Supreme Sword Exalt

The little girl cheered with delight. However, even though she desperately wanted to taste it, she still brought it to the youth’s mouth, forcing herself to endure the heartache. “Brother, let’s split it in half!”

The youth simply popped the candy into her mouth, and the little girl’s face bloomed with happiness.

Just then, Tian Ji’s voice came from outside the courtyard. “Heh, you really know how to choose a place!”

After sending the little girl off, the youth then smiled at Tian Ji. “You’re late.”

Tian Ji stared at him, his brow furrowed slightly. “Possession?”

The youth shook his head. “Not exactly. This boy is born without a soul, lacking thoughts and feelings. Strictly speaking, he’s just a walking corpse, so you can’t really call him a person. There’s no such thing as possession here. I left you clues so you would come here to guide my cultivation. As you can see, my current aptitude isn’t very good. If I relied on myself, it would be too slow.”

“Why should I help you?”

The youth looked up at the sky. “Because I helped you wound him. His original will suffered considerable damage. He won’t wake for a short time. Isn’t that something you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t accomplish?”

Tian Ji fell silent for a moment. “Guiding you isn’t a problem, but I have a question.”

“Speak.”

“Are you or are you not Luo Wushuang?”

The youth raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Why do you ask?”

Tian Ji looked at his right hand and said calmly, “You broke your rule.”

The youth chuckled, slowly opening his right hand and dropping two pebbles to the ground. “Since I’ve broken free of my shackles, I won’t constrain myself with my own rules anymore. Besides, this kind of life is something I’ve never experienced before. It’s novel, and it feels wonderful... And, Luo Wushuang is very much dead. Now, my name is Luo Feng.”

This mortal youth possessed not a shred of cultivation whatsoever. Yet for some reason, Tian Ji felt that he was far more terrifying than the old Luo Wushuang, who valued rules above all else.

Luo Feng seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. For now, don’t let anyone know of my existence, especially Gu Han.”

“Why?”

Luo Feng smiled. “I screwed him over. The first thing he’ll do when he sees me is kill me.”

***

In the Great Flame Empire, Yun Zhan glanced at Gu Chen and hesitated. “Fellow Daoist, could you help me find someone?”

“Who?”

“Gu Han.”

He then roughly explained the ins and outs of the matter.

Gu Chen agreed immediately, “I can do that.”

Even though ten thousand years had passed, Yun Qi still held significant weight in Gu Chen’s heart, so he wouldn’t refuse Yun Zhan’s request.

Qiu Qian seemed to want to say something but held back. “Master, your injuries—”

Gu Chen waved his hand. “It’s nothing. Gu Han is loyal and excellent. If we can save a junior like him, then we should! Wait here for a while. I’ll return in a few days!”

He was a man of decisiveness. After understanding the situation, he didn’t linger and immediately set off for the forbidden zone at the edge of the Western Desert. Everyone quietly sighed in relief. Gu Chen’s cultivation level far surpassed theirs. With him taking action, the chances of finding Gu Han were much greater.

Upon seeing Gu Chen leave, Fatty was a bit curious. “Brother Qiu, isn’t your master the most powerful cultivator in the Ancient Cang Realm?”

Qiu Qian nodded. “Yes. He is the only Unfettered realm cultivator in the Ancient Cang Realm.”

“Then how did he get injured?”

Qiu Qian didn’t hide it from him as this matter was known to everyone across the Seven Realms. “In the Seven-Realm Alliance, there’s a sworn enemy of my master’s there, who was also in the Unfettered realm. The reason my master couldn’t make it here earlier was because he fought that enemy.”

“A sworn enemy? Who?”

“Master Ling Ya from the Tiannan Realm!”

***

The Luori Mountain in Tiannan Realm was quite famous. Not only did fierce beasts and rogue cultivators roam its outer areas, the deepest parts also contained some inexplicable and eerie presences. Over many years, no one knew how many people had perished here, making it an extremely dangerous place.

However, danger often came hand in hand with opportunity. This mountain range bred many precious spirit herbs and treasures, and there were even half-saint herbs in its depths. Despite knowing the dangers, many cultivators still came here to explore. The situation was somewhat similar to the Wild Forest in the Eastern Wasteland’s Northern Border.

Of those who came, more than seventy percent were rogue cultivators, nearly one-third of whom were scavengers. The scavengers were those who picked up the belongings of the dead. These people never took risks themselves.

They would often gather at the edges of dangerous areas, or in places where conflicts and fights were frequent. As long as someone died, they would appear to collect the deceased’s belongings. Depending on luck, their gains varied, but the level of danger wasn’t high either.

At the outer edge of Luori Mountain, a middle-aged cultivator was steadily advancing inward, followed by three young people. The middle-aged cultivator was called Chen Qing. He was a seasoned scavenger with three hundred years of experience under his belt. Naturally, he was considered somewhat famous in this line of work.

Three hundred years ago, he had been just a Divine Connection rogue cultivator with mediocre aptitude. At the time, he was impoverished and nearing the end of his lifespan. He happened upon two Transcendent realm cultivators engaged in a fierce battle. Both ended up dead, allowing him to collect their belongings.

That was his first time scavenging. The gains were tremendous. And from that time on, he fell in love with scavenging and made it his life’s pursuit. Over three hundred years of relying on his vigilance and caution, he had managed to reach the second stage of the Transcendent realm purely through scavenging. He was truly a legendary figure in the world of scavenging.

In his pride, he had even compiled his scavenging experience into a manual, which he treasured like a precious jewel: The Scavenger’s Treasure Manual. With this secret manual, he had also taken on three disciples of decent aptitude. He became even more convinced that scavenging was a promising profession, one worthy of his lifelong dedication.

Behind him, a disciple couldn’t help but ask, “Master, why are we here? It doesn’t seem like there’s any easy pickings to be had.”

This area was deathly silent, without a single cultivator or fierce beast in sight.

Chen Qing’s face darkened. “You’re being impatient and rash! Tell me, what is the second principle of The Scavenger’s Treasure Manual?”

Another seemingly sharper young man answered, “Master, it’s stability!”

Chen Qing nodded with approval. “Correct, stability is everything! As scavengers, our greatest taboo is restlessness. When gains are a bit scarce, we lose our composure and take reckless risks. You must understand, the more people there are, the more dangerous it is!

“One slip and your life is on the line. If you lose your life, what will you scavenge with?! I’ve walked the scavenger’s path for three hundred years and come through unscathed, all thanks to stability!”

The disciple who had spoken earlier looked ashamed. “I-I see my mistake now.”

Chen Qing was very satisfied with his reaction. “Don’t worry. There are few people here. It may seem like there are few opportunities to be had right now, but once one appears, it will belong to us alone. No one can snatch it away—”

Just then, two streaks of light streaked across the sky. They seemed to be flying from the very depths of Luori Mountain. Moreover, they were unmistakably heading toward the very area where Chen Qing was!