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

In the south of Jingzhou City, the signboard of "Rongxi Ban" is still there, but the paint has become faded and peeling.

When Li Feiyu brought Han Yunshu to the troupe, the troupe leader was an unfamiliar middle-aged man. Upon hearing that they were looking for Shen Wanniang, he paused for a moment before saying, "Madam Shen? She... she suffered a sudden illness last spring and didn't make it. She's been gone for over a year."

Han Yunshu stood there, stunned.

Although they weren't close, she still remembered Sister Shen, with her bright eyes and clear voice, who had been in the carriage two years ago, talking about the snacks and acrobatics of Jingzhou City, laughing without a trace of gloom.

How could a perfectly healthy person just suddenly disappear?

"Life is unpredictable..." The troupe leader shook his head and said no more.

On the way back to the courtyard, Han Yunshu remained silent. The autumn wind swirled fallen leaves past her feet, rustling softly.

She didn't know many people; Shen Wanniang was practically the only one in the entire Jingzhou City. She never expected her to leave so suddenly.

"How about we leave the house to the family?" Li Feiyu asked.

They originally intended to sell the house to Shen Wanniang at a discounted price, but since she was gone, they still had to make some arrangements.

Han Yunshu snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "My parents have no livelihood in the city, and guarding the house would only be a burden. It would be more practical to convert the money into silver and give them some more land."

Li Feiyu nodded and said nothing more.

The next day, the house was sold at a discounted price to a familiar broker. Li Feiyu used a storage bag to take away all the books, a few medicinal herbs, and a few changes of clothes that Han Yunshu had accumulated over the past two years, and even the stone stool by the old well in the courtyard where she often sat.

As practitioners, we don't need to be particular about formalities; we should just carry whatever is useful or meaningful.

Qu Hun followed silently behind them, his straw hat pulled low, like a quiet shadow.

The day Han Yunshu left Jingzhou City, the sky was overcast. She glanced back at the small courtyard one last time, and when she turned away, her eyes held no trace of hesitation.

It's time to move on.

On the seventh day after Li Feiyu left Shenshou Valley, the "bloody battle of the death pact" between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Wild Wolf Gang began in the open area at the foot of Luoxia Mountain.

This is the culmination of years of feud between the two factions—both sides have deployed their elite forces, signed a death pact, and are determined to fight to the death. The victor survives, the loser perishes, and there is no turning back.

Han Li had already packed his bags, preparing to leave once Li Feiyu returned with Qu Hun.

Confused about the path to immortality and stuck in a rut with the path to martial arts, Divine Hand Valley is no longer a place to linger.

He didn't want to get involved in this kind of feud between martial arts sects, but he suddenly remembered Li Feiyu's words: "If there is any major change in the sect, please check on Master Zhao Kun's safety for me."

Zhao Kun, the Outer Blade Hall Protector with ordinary martial arts skills but a kind and honest nature, was one of the few people Li Feiyu cared about in the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Han Li hesitated for a moment, but ultimately went anyway.

He hid in the distant mountains and forests, observing the battle from afar with the divine sense of the eighth level of the Everlasting Spring Technique. The two sides fought fiercely, their blood staining the yellow earth, and screams and the clash of metal echoed endlessly.

He couldn't find Zhao Kun in the chaos, nor was there a body. Perhaps he was temporarily not in the Seven Mysteries Sect.

But that's alright. As long as everyone is safe, we haven't failed Senior Brother Li's trust.

My heart was not particularly stirred, but I had a vague feeling that... it was time to go.

However, unexpected changes occurred.

The "Golden Light Master" invited by the Wild Wolf Gang finally appeared—a short, dwarf Taoist priest, hovering in mid-air on talismans, with fireballs, golden light, and small swords whistling as he moved, easily reaping the lives of the Seven Mysteries Sect disciples.

Cultivators.

Han Li narrowed his eyes.

Is this the method of a cultivator? It looks terrifying, but the speed of that fireball... seems to be slower than his full-force use of the "Luo Yan Step". The trajectory of that golden light is as clear as if in slow motion under his dynamic vision, which has already opened all seven orifices.

He suddenly remembered that three years ago, Li Feiyu had casually mentioned "the evil cultivators of Huanglong Village." It seemed that cultivators were not invincible.

Especially when the Golden Light Master unleashed another fireball, turning several heavily injured Seven Mysteries Sect disciples into charred remains, and sneered at them as "mortal ants," the coldness towards cultivators that Han Li had been suppressing because of Doctor Mo and Yu Zitong suddenly surged up.

Treating human life like dirt... they truly deserve to die.

He no longer hesitated.

Unleashing the full power of the "Luo Yan Bu" technique, his figure darted out of the forest like a ghost, closing in on the battlefield in just a few leaps. He channeled the true energy of the "Fen Ru Yao Shu" into his right palm, instantly charring it black as ink, and slammed it towards the golden-lighted figure in mid-air!

It is the Crimson Golden Lock Hand!

It was not a physical flame, but a fierce and domineering fiery palm print that struck first despite being launched later, hitting the protective spiritual light of the Golden Light Master squarely!

"puff--!"

The spiritual light fluctuated violently. The Golden Light Master turned his head in shock. Before he could see who it was, Han Li had already leaped up from the ground. His left hand was held together like a sword. The spiritual power of the Everlasting Spring Technique condensed at his fingertips and turned into a green light that pierced straight into his throat!

Fast, ruthless, and accurate.

There were no fancy spell clashes, only violent close-quarters attacks from martial artists. The Golden Light Master hastily conjured a layer of spiritual light shield, which would have blocked an ordinary martial artist, but Han Li was a cultivator of both immortal and martial arts. With his martial arts strength—his seven orifices fully opened and his inner world at a minor stage of completion—he was fully capable of handling the situation as long as he wasn't kited by a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

What's more, he also knows magic.

The wisp of green light pierced through the spiritual light shield in an instant, and the charred palm locked the opponent's throat in the next moment.

"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!"

Han Li would not stop. The raging flames of the Burning Blaze Technique directly penetrated the golden light into his body.

Golden Light Master clutched his throat, his eyes filled with horror and resentment. His body trembled uncontrollably until he finally turned into a lump of flesh melted by the high temperature and fell to the ground.

The dust has settled.

Han Li searched the corpse quickly with some disdain. Apart from the talisman with the small sword drawn on it, there was only one other talisman, a token, and a book.

He didn't linger long; before the Seven Mysteries Sect members could recover from their shock, his figure had already disappeared into the forest.

Jia Tianlong was completely dumbfounded. What happened? The Immortal Master was killed? And melted into a lump?

Moments later, the fighting resumed, but this time it was the Wild Wolf Gang that suffered a crushing defeat.

Although the Wild Wolf Gang and the Seven Mysteries Sect were evenly matched, the fact that the immortal master invited by their gang leader died so horribly still terrified many Wild Wolf Gang members.

……

Two days later, Li Feiyu returned to Shenshou Valley with Qu Hun.

The Seven Mysteries Sect pressed their advantage and, at a heavy cost, completely wiped out the Wild Wolf Gang. However, they themselves were also severely weakened and will find it difficult to recover in the short term.

Although Han Li acted swiftly that night, quite a few people still recognized him, which is why no one has come to Divine Hand Valley for medical treatment in the past two days.

Han Li didn't care about this; he was happy to have some peace and quiet.

After Li Feiyu returned, he took out everything he had obtained from Master Jin Guang in his hut.

"Senior Brother Li, do you recognize this?" He picked up the coin.

This is a black triangular plaque. One side is printed with two golden ancient seal characters that read "Ascension to Immortality," while the other side has a silver character that reads "Command." The plaque doesn't look like metal, yet it's heavy and has a considerable weight. I wonder what its purpose is.

Li Feiyu pretended to look through it for a while, then looked up and said, "This is the Ascension Token."

"An Ascension Token?"

"Legend has it that the Ascension Token was created by the seven major immortal sects of Yue Kingdom. It's an award given by each sect to immortal families who have made great contributions. Anyone who presents the token to the sect that issued it will have the same effect as the final winner of the Ascension Tournament, receiving the same treatment! They will be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill and accepted as an inner disciple." Li Feiyu's tone was calm, yet carried a warning, "The Foundation Establishment Pill is a crucial elixir for Qi Refining cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage; it's priceless. This token is enough to attract countless deadly disasters in the immortal cultivation world. Remember, you must not show it to anyone lightly."

Han Li's heart skipped a beat. He nodded solemnly and carefully put the token away.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Li Feiyu: "Feiyu, how do you know all this?"

"What do you think I do when I'm away all the time? I can't just shut myself away here and ignore everything that's going on outside, can I? Of course I have to gather information."

"I see... Feiyu, you're always so thorough in your work." Han Li nodded, took a deep breath, and then said, "I'm about to leave."

"Go to Jiayuan City? Are we still going to Yunzhou?"

"I'm not going to Yunzhou anymore, it's not like it's a treasure map... I plan to get the Warm Sun Jade first, and originally I intended to look for other cultivators later. After all, I can still continue on the path of cultivation, and the martial arts you taught me..." Han Li paused, "but ultimately my talent is limited. In more than three years, I've only opened seven apertures. I don't know how many years it will take to reach the Outer Realm you mentioned. I'll stick to cultivation for now."

Li Feiyu thought to herself: Your martial arts talent is definitely higher than your pseudo-spiritual root talent, but this world has wronged you.

Han Li raised his head, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his eyes: "Feiyu, what...are you planning to come with me?"

Li Feiyu smiled and shook his head: "All good things must come to an end. You have spiritual roots and the opportunity to ascend to immortality, so your prospects on the path of immortality are much broader than mine. I am different from you. Although the outer realms are difficult, they are not a dead end for me. I will definitely ascend to the outer realms."

"But remember, it's never a bad thing to have more skills. Now that you've entered the realm of martial arts, don't completely abandon it. No matter where you go or what level you reach—" He patted Han Li on the shoulder, "we'll always be brothers."

Han Li felt a slight soreness in the tip of his nose.

Years of companionship remain vivid in my memory. He passed on the "Secret of Longevity," taught him the "Essential Technique of Burning the Body," and saved him from the danger of being possessed. He was both a teacher and a friend, and our friendship had long been deeply rooted.

"Put away that expression." Li Feiyu chuckled. "You're seeking immortality while I'm just loafing around waiting to die? Don't forget, I've already opened my ancestral aperture. Though our paths are different, the mountains are high and the rivers are long. Even if hundreds of years pass, we might still meet again someday."

He became more serious and gave many more instructions.

What about the survival of the fittest in the cultivation world, where one must be cautious at all times; storage bags, ascension tokens, and small green bottles must be hidden well, and one should not easily trust others; what about being especially wary of other rogue cultivators, because the rogue cultivators of Yue Kingdom are desperately poor...?

"These are things I've gathered piecemeal over the years while traveling," Li Feiyu concluded. "They may be superficial, but they're better than nothing."

Han Li wrote them down one by one, his heart filled with a mixture of warmth and sorrow.

Finally, Li Feiyu suddenly said, "Let's have a fight before we leave."

Han Li was taken aback.

"Without using spiritual power, relying solely on my martial arts cultivation, I can also suppress my seven orifices." A fighting spirit flashed in Li Feiyu's eyes. "Let me see just how much skill you've gained in these three years."

Han Li took a deep breath, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Alright."

The two arrived at the open space behind the valley.

The autumn wind swept by, rustling the bamboo leaves.

Without a word, they moved simultaneously.

……