The World Spiritist Painterâs words enlightened Chu Feng about the situation.
Lord Suqing was Long Muxiâs aunt, and she was tasked with the responsibility to protect Long Muxi.
Long Rui must have been aware of that. He was afraid to go against Lord Suqing, which was why he had first sought to verify that Lord Suqing wasnât around before deciding to turn against Long Muxi. He deduced that Lord Suqing wasnât in the vicinity when she didnât step in even though Jia Lingyi had her hand around Long Muxiâs neck.
If Lord Suqing had been around, he would be a goner for siding with the Pill Dao Immortal Sect.
However, the truth was that Long Muxi wasnât lying when she said that her aunt was indeed in the vicinity. It was just that Lord Suqing was too occupied with helping the World Spiritist Painter to channel the formation and suppress the black aura that she didnât notice that Long Muxi was in danger.
Thinking back, the communication talisman tossed out by the World Spiritist Painter back then was probably a request for help to Lord Suqing. He didnât think that he could suppress the black aura by himself.
It was just that the World Spiritist Painter was caught off guard by Jia Lingyiâs unraveling of the stalling formation he had fused into the Gate of the Masses. By the time he noticed, he already had his hands full dealing with the black aura that he could no longer help them.
His request for help had tied Lord Suqing down and nearly caused Long Muxi and Chu Fengâs death, and that was the reason he felt guilt-ridden.
âElder, you shouldnât blame yourself. Weâre fine,â Chu Feng comforted him.
The World Spiritist Painter shook his head with a bitter smile. He was unable to forgive himself.
Three silhouettes soon flitted over. Two of them were Long Kui and Long Muxi, and the final one was a beautiful woman dressed in a red robe. The woman had an imposing disposition.
âOne of the ex-Nine Flags Dragon Warriors, Long Suqing!â
The crowd exclaimed in shock, for Long Suqing was much more famous than Long Kuitian. However, her face had turned pale too, a sign that she had expended a lot of energy helping the World Spiritist Painter suppress the black aura.
âAudacious, World Spiritist Painter! You should have told me that helping you channel the formation would tie me down! You nearly caused the death of the young miss!â Long Suqing roared in anger.
She was already aware of what had happened earlier.
âMilord, I apologize for my lack of consideration. Please forgive me.â The World Spiritist Painter kneeled down.
âI donât blame you for requesting my help, but you should have told me the implications. Channeling the formation took up so much of my energy that I couldnât keep an eye on Muxi. I canât overlook this negligence on your part. You deserve to be punished,â Long Suqing said.
âForget it, aunt. It was an unexpected situation. Elder Painter didnât expect this to matter either. Besides, Iâm perfectly fine,â Long Muxi quickly chirped in.
In the end, Long Suqing waved her hand and said, âForget it. Get up.â
She sent a surge of martial power to help the World Spiritist Painter back to his feet. Her anger was driven by how close Long Muxi had come to death. Deep down, she knew that the World Spiritist Painter didnât bear any ill-will, so she wasnât intending to harshly punish him either.
However, the same couldnât be said about Jia Lingyi.
With a flick of her wrist, she took out a golden whip and lashed it.
Pu!
Jia Lingyiâs body was split into two under the sheer force of the whip, and fresh blood spewed from her mouth.
âAunt, spare her! We should leave her to Chu Feng to deal with,â Long Muxi said.
âFine, Iâll let Chu Feng deal with her. However, this grudge isnât over yet.â
Long Suqing turned her gaze toward Jia Lingyiâs son, Jia Huo. She flicked the golden whip in her hand, and Jia Huo was split into two as well. However, Jia Huoâs constitution was hardly as resilient as Jia Lingyiâs, and he died on the spot.
âHuoâer!!!!â Jia Lingyi cried in anguish.
This was the sight Long Suqing had wanted to see, but it still wasnât enough to quell her fury.
âWorld Spiritist Painter, treat her,â Long Suqing ordered.
The World Spiritist Painter quickly did as he was told. He constructed a formation, and it only took moments for Jia Lingyiâs split body to merge back into one. Despite her recovery, everyone knew that this wasnât the end yet. Even crueler torture was awaiting her.
However, there was not a single person who sympathized with her. Everyone thought that she deserved it.
âHahahaha!â Jia Lingyi suddenly burst into laughter.
Knowing that she was going to lose her life, she glared at Chu Feng and sneered, âChu Feng, I was the one who killed your grandmother. I was also the one who ordered the destruction of the Golden Dragon Flame Sect. You should have exacted vengeance with your own strength, but you relied on the Totem Dragon Clan instead. What kind of man are you? I might have been defeated today, but I lost to the Totem Dragon Clan and not you. You werenât able to exact your vengeance at all!â
She knew that she had already lost, but she refused to put down her pride. She insisted on putting on the face of a winner before Chu Feng even when death was just around the corner.
âWhat an irony to hear that from someone who lives under her fatherâs halo. Contrary to what you have said, I believe that my ability to convince others to help me in my vengeance is also part of my capability. Besides, my grandmother is still alive,â Chu Feng said.
âWhat? Song Luoyi isnât dead yet? Thatâs impossible! Thereâs no way she could still be alive!â
Jia Lingyi adamantly refuted Chu Fengâs claim, but the latterâs confident demeanor shook her confidence. She began screaming as if that would convince herself and the world that Song Luoyi was dead. Otherwise, she would have truly utterly lost here.
Chu Feng ignored Jia Lingyiâs screams and turned to Long Suqing. âLord Suqing, you should deal with her as you please, but I beseech you to leave a breath in her. There are some things I need to ask her.â
âRest assured, I have already promised Muxi to allow you to deal with her,â Long Suqing replied before looking at Jia Lingyi with a vicious glint in her eyes.
Boom!
The world suddenly tremored.
Cultivators could easily shake the world and even shatter the fabrics of space, but this tremor clenched the hearts of the crowd. Even Long Kui and Long Suqing looked nervous.
The World Spiritist Painter immediately turned to the All Lives Are Equal Palace and threw out a painting that enveloped it. It was a sealing formation!
The crowd swiftly realized that the All Lives Are Equal Palace was the source of the tremors and turned their attention over too.