The shockwave exploded.
Liu Qingxi's body tumbled away like a cannonball, crashing heavily onto the stone steps before Diancang Sect's grand hall.
Her form twisted unnaturally.
Blood gushed from her nose and mouth—clear signs of severe internal injuries and multiple bone fractures.
Kim Yeon-ju's fear dissipated at this sight.
She responded to Liu Qingxi's earlier question about Lu Ding: "He is the beacon guiding me to harbor, the darkness I crave for stability, and the compass for my future."
How am I supposed to compete with this?
Damn it, Yeon-ju... How could you ambush me with such words when I'm unprepared?
His voice rang out after striking:
"The audacity for her to speak to you like that—I gave it. But who granted you the nerve to challenge me?"
Even Lu Ding hadn't anticipated this—someone actually daring to charge forward and attempt striking Kim Yeon-ju right before his eyes?
Did they truly not realize whose protection she now enjoyed?
The sudden attack without warning had stunned everyone present.
Hong Quan-hwan's face darkened. Despite his ninth-level Earth Observation cultivation, he hadn't perceived even a trace of Lu Ding's movement.
This... spelled disaster for Diancang Sect.
"Sir, isn't this excessive? Attacking our Diancang Sect elder on our own grounds? Even if you're here to support Kim Gyeong-joo and Kim Yeon-ju, shouldn't they speak for themselves first?"
These words ignited the surrounding disciples' fury.
They shouted with flushed faces:
"Does 'avenging your mother' justify rampaging through Diancang Sect?!"
"Even the strong must follow reason!"
"We know nothing about her mother!"
"Kim Yeon-ju! Are you even human—letting outsiders strike your own mother? You beast!!"
"Have you forgotten Elder Liu Qingxi's mentorship?!"
"You consumed Diancang Sect's resources, yet now betray us with outsiders? Ungrateful wretch!"
"That woman! What vengeance? Show evidence!!"
Amid the chaotic uproar, Lu Ding calmly scanned each speaker without interruption.
The eerie silence from the four visitors gradually silenced the disciples.
Hong Quan-hwan sensed impending doom.
Only when complete quiet fell did Lu Ding withdraw his gaze: "Anyone else have comments?"
The contrast between his earlier violence and current composure was stark.
None dared speak except Hong Quan-hwan:
"What exactly do you intend...?"
Lu Ding replied mildly: "I'm merely discussing this reasonably. Voice your concerns."
"Reason? You call assaulting people reasonable?" Hong Jae-myung, Hong Quan-hwan's son, finally spoke up.
Lu Ding smirked: "Oh? You actually took my invitation seriously."
Hong Quan-hwan's heart lurched—too late!
Lu Ding raised his hand, the Way of the Jinche coalescing before unleashing a tempest of countless slashes—his signature technique, now displayed publicly for the first time in Wei Gao. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel✦fire.net
The wind's howl preludes the symphony of slaughter.
The slicing of flesh introduces its main theme.
The crescendo arrives—a blood rain showering down like the movement's soul.
Hundreds perished instantly.
Of Diancang Sect's assembled crowd, only Hong Quan-hwan and his son remained.
This devastation reshaped Kim Gyeong-joo's understanding—perhaps now glimpsing but a fraction of Lu Ding's true might. She swallowed hard.
Lu Ding's voice pierced the monotonous blood drizzle:
"Trash like you dare question me? Inferiors overstepping constitutes both offense and crime."
No longer in his homeland, Lu Ding held nothing back.
"Yapping like stray dogs only irritates. Much better now."
Evidence? Reasons? Debates? Accusations? Moral blackmail?
Lu Ding came for a speedrun—not some melodramatic confrontation scene.
Having justification and witnesses sufficed—not for Diancang Sect, but for the announcement to Wei Gao's Qi Refiners post-annihilation.
Hong Quan-hwan hyperventilated, veins bulging on his neck.
This devastation—Diancang Sect, his life's work spanning generations...
These disciples, practically sons to him despite lacking blood ties...
Moreover, that signature technique revealed the attacker's identity—any Earth Observation cultivator would recognize it.
"Corpse-Shattering Taishui... LU DING!!!!!!!!"
His desperate roar changed nothing—An Wuyang's Heavenly Perception had already sealed the area.
Lu Ding strolled through the blood rain: "Correct. That's me."
"As reward, I'll now kill your son—just as you and that bitch on the ground conspired against Kim Gyeong-joo's mother."
"Though she was still in her mother's womb then... doesn't this count as 'in her presence'?"
Kim Gyeong-joo trembled with suppressed rage: "YES!!!"
Black smoke erupted around Lu Ding as the Sin Dragon loomed within—exuding predatory pressure that dwarfed all existence.
Justice manifested through absolute lethality, suppressing all life equally.
Hong Quan-hwan shielded his retreating son:
"LU DING!!! This is Wei Gao, not your Great Han! Crimes here won't go unpunished! Massacring our Qi Refiners—"
"You'll face retribution!!!"
Pathetic threats. Hollow righteousness.
These empty words betrayed his terror. Recognizing Lu Ding had shattered his will to resist.
A flicker in the bloody mist.
Hong Quan-hwan's heart leaped to his throat as he frantically searched for Lu Ding.
"F-father..." Hong Jae-myung's trembling voice came from behind.
Turning stiffly, Hong Quan-hwan saw Lu Ding already hovering behind them—palm pressed against his son's crown.
"Worry not. This isn't my first Wei Gao Qi Refiner kill." Lu Ding's voice was ice.
"Now atone for your sins."
Pointing at Kim Gyeong-joo:
"Kneel. Kowtow to her."
Whether ally or puppet mattered not.
One principle Lu Ding upheld—never bite the hand that feeds.
Since Kim Gyeong-joo aided his mission, he'd deliver her vengeance.
But vengeance wasn't mere death—it demanded suffering repaid in kind.
Eye for eye. Blood for blood.