Chapter 553 - Double Blessings

As if showing off, the old ancestor pushed his cultivation to its limit. He wrapped up Li Mao and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The old ancestor is mighty!

The old ancestor is domineering!

Prepare some tea for the old ancestor!

The disciples of the Qilian Sect watched, brimming with indescribable pride.

***

As they flew, the old ancestor glanced at Li Mao and laughed. “I wonder where that spirit beast is? Would you mind pointing the way?”

Sensing the talisman, Li Mao pointed ahead. “There. Elder Huang, I appreciate your help this time. It won’t go unrewarded. Once this is done, you may receive two Kunling Relic Site tokens as my gratitude.”

The old ancestor wanted to refuse, but simply couldn’t bring himself to. “I mean... it’s just a spirit beast. You’re too kind, far too kind...”

He’d collected two relic site tokens as well, but one more token meant one more person could enter, so of course he wouldn’t say no.

Then, he sighed with emotion. “It’s been over ten thousand years. I wonder if that fated one will ever appear and take full control of the relic site...”

Li Mao thought for a moment. “As for that, Junior Sister should have some hope.”

The old ancestor’s heart stirred. “Could it be Miss Leng?”

“Yes.”

He laughed heartily, offering unreserved praise, “For Master Ling Ya to make an exception and accept her as his eighth disciple, Miss Leng’s talent and constitution must be unparalleled! If even she fails, then we’ve lost all hope!”

A strange look flashed through Li Mao’s eyes. If only Junior Sister Mo was still here. Her chances should be even greater than Junior Sister Leng’s...

Just then, the old ancestor exclaimed in surprise, “What happened to the Lin Clan?! How did it end up like this?!”

The two happened to be passing over the Lin residence. They looked down at the transformed landscape, already reduced to ruins. The Lin Clan was no more.

He gloated, “Don’t tell me Lin Changmei offended some first-rate force and got his whole family wiped out?”

One with white brows, while the other yellow brows. The two had always had their differences and squabbled for years. Of course, he didn’t have time to investigate thoroughly at the moment.

The Lin Clan’s destroyed, and I’m going to suppress a spirit beast with just one hand. Double blessings!

After returning later, he’d have to send someone to look into it and see if there was anything left to gain from the Lin Clan. Thinking of this, his speed increased.

For some reason, Li Mao felt a vague sense of foreboding. Just as he was about to contemplate further, the old ancestor’s nostalgic voice interrupted him again, “To be honest with you, ever since I stepped into the Ascension realm, I’ve rarely had the chance to fight. The last time I made a move was eight hundred years ago. This is such a rare opportunity to work my muscles!”

Due to the distraction, the premonition of danger in Li Mao’s heart vanished.

***

Inside a newly excavated cave dwelling, Gu Han sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. He ate two half-saint herbs and absorbed the law fragments within. As time passed, his connection to the sea of vital qi grew stronger, and he could command more and more of heaven and earth’s power. He had reached the fifth stage of the Saint realm and was rapidly climbing toward the sixth.

Even in the Tiannan Realm, saint herbs were extremely rare, as could be seen from the Lin Clan’s situation. His method of cultivation was virtually unprecedented. Of course, its efficiency was far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

Outside the cave, Ah Gou stood silently while guarding Gu Han. He held the storage ring Gu Han had given him, turning it over and over as if he could never get enough of looking at it.

Chongming sneered with disdain, “You’ve never been out there!”

Ah Gou ignored him.

Chongming muttered to himself, “What a pity. My great treasure, and some are just too blind to recognize it!”

Ah Gou still ignored him.

Finally, Chongming couldn’t hold back anymore. He took a step closer to Ah Gou and tempted him. “Little pup, you really won’t consider it? That thing is something many sword cultivators dream of. Just turn back into Xiao Hei, and I promise you that no one else gets it, only you. How about that?”

Ah Gou was determined to ignore him. He even took two steps back, widening the distance between them.

Chongming was speechless. He suddenly felt like he was a failure as a rooster. With a sigh, he continued muttering under his breath, “The world has turned upside down. Even a dog’s heart has changed.”

Ah Gou didn’t understand nor did he want to. His mind was full of what Gu Han had said before going into seclusion. He was going to get Ah Gou some new clothes once they reached Lingyun City!

Just as he was lost in anticipation, his face turned pale. He dropped to one knee and gasped for air. His fingers tightly clenched around the storage ring as despair and hatred swirled in his eyes.

Chongming was stunned, then overjoyed. Huh? Is he about to transform?

Ah Gou muttered as a bizarre red rune suddenly appeared on his brow, “He... he’s here...”

The Slave Seal!

Chongming stared wide-eyed into the distance. “Who’s here?!”

Ah Gou looked back at the cave with difficulty. “Master... Quick, leave...”

***

Inside the cave, Gu Han jolted from his breakthrough, eyes snapping open. He had reached the sixth stage of the Saint realm. A third of the law fragments from the two herbs remained unabsorbed, but he had no time to care. Something had happened to Ah Gou!

In a flash, he was already outside and saw the bright red Slave Seal between Ah Gou’s brows. “Ah Gou, what’s wrong with you?! What... Did he find us?”

Immediately, his expression shifted slightly as if realizing something. Since he’d destroyed the child talisman, the only thing left that could lock onto Ah Gou’s location was the mother talisman.

Ah Gou said with difficulty, “Y-yes... him...”

As his voice trailed off, a faint yet powerful presence fell within Gu Han’s perception.

His heart dropped. Shit!

Although he had pretty much expected the mother talisman to be triggered, he hadn’t expected the enemy to find them so quickly. Apparently, Ah Gou was just that important to Mu Feng. This was completely beyond Gu Han’s expectations. Moreover, whoever had found them was flaunting their presence without restraint. Soon, two figures had already appeared faintly in the sky.

Gu Han’s eyes narrowed. Ascension realm!

From the presence alone, he could tell that the enemy was far stronger than Lin Changmei. Peak Ascension realm cultivators were extremely fast. In just a few breaths, they landed right before Gu Han and the rest. Aside from the two people and the rooster, everything within a thousand zhang was reduced to dust by the wisp of pressure that descended.

Upon seeing Ah Gou, the old ancestor raised an eyebrow, somewhat disappointed. “Young Master Li, this is the spirit beast? It seems like I won’t get to work my muscles after all!”

He could see Ah Gou’s cultivation with a single glance: early Feather Transformation realm. Forget suppressing with one hand, he could defeat Ah Gou with a single strand of hair! He didn’t even spare the man and the rooster a proper look.

A trace of confusion flickered in Li Mao’s eyes. “It’s him, but how strange... Judging by his appearance, he doesn’t seem out of control...”

Following that, his gaze fell on Gu Han and Chongming. “You’re the guy and that rooster the Hehuan Sect wants to deal with? Where is she?”

Chongming rolled his eyes. “Fed to the dog!”

Li Mao took another look at Chongming and nodded. “No wonder that foolish woman took a fancy to you. You’re a rather extraordinary rooster.”

That sentence ripped open Chongming’s unhealed wound once more, leaving his heart riddled with holes and bleeding anew.

After a moment of silence, he turned to Gu Han with fury and humiliation. “Don’t just stand there! Let the dog out!”