"What? Broken?"
Chen Xiao's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening.
Unlike Gu Zhendong and Li Qin, his goal from the very beginning had been the Seven Fiends Blood Banner. The destruction of the Hidden Sword Pavilion was merely an incidental act.
However, reality told him that the Seven Fiends Blood Banner was broken, meaning all his efforts over the past few days were in vain.
"That's right, the Seven Fiends Blood Banner has been broken for a long time!" Wang Xingde said coldly.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Xiao was filled with immense rage. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and the blue veins on the back of his hands became clearly visible.
Wang Xingde, however, continued smugly, "Hahahaha, Chen Xiao, you didn't expect this, did you? But you can't blame me for the Seven Fiends Blood Banner being broken. Because the moment I got my hands on it, it was already broken!"
"If you want to blame someone, blame that dead Li Muzhi. He knew he couldn't protect this treasure, so he destroyed it before he died!"
"Every wrong has its cause, and every debt has its debtor. Chen Xiao, you desperately avenged these two, only to end up with nothing yourself. All your efforts were for naught."
"It's truly laughable, truly laughable, hahahahahaha..." Wang Xingde roared to the sky.
Chen Xiao, annoyed, threw a punch.
Bang!
Wang Xingde's head exploded like a watermelon dropped on the ground, shattering into pieces, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere.
The dignified Pavilion Master of the Hidden Sword Pavilion, a Grandmaster of the Hua Jing realm ranked among the top ten on the Heavenly Rankings, Wang Xingde, met his end!
Blown to pieces by Chen Xiao's punch.
Chen Xiao's fury, however, was far from appeased.
Gu Zhendong and Li Qin dared not breathe. They wanted to persuade Chen Xiao, but his current demeanor was so terrifying that they didn't dare to approach.
Chen Xiao, showing no intention of acknowledging Gu Zhendong and Li Qin, turned and strode away.
"Uncle Gu, do you think Brother Chen is blaming us?" Li Qin asked helplessly.
"Alas, Chen Xiao is a reasonable person. We didn't know about this beforehand, so he definitely wouldn't blame us... But then again, even if he did blame us, we would have no complaints!" Gu Zhendong sighed, also feeling powerless.
As they spoke, loud noises suddenly erupted from outside. The two hurried out to see what was happening.
The moment they stepped outside, they saw a building not far away collapse with a roar, turning into a pile of dust.
Chen Xiao emerged from the dust, clearly using the destruction of buildings to vent his anger.
And this was just the beginning.
Boom!
Bang!
Clang!
...
In an instant, sounds of collapse and explosion echoed continuously. Buildings turned to dust before Gu Zhendong and Li Qin's eyes.
If this continued, the entire Hidden Sword Pavilion would soon be razed to the ground.
Gu Zhendong and Li Qin exchanged glances, not daring to intervene.
It wasn't until half an hour later, whether he had vented his anger or there were no more buildings to destroy, that Chen Xiao finally stopped.
"Let's go and see. We have to face it sooner or later!" Gu Zhendong said quietly, then walked towards Chen Xiao.
"Brother Chen, are you alright?" Li Qin asked nervously, a hint of fear still evident on her face.
Chen Xiao shook his head. "I'm fine."
Gu Zhendong said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Chen Xiao. I didn't know things would turn out this way."
Chen Xiao shook his head. "Forget it. It's not your fault. Let's think of another way."
The sky was beginning to brighten, with the east showing the first signs of dawn.
Chen Xiao looked out at the sea and said, "Let's go. There's no point in staying here any longer."
Gu Zhendong and Li Qin nodded and followed Chen Xiao towards the coast.
In the afternoon, they had returned to Qingcheng. Li Qin went to find her brother, while Chen Xiao, not wanting to linger, bought a plane ticket to go home.
However, half an hour before the plane took off, Li Qin suddenly found him, her face beaming with excitement. "Brother Chen, you don't have to leave yet. The Seven Fiends Blood Banner might be repairable!"
Chen Xiao was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed. He grabbed Li Qin's hand and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
Li Qin's hand hurt from Chen Xiao's grip, but for some reason, she didn't pull away.
Finally, Li Mu, who had come with his sister, couldn't stand it any longer. He walked over and said, "It's like this, Mr. Chen. I happen to have a family heirloom, a secret manual for using the Seven Fiends Blood Banner, which contains methods for repairing it."
"After comparison, I discovered that the method my father used to destroy the Seven Fiends Blood Banner was to destroy a section of the wooden handle below the banner. As long as this section of the wooden handle is repaired, the Seven Fiends Blood Banner can be used normally."
Chen Xiao said repeatedly, "So that's how it is. It seems your father couldn't bear to completely destroy the Seven Fiends Blood Banner!"
Li Mu nodded. "I suppose that's the case. However, this matter is both simple and difficult."
Chen Xiao frowned. "Brother Li, please explain in detail. What makes this matter difficult, and why is it simple?"
Li Mu gave an awkward smile and said, "I say it's simple because Mr. Chen is powerful. I say it's difficult because the wooden handle below the Seven Fiends Blood Banner isn't just any wood. It must be a branch from the tip of a Bloodwood tree."
"Bloodwood? What is that?" Chen Xiao asked curiously.
Li Mu said, "According to the secret manual, this tree is a divine wood of ten thousand years. Every hundred years, a branch grows at the very top of its canopy. Moreover, this tree is unique in the world, growing only in the core area of Icefire Island."
"Icefire Island? Where is this island?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask. He hadn't expected that finding a piece of wood would be so complicated, but then again, it was to repair a treasure like the Seven Fiends Blood Banner, so complexity was understandable.
Li Mu's brow furrowed. "Mr. Chen, this is precisely the difficulty. Icefire Island is a legendary island. Many people have heard of it, but no one has ever landed on it. However, I can confirm it truly exists because this secret manual of mine contains detailed records of it. It's located in the Jiaonan area."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback. "Wait, where did you say?"
Li Mu repeated, "The Jiaonan area. What's wrong, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Xiao suddenly remembered something. The place where Sun Buzhou discovered the Fire Essence Fruit was on an uninhabited island in the Jiaonan area.
He surmised that this uninhabited island must be the legendary Icefire Island!
Chen Xiao suddenly smiled. "What a coincidence! I happen to know someone who has been to the legendary Icefire Island!"