Chapter 21: The Kill and the Departure
Two months later.
Li Changsheng, who had been sitting cross-legged in his room cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the northwest.
Not long after, Qin Yi's voice came from outside the room.
"Who's there?"
Bang!
"Huh? I didn't expect a mortal martial artist to have such strength?"
Li Changsheng pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard, where he saw Qin Yi locked in battle with a young cultivator. The young cultivator was only at the first level of Qi Refining and clearly lacked combat experience. He was being completely led around by Qin Yi. If not for the fact that the quality of his true energy far exceeded that of internal energy, allowing him to barely hold on, he would have already been killed.
Four other cultivators stood in the courtyard observing the fight, in no hurry to intervene.
"He's quite skilled for a mortal, but it's a pity he has no spiritual roots. He's nothing but an ant."
A middle-aged cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining shook his head and chuckled.
Even though the young cultivator was at a disadvantage, they showed no signs of urgency.
"This guy's martial arts have some merit. Why not capture him and force him to reveal his techniques? Even if we don't need them, they could be a valuable gift for the descendants of the Sixth Ancestor."
"True. While we might not care for it, mortals would surely treasure his martial arts."
"In that case, Qi Bai, go ahead and capture him. Just cripple him; don't kill him."
With a few words, they had Qin Yi's fate sealed.
"Alright!"
Qi Bai stepped forward, his fingers forming a seal as dozens of small wind blades materialized and shot toward Qin Yi's limbs.
Seeing this, Qin Yi swung his sword to force back the first-level Qi Refining cultivator he was fighting and quickly retreated.
"Trying to escape?"
Qi Bai's eyes were filled with cold amusement. If a mere mortal ant managed to escape from him, where would he save face?
He changed his hand seals, and the already fast wind blades accelerated even further.
"That's enough."
Seeing this, Li Changsheng shook his head slightly and flicked his fingers.
Whoosh!
Three invisible sword qi shattered the dozen or so wind blades into dust.
This move of his was a martial technique he had created, powered by his true energy. With hundreds of simulations under his belt, his understanding of martial arts was likely unmatched in the mortal world.
After his modifications, these mortal techniques, in his hands, were no weaker than ordinary spells. Moreover, they didn't require hand seals, making them faster and more efficient.
"So, you're the cultivator behind the Tianxia Guild?"
Seeing Li Changsheng's move, the five Qi Family cultivators showed no surprise. Since Li Changsheng had killed Qi Ming and Qi Yue, he had to be at least a third-level Qi Refining cultivator. Blocking Qi Bai's casual attack was nothing unusual.
"Alas!"
Li Changsheng didn't answer. Instead, he let out a long sigh and said, "Your Qi Family is too slow. It's taken you two months to get here. I was starting to grow impatient!"
The Qi Family cultivators' hearts tightened.
The leading fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator felt a sense of foreboding and frowned, "What do you mean by that?"
"If it weren't for the spirit stones on your bodies, why would I waste two months waiting for you?"
After saying this, Li Changsheng took a step forward, and a vast, surging aura emanated from his body, like crashing waves, pressing down on the five Qi Family cultivators, making it hard for them to stand straight.
"How is this possible?"
"A peak Qi Refining cultivator?"
"Just who are you?"
The Qi Family members' expressions changed drastically. They had thought that Qi Ming and Qi Yue had been killed by some rogue cultivator in the mortal world. They never expected that it would be a peak Qi Refining cultivator. They even suspected that this young man had intentionally left the Imperial Family unharmed, leaving them clues to lure them into a trap.
"Fellow Daoist, this is a misunderstanding," the leading Qi Family cultivator quickly said, "Did our two incompetent disciples offend you? We're willing to apologize and make amends. Let's end this here. Our Qi Family will not pursue this matter further!"
The others nodded in agreement.
"You've made me wait for two months. How could I let you leave just like that?"
Li Changsheng shook his head.
He turned to Qin Yi and said, "Before I leave, I'll demonstrate my sword technique for you one last time."
With that, a hundred-refined iron longsword appeared in Li Changsheng's hand.
The sword was unsheathed, carrying an unstoppable momentum as he charged toward the five Qi Family cultivators.
"Kill him! If he doesn't die today, we'll all perish here!"
The leading Qi Family cultivator shouted and rushed toward Li Changsheng.
Seeing this, the others also attacked, hurling fireballs, wind blades, and ice spikes at Li Changsheng's figure.
"Break!"
Li Changsheng softly uttered a single word, and with a swing of his sword, the fireball launched by the fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator was split in half. A head flew into the air.
Silence!
The four who had been charging forward immediately stopped and fled in four different directions.
Whoosh!
Li Changsheng flicked his sword, and an invisible sword qi bisected the two weaker cultivators at the waist.
With a light tap of his foot, Li Changsheng appeared before the fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator of the Qi Family.
Thud!
Another head soared into the air.
"Spare… spare me!"
Seeing Li Changsheng's figure appear less than three meters away, the last Qi Family cultivator fell to his knees, begging for mercy.
This was the first time he had seen someone use true energy to power mortal martial arts, and the power was no weaker than spells—in fact, it was faster and stronger!
Bang!
A head, still filled with reluctance, flew up and rolled to Qin Yi's feet.
"I've already taught you the first five layers of the Primordial Unity Technique. Once you reach the first level of Qi Refining, combined with your understanding of martial arts, you'll be able to kill weaker cultivators."
Li Changsheng spoke to Qin Yi, then collected the storage pouches from the five cultivators and turned to leave.
Qin Yi stood there, unable to calm down for a long time.
...
One month later.
Li Changsheng, dressed in a blue robe, appeared at the entrance to Misty Valley.
From Liu Qing's notes, he had learned that the Tunmen Marketplace was hidden within Misty Valley and required a token to freely enter and exit the array formations.
Before officially entering the cultivation world, he had attempted to enter Misty Valley countless times, only to end up as food for the demonic beasts.
"These spiritual veins are surrounded by arrays, and one wrong step could lead to getting lost. Not to mention the demonic beasts that are born in the spiritual veins. They're completely beyond the capabilities of martial artists. No wonder no one has ever heard of mortals obtaining the chance to become immortals after all these years."
Li Changsheng shook his head, took out an ancient token from his storage pouch, and injected a stream of true energy into it. The token glowed faintly, and the mist in front of him slowly dispersed, revealing a wide path.
Without hesitation, Li Changsheng walked in.
He had simulated entering this place many times. Except for the time he nearly got double-crossed by Shopkeeper Song while exploring the ruins, the other simulations had gone without any danger.
Li Changsheng moved quickly, and after about ten minutes, the mist cleared, revealing a massive valley.
"The spiritual energy here is so dense! Cultivating here would be several times faster than in the mortal world."
"And this is only the outermost part of the spiritual vein!"
"No wonder it's so rare to see cultivators in the mortal world!"