143: Be smarter in your next life.

However, the longer he waited, the more uneasy Kumārajīva became, feeling as though something was about to go wrong.

But since his Master hadn't come out yet, what would it make him if he were to just leave?

"Is the Great Master waiting for someone?"

Just as Kumārajīva was anxiously waiting for news of his Master, a voice suddenly rang out, giving him a start.

Kumārajīva whipped his head around. He was momentarily stunned when he saw Duan Zhengchun; he felt as though he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where for a moment.

Without time for second thoughts, Kumārajīva raised his hand and struck out with a palm.

If he didn't realize by now that something had happened to his Master, he would be truly foolish.

All he wanted now was to escape quickly; as the saying goes, where there's life, there's hope.

Facing Kumārajīva's attack, Duan Zhengchun didn't take it to heart at all. With a light wave of his arm, he instantly neutralized the attack and sent Kumārajīva flying with a slap.

Originally, Kumārajīva had planned to flee regardless of whether his strike succeeded.

To his horror, not only did his strike fail, but he was also sent flying by a casual wave of the opponent's hand.

The opponent's strength was far beyond his own. This person was so young, looking even younger than himself, yet his strength was far superior.

As expected, the Central Plains Martial Forest was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; he had been a bit too careless.

"Pfft..."

Kumārajīva spat out a mouthful of blood and clutched his injured arm, looking at Duan Zhengchun with a face full of shock.

"Who exactly is Your Excellency? We shouldn't know each other, right?"

Duan Zhengchun looked at Kumārajīva with a smile. At this point in time, Kumārajīva hadn't fully developed yet, though he was likely around the same age as himself.

However, his strength was nowhere near the levels of the Tianlong Era. If the Sweeping Monk of that era was a Land Immortal, then the Kumārajīva of that time would have been a Great Grandmaster level Master.

Qiao Feng's strength at that time was also around the Great Grandmaster level. It was just that Kumārajīva was ultimately a villain, and encountering a bug-like existence like Qiao Feng meant he was destined for tragedy.

Qiao Feng's talent was definitely top-tier during the Tianlong Era; he was the one who truly brought out the full power of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.

With the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms in his hands, he was invincible within the same Realm and could even fight those at higher stages without issue.

Of course, it wouldn't work against someone whose strength far surpassed his own.

But all of that was twenty years in the future; the current Kumārajīva had not yet stepped into the Grandmaster Realm.

In twenty years, it was normal for someone of Kumārajīva's caliber to Breakthrough to Great Grandmaster.

After all, not just anyone could create a profound Cultivation Technique like the Flame Saber.

In terms of talent, he was perhaps even higher than Qiao Feng.

Although Qiao Feng was formidable, he still hadn't managed to create his own Cultivation Technique.

He had simply practiced the martial arts taught to him by Wang Jiantong and Xuan Ku to the absolute limit. In Qiao Feng's case, this could be achieved through a combination of talent and effort.

However, creating a Cultivation Technique was something reserved for those at the level of an Ancestral Master.

Unfortunately, Kumārajīva's role was that of a villain, and he ultimately couldn't escape the fate where villains must lose.

"We indeed do not know each other. However, your act of thievery is truly somewhat inappropriate."

"Furthermore, I didn't intend to strike you just now, but you immediately used a killing move against me. It should be quite reasonable for me to fight back, right?"

"Your Master used a killing move against me, intending to put me to death. It's also quite reasonable for me to fight back, isn't it?" Duan Zhengchun said indifferently.

"What? What did you do to my Master?" Kumārajīva's expression changed as he asked.

"Your Master? He's already on his way to see your Buddha. If you miss him, I can send you along as well," Duan Zhengchun said.

"What? You... you killed my Master?" Kumārajīva said with a face full of horror.

"He wanted to kill me, so I killed him. That's quite normal, isn't it? Is there a problem?" Duan Zhengchun said with a shrug.

"No... no problem. If there's nothing else, I... I'll be going now." Kumārajīva's heart trembled, and his hope was already half-gone.

His Master was dead? How was that possible? His Master had already reached the Grandmaster Peak.

How could he be killed by a mere brat?

But if his Master was fine, how did the opponent discover him?

Moreover, that blow just now had made him truly feel the threat of death. If the opponent hadn't held back at the last moment, he estimated he would have been slapped to death by that palm.

Regardless of whether what the man said was true or false, he couldn't provoke him further; he had to leave quickly.

"Is the Great Master sure he wants to leave? Don't you plan to collect your Master's body?" Duan Zhengchun looked at Kumārajīva with a smile.

"Collect the body? What body? I just couldn't sleep at night and came out for a stroll. I didn't expect to end up here in such a muddled state."

"Since this place is off-limits, I'll be going now," Kumārajīva said with a smile.

Kumārajīva's reaction was somewhat unexpected to Duan Zhengchun; this fellow was truly capable of swallowing his pride.

Under these circumstances, he immediately saw the situation clearly and didn't even care about his own Master.

This kind of person had the potential of a formidable figure.

"It's not impossible for you to leave, but you must provide something that satisfies me," Duan Zhengchun said with a smile.

"But this humble monk has no worldly possessions and nothing worth offering," Kumārajīva was almost on the verge of tears.

Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have come here with his Master to steal any Secret Manuals for anything.

This was something Duan Zhengchun hadn't expected; this fellow probably hadn't created the Flame Saber yet, right?

"Don't you know the Flame Saber? Hand it over, and I'll let you go," Duan Zhengchun said.

"Flame Saber? What is that? This humble monk doesn't know it!" Kumārajīva looked at Duan Zhengchun with a bewildered face.

Everything he Cultivated were Buddhist techniques; when did he ever learn some Flame Saber? How come he didn't know about it?

Seeing Kumārajīva's reaction, Duan Zhengchun knew that he hadn't created the Flame Saber martial art yet.

"Since you don't know it, then there's no other way. You might as well go join your Master."

"After all, it's somewhat inappropriate to let him go on that journey alone. As his disciple, you should naturally accompany him." After Duan Zhengchun finished speaking, he gave Kumārajīva no chance to argue and slapped him.

"Crack..."

Before Kumārajīva could react, he was struck directly in the face, and his head instantly spun three hundred and sixty degrees.

Even in death, Kumārajīva couldn't understand how he had died just like that.

He hadn't done anything. He regretted it deeply; if given another chance, he would never have accompanied his Master to steal the Secret Manual.

Unfortunately, there is only one chance, and there is only one life.

Once missed, there is no opportunity for regret.

"I'm also quite helpless. I wanted to let you go, but you couldn't produce anything that piqued my interest."

"Moreover, you were the one who struck first just now, so it's only natural that I kill you."

"Remember, in your next life, you must be a bit smarter. Don't ever harbor ill intentions toward things that don't belong to you," Duan Zhengchun said helplessly.

Just as Duan Zhengchun had killed Kumārajīva, he heard a crisp and pleasant voice ring out.

"Hehe... Prince Duan, I am truly becoming more and more interested in you."