Chapter 24: First Brush with Life and Death

Dao Sect Cave Heaven.

“Hmph! Just a mere Qi Refining Stage, and yet you dare to target me?”

A black-robed youth with several Storage Pouches hanging from his waist stood, while seven or eight figures lay sprawled on the ground.

His face was youthful, but his eyes were not as clear as a boy’s. On the contrary, they revealed a sense of maturity.

“To think that after failing to Cross Tribulation, I would actually return to my youth.”

The black-robed youth was named Long Shengtian, one of the new disciples of the Dao Sect this year. However, it would be a long, long time before his name would become famous.

In his previous life, he was a great power at the Crossing Tribulation Stage, only a step away from Great Ascension.

Unfortunately, he still failed. He thought he would perish completely, yet unexpectedly, he was reborn.

The Seven Star Sect tried to prevent disciples from dying in the Cave Heaven, but every system has its flaws.

Long Shengtian knew of such a flaw.

“This time, I will defy the heavens and change my fate!”

If not for a fateful encounter in a Secret Realm, Long Shengtian might never have broken through to Nascent Soul, but even breaking through was too late.

Too many people and things had already become irretrievable.

This time, he swore he would have no regrets!

At that moment, a youth was walking towards this area from not far away.

Seeing this, Long Shengtian hid himself.

“Hmph hmph, the king ordered me to patrol the mountains~”

Qin Mu hummed a little tune, strolling leisurely.

Suddenly, he noticed many people lying scattered on the ground ahead.

Something’s wrong!

Qin Mu’s internal alarm blared.

He quickly drew his Long Sword and carefully scanned the surroundings.

Long Shengtian, hidden in the shadows, saw the Long Sword in the boy’s hand and silently marveled.

Goodness, a treasure personally forged by a Nascent Soul Stage expert.

This kid is a fat sheep!

Qin Mu cautiously retreated, swallowing hard.

The tense silence made him uneasy.

Gradually, Qin Mu’s head began to feel dizzy, and his vision blurred.

Suddenly, the Clear Heart Jade Slip that Liu Tiancheng had given him earlier emitted a faint light.

A cool sensation swept through his body, and his mind instantly cleared.

A figure appeared before Qin Mu, less than five meters away.

Long Shengtian was surprised.

How could this youth wake up from the fragrance he concocted?

“Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Killing for treasures was a common thing.

The law of the jungle was the iron rule of this world.

The sudden appearance of the figure startled Qin Mu.

Before he could react, the figure was already in front of him, landing a punch on his stomach.

“Ugh!”

Qin Mu’s abdomen ached, and he staggered back several steps.

It wasn’t over. Long Shengtian closed in again, striking Qin Mu’s chest with his palm.

Qin Mu was sent flying several meters, and his Long Sword slipped from his grip.

Compared to Long Shengtian, who had fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Qin Mu’s lack of combat experience left him too inexperienced.

“Cough, cough!”

Qin Mu looked at the youth who seemed about the same age as himself, not expecting his attacks to be so decisive.

But I, Young Master Qin, am no pushover!

Without the Long Sword, Qin Mu swallowed a Pill.

Spiritual energy surged wildly within his body.

Having consumed many Pills refined by Miss Mengyu, his physique was thoroughly tempered.

This method of fighting by consuming Pills was one Qin Mu developed himself.

Although his cultivation progressed slowly, by using this approach, he could boost his strength to the fifth layer of Qi Refining, but once the effect wore off, his whole body would be too sore to exert any strength.

“Oh? Relying on external means to increase power? Pathetic.”

Disdain flashed in Long Shengtian’s eyes.

“Heh, winning is all that matters.”

Qin Mu panted.

He couldn’t maintain this state for long; he had to end the battle quickly.

The Long Sword given by Miss Ruoshuang was no longer in his hand.

The Danfire from Miss Mengyu was gone after the last battle. As for Talisman treasures… he had plenty, but they needed time to activate.

Last time, Ma Tianming had given him ample preparation time, but this time was different.

Bang!

Qin Mu made the first move, swinging a fist at Long Shengtian.

Long Shengtian sneered, sidestepping easily.

“You have strength, but it’s all brute force. No adaptability.”

Before his words finished, Long Shengtian closed the distance in a blink.

Nani!

Qin Mu’s eyes widened.

In the time it took to take a breath, he couldn’t even react.

True Qi surged in Long Shengtian’s palm.

“Mountain Splitting Palm!”

Puchi!

The raging True Qi struck Qin Mu, making him cough up blood instantly.

Pa!

Long Shengtian looked at the hand gripping his shoulder.

The youth before him grinned.

“Got you!”

Qin Mu opened his other palm.

A fiery red Talisman radiated intense heat.

“Explode!”

Qin Mu roared.

Boom!

A mushroom cloud rose on the spot.

“Argh!”

The powerful Qi shockwave wounded Long Shengtian’s organs, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Long Shengtian laughed angrily, chopping his palm through the air.

The fierce Qi instantly scattered the smoke, but the youth’s figure had vanished, along with any trace of his presence.

Long Shengtian’s face darkened.

He hadn’t expected to be toyed with by a junior today.

Still, there were some gains.

At the site of the explosion, a Storage Pouch had fallen to the ground.

Not far away, a Long Sword emitting cold energy also lay there.

***

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Inside a certain cave, Qin Mu leaned against the rock wall.

“Damn it, I really lost big this time. Not only did I drop my Storage Pouch, but I also failed to recover Miss Ruoshuang’s Long Sword…”

Qin Mu panted.

Taking Long Shengtian’s palm head-on and enduring the Talisman’s explosion had left him seriously wounded, both inside and out.

“Huff, huff… This is the worst. Even the healing Pills are gone.”

Qin Mu tried to circulate True Qi to heal his injuries a little, but due to consuming the strength-boosting Pill, his veins throbbed in pain whenever he tried.

“What a self-inflicted mess…”

Qin Mu’s vision grew blurry.

He regretted it now. If he’d known it would turn out like this, he never would’ve come.

“Miss Ruoshuang… Miss Mengyu…”

His eyelids grew heavy.

Sleep.

Maybe when I wake up, I’ll find myself back in bed…

Just before his eyes closed, Qin Mu seemed to see a hint of white.

***

“You’re the Young Master of the Qin Family? What a joke! You’re nothing compared to your two sisters!”

“How could the Qin Family produce such a useless heir? You should have been sent to Border Town!”

“What Young Master Qin! The Head of the Qin Family is missing, and now my father is the acting head! Your two sisters joined the Seven Star Sect, and without them or your father, you’re nothing!”

“So many resources were wasted on you, yet you’re useless! Even a pig would have reached Foundation Establishment by now!”

“Run! The two Misses have returned! And the Seven Star Sect Master is with them!”

“What! They weren’t supposed to return until reaching Golden Core! How could they come back so soon!”

“Spare me, Misses! I never bullied the Young Master! Ah!”

“You all deserve to die!”

“Mu’er, Mu’er! It’s all right… It’s all right now… Elder Sister has returned… Elder Sister has returned…”

With great effort, Qin Mu opened his eyes, gazing at the unfamiliar cave walls.

Am I… still alive?

Seriously, I just watched my own life flash before my eyes and thought it was all over.

“Cough, cough!”

Qin Mu struggled to sit up.

Not far away, a campfire burned brightly.

Assessing his condition, he found that while he still ached, the injuries were manageable.

“You’re awake!”

A surprised voice came from the cave entrance.

A white-robed girl rushed in.

It was Liu Zixi.