Firmament Sword

Then, the door was pushed open, and an exquisitely beautiful woman walked in with an ethereal grace.

Instantly, all eyes fell upon her.

”Sect... Sect Leader?” The expression on the Grand Elder’s face was a sight to behold.

Surprise, hesitation, confusion, dejection, anger, fear... A whirlwind of emotions flashed across his face, a veritable kaleidoscope.

”Sect Leader, you’ve recovered?” There were seven or eight Elders of the Merak Sect in the living room. Two or three of them, upon seeing Li Wenxi walk in, showed looks of pleasant surprise. Then, they stopped in their tracks, their expressions turning to shame.

These women were all loyal to Sect Leader Li Wenxi, but they had unanimously remained silent during the time she was incapacitated.

Otherwise, Phoenix wouldn’t have been left so vulnerable, so isolated and helpless.

They had been forced into it. After all, without the Sect Leader’s protection, their influence was no match for the Grand Elder’s faction, so their only choice was to keep their heads down to protect themselves.

But now that the Sect Leader had suddenly recovered, they felt incredibly awkward. While they hadn’t done anything to betray Li Wenxi, turning a blind eye to Phoenix’s suffering was enough to fill them with guilt.

Li Wenxi, however, simply smiled at them, her expression holding no blame. The few Elders loyal to her breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Wenxi didn’t look at anyone else. Her beautiful eyes fell on the red handprint still visible on Phoenix’s face, and she said with heartache, ”Phoenix, you’ve suffered.”

”Waaah...” Phoenix threw herself into Li Wenxi’s arms, sobbing. ”Master... As long as you’ve recovered, Master... I’m willing to suffer any injustice...”

The Grand Elder’s expression flickered. From Li Wenxi’s words of comfort to her disciple, he could tell just how displeased the Sect Leader was with him.

’Getting slapped by me is ”suffering”? Doesn’t that mean... I was in the wrong?’

At this moment, Li Wenxi looked up, saw Ark standing there, and said coolly, ”You must be Young Master Tianquan?”

”I am Ark. It is an honor to meet Sect Leader Li. Congratulations on your recovery. My father will surely be overjoyed when he hears the news!” Ark gave Li Wenxi a slight bow, his tone impeccably polite.

”Heh.” Li Wenxi let out a cold laugh and stroked Phoenix’s smooth hair. ”Phoenix, go outside for a moment. I have something to say to them.”

Phoenix gave a soft ”yes.” She knew that now that her master was back, she would definitely re-establish her authority.

As it happened, she was also worried about Xu Luo’s safety, so Phoenix immediately turned and left the room.

Li Wenxi glanced at Ark, sneering internally. ’Trying to use your father to pressure me? You think that makes you important?’

With that thought, Li Wenxi said coolly, ”Young Master Fang, thank you for your congratulations. There is nothing for you here. You should leave. We of the Merak Sect have internal matters to attend to.”

”Uh...” Ark hadn’t expected the stunningly beautiful Sect Leader to be so forceful. He thought, ’Weren’t they saying she was on her deathbed from a cultivation mishap? How come she looks like this now? Aside from seeming a little weak, she doesn’t look seriously ill in the slightest.’

”Is there something else, Young Master Fang?” Li Wenxi asked, her gaze cold.

”Actually...” Ark gritted his teeth and looked up. ”I came here on behalf of my father to propose marriage to Miss Phoenix of your esteemed sect! The Grand Elder and the others have already agreed to it. A marriage alliance between our two sects would strengthen our ties and surely create a better future for us both. I trust that you, Sect Leader Li, would also be pleased to see this...”

”I am not pleased.” Li Wenxi cut him off before he could finish. She said coldly, ”Don’t even think about it. I am Phoenix’s master. She does not want to marry you, and I will not force her. She is the future Sect Leader of the Merak Sect! As for what others promised you, go talk to whoever made that promise. With me, it means nothing!”

Forceful!

Domineering!

The entire hall was filled with Li Wenxi’s overwhelmingly powerful presence, bearing down on the Grand Elder, Lu Dazhi, and the others until they were rendered speechless.

Young Master Tianquan, Ark, was even more affected, his face paling. He gritted his teeth and said, ”Before I came, my father gave me a letter to deliver to you, Sect Leader Li...”

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the Grand Elder, Lu Dazhi, and the others turned grim.

’So the Sect Leader of Tianquan had a backup plan,’ they thought. ’What an old fox. He leaves nothing to chance!’

As Ark spoke, he reached into his robes to retrieve the letter.

”There’s no need. The Merak and Tianquan Sects have historically kept to themselves. Go back and tell your father that if he truly wishes to build a relationship between our sects, then fine, he can show some real sincerity! He can stop with these childish games!” Li Wenxi said coldly, waving a dismissive hand. ”Now go. I won’t see you out!”

”Sect Leader Li... aren’t you going a little too far?” One of the two silent, middle-aged men standing beside Ark suddenly spoke. His voice was low and deep, seeming to carry a peculiar power that commanded respect.

”Who are you? What gives you the right to speak to me?” Li Wenxi was even more merciless toward this man, snapping, ”Get out!”

”Heh heh, I am, of course, a nobody. I can’t compare to the great leader of a sect,” the middle-aged man chuckled. ”However, even a nobody has his dignity and pride. Since you are so domineering, Sect Leader Li, then I... must ask for your guidance!” With that, the man slowly stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said, ”Sect Leader Li, forgive my impertinence!”

As he spoke, he thrust a palm strike toward Li Wenxi.

The palm strike looked gentle and weak, but everyone present was a keen-eyed expert. Seeing the middle-aged man make his move, they were all slightly taken aback.

The few Elders loyal to Li Wenxi were instantly furious. ”You’re courting death!” they roared.

They were about to rush forward and intercept the man.

”If you know you’re a nobody, then you should get the hell out of my sight!” Li Wenxi said coldly, flicking her hand as if shooing a mosquito.

BOOM!

A shocking explosion erupted in the hall. A massive current of air blasted out from the point where their palms met.

It surged outward in all directions!

”Agh!” The Grand Elder, standing closest, bore the brunt of the impact. He stumbled back two steps, then stared at Li Wenxi in absolute horror.

The others were also thrown off balance. Ark was in the worst state, stumbling back more than a dozen steps. If the other middle-aged man hadn’t caught him, he would have landed hard on his rear.

But the middle-aged man who had exchanged blows with Li Wenxi was in the most wretched state. He was sent flying by her seemingly casual strike!

His body crashed through the room’s window and tumbled outside, causing a flurry of startled cries from those in the courtyard.

The man landed in a heap on the ground, unable to get up for some time.

Li Wenxi said coldly, ”That was just a small lesson. Dare to speak out of turn again, and I’ll take your life. Now scram!”

Ark was completely stunned by Li Wenxi’s dominance and immense power. His lip twitching, he dejectedly helped the conscious man outside. They hoisted the unconscious one onto their backs and turned to leave without another word.

”Alright. Now that there are no outsiders, we can have a proper talk about all the things that have happened in the sect while I was injured...” Li Wenxi’s icy gaze swept over the ugly expressions on the faces of the Grand Elder and the others. She walked directly to the head seat in the room and sat down without ceremony.

...

”Young Master, we cannot let today’s humiliation stand! No matter how strong that Li Wenxi is, she can’t shame us like this!” the uninjured middle-aged man said indignantly to the stone-faced Ark, his companion still slung over his back.

”I have no intention of letting this go! Today, I wasn’t strong enough to be her match. But one day, when I am powerful enough, I’ll be the first to get my hands on that unreasonable woman and make her mine!” Ark snarled, gritting his teeth.

The man beside him didn’t seem to find Ark’s words strange. He just frowned and said, ”But, by all accounts, she’s quite old...”

”It doesn’t matter. She’ll just be a slave to be trampled and toyed with. Who cares how old she is?” Ark said, his expression dark.

Just then, a man and a woman approached from the opposite direction. The man wore the robes of a low-ranking disciple of the Merak Sect and was saying something with a smile on his face.

The woman, dressed in red, was none other than the Merak Sect’s Saintess, Phoenix. Her face was alight with a joyful smile, and she seemed utterly captivated by the man beside her.

Seeing this, Ark felt as if his heart were being devoured by a million ants, and he seethed with rage.

At the same time, Phoenix and Xu Luo noticed Ark and his men.

”Is that Young Master Tianquan?” Xu Luo asked.

Phoenix nodded. She glanced at them and said softly, ”Pay them no mind.”

Xu Luo nodded. He could feel an intense hostility from Young Master Tianquan. At the same time, he could sense a powerful energy fluctuation coming from the young man.

Ever since his Kaiyang Star Soul awakened, Xu Luo’s perception had grown much stronger. He immediately judged that he was no match for him.

The two groups drew closer. Ark looked at Phoenix, a cold smile touching his lips. ”Phoenix,” he said lightly, ”remember, you are mine!”

He then turned to Xu Luo and said coldly, ”A low-level disciple like you dares to walk with my woman? You’re courting death. If you know what’s good for you, scram!”

As he spoke, he lunged, reaching out to grab Xu Luo by the head!

”You’re courting death!” Phoenix erupted in fury, striking out with a palm aimed at Ark’s face.

Ark raised a hand to block.

BANG!

A powerful shockwave erupted, and both of them staggered back two steps.

Flames of rage burned in Phoenix’s eyes. She glanced at the unconscious man on the guard’s back, then said coldly, ”This is the Merak Sect. You are not welcome to run wild here!”

”Heh. Phoenix, you’d better remember this too. Sooner or later, I will make you kneel and beg to marry me!” Ark said coldly. He shot a glance at Xu Luo. ”And you, you low-status piece of trash. If you don’t want to die, stay away from her!”

”Is that so? You son of a bitch, just you try it!” Xu Luo’s anger had now been stoked as well, and he stared coldly at Ark.

”Trash that can only hide behind a woman. Sooner or later, I’ll kill you!” Ark spat, then turned and stalked away.