Chapter 3 Beyond the Mountain Gate

In the early morning, a refreshing breeze drifted slowly by. Li Feichen and Xuangang stood facing each other. Although neither spoke, everyone could feel the bone-chilling killing intent erupting from them. Not a single surrounding disciple dared to step forward to dissuade them. In truth, they all knew that this battle was already inevitable; no one could possibly stop it! They could only watch quietly.

"Do you know? I have waited for this moment for a very, very long time," Xuangang said, turning to look at the crowd of disciples from the Xuangang Sect. "You must all watch closely!"

Swish!

Before his voice had even faded, Xuangang's body surged forward like a thunderbolt toward the calm-faced Li Feichen!

"Thunder Step! It's actually the Thunder Step! Does the lord really possess this secret technique that has been lost for so many years?"

"Moving like thunder, changing the color of heaven and earth!" The Thunder Step was an untransmitted secret skill of the Xuangang Sect. For years, it had been shelved, and no one had truly been able to master it. Yet today, a hundred years later, Xuangang had learned it!

His fierce footwork actually caused the surrounding air to distort slightly! When the Thunder Step was cultivated to the extreme, it was no longer just about footwork; it evolved into an immensely powerful offensive technique!

The violent vortex was enough to completely annihilate all opponents!

"The Thunder Step? I thought it was something extraordinary. Now it seems to be truly nothing special. Behold my Time-Space Stagnation!"

As the true master of the Plain Robe Tower, Li Feichen possessed a vast and varied array of knowledge. Although the Undying White Flame Divine Art was exceptionally powerful, it was hardly necessary to deal with this mere Xuangang!

A single technique of Time-Space Stagnation was enough to handle everything!

The air was originally formless, but as those four words—Time-Space Stagnation—were uttered, the formless air transformed into a layer of pale, white mist. Space stagnation was itself an extension of time freezing. Back then, Li Feichen had expended a tremendous amount of effort to master this technique, but looking at it now, everything had been worth it!

Xuangang had still worn a look of smug triumph, but now, its body was frozen in place, unable to maintain its previous arrogance. "Ah, so this is the Time-Space Stagnation you always talked about? Truly a formidable technique! I thought my Thunder Step was already fast enough, but I forgot that in the face of time, any technique is utterly useless!"

"For many years, I wanted to break through the suppression of time upon me. Unfortunately, so many years have passed, and I have never been able to achieve it! Yet what I could not do, you have actually accomplished. Truly, this is quite remarkable!"

"But do you think that after all these years, I am still my former self? Far from it. After so many years, not only have you changed, but even I have changed! The Thunder Step of the past was merely fast, but now, after years of refinement, this Thunder Step has undergone some astonishing transformations!"

A massive shadow cast down from the sky, enveloping Li Feichen. He turned and looked up, his expression immediately turning solemn. The enormous shadow was actually a giant iron fist!

"Li Feichen, let's see how you, this man, will fare when facing this technique now!" How on earth did this man Xuangang break through? Why had things ended up like this?

Boom!

The immensely powerful iron fist, carrying a terrifying sense of oppression, smashed directly down onto Li Feichen! Up until now, not a single person had been able to withstand this formidable technique. Finally, he could say that when facing Li Feichen, he had devised a method; he no longer thought of fleeing the moment he saw this man, as he had in the past!

"Hahaha! When the Thunder Step is cultivated to the extreme, it can create a clone. I have never told anyone about this before. Now you actually get to experience it all! Isn't this your honor?"

"The lord is truly mighty! Ha! Truly worthy of being our Sect Master! As Sect Master, he ought to possess such formidable power!"

All the disciples burst into cheers. Lord Xuangang was simply too formidable! Although they had long known that Lord Xuangang's strength was immense, seeing the actual scene in front of them was still astonishing. Only someone like this was qualified to be their Sect Master. As long as this man remained, their spiritual pillar remained, and no matter what problems they faced, they would not need to feel any fear!

"Li Feichen, everything is over now. You should also realize by now that I have long since surpassed you! Although you have always been unwilling to admit this, it is the simple truth. You have lost; you have finally lost, defeated by the man you once looked down upon the most. At this moment, do you truly not feel even a shred of desolation in your heart?"

"Yet I must tell you, this kind of desolation is something I had to endure day after day in the past. If you have never truly experienced such a thing, you will never understand. But now you truly understand what kind of things I went through on those paths where the future was entirely unknown!"

"Yet looking back now, I am actually very grateful for those experiences. If not for those trials, what would my inner self have become? There is truly no need to speak further of these things; everything should be over now!"

"Over? That is simply impossible! How do you think you can change any of this? Your fists are still as formidable as before, but you have truly underestimated me. You will soon find out just how powerful my Time-Space Stagnation truly is. Before me, everything is quite bleak!"

"You are actually not dead yet? To be honest, I was very much looking forward to this battle myself. Now, I shall let you know just how formidable my cultivation of these past years truly is!"

"How can this be? You should have long since succumbed to my immensely powerful technique. If you had fallen now, naturally everything could have been resolved. Yet in the end, you still did not do so. To be honest, this man continues to amaze me. Come, what other techniques do you have left?"

Amidst the astonishment of everyone, Li Feichen walked slowly out of the ruins, his entire body enveloped in scorching golden flames. For Li Feichen, battle had already become an instinct; the extreme high temperature of the Undying White Flame could melt everything!

"Don't be so excited. You have a Thunder Clone, but do you really think I have no other skills? Take a good look above your head to see what kind of fun thing is waiting there. What? Did you really not sense the special situation all around you? I forgot to tell you—I am proficient in all abnormal abilities, just like this!"

Li Feichen extended a finger and gently pointed it downward. Instantly, an immensely powerful gravitational force raged violently forward, as if you were walking on a straight path when suddenly a towering mountain was added to your back. Under the effect of such formidable power, no one could possibly endure it!

"Xuangang, I know you possess extremely strong defensive capabilities, but I refuse to believe what you can do when facing such formidable gravity from me!"

Boom!

Gravity and time were alike; both belonged to that absolute, uncontrollable, powerful force. Anyone who could master even one and cultivate it to the extreme was bound to become an peerless expert—this was the righteous path. He simply never expected that this man Li Feichen could master two powerful forces simultaneously. To be honest, how on earth did this man accomplish this?

The intense gravitational force pressed directly down upon the man, and now he truly could no longer resist. Xuangang had always believed he possessed supreme defensive prowess, but at this juncture, no person or power should have been able to make him feel fear. Yet now, he coughed up a mouthful of blood—yes, he had sustained extremely severe internal injuries!

Should he admit defeat at this point? No, he absolutely could not admit defeat! If he conceded now, everything would be gone! He had to stand back up; only by doing so could he continue to fight! "Truly a remarkable skill! I am genuinely filled with some admiration for you now. It seems that without my knowledge, you must have been cultivating to the point of madness!"

"Indeed, cultivating to the point of madness. In truth, if I had a choice, I would never have wanted to make myself like this. I wanted to seek a different way of living, but I knew that was utterly impossible. As long as I remained a member of the Plain Robe Tower, everything I did had to be for the sake of the Plain Robe Tower."

"Every generation of the Plain Robe Tower has come through this way. But let the crushing pressure end with me! Moqing is different from me; she ought to have her own life. The Plain Robe Tower has always been a shackle, and I must help break this shackle now!"

"I suppose this is what I should do as her uncle. Now, your opponent is me. If you cannot defeat me today, then everything about you is truly of no account in my eyes!"

"Having said that, I possess immensely powerful cultivation now, but this power naturally comes at the cost of my mental strength. Damn it, I truly never imagined I would go to such lengths for a man like you!"

"Go to hell! Super-Gravity Space!"

When every inch of space was filled with your formidable power, what kind of feeling would that be? This technique should have exhausted all of one's cultivation, but at this moment, Li Feichen didn't dwell on that. The Plain Robe Tower belonged to Moqing, and what it would become in the future was something Moqing needed to consider. What he needed to think about right now was better guarding this place!

Just as his eldest brother had trusted him so implicitly, under countless instances of high pressure, he had continuously refined himself, ultimately transforming into the person he was today. While gaining immense power, he had also lost many things!

Li Feichen's consciousness was already fading, but the man kept telling himself that the more it was this way, the less he could give up!

"Ah!!!"

The immensely formidable gravity swallowed the once arrogant and presumptuous Xuangang like a raging tidal wave! This man possessed the thunder attribute, naturally suited for practicing sharp and swift divine arts, so he could never be given any chance!

"This is my strongest technique, Xuangang. Of the four great sects under heaven, I must destroy one. Only thus can I give an explanation to everyone!"

Heaven and earth roared crazily. The fierce wind was like a blade, and its cold gale seemed intent on destroying everything. Xuangang's bones and meridians must have been completely pulverized by now. The man should no longer possess any formidable power; even if he did, he certainly could no longer unleash it!

"If any of you are unconvinced, you may step down as well. No matter how many come, it is all the same to me!" Heaven knew what immense pressure this man had shouldered to reach this day. In truth, he had long suffered from severe internal injuries. If he had properly recuperated, those internal injuries could have slowly healed.

Pity that he no longer had that chance. Li Feichen himself never expected that a person like himself would one day exhaust his very last ounce of strength for the sake of protection. Thinking back to his former self, who had been such a restless person, it was all because of his eldest brother that he had finally changed into this. He felt gratitude toward his eldest brother, Liyifeiyan—gratitude for the fact that if not for his eldest brother's support and protection, how could he ever have dared to act so presumptuously?

Now he saw the shadow of his eldest brother in Li Moqing. Perhaps his eldest brother also needed protection at many times, but as the eldest brother, Liyifeiyan would never utter such soft words. His eldest brother had always been an immensely silent man for so many years, and he had long since grown accustomed to it!

Moqing, do not worry. Uncle will surely guard the most important things in your life; Uncle will definitely do it!

"Hahaha! That's right! Only thus is this man qualified to be my opponent! Super-gravity space? Very good, but you should know by now that these tricks are truly useless against me. Just as you possess hidden powers, I have them as well! Haven't you always wanted to know how my special physique came to be? Very well, I will tell you now—it was through these relentless beatings that my immensely formidable physical body was forged!"

"Ultimate Rebound!"

At this moment, the body of the man Xuangang underwent an astonishing transformation. Until this day, Li Feichen had never known that a human body could become like this; all the previous attacks had actually been absorbed by this man! At this moment, a trace of eerie strangeness appeared on Xuangang's face. "Don't worry, you will soon know just how formidable my power is! Why do you think I possess the strongest defensive capability? It is entirely because of this physique!"

"Any technique, as long as it attacks me, will be accumulated by me. When it reaches a certain point, I will unleash all of this power completely! In the past, many people died under this technique of mine. I suppose you are no exception now, aren't you?"

"You are my friend of many years, yet for so many years, you seem to have had very little understanding of what kind of person I truly am. Today happens to be a good chance to let you experience it!"

"Rebound Impact!"

An immensely powerful shockwave shot directly from his hands. Upon witnessing this immensely formidable impact, what was Li Feichen thinking at that moment? It was simple: he was shocked, and at the same time, he felt true fear! How many years had it been since he had truly felt genuine fear? To be honest, such a feeling was actually quite pleasant!

"Hahaha, old friend of many years! If not for you, how could I have achieved what I have today? Therefore, I truly ought to thank you now! Pity that you are of no further use to me. Only with your death can my efforts of so many years truly have meaning!"

"The grievance between the two of us has accumulated for so many years. As for you, I truly have nothing left to say. You are right; everything should indeed come to an end now. My friend, seeing you reduced to this state truly saddens my heart. But I know even better that if a person like you were to remain alive, it would be a colossal trouble for me. And you know very well—how could I possibly allow such a thing to happen?"

"You fundamentally do not understand what my mood is right now. If you had been willing to come with me back then, the final outcome would certainly have been very different! I have constantly given you this chance over the years, haven't I?"

Boom, boom, boom!

The vibrations caused by the continuous impacts were breathtaking. Looking at it now, it seemed no one could possibly withstand such formidable shockwaves. Xuangang's vitality was also rapidly fading; in the span of a mere instant, he transformed from a young man into a withered elder!

"Is the side effect really this severe? I truly never anticipated this myself! Xuangang has no strength left now either. The only reason he strives so hard at this moment is for one single purpose: to prove to everyone that he is the strongest man! Perhaps in the future, I might truly no longer care about these things, but that requires formidable strength as a foundation. Without such formidable strength, these so-called empty names remain necessary!"

Among the four great sects, only the Xuangang Sect was the weakest, while the other three were each fiercer than the last. He had to win this battle. He knew that in past years, many people looked down upon the Xuangang Sect, believing it was a thing of the past. But no! The Xuangang Sect had its own persistence, even though in the eyes of many, this persistence of theirs was utterly laughable!

Yet if a person had no persistence whatsoever, he could simply not imagine what the end would be like. Just like now—everyone must have been pessimistic about his chances of defeating Li Feichen. After all, in the eyes of all, he was no different from a good-for-nothing!

Such criticism, such suspicious glances—he had endured them through an unknown number of nights. On countless nights, Xuangang had truly believed he could no longer cultivate, but if he had simply given up just like that, he would have been deeply unwilling. He constantly admonished himself: was he just going to concede like this? Could he not persist just a little longer?

And in reality, as long as he wanted to persist, he could definitely do it! Through relentless refinement, he had finally become what he was today!

"Hahaha! All of you see it now, don't you? This is my true strength! Is there anyone else here who can be my opponent? The three of you always looked down upon me in the past. How is it now? Now you should realize that your judgments in all matters were completely mistaken! Through today's battle, you should all recognize my cultivation. As long as I can make you acknowledge my strength, everything I have done is truly worthwhile!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We all know this man's strength now, and you should be extremely happy, aren't you? It's just that we truly never expected that the exceptionally formidable Li Feichen would actually die here today! Wasn't this man extremely powerful? Didn't this man have some sort of boss? Why hasn't he appeared even at a time like this? Wasn't this Li Feichen the man he valued the most?"

What was Li Feichen thinking in his heart right now? Nothing at all. The man's heart was exceptionally calm at this moment. It had finally reached this juncture; it seemed he really could only persist up to this point. Sometimes, persistence was something that nearly made one unable to keep going, but he absolutely could not concede defeat!

"Eldest Brother, as your brother, it seems I can only go as far as this. Yes, it seems I have truly failed your trust over the years. I'm sorry... It's just that right now, I truly don't know what else I should do. It seems this outcome is my true destiny."

In Li Feichen's voice, a trace of hard-to-conceal fatigue suddenly appeared. Indeed, for all these years, this man had been fighting continuously without a single moment of rest. To be honest, whoever was placed in such a situation would not be able to hold on, yet this fellow had persisted all this way!

"Brother, my good brother! I know that these past years have not been easy for you at all. In truth, this was originally my responsibility, but because of me, I handed all these things over to you. To be honest, as an elder brother, I am truly quite unqualified. But I know that you can definitely persist until the very end! Others do not know your potential because those people have never seriously watched you fight!"

"If those people had truly witnessed your battles, they would certainly marvel at why your cultivation could be so immensely powerful! You tell me, why is that? It is because no matter how many times you are knocked down, you can always stand back up! This point, seemingly ordinary, is something almost no one can do—even I cannot!"

"Pity that I have already become a spiritual body; otherwise, I would truly wish to fight alongside you. Unfortunately, this is my very last shred of power now. There's no helping it; how this ultimately turns out will still depend on you yourself, even though doing this is quite unfair to you!"

"Yet as your elder brother, I must still say: only you can save everything here. Brother, consider it as your elder brother failing you. Before I leave, I will impart all of my cultivation to you—this is the last thing I can do for you. Rest assured, once you possess my cultivation, you shouldn't have anything to worry about no matter what problems you face, right?"

Strands of immensely powerful energy poured into Li Feichen's body. This energy was naturally domineering and fierce. "Brother, this is the final power I can bestow upon you. How you ultimately use this power depends entirely on yourself, but I believe your strength will surely become even more formidable!"

"Very well, I should be leaving now. How the remaining matters will turn out... to be honest, I didn't foresee it myself. Brother, I leave these remaining matters entirely to you. I am completely at ease with anything you do. I leave it in your hands!"

In the air, a ripple appeared once more, and these vibrations made people feel uneasy. What was Xuangang feeling right now? Li Feichen had actually acquired even greater power! How this power came to be, no one knew; it would likely remain a secret forever!

Boom!

The earth completely collapsed. "Old friend, I haven't lost yet! Why are you leaving? Didn't I just say that your opponent is me? As long as I am here, no matter what skills you possess, I can defeat you! Now, everything is starting anew. Do you really not want to know how formidable my strength is right now?"

Boom!

A giant iron fist shadow roared toward the stunned Xuangang. Li Feichen now understood this man's ability: after executing an ability once, the man could not use it again immediately. There was an absolute gap between uses, and he could take advantage of that window to launch an attack!

This man's strength was certainly immense, but to think that he was finished just like that would be a complete mistake! Big Brother was right—at this juncture, facing any battle, one should never feel fear. Feeling fear now would be thoroughly disadvantageous!

"What? Are you afraid of me now? In truth, you shouldn't be like this. I believe you possess immensely powerful strength, and only through this final battle can you prove yourself. Behind me is the Plain Robe Tower; once you defeat me, you can take everything here!"

Pfft!

Xuangang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood directly. It seemed this man had also sustained severe internal injuries. "Very good! This must be your ultimate strength. I should have known long ago that you possessed immensely powerful might. Now, I must also unleash my ultimate strength!"

"Rebound Impact!"

The man was still thinking this way; he believed he could absorb and rebound any technique. Yet such a thing was simply impossible!

"I forgot to tell you—I have seen through all of your techniques. By now, your tricks are utterly useless against me! However, you are in grave danger right now. If you forcefully absorb my power, it will be quite different for you!"

"If you forcefully absorb this cultivation, you will end up bursting to death from within! Do you wish to make yourself like that? Of course, if you are willing, there is still a way!"

"Hahaha! Do you really think I will fear the things you speak of? I have also experienced many battles in the past, but all these years, everything has been under my control. I know that you acquired even greater power just now, but there is one thing you haven't noticed: everything around us is actually within my control! Truly, I originally didn't want to speak of these things, but since you've said as much, I must let you know just how formidable my strength is!"

"Divine Domain!"

The so-called Divine Domain meant that with Xuangang as the center, within a radius of one kilometer, everything would be subject to his control! This was his ultimate trump card; if not driven to the very last moment, he would never have used it!

At this moment, Xuangang transformed into an exceptional conductor. Every movement of his fingers, seemingly casual, actually contained immensely formidable power!

Crack!

In Li Feichen's astonished gaze, he watched as his own arms bent directly into right angles. Because the movement was too fast, there was almost no sensation of pain in the immediate instant. Only after about three seconds did Li Feichen feel a piercing, bone-deep agony!

Yet this man was truly a tough guy; even at this moment, he didn't utter a single groan as large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

"I truly never expected that you'd be such a tough guy. Your arms have now been broken by me, yet seeing this scene, you didn't panic in the slightest. I imagine you must be in excruciating pain right now, yes? Indeed, I want to make you experience what true pain is. And these pains... I have already endured a great deal of them in the past; otherwise, why would I have become like this?"

"I know you want me to cry out, but you can forget about it. You should also know that I don't really have any other skills, except for my endurance, which can be called number one under heaven!"

"It seems this must be your most formidable technique. In truth, this is the very moment I have been waiting for. Being able to witness your final technique makes me very happy indeed! What other skills do you have left? Why not bring them all out together? I really want to see what else you're capable of!"

"Ha! You have strong endurance, I know that. But since this man has fallen into my hands, don't even think about escaping, because I will never allow such a thing!"

"What? Did you really not sense what is different inside your body right now? The meridians all over your body have already been sealed by me. I figured that the only reason a man like you possesses such formidable strength is because your meridians differ from ordinary people. So I thought: what would happen if I completely sealed off all these meridians of yours?"

"Facts have proven that I guessed correctly. Once these forces completely sealed your meridians, even you could no longer hold on. However, you should also know that these matters are merely a beginning. I am going to torture you properly now—you know that this is what I love doing most, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It seems I truly have no other options left right now. But you needn't be so smug; I tell you now: as long as I do not die, I will definitely have a chance to turn the tables! Have you forgotten? I have done similar things many times before. What? Did you really not anticipate this?"

"Li Feichen, you truly have no surplus power left. As long as you concede defeat now, everything can come to an end! To be honest, I have always been giving you a chance. Are you really unwilling to let this matter end this way?"

"Hmph! Rest assured, no matter what happens, I will never concede defeat! We have known each other for so many years; don't you clearly understand my temperament?"

"Good fellow! In truth, I should have known long ago that making you concede defeat is harder than anything else. But you probably have no idea what I intend to do right now, do you? Are you going to make a move or not? Otherwise, I truly have no idea what kind of result this will ultimately have. Think carefully: what are you doing all this for? What have you been striving for all these years?"

"Very well, there is no need to say anything more now. My only wish at present is to defeat you! As long as I can defeat you, nothing else matters at all!"

Now all of Li Feichen's power was completely unleashed. To be honest, the current result was quite good. He truly couldn't move rashly right now because he himself didn't know what it would ultimately turn into!

"What's wrong? I imagine you don't just possess this little bit of cultivation. You should still bring out all of your power; only thus is it the best way!"

"It seems neither of us can go on much further now. The current state of affairs is actually quite good. Come, let me see what kind of strength you truly possess!"

"You are simply too formidable! In truth, I no longer possess any greater strength, and I am utterly helpless against this. Since you enjoy attrition so much, I will satisfy your wish right now. It's just that I truly have no idea what will happen as a result!"

Li Moqing's mood had grown exceptionally calm. It seemed that even without her, Second Uncle would surely be able to complete this battle. However, since things had reached this point, Second Uncle, you must hold on! I know you can do it!

"Li Feichen, everything should come to an end now. Very well, since you are courting death, I will grant your wish. But as a result, I imagine you know better than anyone what will become of you. You must keep fighting, understand?"

"Second Uncle, don't be afraid! I have arrived! You're not dreaming; leave the rest to me. I will never let you disappoint you!" Moqing finally arrived outside the mountain gate of the Plain Robe Tower.