Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 206: Sword Slashes Azure Mystic, Longevity Lamp Extinguished!

Sun Linfeng scrambled backward, panic surging through his veins.

But the moment he moved, the sword pursuing him—which hadn’t seemed particularly fast before—suddenly accelerated. Its momentum doubled in an instant, carrying a terrifying, suffocating pressure.

Sun Linfeng’s scalp went numb with terror. “Quick! Help—”

The plea was cut short.

His voice died in his throat.

A thin red line appeared in the center of his brow. The sword Qi had already pierced his skull, churning his brain into mush before he could even process the pain.

Azure Mystic’s “Thunder Spear War God,” a Golden Core Grand Perfection powerhouse…

Dead.

Killed in a single encounter!

The sight sent a jolt of pure horror through the red-clothed woman and the hook-nosed elder standing nearby. Their blood ran cold. Sun Linfeng’s strength was on par with theirs; in a duel, neither could guarantee a win against him.

Yet such a powerful expert… under this man’s sword… didn’t even have the chance to block?

“Attack! Now!”

Fear turned to desperation. They didn’t hesitate.

The woman in red moved first. A long ribbon of scarlet silk shot out like a viper, coiling toward Gu Xiu’s arm to bind him. Simultaneously, the hook-nosed elder lunged, his hand transformed into a terrifying iron claw aiming straight for Gu Xiu’s face.

Both were elites. Their coordination was seamless, their attacks vicious.

However…

Facing this pincer attack, Gu Xiu didn’t dodge. The Crossing Immortal Sword in his hand simply shifted from a thrust to a slash.

Swish.

A horizontal arc of sword light, solid and heavy as a mountain, swept through the air.

“Ahhh!”

A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

The red-clothed woman’s upper body crashed to the floor, her face twisted in agony and disbelief. Her lower body remained standing for a second longer before toppling over in a fountain of blood.

One sword. Bisected at the waist.

The hook-nosed elder reacted faster. At the critical moment, he summoned a shield to block the edge of the sword light. He escaped the fate of being cut in half, but a deep, bone-exposing gash tore across his chest.

He didn’t get a chance to breathe.

Gu Xiu took a step forward. The sword tip was already thrusting toward his throat.

Cold sweat poured down the elder’s face. He tried to retreat, to dodge, to do something.

But… he couldn’t.

The sword didn’t look fast, yet it felt omnipresent. It locked onto his aura, sealing off every route of escape. It was inevitable. Especially when he looked into Gu Xiu’s eyes—those calm, indifferent pools of water—he felt a primal terror grip his heart.

I… I’m going to die!

He gritted his teeth, a flash of madness igniting in his eyes.

“Not good! He’s going to self-destruct his Golden Core!”

Someone inside the trapped formation screamed. The onlookers watched in horror. This elder was ruthless; realizing he couldn’t survive, he decided to detonate his own cultivation base to drag Gu Xiu down with him.

A Golden Core self-destruction at close range was devastating.

However…

“An Azure Mystic disciple trying to self-destruct in front of me?” Gu Xiu’s voice was soft, almost mocking. “That won’t be easy.”

As he spoke, he flicked his finger.

The hook-nosed elder suddenly gasped. A sharp pain spiked through several key meridians in his body. The violent Spiritual Qi that had been rushing toward his Dantian to ignite the Golden Core was abruptly severed.

The countdown stopped.

A chill deeper than death froze the elder’s heart.

He understood.

Gu Xiu knew their cultivation technique better than he did. He knew exactly where the Qi flowed and how to interrupt it. In front of this former Martial Uncle, the advantages of being a Sacred Land disciple were nonexistent.

Before the thought could finish, his body stiffened.

He reached up numbly to touch his forehead.

A small, wet slit had opened there.

I… I lost? Just like that?

His vitality vanished like smoke. His spirit shattered.

In the final split second before his consciousness faded into the void, he heard a desperate roar from the black-robed figure in the distance:

“All Azure Mystic disciples, hear my order! Form the array! Quickly, set up the Grand Formation!”

The elder’s dying mind sparked with a final glimmer of hope. He struggled to turn his head. He saw streaks of rainbow light flying toward the main hall from all directions.

It was the entire garrison of Azure Mystic disciples stationed in Awakening Spirit Valley. They were swarming out in full force.

Clearly, the black-robed expert realized Gu Xiu was too strong to be fought individually. He intended to use the collective power of the sect’s army to crush him.

Good… good… The elder looked at Gu Xiu one last time, hoping to see panic, fear, or regret on his killer’s face.

But to his disappointment…

There was no panic. No worry.

Instead, Gu Xiu was smiling.

A faint, cold smile played on his lips.

How… how can he smile?

The question went unanswered. The elder’s eyes glazed over. He was dead.

As the darkness took him, he thought he heard Gu Xiu whisper to the wind:

“Since Azure Mystic likes to set up self-destruction formations here… Today, let’s grant their wish.”

Azure Mystic Sacred Land, Reflection Cliff.

Far away from the bloodshed, the moon hung high over the quiet peaks.

Xu Wanqing walked along the cliff edge, approaching the meditating figure of Nian Zhaoxi. In her hand, she carried an ornate lantern flickering with a gentle flame.

“Senior Sister, do you know what this is?” Xu Wanqing asked, her voice dripping with sweetness.

She didn’t wait for an answer. “This is a Longevity Lamp. I spent a great deal of effort creating it, using Gu Xiu’s old relics and countless heavenly and earthly treasures. It’s not quite a Soul Lamp, but the effect is similar. Even Master doesn’t know how to forge one of these.”

Nian Zhaoxi opened her eyes and glared coldly, remaining silent.

Undeterred, Xu Wanqing raised her other hand, revealing a large wooden box.

“And do you know what this is?”

Again, she didn’t wait. She opened the lid. Inside, over 200 candles were arranged in rows, burning with steady, bright flames.

“These are the Longevity Lamps of the disciples I sent to Awakening Spirit Valley.”

Nian Zhaoxi’s expression darkened. “You… you didn’t plan for them to return alive?”

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Xu Wanqing sighed, feigning deep sorrow. “They are all vibrant, living souls. Many of them have great potential. It’s a tragedy.”

She looked at the candles with a melancholy gaze. “But everyone has their own fate. Dying for the sect is their destiny. If we must blame someone, we can only blame Tantai Shi for being ungrateful… and blame Gu Xiu for harming them.”

She spoke with such sincerity that Nian Zhaoxi felt nauseous.

“It seems Senior Sister still holds a great prejudice against me.” Xu Wanqing shook her head regretfully. Then, her face brightened. “But fortunately, today is an auspicious day. I came here to invite you to watch a spectacle with me: the extinguishing of Gu Xiu’s Longevity Lamp.”

Nian Zhaoxi’s gaze snapped to the single ornate lantern. Worry etched lines onto her face.

“Are you worried?” Xu Wanqing smiled.

“I believe in Gu Xiu!” Nian Zhaoxi gritted her teeth.

“Believe in him?” Xu Wanqing laughed, a tinkling sound like bells. “Senior Sister, you really are so naive. It’s adorable.”

Her expression sharpened. “But let me remind you. I sent over 200 disciples. Most are Foundation Establishment, yes, but there are dozens of Golden Core experts and three Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the valley. Tell me, Senior Sister… what is Gu Xiu’s cultivation now? How is he going to survive this?”

Nian Zhaoxi’s heart tightened. Her hands trembled in her lap.

No one knew how Gu Xiu had restored his cultivation. But it had only been a few months. Even if he was a genius among geniuses, he could be at the Foundation Establishment stage at best.

Facing an army of Golden Cores and Nascent Souls?

It was impossible.

Seeing the panic in her Senior Sister’s eyes, Xu Wanqing felt a rush of euphoric pleasure. She sat down on the ground, placing the lantern and the box of candles between them.

From her robes, she pulled out a stack of spirit money.

“Senior Sister, don’t say I’m heartless. I’ve even prepared offerings for him. Consider it a token of gratitude for his past contributions.”

Humming a soft tune, she began to fold the paper money, preparing to burn it the moment Gu Xiu’s lamp went out.

Fold. Crease. Fold.

She was enjoying herself.

Suddenly, the light in the box flickered.

One of the small Longevity Lamps quietly extinguished.

Xu Wanqing didn’t even look up. One death out of 200 was statistically irrelevant.

Then a second one went out.

Then a third.

Xu Wanqing kept folding. They are there to die anyway. It doesn’t matter.

Then, a fourth lamp extinguished.

Xu Wanqing paused. That specific candle represented her personal disciple and adopted daughter.

A pang of genuine annoyance struck her. Ah, what a pity. She was supposed to survive until the end. I spent so many resources on her. I hope she died in the Blood Field fertilizing the soil, otherwise it’s a waste.

She sighed and reached for another sheet of spirit money.

But just as her fingers touched the paper…

The candles in the box began to flicker violently.

Three more went out in the blink of an eye.

Then five.

Then ten.

Xu Wanqing frowned, her confidence wavering slightly. Gu Xiu is struggling. He’s taking some of them with him. That’s expected.

Just as she tried to rationalize it, a gust of wind swept across the cliff.

Whoosh.

The box, which had been glowing like a miniature bonfire, suddenly plunged into darkness.

Xu Wanqing froze.

She leaned forward, her eyes widening until they threatened to split. She stared into the box, her mind blank.

The 200 densely packed flames.

In that single instant…

Every single one of them had extinguished.