack!" Bones were broken, causing him to scream. Li Qiye had crushed his face with a stomp. Flesh and blood went flying as Lei Yu writhed in agony.
Li Qiye emotionlessly declared: "I am sparing your dog life so that you can tell your father to personally cut off your head and bring it here as an apology. His failure in teaching you will also result in his decapitation as well. If he heeds my words, then I shall spare your Ironscale School. Otherwise they will not see tomorrow's sun!"
With that, Li Qiye lifted his foot from Lei Yu and kicked him off the island before saying: "Scram."
Lei Yu was kicked into the ocean and pissed his pants from fear. He immediately dived down and escaped out of sight.
The old man was still in shock and couldn't stand up from the ground. Li Qiye gently sighed while looking at the old man before helping him up.
Li Qiye asked: "What is your name?"
The old man took a while before answering: "My, my surname is Zhang. Everyone calls me Baitu." Having said that, he felt quite dejected despite his stubborn nature. However, his head was still held up high the entire time.
Li Qiye lamented while looking at him: "Why did the descendants of the Zhang Clan fall to this level?"
The stubborn demeanor of the old man reminded him of someone.
Li Qiye threw a medicine bottle over to Zhang Baitu and said: "You are badly hurt, so take this."
Zhang Baitu accepted the bottle and poured a pill into his palm. His heart jumped after seeing the shining golden hue. He looked over at Li Qiye in astonishment. Despite his lack of knowledge, he still knew that this piece of medicine was a big deal.
"Take it." Li Qiye waved his sleeve as he didn't want to waste more words.
After a short silence, the old man quietly took the medicine.
Li Qiye stood before the temple and looked at the old plaque that was hung up high, gazing at the crow engraved above the three words "Hundred-Saints Hall". He stood there, silently looking at this plaque for a long time.
Eventually, he looked back at the old man and asked: "Aren't clans like the Zhang and Hong responsible for taking turns to protect the hall?"
Zhang Baitu was surprised to see a human junior aware of this matter. He eventually replied: "My ancestors accepted the responsibility of protecting this place."
After hearing this, Li Qiye nodded: "I understand. Your ancestors lost the conflict for power at Dongting Lake back then and had to move out, correct?"
"How, how do you know that?" Zhang Baitu was surprised. Even the elite disciples of the lake didn't know about the power struggle of their ancestors.
"For power, even blood brothers can become enemies, let alone mere friends." Li Qiye stated without answering the question. He sighed once more while looking at the plaque.
Zhang Baitu eventually calmed down and bowed towards Li Qiye: "Young Noble, how should I address you?"
Li Qiye answered: "Li Qiye, just a passerby."
He didn't have a big reaction after hearing this name and only nodded. He was only a little character and hadn't heard of Li Qiye's name before.
"Squeak—" Li Qiye pushed open the wooden doors to the hall. Lei Yu used all of his strength to desperately smash open these doors to no avail, yet Li Qiye opened them so easily.
"How, how can this be!" The old man couldn't believe his own wide-open eyes.
"Why not?" Li Qiye turned back at him.
"Because, because these doors have never been opened by anyone." Zhang Baitu was stammering. In his memories, no one had been able to open these doors. His seniors and even many big shots from Dongting Lake all failed.
According to the legends, the hall was protected by the wise saints of the world; their power safeguarded this hall.
Li Qiye didn't reply as he stepped inside. The astounded old man calmed down and quickly followed.
He had to ask: "Young Noble Li, are, are you one of the saints?"
The unopened doors had been opened by Li Qiye, so perhaps this was one of the legendary saints.
"Saint? Are you referring to the saints that protect the hall?" Li Qiye laughed and said: "If you believe so, then I can be considered one."
With that, he went inside. This hall was very simple without any further decorations other than a stone pillar. Contrary to people's expectations, the end of the hall contained no treasures. There was only a line of memorial tablets with names engraved on them.
Li Qiye was caught in a long silence while looking at these all-too familiar names. He began to bow in front of each one while feeling quite sentimental inside.
This was Zhang Baitu's first time seeing these tablets and names. However, the majority of them had the surname Zhang, Hong, or Xu.
After a while, he quietly asked Li Qiye: "Are these, are these the tablets of my ancestors?"
"Yes." Li Qiye softly nodded: "They are the wise sages of the human race, the pride of humanity. Even during the era of darkness, they continued to defend the dignity of our race and protected its final dawn."
Zhang Baitu had no comments. He didn't know anything about his ancestors. Only he remained of the Zhang Clan, and he rarely mingled with Dongting Lake.
"Unfortunately, the descendants did not inherit the ambition or beliefs of their ancestors. After so many generations of friendship, they still couldn't avoid the temptation of one thing — power." Li Qiye bemoaned while looking at the tablets.
The ancestors of the Zhang, Hong, and Xu were friends for generations. Their clans all followed Li Qiye, and they eventually settled down in this place, creating Dongting Lake. It was meant to be a shelter for the human race in the Heaven Spirit World.
The lake was once a prominent power. In its heyday, even the Exquisite Valley was far from being comparable.
Regrettably, the descendants of these friends betrayed each other later on. They fought for power to the point of life and death.
Because of this, Li Qiye didn't want to bother with the lake's unfilial mindset or power struggles.
After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and glanced over at Zhang Baitu, flatly stating: "Even if your Zhang Clan lost the fight back then, it shouldn't have deteriorated to this state."
Zhang Baitu smiled wryly and responded: "I don't know much about the ancestors' business. I heard that after leaving the lake, they decided to stay here and act as guards. It is we descendants who were useless and failed to pass on our lineage. By the time my father's generation arrived, we were already finished. During my youth, my father and uncles departed one after another, unable to maintain the inheritance. In the end, I could only learn a few superficial things."
In the past, the three clans ruled the lake together. Later on, the Zhang Clan lost the internal conflict. Their ancestors were stubborn as well, so after losing, they moved out of the lake and settled here.
Because their clan had lost a lot of resources, it was sent into a nosedive; each generation became worse than the previous.
Chapter 1233: Zhang Clan
Li Qiye came out of the hall and sat on a stone step to gaze at the vast sea and its unrestrained waves while the soft breeze blew. This went on quietly for some time.
Zhang Baitu didn't know Li Qiye's origin. In his eyes, the youth was too mysterious and simply impossible to speculate.
Zhang Baitu couldn't help but ask: "Young Noble, where did you come from?"
"From where I should." Li Qiye looked over at Zhang Baitu and said: "I see that your cultivation is needlessly complex and unrefined. There's your own clan's merit law, then there are the incantations from the sea demons and internal strengthening from the treants. This is very chaotic, so your blood energy isn't flowing well."
Zhang Baitu was surprised after hearing this. Li Qiye being able to see through him despite being so young made him feel quite dejected.
"After the seniors left, I couldn't learn a lot beyond the elementary basics, so I had to go outside to find teachers. I joined many sects but failed to make much progress and had to return to the Hundred-Saints Hall in hopes of being able to live the rest of my life here like a falling leaf returning to its roots." A great sadness was expressed by his eyes; there were too many words he wanted to say, but he kept it brief.
So it turned out that after the seniors of his clan passed away, he couldn't learn the remaining merit laws as they were missing.
He wasn't willing to give up, so he left his home to find masters. Who knows if it was due to his own inability or some other reasons? Either way, this search didn't go smoothly.
In this process, he learned very slowly, and the same went for his cultivation. In fact, "very slow" wasn't enough to describe his cultivation, "as slow as a snail's pace" was a more appropriate analogy.
It was slow to the point where the sects he had joined agreed to let him leave. Sometimes he even left of his own volition.
For many sects, there was no leaving after joining. However, there was no cure for Zhang Baitu's cultivation speed. To put it bluntly, even if he didn't want to leave, they would want him to leave eventually. Having such a disciple was simply losing face.
Just like this, he joined one sect after another but amounted to nothing. He eventually joined too many sects in the Dragon Demon Sea and became quite well-known. Everyone called him Zhang Baitu. It referred to him being the disciple of too many sects. No one even remembered his real name. 1
In the end, he helplessly spoke with a dejected expression: "It is because I am too stupid and have an inferior constitution. I have let down my masters and seniors; I'm even weaker than a new disciple even after a lifetime of cultivation."
He lamented with a sigh after saying this and felt despair. In the beginning, he thought that it was because he didn't have a suitable merit law or a teacher. As time went on and he suffered many successive failures, he lost all confidence and began to consider himself stupid and unsuitable for cultivation. So in this way, he returned to his home, the Hundred-Saints Hall, to live out the rest of his life.
He mumbled to himself: "Maybe I was not meant to be a part of this world. I was born a mortal, why the need to enter the cultivation world?"
After joining so many sects and cultivating so many laws, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself.
Li Qiye looked at him and lightly said: "It is not that your constitution and talents are lacking nor is it due to your stupidity. All things in life have a cause and effect. It is just that you haven't found your own karma yet."
Zhang Baitu smiled bitterly and replied: "There's no need to comfort me, Young Noble. Some seniors have told me the same thing. If it really isn't due to my own constitution, then why haven't I made a half-step of progress?"
From his perspective, Li Qiye was only comforting him with the same words he had heard many times before from the nice seniors of the other sects.
Li Qiye nonchalantly shook his head: "A child of the Zhang Clan is different after all. It will be fine if you cultivate your clan's merit law."
"Our own merit law?" Zhang Baitu's surprise quickly turned into curiosity as he asked: "Young Noble, do you know our clan's merit law?"
In fact, he was very interested because Li Qiye was able to open the wooden doors of the hall, something that no one else had ever done before. Thus, he suspected that Li Qiye was a legendary saint.
Of course, he didn't know what a saint or sage was. They were only figures of the old tales after all. Despite all the rumors about the Hundred-Saints Hall being protected by the wise sages of the nine heavens and ten earths, the descendants of the three clans had never seen any of them before.
Li Qiye faintly smiled and replied: "If you want your clan's lost merit laws, then just go back to Dongting Lake. In the past, the Hong, Zhang, and Xu Clans should have had some treasures. Perhaps you can find your laws there."
Zhang Baitu slightly opened his mouth but ultimately refrained from saying anything and only sighed.
Li Qiye asked: "Could it be that Dongting Lake has been snubbing your Zhang Clan?"
Zhang Baitu paused for a moment before answering: "I don't know much about the business of the elders, but the lake does care about me. They don't try to push me away."
"It is you who doesn't want to go back." Li Qiye understood his pride right away.
Zhang Baitu didn't answer.
Li Qiye went on: "Let the past disappear. Your ancestors' power struggle is ancient history. The Xu, Hong, and Zhang Clans once fought together; friends to the death, friends on the battlefield. They never gave up on each other even in the most brutal of times. Even if it was blood for blood, they would still support each other to live on…
"As the descendants, all of you are indeed unworthy. Excluding each other just for a little power using treachery and deceit — this is simply throwing away all your ancestors' face and tarnishing their great friendships."
Li Qiye stopped for a moment at this point: "After so many years, those who competed for power are probably no longer there. It is time for you all to come back and mutually support each other as a big, interdependent family again. Only in this way will your Dongting Lake be able to survive in the future."
Li Qiye would rarely give out advice in such a well-meaningful manner to outsiders. This was indicative of his respect for the ancestors of the three clans.
Zhang Baitu had no response. As a descendant, he wasn't in a position to comment on his ancestors' business. Perhaps he was feeling a bit resentful as well.
"The people from the Zhang Clan are always a bit too proud." Li Qiye just smiled since he understood Zhang Baitu's feelings.
He continued on: "You might be angry and unhappy with the Hong Clan pushing your ancestors away from Dongting Lake. The Zhang Clan was one of the founding families, so this feeling of indignation is unavoidable."
"I don't know." Zhang Baitu spoke: "Dongting Lake has no ill-will towards me, as far as my generation is concerned. I don't know much about the conflicts back then, only that after leaving, my ancestors didn't want to return to the lake. They settled here instead, and this has been our home ever since."
"A thousand years of anger… it is time to let it go." Li Qiye only grinned. He didn't know much about the power grab between these descendants since he couldn't bother finding out about this rotten business.
Nevertheless, he still hoped that these descendants could come together some day. These clans used to coexist and not one piece could be missing. Only through unity would the lake be able to survive in the future.
"When I was younger, this resentment was more or less already there." Zhang Baitu smiled wryly and sighed: "But now, I am closer to the earth than the sky, so I don't care too much about unnecessary things. All of this no longer matters. The enmity between the ancestors, just let it go; right and wrong is already in the past." 2
After personally uttering these words, he felt quite relaxed. The enmity between their clans should disperse like smoke.
During those years, their Zhang Clan was pushed away from the central power of the lake. Their ancestors furiously moved out and decided to guard the Hundred-Saints Hall instead and cut all ties with the lake. Because of this, the Zhang descendants harbored resentment for many generations and didn't want anything to do with the Hong and Xu Clans.
Li Qiye glanced at the old man and said: "It is good to think this way. Where there's a will, there's a way. One day, you will be able to laugh while thinking of these old grudges."
"Crash!" At this time, the water started to splash violently as more than one hundred Ironscale cultivators rode the waves to come closer.
"Not good, the Ironscale Schoolmaster is here in person." Zhang Baitu's expression quickly changed after seeing these wave-riding experts. He didn't think that the school would come so fast. Moreover, the schoolmaster and the elders came in person.
Baitu = Hundred-Disciple. ↩ Closer to the earth than the sky means close to death. ↩Chapter 1234: Old Plaque
More than one hundred experts from the Ironscale School as mighty as tigers and wolves were riding the waves forward. In the blink of an eye, they climbed up to the Hundred-Saints Hall. Their leader was an old man whose back had an armor suffused with a golden glow. This was a special characteristic of the Ironscale Tribe after they reached a certain power level.
This leader turned out to be the Ironscale Schoolmaster, Lei Yu's father.
Zhang Baitu turned pale after seeing so many experts from this school. Even though he was a seasoned man who had seen a lot of the world, he still shuddered in fear before such powerful enemies.
Zhang Baitu calmed down and hurriedly told Li Qiye: "Young Noble, leave quickly. Two hands cannot win against four fists. As long as the verdant hills remain, there is no fear of lacking firewood."
Despite his shallow cultivation, he could still tell that Li Qiye was powerful. However, the school had more than one hundred experts, Li Qiye alone would find it difficult to oppose them.
"Don't worry." Li Qiye sat on the stone steps and smiled: "The unrepentant must pay a huge price."
The Ironscale Schoolmaster and his fellow experts came before the temple. They saw Li Qiye sitting on top of a stone step without a care. Lei Yu's expression became twisted as he pointed at Li Qiye and yelled: "Are you the one who killed my disciples and harmed my son?"
Li Qiye glanced at him and smiled: "That's right. Are you going to cut off your son's head as well as your own to beg for forgiveness before the Hundred-Saints Hall now?"
"A fool knows no fear. Still daring to boast? My Ironscale School will tear you into pieces. And as for you, old man, this is on your head as well." Lei Yu screamed with eyes spewing a fiery fury. As a descendant of a big sect, he had never been humiliated like this before.
"Beg for forgiveness towards the hall?" The schoolmaster couldn't help but laugh: "What the hell is this place that justifies my school begging for forgiveness? You have already committed an unforgivable sin, I shall take your head and offer it to my disciples so that they can watch from the heavens…"
"… as for you, Old Zhang." The schoolmaster's eyes turned cold as he spoke imposingly: "You sold this island to my school and took our money, yet you dare to renege on it? A crime worthy of death. Today, I will take this island in accordance to the agreement and crush the Hundred-Saints Hall."
"Liar!" Zhang Baitu jumped out after hearing this and pointed at the schoolmaster: "Since, since when did I sell this island to your school?! This is simply coercion!"
"Is that right?" The schoolmaster sneered and took out a contract: "It is clearly written as such on this contract. I trust that in just a moment, your fingerprint will be on it on top of an oath with your true fate."
Zhang Baitu trembled from anger. He knew what the school wanted to do, so he snapped: "Lei, don't even think about it! I would commit suicide before letting you succeed! This island will forever belong to my clan, you won't be able to take it!"
"Really now?" The schoolmaster smiled deviously: "I'm afraid your Zhang Clan is about to meet its end, do you still think the island will belong to the clan then?"
"You…" Zhang Baitu was quivering with rage and could no longer speak.
"To tell the truth, I'm a bit disappointed with you sea demons." Li Qiye lazily stood up at this time: "It has been too long and you demons have such bad memories. Perhaps you all have forgotten who you can and cannot afford to provoke. It looks like I need to stain this place with blood as a reminder that this is the Hundred-Saints Hall, its holiness is inviolable and protected by the sages of the nine heavens and ten earths! Violators shall be killed without mercy!" With that, his eyes shot out a chilling murderous intent.
"Hahaha, protected by the sages!" Lei Yu couldn't help but laugh with a cruel grimace: "Where are they now? Are you one of them? Haha, a junior like you dares to call yourself a sage? Hahaha, inviolable holiness? Our Ironscale School will trample this place and build another branch here!"
After Lei Yu finished speaking, Li Qiye suddenly appeared in front of him and spread out his palm to grab Lei Yu's head.
"What, what are you doing?!" Lei Yu was stunned from shock and wanted to run towards his father. However, it was too late.
"Rip!" His head and his spine were instantly pulled out by Li Qiye as blood spattered everywhere.
"No…" His head was still moving as he screamed before his imminent death.
"Little beast!" The schoolmaster couldn't save his son in time and had to watch the process play out. He vomited blood from anger and cried in a furor: "Kill him! Tear him into pieces!"
He himself took out a saber and rushed forward.
"Junior, accept your death!" At this time, the elders and the other experts shouted aggressively. All of them wanted to kill Li Qiye with their numerical advantage.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Bursts of impacts resounded, followed by the sound of bones shattering. Next came the sounds of objects falling to the ground.
The schoolmaster and all of the experts fell to the ground at the same time like a flower in full bloom.
Blood quietly flowed from their bodies and soaked the ground and stone pavement. All of this happened in complete silence.
The schoolmaster's eyes were wide open. Not even in death did he know how he died. Li Qiye was too fast, they didn't even have the opportunity to react.
"What…" Zhang Baitu struggled to calm down. He was quivering with fear and stumbled several steps backward. Even though he had seen killing before, this was his first time seeing such a brutal massacre.
Li Qiye once again sat down on the stone steps as if nothing had happened.
"Hang them all on the trees." He commanded nonchalantly: "Let the world know that the Hundred-Saints Hall is the resting place of brave spirits. No one can violate its sanctity. Some people should start remembering better!"
"This, this is not good, the Ironscale School will go mad." Zhang Baitu hesitated and said: "This isn't only provoking the school, it will be going against the entire Sea Demon Race."
"You just need to listen." Li Qiye flatly replied: "The Ironscale School and sea demons are meaningless. If the overlords of this race understand the significance of the Hundred-Saints Hall, they will tuck their tails between their legs!"
Zhang Baitu paused for a bit before following Li Qiye's directions and started to hang the bodies on the trees. Doing so in the most conspicuous location was truly sending a message to their enemies.
After taking care of business, he returned to Li Qiye's side and asked: "What now?"
"What else but to destroy the Ironscale School? I stay true to my words!" Li Qiye smiled and stood up to look at the plaque of the temple.
"Boom!" The crow on the plaque seemed to come alive. It suddenly opened its eyes while the plaque shot out an endless light. In an instant, the plaque flew away with the momentum of an invincible cavalry.
"Bang!" A violent world-destroying aura instantly rushed out. It broke through the void and emerged in the sky above the Ironscale School.
"What's happening?" The ancestors there were confused after sensing this invincible aura engulf their school.
"Clank! Clank! Clank!" Metallic explosions occurred. The plaque underwent a great change, as if it was a gigantic armored deity descending from the sky.
"Boom!" The earth shook while an impossibly high tidal wave rose to the sky. The entirety of the Dragon Demon Sea was affected by the tremors.
The plaque carried the supreme will of an unstoppable cavalry and instantly penetrated the ancestral ground of the Ironscale School. Despite the multi-layered defensive barriers, the ancestral ground couldn't withstand a single blow and was immediately annihilated.
"No!" The ancestors couldn't help but scream after seeing the destruction of their ancestral ground. It was too late. With just one attack, the Ironscale School completely collapsed as the blood of its disciples stained the sea.
Many people felt this change and were astonished. Dongting Lake was the closest sect. It was alarmed as well, but no one knew what was going on.
The invincible will of a cavalry had crossed through the heaven and earth, causing countless creatures to tremble.
This commotion had startled a few truly supreme existence. In the highest location of Rainbow City, one person among the clouds suddenly stood up in shock. Their eyes illuminated the world.
"Which blind fool maneuvered against the Hundred-Saints Hall!" This person was moved by this development: "That is the place protected by the sages, so which idiot decided to blaspheme the brave spirits? That is simply courting death."
Other sects and lineages didn't know what was going on. It was only after a long time that these few ancient existences finally calmed down.