Chapter 73: A Moment Between Life and Death

Imperial Palace.

Two black shadows landed in a courtyard.

One of the smaller figures crouched down and dug into the earth.

The motion paused.

The golden light that had been there was now gone, leaving only emptiness.

“Damn it! Who was it!”

A hoarse voice rang out.

Jing Kun’s fists clenched tight.

He had clearly found it earlier, but now it was gone.

Someone had taken it.

A fierce gleam flashed in Jing Kun’s eyes.

He pulled out a piece of gold paper from his chest, folded it into the shape of a paper crane, and blew gently.

The paper crane flapped its wings and flew off in a direction.

“Chase!”

Jing Kun immediately pursued the paper crane.

***

On the other side, Qin Mu was still wandering through the Imperial Palace.

Already lost, he was spinning around like a headless fly.

Before long, the sound of something tearing through the air approached.

Qin Mu turned in a hurry.

A black-clad figure was charging toward him.

Damn! They found me so fast!

Qin Mu bolted.

But it wasn’t long before he was caught.

Jing Kun blocked Qin Mu’s path.

By the moonlight, he could see the face of the one who’d stolen from him.

“So it was you!”

The hoarse voice was full of rage.

Hearing the tone, Qin Mu wondered—does this guy know me?

But Qin Mu had no memory of him at all.

Jing Kun stared at Qin Mu, killing intent flickering in his gaze.

“Heh, stop pretending. Since you’re like me, you must know how tempting that thing is to people like us.”

Seeing Qin Mu’s bewildered expression only stoked Jing Kun’s anger further.

“In that case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Even though Qin Mu, like him, had crossed over, Jing Kun didn’t care.

In this world, strength was everything!

Qin Mu watched the man mutter things that made no sense, then lunge at him.

Though Jing Kun couldn’t cultivate before, Bloodhand Venerable had forcibly boosted his power.

Now, he was at the peak of Qi Cultivation, about to enter Foundation Establishment.

A chill swept over Qin Mu.

He hurriedly circulated True Qi within him and struck out with his palm.

“Haaah!”

Robust True Qi surged forth.

These days hadn’t been wasted—he’d trained, too.

Jing Kun’s speed didn’t falter.

True Qi flowed over his fist, and the faint image of a bull appeared.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided, unleashing a wave of force.

Thud, thud, thud.

Qin Mu staggered back several steps, his arm going numb.

This guy—how is he so strong!

After Mengyu’s medicinal bath, his body had leveled up.

Jing Kun’s eyes also flashed with surprise.

He hadn’t expected Qin Mu to be so formidable.

If not for Bloodhand Venerable’s infused spiritual power, he might have had trouble matching him.

And…

Jing Kun glanced behind Qin Mu.

A burly figure stood in the shadows.

Seeing the other man distracted, Qin Mu seized the chance.

A flash of light in his hand—a Talisman appeared.

“Flame!”

Boom!

Blazing fire surged from Qin Mu’s palm.

He stamped his foot and instantly appeared before the dark figure.

“Ora!”

Qin Mu punched straight at the black figure’s head.

His fist wrapped in flame, he drove it at Jing Kun.

Jing Kun pressed his palms together, blood mist spreading.

“Blood Demon Hand!”

Jing Kun’s fingers curved into claws, and a crimson hand met Qin Mu’s fiery fist head-on.

Hiss——

Like ice meeting fire, Jing Kun’s bloody hand lasted only four or five seconds before it began to fail.

Qin Mu saw and pushed his True Qi harder, making the flames burn fiercer.

“Break!”

Qin Mu roared, and his flaming fist shattered the bloody hand of the black figure.

Just as Qin Mu’s fist was about to make brutal contact with the shadow’s face, another burly figure appeared before him.

Qin Mu: “!!!”

He withdrew instantly, leaping back.

Too late.

The burly figure grabbed Qin Mu by the neck, landing a solid punch to his chest.

“Gah!”

Qin Mu spat blood, his body slamming into the palace wall.

Pain! Agonizing pain!

Qin Mu clenched his teeth.

An unfamiliar True Qi rampaged inside him, scattering his own Qi.

Seeing the burly figure approaching, Qin Mu hurriedly shouted:

“Wait! I can give the thing back!”

When it came to life and death, his own neck came first.

At this point, survival was everything!

The burly figure paused at Qin Mu’s words and looked at Jing Kun.

But Jing Kun’s eyes were bloodshot.

He smiled darkly at Qin Mu’s words.

“Even if I kill you, won’t I get it back anyway?”

Damn it! Are they really going to kill me?

Enduring the pain, Qin Mu struggled to his feet.

“Heh, looks like you don’t plan to let me go.”

He flipped his hand, pulling out a Jade Token and crushing it.

The burly figure spoke coldly:

“Don’t waste your effort. I sealed this space earlier—your Jade Token’s signal can’t escape.”

That Qin Mu could stand after taking his punch surprised the burly figure a little.

With his cultivation, a single blow should’ve crushed a Qi Cultivator.

Upon hearing this, Qin Mu’s heart sank.

This was bad.

At this rate, he really would be BBQed.

Fight!

Gritting his teeth, Qin Mu drew a Talisman.

The burly figure’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Didn’t expect a brat like you to have so many treasures. Even such a rare Talisman.”

“But unfortunately…” The burly figure shook his head.

“It’s useless in front of me.”

Qin Mu grinned.

“Whether it’s useless or not, we’ll see after it’s used.”

Without hesitation, he spat a mouthful of blood and formed a hand seal.

Whoosh—

A whirlwind formed around Qin Mu.

Arcs of lightning twisted through the air.

Swish!

Qin Mu pointed a finger.

Wind and Thunder Force erupted from his fingertip, rippling the very air.

This attack—

Not just Qi Cultivation—even Foundation Establishment might not be able to withstand it.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of the burly figure, even Qin Mu’s full-force strike seemed fragile.

Though that mysterious Tribulation Stage expert had injured him earlier, dealing with a mere Qi Cultivator was still trivial.

With a slight sidestep, the burly figure dodged Qin Mu’s attack.

Qin Mu didn’t look despairing—instead, he smiled.

The burly figure frowned.

“Brat, you…”

Before he could finish, a blood-curdling scream erupted behind him.

“Ah!”

Qin Mu’s attack hadn’t targeted the burly figure, but the small shadow behind him!

Even if I die, I’ll take someone with me!

As the burly figure dodged, Jing Kun had no time to react.

Wind and Thunder Force tore through his chest.

“Ah!”

Crackling with energy, Jing Kun coughed up blood, his chest pierced.

Fortunately, he’d shifted just enough to avoid his heart.

The burly figure rushed to Jing Kun’s side, pulling out a Pill.

Bang!

At that moment, the sound of shattering glass echoed.

The previously set Space Barrier was broken.

The burly figure shouted:

“Not good! Experts within the Imperial Palace have noticed us!”

Hoisting Jing Kun, he fled without a backward glance.

Seeing them escape, Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief.

“Heh, seems my luck’s not too bad…”

With that, a wave of weakness swept over him.

His vision blurred.

Staggering, the youth collapsed.