Gao Feng looked at the scene before him and was utterly bewildered. Even with his mind racing, he couldn't fathom what had happened.
How could such a situation arise? He had clearly held the upper hand, only to fall into a formation trap. What made it even more devastating was that he was on the verge of death yet still hadn't seen a single enemy, completely unaware of who was plotting against him.
As the ropes tightened around his body, the suffocating sensation grew more intense, and Gao Feng felt increasingly weak. Death was but a breath away.
"Plop!"
The pain in his body made Gao Feng collapse to his knees, struggling feebly. He clutched his chest, his face contorted in agony, his mind a mess. He had never imagined such a thing could happen. He wanted to be freed quickly, yet at the same time, he didn't want to die so soon. He, a prominent official from a border town, an invincible being, why would he lose his life in this small place called Tianxing City? Who was targeting him? He was unwilling, truly unwilling, and longed to vent his frustration. Despite his utter helplessness, he was powerless.
"Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground. Simultaneously, the immense force on his body increased once more, bringing an indescribable discomfort. Then, he let out a fierce roar, as if trying to use this moment to release his pent-up anger. But no matter how furious he was, he was helpless as his legs were pulled further apart. Facing the escalating power, he was speechless. Suddenly, he could resist no longer.
"Riiip!"
A loud tearing sound echoed through the space as the fabric of his trousers began to rip apart. Gao Feng, though utterly exasperated, was powerless against the person before him. The pain in his body intensified, making him feel increasingly miserable. Finally, with a ripping sound, Gao Feng was torn in half and fell to the ground. A pool of crimson blood instantly spread across the ground nearby.
With Gao Feng dead, Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge emerged from the darkness. Instead of the joy of victory, their faces were pale. Clearly, killing Gao Feng had not been easy, and they had paid a great price. After all, Gao Feng was a cultivator in the Soul Transformation stage, and deceiving him was an arduous task. To lure him into their trap, each of them had expended a significant amount of vital blood to imbue the substitute talisman with sentience, preventing detection and making it easier for Gao Feng to fall prey.
Su Xi looked at Gao Feng's corpse on the ground and sighed, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Indeed, the gap between the Nascent Soul stage and the Soul Transformation stage is vast. Such a difference cannot be easily bridged by mere artifacts."
Hearing Su Xi's words, Ouyang Chu Ge shot her a sideways glance, internally grumbling. What a show-off. If others knew that they, at the Nascent Soul stage, had directly killed someone in the Soul Transformation stage, they would go mad. Many might deem it unbelievable. Yet here Su Xi was, complaining, truly asking for a beating.
With no time to indulge Su Xi's posturing, Ouyang Chu Ge looked at Gao Feng's corpse and asked, "What do you plan to do now?" Soul Transformation cultivators were rare, and Gao Feng's identity seemed to be significant. His death here would undoubtedly cause considerable trouble. Killing was not the problem; the issue was dealing with the aftermath. After all, the Grand Elder had witnessed it. If they wanted to keep this a secret, they would have to eliminate all loose ends.
Su Xi understood Ouyang Chu Ge's concern and shook her head. A cultivator who feared this and that would have no future path. Therefore, she would let things take their course. As long as no one blocked her path, she wouldn't act. But if someone dared to attack her, then heaven help them, Buddha help them. Furthermore, she was destined not to belong to this world, so whether one more or one less person existed was inconsequential.
Ouyang Chu Ge understood Su Xi's meaning and looked at her with slight surprise. He had expected Su Xi to take action and cover their tracks, but he hadn't anticipated her taking this approach. Su Xi noticed Ouyang Chu Ge's gaze and pouted, saying somewhat helplessly, "I know I'm beautiful, but you can't just stare. You know, that costs money."
Upon hearing Su Xi's words, Ouyang Chu Ge stumbled, nearly falling. His mind was in a daze for a long time. For him, it was safer to stay away from Su Xi at this moment, lest he be driven to madness. Just as they were about to leave, they sensed movement from Gao Feng's corpse on the ground. The two halves of the body were twisting, seemingly trying to rejoin. They had nearly exhausted all their spiritual energy fighting Gao Feng. If Gao Feng were to revive, they would surely perish. Therefore, for their own safety, they absolutely could not let Gao Feng come back to life.
Seeing this, Ouyang Chu Ge made a swift decision and acted. He had long suspected these people were strange, possibly possessing powerful regenerative abilities, and had been secretly wary. Now, it seemed his suspicions were correct. With prior experience, Ouyang Chu Ge handled the situation with practiced ease.
Su Xi frowned at the pulp on the ground. "So fine, not making dumplings." Although she was grumbling internally, she quickly picked up some of the pulp from the ground and placed it in a test tube for subsequent analysis. Such formidable regenerative abilities, if mastered, could be an invaluable life-saving skill. Gao Feng, if he had any awareness now, would surely be infuriated. He thought he had gained a life-saving ability, only to become a subject of research.
After Su Xi finished, she saw the Grand Elder limping back. He had been knocked unconscious by the energy surge from Su Xi and Gao Feng. Upon regaining consciousness and detecting no more energy fluctuations, he intended to return and assess the situation. After all, he hadn't expected such a drastic turn of events at the Yuan Manor, and many of his belongings were still there. If he didn't retrieve them, he would regret it forever. He had thought everyone was gone and returning would be safe. However, seeing Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge still present, his expression immediately became peculiar, unsure of what to do. After an internal struggle, his top priority was survival.
"You two, I was so worried just now. It's wonderful that you're both unharmed," the Grand Elder exclaimed with feigned delight, as if seeing his long-lost mother. Su Xi rolled her eyes at the Grand Elder. Could his acting be any more insincere? This charade was making everyone incredibly awkward. It was truly cringe-worthy. Sensing Su Xi's disdain, the Grand Elder remained unfazed and continued, "Esteemed Immortals, this person has a significant background. We should leave quickly." He was worried that if Su Xi decided to search for items, she might find his treasures, leading to a great loss.
Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Su Xi asked with a knowing smile, "You're in such a hurry to have us leave. Do you have some other intentions?" The Grand Elder's expression froze. His acting was so superb, how could Su Xi have seen through him? Though he couldn't comprehend it, the Grand Elder immediately denied, "Fellow Daoist, what are you joking about? I was merely concerned for your safety?" Seeing the Grand Elder's unwillingness to speak the truth, Su Xi said, "I truly didn't expect you to be so altruistic. In that case, let's leave together quickly. Since you're so righteous, I can't abandon you?" With that, Su Xi grabbed the Grand Elder, intending to take him along.
"Hey, hey, hey." The Grand Elder struggled to break free from Su Xi's grip. If he left, what about his treasures? Seeing this, Su Xi chuckled, "Why don't you want to leave? Do you perhaps wish to stay here?"
"No." The Grand Elder's mind raced, trying to find a suitable excuse. However, he was inherently dull and possessed abysmal emotional intelligence, unable to conjure any other pretext. Seeing the Grand Elder's lack of cooperation, Ouyang Chu Ge said leisurely, "Since he's not cooperating, why not just kill him? We've already killed so many people anyway. One more won't matter." Interrogating prisoners, Ouyang Chu Ge had learned what they feared most. As expected, upon hearing Ouyang Chu Ge's words, the Grand Elder's face turned pale. He knew Ouyang Chu Ge wasn't joking but was genuinely contemplating murder. The thought of someone who could deal with a Soul Transformation cultivator filled him with terror. His strength was like mere fodder before them. He was terrified and desperately wanted to go back.
To survive, the Grand Elder sighed and finally confessed, "I want to stay to retrieve my treasures from the Yuan Manor. We're about to leave, and I can't bear to have my long-cherished treasures taken by others." Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Su Xi's expression turned somewhat strange, "Are you saying the items left behind in the Yuan Manor were all hidden by you?"
"Mm-hmm," the Grand Elder nodded, wondering why Su Xi was asking such a question. A bad premonition flashed through his mind. Could it be that his treasures had already been discovered by Su Xi? Su Xi pointed at the fragments on the ground and said with a hint of helplessness, "You can guess how we dealt with the Soul Transformation cultivator." The Grand Elder was about to shake his head when a possibility struck him, and he hesitantly asked, "Could it be that this was because of my treasures?"
"Clap, clap, clap, clap!" Su Xi applauded, praising, "You're very smart." The formation she had set up earlier was incredibly powerful, consuming a significant amount of spiritual energy. While neither she nor Ouyang Chu Ge were ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, they couldn't have activated it alone. It was only after Su Xi amplified the power of the Yuan Manor's treasures that they successfully activated the formation.
Hearing Su Xi's words, the Grand Elder's face crumpled. He had worked hard his entire life, only to have it all be in vain. He wanted to cry but couldn't shed tears. He feared that if he cried, Su Xi might kill him in the end. Yet, not crying left him feeling heartbroken. Torn between these emotions, he didn't know what to do.
Su Xi glanced at the Grand Elder and offered comfort, "Don't dwell too much on gain and loss. Although you've lost your treasures, at least your life is saved, right?" The white-haired Grand Elder nodded, tears welling up in his eyes, and said with complete sincerity, "You're right." Su Xi patted the Grand Elder's head and comforted him, "Alright, no more crying. Now, tell us, who was that person who died?" He hadn't forgotten that the Grand Elder had recognized Gao Feng's identity before defecting. While she didn't fear retaliation, she didn't want to be ambushed without understanding why.