The moment Nangong Qingshan finished freeing Nangong Yazhi, the Li family members sprang into action.
Yet this same Nangong Qingshan, who had been groveling and flattering just moments earlier, now showed not a trace of hesitation. With movements smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds, he burned his own Nascent Soul without a second thought and unleashed a palm strike aimed straight at Li Changsheng!
A death-defying blow from a Nascent Soul cultivator—its destructive power was beyond measure!
Li Changsheng's expression twisted in shock. Caught completely off guard, his Blood Qi roared in turmoil, instinctively awakening the might of the Human Emperor's Bloodline. But before he could even fully react, Li Changyao was already a step ahead. She threw herself between her brother and the deadly strike, shielding him with her own body.
But reacting even faster than Li Changyao were, naturally, the more senior Li family members. The Seven Ironclads formed a human wall, shielding Li Changsheng. At the forefront, Li Yundou activated his 'Dragon Wings', employing a burst of teleportation-like speed; in a flash, he was struck and perished, absorbing Nangong Qingshan's devastating spiritual power.
Li Yunlin had already manifested the Skyveil Hall moments before, and it, combined with the spirit artifacts of all other Li members present, formed a defensive bulwark.
Simultaneously, all the ancestral spirits residing within Li Tianyi fully integrated with his being, causing his power to skyrocket once more!
The Nascent Soul cultivator's desperate, all-out attack culminated in a final, Great rumble explosion.
When it cleared, Li Changsheng stood there, bearing the unmistakable look of someone who had just narrowly escaped death, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Brother," Li Changyao asked with concern, "Are... are you okay?"
Seeing Li Changsheng trembling from head to toe, she couldn't help but worry.
"I'm... fine." Li Changsheng slowly collected himself.
Looking at the wall of figures formed by the Seven Ironclads before him, and the Ancestral Spirit Tablets hovering nearby, he finally shook off the daze.
By now, all the Li family members had gathered around Nangong Qingshan.
His one desperate strike had failed, and Qingshan had collapsed to his knees.
Having burned too much of his Nascent Soul, he was now coughing up mouthful after mouthful of blood.
He made no attempt to flee. Knowing that his Life Token was still in Li Yunlin's hands, he seemed to have already accepted his fate. Death was inevitable.
As they looked at the broken figure before them, the expressions on the Li family members' faces grew complicated. Their gazes shifted forward, and sure enough, Nangong Yazhi's aura had completely vanished without a trace.
Seeing their faces darken, Nangong Qingshan suddenly let out a crazed, hoarse roar.
"You Li dogs!" he bellowed.
"Do you really think everyone in my Nangong family is just some cowardly weakling? Some useless trash?!"
"Yazhi is gone! This time—she's actually escaped!"
The Li family members said nothing. They simply stared at him in silence, their eyes lingering on Nangong Qingshan for a long moment.
He was a wreck: laughing like a madman even as blood dripped from his lips.
The residual Spirit Qi from his final, suicidal attack had already faded into the air.
A sharp wind swept through, whipping his loose hair wildly around his face.
And in that moment, despite everything, the Li family members couldn't help but feel a faint, unexpected sliver of admiration for this broken man called Nangong Qingshan.
"Are you genuinely unafraid of death?" Li Yunlin exhaled slowly.
"It was only moments ago that Nangong Yazhi used you to test my capabilities, and then promptly discarded you."
"Hahaha! Ridiculous!" Nangong Qingshan continued to laugh uproariously.
"Whatever internal conflicts our Nangong family may have, that is our affair! From the very start, Li Yunlin," he declared, his laughter perhaps taking on a wilder edge, "It was I who deceived you!" He bore the air of a triumphant victor.
"Back when I was pinned by the power of your Skyveil Hall, I knew my chances of living were nil. But here's something you failed to understand: while it's true we of the Nangong clan pursue profit above all else, we do have one inviolable principle – We never betray our own blood! That is our absolute bottom line!"
"I wasn't certain Yazhi could actually get away," Nangong Qingshan continued, his voice weaker now, "So, I offered up my Nascent Soul via the token to you, feigning subservience by your side. With my Life Token in your possession, I was as good as dead anyway. My life was forfeit, but I was willing to use it to buy a sliver of hope for our clan, a chance for survival. A pity, though..."
His gaze locked onto Li Changsheng, a terrible, twisted smile on his lips. "My only regret," he snarled, "is not managing to kill that cripple from your Li family! A profound regret indeed! Hahaha!"
Seeing the Li family's continued silence, Nangong Qingshan's defiance only grew bolder.
"Go on, kill me!" he spat, laughing hoarsely. "Yazhi will avenge me! Every last one of you Li dogs will die! Hah—"
But his wild laughter was abruptly cut short. His face stiffened, and his expression slowly froze in place.
The gathered Li family members let out a long, heavy sigh, as if they had been expecting this moment.
By now, Li Changsheng had fully recovered from his earlier shock.
Standing beside him, Li Tianming quietly raised a bronze mirror. As the mirror's surface shimmered with light, an image gradually took shape upon it: a live scene, as though seen through someone's own eyes.
It was the Heavenly Spirit Mirror!
The very same surveillance treasure that had been discovered in Li Tianming's possession earlier, after he'd been caught sneaking his private stash from the family treasury!
On the mirror's surface, the scene showed a view from high above the clouds, looking down at the earth far below.
In the image, a woman's tattered dress fluttered in the wind, and a pair of worn shoes came into view.
A cold, venomous voice echoed from the mirror—a woman's voice, each word dripping with hatred and forced through clenched teeth:
"Nangong Qingshan... I will return. And I will make the Li family pay in blood for this!"
Nangong Qingshan stared, eyes wide and vacant, as though the very life had drained from him.
"H-How... How is this possible?!" he rasped in disbelief.
At that moment, Li Changyao calmly pushed Li Changsheng's wheelchair forward, bringing him face to face with the man who had nearly killed him.
Li Changsheng's expression was steady, and, surprisingly, held a trace of respect.
His voice was cool but firm as he spoke:
"From the very start, we never intended to kill Nangong Yazhi," he said.