Chapter 228: It

In the streets outside Baixiang Pavilion, once bustling but now reduced to ruins, the black-robed old man slowly rose into the air.

His black robe merged with the night, its long sleeves drifting without wind; his withered hand hung outside the sleeve, knuckles bony, glinting with a cold iron-gray sheen.

At that moment, the surrounding heavenly qi converged like a funnel toward his body, casting a massive shadow across the sky as if tearing heaven and earth apart.

His cloudy eyes now glowed with terrifying brilliance, as if housing ten thousand vengeful spirits, fixed unblinkingly on Li Musheng, who sat atop Baixiang Pavilion.

In an instant, the terrifying martial killing intent radiating from the black-robed old man froze the surrounding air into stillness, as if hundreds of thousands of invisible blades, brimming with murderous energy, pointed directly at Li Musheng.

"You don't look like the peak lord of Bai Lian Peak."

Li Musheng glanced at the black-robed old man as he ascended into the air.

Hearing this, the black-robed old man said nothing, his gaze sweeping over the corpses of Lady and others below on the street, his killing intent surging like a storm-tossed sea.

The next instant, he thrust both arms forward; rolling, dark martial qi erupted from him, instantly coalescing into ten thousand ghostly hands that surged toward Li Musheng.

In an instant, the entire night sky around Baixiang Pavilion seemed to twist and collapse, the countless ghostly hands forged from martial qi blotting out moon and stars, beneath which all things—even empty space—appeared ready to be torn apart.

The black-robed old man clearly had no intention of wasting words; before arriving in Bai Lian City, he had already learned everything that had transpired within the city from the Bai Lian Peak disciple who delivered the message.

His only task now was to kill Li Musheng, otherwise he could not answer to Zheng Yunfeng, nor endure the torrent of rage that would follow the man's loss of wife and son in a single night.

At this moment, the black-robed old man stared at Baixiang Pavilion, now shrouded in swirling dark qi, his martial killing intent condensed into a blade like a heavenly knife ready to be drawn.

If Li Musheng somehow escaped his attack, he could strike the fatal blow at any moment.

Yet just as he sealed and locked the area around Baixiang Pavilion with his aura, Li Musheng's voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

"Send a message to your peak lord. If he doesn't come soon, before the other eight peaks receive my message, I may have to break my word."

As soon as the words ended, the black-robed old man saw the air before him ripple slightly, and Li Musheng's figure materialized.

At the sight, his entire body froze in shock; he immediately tried to retreat—but to his horror, his body felt as if poured with lead, utterly immobile.

Li Musheng shook his head, waved his hand casually, and the countless ghostly hands behind him, forged from swirling dark qi, scattered like leaves caught in a sudden gale, vanishing in an instant.

……

Not long after, the black-robed old man's forehead was pierced by a single finger, his face still twisted in the lingering pain and terror of the Life-and-Death Seal, then plummeted rapidly into the ravine below the street.

Immediately after, Li Musheng infused his martial qi into a jade tube in his hand; a brilliant silver flame shot skyward, illuminating a unique pattern across the night sky over Bai Lian City, fading slowly after several breaths.

"They say this signal is only raised when something major happens at Bai Lian Peak. Now, the peak lord must be coming."

Li Musheng sat atop the pavilion, gazing up at the night sky; this signal was exceedingly rare—he guessed the other eight peaks nearby, like Luo Shen Peak, could likely see it too.

Meanwhile, atop a small hill outside Bai Lian City, the hemp-robed old man and Lin Xun'er stood frozen in the darkness, like statues of clay and wood.

Just now, they had seen the black-robed old man enter the city, then felt a terrifying martial killing intent surge into the heavens.

Originally, they had assumed that with the Bai Lian Peak's Grand Elder's strength—second only to Zheng Yunfeng—a cataclysmic martial confrontation would surely erupt within the city.

Yet neither had expected that the terrifying killing intent and ominous aura had appeared swiftly—and vanished even faster.

Within mere breaths, all traces of killing intent had vanished entirely.

They had not even sensed any sign of the opponent's movement; Bai Lian City had already returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

"This…"

The hemp-robed old man was about to speak, when suddenly a silver flame erupted from within Bai Lian City, illuminating nearly half the night sky.

"What kind of signal is this?"

Lin Xun'er stared at the blazing silver light in the sky, her face filled with confusion; the hemp-robed old man shook his head.

Although before coming to Bai Lian Peak for revenge, they had thoroughly studied the situation of Luo Shen Peak,

they had never seen—or even heard of—such a unique signal.

So they silently watched the signal fade into the sky, exchanging a glance in the darkness.

"Do we still need to enter Bai Lian City?"

Lin Xun'er suddenly asked, her small face shifting with uncertainty.

The sudden disappearance of the Bai Lian Peak Grand Elder's aura clearly could not mean he had voluntarily ceased.

They had just witnessed firsthand the true power of the one in Bai Lian City.

And if he could dispatch the Grand Elder so easily, his martial strength was far more astonishing than they had imagined.

Hearing this, the hemp-robed old man shook his head, then gazed toward Bai Lian City and frowned:

"Let's not go. Before, I might have had a sliver of confidence in escaping from that Young Master Li. Now, I have not a shred."

Lin Xun'er's eyes flickered, then she nodded and said:

"That signal was clearly no ordinary one. Bai Lian City has become a place of chaos. If Zheng Yunfeng learns of the Grand Elder's death, only his own presence can avenge his wife and son."

At these words, the hemp-robed old man suddenly snapped to awareness—he had been so stunned by what happened in the city that he had not considered this.

Now, hearing Lin Xun'er's words, he finally realized that Bai Lian City would soon become extremely dangerous.

"Hide. We must hide!"

The hemp-robed old man's expression solemn, he immediately seized Lin Xun'er and sprinted into the hills.

Bai Lian City was certainly no longer safe—if Zheng Yunfeng truly descended, even a slight movement from a Heaven-and-Mortal Realm cultivator could claim countless innocent lives.

Even if Li Musheng's martial strength was truly immense, facing Zheng Yunfeng, he could not remain hidden as he had before.

Thus, even from outside the city, they would surely witness his actions—and confirm everything they had heard.

(End of Chapter)