The Fall of the Old Man Clone

Chapter 66

"Mm, you must continue to work hard on your cultivation."

Li Changmeng carefully treated the wounds of his two disciples, ensuring no hidden issues remained before releasing them from the **Soul Expulsion Technique**.

"Yes... Master."

The two disciples suppressed their fear and lowered their heads.

After a long while, Sun Minghao finally spoke up, "You can look up now. Master has left."

Only then did the two relax their tense nerves. The three of them made their way to the mountainside, where they had built their homes.

"Should we... continue cultivating? The technique Master gave us definitely has problems. Today, he even... I think there's definitely a scheme."

Chang Fei grabbed the other two and whispered.

Out of the ten who had ascended the mountain, only three remained after such a short time.

Even though their cultivation speed was faster than many disciples from other peaks, the purpose of cultivation was longevity and spiritual power, not to die mysteriously.

Zhao Ming shook his head and asked, "If we don't cultivate, what else can we do?"

Indeed, if they didn't cultivate, what could they do?

Chang Fei was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, Sun Minghao at the seventh, and Zhao Ming at the fourth.

Their cultivation speed was astonishing, something outer sect disciples like them, who couldn't even enter the inner sect, could never achieve.

Even if the cost of this speed was a 30% survival rate and their master's hidden agenda.

"In my opinion, we should continue cultivating. Master might have ulterior motives, but that's just our speculation. Maybe our junior brothers and sisters really weren't suited for the technique."

Sun Minghao spoke up. As the hidden vassal among them, it was his role to keep the other two steady.

The two fell silent. They were only at the Qi Refining stage. Even if they wanted to resist, what could they do?

Now, the entire Qingmiao Sect belonged to their master.

Realizing they were already in someone else's grasp, the two could only sigh and return to their rooms.

"If they truly become me in the end, what would that look like?"

Returning to his cave abode, Li Changmeng began to entertain the idea of widely spreading his cultivation technique.

Or, more accurately, exposing more people to his faith power.

"I shouldn't rush this. Let's see how Chang Fei and Zhao Ming change first."

After some thought, Li Changmeng dismissed the sudden idea.

"Blood River Demon! Surrender now!"

A red and a golden streak of light streaked across the sky.

The old man clone pushed his spiritual power to the limit, maximizing his speed.

"Hmph, futile resistance. **Fleeting Light Step!**"

The golden streak suddenly accelerated, gradually closing in on the old man clone.

The person chasing him had been on his tail for several hours, impossible to shake off.

He had tried to fight back, but after a few exchanges, he was already at a disadvantage. The pursuer was at the same cultivation level but far stronger.

"To survive this long under my pursuit, you have some skill."

"Enough nonsense!"

The old man clone stopped. There was no point in running anymore. The old man clone was meant to be sacrificed anyway.

But to be pushed to this point by a mere early Core Formation cultivator was still somewhat frustrating.

"Oh? Realized there's no escape, huh? Perfect. Once I deal with you, I can return to the sect. I heard a senior recently brought back a special treasure, and I haven't had the chance to see it yet."

Jiang Lixin didn't take the old man clone seriously at all. He was a direct disciple of the Zhengxuan Sect, a Nascent Soul-level sect. Born with a natural sword heart, he had been seen as the next sect leader since joining.

He might even lead the Zhengxuan Sect to become the next Tianxing Sacred Land!

So, a demonic cultivator at the same level? He truly didn't care.

"Die! **Falling Star Sword Art, First Form: Piercing Cloud!**"

Jiang Lixin slowly drew his sword, and sword intent began to manifest. The sword hadn't even been fully drawn, but its aura had already locked onto the old man clone.

"A sword cultivator?"

The old man clone muttered. He could feel himself being locked onto. No matter how he tried to escape, this sword strike would hit him.

The only option was to strengthen his defenses.

"Blood Qi Cycle, Endless Regeneration!"

Without hesitation, the old man clone poured all his spiritual power into a defensive technique.

Simultaneously, blood clots formed on his body, solidifying into a suit of blood armor.

His strongest defensive stance!

Jiang Lixin held his sword, charging it but not releasing it, as if waiting for the old man clone to finish preparing. Only when the old man clone stopped moving did he speak.

"Mm, ready?"

Then, he thrust his sword forward, and the power attached to it erupted. Sword qi formed a trajectory, shooting toward the old man clone.

"Such power!"

Facing this move, the old man clone felt as if he were facing Feng Qi's fourth-tier technique again.

It was power that surpassed the Core Formation stage.

But unlike Feng Qi, Jiang Lixin showed no signs of exhaustion after using this move. It was as if he had used it casually.

The sword qi arrived in an instant. The old man clone placed a blood screen in front of him, trying to block the sword qi.

But it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The sword qi only slowed slightly before piercing through.

His chest was mostly obliterated, leaving only a few ribs on the right side barely supporting his neck and above.

"How boring..."

Jiang Lixin sheathed his sword and approached the old man clone.

The old man clone looked down at his chest and let out a bitter laugh. This move was truly soul-crushing.

"Haha, haha... but it's useless!"

The flesh on his chest rapidly regenerated, quickly restoring itself.

Then, a foul stench filled the air—

"**Filthy Blood Dew!**"

"What?!"

Jiang Lixin was shocked. The old man clone's heart and most of his left chest had been obliterated. How had he recovered in the blink of an eye and still had the strength to attack?

A massive wave of foul blood poured down.

Caught off guard, even though Jiang Lixin reacted quickly and used a magical artifact to block, some of the blood still splashed onto him.

Moreover, the artifact used to block the blood began to sizzle, its surface becoming pitted and scarred.

"My sword! Blood River Demon, you deserve to die!"

Jiang Lixin, heartbroken, summoned his flying sword and decapitated the old man clone.

Then, as if venting his anger, he chased after the head, cutting it into pieces.

"To be tricked at the last moment... I'm going to get scolded again. Annoying!"

Jiang Lixin collected the old man clone's remains and turned to leave.

He had come out with a Golden Core elder from his sect. This demonic cultivator was just a training target for him, and the elder had been observing from the shadows.

To be tricked at the last moment meant he was in for a lecture.

"Sigh, what kind of Core Formation cultivator has such strong vitality? Is it because of this demonic cultivator's unique technique?"

Jiang Lixin sighed. It wasn't that he had been careless, but a Core Formation early-stage cultivator whose heart and chest had been obliterated by sword qi could still recover.

How terrifying!

Fortunately, Jiang Lixin was still superior.

With the demonic cultivator dealt with, it was time to return to the sect. A few days ago, a Nascent Soul elder had brought back a treasure said to aid in Dao comprehension. Perhaps he could use it to break through his current bottleneck.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lixin increased his speed and disappeared into the distance.