Rewarding a Pill, Bestowing a Blade

The lives and souls of hundreds of thousands of He True Person were all contained within the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner.

The moment the last wisp of soul was dragged into the banner by the black chains,

The colossal banner, which blotted out the sky, slowly shrank and fell back into Gao Yunyi's palm.

The valley returned to deathly silence, leaving only corpses scattered on the ground and pools of dark red blood that were gradually congealing.

Gao Yunyi stood on the Viewing Platform, his body radiating an intense, blood-red Sha Qi.

That was the karma of killing formed from the resentment and hatred that had festered after hundreds of thousands of lives were lost at his hands.

The Sha Qi surged and rose around him, almost solidifying into a tangible form.

Like a thin veil of blood, it enveloped his entire being.

If an ordinary mortal were to take even half a step closer, they would likely be overwhelmed by this Sha Qi, their mind and spirit shattered.

At this moment,

Rather than being Immortal,

He's more like a god of war who's just emerged from a battlefield of carnage.

But he felt no pleasure whatsoever.

There was no exhilarating feeling of slaughtering all the enemy, no triumphant satisfaction of being invincible.

There wasn't even the slightest ripple of emotion.

An endless emptiness, like a tide, silently engulfed him.

Too many people have been killed.

Hundreds of thousands of lives, in his eyes, had long since become nothing more than cold, hard numbers.

He raised his hand, brought up the long-unused system panel, and glanced at the gains from this battle.

My experience points have increased significantly.

But this amount of experience isn't even enough to level him up twice.

Nothing was found on those He True Person.

There wasn't a single material or piece of equipment.

Gao Yunyi frowned slightly, then slowly relaxed.

He understood.

At his current level, the beings of this world can no longer provide him with the massive amount of experience needed to continue leveling up.

Those ordinary people and those foreigners are not even qualified to give him experience now.

Unless,

He destroyed the entire world and slaughtered all living things.

But what's the point?

He never sought destruction itself.

If it's for a little experience, to completely obliterate this world that's finally starting to have some interest...

Then how is he any different from those Outer Dao and heretics?

Gao Yunyi withdrew his gaze, having already made up his mind.

He decided to retreat to the depths of Changbai Mountain for a period of time.

Firstly, it gradually erodes the immense, almost solidified, bloodthirsty aura within the body.

Secondly, by using meditation skills, one can gradually accumulate that meager, albeit insignificant, experience.

Thirdly, it also gives this world time to breathe, develop, and upgrade.

When he emerges from seclusion, the world will perhaps be a completely different place.

Having made up his mind, Gao Yunyi was about to leave...

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry could be faintly heard coming from a distant mountain.

It was the voice of that young man Zhang Qishan.

Gao Yunyi's figure flashed,

The next instant, they appeared on the mountaintop.

On the snow,

Zhang Qishan knelt there, holding the swaddled baby tightly in his arms.

She cried so hard her whole body was trembling, her face streaked with tears.

The swaddled baby in his arms was Jingjing, the little infant who was always fast asleep.

At this moment, she lay motionless, her small face pale and bluish-white, no longer breathing.

Zhang Qishan held his younger brother helplessly, calling out repeatedly:

"Little brother! Little brother, wake up! Don't scare me!"

No matter how much he shook and cried, the little life in his arms gave no response.

This young man, who had just survived the massacre of his entire family and barely managed to live with the Immortal, was once again pushed to the brink of despair.

Gao Yunyi watched this scene calmly, without saying a word.

He remembered that if it weren't for this boy risking his fear to lead the way for him,

He couldn't find the gathering place of the various Hezhen so quickly and wipe out all these troublemakers in one fell swoop.

Gao Yunyi never liked owing anyone anything.

So he spoke calmly:

"Take it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a red Pill landed in front of Zhang Qishan.

Also falling was a long, narrow, jet-black sword.

That Pill was Level Two Spirit-Stabilizing Pill, enough to bring someone back from the dead.

The black knife was just something I picked up along the way.

He felt that the Northeastern Zhang Household should possess a black knife.

Zhang Qishan was stunned for a moment, then pounced on it as if he had found a treasure.

Trembling, she picked up the Pill and hurriedly stuffed it into her younger brother's mouth.

The moment the Pill entered her throat, her small body trembled slightly.

His previously pale face regained a sliver of color at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Immediately afterwards, a faint but real cry rang out from the swaddling clothes.

My younger brother is alive again.

Zhang Qishan felt a wave of relief wash over him. Holding his long-lost younger brother, he cried and laughed, tears streaming down his face.

Then, with a thud, he knelt down in the snow and kowtowed deeply to Gao Yunyi:

"Thank you Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"

Ximen Changhai, standing to the side, was already deeply moved.

His trip to Liaodong was specifically for his daughter's illness.

Witnessing firsthand how an Immortal casually wielded an Immortal Elixir to bring a lifeless infant back to life, his hope was instantly ignited to its fullest extent.

He longed to kneel down and beg the Immortal to grant him an Immortal Elixir as well.

Please save his bedridden daughter who doesn't have much time left.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

He was just an ordinary mortal, and the fact that he had received guidance on Sword Dao from Immortal was already an immense blessing; he had yet to repay this kindness.

How could I possibly have the nerve to ask the Immortals for a life-saving Immortal Elixir now?

The more he thought about it, the more he struggled; his throat bobbed, his hands clenched and unclenched.

He remained frozen in place, unable to utter a single word.

Gao Yunyi seemed to see through his thoughts, and with a slight smile, he asked:

"Have you found your thousand-year-old ginseng?"

Ximen Changhai trembled violently.

These words were like a needle, piercing straight into the deepest, most painful part of his heart.

After searching for over a month in the deep mountains, traversing countless peaks and valleys, they found nothing and could only descend the mountain in disappointment.

All the heartache, struggle, and shame surged into my heart at this moment.

Ximen Changhai could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to his knees with a thud.

Disregarding all sense of face and dignity, he simply kowtowed repeatedly, pleading in a hoarse voice:

"Azure Profound Immortal Venerable! My daughter is gravely ill and on the verge of death! I beg you, Immortal Venerable, to have mercy and grant me a single Immortal Elixir to save my daughter!"

"I am willing to serve the Immortal Venerable like a slave, even to the point of being shattered to pieces, to repay your great kindness!"

He banged his head against the rocks hard and fast, his forehead striking the frozen, hard rock.

One, two, and beads of blood rolled down his forehead, staining a patch of snow red.

Gao Yunyi looked at this swordsman who had abandoned all his pride to save his daughter.

Looking at this middle-aged version of Uncle Benshan's face, one can't help but feel a sense of goodwill.

Looking at the wild boar hides at his feet,

She smiled faintly and casually tossed him a red Pill.

"Take this to save your children."

Ximen Changhai received the Pill with trembling hands, as if holding a priceless treasure. He kowtowed heavily, his forehead bleeding again from the impact.

"Thank you Immortal Venerable! Thank you Immortal Venerable, for saving my life!"

He looked up, wanting to say something more to express his gratitude, but found that there was no one in front of him.

Silence reigned all around, broken only by the mournful sound of the wind.

Holding his younger brother, who had regained his breath, in one arm and carrying a long, black sword in the other, Zhang Qishan walked to Ximen Changhai, who was still kneeling in the snow, and spoke softly:

"Uncle Ximen, the Immortal... he's gone."

Ximen Changhai stared blankly at the empty snowfield before him, then looked down at the warm, glowing Pill in his palm.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He carefully put away the Pills, stood up, and stared in the direction Gao Yunyi had left, remaining silent for a long time.