1584 To Kill
“You’ve done nothing wrong!”
Qi Xuangang turned to look at Duan Qing; his eyes showed chilling murderous intent. “Think about how our older senior brother treated you? Like his own brother, and taught you as if he was a father to you. When the master had no time, it was he who led you in cultivation. When you had problems in cultivation, you also asked the older senior brother for instruction. Do you remember how you led the people from the God Clan to kill the senior older brother yourself? And you’ve done nothing wrong?
“Our older senior brother was the Gentleman Sword Emperor. He lived his whole life in the light without deception, always full of righteousness. Whenever any of our junior brothers had the need, he had always lent a helping hand, and he was betrayed by his own junior brother. When the sword was broken, he did not look at anyone else but you and asked you why. Is this how you have done nothing wrong?”
Qi Xuangang’s voice was stern, and every word he said was full of condemnation.
Duan Qing’s expression changed, and countless people outside the Realm Palace had heard what Qi Xuangang had to say. They were greatly shocked. Although there were rumors circulating at the time, hearing Qi Xuangang’s account of the events in public was still shocking.
The Realm Palace had betrayed the Sky River Great Elder.
“Do you remember how our seventh senior brother treated you? He had promised his own sister to you in marriage. And once in a dangerous situation outside, he lost an arm protecting you and almost lost his own life. Do you remember the way the seventh senior brother and his sister looked at you when they were dying? This is what you mean when you say have done nothing wrong?”
Qi Xuangang continued to interrogate him. At the time, many of them could have escaped, but all this was caused because of the traitor, Duan Qing. None of them had thought that Duan Qing, who was fleeing with them and whom they regarded as one of their own, had secretly colluded with the God Clan and sold them out so that they were all wiped out.
In the end, the masteress and the master fought at all costs and ended up on the verge of death. The masteress tried everything to send them away, but in the end, she sacrificed herself so that he and Feixue could escape. To him, that period of time was the darkest in his life. If it weren’t for Feixue, he would have chosen to come back and die fighting alongside his wife.
“I needed to make a choice. Although it was difficult, I chose family,” Duan Qing said. Although he looked upset, his mind was unperturbed. It was true that the master and his brother were dear to him, and he was guilty of taking part in their deaths, but if he didn’t make that choice, what would have become of his own family?
What about the Realm Palace, then?
Everything would have been destroyed.
“For the family?” Qi Xuangang laughed sarcastically. “Cowards can always find an excuse for their actions. What was the attitude of the Realm Emperor when he came to our master’s door asking for your admission, calling the master the symbol of the Tianhe Realm? All these many years of knowing each other, only to have you lie about fighting together. Feigning your disdain toward the God Clan only to find out you are their lackey in secret. Is it really because all you wanted to do was to protect yourself?
“If this was the case, you could have openly ended the relationship to draw the land and stand on the side of the God Clan. Would the God Clan destroy the Realm Palace?” Qi Xuangang looked at Duan Qing and asked, “Is this what you meant by saying you did nothing wrong?”
The sound of his voice rocked the void, sending shockwaves into everyone’s mind.
He had done nothing wrong? Because it was for the survival of his family?
What a noble-sounding excuse. In truth, it was because the Sky River Great Elder was getting too powerful and had become the unofficial king of the Tianhe Realm. Thus, the Realm Palace devised a plan of destroying the Sky River Great Elder by the hands of the God Clan, so that it would become the true ruler of the Tianhe Realm.
“Qi Xuangang.” A sonorous voice came out, and the robe that was upon the Realm Emperor was flying. His gaze was fixed on Qi Xuangang. He said loudly, “While you questioned the others, you didn’t think that all this started with you?”
Qi Xuangang looked at the Realm Emperor of Tianhe and said in a deep voice, “I am guilty. That’s why I am back.”
Some things needed closure.
“Since you are back, come back with us to the God Clan.” In another direction, the divine light that dazzled upon the body of Shen Yao of the God Clan had now descended upon Qi Xuangang. But besides that, the breath of the other cultivators of the God Clan also fell upon Qi Xuangang, already locking onto him.
Since Qi Xuangang had come back himself, he must be taken away today, even if the Sky River Great Elder could not intervene. The great ones of the God Clan would come here to take him away.
The moment when Qi Xuangang appeared, everything was already determined, and no one could change it.
“That’s fine.” Qi Xuangang looked at Shen Yao and said, “But before that, I want to resolve this issue between Duan Qing and me.”
The people from God Clan were watching him. The reason why they did not immediately act was that Sky River Great Elder was present, and they were still unclear about his position.
“Master, the last thing I ask of you is that if anyone tries to intervene, no matter who it is, kill me directly, as if you are cleaning your house, and get rid of this undeserving disciple,” Qi Xuangang said to the Sky River Great Elder. His voice contained a determination that alarmed those from the God Clan.
Qi Xuangang did not ask Sky River Great Elder to stop them because Qi Xuangang did not want his master to directly engage the God Clan. He had asked Sky River Great Elder to kill him instead.
“Very well.” Sky River Great Elder nodded in agreement. A terrible might of the Way shrouded the vast space, falling directly on Qi Xuangan as if he really would kill Qi Xuangang at a moment’s notice.
This caused those from the God Clan some concern.
“Since he demanded a fight, Duan Qing, you will fight,” Shen Yao looked at the people from the Realm Palace and said. “People from the Realm Palace are not to interfere.”
He was giving Qi Xuangang a chance to handle the grudge himself.
But no matter how this was to end, Qi Xuangang’s fate would not change. The God Clan was determined to take him away; there was no other alternative.
“Very well.” Duan Qing also nodded and took a step forward. “After so many years, I also want to see the result of your cultivation.”
The Deed of Thorough Comprehension bloomed instantly on Qi Xuangang’s body. He stepped forward, and the void trembled violently, the divine light of the Great Path flowing about, covering Qi Xuangang’s body. In just a moment, his body transformed into the divine furnace of the Great Path, refining the Way of the world.
“Did you feel any remorse when our older senior brother questioned you?” When Qi Xuangang moved, a voice came out, reverberating between heaven and earth, booming in Duan Qing’s mind.
Likewise, there was also a magnificent might of Renhuang that bloomed upon Duan Qing. In an instant, as his robe fluttered, a brilliant golden glory enveloped his body. Its magnificent momentum was not any less than that of Qi Xuangang.
Even people in the distance felt the powers of the two Renhuang and trembled inside. Some found the pressure hard to bear and stepped back in retreat, but the Sky River Great Elder and the cultivators of the God Clan still stood there without moving.
Ye Futian also stood there, behind Sky River Great Elder, watching his master battle.
He knew that this might be his master’s last battle.
The endless glory of the Great Path radiated downward and descended on Qi Xuangang. The characters that signified Heaven, Earth, Water, and Fire surrounded his body and multiplied. Ancient characters filled and enshroud the endless void. They moved around the firmament until countless characters also appeared to surround Duan Qing’s body.
The five elements of heaven and earth and the Great Path of heaven and earth, as if driven by some sort of exercise, formed a giant pattern with Qi Xuangang’s body as its center. It was the diagram of the Great Path of heaven and earth. Inside the diagram, countless characters rotated, and inside Qi Xuangang, it seemed, that there was also a similar diagram like this, which was the Divine Wheel of the Great Path that resonated with the world.
“Our brothers died with unavenged sorrow. When they looked at you in their dying moments, did you ever feel any remorse?” Qi Xuangang asked again. He continued to step forward. Under the operation of the Divine Wheel of the Great Path, different mights of the Way appeared in the diagram, but all of them contained a majestic pressure that could destroy the world.
At this moment, Duan Qing felt a pressure, but he wasn’t too concerned. This junior brother of his was not a top-notch talent back in the days, but through self-cultivation, he had formed a system of his own, valued by their master. It seemed that he had made something of himself and that he was actually able to incorporate the Deed of Thorough Comprehension into the Divine Wheel of the Great Path.
However, Duan Qing was no weakling, either.
The power of the Divine Wheel erupted, and terrifying golden divine light swept across the land, struggling against the diagram of Heaven and Earth. There was a terrible sound of friction, sharp and harsh, as the two forces collided in the void.
Qi Xuangang asked if he was remorseful.
He was not. Even if the things he had done had hurt the others, he did nothing wrong.
After all, there was a difference between Master and family. If everyone was an individual, then the family was the entirety. When choosing between the family and the master, especially when the master was under siege, he made the best choice he could.
When he looked into Duan Qing’s eyes, he knew the answer.
Under the Deed of Thorough Comprehension, the divine furnace of the Great Path turned, and its divine light was even brighter. Sacred rays of light flowed toward the diagram of the Great Path from his brow chakra. They integrated into each ancient character. At this moment, he closed his eyes, and the countless characters seemed to contain the will of Qi Xuangang. The coercion was extremely terrifying, launching its attack at Duan Qing.
Duan Qing’s hands were forming the seal, and his body suddenly grew grander. Under the golden divine light, his body seemed to have turned into a statue of god. Facing the strong attack from Qi Xuangang, he had temporarily taken a defensive posture.
Bang.
Qi Xuangang took another step and went directly over the head of the statue. His eyes remain closed, but everything from the outside world could be seen in his mind.
Qi Xuangang tilted his head up slightly. At this moment, his body seemed to be burning under the divine furnace, and his will was also burning. The ancient characters that surrounded the diagram of heaven and earth were breaking down again. Above the sky, countless characters of the Great Path appeared, seemingly without end, covering the sky.
Qi Xuangang, at this moment, was like a god. His hands were forming a seal, and suddenly, all the infinite characters between heaven and earth came toward him, melting into his mind, into his body, and into the divine furnace.
As endless divine light descended, Qi Xuangang, at the moment, seemed to be absorbing some incredible power. Blood came out of his closed eyes, which was shocking to behold.
“No regrets?” Qi Xuangang whispered, and the cultivators from the God Clan in the sky frowned. One of them instantly emitted a strong breath, and Shen Yao also felt something was not quite right. He said, “Stop him.”
However, at this moment, an incomparable divine light came down. It was as if Qi Xuangang’s spiritual soul had come out of his body and came along the divine light that descended from the heavens. It landed directly in front of Duan Qing, like the divine god, and with the drop of a finger, countless characters sprinkled down with it.
In this instant, Duan Qing’s spiritual soul was penetrated by the divine light of the Great Path, and the penetration each time burst with madness. His face showed great fear; it was completely absent of all blood and color.
“Now, do you regret it!” A voice came through Duan Qing’s destroyed spiritual soul, and his face turned terrified. At this moment, his life passed before his eyes, and he thought of the times when he had cultivated under the tutelage of the Sky River Great Elder. He also thought of his senior brothers and their despair before they died.
Truly, no regret at all?
Bang!
The dazzling light came down, and Duan Qing’s body shivered. He then fell down from the sky; his soul and spirit scattered had evaporated.
