A hundred li from the Xiyue River, in a quiet bamboo forest.
A figure writhed on the ground in agony. Countless cracks spread across his body as if he were made of clay, and a copious amount of blood gushed out, staining the earth beneath him red.
If Guang Xian and Guangzhi were still alive, they would have surely recognized this person—Guang Du!
This had been his backup plan, ant to avoid detection by Mother Divination True Master in the Xiyue River, as well as an opportunity to get rid of Guang Xian and Guangzhi so he could claim the Holy Bone for himself.
But what Guang Du hadn’t expected was that there was another existence in the Xiyue River, one countless tis more terrifying than Mother Divination True Master.
As a result, not only was the fake body he had refined with a Secret Technique destroyed, but his true body was also implicated, leaving him in this miserable state.
Several hours passed before Guang Du, now emaciated and looking as if he’d been drained dry, finally regained a sliver of clarity.
He propped himself up against a rock. The ground beneath him had turned red over a large area, and his breathing grew ever fainter. Thankfully, his life was saved.
"That person..."
He thought back to the final glimpse his proxy body caught before it tried to flee. The image of that aged figure was now seared so deeply into his mind that even the mory of it made him tremble uncontrollably.
"The Holy Bone... It looks like there’s no way to get it back. I have to go back and tell the Abbot!"
Missing one of the Holy Bones ant the White Buddha Temple’s plan could not be completed. They had to find a way to retrieve it, or the White Buddha Temple would face annihilation, from which no one could escape.
But an enemy that terrifying... Just thinking about it, recalling that figure, filled Guang Du with despair, and he imdiately vomited another mouthful of blood.
’There really isn’t a single drop left in ...’
Han State, located in the south, was the largest state of the forr dynasty.
At this ti, however, Han State was fractured and shrouded in the smoke of war due to conflicts raging everywhere.
After the forr dynasty collapsed, valiant and fierce generals carved out territories and declared themselves kings. In this state alone, three separate powers vied for control, creating utter chaos.
But even in this chaotic state, there were certain places that the wars dared not touch. These areas were rarely visited and were mostly known to outsiders as forbidden lands, places none dared to tread lightly.
The infamous Corpse Saliva Valley was one such place!
Legend had it that this was the site of the most brutal battle of the forr dynasty. Corpses littered the fields, the stench of blood soared to the heavens, and no one even dared to set foot here to bury the dead.
Anyone who entered would be tainted by the thick, lingering aura of blood and would never return.
Although hundreds of years had passed, the place remained unchanged. Even from dozens of li away, one could see a layer of red, fog-like miasma.
And into this strange environnt, two figures suddenly appeared one day.
One of them was slightly stooped, dressed in coarse, gray-white clothes. Atop his shoulders rested two bizarre and distinctly different heads.
He walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back. With every step, the surrounding blood mist parted on its own, avoiding him like the plague, seemingly afraid to touch his body.
Beside him, a young man in coarse clothes was kneeling on the ground, trembling uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind.
The skin and muscle of his body twitched violently and erratically, as if it might peel off at any mont, leaving only a skeleton behind.
At the sa ti, he was continuously vomiting bile, looking as if he were in extre agony.
FWOOSH!
Only when a cluster of flas suddenly erupted from his body and blazed to life did his complexion gradually improve, and he began to gasp for air.
’Damn that old bastard!!’
Watching Elder Life Crane walk ahead, undisguised fury burned in Yang An’s eyes. He would have fought the old bastard to the death, but he knew that even a hundred of himself would be no match for the man.
The Xiyue River was a full thousand li away from Corpse Saliva Valley. A mortal would need several days to make the journey, even traveling day and night without rest.
But Elder Life Crane had grabbed Yang An and brought him here in the span of just five breaths.
Yes, five breaths!
The journey took Yang An only five breaths, and then he was here, collapsing weakly to his knees.
What followed were the severe side effects of a fragile mortal body being forced to traverse such a vast distance.
It was like being plunged into molten lava. Every part of his flesh was in excruciating pain, as if his muscles were twisting and deforming inch by inch, threatening to slough off his bones.
His spirit had also been ravaged, a feeling a hundred tis more terrifying than motion sickness. He felt as if his soul were half in his body and half out, suffering a tornt of both ice and fire.
Fortunately, Yang An managed to endure the agony, igniting a fla on himself that could brighten the heart and purify the spirit. This gathered his scattered consciousness, and he finally felt so relief.
He then pushed himself up, spat out two Elixirs from his at Burial Talisman, instantly Purified them, and tossed them into his mouth.
As the dicinal power of the Elixirs dissolved in his stomach and was quickly absorbed, Yang An’s condition began to stabilize.
Just then, Elder Life Crane, who was walking ahead, paid him no mind, but the He Tou turned to look at Yang An and let out a bizarre cackle.
"Old man, I think you should do this more often. He’ll definitely be extra delicious in the future, hehe!"
Hearing the He Tou’s words, Yang An suppressed the urge to react and ignored it. He was afraid that if he lost control for even a mont and charged forward, he’d be walking right into the lion’s den.
Elder Life Crane also ignored it and continued walking straight ahead. After a dozen or so steps, he suddenly stopped and looked forward.
At that mont, the He Tou, which had been watching Yang An, snapped its head around, a strange smile spreading across its beak.
"Soone’s here to welco you, old man!"
As the He Tou finished speaking, a tall figure slowly erged from the blood mist ahead, stopping only a zhang away from Elder Life Crane.
It was an incredibly brawny man in tattered clothes. Through the many holes, one could see his knotted sinews. His arms alone were thicker than an adult’s thigh. His long, ssy hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in a long ti, and he exuded a wild, untad aura.
Behind him, he even had a long, bare tail resembling a thick earthworm, which was coiled around a steel saber that he carried on his shoulder.
He seed to have been waiting here for Elder Life Crane’s arrival. Upon seeing him, a smile instantly appeared on his face.
"Master, your disciple has been waiting for you for a long ti! You truly made this disciple’s wait a bitter one!"
’Master?’
The man’s appearance had also caught Yang An’s attention.
Hearing this form of address, he imdiately understood the man’s identity: likely one of Elder Life Crane’s Direct Disciples, though Yang An had no idea where he ranked among them.
’He’s here to welco the old bastard back? Then why is he the only one? Where are the others?’
Yang An wondered, but sothing felt off.
’The atmosphere, his tone... This doesn’t feel like a reunion between master and disciple. It’s tense, like a fight’s about to break out.’
"How long have you waited?"
Upon seeing the man, Elder Life Crane remained impassive, asking coolly.
"Not long. I’ve only waited for six hours since I ca out of seclusion."
Elder Life Crane said nothing, rely giving a faint nod. He then lifted his foot and continued walking, soon brushing past the man without paying him any further attention.
The man’s face held a constant smile. It seed joyful, but it looked more like irrepressible excitent.
Just as Elder Life Crane had taken another dozen or so steps and his back was about to disappear into the blood mist...
SWISH!
The man spun around abruptly. His long tail suddenly unfurled, whipping the steel saber up to point at Elder Life Crane’s back, its blade glinting coldly.
The wind from the blade’s edge carried a sharp aura, instantly blasting away the surrounding blood mist.
At the sa ti, the excitent on his face seed about to burst. His smile twisted into a savage sneer, and his entire body trembled with agitation.
"Master..."
"Your disciple truly can’t hold back any longer. I’m begging you... just let slaughter you!"
"Just once! Just this once! I’m begging you!"
The man erupted in a mad frenzy, his words shocking as he flew into a rage.
The next mont, with a great roar, the man transford into a black shadow and charged straight at Elder Life Crane.
"Old bastard! Die!!"
’Holy shit!’
’What the hell is happening?!’
Nearby, Yang An was completely dumbfounded.
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