Li Xiaoman clenched her fists tightly, then let out a sneer as she kept staring at Gu Qinghe’s face.

"Really?" Li Xiaoman asked.

"What if I let you fight all of us?"

"What do you mean?" Gu Qinghe asked.

The woman summoned her flying sword and stepped onto it, rising into the air until all the cultivators focused their attention on her.

Gu Qinghe also watched, his instincts telling him that Li Xiaoman was definitely planning something bad for him.

"Fellow Daoists!" Li Xiaoman called out loudly.

All the cultivators listened and turned their eyes toward her. Even those in the outer courtyard of the Snow Palace flew closer to the inner courtyard, driven by curiosity. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I am Li Xiaoman, a Core Disciple of the Yin-Yang Sect. I have an announcement to make!" she declared.

She pointed downward, directing her hand toward Gu Qinghe. Her gaze was sharp, and there was a hint of desperation in her eyes.

Since she could not defeat Gu Qinghe herself, she would let other cultivators kill him.

"He possesses an artifact from the main treasure room at the mountain peak. I only know of one, but I’m sure he has more!" Li Xiaoman shouted.

"I will hold a bounty!" she added, tapping her bag of holding and producing a two-colored pill.

The two Yin-Yang Sect elders were shocked and urged her not to act recklessly.

"Lady Li, that is a pill meant to help you break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Please reconsider your decision," one of the elders pleaded.

Li Xiaoman turned sharply. "Gu Qinghe killed Ming Hui, and I’m certain he also killed Master Lin Ruyu. I cannot let a traitor like him roam free!"

"But it’s not worth killing Gu Qinghe. You gain nothing from it," the elder insisted.

"This is my decision. You have no right to oppose me. If you keep arguing, I’ll report you to my father!" Li Xiaoman snapped.

The gathered cultivators began whispering among themselves, quickly reaching an agreement.

They stood to gain two benefits: the possible artifacts Gu Qinghe possessed and the Yin-Yang Nascent Soul Pill.

That was an enormous reward for killing a Golden Core cultivator.

Ling Jia and the others began to panic. Their eyes scanned the sky, counting dozens of cultivators present, most of them at the Early Core Formation stage.

"What should we do, Senior?" Ling Jia asked.

Gu Qinghe fell silent for a moment, then flew forward on his sword and stopped directly in front of Li Xiaoman. Everyone looked ready to fight and kill him.

"You will have to face the consequences if you insist on this bounty, Li Xiaoman," Gu Qinghe warned.

"You think you can defeat dozens of cultivators in a single day? What are you, some kind of heavenly emperor?!" she shouted.

Gu Qinghe let out a breath, still looking at her. "Ling Jia, Yan Ran, Liu Xi!"

"You all leave this palace!" he ordered.

"But we won’t—"

"Leave now. You’ll only hold me back," Gu Qinghe said firmly.

Yan Ran refused to go and wanted to help him. However, Ling Jia forced her to retreat, deciding to leave the battle inside the Snow Palace to Gu Qinghe.

But the other cultivators did not allow the three women to leave. Gu Qinghe acted quickly, sharpening his gaze and crushing them with his cultivation pressure.

"YOU’RE COURTING DEATH, GU QINGHE!" someone shouted.

Chaos erupted, involving many cultivators within the Snow Palace.

Gu Qinghe could not focus on fighting while seeing Ling Jia, Yan Ran, and Liu Xi trapped in the middle of the battle.

"I’ll kill all of you!" Gu Qinghe roared.

He summoned the Heavenly Golden Energy Sword and swung it sideways, unleashing a wave of golden sword energy that struck several cultivators.

Many of them retreated, clearly seeing that the sword in Gu Qinghe’s hand was an artifact.

"That woman was right. He has an artifact!"

"Attack him! That artifact should be mine!"

"You’ll die by my hands, Gu Qinghe!"

Gu Qinghe moved swiftly from his position, attacking the cultivators flying toward him.

He focused on those with lower cultivation bases, taking them down quickly and efficiently.

Blood splattered across the courtyard floor. Cries of pain echoed through the sky, attracting even more cultivators to gather.

The more cultivators arrived, the more of them became eager to defeat Gu Qinghe.

SLASH!

"Senior..."

Gu Qinghe stopped attacking when his attention shifted to the side. Liu Xi had been severely injured by a Peak Core Formation cultivator.

"LIU XI!" Gu Qinghe shouted.

"He’s distracted. Kill those three women now!" another cultivator yelled.

They combined their strength and launched a simultaneous attack at Ling Jia, Yan Ran, and Liu Xi.

Ling Jia reacted quickly, forming a qi barrier dome, but her Mid Core Formation strength was far weaker than the combined power of the others.

"LING JIA! YAN RAN! LIU XI!"

"Senior...?"

BLAST!

A massive explosion shook the area. Thick smoke filled the sky, while red blood pooled and flowed across the courtyard floor.

Gu Qinghe’s eyes widened, his heart pounding as he witnessed the scene.

He waved his hand, clearing his vision, only to see Ling Jia, Yan Ran, and Liu Xi lying on the ground.

Their condition was horrifying. Ling Jia was pierced by a spear, Yan Ran had been beheaded, and Liu Xi’s body was split in two.

"HAHAHA!" Li Xiaoman laughed in satisfaction.

"See? Their deaths are because of your arrogance, Gu Qinghe!"

"If you hadn’t opposed me, they might still be alive."

Gu Qinghe stood silent for a moment, then descended slowly, stepping into the pool of blood belonging to Ling Jia, Yan Ran, and Liu Xi.

There were no tears, only a deep ache mixed with burning hatred.

Their deaths should never have happened. Li Xiaoman’s grudge was with him, not with them.

"They were not involved in the grudge between you and me."

"They knew nothing about the artifact."

"You killed them," Gu Qinghe said quietly.

"That’s the consequence. Learn to accept it, Qinghe!" Li Xiaoman replied.

"Consequence?"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Gu Qinghe shot high into the sky, so high that many cultivators became confused.

He showed no sign of attacking, only looking down with reddened pupils.

"You will face the consequences."

Gu Qinghe formed hand seals, unleashing a technique none of them could have anticipated.

Streams of spiritual qi surged into his body, shocking the cultivators with the sheer amount.

A magical rune circle appeared beneath his feet, channeling immense qi into him in an instant.

People watched in confusion, while Li Xiaoman continued staring at him intently.

A burst of qi exploded outward, spreading across the entire area, injuring the souls of all the cultivators and forcing them to cough up blood.

Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and stepped off his flying sword. Li Xiaoman gasped in shock.

"N-Nascent Soul?!" she cried.

"Did he use a cultivation-enhancing technique?" she asked.

"What? Nascent Soul?"

"We can’t possibly win against him."

"This is insane. He’ll destroy us easily."

Doubt spread among the cultivators as they realized Gu Qinghe had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

They tried to flee the Snow Palace, but their escape was blocked by a rune array barrier.

"HAHAHA!"

"You won’t be leaving this place."

"Since you like it here so much, then stay here forever!" Gu Qinghe shouted.

He formed another hand seal and activated his strongest attack technique at the Nascent Soul level.

His hand rose upward, summoning rumbling black clouds filled with crashing lightning.

Gu Qinghe manifested the Heavenly Golden Energy Sword and hurled it into the storm clouds.

A glow of qi appeared at his fingertips, and with a downward motion of his hand, he commanded a massive golden sword to descend upon the white palace.

Li Xiaoman watched his power with a pale face full of panic.

The giant golden sword had not even struck the palace yet, but Li Xiaoman had already collapsed to the ground, her legs trembling weakly.

"No... impossible!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Gu Qinghe laughed. "Now, it’s time for all of you to die!"