CH 54 - Qingyang Clan's Patriarch

AN - Stone me

"My Qingyang Sect has not yet settled the score with your Gu family for the death of Elder King Xue. Now that you, Gu Qingfeng, have brought people here, are you in a hurry to die?"

Qu Zhan looked at the group of Gu family warriors, his gaze finally resting on Gu Qingfeng, his face filled with indifference.

He was well aware of King Xue's death.

But even with that knowledge, Qu Zhan didn't take Gu Qingfeng seriously.

They were both elders of the same sect. King Xue was only a mid-level warrior who had perfected his bronze bones and had developed some silver bones.

However, Qu Zhan was different. He had perfected his silver bone ten years ago and was now close to partially cultivating the golden bone. With just one more step forward, he would break through to the later stage of bone refining, reaching the pinnacle of the bone refining realm.

This kind of strength placed him in the top three within the entire Qingyang Sect.

Killing King Xue? Qu Zhan could have done it himself.

Moreover, they were standing on the Qingyang Sect's own territory, so Qu Zhan saw no reason to fear.

"When King Xue died, I promised him that I would send more members of the Qingyang Sect to accompany him so that he wouldn't be too lonely on his journey to the underworld," Gu Qingfeng said, standing with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and emotionless.

At these words, Qu Zhan's anger erupted into laughter.

"Arrogant fool!"

Qu Zhan waved his hand and gave a command to the Qingyang Sect disciples.

"Kill them all! Don't let any of the Gu family members leave here alive!"

With those words, Qu Zhan was the first to strike.

He dove toward Gu Qingfeng like a bird of prey, his hands glowing with a terrifying green light, his sharp nails cutting through the air and leaving white streaks behind them as they slashed toward Gu Qingfeng's face.

But Gu Qingfeng didn't move. A protective aura surged around his body, and Qu Zhan's powerful strike landed squarely on it. The aura rippled slightly but didn't break.

Worse still, the recoil from Gu Qingfeng's shield was so intense that Qu Zhan's fingers burst open, blood pouring from the torn flesh.

"Impossible!" Qu Zhan cried, horror spreading across his face as excruciating pain shot through his ten fingers.

He couldn't believe it. His power was just one step away from perfecting the golden bone, placing him among the strongest warriors in all of Guangyang Prefecture. Yet here, after putting all his strength into an attack, he couldn't even crack Gu Qingfeng's protective aura.

But before he could remain stunned for long, Gu Qingfeng lifted his hand and threw a punch. The movement seemed slow, but it was faster than thunder. By the time Qu Zhan registered the attack, the fist was already upon him.

Unable to dodge, Qu Zhan hastily mustered all his internal energy, transforming it into a strong protective aura.

"Boom!"

The energy shield appeared, but a moment later, it popped like a bubble. Gu Qingfeng's punch slammed into Qu Zhan's chest, blasting a hole clean through him. Under the overwhelming force, Qu Zhan's heart was pulverized.

By the time Gu Qingfeng retracted his bloodied fist, Qu Zhan had already collapsed, an expression of disbelief frozen on his face.

Not even a powerful warrior in the late Bone Refining Realm could withstand a single punch from Gu Qingfeng.

The other disciples of the Qingyang Sect, witnessing this, were gripped by terror.

"Kill!" Gu Qingfeng commanded, stepping over Qu Zhan's lifeless body and charging toward the Qingyang Sect disciples.

Seeing their leader fall, the Gu family warriors followed Gu Qingfeng's lead.

Though some remaining disciples of the Qingyang Sect were strong, none could hold their ground in front of Gu Qingfeng. Every punch he threw resulted in the death of a Qingyang Sect disciple.

In mere moments, dozens of Blood Refining Realm warriors lay dead at his feet.

When Ye Nanqiu arrived on the scene, his eyes burned with rage. Without waiting for Patriarch Qingyang's instructions, he unsheathed his sword and charged toward Gu Qingfeng with fury in his heart.

"Die!"

His sharp sword sliced through the air, exuding a chilling energy. As a warrior who had perfected the bone refining technique, Ye Nanqiu's full-powered attack was devastating. The sword energy surged like a tidal wave, making the Gu family warriors pale with fear.

But Gu Qingfeng remained composed. After crushing a Qingyang Sect disciple's skull with his fist, he casually turned to meet Ye Nanqiu's sword strike with a punch of his own.

"Bang!"

The two forces collided.

Ye Nanqiu had poured his entire strength into the sword strike, but to his shock, he failed to even injure Gu Qingfeng. His sword hadn't even scratched the man's fist, leaving only a small white mark.

Ye Nanqiu's pupils contracted in disbelief.

"You... you're not in the Bone Refining Realm... You're a Marrow Cleansing Realm warrior!"

Gu Qingfeng sneered. With his left hand, he grabbed the sword and yanked it away. Simultaneously, his right hand shot forward, palm striking with a scorching heat that seemed to distort the air.

Sensing imminent danger, Ye Nanqiu released his grip on the sword and hastily retreated.

But he wasn't fast enough.

As Gu Qingfeng's palm was about to strike, Ye Nanqiu's voice cracked with fear.

"Ancestor, save me!"

But just as Patriarch Qingyang prepared to intervene, Gu Qingfeng's palm landed squarely on Ye Nanqiu's chest. The force shattered the protective aura and crushed all his internal organs.

By the time Qingyang Patriarch's attack arrived, Gu Qingfeng had already slain Ye Nanqiu.

Qingyang Patriarch's attack struck Gu Qingfeng from behind, too fast for him to defend against. Though Gu Qingfeng's protective aura had withstood attacks from late-stage Bone Refining masters, it was no match for the power of Patriarch Qingyang.

The protective shield shattered, and the impact caused Gu Qingfeng's clothes to tear apart as he staggered forward, blood churning inside him.

However, he quickly suppressed the surging blood, turned around, and launched a counterattack, his palm meeting that of Patriarch Qingyang.

The two forces collided, and both warriors were forced back several steps.

"Are you the Qingyang Patriarch?" Gu Qingfeng asked coldly, his gaze piercing as he used his internal energy to expel the cold air invading his body.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Qingyang's expression was equally grim.

"You're Gu Qingfeng. I didn't expect you to have reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm. It seems everyone underestimated you."

From the brief exchange, Patriarch Qingyang had already deduced that Gu Qingfeng wasn't merely a Bone Refining warrior. He had entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

What caught Patriarch Qingyang off-guard was that Ye Nanqiu, the sect leader, couldn't survive a single encounter and had been killed instantly.

Now, Qingyang Patriarch spoke once more.

"But you've made a grave mistake by coming here. Even if you are in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, many Marrow Cleansing warriors have fallen by my hand."

"With your youth and talent, you might have had a chance to reach the Grandmaster realm one day.

But today, you're destined to die here—"