Nowhere to Run

A quarter of an hour later!

A thousand li away.

Although this place still lay within the Feathering Sect's sphere of influence, the sect's control over it was already tenuous, especially over the valley before them.

Its secluded location made it even more rarely visited.

Deep in the valley.

An elderly man with graying hair sat on a clean stone.

Although a faint layer of gray mist obscured his features, it wasn't hard to identify him.

Old Demon Jia!

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, his seated figure swayed, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his lips.

His aura weakened considerably.

His face bore a look of terror.

"Could the Feathering Sect really have a Mahayana patriarch?"

"But even if he's at the Mahayana stage, how could a tiny Fireball possibly kill me?"

His expression was frightened and incredulous.

His heart was still pounding with fear.

If not for the peculiar nature of his cultivation technique, which allowed his Primordial Spirit to switch freely between his avatar and his true body—

He would probably have truly perished just now.

Though he had suffered only one blow, the danger he faced had been even greater than five hundred years ago.

At the thought, cold sweat drenched his back. He had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

Though he was unwilling to accept it, he understood when to cut his losses. What good was revenge if he lost his life?

So even if he might not give up for good, he would be much more cautious before his next move, thoroughly investigating the situation first.

He absolutely couldn't be so rash again.

His figure blurred as he prepared to use the Shrinking Earth into Inches spell.

But the next moment, his body stiffened, as if a small animal had been spotted by an apex predator.

He raised his head with some difficulty and saw that, at some point, a young man in green had appeared at the valley entrance.

At a glance, the young man looked barely over twenty—exceedingly young.

He was dressed very simply.

Though his sleeve bore the Feathering Sect's insignia, his green robes clearly marked him as a disciple who had only joined the sect a few years ago—a Qi Refining cultivator.

Normally, Old Demon Jia wouldn't have spared such a little fellow a second glance.

An ant, nothing more!

Yet what was this warning stirring in his heart?

Was it an illusion?

Then why was even his Primordial Spirit trembling?

Old Demon Jia's hair stood on end.

Though he suspected he was overthinking things, he was already a bird startled by the merest movement.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the other man.

But the more he looked, the more puzzled he became.

The spiritual energy fluctuations around the young man were extremely weak. He really was just a tiny Qi Refining cultivator.

There was no doubt about it!

Yet this place was already a thousand li from the Feathering Sect's central headquarters.

How could a lowly Qi Refining cultivator have come all the way out here?

It made no sense to chalk it up to a chance encounter.

Moreover, injured as he was, Old Demon Jia couldn't rein in the demonic energy surrounding him, much less control his aura of oppression. The other man stood just a hundred zhang away, yet seemed as comfortable as if basking in a spring breeze, utterly unaffected.

Everything about this was suspicious.

A theory even began to form in his mind!

His face full of alarm, he released his divine sense.

But he found nothing.

The other man truly was only a Void Refinement cultivator.

"Impossible. If he's the Mahayana patriarch who attacked from the shadows just now, then at this close range, even if he used an aura-concealing technique, he couldn't hide every trace."

Old Demon Jia grew increasingly suspicious.

Lin Xiaoyao seemed to have guessed what he was thinking. At last, he smiled and spoke. "Don't waste your effort. Why would I need an aura-concealing technique to hide my cultivation?"

He wasn't making it up.

With the Saint Fruit Position and command over endless laws, the state of unity with the natural laws that cultivators pursued so desperately was as effortless to him as eating or drinking.

He didn't need to hide his cultivation.

Forget Old Demon Jia before him. Even if a Mahayana patriarch or a True Immortal stood in front of Lin Xiaoyao, whatever Lin Xiaoyao wanted them to see, they wouldn't be able to find the slightest flaw.

Of course, he had no interest in explaining further.

Why explain anything to a dead man?

But the moment he said this, Old Demon Jia looked even more terrified. "Y-you... What do you mean by that? And who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?"

Lin Xiaoyao smiled, a playful glint in his eyes. "Who was it that brought you to this state with a single Fireball? Surely you still haven't figured it out?"

His words were truly shocking.

Though he'd already suspected it, Old Demon Jia still couldn't suppress his fear when Lin Xiaoyao said it to his face.

He fought down the urge to turn and flee, because his reason told him that doing so would only get him killed faster.

"Y-you really are a Mahayana patriarch?"

Old Demon Jia ground his teeth and asked the question he feared most, one word at a time.

"Hmph. What's so special about the Mahayana stage?"

Lin Xiaoyao sighed. For a moment, he felt a little lonely. Was that really the limit of the other man's imagination?

He'd been badly underestimated through a crack in the door.

"W-what do you mean by that?"

Old Demon Xue was completely dumbfounded.

The other man sure had a big mouth.

If he wasn't at the Mahayana stage, could he possibly be at Tribulation Transcendence?

He thought the other man was spouting nonsense, exaggerating his power to intimidate him.

And, on second thought, that really was possible.

Old Demon Jia's courage grew a little stronger.

In truth, he had already realized he had no other choice.

If the other man was the one who had attacked with the Fireball Technique, then struggling to escape would be pointless.

And if he wasn't, why let himself be frightened?

It was a blade whether he stuck his head out or tucked it in. He might as well take a gamble.

Maybe he could carve a path through the enemy and escape.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he made his decision.

Boom!

He stopped holding back.

Surging demonic energy burst from his body.

In the blink of an eye, it filled the secluded valley.

Roar!

A tremendous bellow sounded from within the demonic energy.

Like a monster cornered with nowhere to go.

A trapped beast fighting to the death—he would carve a path through the enemy.

"What a pointless struggle."

Lin Xiaoyao's face was full of listlessness.

Too weak!

The man could hardly stir his interest in fighting.

But there was no way he could let him go.

Otherwise, even if Lin Xiaoyao himself had nothing to fear, the Feathering Sect might face another crisis. That would disturb the peaceful life he wanted.

"I only want to quietly sweep the floors at the Founder's Shrine. Why do you keep disturbing me?"

"Sweeping the floors at the Founder's Shrine?"

Old Demon Jia was first baffled, then utterly astonished.

His suspicions seemed increasingly confirmed.

The young man only looked young. He absolutely couldn't be fooled by appearances. Who knew how many years this old monster had lived while hiding in the Founder's Shrine?

"I'll fight you to the death!"

He roared. The demonic energy around him grew denser, and its oppressive force mounted. With no other choice, he used a secret technique that could temporarily increase his strength.

As for the consequences, or whether his cultivation realm might fall, he could no longer afford to care.