Fellow Daoists, if this chapter pleased you, please leave a comment and offer a few Power Stones.
Your support is the fuel for my cultivation path! 🔥📖
The moment the envoy finished speaking, the suffocating tension inside the Wang family hall evaporated.
Moments earlier, the clan patriarchs—Wang Qingtian, Li Kui, and Sun Ming—had been overflowing with arrogance and rage. Now, all color drained from their faces.
They turned toward the entrance in unison, their expressions stiff with forced reverence.
On the floor, barely conscious, Chang Le felt the pressure ease slightly.
He knew.
This was his chance.
Gathering every shred of strength left in his battered body, he shouted hoarsely:
"Esteemed Immortal! I have a treasure to offer—please, spare my life!"
Every gaze in the hall snapped toward him.
The young cultivator standing at the entrance—clad in muted blue-gray robes—studied him with detached curiosity before turning to the trembling clan leaders.
"Oh?" he said mildly. "And what kind of treasure is worth saving your life?"
Wang Qingtian immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Immortal Envoy Shen, this boy is a fraud. We were merely interrogating him. His words mean nothing."
The cultivator lifted a hand, silencing him without even looking.
"Let him speak."
Chang Le swallowed, forcing himself upright despite the agony ripping through his body.
"I possess a pill," he said rapidly. "An heirloom left behind by my parents. It has miraculous effects on spirit beasts. These men tortured me to steal it!"
The words spilled out in a rush—half-truths mixed with desperation.
Shen Congfei's lips curved faintly.
"I see."
He turned to the three patriarchs.
"I'll take this boy with me for further
questioning. Any objections?"
The men hesitated, faces twitching with reluctance, but none dared refuse.
"…None."
Relief washed through Chang Le, though he didn't dare relax. He staggered after Shen Congfei, knowing survival was still uncertain.
A Dangerous Gamble Outside the estate, Shen Congfei didn't immediately leave.
Instead, he walked calmly through the streets until they reached a quiet teahouse on the edge of town.
Inside, he sealed the space with a sound-dampening barrier.
"Speak," he said coolly. "And don't lie to me."
Chang Le's heart pounded.
He lowered his gaze and spun a carefully crafted lie—how the pill was left behind by his parents, how he didn't know its origins, how it was all he had.
Dead people couldn't contradict him.
Shen Congfei listened without interruption, fingers tapping lightly against the table.
"A mortal possessing such a pill…" he murmured. "Interesting."
Suddenly, invisible pressure crashed down on Chang Le.
His muscles locked. His lungs refused air.
It felt like an unseen hand was crushing his chest.
Gasping, he fumbled into his sleeve and pulled out the strange, dark pill.
"This… this is the last one," he croaked. "The most valuable one. It can evolve a spirit beast."
The pressure intensified.
"You dare deceive me?"
Chang Le's vision darkened. His knees buckled.
"I wouldn't dare!" he forced out.
At last, the pressure lifted.
Shen Congfei took the pill, eyes narrowing as he studied it. Its aura was strange—unfamiliar, yet undeniably potent.
He couldn't identify it.
That alone made it valuable.
Whether the boy was lying or not didn't matter anymore.
A mortal cost nothing to keep.
"Very well," Shen Congfei said at last, slipping the pill away. "You'll come with me to the Azure Cloud Sect. Whether you stay… depends on fate."
Chang Le bowed repeatedly, barely restraining his relief.
"Thank you, Immortal Master!"
Both men smiled.
Both were hiding their true thoughts.
Flight to the Heavens
"Hold on."
A glowing sword appeared beneath Shen Congfei's feet.
Before Chang Le could react, he was grabbed by the collar and yanked onto the blade.
The world dropped away.
"AAAAAH—!"
The ground vanished. Wind screamed past his ears. His stomach lurched as the land shrank into nothingness below.
He clenched his eyes shut, convinced his soul was about to leave his body.
Shen Congfei chuckled.
To him, this was nothing—barely a party trick. But to a mortal, flight was godlike.
Clouds tore apart as they soared higher.
When Chang Le dared to open his eyes, his breath caught.
Mountains floated beneath rolling seas of cloud. Towering peaks pierced the heavens, crowned with gleaming halls and suspended bridges. Waterfalls plunged like silver ribbons through the mist.
Spiritual energy saturated the air so thick it felt alive.
Figures streaked through the sky on glowing weapons, trailing light.
This was no mortal world.
This was the realm of legends.
The Calm Before Catastrophe
They descended onto a quiet terrace halfway up the mountain.
A small courtyard sat there—modest, clean, clearly meant for low-ranking disciples.
"Stay here," Shen Congfei said. "Don't wander."
With that, he took off again, no doubt rushing to file his report—and test the pill.
Chang Le exhaled deeply and rubbed his aching arms.
"So… I made it."
The place was simple, but compared to his old hut, it was paradise.
He stepped inside, already planning.
The system could refine pills, but it needed proper materials. A place like this had to be full of spiritual herbs.
Even scraps would do.
Then his stomach growled loudly.
He hadn't eaten in days.
"I really need to survive long enough to cultivate," he muttered.
That was when—
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous roar split the heavens.
The ground shook violently. Tiles fell. Beams cracked.
Chang Le rushed outside just in time to see it.
At the main peak…
A colossal monster rose.
Towering like a mountain, armored in jagged plates, its tail smashed buildings like toys.
A titanic roar shook the sky.
Twin beams of searing light erupted from its eyes, carving through clouds, slicing flying cultivators in half midair.
Explosions lit the heavens.
Structures collapsed.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Chang Le stared in horror.
"…That pill… made a Godzilla?!"
The monster's tail slammed down, obliterating an entire hall.
A massive chunk of debris tore through the air—straight toward him.
"SH—!"
He dove behind a boulder.
The impact shook the mountain.
Dust filled the sky.
His courtyard was gone.
Only a smoldering fragment of roof remained embedded in the ground.
From afar, furious voices roared.
"The crystal core is destroyed!"
"Activate the Grand Barrier!"
A colossal dome of light flared to life,enveloping the mountain.
Powerful auras surged skyward—true masters awakening one after another.
Spells detonated.
Blades of light clashed.
The sky itself seemed to burn.
Chang Le curled up behind the rock, shaking.
"…So this is cultivation."
He swallowed hard.
"Good thing I didn't test that pill on a village dog…"
As the heavens trembled and titans clashed above, only one thought echoed in his mind:
Next time, I'm not cutting corners when refining pills.