After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 179 Blocking
Murong Xiaoya's slender figure stood silently before the open gate of the ancestral hall.

Murong Zhen lay on his side on the high stone steps in front of the door, a broken sword piercing his chest. Beside him were a group of Murong family members who had been dead for a long time.

Blood slowly seeped from beneath these people, forming a waterfall along the stone steps below and staining the ground crimson.

On the left side of the inner courtyard, broken blades were nailed to the four walls like a tornado on a remaining screen wall. Five elders dressed in the robes of the four major families were all impaled and nailed to death by broken weapons.

"Little sister..."

As if sensing Murong Xiaoya's arrival, Murong Zhen tried with difficulty to open his blood-stained eyes, but no matter what he did, he couldn't open them.

The next moment, Murong Xiaoya, tears streaming down her face, rushed to the other person's side. Her fair hands gripped the broken sword, her whole body trembling, unable to speak, only sobbing:

"Second brother, why...why did this happen..."

Murong Zhen slowly raised his scarred arm, and only by following the wound on his abdomen and the broken sword could he grasp Murong Xiaoya's hand.

"Don't be afraid... The Murong family is gone... but you must live on..."

Murong Zhen spoke weakly, his voice barely audible, as he was on the verge of death.

Murong Xiaoya burst into tears. Even though she tried her best to channel her inner energy into Murong Zhen, it dissipated as much as she channeled in, making it completely useless.

"Go...to find your...third brother..."

At the last moment of his life, Murong Zhen finally opened his eyes, glanced at his little sister, and slowly breathed his last.

"Do not……"

Murong Xiaoya tightly embraced Murong Zhen's body, sobbing uncontrollably in the twilight.

Behind them, in the courtyard that resembled ruins, Hu Ruian and the others stood silently watching this scene.

Shen Anran looked reluctant and wanted to go forward to comfort her, but at that moment, Murong Xiaoya gently put down Murong Zhen's body, suddenly turned around and rushed into the ancestral hall, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Shen Anran hurriedly tried to follow, but Hu Ruian reached out and grabbed her, saying:
"The ancestral hall is not a place for outsiders to enter. Although the Murong family is gone, we should not enter without the permission of the Murong family."

Then, seemingly worried that Shen Anran might be uneasy, he spoke again:

"There's no one in the ancestral hall, so Miss Murong will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Shen Anran stopped in her tracks. Not long after, Murong Xiaoya leaped out from a broken roof and left from behind the ancestral hall, heading towards a certain place in the now-ruined Murong family compound.

Noticing this, Hu Ruian turned to look at Li Musheng. Seeing the other party nod slightly, he moved and disappeared from his spot, following in the direction of Murong Xiaoya.

In the study, which was mostly collapsed and destroyed, yellowed pages of paper fluttered like butterflies amidst the blood, wind, fire, and dust.

On the only remaining vermilion wooden pillar, a broken spear pierced Murong Feng's skull, and twelve copper nails firmly pinned his limbs to the ground.

Murong Xiaoya stopped abruptly, looking at the mangled body scorched by flames. She wept as she pulled out the copper nails one by one and reached out to pluck the broken spear from the other's skull.

Then, Murong Feng's body was placed on the flat ground in front of the ruins of the study.

She stared at her brother's corpse for a long time before finally rushing into the still slowly burning study.

Just then, several figures leaped through the broken walls and ruins, rushing towards them from not far away.

"It's Murong Hong's youngest daughter!"

Some people spotted Murong Xiaoya and immediately recognized her, charging towards her. However, in the next instant, a figure appeared abruptly, blocking their path:
"If you don't want to die, leave quickly."

The four people sensed the terrifying martial arts aura emanating from Hu Ruian and immediately stopped in their tracks in fear.

However, at this moment, an old figure followed from behind the group and arrived not far from Hu Ruian in the blink of an eye.

"The Murong family has been wiped out of the martial arts world from this day forward. You seem to be not a member of the Murong family, so why bother getting involved in this mess?"

The old man in the brocade robe squinted at Hu Ruian and spoke.

Hu Ruian glanced at the other person and slowly shook his head:

“I am a member of the imperial court and have no intention of getting involved in the conflicts between you martial arts factions. However, this woman has a past with us, and we cannot stand by and watch her die.”

Upon hearing this, the old man in the brocade robe's expression shifted slightly. He sized up Hu Ruian for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"I heard that a group of people escorted Murong Hong's daughter back to the city yesterday. Could it be that you were them?"

Hu Ruian did not hide anything, but simply nodded.

Upon seeing this, the old man in the brocade robe's expression changed drastically, and he immediately cupped his hands and bowed his head, saying:

"I was rash just now. Since you want to protect this woman, there is naturally no problem."

After saying this, the old man in the brocade robe turned and angrily rebuked the four people in front of Hu Ruian, and then immediately took his leave without hesitation.

Upon seeing this, the four dared not linger any longer and quickly followed the old man away.

After getting some distance away from Hu Ruian, the four turned around and looked back, then asked the old man in the brocade robe ahead with a puzzled expression:
"Senior, that was Murong Hong's daughter just now. The family heads ordered us to eliminate her completely. Why did you suddenly stop?"

Upon hearing this, the old man in the brocade robe turned around and glared coldly, saying:
"A bunch of idiots, do you know how Baili Changfeng died? He was killed by a single finger strike from the master behind that man."

"My strength is not even as good as Baili Changfeng's. Do you want me to be killed too?"

Upon hearing this, all four were stunned, and then their souls seemed to tremble with fear.

News of Baili Changfeng's death has gradually spread, and they have naturally heard about it as well.

In particular, everyone agreed that the person who killed Baili Changfeng must be a terrifying martial arts master on par with their ancestors.

Upon hearing the old man in brocade robes say that the four of them had actually offended the other group, they were immediately filled with lingering fear, as if they had just walked through the gates of hell.

"Alright, Murong Hong's daughter has only average martial arts talent and poses no threat to our four major families. She is not worth worrying about. We can find another opportunity to eliminate her completely in the future."

The old man in the brocade robe waved his hand, but his gaze drifted to the ruins of the Murong mansion before him, and he sighed with emotion:

"Who could have imagined that the number one martial arts family in the entire Shengzhou would be wiped out in a single day? Although our four major families also paid an extremely heavy price for this, it was all worth it."

Upon hearing this, the four people beside him immediately nodded in agreement.

With the destruction of the Murong family, the assets that the Murong family had accumulated over hundreds of years in various parts of Shengzhou would fall into the hands of the four major families. This time, the four major families would not lose out at all.

At this moment, the old man in the brocade robe gently shook his head and said:
"But we underestimated Murong Hong. She actually fought two patriarchs alone. She can be considered to have died with honor!"

(End of this chapter)