Liu Yueji’s face turned purple from being strangled, yet she still forced out a threat, “Li Qingxuan… Elder Liu from the Evil Valley will arrive soon. If you dare kill me…”
Crack!
Before she could finish, Li Qingxuan twisted her neck and snapped it clean.
“A prisoner dares threaten me?”
He let out a cold laugh and tossed Liu Yueji’s corpse to the ground like trash, then casually removed her storage pouch. With a sweep of his divine sense, his eyes lit up. “No wonder people in fantasy novels love killing and looting. Searching a corpse really does bring money fast.”
Just then, the sound of something cutting through the air came from afar.
A middle-aged man arrived with more than a dozen black-clad followers. Two of them immediately rushed forward to support the dying Liu Wuya.
“Elder Liu…”
Liu Wuya coughed up blood and gritted his teeth. “As long as you help me kill Li Qingxuan and avenge my sister, I, Liu Wuya, swear to serve the Evil Valley until death!”
Li Qingxuan turned, raising an eyebrow. “What? You want to meddle in my business?”
“Of course not. I heard a Golden Core Realm Expert was being hunted, so I came to take a look.”
Liu Ming grinned, his gaze greedy as he stared at Liu Wuya. “A Golden Core from a Golden Core Realm cultivator is a precious treasure. With this, I can advance one minor realm in a short time.”
Liu Wuya’s expression changed drastically. “You… what do you mean?”
“Come here. Let me tell you something from the heart.”
Liu Ming sneered. His right hand suddenly transformed into a sharp claw and stabbed straight into Liu Wuya’s dantian.
Puchi!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
A radiant golden core was forcibly pulled out.
“Ah!”
Liu Wuya spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at Liu Ming in disbelief. “Why… you said you came to help us…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Liu Ming toyed with the golden core and mocked him, “Why would I come without benefits? You should remember, I am a villain from the Evil Valley. You actually believed a villain. How stupid.”
“You… you…”
Liu Wuya’s eyes widened. His breath stopped, and he died with his eyes still open.
Liu Ming put away the golden core, stripped Liu Wuya’s storage pouch, then turned to Li Qingxuan with a grin. “Thanks, fellow Daoist, for helping me obtain this golden core. I’ll be going now.”
At that moment, Li Qingxuan spoke calmly, “Did I allow you to leave?”
Liu Ming paused. “What do you mean?”
“That is my spoils of war.”
Li Qingxuan pointed at Liu Wuya’s corpse and the golden core. “Hand over Liu Wuya’s storage pouch and the golden core, and you can get lost.”
Liu Ming’s face darkened instantly. “You ignorant dog! I didn’t kill you, and that was already me showing mercy. Now you dare demand things from me?”
Li Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. “So you don’t want to hand them over?”
“I don’t. What can you do about it?”
Liu Ming sneered, and the spiritual pressure of a 3rd stage Golden Core Realm burst out around him. “I’m not some weakling like Liu Wuya who just entered the Golden Core Realm!”
“Is that so?”
Li Qingxuan’s figure flashed. The Low-Grade Earth Tier Movement Technique — Shrinking the Earth to an Inch was activated instantly. With a single step, he appeared directly in front of Liu Ming.
Smack!
A loud slap landed squarely on Liu Ming’s face, sending him spinning in place three full turns before crashing to the ground.
“A mere 3rd stage Golden Core Realm dares act arrogant before me?”
Li Qingxuan walked forward slowly and stepped on Liu Ming’s chest, looking down at him. “Do you really think you’re that much stronger than him?”
Pfft!
Liu Ming spat out a mouthful of blood.
His eyes widened in terror, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. That single step felt like tens of thousands of kilograms pressing down on him, leaving this Golden Core cultivator without even the strength to struggle.
“You… who exactly are you?”
Liu Ming’s voice shook, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He was a 3rd stage Golden Core Realm expert, someone of status even in the Evil Valley. Yet before this man, he could not even retaliate. Most frightening of all, he had never even seen such a powerful figure before.
Li Qingxuan could not be bothered with nonsense. “I’ll give you two choices. Hand over the items and get lost, or die. Choose.”
Liu Ming’s face shifted between pale and dark. Finally, he ground his teeth and took out the golden core and storage pouch. “You’re ruthless. I’ll admit defeat this time. Next time we meet, I’ll make sure to kill you.”
“I spare your life, and instead of gratitude, you threaten to kill me?”
Li Qingxuan’s expression turned stern as he spoke righteously, “A person as ungrateful as you cannot be kept alive. I’ll send you on your way now.”
“What? You’re going to kill me?”
Liu Ming jolted in shock and cried out, “No! You can’t kill me. I’m an Elder of the Evil Valley. If you kill me, the Evil Valley will definitely not…”
Before he could finish, Li Qingxuan’s foot came down on his head.
Crack!
A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed out.
Liu Ming’s head exploded instantly, red and white splattering across the ground.
“He’s dead!”
“Elder Liu is dead!”
“Run!”
Seeing this scene, Liu Ming’s followers were terrified out of their wits and scattered in all directions.
Li Qingxuan glanced at them and snorted coldly. His finger turned into a sword, and he slashed once.
Amid miserable screams, some died and others were injured.
But Li Qingxuan did not pursue further.
His son was here. His son was the source of his strength. He had to ensure his son’s safety.
“Dad, you’re incredible!”
Li Chuan ran over excitedly. “You killed a Golden Core Realm Expert just like that. Aren’t you afraid their backing forces will seek revenge?”
Li Qingxuan raised an eyebrow and said domineeringly, “Son, why are you so cowardly? Didn’t I tell you? I’m invincible. What are you afraid of?”
Li Chuan suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, “Dad… if you’re invincible, then how did Wang Yuanshan beat you up like that before?”
Li Qingxuan choked and coughed violently.
Why was he beaten like that back then?
Wasn’t it because his cheat hadn’t arrived yet?
As a father, his mighty image absolutely could not collapse.
Li Qingxuan’s mind raced. He clasped his hands behind his back and said with a profound expression, “Son, you don’t understand the loneliness of invincibility. I was simply too invincible, so I wanted to experience what it feels like to be beaten. Only injury and blood can awaken a person’s fighting spirit. Otherwise, if I slap every expert to death in one move, what fun would that be? Wouldn’t that kind of life be boring?”
“So that’s how it is! No wonder…”
Li Chuan suddenly understood everything. “Dad, you really know how to have fun!”
“By the way, Dad.”
Li Chuan grew curious. “If Liu Ming had obediently returned the items to you without threatening you, would you have let him go?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Li Qingxuan said seriously, “Did he want to return the items? He had no choice. If he didn’t give them, he would die. He took someone else’s things and acted as if it were natural, not even knowing how to apologize. Should I keep someone like that alive until New Year?”
“What if he returned them and apologized?”
“That would mean he’s cunning, pretending weakness to save his life and planning revenge later. People like that are the worst. They must be killed.”
“What if he returned the items, apologized, and promised never to trouble you again?”
Li Qingxuan let out a cold laugh. “I! Don’t! Believe!”