“Heaven wants to destroy our Shengzhou branch!”
The semi-Martial Saint elder lamented, on the verge of tears.
Even though he had swept up a group in his energy to protect them, he could not defend against the sonic attack. He could only shield himself. Of the seven or eight people he carried, their heads exploded outright. Several were shocked to death, and several more were gravely wounded.
He could not save them.
Lin Xiao’s methods were too numerous and too terrifying. This was practically an indiscriminate assault. No matter how many people gathered in this area, they would all be caught in it.
More than half of the Ji family’s forces here had suffered heavy casualties.
After this strike, another two or three hundred swords formed from spiritual energy shot out in all directions, piercing straight through the bodies of those Ji family experts who were still trying to flee.
What alarmed the Ji family semi-Martial Saint elder most was that Lin Xiao’s figure was already charging towards his position.
Clearly, the opponent had locked onto him.
Aside from Elder Bei, he now had the highest cultivation and greatest strength. Lin Xiao would never let him go.
And with Lin Xiao’s speed, escape was impossible.
“I’ll fight you to the death!”
The Ji family semi-Martial Saint elder gritted his teeth and charged at Lin Xiao. Peerless sword light slashed down from the sky.
A fist of chaotic reversal punched through the air, shattering the semi-Martial Saint’s attack and riddling his body with countless holes. He died on the spot.
Immediately after, Lin Xiao turned on the others. Hundreds upon hundreds of swords formed from spiritual energy flew out, shooting towards the fleeing Ji family crowds.
Sword light from his own blade also burst forth repeatedly, slashing in all directions.
Screams of agony from the Ji family rose and fell without cease.
Of course, Lin Xiao did not pursue too far. He only killed for a short while. Once the explosive power had dissipated, he returned to the blast site.
He did not believe Elder Bei could still be alive.
Still, to be certain, he kept his main focus on Elder Bei.
Lin Xiao scanned the explosion’s centre but found no trace of Elder Bei, not even a storage ring. It had probably been obliterated.
After searching the area for a long time, Lin Xiao collected some fragments of bone. He attacked them with force and only then confirmed that Elder Bei had indeed been blown to pieces.
Afterwards, Lin Xiao swept through the storage rings of the other Ji family members and pursued fleeing survivors for thousands, even tens of thousands of li.
Half the Ji family’s forces in Shengzhou had fallen to Lin Xiao’s hands. The Ji family Shengzhou branch was annihilated, utterly destroyed.
News of Lin Xiao obliterating the Ji family branch and killing Elder Bei spread like a storm in all directions.
Every region that heard it was shaken.
The fall of a Martial Saint in Shengzhou had not happened for a very long time. This was an earth-shattering event.
Moreover, this Martial Saint belonged to a hegemonic power. One could imagine how explosive the news was.
“Good heavens! The Ji family Martial Saint elder has fallen, and more than half their clansmen are dead or wounded. Has the Ji family Shengzhou branch been completely uprooted?”
“The number one genius of Yuan cultivation in the Nine Provinces, champion of the Spirit Controller Grand Competition, has now directly slain a first-level Martial Saint. Reverse Saint. He has truly achieved Reverse Saint!”
“A true Reverse Saint powerhouse has appeared, and he killed a Martial Saint from a hegemonic force. The entire continent is going to be shaken.”
“At twenty-two years of age, initial seventh-grade spiritual power, fifth-level Martial Emperor Yuan cultivation, yet he killed a Martial Saint. Is this Mu Haoran even human?”
In every street and alley, within every force, the talk was only of the fall of the Ji family’s Elder Bei.
Compared to this, their usual skirmishes were mere child’s play.
Slaying a saint against all odds, challenging the core strength of a hegemonic power. This was something that could shake the entire continent.
Countless youths had already worshipped Mu Haoran.
Now, with this news, their feeling was no longer mere worship. It was awe and fear.
The degree of this monstrosity far exceeded anything they could comprehend.
More than half a month later, outside Spirit Pool Island.
Ji Zhen remained hidden in his spot. His tracking method had been neutralised. Though this was very likely the time when Lin Xiao had slipped away.
Yet according to messages from inside Spirit Pool Island, Lin Xiao had not left the island.
Instead, he remained within, secluded in cultivation.
This left Ji Zhen both furious and anxious. A mighty second-level Martial Saint, a great elder of a hegemonic force, was actually being held in place by a youth, wasting time squatting here.
This was a colossal humiliation.
Yet what enraged him more was that he had no choice but to wait and continue guarding.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a Ji family elder hurried over, dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and reported in a low voice, “Great Elder, something has happened.”
Even though he was a ninth-level Martial Emperor elder, seeing the man’s posture, Ji Zhen frowned slightly and asked, “What is it?”
The elder spoke timidly, “Lin Xiao was never on Spirit Pool Island. He quietly slipped away.”
“What did you say?”
Ji Zhen’s expression hardened. His heart leapt into his throat, and he nearly exploded with rage.
The elder swallowed hard, lowered his head further, and continued, “Lin Xiao went to our Shengzhou Ji family. The Shengzhou branch has been destroyed. More than half our clansmen are dead or wounded.”
“What?”
Ji Zhen nearly jumped up in shock and fury. “You are saying Lin Xiao was never on Spirit Pool Island, but had already escaped and attacked our branch, killing over half our people?”
The elder nodded.
“How is that possible? We were watching Lin Xiao constantly. How could he have escaped?
And destroyed our branch?
Didn’t we have Elder Bei at the branch?
Where is Elder Bei?
Was Elder Bei not there?”
Ji Zhen still could not believe it and fired off questions in rapid succession.
“Elder Bei was killed by Lin Xiao.”
The elder could not hold back his tears.
“What?
?
?”
Ji Zhen stood stunned, his mind reeling as though struck by heavenly thunder. His head buzzed.
Elder Bei, dead?
Killed by Lin Xiao?
“Lin Xiao’s combined Yuan-Spirit power could defeat Elder Bei. His petrification ability could also defeat Elder Bei. In the end, he unleashed that explosive attack and blew Elder Bei to pieces. Lin Xiao even personally confirmed Elder Bei’s remains.”
The elder explained.
This elder was from the branch himself, the one who most frequently reported to the Great Elder after his arrival.
He had been present during Lin Xiao’s attack on the Shengzhou branch.
He had witnessed the power of that explosion and could almost certainly judge that Elder Bei had fallen.
While escaping Lin Xiao’s subsequent pursuit, though injured, he had survived. Onlookers who had also escaped confirmed to him that Lin Xiao had verified Elder Bei’s bone fragments, leaving no doubt that Elder Bei had been blown to death.
The fall of Elder Bei, the destruction of the Shengzhou branch, and the loss of over half their people was a devastating blow to him as well.
Fortunately, the Great Elder was still outside Spirit Pool Island. Otherwise, who knew when the news would reach headquarters and someone could seek justice.
“What…” Ji Zhen’s heart shuddered violently. For a long time, he could not recover.
Lin Xiao had actually gained the strength to kill a first-level Martial Saint and had slain their Ji family Martial Saint elder. He had been squatting here for over two months, yet the person he was guarding had slipped away right under his nose, destroyed their branch, and killed their Martial Saint.
For him, this was an immense blow, an immense humiliation.
A grand elder of the Ji family had been toyed with by a junior… “Lin Xiao!!! Ah!!!”
Ji Zhen could no longer contain his rage. He roared in fury, the sound echoing through heaven and earth, spreading for hundreds of li around.
