Chapter 1257: The Death of Dong Wanfeng and A Debt Paid

It all happened far too quick. From when Bai Yunfei and Huo Zhenxiao began fighting to now, people only had time to breathe several breaths. But the battle taking place in front of him was so captivating that hardly anyone had the time for it… 

One move was all it took for Huo Zhenxiao to suffer a complete and utter defeat.

In all the rumors he was involved in, Bai Yunfei was said to be practically ‘magical’. He had all sorts of soul armaments that were said to be the basis of who he was, and that was fitting given the fact that he was someone from the Crafting School. 

But today in this battle against Huo Zhenxiao, the Wind Lightning School could finally recognize that Bai Yunfei was more than the rumors say he was. He wasn’t just a person gifted with soul armaments, but his own personal power was terrifyingly powerful… 

There had been another shock that came shortly after Huo Zhenxiao’s defeat. And it was this development that caused them an even greater amount of horror.

Despite the ‘shamelessness’ of interfering in the fight, the Late-stage Soul Emperor Sun Lianqi stuck himself into the fight to kill Bai Yunfei and was instead split in two and burnt to nothing….

In just one move and a Late-stage Soul Emperor lost his life.

And the one to kill Sun Lianqi was Shen Pojun!!

“……”

Everyone had forgotten about Bai Yunfei at this moment. They were all watching the place Sun Lianqi had once stood with jaw-dropped expressions.

“Soul…Soul Saint!!”

Dong Wanfeng was the one to confirm everyone’s thoughts. Just hearing the word ‘Saint’ was enough to fill their bodies with dread as they turned to look at Shen Pojun.

The Flame Dragon Crescent Blade was returning to Shen Pojun’s side at that moment, having done its job in killing Sun Lianqi. Shen Pojun heaved a level glare at the Wind Lightning School, though his expression hadn’t even changed after killing the Late-stage Soul Emperor. However, the aura that sloughed off his person was now far more formidable.

“Ah….”

“Urgh…”

Several of the Early-stage Soul Kings began to cry out with terror. The pressure of his aura was starting to force their bodies to seize up.

“A Saint…the Crafting School has a Saint…? But how!?!”

Several of their faces went dark with horror. Some of the Wind Lightning School members couldn’t help themselves but succumb to despair.

The battle wasn’t so bad if they had to fight against a superior number of enemies. At least a fighting effort could be had. But against a Saint? The careful odds they had been stacking up had crumbled at once. With a Saint there, the Wind Lightning School wouldn’t even be able to offer up a resistance… 

“I never…imagined you’d have reached Sainthood…I see now…”

Of all the members of the Wind Lightning School, only Dong Wanfeng had some measure of calmness to him. But even he looked close to despair. The realization of their situation seemed to age the man significantly.

He had presumed Shen Pojun had long since reached Sainthood and was able to force the Saint-leveled avatar of Gu Lianhun to retreat.

The two of them were of the same generation. Their age was relatively similar even, and their strengths seemingly equal until now. Never did Dong Wanfeng imagine that the other man would attain the realm he could only dream of…

……

“Huff huff…”

Excluding the weakened panting of Huo Zhenxiao, it was extremely silent on the battlefield. Bai Yunfei held the Fire-tipped Spear in his hand as he stared at the spot where Sun Lianqi had died. He looked back to the maelstrom of fire in front of him where Huo Zhenxiao was, but he decided not to kill him. Instead, he flew back to Shen Pojun’s side.

The power of the Chaotic Dual Dragon Burst had astounded even himself. It was a huge increase compared to before and managed to suppress the Laws of Wind and Lightning without trouble. 

In the past, he had to use Berserk Mode as an Early-stage Soul Emperor in order to defeat a Mid-stage Soul Emperor, but now it seems like he could easily win given the same conditions.

That being said, the Chaotic Dual Dragon Burst was supposed to kill Huo Zhenxiao. He was going to kill Huo Zhenxiao after the Chaotic Dual Dragon Burst failed to, but the interference of Sun Lianqi changed that. He barely managed to defend himself when Sun Lianqi attacked, but Shen Pojun had gone and killed the man before any damage could be done.

“I…I refuse to believe this!!”

A scream flew out from the whirlpool as soon as Bai Yunfei had retreated. There was a coughing sound as a huge burst of soulforce suddenly shot out from the whirlpool and scattered it away.

Seeing Huo Zhenxiao ‘escape’ gave the rest of the Wind Lightning School hope, but then when the last of the flames died away and they saw the shape he was in… 

He was a mess. There wasn’t a single spot on his body untouched by Bai Yunfei’s attack. Large splotches of his body had been charred black while the other parts of his body were dyed red with his own blood. They could even see bone from some parts of his body. Though Huo Zhenxiao managed to escape from the whirlpool, his energy was still leaving his body in droves so that it seemed like death was rapidly approaching him.

Just leaving that whirlpool was tantamount to his ‘last struggle’. The words he screamed to the world were the last he would ever say. Already his body was losing life, and if nothing was done, Huo Zhenxiao would be dead in seconds.

It happened quickly. His body tipped over in the air and began to fall through the skies. It plummeted through a wave of fire that had yet to disappear and was promptly turned into ashes… 

“……”

Hands clenched, Dong Wanfeng was hard-pressed to stop them from trembling. Waves of anguish ran through his body as he faced the rest of his school. “The rest of you…do not do anything….”

His voice was fatigued, the death of two of his own had destroyed the man. There was no resistance left in him.

He turned back to Shen Pojun. Careful to resume an air of calmness, he began to speak. “Shen Pojun…it was our mistake to anger your school…You have killed those who went, and now the strongest two of our school are dead…There are ten thousand of us left, all of them innocent students of the next generation. I urge you to look at the past friendship between our schools and have mercy…Give us a chance to live and we will repay the debt. Our Wind Lightning School will excuse ourselves from the conflict. We will seal ourselves off from the world and never oppose your school ever again…Our school is ready to offer our treasures to yours, including precious materials comparable to the Nephrite Throne and the other fist-sized jade stones. Given your school’s abilities, it may be possible to craft something on par with the Nephrite Throne…”

“What?!!”

“Master, you can’t!”

“Ancestor!!”

Several members of the school voiced their opinions at once. They were clearly flustered by the concessions Dong Wanfeng was making.

Not even the Crafting School could prevent themselves from being excited by Dong Wanfeng’s words. They each looked to Shen Pojun and waited for him to make a decision.

“Sigh…”

Shen Pojun looked sad, somehow. Watching a mighty Peak Late-stage Soul Emperor like Dong Wanfeng plead for his own school had made Shen Pojun sigh. His killing intent was already gone.

If the Wind Lightning School was still willing to fight to the death, then Shen Pojun was ready to give no quarter. He wouldn’t even cry if he had to destroy the rest of the Wind Lightning School. But seeing Dong Wanfeng try his best to concede had changed the situation. As Dong Wanfeng had said, the students of the school were without crime in this matter. And he himself didn’t wish to slaughter the innocent. 

Though Shen Pojun didn’t say a word, Dong Wanfeng seemed to look happy. He seemed to have reached Shen Pojun’s compassionate side with his words. Worried about Shen Pojun possibly changing his mind, Dong Wanfeng took the space ring off his right finger and threw it at Shen Pojun. Having already considered the possibility of negotiating the surrender of his school, Dong Wanfeng had previously filled the space ring up with all sorts of treasures from the Wind Lightning School.

Shen Pojun took the ring when it flew over to him and scanned it for its contents at once. He was surprised to see the items stored in there—it was hard to imagine the number of items the Wind Lightning School had gathered over its existence.

A faint smile appeared on Dong Wanfeng’s face when he saw Shen Pojun take it. The negotiations were nearing completion, it seemed. 

A pulse of soulforce exited from his body so he could address the entirety of his school next.

“Students of the Wind Lightning School! From today onward, our school will seclude itself for a hundred years! We will partake in no conflict, and bear no hostility toward the Crafting School! Refusal to adhere will mean banishment from our school!!”

His words reached all and revertebrated throughout the world with its volume. Dong Wanfeng seemed relieved when he finished speaking. His head drifted up to look at the clear skies to look at them with eyes that were progressively growing dim. His body was dying now—he had destroyed his own veins and shattered every acupoint of his body to prevent it from being able to sustain life.

“Master!! You can’t!!”

“Ancestor!!”

Several of the Soul Kings cried out in realization at what he had just done to himself.

“……”

The ones from the Crafting School were stunned as well. A Peak Late-stage Soul Emperor was dying in front of them without a word. Regardless of how well the negotiations were going, Dong Wanfeng had taken the noble responsibility of sacrificing himself for his school. This was an act not even the Crafting School would snub. 

Shen Pojun watched as the last of Dong Wanfeng’s life drained from his body before it fell. He watched Duan Leiting catch Dong Wanfeng’s corpse before he sighed at last.

“The debt the Wind Lightning School owes the Crafting School has been paid. From today henceforth, our school will no longer chase after the Wind Lightning School for revenge. Let us take our leave…”