Looting

Outside the ruined temple, wind and rain still raged. The howling gale neatly drowned out Golden Light Daoist's agonized screams.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

With Golden Light Daoist's final howl, his withered body, sucked dry like a desiccated husk, crashed to the ground.

After a soft thud, Golden Light Daoist, who had cultivated for nearly a hundred years, was utterly dead, his Dao extinguished!

Xu Yan watched silently as a jumble of emotions surged through him: joy at escaping death, satisfaction at avenging his bitter grudge, and then a measure of fear that arose unbidden.

Of course, that fear came from the green bead.

Who could have imagined that an immortal cultivator would be devoured to death by the seemingly ordinary Green Pearl?

The Green Pearl before him was about the size of a pigeon's egg, and it now hovered quietly in midair.

As Xu Yan observed it, the Green Pearl stirred again.

The Green Pearl trembled faintly, then continued devouring the spiritual power in the medicinal cauldron.

Bzz, bzz.

Streams of spiritual power were devoured by the Green Pearl, slipping soundlessly inside it.

Xu Yan watched nervously, not daring to move a muscle for fear that the Green Pearl would turn on him. Golden Light Daoist's gruesome remains lay right at his feet.

A few breaths later, the Green Pearl had absorbed all the spiritual power in the medicinal cauldron, and its surface no longer showed anything unusual.

Xu Yan was terribly tense now, because he was the only one left in the ruined temple. If the Green Pearl continued devouring, he would be its next target.

He had already classified the Green Pearl as something sinister, and that left him deeply frightened.

Just then, the Green Pearl hovering in midair stirred. With a faint sound, it flew straight toward Xu Yan.

Damn it!

Xu Yan was startled. After cursing inwardly, he hurriedly mustered his strength to dodge.

But Golden Light Daoist had drained too much of his blood essence earlier, leaving his body weak to the extreme. Though he forced himself to stand, his reaction was still too slow.

A streak of green light flashed, and the Green Pearl appeared before Xu Yan, stopping in midair about a foot away from him.

At that moment, Xu Yan's heart leaped into his throat, and he abruptly halted his attempt to rush out of the ruined temple.

Up close, Xu Yan noticed something different about the Green Pearl. A strange trace of markings had appeared on its previously smooth surface.

Bzz, bzz!

The Green Pearl trembled a few times, then turned into a streak of green light and shot toward Xu Yan's forehead!

This is bad!

Xu Yan was horrified. At such close range, he had no way to dodge.

In an instant, the Green Pearl struck the spot between Xu Yan's eyebrows, yet caused him no harm. With a flash of green light, it mysteriously sank into his brow and vanished.

"I... I'm not dead. The Green Pearl entered my brow!"

Xu Yan's shock was simply beyond words.

Just now, he had felt only a cool sensation between his eyebrows, and nothing else.

After realizing what the Green Pearl had done, Xu Yan remained motionless, standing blankly in place for about the time it took an incense stick to burn. Only after confirming that the Green Pearl showed no unusual activity did he slowly let out a breath.

Thump.

Xu Yan dropped onto the ground and gasped for breath.

Everything he had experienced today felt like a dream. Nothing like it had ever happened in his teenage life.

With the threat of death gone, Xu Yan finally relaxed completely.

The moment he relaxed, Xu Yan felt unbearably thirsty. Perhaps because he had lost too much blood essence, his throat felt as though it were about to smoke.

Dragging his heavy body, Xu Yan made his way out of the ruined temple, step by step.

Fortunately, rain was still pouring outside. Xu Yan cupped several handfuls of rainwater and finally drank his fill.

After drinking, Xu Yan swept his gaze over his surroundings. Only when he found nothing unusual did he slowly make his way back into the ruined temple.

Upon entering the ruined temple, Xu Yan immediately saw Golden Light Daoist's corpse lying at his feet.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Yan suppressed his disgust and dragged Golden Light Daoist's corpse into a corner of the ruined temple.

Then Xu Yan pulled off Golden Light Daoist's Daoist robe and hung it over the temple entrance to keep out the wind and rain.

Only after finishing all this did Xu Yan slowly sit down on the meditation cushion.

At that moment, Xu Yan finally felt completely at ease. At the same time, overwhelming exhaustion washed over him, leaving him unable to hold on any longer.

Xu Yan fell into a deep sleep.

That night, Xu Yan slept exceptionally soundly. During the three years since Golden Light Daoist had seized him to serve as an attendant boy, he had lived in constant dread, never once letting his guard down.

The next day, Xu Yan did not slowly open his eyes until the sun was already high.

Looking at Golden Light Daoist's robe hanging over the ruined temple's entrance, Xu Yan still felt as though none of it was real.

After getting up and brushing the dust off himself, Xu Yan lifted the Daoist robe hanging over the entrance. Dazzling sunlight streamed into the ruined temple, lightening his mood considerably.

Although the Green Pearl in his brow still filled him with trepidation, an uneventful night had given Xu Yan an idea: perhaps the Green Pearl would not harm him.

After stretching, Xu Yan walked toward Golden Light Daoist's corpse.

An indescribable gleam now filled Xu Yan's eyes.

After all, Golden Light Daoist had been a genuine immortal cultivator. Having cultivated for nearly a hundred years, he had probably left behind quite a few items used by cultivators.

The thought sent a surge of excitement through Xu Yan.

Immortal cultivation held an irresistible allure for mortals. Having once practiced the cultivation method on the beast-hide scroll himself, he understood its true meaning all the more.

Immortal cultivation truly meant defying heaven and changing one's fate. Beyond granting the powers of an immortal, it could also extend one's lifespan. Powerful cultivators could easily live for over a thousand years, something Xu Yan found unimaginable.

Soon, Xu Yan reached Golden Light Daoist's corpse. By now, Golden Light Daoist no longer looked human at all. His entire body was gray-black, like dead wood.

Suppressing his disgust, Xu Yan searched Golden Light Daoist's body.

Before long, Xu Yan's expression shifted slightly.

"There's actually nothing? Impossible..."

Xu Yan muttered to himself, a trace of confusion on his face.

He had just searched Golden Light Daoist carefully from head to toe, but found nothing.

"I saw this old monster take out a golden spike with my own eyes. How could it be gone?"

The scenes from yesterday began surfacing in Xu Yan's mind.

Then, as though something had occurred to him, Xu Yan turned Golden Light Daoist's corpse all the way over.

A worn pouch at Golden Light Daoist's waist caught Xu Yan's attention.

The pouch was gray all over, with strange runes inscribed on it. Xu Yan gently removed it and held it in his hands.

Xu Yan found the pouch rather stiff to the touch, with a texture like cowhide. He tried for quite some time but could not open it at all.

"Everything this old monster owned is probably in this worn pouch!"

Xu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. Cultivators possessed extraordinary powers; there had to be something unusual about this worn pouch.

But how to open it had Xu Yan stumped.