74: The gap between immortals and mortals

The Head of the Cui Family was an initial stage Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artist, perfect for testing the Little Gourd's combat power.

The city streets were already empty of pedestrians.

Suddenly, a figure swept past, heading straight for the Cui Mansion.

Xu Sanyan sat in his room, intending to try controlling the Little Gourd in battle from a distance.

Inside the Cui Mansion, the Head of the Cui Family sat in his study, frowning deeply, holding a book but unable to focus on reading, his mind filled with the news from the capital.

There were Cui Family disciples in the army, so he could get many messages as soon as they arrived.

“Tap… tap… tap…”

Just then, a light, slow sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and anger flared in the Head of the Cui Family's heart. He had repeatedly told everyone not to disturb him when he was thinking, and he wondered who was so forgetful.

The footsteps continued to approach, and the Head of the Cui Family's expression suddenly changed. These were not the footsteps of anyone he knew!

Candlelight flickered in the room, and through the window paper, a figure could be vaguely seen standing at the door, holding a round, spherical object in his hand.

“Who!”

The Head of the Cui Family roared in anger, slamming his hand on the table and standing up abruptly. His palm gathered power, and a powerful Inner Energy surged out, shattering the door.

Bang—

The two wooden doors flew apart, revealing a tall, thin figure, cloaked entirely in a black robe, with a hood covering his head and his face obscured by a demonic mask.

“Who are you?!”

The Head of the Cui Family shouted, channeling his Qi, trying to awaken the Cui Family disciples. At the same time, he flipped his palm, and the long sword hanging on the wall flew into his hand.

The Little Gourd casually threw the spherical object at his feet. The Head of the Cui Family's eyes swept over it, and his expression instantly changed drastically. This was clearly a head!

It was the head of his son, Cui Jie!

“Who are you?!”

The Head of the Cui Family's heart was ablaze with fury, but also filled with dread. His son lived not far away, yet his head had been silently taken, and he had been completely unaware!

The Little Gourd did not answer. His figure flickered, instantly vanishing from his original spot, and reappearing beside him, his withered hand stealthily reaching out, pointing directly at the Head of the Cui Family's heart.

The Head of the Cui Family's pupils suddenly constricted. He hadn't even seen the person's movements clearly!

In the nick of time, the long sword in his hand unsheathed with a “clang,” and the blade was brought horizontally in front of him, meeting the hand.

“Clang!”

With a crisp sound, the Head of the Cui Family flew backward, crashing through the bookshelf behind him, scattering books everywhere.

Only terror remained in the Head of the Cui Family's eyes. This person's every move was unpredictable. Normal people need a period of accumulation before exerting force, whether it's bending their knees before jumping or swinging their arm back before punching, which allows others to prepare.

But this person…

The Little Gourd's fingertips were pressed together, his sharp fingers like a dagger, emitting a faint, cold glow from their tips, moving from bottom to top, about to disembowel him.

“Ah! Xu Sanyan!”

The Head of the Cui Family shrieked. He already knew who was behind this.

Because this book, “Life Coffin Technique,” was something he had obtained from the Cui Family, and the Head of the Cui Family had naturally read it. He just hadn't expected this technique to ultimately be used on himself.

The vast Cui Mansion was utterly silent. No matter how fierce the battle between the two of them became, no one came out to check, because Xu Sanyan had already controlled the Little Gourd to slaughter the entire Cui Family, only failing to find his eldest son, Cui Sheng.

It seemed this old man had long anticipated this day and had transferred Cui Sheng beforehand.

Xu Sanyan sat before the bed, slightly frowning, pondering whether eliminating the Cui Family was too rash.

The attitude of Cui Yousheng, who was behind the Cui Family, was still unknown. It would have been fine if they had been completely annihilated, but now that Cui Sheng had escaped, it would likely leave future trouble.

He then shook his head slightly. Since things had come to this, further thought was useless. Besides, what if he did offend Cui Yousheng?

By his estimation, this Cui Yousheng was at most at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, and Xu Sanyan was not afraid.

As for why he guessed Cui Yousheng was at most Foundation Establishment Perfection, it was because Yang Qizhu had once said that Cui Yousheng had only joined the High Sect more than ten years ago. No matter how high his talent, it was impossible for him to Breakthrough the Foundation Establishment Stage and reach a higher level in such a short time.

Unless he also had a cheat.

While he was thinking, the Little Gourd had already driven the Head of the Cui Family to a dead end.

The Head of the Cui Family's white hair flew wildly, his face ferocious, and the long sword in his hand had long since broken under the strain, splitting into several pieces.

“Even if this old man dies, I will bite off a piece of your flesh!”

He knew he could not escape today. He pulled out a crimson Medicinal Pill from his In arms, tilted his head back, and swallowed it. Instantly, his face turned completely red, like a Hell Yaksha.

Xu Sanyan, peering through the Little Gourd's dark eyes, could vaguely see this scene and felt a flicker of interest. What kind of Medicinal Pill was this?

It seemed the Cui Family had many good things.

A majestic Aura erupted around the Head of the Cui Family. This Medicinal Pill was for a desperate struggle, called the Blood Burning Pill, which exchanged life force for a temporary burst of power. Although its effect was strong, once the Medicinal Pill wore off, he would surely die.

“Heh heh… Come on, this old man wants to see if the Immortal's methods are truly unbeatable?”

The Head of the Cui Family clasped his palms together in front of him, then took a deep breath, and thrust his palms outwards.

Instantly, a surge of violent Inner Energy swept up the scattered debris in the room, like a wind Dragon, roaring towards the Little Gourd.

The Little Gourd stood unmoving like an iron tower in the wind, allowing the wind Dragon to engulf him.

The violent Inner Energy tore his black robe to shreds, and the mask on his face shattered, revealing a face filled with Death Qi, but his body was completely unharmed, without even a single scratch.

The Head of the Cui Family stared blankly at the body before him. His limbs were extremely uncoordinated, and there were still unhealed gaps. The head also didn't quite match the body, and even the colors were different.

An old head emitted a pale white, while the sturdy body was dark black. A few strands of chest hair were conspicuously visible, and his limbs were of varying thickness.

Yet, it was this pieced-together body that had utterly defeated him, a dignified Heavenly Human Realm powerhouse, leaving him with no power to retaliate.

Despair filled the Head of the Cui Family's eyes. That last move was his most powerful technique, and it had only barely managed to tear his clothes.

Is the chasm between Immortals and mortals truly insurmountable?

The Head of the Cui Family sighed deeply, lowering his head in silence.

A smile curled at the Little Gourd's lips, which, combined with his face, was utterly terrifying.

The Head of the Cui Family knew that Xu Sanyan, who was behind him, was mocking him, but he was powerless.

As the Medicinal Pill wore off, he felt increasingly weak, even losing the strength to stand, and could only collapse to the ground.

“Heh heh… The Cui Family… is not completely dead…”

His only solace before death was that he had sent away his most talented son and grandson, preserving a flicker of the Cui Family's lineage.

The Little Gourd stepped forward, looking down as he watched the Head of the Cui Family's eyes lose their light. His mixed gray and white hair had turned completely white, without a trace of Life Qi.

The Little Gourd lifted his foot and forcefully stomped on his head, crushing it completely to eliminate any future trouble. Then, he stepped forward and rummaged through his body, finding a key. This should be the key to the Cui Family's inner treasury.