The Might of a Grandmaster

The second brother, at the Ancestor Realm, couldn't even withstand a single move against Li Jiusheng—this shows just how powerful Li Jiusheng truly was.

He executed the [Grass and Wood Sword Technique], turning water into a sword. With a flick of his finger, surging sword energy shot forth, and in an instant, it slew an Outer Domain Ancestor.

After killing the second brother, Li Jiusheng arrived on the third floor and saw the eldest brother carefully collecting the Anomaly Diagram.

The eldest brother was completely unaware that under Li Jiusheng's domain coverage, his five senses and spiritual perception had all been rendered useless. He still thought nothing had happened, focusing intently on the Anomaly Diagram, brimming with excitement.

"This trip to the Old Land has been fruitful—we brothers infiltrated various sects, concealed our forms, and reaped a great harvest. What's more, just as we were about to leave, we found this Anomaly Diagram, a treasure one can only encounter by chance. It's truly been a worthwhile journey. Once we return to the Return to Ruins and use these resources to cultivate in seclusion for over a decade, the Great Grandmaster realm will surely be achieved. Then, if I can comprehend this Anomaly Diagram and succeed, even the Ancestor Realm might not be out of reach." The eldest brother in black was still lost in these boundless ambitions, carefully taking down the Anomaly Diagram and admiring it closely. He felt its endless wonders, myriad transformations, and unfathomable depth. Just a few deep glances drained most of his inspiration, forcing him to look away.

"Thank you for helping me find the Anomaly Diagram." Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind him, snapping the eldest brother in black to alertness. He spun around swiftly, glaring angrily. His Ancestor domain exploded outward with a bang, his aura surging as he growled, "Who?"

"Old thing, it's you." When he saw it was Li Jiusheng, the eldest brother in black was startled. He hadn't expected it to be Li Jiusheng. Wasn't the second brother supposed to be killing him?

Wait...

The eldest brother in black thought of a terrifying possibility and hurriedly asked, "Where's my second brother?"

"He's just set foot on the Yellow Springs Road. If you chase now, you might still catch up," Li Jiusheng said.

"You're asking for death!" The eldest brother in black's mind exploded, his eyes bloodshot. That was his own flesh-and-blood brother, born of the same mother, never separated from birth to now. How could he not rage? How could he not go mad?

Thump!

The eldest brother in black's domain pressed down. His muscles instantly swelled, his face flushed, and his body cracked and popped. In a few moments, like a balloon being inflated, he transformed into a five-meter-tall gorilla, covered in thick black bristles as tough as steel needles, wild and savage, charging straight at Li Jiusheng.

Li Jiusheng watched in surprise. What kind of cultivation method was this?

Atavism?

Beast transformation?

Or was the eldest brother in black himself a Demonic Beast?

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Li Jiusheng's mind. Facing the eldest brother's charge, he simply raised one hand and gently grasped, catching the beast-transformed fist. A tremendous force erupted, and with a light shake, a hundred Dragon Elephant Powers surged forth, bursting through his body. This was Li Jiusheng's first strike since his cultivation was complete, and fearing it might not be enough, he held nothing back.

A crack sounded, and the eldest brother in black's arm snapped instantly. The force continued to spread, from the arm to the collarbone, to the sternum, to the spine...

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Wherever the force passed, the eldest brother in black's bones shattered inch by inch. Before a hundred Dragon Elephant Powers, his gorilla form was utterly defenseless.

The excruciating pain cleared the eldest brother in black's eyes. He screamed, collapsing to the floor, trembling all over. The thick black bristles, like steel needles, rapidly receded, and his body shrank back to its original size.

"This is impossible!"

"This absolutely cannot be!"

"How can you, an old bastard, have such terrifying power?"

"Are you at the Ancestor Realm? No, even among Ancestor Realm cultivators, no one has power this fearsome. Are you a Great Grandmaster?"

The eldest brother in black couldn't believe it. The intense pain left him drenched in sweat, his face twisted. He stared in terror at Li Jiusheng, who stood spotless, in dark robes like a Daoist, as light as a breeze. His eyes were filled with fear and regret.

He knew he was finished this time.

Their previous successes had made the brothers overconfident. They hadn't scrutinized Li Jiusheng's oddities, always treating him as an ordinary old man.

"Did you know when we brothers arrived?" The eldest brother in black, clutching his shattered arm, backed away a few steps and asked through gritted teeth.

Li Jiusheng nodded. "I knew the moment you came."

The eldest brother in black laughed bitterly. Just as he had suspected, the brothers had been acting right under the old man's nose all along, with no privacy whatsoever.

"Since you found us, why didn't you kill us?" the eldest brother in black demanded angrily.

"If I killed you, who would find the Anomaly Diagram for me?" Li Jiusheng replied calmly.

"You..." The eldest brother in black seethed with rage. With a pfft, he spat a mouthful of blood toward Li Jiusheng, then in an instant, he dashed to the window, leaped, and jumped straight out.

Flee!

The eldest brother in black no longer thought of avenging his second brother. He only wanted to escape now. Only by escaping could he have a chance to talk about revenge.

Li Jiusheng's strength had crushed any desire to fight. His Totem Dharma Body had been shattered in an instant, and the eldest brother in black knew that even ten of him working together wouldn't be a match for that old bastard.

Only by fleeing was there a sliver of hope.

Jumping down from the Scripture Repository Pavilion, the eldest brother in black constantly stimulated his injured body with secret techniques, unleashing immense potential and pushing his speed to the limit as he ran toward the mountain gate.

As he ran, he kept looking back to see if the old bastard was chasing him.

But what met his eyes was Li Jiusheng, motionless by the third-floor window of the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Facing the fleeing eldest brother, he simply raised a hand, pressed his fingers together like a sword, and made a light slash.

[Grass and Wood Sword Technique]

In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged. 'Momentum' and 'Essence' intertwined. All the laws he had comprehended during this time gathered into that single slash, which he struck out fiercely.

Clang!

In the early morning, mist wreathed the mountain wilds. The distant peaks were like dark brows, layered one upon another. The spiritual energy of the wilderness howled, coalescing into a sword dozens of miles long, which slashed down directly.

This sword seemed as if it would cleave through the layered mountain ranges, its might immense, making the eldest brother in black's eyes nearly split. How terrifying was this? He dodged swiftly, but no matter where he ran, the sword energy followed.

Pfft!

This slash struck the eldest brother in black, making his whole body shudder violently. His gaze shifted from anxiety, fear, and terror to blankness, then dissipated.

His body slowly fell, limp as a noodle. A moment later, blood gushed forth, soaking the mountain wilds.

Li Jiusheng walked slowly, the spiritual energy around him still curling around his second brother. With a casual strike, a large hole split open in this area far from the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Li Jiusheng tossed both brothers' corpses inside, burying them on the spot, keeping only their storage magical treasures.

"In your next life, don't be thieves."

"And then, keep your eyes sharper."

Li Jiusheng took the storage pouches and turned back toward the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

He needed to carefully study just how many sects' secret techniques these two brothers had stolen.