"Grieving Hearts and Resolute Vows: Seeking Strength for Vengeance"
Li Cheng received word and hurriedly arrived in front of the large coffin, feeling anxious in his heart. He stretched out his palm and pushed the coffin lid aside. Upon looking inside, he saw a person lying there—a deceased person. It was a young boy of around 16 or 17 years old.
The boy's entire body appeared dull green, with a shade of dark green.
As Li Cheng recognized the boy's face, his entire body trembled uncontrollably. His eyes turned red, and tears started to fall. "Feng'er! My Feng'er!" he cried out, embracing the boy tightly.
"My Feng'er!"
"You can't be dead, my Feng'er!"
Li Cheng's weeping was filled with sorrow.
Li Mu also saw the boy's face and immediately burst into tears. He stood there, paying no attention to his surroundings, openly crying.
"Brother, Brother!" At that moment, Li Lu, who had also approached, rushed over and cried out while shaking the boy's body with both hands. "Brother, it's you? Brother, wake up! I don't want you to be dead, I don't want it!"
"Brother, wake up!"
"Wake up!"
Li Lu sobbed uncontrollably.
The guards, maidservants, and numerous experts from Li Mansion, witnessing this scene, knelt down and joined in the mournful cries. The young boy, Li Feng, was Li Cheng's only son and possessed exceptional talent. He had the same Level 9 top-grade Martial Spirit as Li Lu. Three years ago, he had been recognized by the prestigious Distinct Clouds Sect, one of Luo Tong Kingdom's major sects, and became an Inner Sect Disciple. No one had expected that on Li Mu's 80th birthday, Li Feng would be killed, turning a celebration into a funeral.
The patriarchs of various prominent families who had come to offer their birthday congratulations shook their heads silently. They hadn't anticipated such an event occurring during Li Family's patriarch's birthday celebration.
"Feng'er, it's all Grandfather's fault!" Li Mu kneeled there, trembling, his hands touching his grandson's face. His teardrops fell onto the boy's face, but the boy couldn't move or hear his cries.
"Don't worry, Grandfather will definitely avenge you! Definitely!" Li Mu's eyes were filled with determination.
Huang Xiaolong stood at a distance, his eyes also red.
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
After a long time, Li Mu hugged his grandson and led the people back into Li Mansion. They all followed inside, leaving behind the brightly colored lanterns and festive decorations that had adorned Li Mansion.
The birthday feast was abruptly halted.
Soon after, the patriarchs of the various families who had come to offer their birthday congratulations bid their farewells and departed, leaving Li Mansion devoid of its former liveliness, now shrouded in an atmosphere of death.
Only Huang Xiaolong and his five companions remained.
"Brother Li, please accept my condolences. If anything happens, let us know, and Huang Family Manor will come to assist without hesitation!" Huang Qide approached Li Mu and consoled him. They couldn't linger any longer in this situation.
"Brother Huang, thank you," Li Mu replied sorrowfully.
Huang Qide nodded and refrained from saying anything further. He then prepared to depart with Huang Xiaolong and the others. However, at that moment, Li Lu suddenly ran over and held onto Huang Xiaolong, crying out, "Xiaolong, please don't go, okay?"
All eyes were fixed on Huang Xiaolong.
Hesitant, Huang Xiaolong paused for a moment, then patted Li Lu's shoulder and reassured her, "I will visit you often. Don't worry, I will avenge your brother."
Upon hearing this, the onlookers shook their heads and smiled, considering it to be a child's thoughtless remark. No one took Huang Xiaolong's words seriously. Li Mu himself didn't have full confidence in killing the perpetrator, let alone an eight-year-old child.
"You must come to see me often," Li Lu pleaded tearfully.
Huang Xiaolong could only nod.
Li Mu personally saw off Huang Xiaolong and his companions from Li Mansion. After they disappeared, he returned inside.
At dusk, Huang Xiaolong and his companions arrived back at Huang Family Manor.
That night, Huang Xiaolong didn't practice Asura Arts. Instead, he stood on the summit of the mountain, gazing at the starry sky.
Standing two meters behind him, Fei Hou waited patiently.
"Fei Hou, do you think that when someone dies, they turn into stars in the night sky?" Huang Xiaolong suddenly spoke up.
Fei Hou was taken aback. "Stars in the night sky?" He hadn't expected Huang Xiaolong to ask such a question out of the blue.
"In my hometown, it is believed that after people die, they become stars in the night sky, watching over their family members," Huang Xiaolong murmured.
"Become stars in the night sky? Watching over their family members?" Fei Hou shook his head and smiled. "In this world, only formidable strength can protect and watch over one's family members."
"Formidable strength!" Huang Xiaolong muttered, somewhat dazed.
"That's right, formidable strength!" Fei Hou nodded.
Yes, formidable strength! Huang Xiaolong clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes glimmered under the night sky. Only through formidable strength could he protect and watch over his family members!
He had to become stronger! He had to continuously grow stronger!
Only then could he protect and watch over his loved ones!
An invisible aura emanated from Huang Xiaolong, surprising even Fei Hou.
"Let's go back," Huang Xiaolong said, retracting his aura after a while, and turned to descend the mountain. Fei Hou followed him.
Upon their return to Huang Family Manor, Huang Xiaolong took out the cold jade bed and sat cross-legged on it. He began cultivating Asura Arts, with the Nine Nether Qi cascading down from above.
...
Time flew by.
Ten months quickly passed.
Since Li Family's birthday celebration, Huang Peng noticed that his son's dedication to cultivation had become even more intense. Huang Xiaolong spent almost all his time in the small courtyard, which worried Huang Peng and Su Yan. They frequently visited the courtyard to check on Huang Xiaolong.
In these ten months, Huang Xiaolong's Battle Qi cultivation level advanced at a terrifying speed. After Li Family's birthday celebration, Huang Xiaolong had reached the peak of Rank 4 Initial Stage. Within half a month, he broke through to Rank 4 Middle Stage, followed by Rank 4 Middle Stage Peak after one month. Two months later, he achieved Rank 4 Late Stage.
But after ten months had passed, not only had Huang Xiaolong broken through to Rank 5, but he had also reached the peak of Rank 5 Late Stage!
On that sunny morning, above the mountainous region at the back of Huang Family Manor, Huang Xiaolong wielded his Asura Blade with both hands. A hundred blade glows materialized out of thin air. Two giant nettle rash formations, each five meters high, revolved continuously, accompanied by an Infernal Wind that razed everything in its path. The wind destroyed over a hundred trees, and then, with a sudden change in direction, it spun to the left and right.
In ten months, the might of Infernal Wind had increased tenfold, and Huang Xiaolong could now control its direction at will. After spinning for another twelve breaths, the Infernal Wind dissipated.
"Infernal Wind has finally reached perfection; the only thing lacking now is its power," Huang Xiaolong muttered to himself as he surveyed the fallen trees around him. He had completely comprehended the ideal form of Infernal Wind, and as his Battle Qi cultivation level continued to improve, the power of this technique would also strengthen.
According to the manual, when someone unleashed the Infernal Wind, it could sweep across an area of a hundred thousand miles, annihilating all life within that radius.
"In just over twenty days, it will be the annual competition," Huang Xiaolong said, retracting his Asura Blade and pondering.