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Blackwood Village.

Blackwood House.

"Qingyu, three days from now, we'll go to the dock beside Huangzhi Mountain in the middle of the night and wait for your second brother to come out. Then we'll leave this place together."

When Lu Qingfeng returned to Blackwood Village, he did not hide anything from Qingyu and told her the plan directly.

The little girl's eyes went wide, just like her second brother's had when he heard the news.

Then she nervously looked around, keeping watch on every side. Only after that did she throw her arms around Lu Qingfeng and whisper into his ear, "Big Brother, have you finished cultivating? I knew it—Big Brother is the strongest! Don't worry, Big Brother. I definitely won't hold you back."

Unlike Lu Qingshan, Qingyu trusted Lu Qingfeng unconditionally.

Even if Lu Qingfeng told her now that he had already cultivated to the Mahayana realm and was about to ascend, the girl would believe him without the slightest hesitation, then happily ask Big Brother to take her with him when he ascended.

"That's wonderful!"

"In three more days, we'll be able to rescue Second Brother. I wonder if he's cried at Huangzhi Mountain, or if anyone has bullied him."

Qingyu hugged Lu Qingfeng around the neck and kept whispering into his ear.

She was truly overjoyed.

Although Second Brother was annoying at times and loved to cry, after not seeing him for half a year, Lu Qingyu realized that he was not actually all that annoying.

The moment she imagined him suffering at Huangzhi Mountain, her heart ached, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

But now everything was fine. Big Brother had finished cultivating and could take her to rescue Second Brother. After that, the three of them could be together again.

Lu Qingyu was so excited that she nearly danced for joy.

Holding his younger sister, Lu Qingfeng felt her excitement. His heart was somewhat uneasy, but anticipation and yearning filled it even more.

"Blackwood Village."

"Return to Truth Sect."

"We're finally leaving!"

He had lived in Blackwood Village for sixteen years, always beneath the shadow of the Return to Truth Sect.

His father had been beaten to death, and his younger brother had been taken to Huangzhi Mountain to serve as a slave, whipped at will. Life had bent him beneath its weight as well. Though still young, his back had already begun to hunch.

But ever since the "Primordial World" had appeared, everything had gradually improved, just like his increasingly strong and upright body!

The three days passed quickly.

The night before Lu Qingshan was to set out.

Once midnight passed, the sky was pitch-black. The heavens were on their side tonight: dark clouds veiled the moon, and not a single star could be seen.

Taking advantage of the pitch-dark night, Lu Qingfeng carried Qingyu on his back and nimbly leaped out of Blackwood House.

Their home stood on the very outskirts of Blackwood Village, so leaving the village was easy.

Lying on her big brother's back, Lu Qingyu pursed her lips and did not even dare let her breathing make a sound. Her little face had flushed crimson from holding it in. She had behaved very well these past three days. Although excited, she had seemed no different from usual on the surface, and no one had noticed anything unusual.

But now.

When the real operation began, Lu Qingyu was still nervous to the extreme. She did not dare breathe loudly, and every muscle in her body was taut.

"All right, we're out."

Lu Qingfeng patted Qingyu, worried that she would hurt herself by holding her breath.

"Huff, huff!"

"Are we out?"

Lu Qingyu took several breaths of fresh air and asked in a tiny voice. It was too dark at night for her to see anything, so she could only cling tightly to Lu Qingfeng.

"Mm. We're out."

Lu Qingfeng nodded.

He cultivated the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture," which had improved his physique. Thus, even in the pitch-black night, he could barely make out the scenery five or six meters ahead.

"That's wonderful!"

Lu Qingyu cheered softly. Her voice sounded jarringly loud outside the silent village, frightening her into covering her mouth at once. She did not dare speak again.

After leaving Blackwood Village, they followed the Chengyang River eastward.

Relying on his memory, Lu Qingfeng carried Qingyu into a patch of woods not far from the dock and stopped there.

He looked at the sky. There was still some time before dawn.

Lu Qingfeng took out some insect-repelling powder and scattered it around them to avoid being bitten by poisonous insects and having their plans ruined.

Lu Qingyu carefully pressed herself close to Lu Qingfeng.

She was so nervous that she could not speak.

"Don't be nervous. Your second brother will arrive first thing tomorrow morning. Then we'll be able to leave this place!" Lu Qingfeng held Qingyu and comforted her softly.

"Mm."

Lu Qingyu nodded vigorously, feeling a little less tense.

Waiting was always the hardest part.

The closer the moment came, the more unbearable it became.

As dawn approached but had yet to arrive, even Lu Qingfeng's mouth had gone dry, and his mind was a blank expanse of Chaos. He was merely an ordinary transmigrator who had never left Blackwood Village since his rebirth. The biggest conflict he had ever experienced was striking Zhou Quan with a woodcutter's saber and injuring him.

In the game, aside from cultivating, concocting pills, and running a stall, he had never clashed with anyone, much less possessed any combat experience.

This time was different.

He was going to kill someone!

And on the Return to Truth Sect's territory at that. He was going to kill an inner disciple of the Return to Truth Sect. If he made even one mistake, the three siblings would die here on the spot.

It would have been a lie to say he was not nervous.

Lu Qingyu lay in Lu Qingfeng's arms and had fallen asleep at some point. The little girl could not hold out any longer, but Lu Qingfeng did not dare sleep. He kept his eyes open and stayed on guard until dawn.

Finally.

Daybreak came.

Lu Qingfeng still held Qingyu in his arms as he looked toward Huangzhi Mountain. Huangzhi Mountain lay to the north, while the Chengyang River lay to the south. A simple dock stood along the riverbank, with seven or eight narrow boats moored there.

"Almost time!"

Lu Qingfeng raised his head and looked at the sky. It was already broad daylight.

According to Lu Qingshan, they would set out after daybreak. They would gather at Huangzhi Mountain, and reaching the dock would take about half an hour. By now, nearly half an hour had passed since dawn!

"Hmm?"

"They're here!"

Just as Lu Qingfeng was feeling uneasy, several figures appeared from the direction of Huangzhi Mountain. The leader strode forward like a dragon or tiger, a Nine-Ring Saber in hand. He should be Wu Yuan, an inner disciple of the Return to Truth Sect.

Six others followed behind him obsequiously. Among them was none other than Lu Qingshan.

Even from a distance, Lu Qingshan could be seen secretly glancing around. Lu Qingfeng was concealed by the trees in the woods, however, so Lu Qingshan failed to notice him for the moment.

After watching from the woods for a while, Lu Qingfeng saw that Lu Qingshan had his left arm held behind his back, and his heart settled completely.

"Qingyu, wake up. Your second brother is here. Just as we discussed, don't give us away." Lu Qingfeng shook Qingyu awake, then gave her one final reminder.

"Huh?"

"Oh!"

Lu Qingyu had just woken up and was still somewhat dazed. Then she realized what they were about to do. Her drowsiness vanished in an instant, replaced by a wave of nervousness.

"That's it!"

Lu Qingfeng pulled Qingyu, whose legs and even entire body were trembling, out of the woods.

Wu Yuan had a square, upright face and looked to be in his twenties. He wore a gray martial shirt and held a Nine-Ring Saber in his hand, his expression somewhat grave.

The dangers of the South Bank of the Chengyang River were enough to make even the members of the Return to Truth Sect turn pale. Although he had brought six newly recruited servants this time, no one could say whether they would return safely.

"Damn this trial system!"

Wu Yuan cursed inwardly. Even though he had made all the preparations and only then broken through his cultivation technique to advance to inner disciple, he still felt somewhat uneasy now that the moment had arrived.

Unfortunately, the laws of the Return to Truth Sect were greater than the heavens.

Even after becoming an inner disciple, he still could not resist.

His heart trembled with unease, but his face revealed nothing.

Wu Yuan led the six servants toward the dock.

Suddenly, the corner of his eye caught sight of a young man and a dark, terrified little girl stumbling out of the woods beside them.

"Who let them come?!"

With one glance, Wu Yuan guessed that the two had come to see one of the six servants behind him. Otherwise, why would a young man and a little girl appear at the dock for no reason?

Wu Yuan shouted the question, his gaze landing on the somewhat flustered Lu Qingshan.

This servant was from Blackwood Village. He had an elder brother and a younger sister. It had to be him!

"Did you let them come?"

Wu Yuan stared at Lu Qingshan. Lu Qingshan did not dare breathe loudly, and the other five servants likewise did not dare make a sound.

The atmosphere froze.

"Immortal! Immortal!"

"My sister and I decided on our own to come see Qingshan off. Please, Immortal, don't blame him!"

Lu Qingfeng pulled his sister a few quick steps forward, his face panicked as he approached Wu Yuan and the others.

"Don't blame him?"

"You acted on your own! Who gave you the nerve?"

Wu Yuan was already in a foul mood, and this servant had happened to throw himself at him. How could he possibly let them off easily?

"I was the one who told Big Brother when we were leaving. Please calm down, my lord!"

Lu Qingshan panicked, hurriedly kneeling on the ground and repeatedly kowtowing as he begged for mercy.

"Useless!"

Seeing this only made Wu Yuan more irritated. He kicked Lu Qingshan directly in the chest. The kick was extremely heavy, sending Lu Qingshan flying several meters and causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Qingshan!"

"Second Brother!"

Seeing Lu Qingshan beaten, Lu Qingfeng and Qingyu immediately panicked and sprinted toward him.

"I've been looking for somewhere to vent all this fire in me. Since you brothers delivered yourselves to my doorstep, I'll spare your lives for now. This black girl is ugly, but she'll do well enough to vent my frustration!"

Wu Yuan's gaze turned vicious, like a ferocious fiend, as he looked Lu Qingyu up and down.

At that moment.

Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu had already reached them. Just as they were about to pass Wu Yuan and head toward where Lu Qingshan had fallen, a sinister smile appeared at the corner of Wu Yuan's mouth, and he reached out to grab Lu Qingyu.

"You!"

"Damn you!"

Wu Yuan thrust out a palm. The panic on Lu Qingfeng's face vanished in an instant, replaced by boundless killing intent.

This man had injured Qingshan and intended to defile Qingyu!

He deserved to die!

He had to die!

"Hmm?"

When Wu Yuan saw the change in Lu Qingfeng's expression, his heart suddenly jolted. The next moment, an overwhelming sense of deadly danger descended upon him, followed by heat beyond compare.

"What is this—"

Wu Yuan's expression changed drastically.

He realized something was wrong, but before he could react, an intensely condensed fireball appeared before him and exploded with a boom.

The distance was too close. Lu Qingfeng had disguised himself as harmless and launched a sudden, ruthless attack.

Wu Yuan had no time to react in any other way. He instinctively raised the Nine-Ring Saber in front of him and chopped down hard!

Lifeless Saber Technique!

Boom!

The fireball collided with the saber. The Nine-Ring Saber suddenly grew scorching hot, burning Wu Yuan so badly that he hurriedly released it and retreated.

At the same time, the fireball was cleaved apart by the Nine-Ring Saber and exploded.

But Lu Qingfeng pressed forward at once. With a thought, his inner breath circulated, and another fireball tore through the air and smashed toward Wu Yuan.

This time, there was no Nine-Ring Saber to block it. Wu Yuan's pupils instantly widened. The Fire Bolt was too fast—there was no way to dodge it.

Turtle Shell!

His inner breath surged, and the faint pattern of a tortoiseshell appeared across his skin. His defensive power rose to its limit.

This was a powerful martial art that disciples of the Return to Truth Sect could master only after cultivating the "Return to Truth Technique" to the fourth layer. Using the inner breath of the "Return to Truth Technique" to temper the body, it forged the flesh into something like a tortoiseshell—unafraid of blades or weapons, impervious to water and fire!

The "Return to Truth Technique"!

The "Turtle True Technique"!

The name of the cultivation technique had come from this very ability.

However, Wu Yuan had only just entered the fourth layer and had not yet had enough time to master this art. At most, his defense could withstand a single strike from someone at the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.

As for the Fire Bolt Technique Lu Qingfeng had unleashed, it was already one of the more powerful low-grade spells. When cast by someone at the First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, it could threaten someone at the second layer. The Fire Bolt Technique in Lu Qingfeng's hands had been strengthened twice over and was further empowered by Blazing Sun Force.

Even someone at the fourth layer would have to die here if they lacked a Talisman Artifact or a spell to protect them!

Boom!

The Fire Bolt Technique struck Wu Yuan directly in the face. For a newly promoted inner disciple of the Return to Truth Sect, being able to master a few martial arts was already impressive. As for Talisman Artifacts and spells, Wu Yuan had likely never even seen them in his entire life.

How could he withstand the Fire Bolt Technique?!

"Ah!"

The Fire Bolt Technique smashed into his face, and Wu Yuan let out a scream that pierced to the depths of his soul. His inner breath collapsed completely. Covering his face with both hands, he fell to the ground and screamed frenziedly, making everyone's hair stand on end!

"Die!"

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng kicked Wu Yuan in the chest and sent him flying several meters!

The battle had gone far more smoothly than expected!

Caught off guard, Wu Yuan had relied on instinct to block the first Fire Bolt. But once the Nine-Ring Saber had left his hands, his fate had already been sealed.

How could a mortal body withstand the Fire Bolt Technique after it had been strengthened twice and empowered by Blazing Sun Force?!

The Fire Bolt Technique burned away the flesh on Wu Yuan's face until his skull showed. Then the flames began burning from his hair, setting his clothes ablaze as well.

Wu Yuan became a man of fire!

And died then and there!

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