Chapter 457: Jingwu Sect

Hai Tiankuo was dead. Known as the unrivaled master of palm techniques in the slums, he had been killed in front of thousands of gang members and his loyal followers, struck down by sheer palm force.

The experts of the Haisha Gang stood frozen, their minds blank. They could hardly believe their eyes. Their invincible leader, a figure they revered like a god, had been shattered like a fragile egg in just three strikes by this young man.

Is this young man in the Saint Realm?

Li Xiaofei, on the other hand, felt quite satisfied with his performance. He had never once relaxed his cultivation efforts while escorting the refugees of Xu Base City. He had techniques. He had external cheats. He had star cores obtained from hunting advanced star beasts. Every moment of Li Xiaofei's cultivation saw his strength grow at an incomprehensible pace.

During the journey, he had endured constant pain as he practiced the Meridian Severing Technique. Now, he had successfully carved out eight hundred and eighty-eight new qi meridians within his body. That number alone was enough to terrify most ordinary meridian practitioners. It was also enough to drive many so-called experts mad with shock. But it had resulted in an insane surge in strength.

The escort mission jad lasted five days, followed by a single night in Haijing City. Six days in total had been enough for Li Xiaofei to activate the Secret Time Pavilion twice. In what amounted to sixty-six days within the pavilion, Li Xiaofei silently and efficiently elevated his strength to an entirely new stage.

Combined with his previously established Twelve Principal Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Li Xiaofei’s inner qi had now reached an unparalleled level of depth and size. Even those long-renowned in the Dao Union Realm might not compare to him.

He was now invincible within the realm below Dao Union. Thus, even Hai Tiankuo, despite his half-step Dao Union Realm cultivation and his reputation as a battle-hardened expert who had clawed his way up through the life-and-death trials of the slums, was powerless against Li Xiaofei’s overwhelming, almost cheat-like strength.

The outcome left countless onlookers dumbfounded. Among them was Nan Hua, who stood on the open-air balcony, utterly unable to believe her eyes.

She had mingled among the slum's chaotic pleasures and encountered numerous powerful figures to gather intelligence for the Dragon Group and ensure safe communication. She was deeply aware of just how fearsome Hai Tiankuo was.

Only a moment ago, she had been worried for Li Xiaofei since she thought that this Dragon Group envoy was too arrogant and too domineering.

Steel that is too hard will break.

She had feared his unwillingness to yield or compromise would come at a steep price. But in the very next moment, as shock consumed her, she found herself reevaluating this envoy entirely. A commanding presence with overwhelming palm force.

This envoy, it seemed, truly has the strength to back his boldness. Yet... The waters of Haijing City are too deep. Even Saints are not truly invincible.

Nan Hua had just opened her mouth to speak when the Jiepeng expert Yokoyama Chizang finally snapped out of his shock aboard the aircraft.

Seeing Li Xiaofei standing mere steps away with his back turned, Yokoyama Chizang wasted no time. His hand moved to the hilt of the longest blade among the three horizontal swords hanging at his waist.

The flash of the blade streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning. It was as if the Milky Way had been inverted. This dazzling, near-impossible strike was none other than Jiepeng’s famed martial technique, the Iai Slash.

The blade's brilliance swept toward the unsuspecting Li Xiaofei from behind. This strike was unquestionably a sneak attack. But Yokoyama Chizang didn’t care.

As long as it killed his target. By any means necessary—this was the so-called creed Jiepeng people took pride in.

The blade's edge sliced through Li Xiaofei’s figure. Joy began to spread across Yokoyama Chizang’s face, but before it could fully blossom, his legs suddenly went numb. He dropped uncontrollably to his knees.

Li Xiaofei’s figure was already standing behind him. Yokoyama Chizang was horrified. From his kneeling position, he reached back to grip the second sword at his waist. But just as he managed to draw it a finger’s width...

Bang.

Li Xiaofei’s foot snapped forward, striking the hilt and forcing the blade back into its sheath.

"Trash that’s worse than pigs and dogs," Li Xiaofei said coldly, planting his foot on the back of Yokoyama Chizang’s neck.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Yokoyama Chizang’s face smashed into the metal deck, leaving him sprawled out like a dog eating dirt. Li Xiaofei held nothing but seething contempt for outsiders, especially for the Jiepeng people, a race he regarded as vile and despicable. Thus, his strikes showed no mercy.

“Damn it!” Yokoyama Chizang roared in fury, struggling to rise. “Let go of me! I am a warrior of the Jiepeng Empire! How dare a lowly, despicable Great Xia native treat me like thi-”

He attempted to draw his blade again.

Whoosh.

A streak of sword qi swept through the air. Yokoyama Chizang’s right hand, which had been reaching for his blade fell through the air and landed with a dull thud on the ground below.

“Ahhhhhh!” His agonized screams echoed like a butchered pig’s wails. Turning his head in disbelief, he howled, “The Jiepeng Consulate won’t let you go! This is an affront to the Jiepeng Empire! You’re provoking a diplomatic crisis—”

Before he could finish, Li Xiaofei’s foot smashed down, shattering the bones in his face.

With a second strike, Li Xiaofei sent Yokoyama Chizang’s body hurtling like a ragdoll toward a distant apartment building. At the same time, Li Xiaofei waved his left hand.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

The two long swords and one short sword at Yokoyama Chizang’s waist flew through the air and pinned his body to the apartment's outer wall. The two long swords impaled his outstretched hands while the short sword pierced directly through his forehead. The three blades acted as three nails, crucifying Yokoyama Chizang to the wall.

Though he was not yet entirely dead, his body twitched in futile resistance. But how could he escape? The three swords were infused with the inner qi of both sword and saintly arts, rendering his struggle meaningless.

Blood trickled down the wall in winding streams, forming ancient, almost penitential symbols, as if attempting to cleanse his sins.

“Those who insult Great Xia shall be executed,” Li Xiaofei declared coldly.

He felt deeply satisfied with the scene. Letting the body of this foreigner hang here would serve as a warning to all others.

Today was only the beginning. Blood and corpses would serve as a warning to every foreigner who dared to run rampant in Haijing City and the slums without fear. Of course, if this also provoked more foreigners to come forward and challenge him, only to meet their deaths, all the better.

Li Xiaofei turned his gaze toward the Haisha Gang’s experts surrounding him.

“Still not leaving?” His eyes swept over them as he spoke coldly. “You are all men of Great Xia. You’ve trained hard and mastered martial arts, yet instead of protecting your homeland, you would remain here, ready to be buried alongside Hai Tiankuo, a traitor who sold his country’s honor for personal gain?”

If these words had come from anyone else, they would have been met with derision. In a world descending into chaos, what could a lone warrior’s courage accomplish against the tides of fate?

But coming from Li Xiaofei, who had effortlessly slain both Hai Tiankuo and Yokoyama Chizang, those words carried a devastating spiritual force that shook the hearts of all who heard them.

The thousand or so experts present felt a pang of guilt and dropped their heads in silence. None dared meet his gaze. Even a handful of Hai Tiankuo’s most loyal followers, who had been filled with thoughts of vengeance, found themselves trembling. They couldn’t summon the courage to act when faced with Li Xiaofei’s godlike presence.

"Go," Li Xiaofei said firmly. "From today onward, I will establish a sect here in the slums. The Jingwu Sect will spread the martial arts of Great Xia. I will strengthen the bodies and spirits of the people of Great Xia."

He could also do what the predecessors had done, and he believed he could do it better. In this era, studying medicine could no longer save Great Xia. But mastering martial arts could.

With the foundation and experience he gained from the Grandmaster of Heaven's ancient martial arts livestream, Li Xiaofei was confident that he could surpass the achievements of those who came before him.

The millions of people in the slums were like millions of sparks. Once ignited, these sparks could gather into a raging fire that would burn away all evil and enemies and clear a pure land for the glory of Great Xia.

"At the same time," Li Xiaofei continued, "send a message to those foreigners, Great Xia belongs to the people of Great Xia. Haijing belongs to the people of Great Xia. You may come here to trade, but if you think you can bully, oppress, or exploit us, be prepared to lose your heads."

His voice rang out like thunder, echoing across the area. It reached the ears of countless listeners, leaving a profound impact.

Nan Hua stood frozen, gazing up at the young man who hovered in the sky. Every word, every syllable from this youth struck her like a powerful wave, overwhelming her spirit.

This stunning White Cloud Dancer felt a torrent of heat surge uncontrollably through her body and rush below her abdomen.