Mu Li returned to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's headquarters in Green Mountain Town, swaggering with pride, and told Mu She how they had hunted down Li Xingluo.
He had originally thought his father would praise him, but after hearing Mu Li's report, Mu She...
He shot to his feet and cursed Mu Li for his incompetence. They had sent out so many men and lost dozens before finally eliminating the traitor. Mu She was furious over the loss.
These men were all assets of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Losing so many at once naturally pained Mu She—not because he cared about the men themselves, but because of the profits they could bring him.
Mu Li could only let Mu She berate him. His excitement vanished in an instant.
News of Li Xingluo's death spread through Green Mountain Town, too. When Xiao Yi Xian heard the news, she looked dazed and sat there motionless for an entire day.
In the end, you broke your promise? Xiao Yi Xian's grief was plain to see. She looked up and murmured to herself.
Deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the roar of water crashing down the waterfall carried for miles. At the edge of the pool below, something shaped like a person was stopped by a rock.
Li Xingluo slowly opened his eyes. The blue sky came into view. He raised an arm. Am I still alive?
His whole body was submerged in the water. Li Xingluo exerted the slightest effort, and his bones felt as though someone had snapped them one by one. A muffled groan escaped him.
He struggled out of the water and dragged himself to the bank, then lay stiffly on the smooth stone slab scoured clean by the flowing water.
After resting for a long while, Li Xingluo struggled to sit up. Suddenly, for no reason at all, he laughed.
He surveyed his surroundings. About five hundred meters behind him was a cave. Roars of Demonic Beasts rang out now and then from all around. This place could serve as a refuge to heal his wounds.
Li Xingluo picked up a stick for support and limped toward the cave.
The entrance was narrow, wide enough for only one person to pass through. Li Xingluo tapped both sides of the entrance with his stick, then tossed a stone inside and stepped aside to watch carefully.
After waiting a long time without hearing anything, Li Xingluo cautiously stepped into the cave, leaning on his stick.
He went about ten meters before the passage widened somewhat. Li Xingluo continued inward, holding a fire striker in one hand and leaning on his stick with the other. He was especially careful with every step.
After another quarter of an hour or so, the passage opened into a broad space, and the cave grew brighter. It looked as if there were lamplight inside.
Half doubtful, Li Xingluo proceeded with even greater caution. At the end of the passage lay such a spacious cavern.
As he surveyed the cavern, his gaze suddenly stopped on a large tree straight ahead. A skeleton sat plainly in view before it.
Li Xingluo scanned the whole cavern once more, then fixed his gaze on the skeleton again and limped over to it.
He bent down to examine it. The skeleton sat upright, its clothes worn away by the years until only a few threadbare strips remained.
For some reason, a breeze stirred inside the cavern. Li Xingluo waved his hands repeatedly to brush away the dust.
Once the breeze passed, Li Xingluo dusted off his clothes. On the floor to the skeleton's left, a line of blurry writing had appeared.
Li Xingluo crouched and wiped the dust covering it away with his hand. At last, he could make out the words.
"Fated one, if you have come here, bury my remains, and I shall leave you a treasure."
The writing even used a symbol to point out where the treasure was. Li Xingluo turned to look. Sure enough, not far from the skeleton was a raised patch of earth. He glanced at it, then turned back and studied the skeleton.
He said to himself, "Senior, I do not know how you met your end here, but I will make sure you are laid to rest!"
Right beneath the tree, Li Xingluo used his knife to dig a grave. His body was already weak, so he dug painfully slowly. He had no idea how long it took.
At last, the grave was large enough for the skeleton. Li Xingluo bowed reverently before lifting the skeleton up.
A clank came from the ground. Li Xingluo looked down and saw a key lying there.
He first laid the skeleton in the grave he had dug and built up a mound over it. Only then did he pick up the key.
With a mixture of unease and anticipation, he endured his hunger and limped over to the little mound of earth, then dug with his knife.
Once he had cleared away the entire mound, a chest appeared beneath it, about three meters long and one meter wide.
What was this? Li Xingluo turned to look at the grave. It was actually true. He had not expected much at all.
He took out the chest and opened it carefully. A long sword gleaming with cold light lay inside, still as good as new despite the countless years that had passed.
A note was placed on top of the sword. It read: "Only the kind-hearted may claim it. Force the chest open, and death will follow you like a shadow."
At the top of the chest was a mechanism, with several poisoned arrows aimed straight at Li Xingluo's brow.
Li Xingluo wiped away a cold sweat, disarmed the mechanism, and carefully took out the sword. Besides the sword, the chest held a Dou Technique, a cultivation method, and a Storage Ring!
The name of the sword—Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword—was engraved on its hilt. The Dou Technique was too damaged to identify its rank, but it had an unmistakably ancient feel.
Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword? Could it be? No, that was impossible. Hadn't the entire clan been wiped out, with not a single survivor? Then what was this? Li Xingluo fell into deep thought. Grateful for the supreme treasure, he went to the grave and knelt to bow three times.
"Thank you for these gifts, Senior. If I get the chance, I will seek out your clansmen."
Since someone had made it here, perhaps others had escaped, too.
Three months later, after spending those three months in the cave and leaving only to find food, Li Xingluo had reached...
Without realizing it, he had reached Eight-Star Dou Zhe. It was thanks to the black ring. Li Xingluo stroked the black ring in his hand, never expecting it not only to contain its own space, but also to speed up his cultivation.
With the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword and its accompanying cultivation method and Dou Technique, Li Xingluo's strength had greatly increased.
At that moment, Li Xingluo stood beside the waterfall, his sharp gaze burning with deep hatred.
Several days later, somewhere in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the sound of fighting came from ahead.
"You people from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, don't push things too far! We hunted this Demonic Beast. It belongs to the Blood Battle Mercenary Group."
Ka Gang held a broadsword and pointed it at the few members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group surrounding them, their eyes gleaming with menace.
"Pah! The Blood Battle Mercenary Group is nothing! Hand over the Magic Core, and we might let you go. Otherwise, leave those two little beauties here to entertain us brothers!"
Ling'er, the younger of the two, cowered behind Qing Ye and Ka Gang. The other two did everything they could to shield her.
A pair of leering, lustful eyes stared fixedly at Qing Ye and Ling'er.
"Not a chance. Even if we die, we won't let you have your way."
"Oh, this little beauty has some fire in her. I like it! Brothers, she's mine. I'll go first."
The speaker was clearly the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. The others grinned lecherously.
Watching the man step forward, Ka Gang, the only man among them, raised his blade and blocked his way.
"Kid, you're asking for death!"
The Wolf Head Mercenary Group's leader cursed Ka Gang as he charged, blade in hand.
Ka Gang naturally stood his ground, but he was no match for the leader. In just one exchange, he was defeated and kicked away, crashing to the ground.
Qing Ye shielded Ling'er behind her and whispered, "Ling'er, run as soon as you get the chance."
"Big Sister Qing Ye..."
"Listen to me." Qing Ye was already prepared to sacrifice herself to cover Ling'er's escape.
Before you continue