Mysterious Old Man

As the conversation with Li Na concluded, the two went their separate ways.

With the intention of improving his cultivation, Li Tan scoured every shop, big and small, in Qingfeng City, and the results were as he had expected.

Whether it was Wang Family's Pill Shop, Song Family's Weapons, or Zhao Family's Talismans, without exception!

Anything involving top-grade quality was not for sale to outsiders! It was all internally consumed by their own families.

As for Cultivation Techniques, it was even more bizarre! After visiting every shop, big and small, in Qingfeng City, there wasn't a single Cultivation Technique to be found! Even the lowest quality Cultivation Techniques had disappeared from the market, with no trace.

And for the spiritual Materials used in corpse refining, he only managed to buy some Qi Cultivation Stage Materials; it was clear that Foundation Establishment Stage Materials were priceless and beyond his current reach.

Thinking of this, Li Tan couldn't help but sigh bitterly.

"Forget it, whose Path is always smooth sailing?"

............

In the sparring competition between the Li Family and Wang Family disciples the day before yesterday, the Li Family achieved the final victory, and through intelligence gathering, it was learned that the battle between the Song Family and Zhao Family had also concluded.

"In the competition between the two families, the Zhao Family ultimately emerged victorious."

Li Tan exhaled another mouthful of turbid Qi.

These were just insignificant pieces of information, which he only learned from Li Na, and this made him truly realize his own shortcomings!

Information is valuable experience! As the saying goes, one step ahead, always ahead!

Knowing information in advance means one can plan and prepare more meticulously, which is a huge advantage for a Cultivator!

If there's any profit to be made, a Cultivator skilled in gathering information will rush there at the first opportunity, while a Cultivator with such a weak information network like himself would probably only pace back and forth, anxiously standing by.

When parting with Li Na, Li Na thoughtfully gave him a few communication stones; it seemed she also knew the extent of his means for acquiring information.

Besides information, he also needed to quickly gain some benefits from the Li Family to enhance his combat power.

"The Li Family is about to be in chaos! My joining the Elder faction in place of the Second Elder, I'm afraid, just a bit of fame, has already made the Grand Elder extremely fearful!"

"The gap between the two sides has been widened, and if no one mediates! The situation will completely become a one-sided affair, and that mysterious Li Family Old Ancestor should also make his appearance soon!"

.............

Li Tan, relying on his excellent speed, had already covered more than half of the journey.

But suddenly, he stopped!

"This place is desolate and sparsely populated! Even the birds and beasts circling in the sky have disappeared without a trace."

"Strange, strange, could it be that someone is ambushing me here?"

As the saying goes, 'a fall in the pit, a gain in your wit,' even today, Li Tan still couldn't forget that ordinary merchant.

The next moment, Li Tan frowned and coldly shouted:

"Has this Junior done something improper to displease Senior?

To make Senior so angry as to intercept me here!"

As Li Tan's words fell, in the northwest direction, the grass and trees indeed showed some movement.

A weathered old man walked out unhurriedly.

"This Junior is quite clever; I was hidden so deeply, yet you managed to find my tracks!"

The old man's face was full of weathered wrinkles, and even the robe he wore was just tattered burlap, with worn-out cloth shoes on his feet.

He looked very shabby and poor, even comparable to a down-and-out homeless person under a bridge.

Li Tan did not remember this old man in his memory, either he had changed his appearance, or they were originally strangers.

Since this old man dared to wait here, he must have some reliance!

He was probably already being targeted by him! So, his previous inaction was merely out of fear of alerting him.

"Senior, why are you intercepting me! My grandfather is Li Yong, the Second Elder of the Li Family; I hope Senior can show some consideration."

The old man dared to ambush him here, so he certainly wasn't afraid of his background, but there's always a chance for things to turn around.

A burst of hearty laughter came from the old man in the field.

"You're a clever kid, with plenty of tricks, but I'm also acting on someone else's behalf."

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind!"

As the old man's words fell, a crystal-clear drop of dew appeared on his fingertip, slowly drifting towards Li Tan.

It was clear he didn't want to give Li Tan any chance to breathe!

An insignificant drop of dew, weaving freely through the air, appeared colorful and very delicate when illuminated by the sunlight.

But the next moment! The volume of the dew drop instantly increased a thousandfold! Its form swayed precariously, giving an unstable illusion, as if it could collapse at any moment.

"Heavy Water!"

With a light shout from the old man, the water drop's speed was like a meteor! It instantly flew in front of Li Tan!

The entire process was without any resistance! The extreme speed was even difficult to observe with the naked eye!

In the nick of time! Li Tan didn't even have time to activate his defenses, merely twisting his body.

The dew drop directly smashed into his arm!

In an instant, blood splattered, and a mist of blood burst forth!

A tearing sensation! Permeated his nerves, instantly sweeping through Li Tan's mind!

The dilapidated houses behind him were all pierced through by Li Tan's Physical Body!

He lay quietly in a puddle like a dead dog, awkwardly propping himself up with his right hand, his robe stained with mud and grass, blood flowing freely.

Looking at his empty sleeve, he looked around and, sure enough, his left arm had been pulverized into Crumbs by the Heavy Water, leaving only tiny bits of flesh paste.

A strong sense of death enveloped Li Tan; at this moment, he only felt that he had truly messed up.

He heavily exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, with no fear in his heart, only intense unwillingness!

The victor is king, the loser is bandit; how can there be 'if only' in this world?

After the strike, the old man was about to leave, but sensing that Li Tan had not died, he also let out a surprised sound.

"Physical Body Man Niu Realm! Someone actually made such a huge gamble!"

The old man's face showed surprise, and he stood still, not moving for a long time.

The flesh on his face kept twisting, and his brows were furrowed together, as if he had fallen into an illusion.

After a long while, he suddenly roared in anger!

"That old ghost actually gave me such a difficult problem! Truly a beast born of pigs and dogs!"

Looking at the dying Li Tan, the anger in his eyes grew even stronger!

The old man gathered dew again in his hand, but this time it wasn't one drop! It was a thousand drops!

If this strike were to land, it would probably leave a thousand-meter radius devoid of life!

Seeing the old man's actions, Li Tan below couldn't help but gasp, and he endured the intense pain to pull out the token Li Yong had given him!

He couldn't guarantee whether this token could save his life; perhaps Li Yong was deceiving him, or perhaps even if Li Yong came, he would only be there to collect his corpse.

But in this kind of desperate situation, he had no choice; he seemed so small, and the gap was like a chasm between heaven and earth.

It made him...truly realize what it meant to be "a mayfly seeing the vast sky!"

The old man's struggling face in the sky was already distorted beyond recognition, but when he saw Li Tan holding the token, he stopped his attack again!

He pulled out a memory stone from his hand, recording the scene here, and after doing all this, his complexion finally eased a bit.

He looked down at Li Tan a few more times, his face showing even more appreciation, and then his entire being transformed into water droplets and dissipated with a pop.

Leaving only a light, airy sentence.

"Dragon! Can be big or small; big, it stirs clouds and spits mist! Small, it hides and conceals itself...."