Both Wu Youzheng and Xu Yingjian felt their hair standing on end, frozen on the spot with their mouth agape.

Even Lin Yixue was scared out of her mind. This was her first time seeing a person so easily rendered into a mist of blood. 

All three were speechless while watching the mist of blood scatter to the wind.

Youzheng and Yingjian blanched at the result, fearing for the future. The youth was a member of the Mu, and not just a regular disciple. He was the grand-disciple of a True Emperor, so his status wasn’t shabby in the clan.

But now, he has been killed in Mingluo City. Just imagine the consequence if the Mu were to find out.

They would certainly investigate a death when it’s a regular disciple. As for the grand-disciple of the emperor? Their fury might result in the destruction of Mingluo.

Either the clan itself or the emperor alone could annihilate the city without any problem.

“You… you… really killed, killed him…” Yingjian stuttered.

He hoped that this was only a bad dream because he led Chengjie here. How could he respond to the guy’s master and the Mu?

“Yep.” Li Qiye nonchalantly said.

“Don’t, don’t you know that he’s a Puresword True Emperor’s grand-disciple, a favored member of the clan?” Yingjian was louder and impolite at the start before realizing his impropriety. He staggered backward and started speaking softer towards the end.

Li Qiye could easily kill Chengjie and he wasn’t necessarily stronger than Chengjie, so Li Qiye could also do the same to him.

Fortunately enough, Li Qiye seemed to ignore his indiscretion.

“Young n.o.ble, I’m, I’m afraid trouble is coming. I heard the Mu is very protective of their own, they won’t drop this. The emperor himself might get involved.” Youzheng said, aghast at the fact that they have provoked an emperor.

“Just one True Emperor. Don’t waste your breath talking about this, I’ll just need to kill him when he’s here.” Li Qiye said.

Youzheng and Yingjian were astounded. Li Qiye said “kill him” in such a casual manner when he was talking about an emperor.

“You, you have done it now, this is the end of Mingluo.” Yingjian murmured.

“Scram.” Li Qiye ordered insipidly without looking at the youth.

Yingjian shuddered in fear and immediately ran away, not daring to utter a retort.

Youzheng sighed after calming down. This whole thing seemed like a nightmare; he had never experienced so much anxiety before.

“Go now.” Li Qiye didn’t bother looking at the two before waving his sleeve: “Leave the city now. This is a troubled place that can go down at any moment.”

Youzheng knew that someone of Li Qiye’s power wouldn’t need to lie to him. If he said that Mingluo is going down, it’s going down.

“Thank you for your help, Young n.o.ble. I’m ashamed that I can’t offer my a.s.sistance due to my shallow cultivation. The only thing I can do is forever be grateful for your kindness.” Youzheng got on the ground and said.

Li Qiye accepted the grand gesture; his eyes still closed.

The master-disciple duo began to leave. Yixue couldn’t help staring at Li Qiye and opening her mouth. Alas, she didn’t know what to say. In the beginning, she thought that he was a normal cultivator due to his appearance.

After leaving the ruins, her master sighed and said: “Xue’er, go tell your parents and clan members to gather their valuables and start evacuating the willing. We’ll be leaving Mingluo City.”

“We’re really leaving, Master?” She stopped walking.

“Yes.” Youzheng put on a serious expression: “As fast as possible. We need to be out of here in three days at the latest. Our sect’s disciples and their family members, as well as any willing citizens, will be leaving.”

“But… but this is our home. We have been here for generations, Master, are we really abandoning it?” She couldn’t accept this.

“I know.” Youzheng said helplessly: “Everyone in the sect has grown up here, but we have no choice right now.”

“Master, is there really no other way?” She knew each blade of leaf and tree in this place. Suddenly leaving her home was too much to handle.

“None.” Youzheng said: “A disaster is coming and the city will be just like White Orchid. Only a dark pit will be here.”

Yixue stood petrified. Leaving the safest and most prosperous place in her mind wasn’t easy.

“Where should we go then, Master?” She eventually asked. Despite her unwillingness, she had to follow her fellow sect members.

“Hmm…” Youzheng didn’t have a clue because Mingluo was the top city in Stone Harmony.

There were several other cities beside White Orchid, but they were on a smaller scale compared to Mingluo. Moreover, some of them were very far away.

Leaving the system wasn’t quite possible. Not to mention whether other systems would take them in or not, just getting there was the real challenge.

Their cultivation was too shallow and couldn’t fly across the long distance. A portal was required but their entire system had no such thing.

There might be portals left in the ruins. Alas, they were too weak to activate them.

One possibility was having another system activate these pathways for a fee. The question was - could they afford the payment?

Perhaps the entire Stoneclearing Sect could muster up the sum for him alone. However, bringing anyone else was impossible due to the fees.

Youzheng thought of one particular place - the area he went in for medicines. It was remote and safe in the mountains on top of being very large.

“I know a place. We’ll move there for now until the storm is over, then we’ll decide whether to rebuild or do something else.” He comforted Xiyue and more importantly, himself.

“Okay, let’s go.” Xiyue didn’t wallow in despair since there were many things to be done.

“Yue’er, leave Stone Harmony if you have the chance later. I’m sure our sect can muster the travel fee for you.” Youzheng said while looking at the disciple he loves like a daughter.

“Why do you want me to leave?” She asked.

“It’s over for Stone Harmony, people only await death here. Your talents aren’t bad so you will have a chance to prove yourself and s.h.i.+ne. The sect can actually gather enough money for one person.”

“I…” She didn’t know how to respond.