Chapter Seventy-Four: The Death of Lord Mao

“Judging by your appearance, you must be Qin Yi and Zhang Chen, am I right?” The white-haired old man asked, feigning ignorance.

Qin Yi turned to the elder and smiled. “And you must be the master of the Mao Fortress, I suppose?”

Leaning on his cane, the old man narrowed his eyes at Qin Yi and rasped, “Then you must also know why I have come here today, don’t you?”

Zhang Chen shrugged and gave a helpless smile. “A blood debt must be repaid in blood, that’s all.”

The man clad in black iron armor barked at these words, “Well said—a blood debt repaid in blood.”

Suddenly, the white-haired elder’s eyes snapped open, their gaze piercing as he looked at Qin Yi and his companion. “We have come today to settle a blood debt of our own.”

Qin Yi instinctively glanced at Old Master Li and the Yu Long Fortress crowd, who were already barely restraining themselves from clashing with the other two fortresses. Then he looked at the cane-wielding and armored men and said with a smile, “Master Mao, Master Yan, whoever commits the act must bear the consequence. This affair is entirely ours and has nothing to do with those behind us.”

Master Yan roared, “Well said—whoever does the deed, answers for it themselves!”

Master Mao turned his gaze to Jiang Yao, who stood beside Qin Yi, and said with a mocking lilt, “Then does your ‘we’ include this little girl, too?”

Jiang Yao frowned, about to speak, but Qin Yi stopped her. Old Master Li and the Yu Long Fortress guards stirred uneasily at Qin Yi’s words. Old Master Li asked worriedly, “Just the two of you—are you sure you can manage?”

Qin Yi offered him a silent, confident smile before turning back to Master Mao. “Of course not. Just Zhang Chen and me.”

Master Mao grinned with satisfaction. Without the enigmatic girl rumored to be their trump card, what trouble could they possibly stir?

Zhang Chen, catching sight of Master Mao’s covert glee, laughed mockingly. “Do you really think you’re enough to subdue us?”

“Kill—!” Master Yan wasted no more words. Raising his four-foot broadsword, he charged. The black-armored warrior barreled forward, broadsword flashing—a sight that sent a powerful jolt through all onlookers.

Master Mao remained motionless at the rear, cane in hand. He raised a hand without turning and gestured. From the ranks behind him, four armored warriors emerged, each wielding a broadsword. These were no ordinary men, nor even cultivators of the Fourth Foundation Realm—they were all Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Qin the Unrighteous, be careful!” Old Master Li called out in alarm, for the enemy’s strength in Nascent Soul cultivators was the one reason his thirst for vengeance had long remained unfulfilled.

“It’s all right, old master,” Qin Yi replied with a smile. He exchanged a glance with Zhang Chen, who nodded. Zhang Chen stood his ground and began to channel runes, while Qin Yi surged forward, his sword Feixue flashing from its scabbard to meet Master Yan and the four Nascent Soul warriors from Mao and Yan Fortresses.

On Chaoyang Street, Feixue clashed against the broadswords of Master Yan and the four Nascent Soul warriors.

Suddenly, Qin Yi caught sight of a rune appearing above him, pressing down with great force. Before it could strike, another rune shattered the first and then descended upon Master Yan and the four Nascent Soul warriors. The five men, caught off guard, instinctively raised their broadswords to defend against the incoming rune.

Seizing the moment, Qin Yi drew his sword in a sweeping arc, tracing a white circle in the air. The chilling sword energy of Feixue surged toward the five opponents.

With a thunderous crash, all five were sent sprawling to the ground, their bodies thudding heavily. Under their furious, humiliated gaze, Zhang Chen’s rune dissipated as if it had exhausted its power.

“Hahaha!” Zhang Chen pointed at the four men felled by Qin Yi’s single sword strike and burst into hearty laughter.

Master Mao’s face darkened as he saw his own rune shattered by Zhang Chen’s.

With a metallic ring, Feixue slid back into its scabbard. Qin Yi said nothing, merely sneering in disdain.

Old Master Li and the Yu Long Fortress guards were so moved by the sight that they could barely speak.

The white-haired Master Mao’s eyes twitched as he looked at Qin Yi and Zhang Chen. “Don’t get cocky, boys. I was merely careless just now.”

“Is that so?” Qin Yi replied with a smile. He glanced at Zhang Chen, their understanding unspoken. In the next instant, both formed seals with one hand and sent their runes hurtling toward Master Mao.

“Two Nascent Soul rune masters…!” Master Mao cried out in astonishment. Being one himself, he instantly recognized the profound realm of their runes. Though he had known Zhang Chen’s reputation, he’d never imagined Qin Yi was the same. The old man’s usually foggy eyes now flashed with sharp vigilance.

As he braced himself, the two runes from Qin Yi and Zhang Chen suddenly vanished—Zhang Chen’s rune plunged into the earth, while Qin Yi’s disappeared into thin air. Master Mao was so furious he nearly cursed aloud, but all he could do now was defend.

Seeing this, the people from Mao and Yan Fortresses became anxious, including Master Yan and the other four Nascent Soul warriors.

Qin Yi and Zhang Chen exchanged derisive smiles. Zhang Chen even taunted, “Foolish old man who doesn’t know his limits.”

Before his words had faded, the ground beneath Master Mao cracked open in a span of ten feet, sending him hurtling into the air. A massive, earthen-yellow stone python, its maw wide open, lunged at him.

What a sight—a stone python swallowing the heavens.

And just as Master Mao was flung skyward by the upheaval, the air before him exploded. A huge, azure crescent wind blade swept toward him, aiming to slice him clean in two. Caught off guard, with one leg seized by the stone python, Master Mao had no power to resist or defend against the oncoming blade.

In his despair, the white-haired elder let out a heart-wrenching cry that echoed down Chaoyang Street. But it was too late—the wind blade cleaved him at the waist, and the python’s jaws gripped his body, sending the sundered halves tumbling into the crowd behind, which scattered in panic as dust swirled.

Taking advantage of the moment, Qin Yi called out, “Who else wishes to trouble us?”

A hush fell over Chaoyang Street; excitement reigned on the Yu Long Fortress side, while unease gripped the people of Mao and Yan.

“The old master is dead…!”

At that moment, a wail drowned out even Qin Yi’s voice.