Chapter 52: Disposal
Just as Song Xuan's thoughts were running wild—
Boom!
A loud explosion came from the alchemy cauldron!
Three purple pills, each the size of a longan, shot out of the cauldron and landed in Li Changsheng's hand.
Li Changsheng raised his eyelids slightly and looked at Song Xuan, saying indifferently:
"Refining the Emerald Water Pill—isn't it as simple as having hands?"
Cold sweat dripped down Song Xuan's forehead. The three Emerald Water Pills in Li Changsheng's hand were adorned with nine faint cloud patterns, a sign of their supreme quality. Song Xuan himself couldn't even guarantee success in refining the Emerald Water Pill, yet Li Changsheng had effortlessly produced top-grade pills.
Song Xuan's eyes were filled with venomous resentment as he glared at Su Zhengdao, who was still lying beneath Li Changsheng's foot.
The alchemy skills Li Changsheng had just displayed surpassed even his master's. If it weren't for Su Zhengdao, how could he have offended such a young alchemy grandmaster?
"Young Master Li, this whole incident was caused by that dog Su Zhengdao. If it weren't for him, how could I have become your enemy?" Song Xuan forced a wide smile, knelt on the ground, and said with utmost sincerity:
"Master Li, your alchemy skills are unparalleled. In your presence, how could I dare call myself the Pill King?"
"I am willing to serve under you and be at your disposal."
His words sounded heartfelt, but the Medicine Pavilion disciples and retainers around them were dumbfounded. They all knew how arrogant Song Xuan usually was.
Unless a Nascent Soul cultivator arrived, Song Xuan wouldn't even bother to show himself. Even Golden Core cultivators seeking pills would be left waiting for days and only met after sufficient benefits were offered.
But today, he was kneeling before a young man.
"You'd make excellent dog material."
Li Changsheng looked at Song Xuan with a half-smile and sighed softly:
"If you hadn't been so disrespectful to me at the start, it wouldn't have been impossible to let you stay by my side as a dog!"
"Since you spared my life for Miss Su's sake earlier, I'll also give the Su family some face by merely crippling your cultivation. That should be enough…"
Before Li Changsheng could finish, Song Xuan's expression changed drastically.
The man, who had just been kneeling, swiftly slid backward, a formation disk appearing in his hand. He injected a burst of spiritual energy into it.
"Attack together! Do you think this brat will spare you?"
Song Xuan shouted at the two Golden Core retainers of the Medicine Pavilion. Among the Medicine Pavilion's members, only the two Golden Core cultivators were of any use. Though there were several peak Foundation Establishment cultivators present, they were utterly insignificant against the young man before them.
The two Golden Core retainers exchanged a glance and immediately retreated.
They were merely retainers of the Medicine Pavilion, and Li Changsheng had just single-handedly suppressed Su Zhengdao. How could they possibly stand against such power?
Their only hope now was that Song Xuan had some trump card to delay Li Changsheng, giving them a chance to escape!
"You dare!"
Seeing the two retainers flee, Song Xuan was both shocked and furious. He had treated them well, and now, in his time of crisis, they had simply run away?
He poured all his energy into the formation disk, and a pitch-black, hundred-foot-long blade of energy shot out toward Li Changsheng.
Meanwhile, Song Xuan turned and fled without a second glance.
The formation disk in his hand had been crafted by a fourth-tier formation master, and he had spent a fortune to acquire it. It could unleash three attacks equivalent to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator's full strength. However, he didn't believe it could stop Li Changsheng.
"Break!"
Li Changsheng uttered a single word, then flicked a finger.
A pure white sword light shot out, shattering the pitch-black blade of energy. Then, with a light tap of his foot, Li Changsheng transformed into a streak of light, appearing three feet away from one of the Golden Core retainers.
"Slash!"
The Golden Core retainer caught a glimpse of Li Changsheng from the corner of his eye and panicked. He flipped his hand, pulling out a high-grade artifact needle glowing with green light, clearly coated with deadly poison.
"Swish!"
The green needle shot toward Li Changsheng.
Li Changsheng didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he simply swung the spirit artifact sword he had taken from Su Zhengdao, sending out a sword light.
Bang!
The green needle was instantly severed into two pieces, and the sword light continued its trajectory. Under the retainer's horrified gaze, it sliced him in half.
"First one!"
Li Changsheng collected the retainer's storage pouch, then took a step into the air, transforming into a streak of light as he pursued the other Golden Core retainer.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Seeing Li Changsheng appear nearby, the Golden Core retainer's eyes filled with despair. He let out a furious roar, his body swelling to three meters tall. Wielding a massive bronze hammer, he swung it with all his might toward Li Changsheng!
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Li Changsheng's eyes. In all his time in the cultivation world, this was the first time he had encountered a body refinement cultivator—and one who had reached the Golden Core stage at that!
The bronze hammer radiated a dark, chilling light, and the howling wind echoed incessantly. If a Golden Core cultivator were struck by this hammer, they would either die or be severely injured.
"Good timing!"
Li Changsheng didn't dodge. Instead, he extended a finger.
He didn't use his full body refinement strength, only unleashing the peak power of the first transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations. He was curious to see how it compared to other body refinement techniques.
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out, and to the shock of everyone watching, Li Changsheng's single finger blocked the Golden Core retainer's full-powered, hate-filled strike.
Crack!
Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard as the bronze hammer began to crack and shatter. An invisible force spread toward the Golden Core retainer!
The body refinement Golden Core cultivator looked as if he had seen a ghost. It was the first time he had encountered someone with such immense strength!
The retainer's face turned an unnatural shade of red.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood mixed with internal organs sprayed out, and cracks began to spread across the retainer's body. Finally, he exploded into a mist of blood.
"I underestimated the Divine Demon Nine Transformations!"
"Even an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand the peak power of the first transformation!"
Li Changsheng murmured to himself, then took a sudden step forward and disappeared.
Boom!
When Li Changsheng reappeared, he was directly above Song Xuan, his foot descending with crushing force.
"Block him!"
Song Xuan's eyes bulged with desperation. He hurled several spirit talismans from his storage pouch, trying to block Li Changsheng's foot.
Boom!
The talismans' light was instantly shattered under Li Changsheng's foot, which then slammed into Song Xuan's back with devastating force.
"Pfft!"
Song Xuan felt as if he had been struck by a mountain. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then everything went black as he lost consciousness.
…
Li Changsheng returned to Su Qingyu's side, carrying the unconscious Song Xuan. He first took his storage pouch, then tossed Song Xan to the ground, saying:
"How do you want to handle these two?"
Su Qingyu looked at the two men on the ground, her eyes filled with helplessness.
Song Xuan had been directly struck in his dantian by Li Changsheng's foot, shattering his Golden Core. Even if he survived, he would only be an ordinary mortal with little time left to live.
As for Su Zhengdao, though his condition was slightly better, he was still severely injured. It would take decades for him to fully recover.
"I'll take Su Zhengdao back to the clan. Since he dared to attack me, he must pay the price!" After a moment of thought, Su Qingyu continued:
"But now that Song Xuan is crippled, what do you plan to do with the Medicine Pavilion?"