The muddy ground, soaked with blood, barely supported Ji Yuan as he struggled to rise. He coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of fresh blood.
Intense pain radiated from his back. If he hadn't activated the talismans within his Taoist robe in time, his meridians would have been severed, and his spine shattered by that palm strike.
Although he had saved his life, the price was steep. Not only were all the talismans in his robe depleted, but his internal organs felt as if they had shifted, causing unbearable agony and a chaotic surge of qi and blood within his body.
Ji Yuan could barely muster any strength. The bronze oil lamp and the black long saber in his hands felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Yet, due to the excruciating pain within him, he instinctively clutched them tightly.
His vision blurred as he looked towards the old man standing a few yards away, watching him approach step by step.
A shadow stretched from a distance under the moonlight, engulfing half of Ji Yuan's body, as if carrying the scent of death.
"You are not injured; on the contrary, you have broken through the final half-step!"
Ji Yuan couldn't help but cough twice, a trickle of red blood staining his lips.
When the other party had knocked out Xu Qiqi and Jiang He and shut the wooden building's door, he had already understood that the person was not severely injured, and even the others in the wooden building were faking it.
Zhao Wuhen, the patriarch of the Zhao family, whose martial prowess ranked among the top three within a hundred miles of Qianyu City, now showed a hint of a smile on his stern face after hearing the sound.
"I have practiced martial arts for most of my life. Only when my hair turned white did I manage to break through to the second realm of martial arts—the Bone and Tendon Realm—by expending the remaining lifespan of this body!"
Although he sighed, the smile on his lips grew more pronounced. Finally, he stopped and burst into laughter.
It seemed that even at the cost of his remaining decades of life, he did not feel it was a loss.
"You sacrificed decades of your lifespan for a fleeting breakthrough. I didn't expect Old Master Zhao would also engage in a losing business. How long can you live now, five days or three?"
Ji Yuan sneered. Despite his pale face and forehead beaded with cold sweat, the mockery in his eyes never diminished.
Now that Zhao Wuhen was no longer hiding his condition, it was evident at a glance that beneath that powerful aura lay a weak and rootless physique. It was likely that his vitality would wither and die within a few days.
But he paid no mind to this, his eyes filled with fanaticism, like a gambler who had staked his entire fortune and won immense wealth.
"My current body has about a day of lifespan remaining. When the time comes, it will immediately turn to dry bones."
Zhao Wuhen spoke with a calm expression, as if he were not talking about himself.
In his eyes, there was no trace of unease, but this very absence was the greatest abnormality.
No one in this world could truly be fearless of death. The only difference lay in how they faced the impending end of their lives.
Some fought for their families, while others fought for the greater good.
Like those who bravely stood before imminent danger to protect their parents, wives, and children.
Or the soldiers filled with soaring ambitions who would never retreat, even when facing an army or a desperate situation with no hope of survival.
But regardless of the situation, it should not be fearlessness of death, but rather a calm acceptance of life and death.
"You want to seize Zhao Yuebai's body!"
Ji Yuan's eyes brightened, and he blurted out the words.
Only then could he understand why the other party was not afraid of death, for he knew he would not truly die but would be reborn in another form before this body's lifespan expired.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shout, "Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs. How can you be so cruel to your own son?!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuhen seemed to have heard the greatest joke. He stood there, laughing uncontrollably, tears even welling up in his eyes.
He looked down at the young Taoist in front of him with contempt and said in a cold, emotionless tone, "The Great Dao is inherently emotionless. To reach the summit, why should one care about mundane human desires that are like burdens?"
"Let alone that he is not my own son, but even if he were, it is Yuebai's fortune in three lifetimes to become the physical vessel for my future ascent to the peak of the Great Dao!"
Ji Yuan's gaze deepened, and his thoughts subtly shifted, not due to the other's heartless words, but because of the phrase 'not my own son.'
There were many rumors in the county town about the young master of the Zhao family. The most common one was that Zhao Wuhen had traveled far years ago and fallen for a woman, but enemies attacked, and he could only return with his infant son in his arms.
For years, Zhao Wuhen's affection for this young son was known throughout the city. The daily consumption of various tonics and medicinal meals, as well as spiritual grains cultivated by cultivators, cost a fortune.
It was said that even elixirs and pills purchased from the prefectural city were fed to this young master, accumulating resources for his future cultivation.
Looking back at these rumors now, it was not Zhao Wuhen's deep affection for his young son, but rather a long-held intention to seize his body, adding foundations to 'his own body.'
"The so-called disturbance by evil spirits was all a play orchestrated by you, allowing you to better seize the body and completely abandon your past identity, so that no one would ever know your true origins."
Ji Yuan asked with a complex expression, "Then what about the evil spirits here? What deal did you make with them to make them willing to be driven by you?"
Under the night sky, Zhao Wuhen chuckled, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Stop trying to stall for time. I have traveled the martial world for so many years; how could I not understand the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes?"
He took a step forward, drawing the heavy sword from his waist. The sword was inscribed with runes in golden paint by Ji Yuan.
Looking at the young Taoist struggling to stand, completely unable to fight back, Zhao Wuhen said coldly, "Speaking with you earlier was also to ascertain if you had any strength left. It seems you are indeed at the end of your rope."
As the words fell, he slowly raised his long sword, intending to behead the young Taoist before him, eliminating this unforeseen variable.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, though his body remained immobile.
*Bang!!!*
Suddenly, the sound of breaking doors and windows echoed. Then, two figures, Xu Qiqi and Jiang He, who had been knocked unconscious earlier, flew out of the wooden building.
Having broken free from their restraints and shattered the wooden building's doors and windows, they immediately rushed towards them as soon as they landed in the courtyard.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuhen sneered, "If you were stalling for time, waiting for these two, then you are likely to be disappointed."
With that, he swung his long sword down, aiming to sever the head of the person before him.
However, in Ji Yuan's eyes, the descending long sword suddenly halted in mid-air. No matter how Zhao Wuhen strained, he could not push it down any further.
On the gleaming blade, a line of runes flickered with golden light, causing the sword to tremble, almost slipping from his grasp.
"How can this be!"
Zhao Wuhen was shocked and furious. He could feel his vital qi and blood rapidly draining, surging into the sword in his hand, allowing it to contend with him!
Seeing this, Ji Yuan snorted, "Did you think that what I wrote on it was just the talisman for 'Heavenly Thunder Suppressing Evil'?"
"You court death!"
He roared, abandoning the sword in his hand and tossing it aside. Then, he prepared to strike with his palm!
In Ji Yuan's eyes, the palm descended swiftly, poised to strike his crown. But at that very moment, he suddenly let out a low cry, "Yuanbao!"
As soon as his voice rang out, the sound of a sword's cry responded. The long sword on his back trembled violently, and then a tremendous force emerged, pulling him backward in a rapid flight. He narrowly dodged the fatal palm strike!
*Boom!!*
With a deafening explosion, mud and dirt flew everywhere, and a large pit was gouged into the ground by the palm strike!
"Go!"
Ji Yuan shouted with all his might while flying backward.
Instantly, the long sword, which Zhao Wuhen had casually thrown aside, circled in mid-air and then shot straight towards the young girl Xu Qiqi, landing precisely in her hand.
She leaped into the air, her entire being surging with energy, accompanied by rumbling thunder from within her body!
In an instant, streaks of lightning appeared on the sword, carrying an astonishing aura of immense power. Xu Qiqi descended from the air.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuhen sneered. He did not take two mere juniors in the early stage of enlightenment seriously. Even in the past, they would not have been a match for him, let alone now that he had broken through to the Bone and Tendon Realm!
He slapped his palm towards the sky, gathering a large amount of qi in his palm. Even without using any martial arts, such a strike could easily cripple a martial artist in the late stage of the flesh-and-blood realm.
However, at that very moment, vines erupted from the ground beneath his feet, instantly entangling his legs and extending up to his waist.
From a dozen yards away, the young man Jiang He, with a calm expression, flicked talismans using a special technique. Within moments, they were all sent near Zhao Wuhen.
The vital energy Jiang He had stored in the talismans ignited, activating the spiritual energy contained within the talismans' cores. The talismans immediately transformed into fierce attacks, striking Zhao Wuhen's body in an instant.
The surging spiritual energy raged as if it could tear apart everything in the world.
However, amidst such violent attacks, Zhao Wuhen's expression did not change much. Only the coldness in his eyes intensified slightly.
He let out a cold snort, and the qi within his body surged out like a tide, easily blocking all the incoming attacks from all directions!
With a shake of his body, the vines that had entangled his lower half snapped into pieces, no longer able to restrain his movements.
However, Jiang He, not far away, still showed a satisfied smile at the corner of his lips. He then quickly retreated, putting as much distance between himself and the area as possible.
His mission was complete, and there was no need to stay and fight the opponent head-on.
At this moment, Xu Qiqi descended from the sky, the long sword in her hand radiating lightning. Her vital energy surged, accompanied by rumbling thunder, like a bolt of lightning streaking across the night sky, descending with immense force.
*Pfft!*
A blinding flash of lightning vanished. The young girl knelt on the ground, blood dripping from her sword.
Zhao Wuhen retreated half a step. The qi on his body faltered and then collapsed, stirring up mud and grass.
He stared wide-eyed at the young girl before him in fury. A gaping wound, bone-deep, had been cut into his chest, extending from his right shoulder to his left rib, with blood gushing out.
Before the blood could spray out, Xu Qiqi had already withdrawn. She stood with Jiang He about ten feet away, looking at the old man not far away with solemn faces.
"Truly... seeking death!"
Zhao Wuhen gritted his teeth and whispered, using his qi to seal the wound on his chest, preventing excessive blood loss.
With his lifespan already dwindling, he probably didn't have much blood left to squander.
He glanced down at the wound on his chest, then let out a cold laugh, his eyes bursting with murderous intent. He was about to kill the two youths and the young girl before him with his own hands.
*Pfft!!!*
Just then, an unusual sound occurred. Then, Zhao Wuhen saw a white jade flying sword flash before his eyes, circling in the air and shedding a few drops of crimson blood.
He wanted to reach out and grab the white jade flying sword, but as soon as he raised his arm, his movement suddenly stopped. The vast amount of qi within his body immediately poured out like a bursting dam.
Faint bloodstains, almost invisible, covered his entire body. Not only was qi gushing out, but countless sword energies were also circulating.
On Zhao Wuhen's forehead, a bloodstain quietly appeared, followed by an eruption of infinite sword energy, which crushed his body into a mist of blood. Even the bones were reduced to mere dust.