Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

For a moment, Wu Liang deeply regretted following Zhe Jianye here.

Zhe Jianye... The name suddenly flashed through his mind. Wu Liang abruptly spoke up, "Young... Young Master Ling, that... Zhe Jianye, the Patriarch of the Seven-colored City's Zhe Family, is also in this manor."

Ling Xiao didn't turn around or say a word. Wu Liang's face was a mask of embarrassment. 'The naive Ling Xiao from all those years ago is gone,' he thought.

About two hours later, six figures soared into the air from the direction of the Zhe Family Manor and flew over at extreme speed. One of them suddenly spotted Wu Liang behind Ling Xiao. Shangguan Yutong's starry eyes narrowed; besides Ling Xiao, she was the only one who knew Wu Liang. Wu Liang, in turn, was startled to see her. He never would have imagined that the little girl who used to trail after him, calling him "Big Brother Wu Liang," had also grown into a formidable expert at the Sword Emperor Realm!

A chill gradually crept into Wu Liang's heart. He forced a smile and said, "It's Little Sister Shangguan, isn't it?"

Although Shangguan Yutong's clothes were not stained with a single drop of blood, an overwhelming stench of it emanated from her. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she said coolly, "You have the wrong person."

Seeing Shangguan Yutong's attitude, Wu Liang's heart plunged into an icy abyss. He knew there was no escape for him. His face ashen, he retreated.

After a night of slaughter, Su Xue seemed to have completely vented her rage. She had changed into a flowing white dress, looking like a celestial fairy. However, the same overpowering stench of blood clung to her, a truly horrifying contrast.

Su Xue's vermilion lips parted, her voice somewhat hoarse. "Ling Xiao, thank you!"

Ling Xiao nodded and sighed. "Aunt Su, it was what I should have done."

A smile like a gentle spring breeze graced Su Xue's face, leaving Wu Liang momentarily stunned. Even knowing his fate, he was still dazed by her beauty.

Su Xue didn't spare him a single glance. "And we made some gains," she added. For some reason, tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks.

When their group had stormed the Zhe Family Manor, the Zhe Family members thought they were facing annihilation. In a surprising turn, the weaker ones betrayed their own, pointing out the hiding places of the Sword Sect masters! As a result, there was no suspense in the battle at all. A Tier Six Sword Sect master couldn't even withstand a single flick of a Tier One Sword Emperor's finger.

After every Sword Sect master, including Zhe Jianye, had been eliminated, the remaining Zhe Family members led them to the Zhe Family Treasure Vault. They begged the powerful cultivators to take everything inside in exchange for sparing the lives of those in the manor who had no significant strength.

The group, already aware of Ling Xiao's intentions, naturally agreed at once. Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master eagerly blasted open the treasure vault's doors. The wealth inside was in no way inferior to that of the Sea Domain Song Family! In fact, in terms of organization and categorization, it even surpassed it.

The Space Rings they had on them weren't nearly enough to carry everything away. Even after filling all the rings they had just taken from the slain Zhe Family Sword Sect masters, nearly half the treasure was still left!

Nevertheless, every treasure deemed worthy of their attention was taken.

With that, the Zhe Family, a first-rate aristocratic house, was completely wiped out!

The reason Su Xue had been so upset was that she had discovered many treasures in the vault that originally belonged to the Su Family! They were even displayed in a dedicated area. Among them, Su Xue saw the very sword her uncle had never been without...

'He didn't betray the family after all! Like the others, he lost his life, but he was innocent!' Su Xue broke down and cried on the spot. Afterward, she took everything that belonged to the Su Family. Although many of those items weren't as valuable as the treasures they left behind, in Su Xue's eyes, the Su Family's possessions were the most precious of all.

When Ling Xiao heard what had just happened from Shangguan Yutong, he couldn't help but sigh. 'So what if you're a family?' he thought. 'When disaster strikes, everyone just fends for themselves.'

Ling Xiao glanced at the Zhe Family Manor, then suddenly reached out to the side, pulling a massive boulder toward him! It landed on the ground with a BOOM. The stone was roughly squarish, about ten meters on each side and over five meters thick. Its surface was somewhat uneven. With a flicker of movement, Ling Xiao flew over to it and gently brushed his hand across the stone. Countless tiny rock fragments fell away, and then, to everyone's astonishment, they saw that the surface his hand had passed over was now as smooth as if it had been polished!

Wu Liang's jaw dropped in horror. Although he had personally seen Ling Xiao fight a Sword Venerable in the sky, feeling Ling Xiao's power from this close was a completely different experience.

After smoothing the entire boulder, Ling Xiao retreated a few steps. He began writing in the air with his finger, and on the smooth surface of the boulder, seven flamboyant words appeared—"After one hundred years, the array will fade."

Su Xue and the others all understood. This array was meant to trap the remaining members of the Zhe Family for a hundred years! The strongest person left in the Zhe Family Manor was only at the Demon Sword Master level. Nearly all the Crystal Cores in the treasure vault had been swept clean. All that remained were massive golden statues and utensils. To Ling Xiao's group, the value of gold was clearly at the bottom of the list.

Therefore, it would be absolutely impossible for the trapped Zhe Family to cultivate as many powerful experts as they once had. This was because Shangguan Yutong had cleared out nearly all of their books. Her reason was that the Shushan Sword Sect needed to replenish its library, and there were also many ancient texts that Ling Su enjoyed studying.

Tiger hoisted the unconscious Wu Liang, and the group ascended into the sky. At the same moment, the Ice Blue Water Light Array activated, and a spectral blue curtain of light enveloped the entire Zhe Family valley...