Chapter 135: Suppression and Collection of Resources

"What kind of sword technique is this!"

This was the only thought in Qin Lingyuan's mind at this moment.

The sword shadow that had suddenly erupted struck his blade, sending him flying backward with a violent shock.

"No! Kill, kill, kill!"

Qin Lingyuan went mad. He drained every drop of vital essence in his body, desperate to launch another attack.

Suddenly, a sword shadow descended from the sky, piercing through his shoulder.

"Ah!"

Qin Lingyuan let out a miserable scream and slashed his blade forward in a frenzy.

But the figure in front of him had long since vanished.

*Swish!*

A sword stroke swept past from below.

Both of his legs fell from the air.

His mind went blank, and he instinctively slashed his blade downward.

Once again, he struck nothing but air.

*Squelch!*

A blood-stained sword tip emerged from his lower abdomen, right through his Dantian.

Qin Lingyuan’s body went rigid. He looked down in disbelief at the sword piercing his stomach.

The shadow of death enveloped him. His entire body turned limp; he had no strength left to resist.

"Still want to act arrogant with me?"

Xia Jiuxuan’s indifferent voice came from behind him.

"You little beast, have the guts to kill me!" Qin Lingyuan roared hoarsely.

"Want to die? It’s not that simple!"

Xia Jiuxuan grabbed Qin Lingyuan by the neck and flew downward, dragging him along.

Below, Qin Fengxian, his shoulder severed, was terrified to the point of collapse, fleeing for his life.

*Whoosh!*

Xia Jiuxuan flashed, blocking his path.

Qin Fengxian immediately collapsed, paralyzed with fear, sitting on the ground as sweat soaked his entire body.

"If you have the guts, kill me! Let my grandfather go!"

Qin Fengxian mustered his courage and shrieked.

"Don't be impatient. None of you are getting away."

Xia Jiuxuan reached out, grabbed Qin Fengxian by the hair, and dragged him over.

"Didn't you want to torture me? I’ll let you see what real torture is."

Xia Jiuxuan looked coldly at the two men, who now resembled dying dogs.

"You beast, if you have the guts—"

*Slap!*

Before Qin Fengxian could finish his sentence, a strike shattered his teeth.

"You won't have a good end!"

Qin Fengxian managed to mumble through a mangled throat.

"Still talking back?"

Xia Jiuxuan took out a mortal-grade sword and crushed it into pieces. He then stuffed the shards into Qin Fengxian’s mouth until it was packed full.

*Slap!*

With another heavy slap, the shards were driven into the walls of his mouth and down his throat.

Qin Fengxian was in agony, but he could not utter a single sound.

Beside him, the pale-faced Qin Lingyuan remained strangely calm.

"Xia Jiuxuan, you cannot escape. When our Sect Master and my master return, you will undoubtedly die."

Xia Jiuxuan sneered, lifting Qin Lingyuan by the neck.

"I’m afraid you won't live to see the day I die."

Qin Lingyuan laughed hysterically, "The hundred sects of the outer world are all hunting you down. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you cannot escape death!"

"Idiot."

Xia Jiuxuan spat.

"If I were afraid of those motley crowds, why would I have offended them in the first place?"

Qin Lingyuan closed his eyes and snorted, "We shall see."

Xia Jiuxuan replied, "Fine, we shall see."

Xia Jiuxuan stored the two of them in a special spatial vessel; they had to die before the spirit tablets of his eldest brother and sister-in-law.

After securing them, Xia Jiuxuan expanded his spiritual sense. At his current cultivation realm, his reach covered the entire Feathering Sect.

"I never would have guessed that this tiny Feathering Sect would have so many resources."

Xia Jiuxuan tapped his foot and flew toward the distant main hall.

Arriving before a treasury, he unleashed a single sword strike, shattering the defensive barrier protecting it.

The massive vault was piled high with spirit crystals, along with countless weapons, medicinal herbs, and pills.

These items required spirit-grade storage rings to contain. Fortunately, the vault contained three such rings.

Xia Jiuxuan dripped his blood on the three rings to claim them, then stored all the items inside.

The next moment, Xia Jiuxuan landed beside a spirit pool in the back mountain of the Feathering Sect.

"This place is the foundation of the Feathering Sect."

Buried at the bottom of this spirit spring was a Spirit Source Stone, which constantly released pure spiritual energy.

Unfortunately, the stone was buried too deep for Xia Jiuxuan to retrieve.

Since he couldn't have it, he would destroy the foundation of the Feathering Sect!

Xia Jiuxuan raised his sword and cleaved the spring’s eye, channeling his will into the opening.

The Spirit Source Stone beneath the ground seemed to possess a life of its own, burrowing rapidly downward, far away from the Feathering Sect’s location.

From this day on, even if the Feathering Sect was not destroyed, it would inevitably decline.

"They should be rushing back by now."

Xia Jiuxuan calculated the time. He had stayed here for nearly an hour. The disciples of the Feathering Sect had likely used their sound-transmission jade to inform their Sect Master of what had happened. They were surely on their way with reinforcements.

The true powerhouses of the hundred outer sects were far beyond what a mid-stage Ocean-Splitting realm cultivator could compare to. With his current strength, Xia Jiuxuan could not afford a head-on collision with such a powerful force.

He prepared to leave.

"The Sect Master has ordered: no matter what, stop Xia Jiuxuan!"

At this moment, the Feathering Sect disciples received a response from their Sect Master, along with a secret technique.

It was the method to activate the Heaven-Slaughtering Sword Array!

This array had been left behind by the founder of the Feathering Sect and was only to be used in times of sect-ending crisis. Never did they imagine the Sect Master would order its use just to deal with one Xia Jiuxuan!

"Quick, activate the Heaven-Slaughtering Sword Array!"

The disciple who received the technique immediately flew toward the inner chamber.

But Xia Jiuxuan’s spiritual sense had already perceived everything.

*Whoosh!*

With a flash, he appeared before the disciple within a few breaths.

"Xia Jiuxuan, it has nothing to do with me! Please, don't kill me!"

The disciple burst into tears, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.

"Fine, I won't kill you."

Xia Jiuxuan said blandly.

At that moment, the disciple’s lips curled into a cold sneer, preparing to bolt into the secret chamber.

*Swish!*

Before he could even lift his head, a sword pierced through his skull.

"You..."

He stared at Xia Jiuxuan, dying with his eyes wide open.

"Trash."

Xia Jiuxuan spat. He knew exactly what these ants were thinking.

"The Sect Master has given a death order! Even if we have to pile up our corpses, we must hold Xia Jiuxuan here!"

Hundreds of Feathering Sect disciples swarmed in. They had no choice; disobeying orders meant certain death. If they fought Xia Jiuxuan, they might delay him long enough for the Sect Master and the elders to return, granting them a sliver of hope.

"Court death!"

Xia Jiuxuan flew out of the hall.

"Blazing Prairie Sword!"

*Swish, swish, swish...*

The sky filled with sword shadows, descending like rain. Every single one carried the power of the Saint-Entry realm.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Amidst the screams, the Feathering Sect disciples had no power to resist. Every one of them was beheaded, and even their corpses were ignited.

Xia Jiuxuan immediately seized their souls, turning them into puppets.

"They're almost here!"

Xia Jiuxuan looked up at the sky. He could feel countless powerful auras rushing toward him in a frenzy.

"Since you’re in such a rush to return, I’ll give you one last gift!"

Xia Jiuxuan sneered, then invoked a high-level movement technique and departed the Feathering Sect.

However, he did not fly toward the exit leading to the mortal regions.