A faint and elusive aura instantly traversed the distance between the two, yet the swirling breeze remained undisturbed.

In the human world, March is the season when peach blossoms stretch on and on,

Sometimes, walking on the road, a few petals of peach blossom will float along with the wind,

But now,

Between Gu Zhan and Liu Ziyuan, petals appeared as well, but unlike the usual peach blossoms of March, these drifting petals were flakes of snow,

The swirling breeze, too, suddenly turned icy and piercing,

As if, in that instant, time had rewound, returning to the depths of winter, snowflakes tumbling down, threads of frost appearing in the air, as if transparent glass was sealing the world,

All of this happened in but a fleeting moment,

It was merely the instant when Gu Zhan extended a finger and pointed from afar,

The air was sealed in ice in a breath’s time,

Liu Ziyuan, just about to retreat, suddenly trembled all over; a small opening burst open in his chest, blood spurted out, yet as soon as it left his flesh, it froze into a scarlet flower, blooming like an oversized peach blossom at his breast.

His chest suddenly caved in, as if struck by an invisible giant mallet; Liu Ziyuan bent slightly, the fabric on his back tore open as well, and there bloomed another blood flower. Behind him, dust and gravel surged up, deep furrows gouged into the earth.

"Frost Ice Finger!"

Liu Ziyuan hunched over, his brows knitted, his voice incredulous: "How is this possible? Lingxi Sword, Wangchuan Swordsmanship, how could it be?"

Gu Zhan walked forward slowly,

As he moved, even the biting wind seemed to gradually dissipate,

He arrived before Liu Ziyuan, speaking softly: "There are far too many things in this world you cannot fathom. For example, in theory, Celestial Destiny Realm shouldn’t lose to Profound Mysterious Realm, but in truth, there are always those who defy expectations."

Liu Ziyuan replied in a low voice: "This... doesn’t surprise me. After all, the proud talents of this world can never be reasoned out as common sense dictates, which is why I sought to besiege you. Yet I can’t fathom, how you mastered the Absolute Techniques of Changfeng Valley and Lingxi Sword Sect. Even if you acquired their secret manuals, you’ve only had so little time..."

Here, Liu Ziyuan paused abruptly, a desolate smile rising on his pale face. He said, "Yes, I’d forgotten—you are one in ten thousand, a true pride of heaven. How could you be judged by ordinary logic? Pride of heaven... Celestial child, is truly so favored, for heaven... is so unjust..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His eyes brimmed with unwilling laughter, then he collapsed with a crash.

[Experience Points +1,500,000]

But, in that instant when Liu Ziyuan fell,

The sound of shattering resounded; his body fractured like glass, splintering apart, yet no blood flowed,

His entire being, inside and out, had been frozen into ice, all his blood sealed within.

...

"Squad Leader Liu!"

An incredulous cry rang out,

It was one of the three Great Cultivators who’d previously been gravely wounded by Gu Zhan’s Flying Saber. Ever since Squad Leader Liu had saved them, they’d been lurking on the periphery, biding their time,

Yet they could not comprehend it—how could Liu Ziyuan, who had clearly held the advantage, suddenly lose... and die?

But, before they could recover from their shock,

A Flying Saber descended from the sky,

In the blink of an eye, it split into three,

Piercing right through their Protective Gang Qi,

The three let out muffled grunts almost simultaneously,

And then, all three fell to the ground in unison.

At that moment,

On the chaotic battlefield, those of the Five Great Sects locked in a blood battle with the Embroidered Uniform Guard finally realized what was happening.

Those Great Cultivators were filled with terror,

Immediately,

The more responsive of them turned tail to flee, trying to dive into the chaotic mob to escape Gu Zhan’s pursuit.

Because, last time at Lingxi Mountain, those Great Cultivators who escaped with their lives did so by leveraging the confusion of the crowds; this time, history repeated itself, and they dared not hesitate,

Those who had seen Gu Zhan’s killing prowess were all frightened out of their wits,

History, so often eerily similar,

But history also has its turns,

Just like Gu Zhan’s blood-stained Flying Saber, curving through the crowd, striking the back of a Great Cultivator, the immense force dragging him far into the air.

With a miserable shriek,

Gu Zhan ran swiftly, his Flying Sabers whistling as they shot forth, in an instant, a dozen blades ripped through the air,

And Gu Zhan kept running,

He casually picked up a broadsword from the ground, body twisting in midair with a flip, flinging the blade out—a blur as it spun and vanished in the wind. The next moment, another Great Cultivator’s head was severed.

Gu Zhan carried on sprinting,

With a flick of the wrist, he absorbed two more broadswords, giving them a slight spin on his arm, then launching them in a dragging arc, flying between two Great Cultivators trying to escape side by side,

In the next instant,

Two pairs of legs kept their running motion, but their bodies stalled, crashing down where they stood.

Gu Zhan tossed the two broadswords, instantly toppling two experts of the Five Great Sects, while in the same breath he leapt up, pointing a finger at a Great Cultivator who had managed to flee to the plaza’s edge,

In that instant, an icy wind cut like knives,

The Great Cultivator’s body froze, then shattered explosively,

Gu Zhan soared towards the last Great Cultivator, a dozen Flying Sabers swirling around him, weaving about his figure like a tornado; instantly, the last enemy’s body was riddled with a thousand holes.

Within the manor, flames surged and roared,

Gu Zhan stood before the fire, watching the chaotic battlefield, watching the disciples of the Five Great Sects being relentlessly hunted, a faint smile touched his lips as he once again began to stride out across the field,

And around him, the air was filled with flying blades of cold light,

Everywhere he passed, only blood and corpses remained.

The disciples of the Five Sects fled for their lives, desperate wails resounding across the land,

In this moment,

On the battlefield, Gu Fengwei suddenly let out a soft sigh, a vague sadness washing over him, as he said: "From this day forth, Pingyang shall have no Seven Great Sects!"

Gu Mo, drenched in blood, walked over and said: "I think it’s for the best. From now on, we’re no longer Lingyang Gu Family, but Pingyang Gu Family instead."

"No, there is only his voice!"

Gu Fengwei narrowed his eyes slightly,

Looking at that figure like a Demon God, a surge of relief suddenly rose within him,

If not for the Gu Family’s sense of kinship prompting them to step forward, it’s likely they would have been destroyed as well,

He—surely wouldn’t mind obliterating one more Noble Family.

Looking at Gu Zhan’s back,

Gu Fengwei felt a little dazed,

The Gu Family truly can no longer keep pace with him; no wonder he doesn’t need kin, only vassals,

Gu Fengwei’s smile was helpless,

If we were to return, the Gu Family would really become nothing but a burden!