Fang Jing's expression was a bit stiff. He sighed and said, "Don't talk about him like that. No matter what, he's your own nephew!"
"Spare me. If that useless thing were my son, I'd have strangled him at birth!" the man in black said, rolling his eyes and sneering. A helpless look appeared on Fang Jing's face, and he was so choked up he could barely speak. After a long moment, he said, "Wait until you have a child of your own before you say something like that."
He then glanced at the man in black and said, "That boy from Merak must die. And Li Wenxi's disciple must become my son's woman!"
The man in black gave him a somewhat helpless look. He hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and grumbled, "As a father, you've really gone to the extreme for your kid. If your son dares to be unfilial to you in the future, I'll kill him with a single slap!"
'There you go again...' Fang Jing turned his face away, not bothering to respond to the man in black.
Very few people knew that the Tianquan Sect Master, Fang Jing, had a younger brother. Shortly after this brother was born, he was taken away by an Elder from a major sect.
Many years later, when Fang Jing had already become the Tianquan Sect Master, his brother returned home to visit for the first time. By then, Fang Jing's brother had already stepped into the Transformation Realm, reaching the level of a Sword King!
It was also after his brother's visit that Fang Jing broke through to the Transformation Realm in one fell swoop, becoming a Sword King Realm expert.
Therefore, Fang Jing was extremely grateful to his younger brother. At the same time, deep down, he also held a certain reverence for him.
As the older brother, even he didn't know what realm his younger brother had truly reached. He only knew that when his brother returned to visit all those years ago, he had already entered the Transformation Realm and become an exceptionally young Sword King.
This was precisely why Fang Jing was now determined to kill Xu Luo!
Because that Xu Luo was clearly a young man not even twenty years old!
His own brother had entered a super-sect as a child and had only broken through to the Transformation Realm when he was nearly thirty. According to his brother himself, achieving that speed was only possible because he had consumed a massive amount of Spirit Medicine.
But Xu Luo was a boy from the secular world... Where would he get a large amount of Spirit Medicine? What kind of powerful backing could he possibly have?
It was just as his brother had said. Unless... he had the shadow of an Ancient Race behind him!
The moment he considered this possibility, Fang Jing became even more determined not to let Xu Luo remain in this world. Once a person was dead, there would be no evidence left to trace.
But if he was allowed to live and continue developing like this, he would sooner or later become a grave threat to Tianquan!
Fang Jing was a ruthless man. He could not tolerate the existence of anything that might endanger his sect and his family.
"To think that a minor sect like Merak would have such a powerful Martial Artist hidden within its ranks."
The man in black said, "That man with white hair and white clothes is incredibly strong. Although his realm is likely not as high as mine, the Sword Intent emanating from him is exceptionally sharp. It's as if that man was born for the sword; he and the blade in his hand have practically become one... Fortunately, his realm isn't as high as mine. If we were at the same level, and we were to fight, the one to lose would very likely be me."
"Qiushuiduan? Is that guy really that formidable? He wandered the world for many years, and when he returned to the sect, he seemed to have the strength of only a Tier Seven or Tier Eight Sword Venerable..." Fang Jing said, a bit puzzled. "How could he have broken through so quickly?"
He was close with the faction of the Supreme Elder and the Grand Elder of Merak. He knew many of Merak's internal secrets very well, so naturally, he was aware of Qiushuiduan's strength when he first returned.
"There's a kind of breakthrough born from patient accumulation," the man in black said. "Some people are inherently different from the norm. They're perfectionists. To polish themselves, they'll deliberately suppress their realm, holding themselves back. They accumulate power through constant battle or other means, building up their True Essence to an extreme degree. Then, they release it all at once, allowing them to easily leap to a much higher realm!"
"Qiushuiduan is that kind of person?" Fang Jing looked at the man in black, skeptical.
The man in black nodded. "Apparently, yes!"
"It seems... we'll have to get rid of this guy too," Fang Jing said.
The man in black glanced at Fang Jing and said flatly, "That will be difficult. Don't think of me as an omnipotent god. Although my status in my sect is high, I don't represent the will of the entire sect. Killing a disciple from a minor sect is easy. Taking a woman from a minor sect isn't hard either. But killing a sect's Elder without a valid reason... that, I cannot do."
Fang Jing glanced at his younger brother and sighed. "I know this puts you in a difficult position, but the existence of a person like that robs me of my sleep and appetite!"
The man in black was silent for a long time before he spoke. "Fine. I can't make you any promises. This sort of thing requires the right opportunity. Perhaps a way will present itself then. But if I can't do it, don't blame me!"
Fang Jing was overjoyed. He knew that for his brother to say this much was as good as agreeing. Beaming, he said, "We're brothers. I won't bother with 'thank you'!"
"Spare me. Your sect isn't large, but it sure causes a lot of trouble. And your arrogance is quite grating. If I weren't your brother, I'm afraid I would have reacted just like that boy from Merak."
Fang Jing's expression was a little awkward, but he knew his brother was telling the truth. He said softly, "Is your sect... not like this?"
The man in black suddenly started to laugh, silently. Beneath his conical hat, only his nose and mouth were visible, and his smile looked somewhat mocking.
"Super-sects never bully people. We've always let our strength do the talking."
Fang Jing froze for a moment, then realized his brother was clearly mocking him—his sect lacked the strength but still tried to act like a major sect and bully others...
He wanted to retort but didn't know where to begin. He could only curse the Merak Grand Elder's incompetence in his heart. 'If he'd just killed Li Wenxi back then, how would any of today's troubles have happened?'
...
"Kid, did you notice that among their group, there's a mysterious-looking human wearing a black cloak and a conical hat?" Master Mao sent to Xu Luo via voice transmission.
"I noticed him. He seems very strong, but he hasn't made a move. And he doesn't seem to fit in with the people from Tianquan," Xu Luo replied.
"That's right. Master Mao has been observing him. I discovered that the aura on him is very strong!" Master Mao said. "So you need to be careful of that human."
"I know." Xu Luo knew that a Spirit Beast's Spiritual Sense was sometimes far more sensitive than a human's, giving them a unique perception of auras.
Just then, Phoenix came to Xu Luo's side. With a concerned expression, she asked softly, "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Xu Luo smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine now."
Ever since she first met Xu Luo in the Imperial Capital all those years ago, Phoenix had a strange feeling about him. For some reason, she always felt that Xu Luo was extraordinary.
So at their first meeting, she tested him and showed goodwill. As the two gradually interacted more, Phoenix increasingly felt that this young man, who grew up in the secular world, seemed to be hiding endless secrets.
These secrets made her curious, making her unable to resist the urge to understand him on a deeper level.
Until... she developed a different kind of feeling for Xu Luo, and she realized with a start that she seemed to have fallen for him.
Later, Xu Luo came to Merak and rescued her master, Merak Sect Master Li Wenxi, from a difficult situation.
It was only then that Phoenix discovered that this secular boy, whom she once thought she understood well, had already silently left her far behind.
That's why, ever since they parted ways, Phoenix had been training desperately. She didn't want to be left too far behind.
Unexpectedly, upon meeting again, she was dismayed to find that Xu Luo's strength had already galloped far ahead, leaving her in the dust by an unknown distance.
This discovery left Phoenix feeling dejected and at a loss for a time. She didn't even know what kind of attitude to adopt when talking with him.
Fortunately, she found that although Xu Luo's strength had grown immense, the person... hadn't changed at all!
He was still him!
Still that sunny, cheerful young man who was completely sincere with those close to him!
And that... was enough!
It also gave Phoenix the confidence to approach him again.
Phoenix looked at Xu Luo's slightly pale face and said softly, "Don't be so reckless next time. That must have been very dangerous, right?"
Xu Luo just smiled and said, "But I made it through, didn't I? I've encountered plenty of danger on my journey to get here. I'm used to it by now."
Phoenix looked at Xu Luo with a heartache, but she felt as if someone was watching them. She turned her head and saw her master talking with a few Elders beside her.
Phoenix shook her head slightly. 'It must be my imagination!'
Li Wenxi felt a little guilty. She was actually very worried about Xu Luo's current condition but couldn't show it too obviously. In truth, even if she had taken the initiative to show some concern, no one would have thought much of it.
But she herself didn't have the courage, especially since she didn't know how to face her brilliant disciple, Phoenix.
'That little girl is too perceptive!' Li Wenxi thought, feeling her face burn.
"Sect Leader, are you unwell?" a Merak Elder close to Li Wenxi asked with concern.
"It's nothing. I just sustained a minor injury earlier," Li Wenxi said, trying to cover it up.
After passing through a gloomy forest, the view suddenly opened up to a vast, endless plain. An orange sun hung above the horizon, casting a soft glow.
In the far distance was a towering mountain range that seemed to pierce the heavens, like a high wall built upon the earth reaching for the sky. It stood there, its magnificent aura almost overwhelming!
Night fell quietly, and the venue for the sect assembly was almost within reach!
At this time, on this endless plain, the teams of other sects could already be seen. They had traveled from different places to converge on this great plain.
Many of the sect teams began to set up camp, preparing to rest before setting out again tomorrow.
In one of the larger contingents, a woman of extreme beauty was gazing at the distant Celestial Break Mountain Range, muttering softly to herself, "I wonder how he's doing now. It's been almost two years in a flash. He must have grown taller... and even more handsome, right?"