Chapter 194: Chapter 114: Second Limit Break for Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand, a New Trait! Cultivating Seven-Star Bead Slash

As Li Qingxue gave chase, the long saber at her waist suddenly flashed from its scabbard!

SHING!

The flash of her blade was as cold and clear as the moon falling from the heavens, as swift as a meteor tearing through the night sky!

The blade trembled, creating seven successive residual images in the air, like a string of seven stars!

"PFFT—"

The blade flashed, and blood sprayed.

Wu Quan’s head flew from his shoulders and rolled across the ground, his face a mask of terror and indignation.

As the Hall Master of the Deacon Hall, he was even stronger than Xiao Tianyuan, the Hall Master of the Hurricane Hall. He never should have been killed so easily.

Had he fought Li Qingxue to the death, even the current Li Qingxue would have had to pay a steep price to kill him.

Unfortunately, the moment he saw Cao Feng and Li Qingxue enter together, he was struck with terror. His only thought was to escape, and as a result, Li Qingxue cut him down in a single strike!

Chu Fan and Li Qingxue locked eyes, and both saw astonishment in the other’s gaze.

Chu Fan was astonished; it was the first time he had seen Li Qingxue use her "Seven-Star Bead Slash" with full force.

The speed of her slash had actually surpassed Lin Luoxue’s sword!

And yet, her Cultivation Realm was clearly lower than Lin Luoxue’s!

Li Qingxue was astonished, finding it hard to believe that Chu Fan, who clearly hadn’t broken through the five stages of Foundation Establishment, could contend with a wielder of Primordial Qi using nothing but physical strength.

What she couldn’t comprehend even more was how Chu Fan, who didn’t control Primordial Qi, could move so quickly with that strange Step Technique he’d just used!

...

Inside the Deacon Hall, the few remaining Incense Masters stood frozen, their faces drained of all color.

As the night deepened, the shift of power within the Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch began to unfold amidst the silent thunder and bloodshed.

The stench of blood from the Hurricane and Deacon Halls had yet to dissipate when the core members of the Cao and Li Families, urgently summoned by Cao Feng’s secret message, rushed to the Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch.

The moment they entered the assembly hall, now under Cao Feng’s temporary control, a Cao Clan Elder couldn’t help but complain, "This was too reckless! Why didn’t you discuss a matter of this magnitude with the families beforehand? We were completely unprepared. If this hasty plan fails, the Cao and Li Families will be doomed beyond recovery! This is absolute child’s play!"

Another middle-aged man from the Li Family nodded grimly. "Indeed. Xiao Tianyuan and Wu Quan were both masters at the Mortal Transformation Realm with many trusted followers. If this commotion grows and attracts the Gang Leader and the Right Guardian, how are we supposed to defend ourselves?"

"You may be strong, but your old injuries haven’t healed. You can’t fight them all alone!"

Worry and lingering fear were written on everyone’s faces, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

And it was no wonder they were worried—

Although Cao Feng was the strongest expert in the Seven Stars Gang, he wasn’t that much stronger than the next few in line.

The Seven Stars Gang’s Leader, Vice Gang Leader, Right Guardian, and the five Hall Masters were all experts at the Mortal Transformation Realm.

Against any two of them, even if Cao Feng could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best.

Against three, he would undoubtedly lose.

Furthermore, a few years ago, he had been betrayed by Lin Luoxue and injured by the Sect Leader of the Blood Saber Sect. His wounds still hadn’t healed.

And until recently, Cao Yan and Li Qingxue had yet to mature...

That was why the Cao and Li Families, despite their great contributions in establishing the Seven Stars Gang, had laid low until now, daring not to make a move.

Who could have imagined that Cao Feng would act without consulting them at all?

Seeing their worried expressions, Cao Feng remained impassive. He simply stepped aside, revealing a white cloth covering a head on the floor behind him.

A member of the Cao Clan stepped forward and lifted a corner of the white cloth, revealing Wu Quan’s pale, astonished face.

"Is that... Wu Quan, the Hall Master of the Deacon Hall?!"

The Cao Clan Elder who had just been complaining fell silent, his eyes bulging.

Several high-ranking members of the Cao and Li Families gasped, frozen in place. The reproach on their faces was instantly replaced by utter disbelief.

They had expected the bloody aftermath of a brutal struggle. They never imagined that Cao Feng would have eliminated the Hall Master of the Deacon Hall so cleanly!

The speed, the efficiency—it was far beyond anything they could have imagined!

Watching their reactions, Cao Feng finally spoke, his voice low but filled with an undeniable authority. "It’s not just Wu Quan. Xiao Tianyuan, the Hall Master of the Hurricane Hall, and Qin Fei, the Hall Master of the Cyan Wood Hall, are dead as well."

"Lin Luoxue has also lost an arm and is gravely wounded."

He didn’t mention Chu Fan, vaguely attributing these staggering achievements to the operation as a whole.

"What?!"

"Th-Three... all three Hall Masters are dead?!"

"Lin Luoxue, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, was gravely wounded?"

The assembly hall erupted in gasps. The shock on the faces of the Cao and Li Family members quickly turned to elation!

With three Hall Masters dead, the Seven Stars Gang’s top-tier combat strength had been cut by nearly half in an instant!

Aside from the Gang Leader, Vice Gang Leader, and Right Guardian, only two Hall Masters were left.

The power disparity between the two sides had been eliminated; their side even held the initiative now!

A red-faced Cao Clan Elder, his beard trembling with excitement, slapped his thigh. "Excellent! This is wonderful! A godsent opportunity! Cao Feng, we must immediately gather the elites of both our families, strike while the iron is hot, and take Seven Stars Castle in one fell swoop!"

"Foolish!" Cao Feng’s cold bark was like a splash of ice water, instantly sobering the red-faced elder.

Everyone looked at Cao Feng, their expressions puzzled.

Cao Feng’s gaze swept over the crowd. "A direct assault on Seven Stars Castle?" he said gravely. "The Seven Stars Gang has controlled Seven Stars Castle for many years. Do you think it will be so easy to take? Even if we succeeded, how many of our people would die?"

"Besides, our true enemy has never been just the Seven Stars Gang."

He paused, then dropped an even more startling piece of news. "Do you know why the Seven Stars Gang has been frantically recruiting miscellaneous disciples in recent years, sparing no expense to cultivate them to the Blood Nourishing Realm?"

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances.

Even Chu Fan, a newcomer, had noticed something was amiss with the Seven Stars Gang. How could they not have known?

But the Cao and Li Families had been under constant watch. Though they had their suspicions, they had been unable to find a single clue.