“Come here.”
The old Daoist finally spoke, his tone as calm as still water, as if casually arranging a trivial matter that had long become irrelevant.
Lu Li scrambled and crawled over, tears welling in his eyes, as if clutching at the last straw.
The old Daoist stretched out a withered, pale hand and gripped Lu Li’s wrist. His palm was cold and tightened like an iron clamp.
He closed his eyes, silent for a moment, seemingly sensing something. A moment later, he slightly opened his eyes and spoke faintly:
“Not bad. He has a Spirit Bone. Although it’s the most mediocre type among Spirit Bones, his filial piety is commendable, and his will is quite firm.”
He nodded slightly, then said:
“If you are willing to follow me to the Immortal Sect to Cultivate, I will take you to find the bodies of your two older brothers.”
Lu Li nodded immediately without even thinking: “I am willing! I am willing!”
At this moment, he only wanted his brothers to rest in peace.
The old Daoist said nothing more. He picked up the little girl beside him, who was as delicate as a porcelain doll, with one hand, and again gripped Lu Li’s wrist with the other.
He softly uttered an incantation:
“Flying Sword, rise.”
With a soft hum, a three-foot-long Flying Sword appeared out of thin air, its silver light like water, its patterns flowing as if alive.
The old Daoist stepped onto the long sword, taking the two of them into the air.
“Boom—”
The sword light shot into the sky, and the immense wind roared like a myriad of blades scraping against his body. Lu Li felt excruciating pain as the strong wind tore at him.
It was like countless ants biting at his skin, burrowing into his bones, and his internal organs seemed to be churning.
At this moment, he opened his eyes, enduring the severe pain to look—
He saw that around the old Daoist and the little girl, there was a layer of warm, golden light shield, like protection from a god or Buddha; the wind could not penetrate, and no dust could cling to them.
Both of them looked serene, one closing his eyes to rest, the other quietly gazing at the sky, as if they were Immortals traveling on the wind.
But on his side, there was no cover or protection, letting the wind blades pierce his body!
“Don’t fall asleep.”
Suddenly, the old Daoist’s cold voice came from beside his ear, his tone flat, without even turning his head.
“If you fall asleep, you’ll die.”
Lu Li trembled all over, his lips turning pale, his heart tightening, but he forced himself to clench his teeth and keep his eyes wide open.
He dared not make a sound, much less cry out in pain.
At this moment, he finally understood:
So-called Immortals were not all benevolent.
In the wind, he was like a piece of ragged cloth dangling beneath a sharp blade, while the little girl, like a porcelain doll, remained steady as before, not even a corner of her clothes fluttering.
The old Daoist did not spare him another glance.
It was as if this child was merely a stone he had temporarily picked up for his plan, and whether he lived or died upon landing was unimportant.
But Lu Li only clutched the cloth bundle in his arms, with only one thought in his mind:
“Brothers… wait for me, I’m coming… I will definitely bring you home.”
The Flying Sword cut through the air, and the cold wind howled.
After an unknown duration of flight, the sky gradually darkened, and the cold intensified.
The old Daoist suddenly spoke, his voice so faint it held no warmth:
“Do you still remember where you entered the mountain?”
Lu Li quickly responded, pointing his hand towards the surging mountains below:
“From that cliff… we climbed along that rock ridge all the way up, until there—”
He shifted his finger, stopping at a recessed rock wall on the mountainside, which was exactly where he and his brothers had crawled into the child-sized hole.
“Did you go in through that small hole?”
“Yes! The hole was very narrow, only we children could crawl in… But I remember, there were other entrances nearby. Before, Earth Fiend King and monsters used to go in and out, so it couldn’t have been just this one…”
Upon hearing this, the old Daoist’s eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, he steered the Flying Sword to circle down that mountainside.
He gently waved his hand, and Spiritual Qi swept aside bushes and rock vines. Soon enough, in a pile of weeds not far away, he indeed discovered another, wider cave entrance.
The entrance wasn’t large, but it was meticulously concealed by scattered rocks and dry branches, making it extremely difficult to spot without careful inspection.
The old Daoist looked at the deliberately hidden cave entrance, a hint of coldness appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“…Interesting.”
He snorted coldly, and without waiting for Lu Li’s reaction, he suddenly flicked his hand, directly throwing him into the cave!
Lu Li was caught off guard, his body tilted, and he fell heavily against the damp cave wall, gasping in pain but daring not to utter a sound.
Behind him, a light breeze swept past.
The old Daoist, holding the little girl, followed him in, and the Flying Sword silently dissipated into the air.
The surroundings instantly became dark and oppressive, with only gusts of cold wind coming from the depths of the cave, as if someone was gnashing their teeth and whispering in the deep.
The old Daoist stood in the darkness, looking down at Lu Li, and coldly uttered two words:
“Lead the way.”
His tone was unquestionable, like giving orders to livestock.
Lu Li lowered his head and responded, though fearful in his heart, he dared not hesitate. He could only clench his teeth and, trembling, walked in the direction of his memory.
The dark cave once again opened its gaping maw, swallowing them one by one into its depths.
After an unknown duration of walking, the damp cave suddenly turned, and the front opened up dramatically.
A vast and empty Cave appeared before their eyes. Crystal stones hung from the ceiling like ghostly lamps, their dim, cold light illuminating everything inside—
Mangled corpses lay everywhere, blood dried, and the air still carried a strong stench of decay.
As soon as the old Daoist stepped inside, his eyes suddenly brightened, like a hound catching the scent of blood.
“There’s something here, indeed… This level of corpse Qi, it’s probably not just Mortals who died.”
Saying this, he suddenly turned to look at the little girl behind him, frowning.
“Xiang'er, you stay here. Grandpa and this boy will go in and take a look. We’ll be back soon.”
Xiang'er pouted, complaining: “I want to go too… Grandpa is lying…”
The old Daoist’s tone softened, and after much persuasion, he finally got her to stand at the cave entrance and not follow further. As he turned around, his eyes instantly returned to their coldness.
“Go.”
He grabbed Lu Li’s wrist and took a few steps into the depths of the pile of corpses.
Soon, he reached the side of the huge green-skinned corpse, which was the tall, mountain-like Earth Fiend King.
The old Daoist squatted down, his eyes chilling, and reached out to pat the Earth Fiend King’s shriveled cheek.
“It’s actually an Earth Fiend King with a hundred years of Cultivation… This is no small thing.”
He chuckled softly, then his right index finger, like a knife, suddenly chopped down!
“Pfft—”
The Earth Fiend King’s skull was split open, black blood gushed out, and a lump of jet-black, yet faintly glowing, crystal rolled out, falling into the old Daoist’s palm.
The old Daoist cupped it, examined it for a moment, and an undisguised look of joy appeared on his face.
“Haha… A Ghost Spirit Pill! A pure Yin pill refined from a hundred-year Corpse King, truly a good gift from heaven.”
Just as he was immersed in his surprise, his gaze swept over and he saw the shattered female corpse not far away.
The blood had dried, the flesh was cracked, her clothes were in disarray, limbs were broken, and her face was blurred beyond recognition.
A sharp glint flashed in the old Daoist’s eyes. He took a step forward and commanded:
“Turn her over, let me see her face.”
Lu Li’s body stiffened, his hands and feet growing cold, but he dared not disobey. He could only walk over step by step.
He gritted his teeth and reached out, laboriously turning the corpse over.
At that moment, what was revealed amidst the broken flesh and blood was a damaged but still vaguely discernible beautiful face—those blood-red eyes, long since blind, still retained a strange, eerie glint.
The old Daoist gasped, letting out a cry of surprise:
“It’s… Fairy Qiuyue?!”
His expression changed dramatically. He rushed over, his hands disregarding the corpse blood staining his sleeves, and quickly fumbled around the corpse’s waist, cuffs, and neck.
“Where’s the Storage Pouch… Where’s her Storage Pouch?!”
His voice grew cold, and his movements became increasingly frantic.
But after fumbling for a long time, there was nothing.
His gaze suddenly turned to Lu Li beside him, the coldness palpable.
“You… Did you touch her things?”
Lu Li was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion and fear:
“I… I don’t know what a Storage Pouch is…”
“Playing dumb?” The old Daoist’s voice turned completely cold, and a hint of killing intent suddenly flashed in his eyes.
“Say it again, where did that Storage Pouch go? If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you.”
He stood up, his aura pressing down like a mountain.
At that moment, the “Immortal” who had promised to help him collect the bodies had already cast his promise to the winds.
Lu Li suddenly understood—
This person, perhaps from the very beginning, had not come merely to help him.
He seemed to be helping, but in reality, he was setting a trap step by step.