Lu Kangnian gratefully accepted the gifts from the others, his voice solemn.
"Rest assured! I will make the Great Xia Sword Sect shine!"
"Because…"
As Lu Kangnian spoke, his voice trembled. He pointed to the blood-soaked disciples below, his eyes brighter than ever.
"Because of them!"
"With disciples like these, I believe… the future of the Great Xia Sword Sect will undoubtedly reach the pinnacle!!"
Hearing this, Kong Yan and the others nodded heavily. Indeed, in this generation of disciples, they saw an unprecedented unity and fervor!
Kong Yan nodded and said, "You handle the remaining sects yourself. I have some matters to attend to in the Taiqing Domain, so I'll take my leave."
Tu Shan and Cui Quan also nodded slightly and bid farewell.
Lu Kangnian clasped his fists in salute as the three figures slowly disappeared into the horizon.
Many others also bid farewell to Lu Kangnian and left in a hurry. However, quite a few chose to stay, wanting to return to the Great Xia Sword Sect for a look.
Lu Kangnian waved his hand and commanded in a deep voice, "Leave some people to clean up the battlefield. The rest, follow me to the other three sects!"
"If any disciples resist, cripple their cultivation!"
Just as Lu Kangnian was about to lead the team, Ling Daoyan stopped him. At this moment, Lu Kangnian was already at the end of his strength, but he couldn't afford to collapse now.
The old man supported his shoulder and said solemnly, "Enough, leave the rest to us!"
"Take your disciples back quickly to heal."
Lu Kangnian's body swayed, and after a moment of contemplation, he nodded slightly.
Under Lu Kangnian's leadership, the group began to fly towards the Great Xia Sword Sect. The grand procession looked incredibly imposing.
At this moment, Li Guanqi's hands were empty.
The ten meters sect flag was planted straight on the roof of the Purple Sun Hall, proclaiming to everyone that the Great Xia Sword Sect had won this war between the two sects!
The elders and peak masters of the eight peaks were all heading to the other three sects. Along the way, the Great Xia Sword Sect faced no obstacles. Many sects and forces watched from afar, their eyes filled with admiration!
All the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect were covered in wounds, their blood-stained white robes tattered. Yet, each one of them stood tall and proud, their postures as straight as swords! The Great Xia Sword Sect had won. After a night of fierce battle, both sides had fought back and forth.
Just when everyone thought that the Purple Sun Hall would retreat and the two sects would cease fighting, the originally weaker Great Xia Sword Sect launched a counterattack in the second half of the night! The intensity of the battle far exceeded everyone's expectations. Later, the Great Xia Sword Sect fired eight arrows, breaking the protective array of the Purple Sun Hall. What shocked everyone even more was the Great Xia Sword Sect's sect assembly order!
Although many sects had such things, whether it was the Purple Sun Hall or other sects, these orders were mostly just for show.
Leaving aside the distance disciples had to travel to return, many disciples no longer felt attached or grateful to their sects. Even if they knew, they might not choose to return, let alone face unknown dangers or even death. So, the Great Xia Sword Sect's move this time made all forces look at them with new eyes.
The saying "look at someone with new eyes after three days" perfectly described the current Great Xia Sword Sect. The Great Xia Sword Sect had changed external perceptions in just one day and night. Everyone understood that the rise of the Great Xia Sword Sect was unstoppable from today onwards! Anyone who saw a disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect would have to show respect and speak cautiously.
That day, the news spread throughout the entire Great Xia Domain. The Great Xia Sword Sect had wiped out the Purple Sun Hall overnight!! The three sects and six halls of the Northern Domain had become four sects and five halls! And the new sect was naturally the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Although the current strength of the Great Xia Sword Sect was not yet comparable to the old three sects, everyone knew that the overall strength of the Great Xia Sword Sect would rapidly increase in the future. The three sects that had intended to take advantage of the situation disappeared from the Northern Domain.
The disciples of the Seven Strings Sect, Orient Loong Island, and Zixiao Pavilion were all crippled and dispersed. The territories of the three sects were completely incorporated into the Great Xia Sword Sect's sphere of influence.
When Lu Kangnian and the others returned, all the remaining disciples and elders in the sect stood solemnly on the shattered square of Heavenly Sword Peak!
As the sword-flying team slowly appeared on the horizon, everyone shouted loudly!
"Draw your swords! Welcome back, heroes!!"
Clang!
All the sect disciples drew their swords and held them to their chests!
In an instant, all the sect disciples shouted in unison.
"Welcome back, heroes!!"
Yes, at this moment, they were heroes! The eyes of the disciples still in the Qi Refining stage were bright. Their desire for strength reached its peak at this moment! Lu Kangnian was on the verge of fainting, unable to speak. Ling Daoyan quickly arranged for people to take him away and gave a few instructions to the disciples below. Then, everyone began to treat the wounded in an orderly manner. Some elders had already prepared healing pills in advance.
Li Guanqi's injuries were not severe, and he helped until midnight. But at the same time, Li Guanqi was immersed in sorrow.
Elder Xu, the skinny old man who had taken him flying for the first time… was dead…
Just thirty meters away, and he could have saved him!! Hatred… he hated that his strength wasn't high enough, wasn't strong enough!
If he were like the three who appeared at the end, like the old man named Kong Yan, who could kill Han Tiange with a flip of his hand… everything would be different. But there were no "ifs" in this world.
Night fell.
Throughout the Great Xia Sword Sect, there were cries of pain and groans of suffering.
This time, the Great Xia Sword Sect counted 172 Foundation Establishment disciples killed in battle! Forty-nine Golden Elixir Realm disciples and elders!
The wind was bleak. Li Guanqi tightened his collar and squatted in front of a tombstone.
It read, "Lin Dong, disciple of Heavenly Earth Peak, killed in the battle of Purple Sun Hall."
Li Guanqi leaned against the tombstone and poured a jug of good wine. Looking up at the sparse stars in the sky, he murmured.
"Dong… it's all my fault…"
"I didn't expect you to leave so soon. If I had known, I would have taken you to wander the world."
In the sect's cemetery, many people were there, talking about various things. Suppressed sobs rose and fell.
Ye Feng stood before a grave, holding a bouquet of flowers. His face was full of scars, but he had changed into what he thought was his best golden robe. He placed the flowers down, opened his mouth, but tears streamed down before he could speak. His shoulders shook, and his suppressed sobs grew louder.
That night, the Great Xia Sword Sect was brightly lit, and no one slept.
At dawn, Ye Feng came to Li Guanqi's side.
He lit incense for Xu Zhengjie's tombstone and said hoarsely.
"Zhong Lin… hasn't come to see Dong?"
Li Guanqi said softly, "He's not awake yet."
Then, Li Guanqi turned to the red-eyed Ye Feng and said softly.
"I'm planning to leave."
"Oh… huh? What!!"
Ye Feng looked up sharply, his voice rising. "You're leaving?"
Li Guanqi looked at the rising sun and nodded slightly.
"Yes, I want to go out and see the world."
Ye Feng murmured, "Down the mountain? Or… leaving the sect to train?"
Li Guanqi glanced at him without speaking.
Ye Feng sat down beside him, looking at the ray of sunlight, and said softly, "I'll go with you."
Ignoring Li Guanqi's surprised expression, Ye Feng continued.
"I've wanted to follow you as my leader for a long time."
"I don't care, wherever you go, I'll go too."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi grinned, patted his shoulder, and said softly, "Alright."