Demonic Heart Seed

The entire corridor fell silent at once, the smile on the young man's face freezing in an instant.

The two hiding by the stairs no longer concealed themselves either. Their hurried footsteps echoed as they quickly came up behind the young man.

The three stared at Li Musheng, killing intent rising in their eyes, yet they could not gauge his strength for the moment and hesitated to advance.

Li Musheng shook his head. The three before him were far too weak; only one of them had barely reached the Innate Realm.

To be honest, although he knew they had come to kill him, he truly did not have the slightest desire to make a move.

"What are you trying to do?"

At that moment, the eunuch Little Anzi suddenly appeared at one end of the corridor. Seeing this scene, he immediately hurried over.

"Attack! Once people from the palace arrive, it will be too late for everything."

One of the young men gave a low roar, a vicious glint flashing across his face as he charged at Li Musheng first.

At his words, the other two stopped hesitating. Their internal force sank into their feet, and they shot forward with a sudden burst, trailing a gust of wind as they followed close behind.

However, Little Anzi seemed exceptionally skilled in lightness kung fu. His movement speed was clearly faster, and in just a few flickers, he had arrived before them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several palm gusts condensed with Yin Sunflower True Qi lashed out, stirring up a sheet of frigid force that slammed fiercely toward the three men.

As though blasted head-on by a biting cold wind, two of them shuddered from head to toe. Before their charging steps could even land, they were sent flying the next instant.

True Qi surged through the remaining man as he threw a punch, shattering the force before him. Just as he was about to continue charging toward Li Musheng, he abruptly crashed into a slanting palm strike from Little Anzi.

Strands of Yin Sunflower True Qi coiled around that palm. It was incomparably fierce, making even the surrounding air several degrees colder.

Bang!

The young man in scholarly robes was sent flying, following in the footsteps of the other two. He crashed onto the corridor floor, splintering the wooden boards and sending debris flying everywhere.

"Aurora Pavilion has long had rules forbidding private fights. Just wait to receive your punishment."

Little Anzi stood before Li Musheng, staring coldly at the three men on the ground.

Two of them suddenly spat out mouthfuls of clotted blood. Clutching their chests, they struggled to prop themselves up. One was clearly filled with regret, gritting his teeth as he said:

"If we had known, we should not have hesitated just now! We missed the best chance to kill him!"

The other turned his head, his face pale as he looked toward the young man in scholarly robes and asked:

"We are no match for that little eunuch. What should we do now?"

At that, the young man in scholarly robes wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but said nothing. He merely stared fixedly at Li Musheng.

"Are you still thinking of making a move?"

Little Anzi narrowed his eyes. True Qi silently circulated beneath his palm as he remained ready to deal with a sudden attack from the man before him.

At that moment, the young man in scholarly robes slowly rose to his feet. He lowered his gaze and swept it over the other two beside him, his voice icy as he said:

"We still have a chance. We only need you two to lend me a hand."

The other two immediately lit up at his words. Just as they were about to speak, a hand had already fallen onto their heads.

Before the two young men could understand what was happening, their bodies suddenly slipped beyond their control. They began to tremble violently and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Strands of crimson blood energy flowed rapidly through the scholarly-robed young man's palms and into his body, while the skin of his face gradually filled out and glowed with renewed vitality.

Thud!

The scholarly-robed young man, his face flushed with health, gave a push. The two bodies, now like dried corpses, toppled to the ground in response.

"Thank you. I will help you fulfill your wishes."

Blood-red light flickered in the scholarly-robed young man's eyes as he slowly raised his head toward Little Anzi and Li Musheng. A faint, cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Are you one of the demonic path?"

Little Anzi stared at him with full vigilance, his expression uncertain and alarmed. Yet he soon shook his head and said:

"Impossible. Everyone entering Aurora Pavilion is secretly inspected. If you cultivated demonic path techniques, there is no way you could have concealed it!"

The scholarly-robed young man lightly twisted his neck and said:

"No wonder you are such a young little eunuch. Your knowledge truly is pitifully shallow!"

The moment his words fell, the scholarly-robed young man's figure turned into a streak of blood shadow and vanished from where he stood.

Little Anzi only felt a nauseating stench of blood rush at him, and his opponent had already arrived before him.

His pupils immediately contracted. His palm, already condensed with Yin Sunflower True Qi, abruptly struck toward the crimson figure before him.

Yet in the next instant, Little Anzi discovered in horror that his palm strike had hit nothing but a blood-red afterimage.

The real scholarly-robed young man had suddenly appeared at his side, and with him came a hair-raising sense of mortal danger.

From the corner of his eye, Little Anzi saw that the young man's pale hand had somehow grown sharp crimson nails like blades, which were viciously gouging toward his heart.

Fear and despair flashed across his face. Yet just as he thought that his heart would be torn out the next moment and that he would die on the spot,

those crimson nails, like the scythe of death itself, barely stopped just half an inch before his heart.

Little Anzi's eyes widened, and he instinctively swallowed.

Before he could understand what had happened, a lazy voice sounded beside his ear:

"How was that? Exciting enough?"

Little Anzi stiffly turned his neck and looked back, only to discover Li Musheng calmly watching him.

Little Anzi hurriedly staggered back several steps, moving his heart away from those crimson nails that could have taken his life at any moment.

Then, looking at the scholarly-robed young man before him, whose face was twisted yet whose body remained motionless, he finally understood.

He took a deep breath, turned toward Li Musheng, and bowed deeply with clasped hands.

"Thank you, Young Master Li, for saving this servant's life. This servant is endlessly grateful!"

Li Musheng had previously helped him disperse the Northern Qi Meditation Qi, something even his godfather An Quan could not do.

This time, Li Musheng had saved him again. Though he did not know exactly how strong Li Musheng was, he must surely be extraordinarily formidable.

At that, Li Musheng shrugged and walked over, stopping before the scholarly-robed young man.

Yet in his heart, he was pondering the creation of the Life-Death Seal martial art.

Judging from Little Anzi's reaction just now, true fear indeed came from the sensation at that instant when one faced life and death. That should be the principle behind why the Life-Death Seal tormented people so terribly.

As he pondered, he flicked his finger. The young man before him, whose face was flushed red and whose eyes were bloodshot, suddenly moved his throat and finally became able to speak. However, his voice was hysterical:

"Die, die, die! Die for me!"

Li Musheng paid it no mind and merely raised a brow as he asked:

"You brat, did you practice the Star-Sucking Great Art?"

However, the scholarly-robed young man did not answer. His eyes only grew redder, and he cursed and raved as though he had gone insane.

Li Musheng frowned slightly at the sight, preparing to test the Life-Death Seal martial art that he had just gained some insight into on this man.

However, at that moment, a soft, sinister voice drifted down from midair:

"If this old servant is not mistaken, this should be the 'Demonic Heart Seed'!"