⚠ Content Warning: This chapter contains heavy violence, including graphic descriptions. Proceed with caution.
Ji Changchen looked at Qin Feng and Qing Hongyi and said, "You two wait a moment. I need to talk to this young man."
Without waiting for their response, he signaled someone.
From the void, an old man appeared and quickly created a barrier. Ji Changchen looked at Li Gang and said,
"Your name is Li Gang, right?"
Li Gang was surprised. His eyes narrowed as he looked at him. At the same time, he activated his token, ready to leave the place as soon as he sensed danger. Even though the token required a large amount of Spirit Stones to activate, it had been fed by the old man before his death and could still be used once.
Li Gang said lightly, "How do you know?"
Ji Changchen smiled. "Finding your background isn't difficult for me at all."
Li Gang didn't reply and became even warier inwardly. He's formidable.
Ji Changchen looked at Li Gang, satisfied by his reaction. "You don't have to worry. I don't mean any harm. Be my subordinate, and I'll help you reach the top. All you have to do is take care of a few tasks I assign."
Li Gang took a deep breath. "I can't trust you. At least tell me your identity."
Ji Changchen smiled inwardly. 'Success. No rejection means he's tempted. A person with Rank 4 battle strength despite Rank 3 cultivation is no ordinary villain. Seems he's just an unlucky soul that even heaven stands against.'
He said, "I am Ji Changchen, Holy Son of the Celestial Sect."
Li Gang's expression changed. 'Oh no… Did I just try to scheme against the Holy Son? What's he doing here? The deed is done. I've already stepped into the abyss—now I can only go all out. Otherwise, only death awaits me.'
Ji Changchen was about to say something when a red alarm suddenly rang in his mind.
Ding! Warning, warning!Ding! Host attempting to form a subordinate bond detected!Ding! Alert: The target is too dangerous to be made a subordinate!Ding! S-grade quest initiated.
S-Grade Quest: Kill Li GangReward: 10,000 Destiny Points, Nine Heavenly Lightning Slash – Second Slash
Ji Changchen froze. He looked at Li Gang again, killing intent flashing in his eyes, but he suppressed it and asked inwardly,
System, what do you mean he's dangerous?
Ding! The system has its own criteria to determine danger levels. The host is advised to eliminate the target as soon as possible.
Ji Changchen frowned. He wasn't satisfied with that answer. But before he could act, his vision started to blur and twist.
Ding! Life-and-death danger detected!Ding! Host has been poisoned!Ding! Searching for recovery solution… Found!Ding! Forcefully using Destiny Points for detoxification.
A light burst from Ji Changchen's body, purging the poison instantly.
But before he could react, a sword pierced through his body.
Even his protector was caught off guard. Liang Shuiyun, a Rank 7 Peak Warrior, glared at Li Gang and shouted, "You have a death wish!"
Normally, Liang Shuiyun could have easily blocked the attack. But he had let down his guard, believing Li Gang to be only a Rank 3 early-stage warrior. He knew Ji Changchen's combat power far exceeded his cultivation, so he hadn't interfered—especially since he'd been instructed not to unless facing a strong enemy.
He had noticed the earlier arrow grazing Ji Changchen's shoulder but ignored it, thinking it harmless. Warriors recovered quickly, after all.
Li Gang grabbed Ji Changchen by the hair and forced him to kneel. He then looked at Liang Shuiyun and smiled coldly.
"Don't make any rash moves. My Spiritual Imprint can destroy his soul instantly."
Li Gang remained cautious. He knew that a Rank 7 Warrior was fast enough to kill him almost instantly. Even so, he was betting on his luck. He was prepared with the Spatial Order given to him by Jiang Wushuang — ready to discard everything and teleport away to the Southern Continent the moment he sensed anything unusual.
Still, he decided to take the risk, as Huang Ling's words suddenly echoed in his mind. He remembered how she had once reminded him that the Heavenly Lotus could solve his problem of Soul Cultivation. She had also told him that the Heavenly Lotus was kept within the Celestial Sect.
Glancing at Ji Changchen, who showed no signs of poisoning, Li Gang felt a flicker of surprise. But he didn't dwell on it. What truly concerned him was whether Liang Shuiyun would make a move.
He didn't dare take his eyes off the man. Human eyes, after all, are most perceptive to motion — and the ability of a Spiritual Imprint could be unleashed almost instantly. Whenever a Warrior used a Spiritual Imprint, a symbol appeared on their forehead. One didn't need to activate it beforehand; but the moment it was used, the symbol would emerge automatically, accompanied by glowing tattoos across the body.
Liang Shuiyun was also waiting — waiting for Li Gang to look away. The moment he let down his guard, Liang Shuiyun would strike. Unfortunately, that moment never came.
Ji Changchen tried to speak, but pain exploded in his abdomen—the sword was still buried in him.
"Don't move. Don't even try transmitting anything to your protector. Or I'll kill you," Li Gang warned.
Ji Changchen gritted his teeth, silent in agony.
Then another sound echoed in his mind:
Ding! Warning! System senses the Heavenly Dao's gaze.Ding! Emergency protection activated.Ding! System entering deep slumber to avoid detection.
Ji Changchen's heart sank. He tried to transmit a message to Liang Shuiyun—there was no Spiritual Imprint—but failed. He was completely cut off.
This time, Ji Changchen's luck had truly run out.
Liang Shuiyun's expression darkened. "What do you want?" he asked, releasing a wave of killing intent.
Fear surged in Li Gang's heart, but he suppressed it. Without answering, he drew a knife and stabbed it into Ji Changchen's eye.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" Ji Changchen screamed in agony.
Liang Shuiyun immediately restrained his aura. Sweat rolled down his forehead. If anything happened to Ji Changchen, he was as good as dead.
Li Gang smiled. "Do you think you can harm me? You can't. You have too big a weakness."
Liang Shuiyun gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" he demanded again, though confusion gnawed at him. 'How is this bastard able to withstand my killing intent?'
Before, Li Gang would have crumbled. But after his encounters with Wang Xueyao, countless life-and-death battles, and surviving the Soul Spring, his will had become unshakable.
Li Gang smirked. "What do you think your Holy Son's worth is?"
Liang Shuiyun glared. "One hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
Li Gang's expression turned unpredictable. "Too little."
'He started at a hundred thousand? That means he can go up to at least a million.'
Liang Shuiyun growled, "Five hundred thousand. Don't push your luck."
Li Gang sliced off one of Ji Changchen's ears, trembling slightly. "Don't threaten me! If I panic, who knows what I'll do!"
"You—!" Liang Shuiyun started, but Li Gang cut him off.
"One million Spirit Stones," Li Gang demanded coldly, "and the Heavenly Lotus."
Liang Shuiyun frowned. "I don't have the Heavenly Lotus."
"I know," Li Gang said, smiling faintly. "But your Celestial Sect does."
Liang Shuiyun's voice dropped. "Are you sure you want to become an enemy of the Celestial Sect?"
Li Gang laughed shamelessly. "No, why would I? But it was your young master who showed killing intent first."
Liang Shuiyun hesitated, then sighed. "I'll contact the sect."
"No," Li Gang said. "You'll contact them here, and say exactly what I tell you."
Liang Shuiyun had no choice but to nod. He took out a communication token.
Li Gang instructed, "Tell them the Holy Son suffered a soul injury. Ask them to teleport the Heavenly Lotus immediately, and say you'll explain later."
Liang Shuiyun repeated the words calmly. "The young master suffered a soul injury. Send the Heavenly Lotus immediately."
The voice on the other end grew anxious. "What happened?"
"I'll explain later. Send it first," Liang Shuiyun said.
Moments later, a Rank 8 Heavenly Lotus appeared through teleportation. Liang Shuiyun quickly stored it in a space ring. Li Gang's heart throbbed with excitement at the sight but he kept his composure.
"Now the one million Spirit Stones," he said.
Liang Shuiyun took out a space ring filled with Spirit Stones. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"
Li Gang smiled faintly. "Give me the Heavenly Lotus first. Then scatter the Spirit Stones around. I'll need to collect them one by one, and I can't attack your young master while concentrating."
Liang Shuiyun narrowed his eyes. 'This gives me an opening. Why would he risk that?'
Still, he complied. He threw the space ring to Li Gang and began scattering Spirit Stones.
He remained wary of Li Gang's supposed Spiritual Imprint but had no other choice—he couldn't gamble with Ji Changchen's life.
But what he didn't expect was for Li Gang to suddenly shove Ji Changchen aside and grab the space ring, absorbing all the Spirit Stones at once.
Caught off guard, Liang Shuiyun lashed out with a full-powered punch—but his attack struck only air. Li Gang had already vanished.
His uncontrolled force instead struck Ji Changchen, injuring him further.
"Y-young master!" Liang Shuiyun rushed forward in panic.
Ji Changchen coughed blood. "Uncle Liang… why didn't you attack him?"
Liang Shuiyun's face twisted bitterly. "I'm sorry, young master. He claimed to have a Spiritual Imprint that could kill you instantly. I didn't know if it was true, but I couldn't gamble with your life."
Ji Changchen whispered weakly, "But… he didn't have any Spiritual Imprint…"
Liang Shuiyun froze. Realization struck him like lightning, and his face went pale. "That's why he asked for the Heavenly Lotus… Why didn't I think of it sooner?!"
In extreme emotion, even the wise lose reason. It's easier to deal with an enraged beast than a calm schemer. That's why Li Gang had maimed Ji Changchen before blackmailing him—to unbalance his protector's judgment.
Meanwhile, at a certain inn—
Li Gang appeared suddenly. Looking around and finding no one, he exhaled in relief.
He checked his token and muttered with a grin, "A hundred charges for intercontinental teleportation. For such a short distance, it only used one-fifth of a charge. The longer the distance, the more energy it consumes—just as I thought."
He stepped out and said to the innkeeper, "I want to rent the room for one more month."
The innkeeper looked surprised. "Oh, young man, you're back? I thought you'd left."
"One hundred Spirit Stones," the innkeeper said.
Li Gang nodded, took out the Spirit Stones, and handed them over.