Chapter 507: The Fourth Last Resort Spiritual Technique

After Xu Ziyang was led away by Mu Can, Zuo Fan immediately began arranging for the evacuation.

However, this time he didn’t tell them the truth. Instead, he used the Seven Kills Disciple, Mu Can, as a cover story.

His situation was unique. If he had actually announced that the Sect Leader had gone mad and was going to kill them, people would have definitely jumped up to question and obstruct him, just like that one Peak Master had.

On the contrary, using the invasion of a Seven Kills Disciple and the pretext that the Sect Leader had ordered him to evacuate everyone to clear the battlefield was far more justifiable.

Plus, he was the Sect Leader’s confidant. Aside from a few scattered complaints, there were no major incidents.

The entire evacuation process went rather smoothly. It was probably because Mu Can had fled far enough, and Xu Ziyang’s relentless pursuit had removed the greatest obstacle.

“It’s a good thing Mu Can showed up to interfere, otherwise this would have been really difficult.” Zuo Fan wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched the moving crowd.

It wasn’t from exertion or the heat, but from sheer nervousness.

Qi Suian naturally left with them. There was no reason to stay; he had to go with the flow.

“Uncle, evacuating is just a temporary fix, not a real solution. After Xu Ziyang kills Mu Can, he’ll definitely chase after us.”

“What do we do then?” As Zuo Fan thought of this, a grim look clouded his face.

‘Mu Can is definitely no match for Xu Ziyang. As strong as his Blood Sea Body and Life-taking Saber are, they can’t overcome a true Flame Demon.’

‘I personally saw Mu Can take just one hit from Fire Tree and Silver Flower before fleeing in a panic. The Innate Li Fire Sword Technique still contains many other powerful moves. If they were unleashed by the Flame Demon Xu Ziyang, their power would surely be even more terrifying.’

Therefore, in Zuo Fan’s eyes, Mu Can had no chance of survival.

“I don’t know. I’m not a Spirit Master, how would I know about these things?” Qi Suian spread his hands, indicating he couldn’t solve the problem.

Hearing this, Zuo Fan could only sigh helplessly. “There’s one more thing. The Purple Gold Pagoda, one of the nine great sects, has likely met with disaster.”

“On his way here, Mu Can might have wiped out the Purple Gold Pagoda, which is why he targeted the Yanghuang Sect.”

“I’m afraid the situation is about to get even more chaotic.”

Zuo Fan just felt so weary. ‘Ever since I became a Peak Master, it’s been one trouble after another, and now the Yanghuang Sect is facing complete annihilation.’

‘Even if I wanted to resolve it, I’m willing but powerless.’

Whether it was Xu Ziyang or Mu Can, there was a vast gap in power between him and either of them.

Right now, there was simply no way to solve this predicament.

He seemed rather dejected.

“If only I were a little stronger. Sigh,” Zuo Fan lamented.

“Oh, I might have a way to solve that,” Qi Suian suddenly interjected.

Zuo Fan’s expression froze. He suspected Qi Suian was about to pull another Spiritual Technique from the bottom of his trunk.

“If you’re asking me to deal with Xu Ziyang, I’m just an ordinary person, so I definitely can’t do it. But if you’re talking about getting stronger, well…”

As Qi Suian trailed off, Zuo Fan finished his sentence, “You have another complementary Spiritual Technique at the bottom of your trunk?”

“Heh, you’re quick on the uptake now, kid.” Qi Suian couldn’t help but chuckle. But since he had used this excuse three times, it was only normal for the other party to guess.

Then, Qi Suian took out a freshly minted ‘ancient tome’ and handed it to him.

“The Undying Fire Element True Technique?”

“Uncle, do you have any more Spiritual Techniques at the bottom of your trunk?” Zuo Fan asked curiously. “Don’t pull another one out on me in a couple of days.”

“Nope, no more. This is really the last one,” Qi Suian said, shaking his head to indicate this was his last book.

“What’s the use of this Spiritual Technique? I’m already cultivating three different ones. If I add another, my training time might… not be sufficient,” Zuo Fan said hesitantly.

He was certain this was another top-tier Spiritual Technique.

But it also had two drawbacks: first, it was difficult to practice, and second, it consumed a lot of resources.

The former required time, the latter required resources.

Before, Zuo Fan wouldn’t have cared, but now all the Yanghuang Sect had left was its people.

Fleeing for their lives, who had time to pack up valuables? The incident was sudden, and he couldn’t even tell them the truth. Basically, everyone just thought it was a temporary evacuation and that they would return sooner or later.

“Don’t worry. This one is used to integrate your three Spiritual Techniques. When the time comes, you’ll only need to cultivate this Undying Fire Element True Technique to simultaneously advance your progress in the other three.”

“At the same time, it can fully unearth the complete power of the Spiritual Techniques. You could call it the master key to my ancestral techniques.”

“Furthermore, if you cultivate all four Spiritual Techniques together, the difficulty will drop drastically due to their perfectly complementary effects, and your progress will be even faster.”

“Unfortunately, it’s highly dependent on one’s innate talent. Even with the reduced difficulty, mastering the basics is not something an ordinary person can achieve. In this whole world, you’re probably the only one who could successfully cultivate it,” Qi Suian said with a look of regret.

This last sentence was to prevent Zuo Fan from asking why he didn’t cultivate it himself.

After all, he himself had said the difficulty would “drastically” drop. That word “drastically” implied a significantly lowered threshold.

“So… Uncle, who exactly are you?” Zuo Fan finally asked after putting away the Undying Fire Element True Technique.

This was the first time he had asked about Qi Suian’s identity. Although he’d had his suspicions before, he had never voiced them.

“Just a candy shop owner. Who else could I be?” Qi Suian said nonchalantly. “At most, my ancestors were once wealthy, and the family fortune dwindled by the time it got to me.”

“You don’t really think I’m some big shot, do you?”

“If I really were, would I have let the Yanghuang Sect take the Pure Yang Wuji Heart Method and the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique?” Qi Suian quipped.

Zuo Fan thought about it carefully. ‘That makes a lot of sense.’

‘Who would just hand over such powerful Spiritual Techniques for no reason? It could only be because they couldn’t protect them.’

“I was overthinking it.” Zuo Fan gave a wry smile and said, “It would be great if you really were a reclusive master wandering the mortal world, Uncle. Then I wouldn’t be in such a bind.”

“It’s better to rely on yourself than on heaven or earth. I wish I were, but unfortunately, I’m not,” Qi Suian replied.

As the two were talking, a burst of fiery light suddenly appeared in the distant sky.

The fiery light spread across the horizon, its intense heat warping the very air.

“Is that… Myriad Household Lights?” Zuo Fan said, looking at the light with uncertainty.

“I don’t know.” Qi Suian gave a high-quality answer. In reality, he knew exactly what it was—a sword move he had made up himself.

It came from the most powerful move in the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique, and the one using it was, naturally, Xu Ziyang.

“There’s an eighty percent chance. Xu Ziyang is incredibly powerful, so the might of the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique will certainly be even greater in his hands.”

“Not to mention he’s a Flame Demon now, so his mastery of the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique is even more profound.”

“There’s a good chance Mu Can is already dead,” Zuo Fan said in a low voice.

For him, this was not good news.

Mu Can had died too quickly. He hadn’t bought them enough time.

After dealing with Mu Can, Xu Ziyang would definitely turn back. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to them.

If it were just Zuo Fan alone, escaping wouldn’t be a problem. But now he had the disciples from every peak with him. Even though they were all Spirit Masters, their speed was no match for Xu Ziyang’s.

“Uncle, I don’t think we’re getting away this time.” Zuo Fan’s face turned bitter as he watched the fiery light in the distance gradually subside.

If he were given enough time to cultivate the Undying Fire Element True Technique and increase his strength, he might have had a chance to defeat the enemy. But now, it seemed he wouldn’t get that chance.

“Don’t be so discouraged. There’s always a chance, no matter how slim,” Qi Suian offered a word of comfort.

“I’m afraid there’s no ‘slim chance’ this time. You saw the gap between me and Xu Ziyang,” Zuo Fan’s voice was filled with dejection.

“Take a look at the Undying Fire Element True Technique first. Maybe that’s the slim chance you need,” Qi Suian hinted.

Zuo Fan sighed. He didn’t argue, but instead began to flip through the Spiritual Technique he had just received.

As he read, his initial discouragement and despair began to vanish, bit by bit.

“Uncle, your ancestors were truly monstrous geniuses to have created such a powerful Spiritual Technique,” Zuo Fan snapped the book shut and exclaimed.

“With this Spiritual Technique, I’m confident I can hold off Xu Ziyang and let everyone complete the evacuation.”

“I might even be able to make a clean getaway myself!”

Zuo Fan’s face was brimming with confidence.

As for the fact that he hadn’t started cultivating it yet, that wasn’t a problem. He already had a foundation in three Spiritual Techniques, so mastering the basics wouldn’t be difficult. He could even achieve a minor breakthrough with all four techniques in a short amount of time.

“I’m going to organize the people and maintain the evacuation. Uncle, don’t fall behind.” With that, Zuo Fan stood up and left.

***

‘So close. It was so, so close.’

From a piece of shattered flesh and bone, Mu Can grew out like a snake shedding its skin, his eyes filled with relief.

If it weren’t for that piece of flesh and bone and his own powerful Blood Sea Body, he would have died just now from Xu Ziyang’s terrifying attack.

“The Life-taking Saber is too severely damaged. To restore it, I’ll need to commit enough slaughter,” Mu Can muttered, looking at a bone fragment slowly being squeezed out from the flesh of his palm.

He himself had paid such a heavy price; naturally, the Life-taking Saber couldn’t escape unscathed.

On top of that, his qi and blood were severely depleted. Even his Blood Sea Body had temporarily lost its effectiveness and needed a sufficient supply of fresh blood to recover.

‘But at least I’m alive. The price I paid was worth it.’

His gaze then turned to the distant sky, where the intense heat and fiery light were gradually fading.

“Just you wait. After I slaughter the remaining seven great sects, I’ll come settle the score with you. Hmph.” Mu Can knew he had been too arrogant this time.

‘The title of ‘Number One Under Heaven’ is no empty name, but a testament to genuine, undeniable power.’

‘But it doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t die and keep on killing, my Blood Sea Life-taking Scripture will definitely allow me to reach even greater heights.’

‘It won’t be too late to avenge this humiliation after I have accumulated enough power.’

‘For now, I’ll just have to endure.’

“First, I need to get off the Yanghuang Sect’s territory,” Mu Can muttered to himself. He understood that this place was extremely dangerous.

‘I didn’t escape with my life through my own real ability, but by surviving through a trick.’

‘If I were to encounter Xu Ziyang again—no, even just Zuo Fan—I would be no match in my current state. I would be killed easily.’

After re-fusing the Life-taking Saber into his body, Mu Can got his bearings and then left decisively, without a hint of hesitation.