"Great-grandfather!"
"My Lord!!"
Upon seeing Ximen Baiyuan in such a state, Ximen Feixue and the elders were all horrified and rushed forward to support him. But the closer they got, the more alarmed they became.
At that moment, Ximen Baiyuan's body was exceptionally weak — his breathing had even stopped, and his body had gone ice-cold.
It was as though he were already a corpse. What kept him going was his Origin, his Dantian, and his cultivation.
"This action today has practically drained all of my vitality. My remaining time is short — I'm afraid I won't make it past today," Ximen Baiyuan said.
"No, that can't be. Great-grandfather won't die." Hearing those words, Ximen Feixue began to cry even more bitterly.
"Feixue, listen to me. Do not seek revenge for your father. You cannot beat Chu Feng — none of our Ximen Imperial Clan can beat Chu Feng."
"A grudge is better resolved than deepened. Especially when it comes to someone like Chu Feng — do not provoke him again." Ximen Baiyuan's voice had grown incredibly weak, yet his tone was one of earnest sincerity. These were his true thoughts.
Although this was the first day he had laid eyes on Chu Feng, he could tell that Chu Feng was truly stronger than any junior of his Ximen Imperial Clan. Even Ximen Feixue was far inferior to Chu Feng in every regard. Though deep in his bones he resented Chu Feng, without even realizing it, he had come to acknowledge him.
"No, I will have my revenge. I will absolutely have my revenge!"
"I can ask the Dark Hall for help. Great-grandfather, aren't they our allies? I can ask them to help me kill Chu Feng," Ximen Feixue said.
"The Dark Hall? Heh…" Ximen Baiyuan let out a bitter laugh, then spoke: "Listen to me carefully — you must never have anything more to do with the Dark Hall. Those people are even more dangerous than Chu Feng."
"They only helped me before because they had something to gain. Now that they've gotten what they wanted, they won't help us anymore."
"And don't forget — if Chu Feng had accepted the Dark Hall's invitation today, it would have been our four Imperial Clans that were destroyed."
"The Dark Hall only seeks out those of use to them, and our Ximen Imperial Clan no longer has anything to offer them."
At that, Ximen Baiyuan spat out another massive mouthful of fresh blood, which splattered outward. Afterward, his aura grew weaker and weaker, his gaze began to glaze over, and his body started to stiffen.
"Great-grandfather, what's wrong? What's wrong?!" Ximen Feixue's face went pale with fright. To him, his father was already dead — Ximen Baiyuan was his last pillar of support, his final reliance.
"Remember… you must… never… again… be enemies… with Chu Feng…"
With those words, Ximen Baiyuan's head slumped to the side, his hands fell limp, and his breath ceased — he was dead, thoroughly and completely dead.
"Great-grandfather, don't die! Please don't die!!!"
At that moment, Ximen Feixue's wailing grew even louder — the kind of heart-rending, soul-crushing grief that tore through everyone present.
He knew that if it hadn't been for him, Ximen Baiyuan would never have been forced to break out of seclusion. And if he hadn't broken out of seclusion, he wouldn't have suffered such devastating damage to his vitality, and he wouldn't have died so quickly.
With Ximen Baiyuan's death, the Ximen Imperial Clan felt as though they had lost their very last lifeline. Every one of them was consumed by bottomless grief.
"Stop crying. The dead cannot return." Just then, a figure suddenly appeared within the great hall.
Upon seeing this person, the members of the Ximen Imperial Clan were all startled — even the Supreme Elders turned white as paper, their nerves taut as bowstrings.
This was a member of the Dark Hall — the very same sixth-rank Martial Emperor who had been driven back by Nangong Longjian earlier that day.
"What… what brings you here?" a Supreme Elder asked, his voice trembling.
"I've come to collect what's mine." The Dark Hall member spoke as he walked up to Ximen Baiyuan's body, removed the Universe Bag from his person, and took out his Emperor Armament — the Ancient Crocodile Body-Severing Blade.