Chapter 5: A Fateful Encounter

Li Feng Yun narrowed his eyes as he observed the old man lying in a pool of blood. His robe, once regal, was now soaked in crimson, torn in several places. Even in such a pathetic state, there was an undeniable aura around him—one that could only belong to a powerhouse.

A Narcissistic Soul Realm cultivator…

Li Feng Yun had never met one in person before, but his predecessor's memories were clear. The Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect was only at the low rank of this realm. For someone at this level to be injured so severely, it meant one thing—whoever did this was beyond terrifying.

His first instinct was to walk away. This had nothing to do with him. He was not a hero, nor was he foolish enough to get involved in matters beyond his control. But something held him in place.

Was it greed? Curiosity? Or simply the feeling that this man might have something useful to offer?

After a brief hesitation, he stepped closer. The old man's breathing was ragged, but his eyes snapped open the moment Li Feng Yun approached. His gaze was sharp despite his weakened state, filled with wariness.

"Who are you?" the old man rasped.

Li Feng Yun smirked inwardly. No way I'm telling you my real name.

"I'm Bai Yun, an outer sect disciple from the nearby sect," he lied smoothly. His voice was calm, steady—without hesitation. "I was passing through and saw you here. What happened to you, senior?"

The old man hesitated, then let out a heavy breath. "I was being pursued… A group of people is after me. I managed to shake them off for now, but they won't stop. I need help. If you assist me… I can compensate you handsomely."

Li Feng Yun's eyes flickered. Compensation, huh? Now we're talking.

Still, he wasn't going to rush in blindly. "Are they tracking you?" he asked.

The old man's face darkened. "Yes. They have means to locate me, but I've used a treasure to conceal my presence for a short while. It won't last forever."

So that means staying here is not an option.

Li Feng Yun sighed theatrically. "You're really unlucky, senior."

Without waiting for the old man's response, he crouched down and carefully lifted him onto his back. The old man flinched slightly at the sudden movement, but Li Feng Yun spoke casually, "Don't worry, I'm not planning to rob you. At least, not yet."

Then, he started running—not towards the sect, but in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest.

If his pursuers were truly tracking him, heading back to the sect was a foolish move.

As he ran, he took note of the old man's behavior. He's not giving me any directions… which means he doesn't know this area well.

That was good. It meant this man had no ties to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Li Feng Yun could act freely without worrying about complications later.

After several minutes, he finally stopped in a more secluded part of the forest. The trees were thicker here, and the darkness was absolute, making it an ideal hiding spot. He carefully laid the old man down and examined his injuries.

Not as severe as they looked.

Though his robes were drenched in blood, most of the wounds had already started clotting—what truly worried Li Feng Yun was the faint black veins spreading from one of the deeper cuts.

Poison.

The old man gritted his teeth, clearly trying to stay conscious. "We can't stay here long. They will—"

"Track you down?" Li Feng Yun interrupted. He chuckled lightly, retrieving two swords from his storage ring and throwing them twenty meters away in different directions. The metal embedded itself into the ground with a sharp thud.

The old man frowned in confusion.

Li Feng Yun dusted off his hands and sat beside him. "Don't worry about it. Just a little trick of mine."

He looked at the old man again. He's still too tense.

If he wanted to get more information—and possibly earn something from this—he needed to make him feel secure.

"So, senior," he said in a casual tone, "what's your name?"

The old man hesitated before answering. "Jiang Tian."

Li Feng Yun nodded. "Well, Jiang Tian, it seems you've had a rough day. Let's chat for a bit while we wait. Tell me, what kind of people are after you?"

Jiang Tian's expression darkened slightly, but instead of answering, he let out a cold chuckle. His gaze sharpened, and in an instant, a terrifying pressure exploded from his body. The once feeble old man now radiated an overwhelming dominance, his aura pressing down like a towering mountain.

"You think you're clever, boy?" Jiang Tian sneered, his voice carrying a deep, threatening undertone. "Do you believe you can just walk away unscathed after seeing me like this? I could crush you with a flick of my finger."

As if to prove his point, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a low-grade Spirit Sword. The blade shimmered faintly under the moonlight, exuding a sharp, lethal presence. He tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "This sword alone is enough to end your life. Do you understand now? Obedience is your only option."

Li Feng Yun remained silent, his expression unreadable. His eyes, however, lingered on the Spirit Sword. He could sense it—the delicate yet firm connection between the weapon and Jiang Tian's will. A true cultivator's weapon was an extension of themselves.

A slow, deliberate smile crept onto his lips. "Is that a Spirit Sword? Quite good, I think."

Jiang Tian's brows furrowed slightly at his tone. There was no fear, no desperation—just mild amusement.

Li Feng Yun lifted a hand slightly, focusing on the sword. He willed it to move. At first, nothing happened. Then, ever so slightly, the blade trembled. A flicker of resistance pushed back against his will. It was difficult—far harder than he expected.

Jiang Tian, oblivious to the minute shift, scoffed. "Still trying to act brave? Let me teach you a—"

Before he could finish, Li Feng Yun suddenly stumbled back, his face paling as if struck by terror. "W-Wait! We can talk about this!" His voice quivered, his body visibly trembling. He raised his hands in surrender, looking like a frightened cat.

Jiang Tian's smirk widened. "Hmph. That's more like it—"

Then, in a flash—

A sword shot forward.

The sharp metal pierced Jiang Tian's chest, right through his heart. The old man's body jerked violently, his eyes widening in pure disbelief. His trembling hands reached toward his chest, as if trying to grasp at the blade lodged deep within him. His lips parted, but no words came out. Only a faint gurgling sound escaped as blood dripped from his mouth.

Jiang Tian had underestimated him.

A Qi Condensation cultivator in the mid realm—what threat could they possibly pose? Even if they were competent, they were still bound by the limits of their realm. And yet, as he lay there, his fading consciousness clinging to the last moments of life, a single, unbearable thought took root in his mind.

How?

Another sword came.

Faster. Deadlier.

It sliced through the air and struck its mark—his skull. The force of the impact sent a sickening crack through the silent forest. Jiang Tian's body stiffened for a moment, as if refusing to believe his own death. Then, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"you should have answered me" 

With a thought, the two swords embedded in Jiang Tian's body trembled before pulling free, sliding out of flesh with a sickening squelch. The wounds they left behind oozed thick, dark blood, but Li Feng Yun wasn't done.

His fingers moved slightly, and the swords hovered in the air before shooting down once more, piercing the body repeatedly. Each strike was precise, measured—not out of hatred, but for certainty. He had learned from his predecessor that people at high cultivation levels could sometimes fake death or recover from seemingly fatal wounds. But not this time.

Jiang Tian's body jerked a few more times before it finally lay still.

Only then did Li Feng Yun release his breath.

"Now, let's see what you were hiding."

His eyes landed on the old man's storage ring—a seemingly simple silver band around his finger. However, looks could be deceiving. 

Without hesitation, he grasped Jiang Tian's cold, stiff fingers and slid the ring off. Holding it between his fingers, he poured his mana into it.

Li Feng Yun channeled his mana into the storage ring, his fingers wrapped tightly around the cold silver band. The moment his energy seeped inside, he felt a faint resistance—proof that Jiang Tian had placed an ownership restriction on it.

However, with the old man's death, the restriction was nothing more than a hollow shell. It crumbled instantly, allowing Li Feng Yun unrestricted access to the ring's contents. A smirk curled on his lips.

"Let's see what secrets you were hiding, Jiang Tian."

With a thought, his consciousness sank into the spatial storage, and a vast collection of items appeared before him. The interior of the storage ring was spacious—at least a few dozen cubic meters. Jiang Tian had clearly been a man of high status, for the amount of wealth contained within was astonishing.

At first glance, he noticed a pile of Qi Crystals, ranging from low to high quality. They emitted a faint glow, and just being near them made his body feel slightly invigorated. There were also several jade bottles, undoubtedly containing precious pills. His eyes swept past weapons—some ordinary, some infused with spiritual energy—alongside a few neatly stacked cultivation manuals.

But amidst the treasures, two items immediately caught his attention.

One was a clan head token—an intricately designed golden plaque, engraved with an unfamiliar emblem. Even without touching it, he could feel a regal authority radiating from it. This wasn't something just anyone could possess. Whoever owned this token had a significant position in their clan.

The second was a small, unassuming talisman, its surface covered in faint, intricate runes. It pulsed with an eerie energy, giving off an unsettling feeling.

[Beep!]

The system's voice echoed in his mind, its tone neutral yet firm.

[Detected: Tracking Talisman. The talisman is linked to the previous owner. Upon the owner's death, it will automatically send a signal to its designated recipients.]

Li Feng Yun's eyes darkened. "So, you were marked after all. If I had taken too long, this thing would've alerted your people."

He didn't hesitate. Holding the talisman between his fingers, he circulated his energy and crushed it with a swift motion. The runes flickered erratically for a moment before vanishing into nothingness, the remnants of the talisman disintegrating into dust.

[Tracking Talisman destroyed. Any potential pursuers will now lose their connection to the previous owner.]

A cold chuckle escaped his lips. "That takes care of that."

With that, he turned and walked toward a nearby clearing, his gaze falling on the lifeless body once more. He couldn't just leave it out in the open—a corpse, especially one of a high-level cultivator, could attract unwanted attention. Beasts, scavengers, or even wandering cultivators might stumble upon it, bringing unnecessary complications.

Sighing, Li Feng Yun extended his hand, and the swords he had used to kill Jiang Tian floated into the air. With a flick of his wrist, they stabbed into the ground, cutting deep into the soil. He repeated the motion multiple times, loosening the earth enough to dig a shallow grave.

Once satisfied, he grabbed the old man's corpse by the arm and dragged it toward the pit. The body was lighter than expected—perhaps a side effect of his weakening cultivation.

Without hesitation, he rolled the body into the hole.

Thud.

Dirt and rocks scattered as the lifeless form settled at the bottom. For a brief moment, Li Feng Yun stared down at him. There was no pity in his eyes, no remorse—only indifference.

"Should've told me more," he murmured, then picked up a handful of dirt and tossed it over the corpse.

Using his metal manipulation, he guided the swords again, pushing the rest of the soil over the grave until it was fully covered. He even took a moment to scatter leaves and smooth out the dirt, erasing any obvious signs of burial.

Only when he was sure the site was well hidden did he step back and exhale.

"That should do."

Glancing at the storage ring now firmly in his possession, he smirked.

"Rest in peace, old man. Or don't. It's all the same to me."

Without another word, he turned and walked into the forest, disappearing into the shadows as the night swallowed him whole.