Immortality Cultivation: Fellow Daoists, please live for two more episodes!

They actually laid their cards on the table. Shouldn't they have tested the waters first?

So what should I do now? We've come this far, should I strike first?

"I've already investigated and found out everything, so you should just stay calm and listen to me..."

Before Manager Zhao could finish speaking, Li Xiaoyu, who was in the center of the hall, moved.

The "Turbid Fire Devouring Breath Technique" was operating at full power within his meridians, but this time, the one he devoured was not someone else, but himself.

Does the "Spirit Gathering Technique" lack combat techniques?

It doesn't matter, a dagger can kill just the same.

Li Xiaoyu's thin, hunched body suddenly exploded with a stench of blood. A rusty dagger quietly slipped into his hand from his sleeve, and, facing death, he thrust it straight at the master.

A cold glint appeared first, followed by a sudden surge of murderous intent.

But sometimes you have to admit that when faced with an absolute gap in strength, even if you are determined to die, it's useless.

Faced with the oncoming attack, Manager Zhao remained calm and flicked his right finger, which was holding a jade walnut.

With a slight movement of the fingertips, spiritual energy was activated.

The four array flags that had been set up around her immediately unleashed dark blue chains, which tightly bound Li Xiaoyu's legs and right arm holding the dagger.

The momentum of the charge came to an abrupt halt, the tip of the dagger stopping just half a foot away from Steward Zhao's brow.

but……

"Breath Observation Technique," give it to me!!!

With the circulation of spiritual energy, the energies interact, and the real and the illusory become apparent.

There was no unfathomable barrier; the spiritual energy fluctuations observed through that secret technique were weak and insubstantial.

Second level of Qi Refining?!

Li Xiaoyu almost burst out laughing: "Hahahaha! Old dog, you're only at the second level of Qi Refining?"

It turns out that the high and mighty herb garden manager, who treated them like dirt, actually had the same cultivation level as the realm he had forcefully absorbed over the past few days!

In a close contest, the brave will prevail. If I lose, I'll simply give you my life, but you've already lost...

Would a high and mighty monk dare to risk his life against a mere servant like me?

Without further hesitation, Li Xiaoyu activated the "Turbid Fire Breath Swallowing Technique" from the "Spirit Absorption Technique" at a speed a hundred times faster than usual.

The consequence of this mutual destruction was that his already limited lifespan was burning and evaporating at a visible rate.

70 years, 50 years, 20 years... until finally it stopped at three months.

However, in exchange for burning through lifespan, the "Turbid Fire Devouring Breath Technique" is activated to its maximum extent.

The dark blue chains that had been binding him tightly finally shattered under the continuous burning of the foul-smelling blood.

Perhaps this is the closest he has ever come to escaping this demonic sect.

Even a common man, in a fit of rage, can cause bloodshed within five steps.

Li Xiaoyu handed over the dagger again, suppressing all the remaining blood energy at the tip of the blade, a pool of residual blood flashing with a chilling light.

"laugh."

The cold light successfully tore through Manager Zhao's protective aura. Although it failed to kill him with a single sword strike, it still managed to carve a bloody gash on Manager Zhao's side of his neck.

Unfortunately, in all kinds of battles between cultivators, cultivation level is never the only factor that determines life or death.

Magical artifacts, formations, and even wisdom and strategy can all play a decisive role, not to mention that one side has already made ample preparations.

Faced with this deadly attack that drew blood from the side of his neck, Manager Zhao didn't even get up from his armchair.

He casually wiped away the blood, glanced at Li Xiaoyu struggling desperately, and let out only a contemptuous sneer:

"A frog at the bottom of a well dares to speak of courage."

The chains surrounded him again, but Li Xiaoyu quickly broke free, which successfully bought him a moment's time.

Sometimes, the outcome of a battle between cultivators can be decided in a single breath.

With a casual flick of his left hand, Manager Zhao revealed an ice spike radiating bone-chilling cold, already nestled between his fingers.

As the dark light pulsed, even the boiling blood energy around it was frozen and subtly stagnated.

"You've only eaten a few people and cultivated some trickery, yet you think you can surpass me? What do you think I've relied on to secure this position?"

Before he finished speaking, he flicked his fingers slightly.

A streak of dark light flashed across the sky, silently and without a trace.

"Pfft—"

It was that black ice spike. The speed of this unknown magical artifact far exceeded Li Xiaoyu's imagination, and it pierced through his chest in the blink of an eye.

The life force gained by consuming his lifespan instantly dissipated for miles. Li Xiaoyu's eyes widened as he looked down and saw a deep, bone-revealing hole in his chest. Death energy, accompanied by frost, was frantically freezing his last bit of life.

His strength receded like the tide, and he could no longer stand up, collapsing to the ground.

Manager Zhao then slowly stood up.

Reaching Li Xiaoyu's mangled body, he mercilessly crushed her wrist with the sole of his boot, shattering it with a "crack."

He then skillfully bent down and searched his waist, finding the half-worn copy of "The Art of Gathering Spirits" and the crescent-shaped jade pendant that Li Xiaoyu had been unable to find a way to use.

"I don't know why, but you peasants like to hide your good stuff in your waistbands."

"The Spirit Gathering Technique? You kid, you even have this kind of technique, and this thing..."

Having confirmed he had the treasure, he didn't bother to look at the bloodied figure on the ground any longer, and coldly ordered towards the door:

"Someone, drag this guy to the Jia-class medicinal herb field and bury him under the Blood Spirit Mushroom as fertilizer."

Two supervisors rushed in and dragged Li Xiaoyu out by her legs.

A long, glaring trail of blood was left on the stone steps.

Looking at the dark clouds overhead, Li Xiaoyu did not struggle, but calmly closed her eyes.

Actually, he wasn't stupid. After spending so many years in this herb garden, he was no longer the naive child he was when he first entered the garden.

From the moment he saw the cultivation technique that could lead to rapid mastery and another unknown treasure, he clearly realized that this was a trap.

I am most likely a bait thrown out by someone in the shadows, or a knife used to kill someone while taking the fall.

But he doesn't care.

As long as it brings power, as long as I can personally skin those beasts from my sect who stole the gold and killed my sister alive.

Even knowing it's bait, even if it means certain doom, he's willing to do it.

Now that the great revenge has been achieved, death is acceptable; at least it's a relief.

His vision was gradually swallowed by darkness, and in a daze, the small figure being devoured by wild dogs down the mountain seemed to be waving at him again.

"Little girl, I still couldn't escape this place. I've come to join you..."

……

In the commoner's dormitory, Zhou Youyuan leaned quietly against the wall, and deep in his mind, the pages of the book "The Record of Sending Off the Dead" turned on their own without any wind.

Finally, the page stopped on Li Xiaoyu's page, where seal script characters recording his life story slowly emerged:

[Settling your talent experience...]

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

Li Xiaoyu's life was short. He was an orphan born of war. To protect his younger sister, he sold himself into a demon's den, seeking only a sliver of hope for survival. Even if he fell into hell, he had no regrets.

[Once you enter the demonic sect, it's like falling into a deep sea. He was overjoyed to have earned this money through selling himself into servitude, intending to leave it to his younger sister. However, before he even reached the mountain, it was all stolen by the other servants.]

The seven-year-old girl died tragically at the foot of the mountain, her flesh and blood becoming food for wild dogs.

Unable to avenge his great grudge, his heart sank to ashes. Later, by chance, he was able to glimpse the path to immortality.

[Knowing full well that the unexpected encounters are all bait for others, they willingly become pawns in a desperate situation, recklessly entering the game.]

[He feeds himself to the demon, devouring all those who committed violence in the past, solely to seek blood revenge.]

He firmly believed that everything in the world depends on human effort, and even the most daring person would try to snatch chestnuts from the fire. However, he was ultimately outmatched by the profound wisdom of the immortals.

[During the treasure hunt, he was killed by the herb garden manager. Fortunately, his great revenge had already been fulfilled, and he faced death with equanimity, finally finding release.]

[You have obtained: Mid-grade dual spiritual roots of gold and fire (the fire-type spiritual root overlaps with the host's own, slightly improving their foundation).]

[You have gained: Level 2 Qi Refining cultivation.]

[Seats for the funeral director: 0/1 (Vacant).]