C1 Pushing into a Dead End!

"Loong Jiaoyang, do you admit to your crimes?" Qian Ming, the newly appointed Sect Master of the Righteous Qi Sect, sat imposingly on the throne in the grand hall, his golden robe shimmering in the light. His gaze was icy as he fixed it on Loong Jiaoyang, his voice a low growl.

Despite the gaunt features, angular jawline, and the wild tangle of black hair over his shoulders, Loong Jiaoyang knelt resolutely on the ancient stone floor. His body bore the scars of whipping, his clothing soaked with blood, yet his eyes remained piercing and lucid. "Would admitting guilt or denying it lead to a different outcome?" he challenged.

With a cold snort, Qian Ming's expression chilled further. "Humph, you dare to show such insolence after attempting to assassinate our former sect master without cause! Are you aware that this transgression alone warrants the crippling of your meridians and your expulsion from the Righteous Qi Sect?"

"Li Mingchong, a vile creature who violated a female disciple, deemed fit to lead the Righteous Qi Sect? And you, his enablers, stay silent despite knowing his misdeeds. Are you still fit to be branch elders of our sect? Have you forgotten the sect's creed—to uphold righteousness and protect the weak?" Loong Jiaoyang's voice rang out with accusation.

The seven branch elders seated on either side of the Haoqi Great Hall wore grim expressions, their eyes glinting with lethal intent.

"Sect Master, Loong Jiaoyang's assassination of Sect Master Li Mingchong is an unforgivable offense. Why bother with a trial? Allow me to destroy his Sea of Qi and Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and cast him out of the Righteous Qi Sect!" Qin Lan, the striking elder from the Divine Incense Hall, rose to her feet, her face twisted with malice.

"Martial Uncle Qin Lan, are you oblivious to the numerous female disciples of the Heavenly Scent Palace that Li Mingchong has defiled and murdered in the Fairsky World these past months? And yet, you sent Junior Sister Sunn Jing there to train alone! It is a venomous person like you who truly deserves to have their meridians destroyed and be banished from the Righteous Qi Sect!" Aware that his fate was sealed and that death was imminent following the crippling of his cultivation, Loong Jiaoyang seized the moment to expose the vile hypocrisy of those before him.

Crash!

Qin Lan shattered the wooden table beside her, her phoenix eyes blazing as she rebuked, "Loong Jiaoyang, cease your baseless accusations! The Fairsky Skyline is rich with the moon's essence, and I sent my disciples there for cultivation. Not a single member of the Heavenly Fragrance Hall has been harmed. Furthermore, Sunn Jing wasn't at the Ocean Cloud Horizon during your assassination attempt on the Sect Master. She, too, has vanished."

After a brief pause, a cold murderous glint appeared in Qin Lan's eyes as she pressed on, "Loong Jiaoyang, are you telling me that when Sunn Jing stumbled upon your plot to kill the Sect Master, you murdered her and concealed her body?"

"Hahaha, Martial Uncle Qin Lan, why distort the truth here? You are well aware of the actual events. My only request is that after my demise, you spare our Junior Sister Sunn Jing," Loong Jiaoyang declared as he rose to his feet, his laughter booming, his expression a mix of scorn and sorrow.

"Loong Jiaoyang, your insolence towards me will not go unpunished. I shall personally disable you!" Qin Lan advanced, her body surrounded by an Eight Trigrams halo. Within it, the Four Divine Beasts materialized, and at the center, the yin-yang symbol of black and white fish eyes emerged—an extraordinary display reserved for Heaven Stage cultivators.

Loong Jiaoyang, at the peak of the Earth Stage Great Completion, faced the formidable aura of Elder Qin Lan. His own Eight Trigrams flickered as the Li Fire position blazed fiercely, and a majestic Vermilion Bird, over a meter in length, soared into the sky, alighting upon his arm!

Loong Jiaoyang's strength was drawn from the Li Fire position, and he could summon the mighty Vermilion Bird Divine Beast. Cultivators could merge with this phenomenon, enhancing their destructive power!

"Qin Lan, it's do or die!" Loong Jiaoyang, channeling his full might, launched a ferocious punch at Qin Lan.

Qin Lan's expression chilled as she advanced instead of retreating, launching a punch directly at Loong Jiaoyang's incoming fist. With a cruel smile, she taunted, "Ignorant of life and death, you're merely an Earth Stage cultivator. What makes you think you can contend with an elder like me?"

Typically, an Earth Stage cultivator wouldn't stand a chance at disturbing the Spirit Power of someone at the Heaven Stage.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Out of nowhere, a trio of sword-like whistles rang out. Loong Jiaoyang's punches suddenly unleashed an immensely powerful sword intent. Ethereal and transcendent, it amplified his attack power tenfold!

Qin Lan's punches were torn asunder by the sword qi condensed from that intent, a slash wounding her left cheek. Had she not dodged swiftly, her entire head might have been severed!

Failing to kill Qin Lan with his strike, Loong Jiaoyang spun on his heel and fled, bolting from the Vast Qi Hall. This was his sole opportunity for escape; failure meant certain death.

"Sword Intent Condensation! He's mastered the sword intent – he cannot be left alive. Pursue him; he must be killed!" Qin Lan roared as she gave chase. Qian Ming's eyes glinted with murderous intent as he rose to join the hunt.

An elder from a branch hall stood and spoke gravely, "Master, you should not intervene lightly. Loong Jiaoyang is a scion of the Loong family. Their power may be waning, but if Loong Xiaotian is still alive, this could complicate matters."

Qian Ming's expression briefly stiffened, then he nodded in agreement. "A renegade disciple. I trust Elder Qin Lan can handle it. Send word to the Loong family of Loong Jiaoyang's betrayal and the murder of the Sect Master."

...

"You think you can run, you cur?"

Loong Jiaoyang had been practicing the Righteous Qi Sect's Big Dipper Steps, which gave him impressive speed. Yet, ultimately, he couldn't outpace Qin Lan, whose cultivation was a notch above his own.

Clang!

Qin Lan's longsword flew from its scabbard, the blade emanating a fierce chill. It was imbued with the murderous essence of the White Tiger, one of the Four Symbols Divine Beasts, and the icy aura of the black Yin Fish.

Loong Jiaoyang, unable to flee any further, rolled aside to evade Qin Lan's lethal thrust aimed at his back.

"Loong Jiaoyang, I never imagined you'd grasp the essence of sword intent. Share the secret with me, and I might just spare your life," Qin Lan declared, her sword poised horizontally before her.

"Martial Uncle Qin Lan, do you really think I'm that naive?" Loong Jiaoyang quickened his retreat, desperate to break free.

"If you refuse to divulge it, then meet your end!" Qin Lan's sword whirled, unleashing arcs of rainbow sword qi that ensnared Loong Jiaoyang completely.

She executed the Vast Qi Sword Technique—Rainbow Confining Gods.

In a flash, Loong Jiaoyang's clothes were shredded, and deep gashes appeared on his arms and legs, from which blood surged forth.

"Qin Lan, I'll fight you with my last breath!" Loong Jiaoyang bellowed in fury, his blood coalescing into four blood swords that hurtled towards Qin Lan.

Qin Lan's longsword spun deftly, casting out four streams of sword qi, her higher realm of cultivation overpowering the blood swords materialized by sword intent.

The act of solidifying sword intent into a weapon drained a cultivator's Spirit Power immensely. Loong Jiaoyang's blood swords, born of his sword intent, stood no chance against Qin Lan's superior blade.

Yet, this momentary delay afforded Loong Jiaoyang a sliver of opportunity to escape.

"Loong Jiaoyang, do you think you can outrun me?" Qin Lan's cold shout echoed, her heart seething with envy. At fifty, she had not yet mastered sword intent, while Loong Jiaoyang, a mere eighteen, had already seized its secrets.

Pursued relentlessly by Qin Lan, Loong Jiaoyang's Spirit Power dwindled to a whisper. Despite his understanding of sword intent, his low cultivation level prevented him from unleashing its full, devastating potential.

Bloodied and battered, Loong Jiaoyang found himself cornered at the summit of Reflection Cliff, a punishing ground for the disciples of the Righteous Qi Sect. With a sheer drop of tens of thousands of meters behind him and the ferocious Elder Qin Lan blocking his path, he faced an inescapable dead end. Moving forward or backward, both paths led to certain death.

Tick, tick, tick...

Under the clear midday sky, Loong Jiaoyang's blood rhythmically splattered onto the stone as he gasped for air, his fatigue evident. He addressed Qin Lan with resignation, "Martial Uncle Qin Lan, I know I'm not leaving here alive. But before I meet my end, could you tell me if Junior Sister Sunn Jing is still among the living?"

Qin Lan's lips curled into a scornful smirk. "Why should a dying man concern himself with such details?"

The next instant, Qin Lan's feet shifted into the star position, and he lunged forward with deadly speed.

"How many within the Righteous Qi Sect still hold true to their righteous spirit?" Loong Jiaoyang's heart swelled with a mix of sorrow and rage as he dashed toward the precipice.

He would rather shatter his body upon the rocks below than perish at Qin Lan's hand.

Whoosh!

Out of nowhere, a long silk ribbon soared through the air, aiming to ensnare Loong Jiaoyang. With the last ounce of his Spirit Power, he dove deeper, narrowly evading the ribbon's grasp.

Though Loong Jiaoyang had just managed to dodge being yanked back by Qin Lan's silk, the Spirit Power within the ribbon still struck his Qi Sea and Pubic Region, hitting his vital points. Qin Lan's voice was ruthless, "You may choose to leap from the cliff, taking your own life to escape punishment. But I will ensure your cultivation is destroyed first!"

With a harrowing scream, Loong Jiaoyang plummeted from the cliff...

...

Reflection Cliff was the Righteous Qi Sect's taboo, accessible only to those disciples who had erred. Punished individuals were confined to cells within the cliff's walls, making it a feared place of retribution.

Behind Reflection Cliff lay a sheer drop of ten thousand feet, where demonic energy ceaselessly churned. At the stroke of midnight each night, the area was haunted by the eerie sounds of ghosts wailing and demons screeching, echoing through Reflection Cliff. These chilling cries were said to be so peculiar that they could magnify the sense of guilt within a person, causing disciples who had erred to writhe in self-inflicted agony.

For this very reason, no sub-palace was built atop the peak of Reflection Cliff; instead, it served as a site for punishment.

This same cliff, towering ten thousand feet with demonic energy raging around it, was a place even the most valiant of the Righteous Qi Sect's warriors dared not venture. It was destined to be Loong Jiaoyang's final resting place. At least, that was his last thought before slipping into unconsciousness—he never imagined survival was an option.

Even if there were a stream at the base of the cliff, the sheer force of the fall would be lethal to any ordinary person.

But at the base of this steep cliff, there was no water, only countless jagged rocks, sharp as spears. Loong Jiaoyang plummeted so swiftly that his body was sure to be impaled, riddled through like a honeycomb by these unforgiving stones.

In the nick of time, as Loong Jiaoyang was about to crash into the stony bed below, an ancient stele, standing five meters tall with a polished surface, emitted a beam of white light. It enveloped Loong Jiaoyang's rapidly descending form, pulling him to a halt in front of the monument.

The midday sun blazed brilliantly, its rays illuminating the stele, casting light upon Loong Jiaoyang, and lighting up the rock-strewn cliff valley.

​