Qiu Li looked at the oddly shaped, round iron ball crisscrossed with green and white in his hand, surprise showing on his face.
But when he saw how desperately the other man wanted it back, he knew this was definitely something good.
"Give it back." Lin Fan looked unwilling to accept this, staring fixedly at Qiu Li.
Qiu Li sneered. "Give it back? Impossible. Anything that falls into my hands is mine."
Lin Fan gritted his teeth. "It's nothing good. It's just something useless."
"Heh, useful or not, it's still mine." Now Qiu Li was even more certain this had to be a divine treasure. To think he would obtain something so wonderful on this outing. Fortune was practically enveloping him.
"Tell me, what exactly is this? If you don't talk, I can only take your life. But if you tell me, I could consider sparing you."
Lin Fan looked torn, his face filled with dejection and even pain. "Please, could you give it back? Otherwise, you'll regret it."
"Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Qiu Li immediately burst out laughing. "Regret? I, Qiu Li, have never regretted anything. And you think someone like you can make me regret it? Talk. What exactly is this? Otherwise, death is your only road."
He felt this was a container, and there had to be divine medicine inside. He had just examined it closely but found no way to open it. Could something preserved in such a manner possibly be ordinary?
Although he could simply crush it, he was afraid of damaging the divine medicine inside. That was why he had kept Lin Fan alive until now.
"Don't kill me," Lin Fan said timidly.
Qiu Li was very pleased with the situation. "Sparing you isn't out of the question, but you have to tell me what exactly this is."
A glimmer returned to Lin Fan's despairing eyes. "You won't lie to me?"
"Hmph. I, Qiu Li, wouldn't go back on my word. I swear that I, Qiu Li, won't kill you," Qiu Li said, though that was not what he thought inwardly.
Once he learned how to open it, he would have the disciples under him finish this fellow off.
Lin Fan fell silent for a moment, then recovered a little strength. "All right, I'll tell you. This is my family's heirloom. Eighty years ago, my fath... grandfather happened to save an injured old man of peerless power. In gratitude for my grandfather saving his life, that old man left behind three bottles of divine medicine when he departed. After my grandfather swallowed it, he immediately broke through from the Body Tempering Realm to the Earthly Dipper Realm, and he was invincible among those at the same level. Later..."
At that moment, Lin Fan began making up a story.
Qiu Li listened with his heart surging, utterly excited, light flashing in his eyes. To think such a wonderful thing existed. Inwardly, however, he was a little displeased. After all that talking, the fellow had not even gotten to the point.
"Enough. I'm asking how to open it."
Lin Fan said, "Don't rush. I should at least let you understand where this came from and what it does. If you become a peerless expert someday, at least you won't forget what happened today."
Qiu Li was already growing impatient. As for handing this over to the sect, that was impossible. He would definitely take it himself and become an Earthly Dipper Realm expert.
Breaking through from Body Tempering Ninth Layer to the Earthly Dipper Realm was no simple matter.
Only by experiencing the process personally could one understand how difficult it was.
Now that he had divine medicine capable of granting a direct breakthrough, what difficulty remained?
It was just a pity.
Two bottles of this divine medicine had actually been used. Damn it all.
At that thought, even the way he looked at Lin Fan changed somewhat, as though he would not be satisfied unless he killed him.
"Opening it is simple. See that round ring? Just pull it out, then wait a few seconds for the mechanism inside to unlock. If you don't believe me, let me open it." Worried that this fellow might be too clever and suspect it was dangerous, Lin Fan volunteered to open it himself.
"Heh, let you open it? Knowing you're going to die, you're probably hoping to swallow the divine medicine at the last moment, aren't you? I'm not that stupid," Qiu Li said coldly. In his view, if he could not even see through that, how could he have survived until now?
Lin Fan's expression changed, and he roared, "You're going back on your word? You said you wouldn't kill me!"
"Hahaha!" Having obtained the divine medicine, Qiu Li felt immensely pleased. Then he said sinisterly, "Of course I won't kill you, but these junior brothers of mine never promised not to."
"You... you." Lin Fan was somewhat speechless. This fellow was pretty clever, too. He was fucking slick at playing these word games.
Qiu Li pulled the ring with a click. Without the slightest nervousness, he waited quietly.
Some junior brothers nearby also gathered around, burning eagerness flashing in their eyes. "Senior brother, could you let us see what the divine medicine looks like?"
"Mm. You can look, but you can't touch. This is mine," Qiu Li said coldly.
"Yes, yes. We only want a look. Naturally, only you deserve divine medicine like this, senior brother."
The group crowded together, waiting happily. They were full of anticipation for this "Holy Spirit Invincible Profound Earthly Dipper Heart-Saving Pill." Although the name was a little long, weren't all powerful divine medicines like that?
Thinking of how their senior brother would soon become an Earthly Dipper Realm expert, they were also filled with envy.
Pairs of wide eyes revealed their curiosity.
What would the divine medicine look like?
Lin Fan watched expectantly, muttering inwardly.
Explode. Blow these bastards to death.
On the main road.
Lü Qiming looked puzzled. "Junior brother Lin has been gone so long. Why hasn't he come back?"
Zhang Long said, "No idea. Could something have happened? And why haven't those Sunshine Sect fellows come yet?"
Some disciples nearby asked doubtfully, "Could senior brother Lin have gotten scared and run away halfway?"
"Shut up. Junior brother Lin isn't that kind of person. If you dare slander him again, I won't go easy on you," Lü Qiming said, glaring at them.
Boom!
Just then, a thunderous blast rang out.
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
"This is bad! That came from the direction junior brother Lin went. Hurry!" Hearing the sound, Lü Qiming immediately grew anxious, then hurriedly led everyone rushing in that direction.
"Hahaha, dumbasses! Fucking dumbasses! Does that feel good? I'm asking you, does that feel good?" Lin Fan stood up. Qiu Li's palm strike earlier had seriously injured him, and his head was still spinning, but the situation now felt fantastic.
The Sunshine Sect disciples were all dumbfounded. Everything had been fine a moment ago, then there was a sudden boom, and those senior brothers all went flying.
Lin Fan felt fantastic now.
Points +60. Points +50. Points +60.
The blast had killed quite a few at the Body Tempering Fifth Stage and sixth layer.
"Well, well, to think you survived." Lin Fan was a little surprised. Even that fucking blast had failed to kill him, but one arm had been blown off, and his chest was a bloody mangled mess, spattered with blood.
"Blergh!"
Qiu Li vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood.
Lin Fan grinned. "How does it feel? That Holy Spirit Invincible Profound Earthly Dipper Heart-Saving Pill was pretty good, wasn't it? I told you not to take it, that you'd regret it, but you just wouldn't listen. Now you wish you were dead, don't you?"
"I, Lin Fan, do things openly and honorably. I never launch sneak attacks. I clearly told you it was dangerous and you'd regret it, but you wouldn't believe me. Who can you blame?"
"You..." Qiu Li's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Lin Fan. He had never imagined that they would actually be deceived.
Had his cultivation not reached the eighth level of Body Tempering, he probably would have been reduced to ash and scattered smoke like these junior brothers.
"Seize him. I'm going to torture him to death," Qiu Li said weakly, but his tone was utterly sinister.
Lin Fan's current condition was not very good. Seriously injured, he had to die once.
Then he swept his hand and taunted them imperiously. "You don't need to do anything. Even if I, Lin Fan, die, I will never die at the hands of people like you."
As Lin Fan saw it, once he killed himself, these people would withdraw. Then he would revive and immediately make a run for it. This whole routine was incredibly slick.
He placed the nine-ring broadsword against his neck, preparing to give himself a slash.
"Junior brother, stop! Your senior brothers are here!" Just as Lü Qiming and the others approached, they heard junior brother Lin's blood-stirring words and were immediately moved almost to tears.
Especially those disciples who had doubted Lin Fan earlier-they were now utterly ashamed.
They had never imagined that senior brother Lin would rather kill himself than die at the Sunshine Sect's hands.
Such spirit won their complete admiration, while also making them feel inferior.
"Fuck your sister!"
Lin Fan was stunned.