Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

The Iron Slave crawled ashore from the lake, soaking wet, leaving long trails of water on the blue brick floor. It showed no anger, no fear, but simply followed the last command it received, stepping towards the house—its movements made even stiffer and slower by the water.

Li Feiyu caught a glimpse of the Soul-Guiding Bell that had fallen beside Doctor Mo's corpse.

He bent down and picked up the bronze bell, which was engraved with intaglio characters; it was icy cold to the touch. He briefly recalled the rhythm of Doctor Mo's earlier bell-ringing, and his wrist trembled slightly.

"Ding... Ding ding."

Iron Slave's body suddenly stopped, standing frozen in place, the last glimmer of light in his eyes completely extinguished, turning him back into a pure, lifeless thing.

Li Feiyu put away the Soul-Guiding Bell and then turned to look at Han Li, who was leaning against the wall.

The boy's eyes were tightly closed, his brows were furrowed, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. His breathing was sometimes rapid and sometimes stopped, indicating that the battle for possession within his sea of ​​consciousness was clearly at a critical juncture.

Li Feiyu stood still for a moment, golden light swirling in his eyes, as if he could see through flesh and blood and directly witness the clash of souls.

He certainly has the means to intervene.

The first move of the "Ananda Breaking the Precepts Blade," "Severing Purity," is specifically designed to cut through obsessions and delusions. Wherever the blade's intent reaches, inner demons will dissipate. With his current cultivation level, now that his eyes have been opened, although he cannot unleash the true essence of the blade technique, it is not difficult for him to simulate a trace of the "Breaking the Delusion" blade's aura to directly attack Yu Zitong's remnant soul and lend Han Li a helping hand.

But he twitched his fingers slightly, yet ultimately made no move.

Ananda...

In this world, any cultivation method or cause and effect that is related to the name "Ananda" is inevitably involved in the game that affects the will of the other shore.

Having finally escaped the chessboard of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Li Feiyu deliberately kept his distance from even those seemingly "great opportunities" in this world in this life. So why would he take the initiative to revive the Ananda Sword Technique?

That's his bottom line, and he will never cross it for any reason.

His gaze towards Han Li was complicated for a moment. It would be a lie to say there were no feelings between them after spending these past few days together; there was the impression of the prophet Han Li had of the character in the book, and also a touch of genuine affection from their friendship in this life. But this affection wasn't enough for him to break his principles.

Moreover, as a childhood friend he met when he was still struggling, he felt that he had done enough to live up to their youthful spirit.

"Sigh, if you really can't get through this..."

Li Feiyu murmured to herself, her gaze falling on the faintly glowing spiritual light emanating from Han Li's arms.

Then the only option is to give the little green bottle to Han Xiaomei. It makes sense, both logically and emotionally, for a younger sister to inherit her brother's karma. As for the possible Lord of the Samsara Palace… surely he wouldn't personally kill a little girl who hasn't even embarked on the path of immortality? She's his sister after all!

Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario.

In Li Feiyu's view, the probability of Yu Zitong successfully possessing another body was not high to begin with.

A Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator with only a remnant soul faces off against Han Li, whose soul has been nourished by the Everlasting Spring Technique and whose will has been tempered through martial arts foundation building.

Even though Han Li was distracted by cultivating the "Longevity Technique," the foundation-building and energy accumulation stages of the First Life Technique are not time-consuming for talented individuals, and Han Li is someone who consumes elixirs like food. His true cultivation level in the "Eternal Spring Technique" is probably more than four levels.

It could be five or even six floors.

"That's enough."

Li Feiyu stopped thinking about it and bent down to search Han Li's body.

Several bottles and jars were taken out, and he examined them one by one, selecting several that were non-toxic or had mild medicinal properties. He took one pill from each, pinched open Han Li's jaw, fed the pill to him, and then used his true energy to help it dissolve.

After doing all this, he helped Han Li stand upright against the wall, and then took the small emerald green bottle from the boy's arms.

The bottle has a warm, smooth surface and an inner sheen.

Li Feiyu uncorked the bottle, and a clear, vibrant energy emanated from it, even causing the True Qi of the Myriad Paths of the Universe within his body to stir with excitement. However, this kind of power was not something a mere Qi Opening stage cultivator could absorb, so he suppressed the agitation of his True Qi.

Standing still, holding a small bottle, his gaze fixed on Han Li's face, he was in his best state, like a professional actor waiting for the director to yell "action".

Time slips away bit by bit.

About half an incense stick later, Han Li frowned, let out a muffled groan, and his eyelids began to tremble.

Li Feiyu's eyes narrowed slightly, and she immediately leaned closer, as if to feed Han Li the spiritual liquid—

Just as the bottle neck was about to touch the water.

Han Li suddenly opened his eyes!

Eyes facing each other.

Han Li's eyes were initially filled with confusion, but then they focused, and he saw the small green bottle in Li Feiyu's hand, and then the drop of spiritual liquid that was about to fall—

"you--!"

He was terrified!

With a sudden burst of strength, Han Li snatched the small green bottle and shoved Li Feiyu away. He scrambled back to the corner, pressed his back against the wall, gripped the bottle tightly, and stared wide-eyed, as wary as a frightened beast.

Li Feiyu was pushed back two steps, regained his balance, and frowned at Han Li: "What's wrong with you, kid? How can you treat your savior like this?"

"I..." Han Li opened his mouth, his mind a complete mess.

Deep within his consciousness, a lingering, tearing pain seemed to remain. Yu Zitong's final, unwilling scream still seemed to echo in his ears. Doctor Mo's dying laugh and Li Feiyu's calm face flashed back and forth before his eyes...

And also, the little green bottle.

His biggest secret has been discovered.

"I...I just..." Han Li's voice was dry, each word seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, and the wariness in his eyes was like an unmelted layer of ice.

Li Feiyu pointed to Doctor Mo's corpse on the ground, then to the iron slave standing motionless outside the door: "Mo Juren is dead, and the corpse puppet is useless. Your consciousness was invaded by that remnant soul, and you are unconscious. No matter how I call you, you don't respond, and your pulse is chaotic. I searched your body and found this bottle to be the most special one. There is still medicine inside, and I thought it might be able to stabilize your soul and revive your mind, so I thought I would feed you some to try."

His tone was calm, even tinged with helplessness: "What, did you think I was going to steal your treasure? Or try to harm you?"

Han Li was stunned.

He looked down at the small green bottle clutched tightly in his palm, its emerald green surface gleaming faintly through his fingers. Then he looked up at Li Feiyu—the other man's expression was calm, his eyes showing neither greed nor fear, only a hint of helplessness that said, "You little brat, you really don't know what's good for you."

yes……

If Senior Brother Li really wanted to take it, he should have done so when he was unconscious earlier. Why wait until now?

If Senior Brother Li had malicious intentions, why would he kill Doctor Mo, break the formation, and save himself from the danger of being possessed?

But this bottle… it was his biggest secret, the embodiment of all his ambitions for the future…

"I'm sorry, Senior Brother Li." Han Li finally loosened his clenched fingers, his voice low and hoarse, "Just now... my mind was in chaos, and I was confused for a moment."

Li Feiyu waved his hand: "I'm fine. But you, how are you feeling now? Where's that thing?"

"It's...gone." Han Li said in a low voice, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the burly, stiff figure outside the door.

"Senior Brother Li, you're saying that's a corpse puppet?"

Li Feiyu said in a rather heavy tone, "Well, didn't you ask me to find Zhang Tieyao? Now you've found him."

Is that Zhang Tie?

Whether it was a premonition or simply a matter of fading feelings over the years, I don't know.

The honest young man who started the sect with me five years ago is now just an empty shell, turned into a corpse puppet to be used by others.

Han Li was somewhat horrified to find that he calmly accepted the result.

He thought he would be angry, sad, and roar to the sky for his friend's tragic end, vowing revenge.

But he didn't... except for a faint, dull pain in his heart, like being punched through a thick quilt.

More than anything, there was a cold indifference.

Zhang Tie is dead, Mo Juren is dead, and Yu Zitong's soul has been scattered.

The revenge has been taken, and the predicament has been resolved.

and then?

He stared silently at Zhang Tie's corpse, his heart filled not with anger, but with a kind of calm that even terrified him.

When did he become so indifferent? Was it because he knew that the "Iron Slave" in front of him was no longer Zhang Tie himself? Or was it because the four years of imprisonment had already hardened his heart to the point of being as hard as iron?

This sense of unfamiliarity sent a chill down Han Li's spine. He felt as if he were standing on the shore, watching another person named "Han Li" walk through the world, and that person's joys and sorrows were separated from his own by a hazy mist.

What made him feel even more complicated was Li Feiyu.

The life-saving grace is real. If it weren't for Senior Brother Li's timely arrival to break the formation and kill the enemy, even if I were to eventually kill Yu Zitong, it would have been a pyrrhic victory, and I might even have suffered irreparable damage.

But the panic of having his secret exposed was also real. The little green bottle was his trump card that he could never share with anyone, but now it was exposed to the person he trusted most—that trust had become the sharpest knife hanging over his heart.

Gratitude, fear, guilt, wariness... a mix of emotions clashed within him, leaving the fourteen-year-old boy momentarily at a loss. He subconsciously tucked the small green bottle deeper into his arms, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Li Feiyu took in his reaction but didn't point it out. Instead, she turned and walked to Doctor Mo's body, bending down to search for the body.

"Senior Brother Li, what should we do next?" Han Li asked in a somber tone, his voice sounding particularly abrupt in the deathly silent room.

But Li Feiyu did not respond.

He was squatting beside Doctor Mo's corpse with his back to Han Li, his fingers carefully tracing the withered and stiff face, from the forehead to the jaw, from the cheekbone to the earlobe, his movements slow and focused, as if he were appraising an ancient artifact.

Han Li frowned slightly, his unease growing wildly like vines in his heart.

"Senior Brother Li?" he called out again, his voice unconsciously carrying a hint of urgency.

There has still been no response.

Only the subtle friction of Li Feiyu's fingertips brushing against his skin amplified infinitely in the silence, striking Han Li's heart again and again.

wrong……

That's not right at all.

Senior Brother Li is usually decisive, so why is he acting so strangely now? Why is he keeping his back to me? Why is he so concerned about Doctor Mo's face?

Is it...

A dark thought, like a venomous snake, crawled out from the deepest part of his heart: Could it be that Senior Brother Li was playing tricks, waiting for him to lower his guard before suddenly attacking and killing him to steal his treasure?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Han Li trembled, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his back.

How could he think that way!

That's Senior Brother Li! He's the best friend and savior who gave him the "Longevity Manual," taught him the "Crimson Refined Golden Lock Hand," and saved him from the danger of being possessed tonight!

But the more you suppress it, the more wildly that thought grows—

His conversation with Yu Zitong in his consciousness made him understand the value of the little green bottle, and the way Doctor Mo had been so frantically pursuing the path of immortality before his death...

If Senior Brother Li knew the true purpose of the bottle… Han Li’s breathing became heavier, and blood vessels appeared in his eyes.

Or... should we strike first?

This thought struck Han Li like a thunderbolt, terrifying him to the point of utter panic!

He abruptly took a step back, his back against the wall, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, trying to dispel the terrible delusion with pain.

But at that moment, a strange change suddenly occurred within his body!

The feeling of pent-up frustration that I had experienced a year or two ago returned without warning, and was ten times more intense than before! An unnamed heat rose from my dantian, instantly burning through my limbs and bones. My blood and qi surged and churned like boiling water. Even the gentle true qi cultivated from the Longevity Technique became restless and rampaged through my meridians!

The words "going astray" pierced my mind like an ice pick.

Han Li's face was deathly pale. He forced himself to stand up straight, took deep breaths, and desperately tried to calm himself down. Doctor Mo was dead; now he could only rely on himself.

How could someone suddenly go mad from practicing qi cultivation for no reason?

He forced his chaotic thoughts to race, his eyes scanning the room rapidly—he had to find the cause and solve it at its root!

However, apart from Doctor Mo's corpse, the standing iron slave, and scattered debris, there was nothing unusual around.

His right hand unconsciously rose, and he frowned slightly.

Little green bottle?

Yes and no...

Han Li suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.

This isn't going astray; it's a demon in your heart!

He sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and began to circulate the "Longevity Formula" to suppress his abnormal condition.

At the same time, he was quickly adjusting his mindset. He knew there was something wrong with his thinking; those were definitely not thoughts he should have had. As a human being, even if one were to cultivate immortality, one shouldn't act like that.

The pursuit of immortality is to live a long and carefree life, not to be unable to distinguish right from wrong or to repay kindness with enmity!

How is that any different from being a beast? Senior Brother Li has never wronged me; I must never harbor any evil thoughts!

Just as the power within his body gradually subsided and everything was getting better, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly exploded from his chest!

"Well--!"

Han Li grunted, only then remembering that when he clashed palms with Doctor Mo earlier, the insidious palm force of the Demon Silver Hand had already invaded his body!

Previously, due to mental tension and the spontaneous suppression of the Longevity Formula's true energy, he had not yet felt it.

At this moment, the inner demons temporarily receded, and the true energy relaxed. The lurking cold energy, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, instantly spread to the internal organs and vital acupoints throughout the body!

Han Li's face turned from white to green, his lips turned purple, and he felt as if his meridians were being pierced by ice needles. Even his breath carried a sweet and metallic scent of blood.

He hurriedly sat down cross-legged and began circulating the "Longevity Formula" mental technique, attempting to guide his true energy to suppress the poison.

The true energy of the Longevity Formula is indeed remarkably effective. Wherever it passes, the coldness subsides slightly, but the poison has already penetrated deep into the internal organs, like a carbuncle clinging to the bone, which cannot be eradicated in a short time.

Even worse, the intense pain triggered a resurgence of the inner demons that had been suppressed by the amulet, causing all sorts of dark suspicions to resurface...

"What are you doing?"

Li Feiyu's voice suddenly rang out.

Han Li barely opened his eyes and saw that Li Feiyu had turned around and was looking at him with a frown.

But that face—

Dr. Mo's face was gaunt and sallow! Sunken eye sockets, hooked nose, chapped lips, and even the old scar on his right cheek was exactly the same!

"You're not dead!" Han Li's eyes widened in shock and rage, his last shred of reason completely shattered.

The already chaotic internal energy within his body instantly went berserk, and the inner demon seized the opportunity to invade, while the poisonous power of the Demon Silver Hand surged wildly!

"puff--"

Han Li coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.