Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 611 Shocking Change (Part Six)

Looking at Zongwu's unseeing eyes and the resentful expression on his face, he saw...

The female disciple couldn't hold back her tears any longer: "Master is such a good person... I never thought... that one day, I would definitely..."

"Old man Huangfu was right... We must nip this in the bud; those little brats really can't be let go..."

A sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the deep, dense forest.

Neigh…

The horse was startled and stumbled, nearly knocking Zongwu's body off the horse.

"who?!"

Zhou Yunsheng leaped off his horse, drew his longsword, and cautiously looked around.

"Who goes there..." a sinister voice laughed, "Go to hell and keep your master company!"

shhhhhh! ! !

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding dense forest shook, and countless barbed arrows shot out in a dense barrage.

The Yangzhi Sect has undergone two purges, one during Fang He's time and the other now. Most of the true masters died in these two events.

The rest were all relatively weak disciples.

In just one volley, the remaining disciples of Yangzhi Sect were once again mostly killed or wounded.

"I want you to die!!!"

Zhou Yunsheng's eyes were bloodshot, as if sparks were flying from them.

His junior brothers and sisters, who had just been chatting with him, were now dead right before his eyes. He knew the imperial guards were coming to hunt him down, and he figured he wouldn't escape unscathed. With a death wish, he brandished his longsword, deflecting several arrows, and with a grief-stricken roar, charged into the dense forest.

At this point, we should try to find someone else.

Knock knock...

A sound like the massive tremors of a warhorse charging suddenly echoed through the forest.

Despite the loud noise, Zhou Yunsheng had no time to pay attention to it.

The archer adjutant in front of me is quite skilled; I have to exert all my strength to suppress him.

He was, after all, Zong Wu's carefully cultivated eldest disciple. Fang Jiulian couldn't beat him, but a mere military adjutant was no match for him.

It only takes a little time...

Just as his longsword was about to pierce the opponent's armor, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. It seemed as if a shadow, at least two meters tall, had appeared behind him.

A quick glance out of the corner of his eye made him tremble with fear.

Its face was covered in hair, its complexion was red, its eyes were like copper bells, and its mouth had sharp teeth like tiger teeth, making it look exactly like a ferocious tiger.

He stood behind him, dragging a huge, heavy battle axe, his strong body resembling that of a demon from hell.

It seemed that the sound of the huge warhorse charging just now was the sound of this person dragging his battle axe as he ran.

Zhou Yunsheng was, after all, just a junior, and lacked the experience of his master Zong Wu, so he immediately became flustered.

"How pitiful...like a fledgling bird that can't find its home...Remember, the one who killed you is Red Tiger Qu Heng!"

The huge, heavy battle axe was raised high.

Blood spurted out like a pillar, and the headless corpse slowly fell to the ground.

Zhou Yunsheng remembered only this one name before he died, then sank into deep darkness. The Yangzhi Academy was completely wiped out!

……………

Late at night, a carriage sped along the official road outside the city.

Qian Shuo, the leader of Chongyin Sect, and Jiang Yucheng of Fuguang Sect sat facing each other, both with solemn expressions.

"Are you sure? The imperial guards attacked the people at the Yangzhi Academy?"

Jiang Yucheng had many areas covered in ointment and bandages, and his tone was serious.

For these elderly people from Jingtianzhuang, they still prefer to use the old names from the past to describe Yangzhizong.

“It’s absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. It was Chi Hu Qu Huan, one of Kou Hu’s five henchmen, who did it!” Qian Shuo said earnestly.

"Ugh... Yangzhiyuan... the government troops... damn it!!!!"

Jiang Yucheng slammed his fist heavily onto the side of the carriage, causing the entire carriage to shake slightly. *Screech!*

The white bandage suddenly burst open, revealing the skin and flesh that were slowly healing inside.

"Old Jiang, don't get agitated. Take care of yourself first," Qian Shuo quickly comforted him.

"How could I not be agitated? If the government troops dare to attack Yangzhi Academy today, they'll attack our Chongyin Sect and Fuguang Sect tomorrow!" Jiang Yucheng roared. "Kou Hu, how dare he! Even if our Jingtian Manor has split, we are still of the same lineage. Isn't he afraid of the Yuanmiao Sect pursuing us?!"

Previously, the relationship between Fuguang Academy and Yangzhi Academy was not good. Jiang Yucheng also had a poor impression of the various aspects of Yangzhi Academy.

But after decades of getting along, there is still a bond between them.

"That's what I'm also wondering about. Even if Yuanmiao Sect has temporarily retreated, it's not like they're completely ignoring everything. The Imperial Guard... what exactly are those bloodline families relying on?" Qian Shuo frowned. "So you didn't intervene and just let the Blood Tiger slaughter the Yangzhi Academy?" Jiang Yucheng said discontentedly, "Have you forgotten? We are ultimately of the same lineage. The Imperial Guard can't be trusted. If they could attack the Yangzhi Academy, that means they might also attack you and me!!!"

In his view, since the government troops had already broken off relations, they should retaliate with overwhelming force.

If he hadn't been injured...

“It’s not that I don’t want to help, but it would be useless if I did,” Qian Shuo retorted. “Fang He and Zong Wu are both dead. Even if I help Yangzhi Academy escape this time, what about next time? And the time after that?”

The root cause of Jingtian Manor's decline and eventual division... can it be salvaged by saving a few insignificant disciples? The root of Jingtian Manor's current predicament lies entirely with Zhao Ziyang!

"Um…..."

Jiang Yucheng fell silent, unable to refute.

It wasn't that he didn't want to refute, but that he had no reason to. What Qian Shuo said was indeed reasonable.

"Back when Brother Tian was still alive..." A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

Looking back, under Zhong Shaotian's leadership, Jingtian Manor was thriving and was truly one of the five major powers in Yunzhou.

Any of the academy leaders, even in front of the overlord Yuanmiao Sect, would stand tall and be neither humble nor arrogant.

At that time, the so-called General Kou Hu was just an unknown nobody.

That was the most prosperous and glorious time for Jingtian Manor, and it is the most beautiful memory in everyone's heart.

"Let's not talk about the past anymore, let's focus on the present first," Qian Shuo interrupted. "Let's leave Zhao Ziyang's matter aside."

The key issue is that we don't know if the government troops are targeting only the Nursing Home, or if they intend to attack all of us. Therefore, I'm afraid that rashly intervening will attract the government troops' attention and backfire." "You mean...?"

“If it’s the former, then it means it’s just a personal grudge between Fang Jiulian, which is why he targeted Yangzhi Academy. If it’s the latter…” Qian Shuo’s eyes narrowed, as if he had thought of something.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Yucheng was taken aback. He knew his old partner's temperament; he would never show such an expression unless it was something extremely serious.

“If it’s the latter…” Qian Shuo lowered his voice.

Seeing his serious expression and slightly moving lips, it seemed he was about to say something important.

Jiang Yucheng also had to use his arms to support his body as he slowly approached Qian Shuo.

I guess...

Qian Shuo took a deep breath and moved closer as well.

Bang! ! !

In an instant, he swiftly struck Jiang Yucheng's vital acupoint on his back with a palm strike.

Then, with lightning speed, he gripped the blood-red jade cone in his other hand and stabbed it fiercely into Jiang Yucheng's throat.

The moment the blood-red jade cone touched the skin, it melted and seeped into Jiang Yucheng's body like flowing water.

In the blink of an eye, layers of blood-red lines quickly spread across Jiang Yucheng's neck.

The blood-red lines spread upwards, instantly forming a strange pattern on his face, thus silencing all his cries for help.

Even though Jiang Yucheng tried his best to shout and make a sound, no matter how hard he tried, although he could hear his own voice, it strangely couldn't get through.

"You...?!" Jiang Yucheng finally uttered a questioning sound that only he could hear.

He truly never imagined that his friend of many years, someone he considered almost like a brother, would turn against him. "Don't blame me. The government troops gave too much. Blame Zhao Ziyang; he couldn't shoulder the responsibility of being the head of the manor..." Qian Shuo sighed.

Click!

He slapped Jiang Yucheng on the back of the head with his backhand.

The white brain matter splattered out, but was immediately blocked by a layer of yellow true energy and absorbed by the blood-red patterns.

"I must say, there's a reason why the government army is so strong... The things they gave us are indeed useful..." Qian Shuo poured his true energy into the weapon and pulled out another blood-red jade cone from Jiang Yucheng's corpse.

This jade cone is more translucent than before, faintly shimmering with layers of blood-red light.

After carefully putting away the blood-red jade cone, Qian Shuo began to erase any traces of his presence.

The teacups on the table, the dried fruits and pastries laid out, the exquisite chairs only brought out when guests arrive…

The entire spacious carriage presented the illusion that the owner had packed his belongings and fled on his own.

“And this…” Qian Shuo frowned slightly as he looked at the last spot.

Jiang Yucheng stared at him with wide, unwilling eyes, as if recording his actions.

After forcibly closing Jiang Yucheng's eyes, Qian Shuo quietly left the carriage with his body.

The disciple in charge of driving the carriage, and the followers in the carriage behind.

No one noticed that their sect leader had died silently, and even his body had been taken away.

In the dark, dense forest, it seemed that someone had been waiting for a long time.

"My lord, Jiang Yucheng has successfully resolved the issue."

Qian Shuo, familiar with the route, left the corpse behind and respectfully bowed into the darkness.

The wind was strong at night, and darkness filled the air. All around was silent except for the howling wind.

"Hmm...?" Qian Shuo slowly frowned.

The place I agreed to meet that person was clearly here, so how could it be...?

Could it be that the other party stood us up?

But the next moment, he dismissed the idea.

Given the other party's status and position, it's impossible for them to make such a low-level joke.

Besides, Qian Shuo has the strength and ability, and honestly, no one would refuse to surrender voluntarily.

Yes, kill Jiang Yucheng as a pledge of loyalty and voluntarily surrender to the government army.

It was Qian Shuo's own idea.

Among the Seven Heroes of Jingtian, he is the most quick-witted.

He had long seen that Jingtian Manor was on the verge of collapse and that the government army was unstoppable. Especially after seeing Zhao Ziyang give up resistance tonight, his resolve was strengthened.

It's good to take shelter under a big tree; sticking close to the government troops is the only way out.

So after leaving the banquet, he secretly approached the government troops and betrayed his friend for personal gain.

But it doesn't matter. Afterwards, he was the only one left of the Seven Heroes of Jingtian. Who would care about this matter? Who would remember it?

Survival is the key to being the ultimate winner.

rustling sounds…

Suddenly, a series of soft, rustling sounds came from the dark, dense forest.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a blurry gray figure slowly moving through the woods.

The figure was draped in a gray robe and wore a hat to cover its head, its entire body shrunken inside the robe, so its face could not be seen.

"Lord Huang?" Qian Shuo asked tentatively.

The sound vanished instantly, and the figure disappeared as well. "You brought it?"

By the time Qian Shuo realized what was happening, the gray figure had appeared out of thin air in another open space more than ten meters away.

Qian Shuo felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the strength of the person in front of him was far superior to his own, and dared not be careless.

"Lord Huang, as agreed before, I have resolved the matter with Jiang Yucheng. Moreover, I did not alert anyone, which makes it easier for me to take over the management of the Floating Light Sect's assets later."

Qian Shuo stepped aside, and Jiang Yucheng's corpse appeared behind him.

"Hmm? So fast? Not bad efficiency." The gray figure observed carefully, confirmed it was correct, and exclaimed.

Up close, one could see a pale face under the hood, the man was young and extremely thin, as if he had suffered from long-term malnutrition.

“Lord Huang, military orders are absolute. I will naturally pay close attention to the orders you personally issued,” Qian Shuo said with a smile. “According to the previous agreement, after I take over the Fuguang Sect’s assets, I will gradually transfer its profits to the government army.”

"Very good. You're efficient, I like that." The pale face under the gray shadows also grinned.

"By the way, how long have you known Jiang Yucheng?" Suddenly, the gray figure asked casually.

"Huh?" Qian Shuo paused. "If you think about it, we've known each other for thirty or forty years."

Martial artists who reach the Grandmaster level will also have their lifespan extended.

Legend has it that there was a master who was extremely skilled in longevity techniques and lived to be over two hundred years old. He witnessed the rise and fall of a dynasty and could be considered a living fossil.

Of course, most grandmasters would have hidden injuries in their bodies due to years of fighting, which would shorten their lifespan, making it unlikely that they would live to be two hundred years old.

However, 130 or 140 years old is the age limit that most grandmasters can easily reach. Although Qian Shuo looks like an ordinary middle-aged man, he is actually close to 60 years old.

His friendship with Jiang Yucheng for three or four decades means that the two were already considered good friends when they were young.

"Oh? You actually have a friendship of thirty or forty years!" The gray figure was slightly moved. "Then how could you bring yourself to do it?"

“This is easy,” Qian Shuo laughed. “Jiang Yucheng was seriously injured this time. Even if I don’t kill him, he will not escape the pursuit of the government troops. Since that’s the case, why not grant my wish?”

At the very least, I will take good care of his family, wife, and students.

"Sect Leader Qian... truly has a kind heart!" Gray Shadow exclaimed. "Such a talent as yours is being wasted by keeping him at Jing Tian Manor."

"You flatter me, Lord Huang. I'll head to Floating Light Gate now..."

Qian Shuo hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly fell silent.