Anger burned fiercely within Ling Feng.
It was clear that whoever did this wanted to beat Luo Jianying to death.
With fractures in all of his limbs and the tendons of his hands and feet severed, it could be said that he was now a complete cripple.
Even if Ling Feng could use the Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion to reconnect his tendons and meridians, these injuries were enough to harm his martial foundation.
What kind of deep-seated hatred must there be to torture someone to such an extent?
"Senior Uncle Ling, I-I'm fine, I really... I'm fine." Luo Jianying felt the chilling aura emanating from Ling Feng's entire body. He repeated the same sentence with a weak voice, gradually growing fainter until he passed out once again from the pain.
With such injuries on his body, every minute and every second was like hellish torment.
Ling Feng gritted his teeth, suppressing the raging fury within him. He retrieved golden needles from his pocket and directly sealed several of Luo Jianying’s acupoints with three precise needles, minimizing his pain to the lowest possible level. Speaking as if to himself, yet also offering reassurance, he said softly, "Don't worry, I'll heal you soon, leaving behind not a trace of illness!"
After speaking, Ling Feng slowly got up and walked out of the room.
In the room, the group of disciples looked at each other, glanced at Luo Jianying on the bed, and then at Ling Feng's departing figure, unsure of what to do for a moment.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Ling Feng threw a punch, and a huge tree in the courtyard, thick enough for several people to hug it, was directly split in half and fell down.
"Who was it?!" Ling Feng's fist shattered a large tree, but this was far from enough to vent even a fraction of his inner rage.
Luo Jianying was one of his few close friends in the Wenxian Sect, with whom he shared deep conversations.
Within the sect, the law of survival was simple: the strong preyed on the weak. Ling Feng had no fixed standards for distinguishing between good and evil.
His bottom line was equally simple: anyone who dared to harm those close to him would face death!
Ling Feng seemed like a beast about to erupt, sending shivers down the spines of everyone in the courtyard.
"Speak up, what's going on?" Ling Feng took a deep breath, fixing his gaze on those disciples. "Rest assured, I'll handle it with discretion," he said through gritted teeth.
"Um... but Senior Brother Luo..." The disciples hesitated deeply, ultimately bowing their heads in silence.
The person who injured Luo Jianying had a background and strength that were too formidable. Even the ordinary elders within the Wenxian Sect were reluctant to provoke that person.
They had witnessed Ling Feng's strength before, but compared to that person, he was simply not on the same level!
"Still not willing to speak?" Ling Feng smirked coldly. "Very well, I will find out one way or another."
With that, Ling Feng abruptly turned around, preparing to leave.
At that moment, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the courtyard. It was none other than Jiang Wanqing, who had led the team together with him that day.
After a period of absence, this strikingly poised young woman had noticeably lost some weight. A touch of enduring melancholy lingered within her delicate eyebrows.
"Alright, speak." Ling Feng took a deep breath, striving to restrain his anger. He even sensed the rising surge of his Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl within, threatening to burst forth and activate his Eye of Plunder.
"Luo Jianying was indeed beaten up by someone," Jiang Wanqing said, biting her lower lip. Step by step, she approached Ling Feng slowly.
"Who did it?" Ling Feng's eyes locked onto Jiang Wanqing, bloodshot due to his anger.
"A group of arrogant direct disciples within the inner sect formed a so-called Iron Blood Alliance. They have always been domineering and arrogant, to the point that even many elders turn a blind eye and tolerate their behavior."
Jiang Wanqing clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth. "Their leader is named Jing Wuxue, and he's also a direct disciple of the sect leader!"
The sect leader’s direct disciple, huh?
Ling Feng began to understand a bit. Someone who could dominate the inner sect arrogantly, disregarding even the ordinary elders, probably had strength reaching the later stage, or even the peak, of the Pulse Formation Realm.
Finally, he understood why Luo Jianying and the others endured silently .
From their perspective, such a formidable collective couldn't be dealt with single-handedly. However...
A cold, determined curve formed at the corner of Ling Feng's mouth.
I’ve never even regarded the sect leader Lin Canglang as someone important, not to mention the sect leader’s direct disciples.
What are they even worth?
"Why?" Ling Feng took a deep breath, then continued, "Luo Jianying has always been steady in his actions. How could he offend someone like Jing Wuxue?"
"It's all my fault." Su Hongxiu, who had been silent, couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "Senior Brother Luo was injured because of me..."
"Well, here's what happened..." Jiang Wanqing sighed, shaking her head as she recounted the events of that time in detail.
As it turns out, it all started with the training mission in Luofeng Canyon that day.
Back then, Ling Feng led a team consisting of Luo Jianying, Su Hongxiu, and others to hunt demonic beasts and collect precious plants in Luofeng Canyon. Apart from the materials required for the mission, Ling Feng also gave all the demonic cores, bones, hides, and other items he deemed unworthy to Luo Jianying and the others.
Upon their return to the sect, they thought they could make a small fortune by exchanging these items. However, when they processed the materials and were about to take them to exchange with the sect, they were intercepted by disciples who claimed to be members of the Iron Blood Alliance.
The materials, which could be exchanged for four to five hundred Qi-Boosting Pills, were met with an offer of just one bottle of such pills, totaling less than twenty pills.
No, this wasn't a purchase; it was a robbery!
Su Hongxiu naturally refused. As a result, not only did the other party rob their demonic beast materials in broad daylight, but they also dared to lay hands on Su Hongxiu and speak in a disrespectful manner.
Unable to bear it any longer, Luo Jianying intervened and taught a lesson to one of the members of the Iron Blood Alliance. However, this action led to a significant incident.
The next day, that individual, accompanied by members of the Iron Blood Alliance, came knocking at the door. They directly engaged in a brawl with Luo Jianying. The leader of the group even harshly slapped Su Hongxiu across the face and proceeded to rob them of all their pills and belongings before departing triumphantly.
As they left, they even boasted loudly, declaring that within the Wenxian Sect, any disciple who dared to disrespect the Iron Blood Alliance would meet a similar fate.
In fact, besides Luo Jianying and Su Hongxiu, all of these disciples bore injuries to varying degrees. Because Luo Jianying had intervened against the members of the Iron Blood Alliance, he suffered the worst consequences and was directly crippled.
The bandages and hemostatic herbs on their bodies were provided by Jiang Wanqing. Otherwise, they would have been left penniless and unable to afford these medicinal herbs.
"These bastards are nothing but a bunch of bandits and robbers!"
As Jiang Wanqing recounted the events, those disciples couldn't contain their anger. Some cried out loudly, some cursed vehemently, and some revealed the wounds on their bodies, lamenting, "These wounds were all inflicted by those bastards. They were inhumane!"
Ling Feng listened quietly, not saying a word. However, the anger burning in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.
When everyone had poured out their grievances, Ling Feng finally laughed heartily and said, "Iron Blood Alliance, huh? Good, very good! Today, we'll repay them; a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!"
With a glint of cold determination in his eyes, he said each word distinctly, "Those who want revenge, follow me!"