Chapter 25: The Master Is Truly Formidable

Chapter 25: Master is Really Strong

"Master!!!" Xiao Yiheng and Li Luoshu screamed, rushing forward to check Xue Youtan's injuries, but he stopped them with a wave of his hand.

He dug around in his chest cavity and, before long, pulled out a round bead glowing with golden light.

"Here, the golden core you wanted. I've already cut it out. Now, let him go."

Xue Youtan had just carved out his inner core, yet he remained as composed as ever—not only had he barely shed a drop of blood, but he was also looking energetic.

Yuan Changsheng was just a mortal, thinking that a cultivator's golden core was like his own heart—that removing it meant death. Witnessing this, his view of Xue Youtan shifted entirely.

Could Xue Youtan truly have cultivated an immortal body? And what if—just what if—he had met Xue Youtan earlier, would he have had to kill so many people to save his sister?

No sooner had this thought crossed Yuan Changsheng's mind than his neck was seized by a hand made of condensed smoke.

"Don't let me catch you thinking like that again," the black mist said viciously. "Go, retrieve the golden core. As long as you get it, your sister can live."

Outside the door, Xue Youtan heard no response from within for a long while. He tapped his foot impatiently and came up with another thoughtful suggestion.

"How about this—to prove my sincerity, as soon as Pei Zhi steps out of the array's center, I'll toss the golden core in to you first? This deal's a steal—miss it and you'll regret it."

This wasn't carving out a core—it was a sales pitch.

Xiao Yiheng and Li Luoshu exchanged a glance, both looking at each other in sheer disbelief.

Xue Youtan kept his word. The moment he hurled the bead, his white-clad figure leaped forward, grabbed Pei Zhi by the arm, and tossed him backward. Pei Zhi landed steadily beside Xiao Yiheng and Li Luoshu.

"Yiheng, get them all out. Now!"

Xiao Yiheng obeyed, grabbing one person with each hand and bolting out of there, not sparing a single thought for Xue Youtan's fate.

After all, watching him carve out his core right there had been utterly shocking; he fully believed Xue Youtan's power had reached the legendary realm of Spirit Transformation.

Dealing with those few thugs in the mansion at the Spirit Transformation stage? That was just a snap of the fingers.

Sure enough, no sooner had they run out of the Yuan family's back courtyard than a thunderous boom echoed. The eastern room where Yuan Changsheng was, along with the ancient trees in the yard, was split clean in half.

Pei Zhi stopped, turning toward the sound.

Through the dust of the collapsed building, Liguang slid back into its sheath. Xue Youtan, clad in white, walked calmly out of the ruins, a pale blue demon core clutched in his hand.

"Master... is really... strong!" Li Luoshu's words came out in three stuttered segments. He stared at Xue Youtan, his eyes practically sparkling with pink stars.

"Yeah, still this strong after carving out a core," Xiao Yiheng chimed in.

Only Pei Zhi kept his eyes on that snow-white figure, pressing his lips together, saying nothing—lost in thought.

Xue Youtan was quite pleased with his exit. He was adjusting his stride, making sure that no matter whether his three disciples looked at him from the left, the right, or from above, they'd catch a glimpse of his imposing face. But the next second, someone grabbed his leg.

Xue Youtan lowered his eyes slightly. He saw Yuan Changsheng clutching Yuan Yingdi's corpse, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"Heavenly Master..." Yuan Changsheng's internal organs had been shattered when the sword came down moments ago; he likely didn't have long to live. But he still asked, persistent as ever, "Heavenly Master, why—after eating your golden core—why hasn't my sister, my sister come back to life?"

Yuan Yingdi's body in Yuan Changsheng's arms had already turned gray and stiff. He'd clearly put a lot of effort into preserving it, but it was still on the verge of decay. Now exposed to the air, her abdomen began visibly swelling with gas. Xue Youtan knew—that was a sign of internal organs rotting, bacteria breeding and releasing gases like methane and hydrogen sulfide.

Also a sign that she was completely, utterly dead.

"Heavenly Master, that man said your golden core is a divine object—eat it and you'll be resurrected. Why hasn't my sister come back to life?"

Because the bead Yuan Yingdi had eaten was nothing more than a golden candy he'd cast a spell on to make it glow.

It was a piece of candy he'd pocketed while grabbing a snack on Cangya Mountain.

He wasn't insane—why would he actually slash open his abdomen, er, chest, for a mere 50-point side quest? That scene earlier was just an illusion. Fortunately, the evil spirits in the instance were too dumb to see through it; a simple trick fooled them all.

"Heavenly Master~" When he got no answer, Yuan Changsheng asked again, "Heavenly Master, you're an immortal. Immortals can save people, right? I beg you, save my sister. Everything is my fault; my sister is innocent. As long as you bring her back, I'll do anything you ask."

Xue Youtan looked at Yuan Changsheng, bending down slightly. He meant to say something, but noticed the man clutching his robe had already gone glassy-eyed.

A devoted soul, sure—but his devotion was misplaced.

Killing all those women, draining their blood, disguising it as evil spirit mischief, all to draw a Spirit Dispersion Array and lure in a powerful cultivator to carve out a core. Honestly, Yuan Changsheng had it coming.

And he should have used that pig brain of his—if golden cores were really that effective, cultivators would have wiped each other out in mutual slaughter long ago. There's no way a mortal like him would have gotten the chance.

"Murder! Murder!" The steward, drawn by the commotion from the back courtyard, arrived just in time to see Yuan Changsheng die at Xue Youtan's hands. Trembling, he pointed at Xue Youtan and shouted, but before he could run far, Pei Zhi knocked him out with one hit from his staff.

"Leaving him alive is a liability. If he runs his mouth to other sects, it'll be troublesome. Master, should we dispose of him?"

Pei Zhi was still feeling the aftereffects of the Spirit Dispersion Array; lifting a wooden staff felt like hoisting a dumbbell, and he was panting heavily. Yet even so, when he spoke of killing, he didn't mince words.

Bro, you're breaking character.

I'm the villain here! How are you more cold-blooded than the villain himself!

"Ding—congrats, host, on completing the demon-subduing task. You've earned 50 points and 500 prestige. Current points: 230, prestige: 1500, task progress: 6%."

Same as before—each completion added 1% to the progress bar. Only the last time-limited main quest had jumped from 3% to 5%, adding 2%. So Xue Youtan figured the progress bar was tied to the difficulty of the instance.

"Master?" When Xue Youtan didn't respond for a while, Pei Zhi spoke up again.

"Just a mortal—not worth our time."

Clutching the pale blue demon core, Xue Youtan moved closer to Pei Zhi. He'd planned to use the core right there to heal his face, but before he could act, he heard Pei Zhi ask another question: "Master, when you killed that demon earlier, did you get a good look at what it looked like?"