36: Chapter 36

At this moment!

Daoist Ling Xu only felt that the world was fickle on the cultivation path! The cultivation path he had walked his entire life had never been as rough as today.

With another sword strike, a head rolled onto the ground.

Li Pingan was dumbfounded; he couldn't clearly see how the person in front of him had acted.

Could this Senior also be a Golden Core Realm expert, just like Revered Master?

Bai Tang turned to look at Li Pingan, took a porcelain bottle from his storage ring, and tossed it to him. He smiled and said, “Although you weren't fatally wounded, taking a Revival Pill can help you recover quickly.”

Li Pingan subconsciously took the porcelain bottle, but after thinking it over, he felt it was inappropriate, so he replied, “Thank you, Senior, for your kindness. Junior is already immensely grateful for Senior's rescue. I dare not trouble Senior further!”

Bai Tang waved his hand and said, “No matter. It's just a bottle of Grade Two Medicinal Pill. My Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect won't take it seriously!”

Li Pingan still insisted on refusing!

Bai Tang frowned slightly and had to change the subject, saying, “Right, why did you provoke an Elder of the Yin Yang Sect?”

Li Pingan thought for a moment and briefly explained the matter of seeking revenge this time.

Bai Tang's expression grew serious upon hearing this, and he looked toward Ma Teng, who was terrified like a quail on the side. “The petty villains of this world are like this: relying on their acquaintance with Cultivators from the mountain, they commit evil deeds and bring disaster to an area.”

Li Pingan clenched his fists and slowly walked toward Ma Teng. Every step he took felt like it was stepping on the tip of Ma Teng's heart.

Ma Teng lay paralyzed on the ground, his trouser legs already soaked with cold sweat. Looking at those blood-stained yet exceptionally resolute eyes, his teeth chattered: “Don't... don't come closer. I'll pay money.”

“Spare my life, I can give you the entire Ma Family.”

Li Pingan was unmoved: “Spare your life? When my Father and Mother begged you for mercy back then, did you ever spare them?”

Ma Teng turned to try and crawl away, but Li Pingan stepped on his back. The force wasn't great, but it rendered him unable to move, forcing him to watch as the other party bent down and gripped his topknot with iron-vice hands.

Ma Teng cried and begged for mercy, then a sudden chill swept over his neck, and his consciousness plunged into endless darkness... Twenty miles east of Luopo City.

In front of two small, overgrown mounds of earth, Li Pingan set down the bloody head, then knelt down with a 'thump.'

“Father, Mother, your son has avenged you.”

The wind rustled the weeds on the graves. In front of the simple earthen graves, the wooden plaque he had placed there last time remained.

“Father, your son has now stepped onto the immortal path. You and Mother need not worry about your son.”

“Your son has not let a single villain who harmed you go free.”

Li Pingan knelt before the graves, speaking in a low, continuous stream. He was usually not good with words, but at this moment, he spoke non-stop, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

Tears had long since streamed out of his eyes!

This was the second time he had cried since his parents passed away. The last time was when Chen Xuan accepted him as a Disciple and he underwent the Physique Awakening.

At that moment, Chen Xuan allowed him to see the hope of revenge and the meaning of continuing to live.

Now that his wish was fulfilled, Li Pingan had only one goal left in life: to stay close to Revered Master and repay Revered Master's endless kindness.

The mountain wind blew, sweeping up a few fallen leaves.

Li Pingan knelt before the graves and heavily kowtowed three times, his forehead hitting the ground and kicking up some dust. He stood up, looked at the bloody head, thought for a moment, then picked it up and tossed it into a nearby ravine.

“Mother, you are timid, and your son is afraid you'll find it terrifying, so I won't leave it here.”

“Your son is leaving now. I will come visit you again next time!”

Not far away, Bai Tang stood atop a stone peak, holding a long sword, his sleeves billowing.

His gaze rested on the thin figure, and his eyes showed admiration: “He is a good prospect, and his Heart-Nature is also excellent.”

Seeing Li Pingan return, Bai Tang flashed to stand before him.

He revealed a smile and said, “Young man, are you willing to take me as your Revered Master and become my Disciple?”

As soon as his words fell, he shuddered. Bai Tang looked around in confusion, then looked up at the gradually darkening sky.

It was somewhat inexplicable!

“Was that an illusion?” Bai Tang muttered to himself.

When he spoke the words “become my Disciple,” he felt as if he had been targeted by an extraordinary existence.

That existence could even destroy him with a casual wave of the hand!

Li Pingan shook his head, his voice calm: “Thank you, Senior, for valuing me, but I already have a Revered Master.”

Bai Tang was not surprised. This young man's skill was extraordinary, clearly indicating he had his own Opportunity.

But Bai Tang did not want to easily give up such a promising prospect who suited his taste.

He straightened his clothes and smiled: “Don't rush to refuse. Allow me to state my name first.”

“I am the Second Elder of the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect, one of the Five Great Hegemon-level Forces in the Eastern Region. If you take me as your Revered Master, with your Aptitude, I can guarantee that you will Breakthrough to Golden Core within sixty years, not even mentioning the ethereal Nascent Soul Realm.”

Li Pingan still shook his head and refused without hesitation: “Junior will not change his mind. Please understand, Senior!”

Bai Tang was stunned. He clearly hadn't expected the young man to refuse so decisively.

If he, an expert at the Second Layer of Golden Core Stage, promised to recruit a Disciple within the Sect, tens of thousands of Disciples would probably scramble, begging to be accepted.

But now?

He was actually rejected by a young man, and twice at that!

Bai Tang took a deep breath, his tone serious: “Have you heard of Hegemon-level Forces?”

Li Pingan nodded: “I know!”

Bai Tang asked again: “Do you know the magnificent bearing of a Golden Core Realm expert?”

Li Pingan answered honestly: “I can imagine it!”

“Then why do you refuse to be my Disciple?”

“Junior already has a Revered Master.” Li Pingan paused, then added: “Although Junior doesn't know if I can reach the Golden Core Realm in this lifetime, what Junior does know is that I will only ever have one Revered Master.”

“This is something I can and must do!”

“Good, good indeed! 'Only one Revered Master in this lifetime'!” The admiration in Bai Tang's eyes grew intense. As soon as his voice fell, a mighty Spiritual Energy Pressure suddenly erupted around him.

The air seemed to solidify at this moment!

The bluestone slabs beneath Li Pingan's feet silently cracked. His body suddenly sank, his knees bent uncontrollably downward, and his trouser legs flapped noisily in the airflow stirred up by the Spiritual Energy.

At this moment, he felt as if a great mountain, weighing thousands of pounds, was pressing down on his shoulders!

Clang!

The long sword in the man's hand unsheathed by more than an inch, and an unconcealed killing intent locked firmly onto him.

Blood began seeping again from the wounds on Li Pingan's shoulder and right arm, where the bleeding had previously stopped.

Bai Tang raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, “I spoke kindly, yet you are ungrateful. I will give you one more chance: accept me as your Revered Master, or face death.”

“Senior... Junior's mind is made up...” Li Pingan gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. With every word spoken, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The admiration in Bai Tang's eyes intensified. He did not withdraw the Spiritual Energy; instead, he added another layer of pressure. In an instant, the bones in Li Pingan's body emitted 'creaking' sounds, as if they were about to shatter in the next second.

“Since you insist on seeking death, then I shall grant your wish.”

The Divine Profound Mountain Shaking Art circulated frantically within Li Pingan to help him resist this immense pressure.

But facing this man, Li Pingan was helpless!

The difference in Realm was too great.

Just as Li Pingan resolved himself to die, the surrounding Spiritual Energy suddenly vanished completely. With a 'clang,' the long sword returned to its sheath.

Bai Tang laughed loudly: “Excellent, truly excellent!”

“If you had chosen to beg for life under my pressure, although I wouldn't have drawn my sword, I would inevitably have been somewhat disappointed in you.”

“It is just a pity that you and I do not have the fate of Revered Master and Disciple!”

Li Pingan suddenly realized that the other party had merely been testing him.

“Senior, you overpraise me.”