The space between heaven and earth was filled with sword qi. A long sword shot up into the sky, unsheathed with a furious roar.
The sword's hum was like rolling thunder, and a brilliant sword light flashed. As it chopped downwards, it carried layers of sword qi that cascaded like a waterfall.
Before the long sword even arrived, the endless sword qi struck first, transforming into a curtain of sky like continuous heavy rain.
Pfft!
With a face filled with terror and confusion, blood splattering, the young girl struggled to turn her head and look at Li Mufeng, who was retreating frantically.
That familiar senior brother now seemed like a complete stranger. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to ask "why," but only countless sword qi surged out when she tried to speak.
She perished amidst the endless sword qi, her body filled with the force, leaving behind only a few tattered pieces of her clothing.
Witnessing this scene, Li Mufeng remained as indifferent as ever, as if it were not the junior sister he had watched grow up who had perished before his eyes, but merely an unrelated passerby.
"Slash!"
Ji Yuan's eyes surged with killing intent. Though he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it almost impossible to breathe, he still managed to let out a low roar with all his might.
He had never wanted to kill someone so badly, even though the other party had once intended to use him as a pawn and had even nearly killed his friend.
But upon seeing Li Mufeng so naturally pull his junior sister in front of him, with not the slightest hint of guilt in his eyes, an overwhelming killing intent surged within him.
As if sensing its master's emotions, the long sword descending from mid-air suddenly shifted, transforming into a stream of light that appeared above Li Mufeng's head in almost an instant.
Without any fancy moves, the ancient-styled long sword slashed down directly, the process devoid of any hesitation.
Li Mufeng roared, his spiritual power pouring out. He rapidly formed seals with his hands, and as the spiritual energy around him vibrated, a gust of wind suddenly swept up, condensing into several small, light-green shields before him.
However, no matter how hard he tried, it was all futile under the edge of the sword. The small, light-green shields, formed with all his spiritual power, couldn't even block the long sword for an instant.
With a flash of sword light, the several light-green shields were split in two, then transformed back into chaotic spiritual energy, dissipating into the heavens and earth.
In the moment of life and death, Li Mufeng, with extreme difficulty, shifted his body an inch. The long sword then slashed down, embedding itself into the ground.
Pfft!!!
A gush of crimson erupted into the sky, hot blood splashing across the ground. His face pale, he collapsed onto the earth, a severed right arm lying at his feet.
"Yuanbao, come back."
The young Taoist priest walked over slowly, murmuring with a grim expression.
The ancient heavy sword stuck in the ground, hearing the call, shot back, carrying endless sword qi into its scabbard.
The long sword, named "Yuanbao," circled Ji Yuan a few times, seemingly delighted to have had the chance to reappear in the world, but it ultimately obeyed and re-entered its master's Purple Mansion between his eyebrows.
"You truly deserve to die!"
Ji Yuan strode over, looking down at the person before him.
Although his face had turned ashen due to forcibly summoning the long sword from his Purple Mansion, which had shaken his soul and body, the intense killing intent had not diminished in the slightest.
Earlier, this man had used his junior brother as a shield against a fatal blow, and now, he had repeated his actions, pushing his junior sister forward to block the cascading sword qi.
What was most chilling was that after doing these things, Li Mufeng showed no reaction, as if he considered it the natural order of things.
Cultivation was never an easy path; it appeared to be a grand highway, but in reality, it was a narrow, winding trail. For cultivators to reach the summit, they often had to resort to any means necessary.
However, even within this, there were lines that should not be crossed, for to do so would be no different from demonic ways.
"It's all about the winner taking all. If I had succeeded, the world would only know Li Mufeng as an immortal enjoying freedom, and who would speak for the stepping stones?"
Li Mufeng gave a desolate laugh, still showing no remorse, only believing that the timing was not on his side.
This mindset was more twisted and extreme than that of any military strategist, as if he had already fallen into the demonic path.
Yet, he remained oblivious. On his extremely pale face, drained of blood, a trace of unwillingness appeared: "It's just relying on a divine weapon. If I could have found that world-shocking spiritual treasure, it would be you lying on the ground now!"
His failure now, in his view, was merely a matter of bad luck and not finding that spiritual treasure; otherwise, the outcome would have been reversed.
He never considered if it was his own excessive wickedness that had led to his downfall.
Ji Yuan looked at him with a strange expression: "Didn't you once say that heaven's opportunities and treasures go to the virtuous?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mufeng was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't understand what the other party meant, a strange feeling suddenly arose within him.
The young Taoist sighed, lightly stomped on the ground, and grumbled with some reluctance: "Come out."
As his voice fell, the surroundings remained calm and peaceful, with no unusual occurrences, leaving everyone present filled with confusion.
But suddenly, the earth of Luohun Slope began to surge, as if a subterranean tremor had occurred. The spiritual energy, yin energy, and other forces in the area began to churn chaotically.
Then, everyone saw a beam of white light burst forth from the ground. As it approached the young Taoist, it began to swirl around him joyfully.
Once the anomalies subsided, the white light swirling around Ji Yuan quietly dispersed, revealing a palm-sized white jade flying sword.
The small flying sword was cast entirely from white jade, yet it emanated colorful, radiant light. With the slightest movement, it could draw spiritual energy from all directions, openly exuding an aura of sentience.
Everyone present was awestruck by this flying sword.
Song He and his wife looked astonished. They never imagined that the treasure they had coveted for so long, for which they had even nearly fallen into depravity, would fly out from the earth's veins with just a single word from the young man.
Granny Zhang, severely injured, stared blankly for a moment. Tears seemed to well up in her cloudy eyes, but now, as a specter, she could no longer shed tears.
"No! Impossible! This is absolutely not that spiritual treasure!"
Li Mufeng shouted in disbelief, his eyes filled with confusion, unwillingness, and anger.
He couldn't comprehend why this young Taoist priest, with just a stomp of his foot and a casual call, had summoned a spiritual treasure that even powerful beings couldn't find.
Sensing the varied gazes from those present, Ji Yuan sighed with a hint of helplessness. In fact, ever since he had entered this residence, he had sensed the white jade flying sword hidden deep within the earth's veins, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
However, he could feel that by responding to the white jade flying sword, he would incur a tremendous karmic debt, and one day in the future, he might be held accountable for this event by certain entities.
Furthermore, his own fortune and destiny were exceptionally strong, even to the point of being suspicious.
Just by casually searching the kitchen, he had found a pill furnace of such exquisite quality that its origins were unfathomable.
Even when he was a child, playing wildly with a demon-subduing sword technique in the main hall of the Taoist temple, an ancient sword worn by the patriarch had fallen from the rafters and struck his Purple Mansion between his eyebrows.
Even when he went out to buy cultivation supplies, he could find three copper coins with protective and suppressing powers at an extremely low price in the market, considered a lucky find.
Such incredible luck and opportunities were the reason why Ji Yuan had previously ignored the white jade flying sword's call.
Otherwise, ordinary cultivators would be overjoyed to obtain a single magical artifact, cherishing it as a legacy to be passed down through generations.
How many people could afford to ignore such a monumental opportunity?
However, matters concerning the fundamental basis of his own Dao were not something Ji Yuan would discuss with anyone, let alone explain to this Li Mufeng.
"If there truly is reincarnation in this world, remember to be a good person in your next life."
He swatted away the small white jade sword circling around him and said to Li Mufeng, who was slumped on the ground.
The next moment, Ji Yuan was about to make his move, to put an end to this man's life, but an arm suddenly stretched out before him.
Song He cast a gentle gaze, his expression filled with concern, and said, "Let me do it."
He knew the young Taoist had never taken a life before and usually dealt with malevolent spirits, so he couldn't help but worry.
However, Ji Yuan shook his head, pushed away Song He's restraining arm, and then drew the soft sword hidden at his waist.
As the sword light flashed and disappeared, a lifeless body heavily collapsed onto the ground, its blood staining a patch of yellow earth.