Nowhere to Escape

A quarter of an hour later!

A thousand miles away.

Although this place was still within the sphere of influence of the Feathering Sect, the immortal sect's control here was already very weak, especially over the valley before him.

Because of its hidden location, it was rarely visited by anyone.

Deep within the valley.

An old man with graying hair sat upon a clean stone.

Although his face was obscured by a faint layer of gray mist, his identity was not difficult to discern.

Old Demon Jia!

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, his body swayed as he sat cross-legged, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.

His aura also weakened significantly.

His face was filled with a hint of terror.

"Does the Feathering Sect truly possess a Great Ascension ancestor?"

"But even if it were a Great Ascension stage cultivator, how could a tiny fireball possibly annihilate me?"

His expression was one of panic and disbelief.

His heart was filled with lingering fear.

If not for the peculiar nature of the cultivation technique he practiced, which allowed his primordial spirit to switch freely between his avatar and his true body, he would likely have perished just now.

Although it was only a single strike, the danger he had faced was even greater than that of five hundred years ago.

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

Though he was unwilling to give up, he understood the necessity of trade-offs. If he lost his life, what point was there in seeking revenge?

Therefore, while he might not give up entirely, he would certainly be more cautious before his next move and investigate the intelligence thoroughly.

He must never be so reckless again.

His figure flickered, and he prepared to cast the Earth-Shrinking spell.

But the next moment, his body stiffened, as if he were a small animal being targeted by an apex predator.

He raised his head with some difficulty, only to discover that at the entrance of the valley, a young man in green robes had appeared at some point.

At a glance, he looked to be just over twenty, extremely young.

His attire was very simple.

Although his cuffs bore the emblem of the Feathering Sect, the green robe clearly indicated he was merely a disciple who had joined a few years ago, a Qi Refining cultivator.

Usually, he wouldn't even spare such a little brat a second glance.

A mere ant!

Yet, what was the meaning of the alarm bells ringing in his heart right now?

Was it an illusion?

But why would even his primordial spirit feel a tremor?

Old Demon Jia's hair stood on end.

Although he suspected he was overthinking, he was already a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, scrutinizing the other party carefully.

However, the more he looked, the more confused he became.

The spiritual energy fluctuations on the other party were extremely weak; he was indeed just a tiny Qi Refining immortal cultivator.

There was no doubt about this!

Yet, this place was a thousand miles away from the core area of the Feathering Sect's main headquarters.

How could a tiny Qi Refining cultivator have come here?

"Coincidence" didn't even begin to explain it.

Moreover, because he was injured, he could not conceal his demonic energy, nor could he control his pressure. The other party stood a hundred feet away, yet appeared as calm as a spring breeze, as if completely unaffected.

Everything about this was suspicious.

A guess even formed in his mind!

Thus, with a face full of terror, he released his divine sense.

But he gained nothing.

The other party was indeed just a Qi Refining cultivator.

"Impossible. If he were the Mahayana ancestor who struck from the shadows earlier, at such close range, even if he employed a breath-concealing technique, he would never be able to hide every single flaw."

Old Demon Jia grew increasingly suspicious and paranoid.

Lin Xiaoyao seemed to have guessed what the other was thinking, and he finally spoke with a smile: "Don't waste your effort. If I wanted to hide my cultivation, why would I need any breath-concealing technique?"

He was not lying.

Possessing the Saint's Fruit, wielding infinite laws, the state of 'Dao follows Nature' that cultivators pursued so desperately was, to him, as simple as eating or drinking.

His cultivation did not need to be hidden.

Let alone the Old Demon Jia before him, even if a Mahayana ancestor or a True Immortal stood right in front of him, whatever Lin Xiaoyao wanted them to see was all they would see; they wouldn't find a single flaw.

Of course, he had no interest in explaining in detail.

Why bother explaining anything to a dead man?

However, once these words were spoken, Old Demon Jia's expression became even more terrified: "You... what do you mean by that? And who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?"

Lin Xiaoyao smiled, his expression carrying a hint of mockery: "Who was it that reduced you to this state with a single Fireball spell? Do you really not know yet, Your Excellency?"

His words were truly shocking.

Although he had already guessed it in his heart, when Lin Xiaoyao said it to his face, Old Demon Jia still could not suppress the terror in his heart.

He fought desperately to stifle the urge to turn and flee, because his reason told him that if he did so, he would die even faster.

"You... are you truly a Mahayana ancestor?"

Old Demon Jia gritted his teeth, asking the question he cared about and feared most, word by word.

"Hmph, the Mahayana stage? What is that worth?"

Lin Xiaoyao sighed, suddenly feeling a sense of loneliness. Was the other's imagination really so limited?

He was truly being looked down upon.

"You... what do you mean by that?"

Old Demon Jia was completely bewildered.

What an arrogant tone.

If not the Mahayana stage, could he be at the Tribulation Transcendence stage?

He felt the other was spouting nonsense; perhaps he was exaggerating to intimidate him?

Thinking this way, it really seemed possible.

Consequently, Old Demon Jia's courage grew a little.

In reality, he had already realized that he had no other choice now.

If the other was indeed the person who had struck with the Fireball spell earlier, then even if he struggled to escape, it would be in vain.

And if he wasn't, why be intimidated by him?

Either way, he was going to be struck down; he might as well fight for his life.

Perhaps he could carve out a bloody path.

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, he made his decision.

Boom!

He no longer held back.

Surging demonic energy erupted from the surface of his body.

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

Roar!

A massive roar echoed from within the demonic energy.

It was like a monster trapped in a desperate situation.

A cornered beast fighting for its life; he was going to carve out a bloody path.

"Why go to such lengths?"

Lin Xiaoyao's face was filled with listlessness.

Too weak!

It didn't even pique his interest to make a move.

But regardless, he could not let this person go.

Otherwise, even if he wasn't afraid, the Feathering Sect might encounter crises in the future, and that would affect his peaceful life.

"I only wish to sweep the floor in the Founder's Shrine in peace. Why must you come and disturb me?"

"Sweeping the floor in the Founder's Shrine?"

Old Demon Jia was first stunned, then filled with inexplicable astonishment.

He became even more convinced of his own conjecture.

This youth only looked young; one must never be deceived by appearances. Living in seclusion within the Founder's Shrine, heaven only knew what kind of ancient monster he was who had lived for countless years.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

With a roar, the demonic energy around his body grew much denser, and his pressure intensified significantly as he was forced to resort to a secret technique that could temporarily boost his strength.

As for how severe the hidden dangers might be afterward, or whether his cultivation realm would drop, he no longer cared.