Was this what bad luck felt like?
The moment Lu Dayou broke through, he had been brimming with confidence. He'd dared to challenge Death-Seeking Taoist over the laws of the land for one reason: he was only a realm behind.
But in the end, he'd been sent flying with a single move.
Suspended in midair, he spotted Hanyu crouched on the wall. Burning with shame, he covered his face as he crashed into a house.
"That old slob is strong!"
Hanyu had seen it clearly. Death-Seeking Taoist had sent Lu Dayou flying with nothing more than a wave of his hand.
"Here's our chance! Young Master Xiao definitely needs pills in this situation," Little Glazed said slyly.
Hanyu rolled his eyes. "Are you sure I can make it in there alive to negotiate?"
"Just tell me, do you want his Fire Element Supernatural Power or not?" Little Glazed asked in a childish voice.
Hanyu gritted his teeth. "All right, I'll think of something."
In the inner courtyard, Death-Seeking Taoist glided through the air to stand before Xiao Shui. His expression was indifferent. The Xiao Family members stood in fearful silence, with only Xiao Shui managing to face him.
His face was ashen, and he swayed on his feet, but his gaze remained resolute. "Picking on the weak with your strength doesn't make you any kind of master."
"The strong have always preyed on the weak."
As he spoke, Death-Seeking Taoist reached out and lifted Xiao Shui into the air with an invisible hand.
A choking sensation surged over Xiao Shui like a tide. His face flushed as he struggled helplessly, arms and legs flailing. Gradually, his strength gave out.
Hanyu watched in mounting panic. Just then, Lu Dayou climbed out from a pile of rubble, his sky-blue brocade robe stained red across half the front.
After giving a bleak smile, he rose into the air once more and flew toward the inner courtyard.
"Senior, please stop!"
At his shout, Lu Dayou landed beside Xiao Shui and threw a punch through the air. The invisible hand holding Xiao Shui shattered at once.
Xiao Shui hit the ground and gulped down air desperately. Having brushed against death, he glared at Death-Seeking Taoist as if he wanted to eat him alive.
"Out of respect for your sect, I'll spare your life. Stand aside."
Death-Seeking Taoist frowned at Lu Dayou, who had returned.
Lu Dayou sighed and shook his head. "I'm not only a cultivator; I'm also the warden of this region. I can't simply step aside."
Death-Seeking Taoist's expression turned cold. He no longer intended to show mercy. Taking a step forward, he brought Autumn Water Sword into his hand.
Lu Dayou didn't dare let his guard down. He raised his saber and stepped back. The old Daoist merely swung his sword through the air, sending a vast, icy Sword Qi surging toward him. The attack came with such force that even its aftershock could probably bring down half the estate. Gritting his teeth, Lu Dayou first kicked Xiao Shui out of harm's way.
His long saber rang with a buzzing hum. The next moment, Lu Dayou gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and swung. "Dragon Returns Head!"
Blade Qi transformed into a dancing Azure Dragon, which charged forward without hesitation. Blade Qi and Sword Qi filled the sky as the Azure Dragon coiled around the Sword Qi, wearing it down bit by bit.
In just a few breaths, the Azure Dragon was completely torn apart amid a series of shrill roars.
With the Azure Dragon gone, the Sword Qi swallowed Lu Dayou whole, then formed a whirlwind that tore through the courtyard.
Under its tremendous force, the blue bricks were ripped up and ground to dust, and the surrounding eaves collapsed...
Hanyu quietly grabbed Xiao Shui, who had been kicked to the corner of the wall, and dragged him out of the battle without looking back.
"It's you!"
Seeing Hanyu, Xiao Shui felt a surge of longing.
"Do you have any pills left? As long as I can get revenge, I don't care about any side effects."
Before Hanyu could answer, Xiao Shui seized him and scrambled to his feet, looking almost crazed.
"I told you the Child of Destiny would need pills," Little Glazed said smugly.
"You're sure you don't care about any side effects?"
Hanyu asked again to make sure. Even he was afraid of the pill Little Glazed had come up with this time.
Ten Year Hexi Pill: Consume this pill to gain ten years' worth of cultivation. Side effect: consumes ten years of fortune.
"Are you sure Young Master Xiao can survive losing ten years of fortune? Add that to the three years from before, and he'll have thirty-nine years of bad luck."
That was practically half a lifetime.
Little Glazed spoke in a childish voice. "People like Young Master Xiao, who are favored by fortune, are called People of Destiny. They're the least afraid of fortune turning against them. At worst, they'll have some bad luck. They won't die."
"So your pill takes all the fortune he has left in one go?"
Hanyu's expression was strange. Given how Little Glazed had been sharpening her knife all along, she wasn't just harvesting the leeks now—she was pulling them up by the roots.
"The Glazed Bottle's rules don't allow fortune to be taken out of thin air. Every pill is created under fair conditions. I'm not taking anything; I'm exchanging it," Little Glazed protested in a displeased, childish voice.
Hanyu looked at Xiao Shui and asked again, "This will cost you ten years of fortune, but you'll gain ten years' worth of cultivation. Will you still take it?"
Xiao Shui calmly held out his hand. "I will!"
As he swallowed the pill without hesitation, a heart-shaking wave of power began to ripple outward from him.
"What realm is he in?"
Hanyu sensed an aura even more terrifying than Death-Seeking Taoist's and couldn't help asking Little Glazed.
"Half-step Transcendence."
When Xiao Shui opened his eyes again, his entire presence had turned cold and sharp. He nodded at Hanyu, then vanished in an instant without leaving the slightest trace of movement.
In the inner courtyard, the whirlwind died down. Lu Dayou's clothes were in tatters, and he looked as if he'd been soaked in blood.
The difference of a single realm had proved so vast.
The old Daoist remained indifferent and calmly swung his sword again.
Lu Dayou no longer had the strength to block this strike!
"Enough!"
At a quiet shout, Xiao Shui appeared out of nowhere. Facing the oncoming Sword Qi, he threw a punch.
His fist surged forth like a vast ocean wave, and the Sword Qi shattered at the slightest touch.
"How is this possible?"
For the first time, the old Daoist's composure broke.
How could anyone's cultivation change so drastically in the blink of an eye?
Xiao Shui looked at the old Daoist and gave a cold smile.
A rush of wind split the air. A massive fist suddenly appeared before Death-Seeking Taoist.
In the old Daoist's eyes, the fist grew larger and larger. Horror spread across his face as he tried to dodge, but his whole body stiffened, as if he'd been nailed in place.
"W-what's going on?"
The old Daoist panicked. The next moment, the fist crashed into him. He let out a scream as he was flung high into the air like a sandbag.
Xiao Shui stood to one side, glancing at him coldly as a scorching aura rose from his body.
"Ha!"
Four fire dragons appeared from his body in an instant and wound their way up toward the sky.
The old Daoist's face filled with terror. Struggling to steady himself in midair, he let out a shrill roar. "Immovable Body of the Bright King!"
His hands rapidly formed seals. True Essence poured out of him as a mysterious aura flowed over his body.
The fire dragons reached him in the blink of an eye and bit at him from all sides. He held out for only a moment before the old Daoist vomited blood and his Immovable Body broke.
Flames devoured him as screams rang out. A moment later, a charred-black body slammed into the ground, striking terror into everyone who saw it.
All around them, people stared in stunned silence. Wang Xuanbei, in particular, had gone deathly pale.
"Back then, you bullied and humiliated me. Today, you brought people to the Xiao Clan and killed my family. You destroyed most of the Xiao Clan. You deserve to die."
After dealing with the old Daoist, Xiao Shui turned his gaze to Wang Xuanbei, who was barely alive.
"N-no... please..."
Wang Xuanbei trembled and begged for mercy, but a bolt of Divine Fire suddenly fell. A man engulfed in flames writhed and let out a series of dreadful, shrill cries...
Before you continue