Since childhood, the "immortals" who had ruled over their world in their minds had seemed untouchable. And yet Li Ji'an, a fellow "mortal" who had lived among them day in and day out, had just punched one to death.
The outcome turned their understanding of the world upside down!
It also made the others' faces burn with shame.
Earlier, when the young immortal master had declared that vital energy and blood were useless for cultivation, they had all felt disappointed—and, at the same time, a trace of schadenfreude.
It wasn't because they were particularly spiteful. It was simply human nature.
After all, Li Ji'an's martial prowess had overshadowed them for more than a decade. At twenty-seven, he had achieved the Great Perfection of Vital Energy and Blood and mastered external martial arts. He ranked among the top ten on the Grandmaster Ranking, surpassing even the patriarchs of their lineages. They hadn't even dared to compare themselves to him.
When they suddenly felt they might be able to surpass him, how could they not let their minds run wild?
But now, they finally understood. Before they had seen an immortal, they had looked at Li Ji'an as a frog in a well looked at the moon in the sky.
And now, they looked at him as a mayfly gazed up at the blue sky!
"Brat! I'll tear you limb from limb!" One of the people fighting the young immortal master in the distance sensed the disturbance. His eyes bloodshot, he let out a furious roar.
"Don't get distracted!" the other man hurriedly snapped.
As for the other masked cultivator below, after his companion's blood splashed all over him, he immediately fled.
The mighty physique of the body cultivator had terrified him. He was just like the "Blood Slave" they had frightened out of his wits earlier.
"So this is an immortal? Heh... hehehe..." Seeing the man flee, one of the immortal prospects suddenly burst into tears. Disappointment and self-mockery welled up in him, and he felt that the dream of becoming an immortal he'd cherished since childhood had suddenly shattered.
Li Ji'an gave him no chance to escape. His steps shifted, and he appeared behind him like a ghost. One punch broke through the Protective Magic Barrier, then a sword of vital energy pierced straight through the man's chest with ease. He died a far more peaceful death.
Li Ji'an swiftly searched him from head to toe. Other than the flying sword, the man had nothing on him—not even the Storage Bag the young immortal master carried.
Li Ji'an couldn't tell whether the man was simply poor or had deliberately left it behind for the mission.
As for the man whose head he had smashed with one punch, he hadn't even had a flying sword.
"So it was you!" Just then, a powerful shockwave erupted where the three people were fighting in the distance.
The young immortal master's Stone Seal finally buckled under the other side's assault and exploded. The blast's aftershock scattered the light concealing the two "Robber Cultivators," revealing their true faces.
"Guangling, don't blame us. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for refusing to see reason," the old man said with a sigh, quickly regaining his composure.
"You still have a chance. If you come to your senses, your Fifth Uncle promises he won't hurt you!" The other man, a burly middle-aged fellow with a thick, bristly beard, was clearly anxious.
"I refuse to see reason? Hmph! I say you're the ones who betrayed the family. You're the ones who should come to your senses!" The young immortal master's Natal Magic Tool had been destroyed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he rebuked them in grief and anger.
"Utter nonsense! We're doing this for the family! Otherwise, sooner or later, disaster will wipe us out!" the old man retorted heatedly.
"Hahaha, I know. I know everything. You're only doing this for your own selfish ends. Why pretend to be so righteous? Go ahead and kill me. Once I reach the Yellow Springs, I'll tell our ancestors all about your crimes!"
Seeing that Guangling had given up resisting, the burly middle-aged man hurriedly said, "Guangling, you're too young. You've been deceived. He's the one acting for his own selfish ends!"
"Enough nonsense. Since he refuses to see reason, he can't blame us. Kill him!" The old man slapped his Storage Bag, and his Natal Magic Tool flew out.
They had both avoided using their Natal Magic Tools and their favored spells to conceal their identities.
"Wait! Let me try to talk some sense into Guangling!" The burly middle-aged man grew even more anxious and hurriedly stepped in front of the old man.
"You..."
The instant the burly middle-aged man blocked the old man's view, Guangling's eyes narrowed. Until then, he had looked ready to accept whatever fate they dealt him. Now his expression turned fierce, and one hand reached for his Storage Bag.
"Those who betray the family will never find peace, even in death! You all deserve to die!"
Boom!
Another talisman appeared in Guangling's hand. Unlike the Water Curtain Talisman from before, it wasn't made of yellow paper, but of crimson jade wreathed in flames.
As Guangling activated the Crimson Jade Talisman, a hundred-zhang-long fire dragon burst forth in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the entire stretch of sky seemed to turn into a sea of fire, while the dragon's roar blotted out the heavens.
Three breaths later, the fire dragon vanished.
Three dark figures tumbled down from above.
The burly middle-aged man had taken the brunt of the blast. His back was charred black, and not a trace of life remained.
Half of the old man's body was reduced to bare bones. He had only one last breath left.
He looked down at the burly man who had died in front of him, his face full of sorrow. "How many times have I told you? Once we've made our move, don't let compassion cloud your judgment. You never learn..."
Then he looked at Guangling, not far away. Guangling was coughing up blood, and a spear had pierced straight through his chest. Wisps of black qi still curled from it.
"Heh... In the end, I still couldn't outmaneuver that old monster. He actually gave you such a precious treasure talisman... What a pity... But at least it wasn't a complete failure. For ten years, he hasn't had any Blood Slaves..." The old man's face was stricken with sorrow, but when he turned and saw Li Ji'an and the other four, he smiled again.
They'd never get out of these endless yellow sands on their own.
Guangling suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Hahaha, traitor! With your feeble mind, how could you fathom the great wisdom of our patriarch? I'll bring them back for sure..."
Before he could finish, the old man's eyes suddenly widened.
Guangling had taken another porcelain bottle from his Storage Bag. He tipped it over, revealing a pill as lustrous and green as jade.
"The Returning Yang Pill!"
"He... He even gave you a Returning Yang Pill!"
This time, the old man had lost all hope.
With the Returning Yang Pill, Guangling wouldn't die.
And so...
"You must die!" The old man, who had seemed on the verge of death, suddenly rallied and charged forward, dragging his half-charred body behind him.
Guangling was horrified. He swallowed the Returning Yang Pill and used the last shred of magic power in his dantian to fight back.
The Returning Yang Pill could keep someone's life force from fading after a grave injury, but it wasn't a miraculous cure.
If Guangling suffered another fatal wound now, he would die for sure!
"What are you waiting for? Kill him, now, or we'll all die!" As the last trace of magic power in his dantian was about to run dry, Guangling shouted at Li Ji'an and the others.
"Brother Li..." The other four immortal prospects had all snapped out of their daze over the slaughter. No longer lost in their old dreams of immortals, they once again looked to Li Ji'an to lead them.
A faint smile touched Li Ji'an's lips, and he led the four of them forward.
"Quick! They're traitors from our lineage, and they came here to kill you. Kill him at once, and I'll take you all to cultivate as immortals!" Guangling, on the verge of collapse, urged them again.
Li Ji'an looked alarmed. "But... he's an immortal. I'm afraid something might happen..."
"Don't worry. I've already gravely wounded him. The magic power in his dantian is gone. He's nothing but a cornered beast; without magic power to support him, he's no different from a mortal. Kill him!" Guangling's voice grew sharper.
Li Ji'an still cowered without daring to step forward. He asked cautiously again, "Then... does the immortal master have any Immortal Method that could tell people I was the one who killed him? If his clan comes after me for revenge, I..."
"Coward! You're going to be the death of me! I told you to kill him, so I'll take care of any trouble afterward. Besides, we don't have any Immortal Method like that!" Guangling was nearly beside himself with fury.
"Then could his accomplices sense his death and track us here to take revenge on me...?" Li Ji'an patiently pressed on.
"You! Hmph, there aren't that many mighty spells in the world! If you don't act now, I won't teach you Immortal Methods!" Guangling was so furious he could barely contain himself.
Li Ji'an slowly let out a breath. "In that case... I understand."
With that, he slowly walked toward the two men.
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