Chapter 253 - 281: Xu Tianqing, Ghost Dragon King, Strange Wayside Inn
’The curse of longevity...’
Su Bai mused as he paced.
Immortality!
Whether it was the common masses or powerful experts with profound cultivation, all yearned for eternal, immortal life.
This was especially true for those powerful experts, whose obsession with immortality ran even deeper.
For people like them, cannibalism was nothing.
Humans eating demons, humans eating ghosts, humans eating all things wicked...
What did any of it matter?
As long as they could extend their lives by even a year or half, these people would resort to any means necessary.
Evil Techniques, Demon Techniques, faith, Demon Sect Secret Techniques, and so on.
Immortality, once everyone’s dream, had now become a curse.
Su Bai sighed inwardly and walked on. Behind him, Ning Village and the Ten-Mile Burial Mound gradually disappeared from view.
A pale-faced Lin Qing’Er followed closely behind, glancing back from time to time toward Ning Village. All of her Lin Family members had been left behind there...
"Father, how could you do something like this?"
Even now, Lin Qing’Er’s expression was dazed.
The things her cousins had confessed under Su Bai’s terrifying pressure had chilled her to the bone. It was all so unbelievable, so incomprehensible, that her Heart Spirit had suffered an unimaginable blow.
The old Daoist and the saber-wielding woman also wore complicated expressions.
The Lord of the State was the most dazzling figure in the Desolate Province, admired and beloved by many.
He was once a Martial Arts Great Power they had hoped to meet, someone they both respected.
But they never expected his true nature to be so vile.
The foundations of their belief in the Martial Dao had begun to crumble.
"WOOF WOOF!"
"Blessed Infinite Heavenly Venerable! What is that?"
They hadn’t been walking long when the Silver-White Dog Demon, which was running ahead, suddenly started barking.
Su Bai’s interest was piqued.
In the distance, by the side of the road, a splintered and empty prison wagon lay in the mud, surrounded by the corpses of several Blood Nether Thieves.
"Father!"
Lin Qing’Er snapped back to reality and rushed to the broken wagon, but there was no one to be found.
"He escaped?"
The old Daoist hurried forward, his brow furrowed.
The prison wagon before them was completely destroyed. Shackles and chains lay shattered on the ground, and the surrounding corpses were long since cold.
Su Bai merely glanced at the scene before his gaze shifted toward the depths of the forest.
’It seems quite a few people have their eyes on this thing,’ he thought.
"Heh... It seems you are the one who obtained those things, Sir!"
A soft sigh emerged from the lush, blood-spattered woods.
Then, an extremely tall middle-aged man emerged slowly from the trees, dangling an old man with white hair, shattered bones, and a bloodstained face from his grip.
The middle-aged man was massive, around three meters tall, with long arms and legs. He wore black robes and carried a demon-faced Black Saber on his back that emanated a terrifying, chilling Dragon Qi.
His face was hard and his expression was grim.
"Father!"
Lin Qing’Er cried out and started to rush forward.
But the old Daoist at her side was quick-witted and sharp-eyed. Knowing this newcomer was no simple character, he grabbed her and held her back.
"I am Xu Tianqing. My peers in the Jianghu have been kind enough to grant me the title of Ghost Dragon King."
"The Ghost Dragon King!"
The old Daoist’s heart skipped a beat. "You’re the infamous master thief wanted by the high command of the Desolate State Prefecture?"
He had indeed heard of the Ghost Dragon King’s name.
According to rumor, the man originally had another name but later changed it to Xu Tianqing. He had learned formidable skills from some unknown source, possessed powerful cultivation, and often robbed the rich to give to the poor, making him a sort of righteous outlaw.
He was put on the wanted list by the Desolate State Prefecture’s high command after killing an Official from the State Mansion.
Over the years, he had killed countless pursuers. Many Martial Arts Strongmen had died by his hand, earning him a fearsome reputation.
To think that this man would also show up in such a remote and rustic mountain village.
WHOOSH—
With a casual wave of his hand, Su Bai made a slight motion. Lin Tianjing was sent flying to the side, where Lin Qing’Er caught him in her arms.
"Qing’Er..."
Lin Tianjing was disheveled and on the verge of death. He was about to draw his last breath, but upon seeing his daughter, he desperately held on.
Su Bai glanced at Lin Tianjing.
The old man’s four limbs had been severed, and a Secret Technique had been used to shatter all the bones in his body. He was hanging on by a single thread of life; his attacker had clearly done this intentionally.
"For you to be here, Sir, I presume that damned old eunuch and that Official from the Desolate Province’s Ministry of Revenue have already been killed by you. A feat like that... I admit I am no match for you."
Xu Tianqing crossed his arms over his chest, a posture that made his towering frame seem even larger.
"In that case, I no longer want those things. In any case, as long as that dog State Mansion doesn’t get them, I will be more than satisfied!"
As he spoke, a profound look entered his eyes.
He clearly couldn’t perceive the cultivation level of the white-robed young man before him, nor could he sense any fluctuation of True Qi.
But this only deepened the apprehension in his heart.
The reason he had been able to evade the pursuit of the State Mansion’s higher-ups was a special Divine Soul Technique that gave him powerful perceptive abilities.
Yet, even when he pushed this technique to its limit, he couldn’t see through this person at all.
It was like an immortal Nether Abyss standing before him, its depths immeasurable.
’This person... is very dangerous...’
"You don’t want the things?"
Su Bai glanced at Xu Tianqing.
The man’s Physique was robust and quite impressive. He also had abundant True Qi, and his cultivation was decent—far stronger than that old eunuch.
However, he was still a far cry from the man in the turquoise robes.
Overall, he could be considered a master of the Martial Dao.
"I have my own path to longevity. When have I ever needed these things?"
Xu Tianqing sneered.
"As long as it’s something that dog State Mansion wants, I will destroy it!"
His tone was chilling, laced with deep hatred and killing intent.
"You... why did you hurt my father?"
Lin Qing’Er demanded angrily, her eyes filled with tears.
With injuries like Lin Tianjing’s, there was no hope of saving him.
"Haha! He’s a creature worse than a pig or a dog. So what if I kill him?"
Xu Tianqing sneered relentlessly.
"Did you really think your father was some kind of saint?"
"You!"
Lin Qing’Er froze. She then lowered her head, looked at Lin Tianjing, and asked, "Father, did you really do those things?"
"Cough, cough..."
Lin Tianjing coughed a few times, his eyes dim. He couldn’t bring himself to look his daughter in the eye. "I... I..."
"You... Why would you do something like that?"
Lin Qing’Er’s heart went cold. The last shred of hope within her was shattered as she asked in disbelief.
"What... what choice did I have...?"
Lin Tianjing gave a bitter laugh. "Immortality... immortality..."
"I’m not the first to die on this path."
"And I’m destined not to be the last..."
He mumbled to himself as the light in his eyes gradually faded.
"Qing’Er, to leave you all alone in this man-eating world..."
"Father regrets it so much..."
He breathed his last before he could finish his sentence.
Only Lin Qing’Er’s tragic sobs echoed in the surroundings.
"Sir, you killed that old eunuch so favored by the dog State Mansion, as well as that Official from the Ministry of Revenue. The repercussions will be significant. I’m afraid you’ll end up in the same boat as me one day."
Xu Tianqing sighed wistfully and cupped his fists.
"I shall take my leave!"
He left decisively.
Perhaps before, he’d entertained the idea of seizing those things for himself.
But after actually seeing Su Bai, his instincts screamed with alarm, and he immediately gave up the notion, not even daring to consider making an attempt.
Su Bai didn’t stop him, simply watching as his figure grew smaller in the distance.
The man’s Sin Value was not high. There was no need to apprehend him.
He had only come here to see Lin Tianjing before heading to the Desolate State Prefecture for a look.
As for whether Lin Tianjing lived or died, he had no interest in interfering.
Besides, the man’s heart meridians were shattered. His death was imminent, and he was beyond saving.
"It’s truly surprising that so many powerful experts have appeared in a tiny, remote mountain village."
The old Daoist lamented again and again.
In the end, few people could ever set foot on the path of the Martial Dao.
Those with high cultivation were even rarer, mostly gathered in the major cities, commanderies, and state mansions.
It was rare to see a True Dragon in a small mountain village.
For so many to gather here one after another was quite a spectacle.
"Let’s go."
Su Bai turned and left.
The Silver-White Dog Demon hurriedly wagged its tail and followed.
The saber-wielding woman at the side glanced silently at Lin Qing’Er, said nothing, and followed suit.
"Sigh."
The old Daoist glanced at Lin Qing’Er, who was wailing as she clutched the corpse. His lips parted as if to say something, but he just shook his head, sighed, and turned to follow the others.
Although he was accustomed to matters of life and death, there were some things a person could never become numb to, no matter how many times they witnessed them.
In fact, they could stir one’s heart even more deeply.
...
Night fell. The evening glow on the horizon faded, concealing the last sliver of light and blanketing the horizon and the world in all directions.
The surrounding scenery seemed to be cloaked in a garment of pale ink.
The night also shrouded a remote inn.
On the wide road, the three people and one dog walked farther and farther into the distance.
The old Daoist looked at the inn’s banner fluttering in the distance and smelled the rich aroma of meat wafting through the air, surprised.
"I’ve traveled this road several times. Why don’t I remember there being an inn here?"
The group looked up.
The inn exuded a gloomy, sinister air. A blood-red banner fluttered without any wind, surrounded by overgrown vegetation and dotted with fireflies.
Under the cover of night, it looked even more bizarre!