“Brother Lv! Stay with us!”

“Old Lv, hold on. I’ll get you back to Yansha Town.”

Yang Lingrui cradled Lv Lianshun as blood gushed from the old man’s mouth, channeling spiritual power into him through cultivation methods.

During the moonlight assault moments earlier, Lv Lianshun had thrown himself in front of Yang Lingrui. Now his lower body lay shattered by the lunar energy.

Only a rejuvenating elixir kept his spirit tethered to this world.

“Second Young Master… Save your strength…” Lv Lianshun wheezed, milky eyes struggling to focus. “I seek no special treatment… only that… the Lv Family survives…” Blood-flecked coughs interrupted him. “Fangxuan… good boy… don’t let the main family cast him out…”

Yang Lingrui squeezed the trembling hand, grief etching his features. This elderly cultivator—ninety winters old—spent his final breath pleading for his clan’s future rather than his own.

“The Lv Family will endure. Fangxuan shall receive our guidance.”

“Good… good…”

With Yang Lingrui’s vow still ringing in his ears, Lv Lianshun released his final breath.

“Journey well, brother.”

Xie Chuan knelt nearby, tear-streaked face lifted as Yang Lingrui placed the broken body in his arms.

“Second Young Master?”

“Return Old Lv to Yansha Town.”

Yang Lingrui’s voice held winter’s chill, his gaze sharper than frost.

“But you—” Xie Chuan’s question died as a black-clad figure emerged from the forest shadows.

The sect had spared no expense for vengeance—not only unleashing forbidden techniques but hiring external forces. The intruder’s cloak bore crimson-winged ravens stitched in blood-red thread.

Blood Feather Hall.

Xie Chuan’s divine awareness brushed the stranger. His blood turned to ice.

Eighth level of Gathering Qi.

Hopeless.

“He wants me. Go.”

Xie Chuan stared at his lord’s unyielding back, shame burning his throat. Useless during the treasure land crisis, now fleeing like a coward…

Xie Chuan!

You disgrace the main family!

“Remember the Master’s final orders.” The quiet command snapped Xie Chuan from his spiral.

Yang Lingrui’s words snapped Xie Chuan out of his hesitation.

Before departing, Yang Lingqing had specifically instructed, “If faced with grave danger during this mission, prioritize survival above all else.”

Plainly speaking – when catastrophe strikes, run for your lives rather than getting completely annihilated.

With Yang Lingrui choosing to stay and buy time, the decision became clear.

“Understood! Stay safe, Second Young Master!”

Scooping up Lv Lianshun’s mangled body, Xie Chuan fled toward Yansha Town without a backward glance.

“You think you can escape?”

The black-clad cultivator sneered, summoning an object with finger motions. A flick of his wrist sent the slender steel needle shooting toward Xie Chuan as a glowing projectile.

He thought this single strike would finish off both targets. Yet the beam of light barely launched before five wind blades intercepted it mid-flight.

The brief clash revealed the attacker’s spiritual treasure – a thumb-thick steel needle measuring about twelve inches.

“What’s this?”

Surprise flickered in the black-clad cultivator’s eyes. Though merely a casual attack, the young cultivator stood two full realms beneath him. This interception suggested combat power rivaling weaker seventh-level practitioners.

“Well now! A genuine prodigy!”

The dark-clothed man’s lips curled. “Endless slaughter of commoners grows tedious. Today I’ll savor the taste of genius!”

Clang!

His steel needle spun sideways, scattering the wind blades. Yang Lingrui responded by whipping his Crow Feather Fan to summon a dust-stirring gale while activating both spiritual shield and divine movement talismans. He bolted opposite Xie Chuan’s path.

Thrum!

Yang Lingrui’s foot barely touched ground when steel needle vibrations buzzed in his ears. “Diamond defense!”

The first diamond talisman activated, its golden light shielding him. But as he glanced up, the black-clad cultivator already loomed before him with murderous glee.

Crash!

A single punch shattered the golden protection. Yang Lingrui instantly activated his second talisman. The attacker’s fist flew again, cold determination etched on his face.

With a crack, the golden light shattered again.

The second-rate diamond talisman broke instantly before the attacker, failing to hold.

Two talismans used, yet they hadn’t even bought three breaths of time.

Yang Lingrui clutched his last superior-quality diamond talisman. As he activated it, he flipped his Crow Feather Fan and hid a wind spear beneath.

“Superior-quality? Not bad for a young cultivator!”

The black-clad cultivator’s eyes gleamed with hunger. He thrust his steel needle forward.

The golden light hissed under the assault, cracks spreading as the pressure intensified.

“Just a talisman—BREAK!”

Crack!

As the golden light failed, the third punch came.

Yang Lingrui released his gathered strike in that split second.

Thud!

Crunch.

The punch caved in Yang Lingrui’s right chest, hurling him backward. His wind spear grazed the attacker’s cheek, leaving a bloody mark.

The black-clad man stared at his bloodied fingers, disbelief twisting his features. A sixth-level cultivator had wounded him. His smirk died, replaced by fury.

He leaped to Yang Lingrui’s side and seized his ankle.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Yang Lingrui’s body struck the ground repeatedly. After a dozen slams, the youth’s eyes glazed—yet he stayed silent. The black-clad man’s face darkened.

He tossed Yang Lingrui down and flicked his finger. The steel needle whirled into the youth’s knee.

“AAAH!”

Yang Lingrui’s scream echoed. The black-clad man twisted the needle.

Snap!

Bone and flesh shredded. Yang Lingrui choked back cries, breath hissing through clenched teeth.

Satisfied, the attacker yanked the needle free. He leveled it at Yang Lingrui’s brow.

“Genius? Pathetic.”

The needle dropped.

Time stretched. Yang Lingrui’s life flickered past his eyes.

“…Not…fair…”

He closed his eyes.

A breath later—he still lived.

The needle hovered an inch from his forehead, caught in a golden hand.

The black-clad man jerked his head up. “WHO’S THERE?!”

Yang Lingrui turned his head with effort. A masked figure stepped from shadows, clad in Zhuhu Dynasty’s gray-blue armor. A dark-red longbow hung on his back.

“Tiger-Chasing. Exterminate Evil Division. Zi He.”

The man’s lazy tone felt oddly familiar. His gaze fell on Yang Lingrui, then hardened as he faced the attacker.

“So fierce, friend. Perfect—I’ve polished my techniques lately. Let me test them on you today.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep