Chapter 333: Chapter 329: The Death of Lu Changsheng and Liu Yuanlong
"From this day forward, the Alchemy Alliance is a thing of the past. My Absolute Poison Sect is the true master of the Hundred Thousand Mountains."
This was the declaration left behind by the Absolute Poison Sect, one of the Six Great Sects, after they descended upon Pill King Valley in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
According to Wei Yanran.
Not long after Ning Jiang left, immense Spiritual Qi began to surge from beneath the earth of Cyan Cloud Country, which in turn attracted the Six Great Sects.
At the time, the largest factions in Cyan Cloud Country were the Alchemy Alliance and Kunlun, both established by Ning Jiang.
When the Six Great Sects returned, their arrival inevitably led to a clash with Ning Jiang’s forces. Being from such powerful sects, why would they care about the local powers of Cyan Cloud Country?
In their eyes, they were the true masters of Cyan Cloud Country. What did the insignificant Alchemy Alliance and Kunlun amount to?
On that day, the Absolute Poison Sect marched into the Hundred Thousand Mountains and annihilated the Alchemy Alliance with overwhelming force.
Even the legendary Pill King Lu Changsheng was killed protecting Wei Yanran as she retreated.
"Lu Changsheng is dead."
Ning Jiang murmured.
An image of the gray-haired old man immediately surfaced in his mind.
Pill King Lu Changsheng, once the foremost alchemist in Cyan Cloud Country.
Before Ning Jiang’s rise to prominence, Pill King Lu Changsheng’s skill in alchemy was unrivaled in Cyan Cloud. He was obsessed with alchemy his entire life and played a pivotal role in the development of the Alchemy Dao in Cyan Cloud Country.
Later, he competed against Ning Jiang in alchemy and was so thoroughly impressed that he conceded defeat, pledging himself to Ning Jiang’s service. He was a man who knew how to let go of his pride.
Ning Jiang had once promised to teach Lu Changsheng the true art of alchemy if he served Wei Yanran well.
But he had never imagined that in just two short years, everything would be turned upside down, and Lu Changsheng would be dead.
"Lu Changsheng was one of my people. His murder is my fault. Don’t worry, I won’t let him be lonely in the Yellow Springs. The entire Absolute Poison Sect will serve as his funeral offering!"
Ning Jiang’s voice was calm.
But everyone present who knew Ning Jiang knew he was a man of his word!
"Liu Yuanlong is dead too."
At this, Sword King Chu Bai spoke up.
"The Tyrant Fist Sect, one of the Six Great Sects, descended upon Kunlun with overwhelming might, intending to bring it under their control. Some immediately switched their allegiance and submitted to them. Only Liu Yuanlong resisted, and he was struck down on the spot by the Tyrant Fist Sect."
Chu Bai sighed as he spoke.
Although Liu Yuanlong was not his equal, he was a formidable figure in his own right. After Ning Jiang left, he took up the banner of Kunlun and kept everything running in perfect order.
If the major sects hadn’t suddenly descended upon Cyan Cloud Country, Liu Yuanlong’s skills would have undoubtedly made Kunlun the foremost power in the country.
His unyielding integrity earned even Chu Bai’s admiration.
When they faced the Tyrant Fist Sect, many of the Innate Limit masters Kunlun had recruited betrayed them. They knew that resisting the Tyrant Fist Sect was as futile as an egg striking a stone.
But Liu Yuanlong would rather die than surrender.
’The Tyrant Fist Sect?’
At this, Ning Jiang fell silent, not uttering a single word.
He and Liu Yuanlong had a long history together; in some ways, he even owed the man a debt of gratitude.
His initial foothold in Luoyang City had been possible only thanks to Liu Yuanlong’s staunch support. Liu Yuanlong had recognized his potential back then, treating him with great kindness and making every effort to build a good relationship with him.
Liu Yuanlong had always treated him with sincerity and had never done him wrong.
In return, before he left, Ning Jiang had entrusted the banner of Kunlun to Liu Yuanlong, putting him in charge of the massive organization.
But now, Liu Yuanlong was dead.
"I got him killed."
Ning Jiang breathed out the words.
’If I hadn’t entrusted him with such a heavy responsibility, if I hadn’t given him control of Kunlun, he wouldn’t have died.’
"My friend, I will not let your blood be spilled in vain!"
Ning Jiang looked up at the sky.
If Lu Changsheng’s death was a matter of regret, then Liu Yuanlong’s death filled him with profound rage!
He considered Liu Yuanlong a friend.
Now that his friend had been murdered, he would move heaven and earth to avenge this blood debt.
"What about Liu Xianyu?"
Ning Jiang asked. Liu Xianyu was Liu Yuanlong’s most beloved granddaughter, and the two were very close. Her grandfather’s death must have been a devastating blow to her.
"When Kunlun was destroyed, Liu Xianyu narrowly escaped with her life. However, the Tyrant Fist Sect deliberately shattered her Dantian, completely destroying her cultivation. About a year ago, she left the Demon Mist Mountain Range. We don’t know where she is now."
Sword King Chu Bai replied.
Ning Jiang remained silent, but a chilling coldness deepened in his eyes.
One by one, the people he knew had met with disaster after he left. Some were dead, others grievously wounded. How could his heart possibly be calm?
"Miss Ning hasn’t had it easy, either," Sword King Chu Bai added, glancing at Ning Yu’an. "Over the past few months, she has repelled numerous powerful invaders. We’re lucky the Primordial Spirit Realm masters from the Six Great Sects considered it beneath them to attack this place personally. Otherwise, we would have been annihilated long ago."
"Sister An, I’m sorry. I’ve made you suffer."
His heart softening, Ning Jiang pulled the woman in his arms into a tighter embrace.
"Little brother, I’m fine. As long as you’re back, everything is fine," Ning Yu’an said, shaking her head gently.
"Fine? Then who was it a year ago who suddenly grew distraught while cultivating, insisting that her ’little brother’ was in danger and nearly suffering a fatal Cultivation Deviation?" Wei Yanran chimed in, wiping the tears from her face.
Ning Jiang froze, his gaze falling on the woman in his arms.
Their eyes met. Ning Jiang said slowly, "Sister An, tell me everything."
"I suddenly sensed that you were in mortal danger, so I was worried. But you’re fine now, so I must have just been imagining things," Ning Yu’an said with a smile, trying to brush the incident aside.
Ning Jiang fell into contemplation. A year ago... he had indeed been in the Demon Cave within the Death Mountain Range, and he had faced a life-or-death crisis.
’That must have been what she sensed, and it nearly caused her to suffer from Cultivation Deviation. With a cultivation technique as powerful as the Purple Qi Creation Technique, a full-blown deviation would have meant certain death.’
A fresh wave of guilt washed over him at the thought.
"Who the hell are you?"
Just then, an ill-timed voice cut through the air. It was Chen Hao of the Blood Sword Sect.
"Hmph. Who do you think you are? Do you have the right to speak in the Sect Leader’s presence? Kneel!"
Ning Jiang didn’t answer. Beside him, Yue Wenfu let out a cold snort as a terrifying pressure emanated from him.
BOOM!
In an instant, Chen Hao’s body trembled violently, and his knees buckled, forcing him to the ground against his will. With his level of cultivation, he was utterly incapable of resisting the aura of a God-Seizing Realm expert like Yue Wenfu.
But the utter humiliation of being forced to his knees was nothing compared to the storm raging in his heart.
He had never felt such terrifying pressure, not even from his own father.
He had no doubt that this old man alone possessed the power to stomp out his Blood Sword Sect. In fact, he could probably stomp out all Six Great Sects in Cyan Cloud Country by himself.
And yet, this impossibly powerful man had addressed the white-haired youth before him as... Sect Leader!
Sect Leader!
Those two words made him recall the terrifying events that had recently transpired in Qing Province.
’Could this white-haired man be... him?’
Myriad Swords Sect... Sect Leader!