Chapter 82: Way of Survival_i
It was raining on the mountain.
“Senior Brother Lu, it’s really you.”
Zhao Feng stared at the black-robed cultivator whose face was completely obscured in front of him, his eyes filled with complexity.
Silence swept the area.
The black-robed cultivator suddenly looked up slightly, then lowered his head to look at him. He started to laugh, his tone light.
“Haha! I knew I couldn’t deceive your clear sword heart. It’s a pity that I left some things in the Sect deliberately to mislead you.”
” But… these days apart, you have improved a lot, junior brother.”
“The things you left behind were very useful. I really thought someone from the Sect harmed you. I always refrained from helping your family, fearing that acting hastily would upset things. But I didn’t expect…”
Zhao Feng suddenly interrupted.
“But why aren’t you showing your true face to meet me now?”
Again, silence ensued. The black-robed cultivator drew a deep breath, but didn’t answer.
Zhao Feng didn’t pursue the question either, instead starting a casual conversation as if with an old friend:
“Speaking of which, Elder Qin also took me as a disciple. I have learned a lot from him.”
“Him? Heh! It seems like I saved you. It’s about time that immortal old man died.”
The black-robed cultivator laughed, waving his hands. “In that case, why don’t you follow me, junior brother? Under the elders of this Sect, I am considered the first. If you come, I have the ability to take care of you.”
“Just like the way you took care of me before?”
Zhao Feng suddenly asked.
“Of course!”
“You will always be my junior brother!”
The black-robed cultivator answered without hesitation.
This time, it was Zhao Feng who fell silent. It seemed like he was reminiscing about the warm times of the past. His stern face softened slightly, but he slowly shook his head:
“Unfortunately… ever since you faked your death and left the Sect, hiding it even from me, rejoining has become impossible.”
The black-robed cultivator didn’t say anything. After a while, he let out a sigh, his tone easing:
“I knew it, you wouldn’t agree. You can’t bear to leave the Sect… Heh! I really can’t understand why. We are cultivators! We pursue longevity! In East Saint Sect, my qualification to reach the peak of Qi Refining is already my limit. But in Tianmen Cult, I can establish my foundation overnight, even have the hope of reaching the Golden Core, and control the ‘Blood Bone Saint Venerable’, even if it’s just for a while!”
“That’s Nascent Soul!”
“Junior Brother, do you really think the Sect is that important?”
Hearing the words of the black-robed cultivator, Zhao Feng laughed for the first time.
” Senior Brother, if a person pursues longevity without ethics… what’s the difference between you and those Human Puppets?”
“Besides, my ambition… doesn’t lie in longevity!”
He stopped talking, gently gripping his Class II magic sword, swinging it!
The sword-light covered the sky!
“After so many years as brothers, do we really have to do this?”
Despite the situation, the black-robed cultivator couldn’t help but speak.
But all he got in return was an even more fierce sword swing.
The black-robed cultivator finally stopped holding back. Suddenly, countless mysterious bones began to surge from his palm…
After a long while.
“Senior Brother, can I askyou one last favor?”
“What is it?”
“Spare their lives.”
“…Alright, I promise you. You can die in peace.”
The broken Class II magic sword fell into the rain.
Reflecting its master.
The black-robed cultivator lowered his head to glance at his sleeve – there was a clean cut missing.
“Your talent… still as enviable and jealousy-inducing.”
“How dare I keep you around.”
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Immediately, without any hesitation, he walked past the fallen cultivator and stopped in front of the cage that held a magic tool. He paused for a moment and turned his head:
“Wait until the cage’s Mana dissipates…”
“Anyone who has a Spiritual Root above the lower-grade level and at Stage VI of Qi Refining or above… kill them all.”
He quickly strode away.
The cultivators of the Tianmen Cult behind him exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Wang Ba did not know when he had fallen asleep.
Perhaps it was because the iron cage was too stifling, or maybe this night was just too exhausting.
Or perhaps it was due to the special effects of this magic tool cage.
In any case, when he woke up, he found that the other cultivators in the cage were also sleeping heavily.
Remembering Zhao Feng’s words from earlier, he was taken aback.
“Where is Senior Brother Zhao?!”
He subconsciously touched the place on his body that had been struck by Senior Brother Zhao, and something stirred in his heart.
There was no time to ponder at this moment. He hurriedly tried to pull away the black veil covering the cage.
To his surprise, the black veil actually moved!
A ray of light slipped through the gap, coming into the cage.
The cultivators inside the cage were awakened by this light and scrambled to their feet in panic.
“We are not dead?”
“Not dead!”
“Did the Sect Master and the others come back to save us?”
Whispers abounded.
But very quickly, what got everyone anxious was the indistinguishable noise coming from outside the cage.
‘Whoosh’!
The black veil was suddenly lifted, and dazzling sunlight shone in vast amounts.
But they were all cultivators, and they quickly adapted. When they looked outside the cage, they saw Tianmen Cult cultivators in red and black Daoist robes.
At that moment, someone activated a magical seal, causing the cage above Wang Ba and the others to quickly rise and shrink.
“Is… is this a release?”
Someone couldn’t help but whisper.
“All of you, come over! Line up one by one! If you dare to act rashly, you will be killed immediately!”
A black-faced cultivator radiating an intense mana fluctuation commanded coldly.
These disciples of East Saint Sect, if they still had the spirit to fight yesterday, are now completely subdued after a night. They all obediently lined up.
The Anti-Mana Handcuffs were locked onto them one by one, and they could no longer feel the presence of mana.
Soon, the black-faced cultivator brandished a talisman and began testing each of them.
“Oh, the first one has Dual Spiritual Roots!”
The black-faced cultivator had a smile on his face.
The cultivator promptly gave a flattering look and a bit of pride: “Yes, yes, my friend, is your esteemed Cult recruiting disciples? I am willing to join the Tianmen Cult. I, I also have some cultivation wealth that I can offer you!”
The black-faced cultivator glanced at him and laughed, signaling the cultivator next to him with his eyes.
The cultivator next to him immediately wore a big smile and took the cultivator away.
Seeing this, the remaining anxious cultivators suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.
Cultivators who were confident of their talent were even more optimistic.
The Sect was gone, and the upper echelons had abandoned them. Now, it was time to consider their own futures.
It wouldn’t be a bad thing to join a powerful faction such as the Tianmen Cult.
Many people were rubbing their hands together, eager to give it a try.
Only Wang Ba looked rather grim.
“What the hell! Even the demonic Tianmen Cult evaluates qualifications!”
Soon, one by one, the cultivators were taken away. Some with less talent and lower cultivation levels were left behind.
It immediately drew sympathy from many of the other East Saint Sect disciples.
When the talisman in front of Wang Ba lit up, the people around him were full of pity.
“Four Spirit Roots… such poor qualifications, I doubt the Tianmen Cult would take him!”
“Sigh, all one can say is that it’s his fate!”
At this moment, a voice full of surprise suddenly rang out:
“Haha! Brother Wang, you are indeed still alive!”