Reincarnation Immortal Venerable: Starting from the Ninety-Nineth Incarnation

The morning light at the edge of the dense forest was fragmented by the branches and leaves. A figure in white walked slowly, the hem of his clothes sweeping across the dew-covered weeds without picking up a speck of dust.

Li Yanran's aura, that of a late-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, spread out without any concealment. It was as cold as a deep winter pool in the wilderness, pressing down on all the demonic cultivators present, causing them to bend over and not even dare to breathe loudly. The pressure from Zhao Hu's early-stage Opening Mansion Realm cultivation was completely dissipated by this aura, leaving not a trace.

Zhao Hu looked up and saw who it was. His face drained of all color, his legs went weak and he knelt down, his forehead pressed against the ground, not daring to lift it. The veins on his clenched fists bulged. How could it be this evil star?

He painstakingly set up an ambush, intending to kill Li Yanzhou to vent his anger and take back the foundation of his evil cultivation technique, but he ended up running into this dreaded figure in the demonic path.

A few days ago, he was secretly practicing demonic arts, but for some reason, Li Yanran interfered with his plans. Now that they met again, he was so frightened that he was scared out of his wits, and he didn't dare to show even a trace of hatred in his eyes.

"Young Master Li... what are you doing here?" Zhao Hu's voice trembled so badly that he no longer had any of the airs of a cultivator at the Separation Realm, and he didn't even dare to raise his head.

He knew Li Yanran's methods all too well. Let alone someone at the early stage of the Opening Mansion Realm, even if he were two realms stronger, he would be no different from crushing an ant in front of this ruthless person at the late stage of the Transformation Pivot Realm.

Li Yanran ignored him, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the unconscious Zhang Hao and the others on the ground, finally settling on Li Yanzhou, who was covered in blood. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, and he said casually, "Who do we have here? It's just my good-for-nothing brother. He can't even handle a few minor demonic cultivators."

Li Yanzhou clenched his fists, the wound on his chest throbbing with pain from his turbulent emotions, his throat hoarse: "Li Yanran, how did you end up here?" He hated the person in front of him, hated how the sect had taken such good care of him, only to push him to the brink of death in the end. But now, it was this very person who had broken his inevitable fate.

Zhao Hu knelt on the ground, listening to the conversation between the two. A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. After Li Yanran betrayed his sect and joined the demons, he and Li Yanzhou were like oil and water. Everyone knew that he wished he could kill his own younger brother with his own hands. Perhaps he was just passing by today and would not necessarily protect Li Yanzhou.

He gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and remained prostrate on the ground, whispering, "Young Master Li, this matter has nothing to do with you. This Li Yanzhou has ruined my plans, and today I will take his life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to secretly raise his hand to unleash demonic energy, but was stopped by a cold gaze from Li Yanran.

That gaze was so sharp, like a poisoned blade, piercing straight into Zhao Hu's heart, making him stiffen all over, his demonic energy forced back into his body, and he didn't dare to move at all. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his robes.

"My prey, is it your place to lay a hand on it?" Li Yanran finally turned to him, her tone flat but carrying an undeniable air of authority, "Get lost."

Zhao Hu's face turned pale and then red. He lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head. His heart was filled with shock and doubt. Li Yanran was clearly mortal enemies with Li Yanzhou, so why was he protecting him today? But the killing intent in that gaze was not fake. If they really fought head-on, he would definitely not gain any advantage today, and might even lose his life here.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't dare to gamble.

Li Yanran's ruthlessness was well-known throughout the demonic path; he could even personally kill the sect leader of the Qingxuan Sect. There was no reason for him to risk his life for Li Yanzhou.

Li Yanran seemed to see through his thoughts. He raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes turned colder, and the pressure of the late-stage Huashu realm surged again, making Zhao Hu feel suffocated in his chest, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhao Hu shivered and dared not hesitate any longer. He glared at Li Yanzhou on the ground and roared at the demonic cultivators behind him, "Go!" After saying that, he scrambled to his feet and led his men into the depths of the dense forest. He didn't even bother to take the unconscious demonic cultivator with him. His disheveled appearance showed no trace of the dignity of a leader.

The demonic cultivators all dispersed, leaving only a mess on the ground and Zhang Hao and the other three unconscious on the ground.

The wind carried the scent of blood as it blew by. Li Yanran withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Yanzhou again. Far from showing any concern, he examined him as if he were prey snatched from the jaws of a wild dog. A wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and his tone became even more sarcastic: "What? Scared stiff? It's been half a year, and you're still so weak. Killing you wouldn't give me any sense of accomplishment."

Li Yanzhou straightened up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions: hatred, doubt, resentment, and a trace of bewilderment that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked in a deep voice. "You killed your master, betrayed your sect, and now you've come to save me. What is your purpose?"

"Purpose?" Li Yanran scoffed, his figure flashing as he instantly appeared in front of Li Yanzhou. His slender fingers lifted Li Yanzhou's chin, bringing a chilling aura. "What purpose could I possibly have? I just wanted to stop my prey from being snatched away by wild dogs."

He paused, his eyes filled with undisguised wicked amusement, like a hunter eyeing a cub, certain that his prey could not escape his grasp: "I've raised you for so long, I have to wait until you're a bit fatter and have some weight before I kill you myself. Otherwise, if word gets out that I've defeated a piece of trash who can't even beat someone at the Opening Mansion Realm, I'll be ashamed."

Li Yanzhou tensed up and subconsciously raised his hand to block, but Li Yanran gently pushed him, causing him to stagger back a few steps. The wound on his shoulder reopened, and blood seeped out again.

Looking into Li Yanran's cold yet amused eyes, his mind was in turmoil.

If he really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have needed to lift a finger when Zhao Hu made his move; he could have simply reaped the benefits.

If he were truly considered prey to be slaughtered, his cultivation level would have made it easy to kill him, yet he only left behind a chill.

"You're lying." Li Yanzhou raised his head, staring intently at him. "If you really just wanted to fatten me up before killing me, you had countless opportunities to eliminate me completely back in the sect. Why wait until now?"

Li Yanran's gaze wavered for a fleeting moment, so quick it seemed like an illusion, before being replaced by a cold, amused look.

His tone was indifferent, yet tinged with a fierce determination: "Don't flatter yourself. I'm keeping you alive so I can see you struggle to climb up the ladder, only to be trampled under my feet in the end. You think I'm protecting you? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just giving my prey a little more room to struggle."

"Useless trash?" Li Yanzhou laughed, a laugh tinged with sadness and barely suppressed anger. "In your eyes, I've always been a piece of trash you can manipulate at will, haven't I?"

Li Yanran's fingers tightened slightly, and only he knew that his fingertips were trembling slightly.

He moved his throat as if he had something to say, but in the end it just turned into a cold snort.

He suddenly raised his hand, and the long sword, carrying a sharp sword aura, stabbed towards Li Yanzhou's chest with extreme speed, giving Li Yanzhou no chance to dodge, like a hunter finally about to make his move on his prey.

"Yanzhou, be careful!" Not far away, Su Qingyao was awakened by the sound of fighting. Upon seeing this, her face changed drastically. She struggled to get up, but she was too weak to do so and could only shout in alarm.

Li Yanzhou also tensed up, using the last bit of his spiritual energy to try and block the sword.

However, his speed was ultimately too slow compared to Li Yanran, who was in the late stage of the Transformation Realm.

Just as the sword tip was about to touch his robe, Li Yanran's wrist shifted by an extremely subtle half-point.

The longsword grazed Li Yanzhou's shoulder before piercing through, only tearing his robe and leaving a shallow wound on his shoulder.

Li Yanzhou was jolted and froze on the spot.

He could clearly feel that, had Li Yanran wished, that sword strike could have pierced his heart without any chance of dodging. But instead, the opponent deflected the sword at his wrist, leaving only a shallow, insignificant wound.

Why?

Li Yanran avoided his gaze, withdrew his longsword, and snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain, as if the sword he had held back just now was not his own: "Half a year has passed, and you are still so weak. You can't even withstand one of my sword strikes, yet you want to investigate the truth of the sect? It's laughable. With your current skills, you are not even qualified to be my opponent."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Li Yanzhou, turned around and leaped away. His white-clad figure swept across the treetops of the dense forest, leaving behind only a cold sentence that drifted on the wind: "If you want me to look at you properly, if you want to take revenge on me, you'd better break through to the Transformation Realm first. Otherwise, you're not even qualified to carry my shoes, let alone be my prey."

The figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, and the suffocating pressure dissipated as well.

The scene finally returned to calm, leaving only the corpses of the demonic cultivators scattered on the ground, and a few people still in shock.

Su Qingyao struggled to her feet and staggered to Li Yanzhou's side. Seeing the wound on his shoulder, she quickly took out a healing pill, her eyes reddening: "Yanzhou, are you alright? What exactly did he want? He clearly saved you, yet he said such cruel things. He could have killed you, but he only scratched your skin..."

"I'm fine." Li Yanzhou shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the direction where Li Yanran had disappeared. He unconsciously touched the wound on his shoulder, his heart churning with overwhelming hatred, yet also entangled with a layer of lingering doubt.

He couldn't figure it out.

The blood feud of betraying the sect and killing the master was still vivid in his mind, but Li Yanran's repeated restraint was also a real act.

They said they would fatten him up like prey before killing him, but now he has countless opportunities to eliminate any future troubles, so there's no need for such a fuss.

What exactly is this person up to?

"Senior Brother Li, that...that person..." Zhang Hao also woke up, clutching his injured back, and spoke cautiously. He had clearly seen that the white-clad man's sword thrust could have taken Li Yanzhou's life, but he deliberately deflected it at the wrist, not intending to kill him at all.

Li Yanzhou abruptly withdrew his gaze, all the complexity in his eyes vanishing, leaving only a cold and resolute expression: "Ignore him, let's return to the sect as soon as possible."

He didn't say another word, but the doubt in his heart, like a seed, quietly took root.

Su Qingyao nodded and quickly took out healing pills, distributing them to everyone.

Zhang Hao also got up and helped support Shi Dazhuang, who was still unconscious from exhaustion. His face was full of doubt, but he didn't ask any more questions.

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, sunlight pierced through the dense forest, casting a blinding red glow on the bloodstains scattered on the ground.

Li Yanzhou walked at the front, the wound on his shoulder still throbbing, but his steps did not falter in the slightest.

The most important thing right now is to return to the sect and find out the truth behind all of this.

He must become stronger as soon as possible, strong enough that he will no longer be manipulated by others, strong enough that he can settle this grudge with his own hands.