Chapter 274: Chapter 126: Oppression, Despair! Reversing Heaven and Earth! Kill

Lately, a persistent gloom has shrouded the skies of Cyan Yang Ancient City.

The wind, tinged with the metallic tang of blood, sent a chill through one’s chest.

Although the Government Office had made a cursory effort to clean up the grisly scene at the Blood Saber Sect’s Main Altar,

the sky-high Evil Qi and the faint, lingering stench of rot still coiled around the area.

It served as a reminder to all of what thunderous fury meant, and what it meant for no one, not even the chickens and dogs, to be spared.

The annihilation of a sect was not a rare occurrence.

But to do it so brazenly, slaughtering their way straight into the Inner City...

To wipe out the Blood Saber Sect, one of the three great gangs, from top to bottom.

Sparing not even the women, children, or servants—this had long since crossed the line for power struggles in Cyan Yang Ancient City.

It was no secret that the Moon Worship Sect and Seven Stars Castle were the culprits.

And precisely because it was no secret, it was all the more terrifying.

Those people cared nothing for the rules, nor for the pitiful dignity of the Government Office.

They cared even less what the other factions thought.

Absolute strength brought absolute fear!

Now, this terrifying shadow had indeed fallen upon the northern part of the Outer City.

The New Seven Stars Gang Headquarter there had only recently changed its sign, but it now seemed exceptionally desolate and deserted.

The gazes of all the various factions in the city, whether overt or covert, were locked onto this place.

Whether it was the Iron Armor Sect, which had fought the Seven Stars Gang for years, or the other families and factions who were merely watching from the sidelines,

they all felt a bleak sense of shared doom.

The three great gangs had been established in Cyan Yang Ancient City for many years, forming a delicate balance of power.

They fought against each other, yet they also kept each other in check.

Who could have imagined that in just a few days, the Blood Saber Sect would be reduced to dust and memories?

And the Seven Stars Gang, it seemed, was about to follow the same path.

Cao Feng of the New Seven Stars Gang was a good man.

He had seized the foundation of the old Seven Stars Gang, forcing Seven Stars Castle to hole up outside the city, barely clinging to life.

More importantly, he had foiled the Dragon Ridge Mountain Blood Sacrifice that the Moon Worship Sect had been planning for so long.

And he had forcibly snatched back over a hundred Blood Nourishing Realm disciples from Seven Stars Castle’s grasp, who were meant to be sacrificial offerings.

He had ruined the Moon Worship Sect’s plan, an offense ten, even a hundred times more severe than the Blood Saber Sect’s simple coveting of the so-called "key" the Moon Worship Sect had been searching for!

How could the Moon Worship Sect and Seven Stars Castle possibly let him go?

"Dismissing his disciples to face this alone... Cao Feng doesn’t want to drag others down with him. He’s preparing to meet his death with dignity."

In the teahouses and taverns, someone sighed softly.

Their tone held admiration, but even more so, a sense of helplessness.

When a great mansion is about to collapse, a single pillar cannot hold it up.

The core of the New Seven Stars Gang consisted of only a handful of people. How could they possibly stand against two powerful enemies as fierce as wolves and tigers?

It would probably be over in a few days.

Cyan Yang Ancient City, it seemed, was about to gain another haunted ground.

This thought caused the leaders of factions who had once secretly trailed the Moon Worship Sect, hoping to get a piece of the pie and find that mysterious "key," to break out in a cold sweat.

Only now did they truly understand: having paraded so brazenly before the Moon Worship Sect and managed to stay alive was a miracle of the highest order.

「Inner City, Duan Residence.」

The atmosphere here was just as heavy.

In the main hall, Patriarch Duan Chengfeng, several powerful Elders, and even his son, Duan Tianhong, were seated in a circle.

The tea before them had long gone cold, but not a single person was in the mood to take a sip.

"Thankfully... thankfully, the marriage alliance with the Seven Stars Gang never went through."

Duan Tianhong let out a long sigh of relief, breaking the silence, his face filled with unconcealable relief.

He had been the one to propose the marriage alliance.

But in the end, it was rejected by Chu Fan of the Seven Stars Gang.

At the time, Duan Tianhong had been furious.

But now, his eyes were filled with nothing but relief—relief that Chu Fan had refused!

"Indeed!"

As he said this, the other Elders nodded in agreement.

"Yes, although that Chu Fan is a peerless genius who made a great name for himself in a short time, for the Seven Stars Gang to dare offend the Moon Worship Sect like this is simply suicidal!"

"If that girl Qing Ling had really married into their family, our Duan Family would be tied to their sinking ship right now."

"Indeed. Facing the wrath of the Moon Worship Sect and Seven Stars Castle... the consequences would have been unimaginable," Duan Chengfeng said slowly, his voice laced with exhaustion and lingering fear.

An alliance with the Seven Stars Gang would certainly have brought some short-term benefits.

But faced with a catastrophe of this magnitude, the Duan Family’s century-old foundation would likely have been destroyed in an instant.

In the main hall, the Duan Family members spoke one after another, their voices full of the lighthearted relief of survivors.

It was as if they had just dodged a calamity that was fated to destroy them.

But in a corner of the hall, a slender figure stood silently.

Gazing at the gray, gloomy sky outside the window, she seemed oblivious to her elders’ discussion.

Duan Qingling felt no relief, only a heavy, almost suffocating ache in her heart.

An image of a face played over and over in her mind—a handsome, yet somewhat cold face.

It was Chu Fan.

The very same young man who had rejected the marriage alliance...

His eyes were clear and resolute, devoid of the flattery or fear that others showed when facing the Duan Family.

There was only his own pride and confidence.

A person like that was like the brightest star in the night sky.

Even a single meeting was enough to leave a deep impression on her heart.

’With his talent and temperament, he’s destined to soar among the heavens one day.’

She had even secretly fantasized about what it would be like to see him again on a grander stage in the future.

But now, there was no future...

The power of the Moon Worship Sect was like an ancient Demon Mountain, inspiring nothing but despair.

The Blood Saber Sect, a faction even stronger than the Duan Family, had been reduced to scorched earth in a single night...

’No matter how much of a genius Chu Fan is, how long has he even been cultivating?’

’How can he possibly survive this trial?’

’He... will he escape?’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A faint flicker of hope sparked in Duan Qingling’s heart.

’Master Cao dismissed the disciples, so maybe that was to give him a chance to leave.’

’With his abilities, as long as he leaves Cyan Yang Ancient City, the world is vast. He might still have a chance to survive.’