Taking You Home

"Tsk! That is some truly ugly crying, what a bad omen!"

The Blood Feather Hall cultivator looked at Zhao Qi with disdain. When his gaze fell upon what Zhao Qi held in his arms, his eyes were filled with even deeper disgust.

With a flicker, he was already standing before Zhao Qi.

But before he could strike, Zhao Qi activated the Mountain-Splitting Talisman.

"Mountain-Splitting Talisman?"

The man arched an eyebrow, then swiped his hand down in a backhand strike.

Chi—snap!

With a crisp sound, the cutting force of the talisman was shattered by his bare hand.

"Damn it! You still dare to fight back!"

He lashed out with a kick, golden light erupting from his leg.

Crack!

A martial cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Gathering possessed formidable physical strength. The Vajra Talisman held for only a single breath before shattering.

Even so, Zhao Qi had no intention of surrendering.

He had been plagued by misfortune since childhood, but he had survived countless times. Aside from luck and caution, the most important factor was that he had never once considered giving up.

"Ice-Rending Talisman!"

He flung out another late-stage talisman. A layer of frost instantly encased the Blood Feather Hall cultivator.

"Divine Movement Talisman! Spirit Shield Talisman!"

In a single breath, Zhao Qi activated every remaining talisman he possessed. Clutching Yang Linghu's severed arm to his chest, he sprinted away at full speed.

This Ice-Rending Talisman from the Carefree Sect proved effective; even an eighth-level cultivator was delayed for two full breaths.

Seeing Zhao Qi fleeing, the man was overcome with infuriated humiliation.

He, a cultivator of his standing, had been toyed with by an ant!

"Preposterous!"

Boom!

The muscles in his legs tensed, and he launched himself forward like a bolt, appearing above Zhao Qi in the blink of an eye.

"Worthless insect, die!"

He brought a heavy fist down. Zhao Qi was terrified to the core, yet he did not look back. He sprinted onward with every ounce of his remaining strength.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a bolt of crimson lightning flashed from the edge of the horizon.

It struck the Blood Feather Hall cultivator, who exploded instantly, vanishing into a mist of blood.

Zhao Qi skidded to a halt. He looked up to see a child in crimson robes descending through the air.

A Condensed Origin cultivator!

Zhao Qi's heart hammered against his ribs. Cold sweat drenched him, and he felt as though the blood in his veins had frozen. He could just barely manage to delay an eighth-level cultivator, but before this person, he lacked even the will to struggle.

"I could smell a nauseating stench from miles away. So, it was just a stinking bug from the Blood Feather Hall."

The crimson-clad child landed gracefully. He walked toward Zhao Qi and went straight to the point: "Did you obtain the inheritance of the Black Snake Hidden Cache?"

Zhao Qi shook his head woodenly.

"Huh? Not you? Then who took it?"

The child looked puzzled. He had followed the resonance of a Spiritual Treasure and locked onto Zhao Qi; there should have been no error.

Zhao Qi remained silent, only tightening his grip on the severed arm.

Seeing this, the child was stunned. He turned his head and cursed, "That stinky old man, his mouth is truly poisonous! Everyone he targets ends up dead! When I get back, I am definitely going to have a talk with Mistress about this!"

As the child grumbled, Zhao Qi stood with his eyes cast downward, not daring to betray a single emotion.

"Fine, fine. Are you and this person from the same family?"

The child shook his topknot and asked.

Zhao Qi nodded. "Reporting to Senior, yes. He is my senior brother."

"My condolences. Which family is it?"

"Reporting to Senior, I..."

Zhao Qi hesitated. He did not know if revealing the Yang name would be a blessing or a curse.

Seeing his hesitation, the child did not press. "Forget it. I can check when I get back anyway. Here, this is a gift for your clan."

He handed a jade box containing a pill to Zhao Qi.

"This is a Dragon-Transformation Pill, a high-grade pill for the perfection of Qi Gathering. If your clan members are practicing the inheritance technique from the Black Snake Hidden Cache, once they reach the twelfth level of perfection, they can take this to break through to the Condensed Origin realm," the child instructed.

Hearing that this was a pill for a breakthrough to the Condensed Origin realm, Zhao Qi carefully tucked it into his Storage Bag.

The speed of the turnabout left him dazed. Moments ago, he had been running for his life; now, he had not only survived but had received a precious gift from a Condensed Origin expert.

He felt an immense sense of fortune-he was glad he had firmly chosen to struggle until the final moment.

Having finished his business, the child prepared to leave.

Zhao Qi gathered his courage and stepped forward. "Senior! Could you give us a ride? We need to reach Yanxia!"

"Yanxia?"

The child pondered for a moment. "Fine. If you two die on the road, then my pill would have been wasted."

He summoned a patch of pitch-black thunderclouds, then waved a hand, drawing Zhao Qi and Liang Yi into the air.

As the thundercloud rose, the two experienced the sensation of riding the wind for the first time.

After traveling for a time, the child's Divine Sense seemed to detect something. He looked down.

"There are two people below. Do you know them?"

The thundercloud descended slightly. Zhao Qi peered over the edge and saw Yang Lingrui being carried on Zi He's back. He exclaimed, "Senior! That is my senior brother!"

Knowing Yang Lingrui was still alive was the best news he could have hoped for.

The child lowered the cloud. Sensing the powerful aura above, Zi He quickly stopped. When he saw the attire and appearance of the child, he set Yang Lingrui down and bowed respectfully, "Zi He, Slaying Guard of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, pays respects to Lord Hong Yao."

He had seen portraits of high-ranking dynasty officials in the Bureau. Among them was Hong Yao of the Imperial Spirit Hall.

His master was the legendary late-stage Spirit Communion expert, Lu Changfeng, Hall Master of the Imperial Spirit Hall!

"The Demon-Slaying Bureau is here too. Who are you following?"

"Reporting to Lord Hong Yao, I came to Yanxia from Qiulu with Lord Wen."

"Wen Zishu, is it?"

"Indeed."

"Tsk, forget it. I don't get along with him. You take these people to Yanxia on my behalf."

Hong Yao clearly had a history with Wen Zishu, and based on his tone, it was not a pleasant one.

With that, Hong Yao summoned his cloud and vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

"Senior Brother Lingrui!"

"Second Young Master..."

"Junior Brother Zhao! Mr. Liang!"

Seeing the two of them alive, Yang Lingrui stepped forward with a flash of joy, but after two paces, his gaze fell upon the severed arm in Zhao Qi's arms.

"Senior Brother Lingrui, I... I am useless! Senior Brother Linghu, to protect us, was struck by that descending technique... and... wuwuwu..."

At this point, Zhao Qi could no longer suppress the grief in his heart and broke into loud sobs. Liang Yi knelt on the ground, weeping and slapping his own face, cursing his own incompetence.

Yang Lingrui felt the world go dark. He staggered and nearly collapsed. Zi He reached out to steady him, his own eyes filled with sorrow as he turned away.

"I... I am fine..."

Yang Lingrui stood straight, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. Zhao Qi and Liang Yi were already overcome with grief; as their pillar of support, he could not lose his composure.

He stepped forward, his pace steady, and took Yang Linghu's severed arm from Zhao Qi.

The limb was ice-cold. Yang Lingrui held it to his chest, each beat of his heart bringing a fresh, wrenching pain.

Rip.

He tore a strip of cloth from his garment, wrapped the arm within it, and looked toward the south.

"Brother Hu, Lingrui is taking you home now."

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