Ren Kurogane flashed out from behind the tree and appeared in front of the man in black. Calmly pulling the wooden spear from Tie Muzhan's head, he asked, "You just said you were going to hunt down someone surnamed Ji, right?"
The man in black stared at Ren in a daze. In the next instant, his aura rapidly weakened. Within seconds, he was lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Huh?
Ren's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the guy to be practically dead already!
"Hey! Buddy! Don't die yet! At least tell me where that guy surnamed Ji is!"
Ren shook the man repeatedly, but it was no use. Under Ren's desperate gaze, the man in black finally breathed his last and reverted to his beast form.
This was Tie Muzhan's method. The moment he died, his contracted beast would die with him.
In modern terms, he didn't want anyone else to be able to use his contracted beast after his death.
Looking at the dead man and beast, Ren suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Seriously! Now that both of you are dead, how am I supposed to find that guy surnamed Ji?"
By now, Ren had a pretty good guess about who this man might be. If it really was the person he suspected, all he had to do was cling to that guy's coattails and, if necessary, even sacrifice his life for him. When he woke up again, he'd probably be a Chaos Universe Supreme powerhouse at the very least!
With a sigh, Ren searched both corpses and found a storage bracer on Tie Muzhan. He probed it with his divine sense and easily erased the spiritual imprint Tie Muzhan had left behind.
"Oh? There's quite a lot of stuff in here!"
Ren began sorting through his spoils.
"Clothes, gold, food…"
After checking everything, he found only one item that seemed useful to him: a bow engraved with the characters Jia Yong. There were also several objects that looked like talismans, but he didn't recognize them and had no idea how to use them.
After putting on the storage bracer, Ren prepared to leave. Then he sensed something watching him from the water behind him.
"Who's there?!"
He spun around. His eagle-sharp eyes immediately spotted a blue-green head poking above the water's surface!
Damn it! I've been spotted! His senses are incredibly sharp! The Azure Void Snake's alarm bells rang.
The instant Ren's gaze fell upon her, she felt a wave of death wash over her entire body.
She had already comprehended Void Traversal and become a divine beast. Even a late-stage Xiantian expert like Tie Muzhan hadn't been able to do anything to her despite using a grand formation.
Yet Ren had merely looked at her, and she already felt that even activating her divine ability wouldn't help her escape!
As a divine beast, the Azure Void Snake chose to trust her instincts. After all, Ren showed no intention of attacking her. He had even lowered his bow.
There was just one thing she wasn't sure about.
Was something wrong with the way he was looking at her?
The Azure Void Snake wasn't certain.
"Wait! Are you the Azure Void Snake that was trapped in that formation earlier?" Ren asked excitedly.
"Hiss, hiss!"
The Azure Void Snake couldn't speak, but she was intelligent enough to understand him. She nodded.
"Then do you know where that guy surnamed Ji is?" Ren asked.
He remembered that the Azure Void Snake had fought Ji Ning several times. Perhaps she knew where he was!
The Azure Void Snake shook her head.
She hadn't left a tracking mark on Ji Ning and had no idea where he was now.
Ren looked disappointed. It seemed he'd have to find this golden thigh himself.
"If I remember correctly, Ji Ning comprehended the Water-Fire Lotus beside a lotus pond. That sent his strength soaring and allowed him to become a Xiantian lifeform…"
Ren suddenly froze.
"Wait a second. Am I a Xiantian lifeform now?"
He hurriedly examined his body from within and discovered a large quantity of spiritual liquid in his dantian, but no purple energy.
"Hmm. I should count as a Xiantian lifeform now. I just don't know whether I've reached that level through Qi Refining or Body Refining."
Ren couldn't make much sense of this world's cultivation system. There was Qi Refining, Body Refining, and all sorts of other methods. Why couldn't they just combine them into one system and cultivate both together?
He continued traveling, with no idea where he was headed. Whatever the case, he'd already ventured far beyond the territory he'd explored during the past ten years.
He dared to explore so freely because he knew there were hardly any beings around stronger than himself. If he still knew nothing about the world, he wouldn't have left the area he was familiar with, no matter what.
He crossed hundreds of miles of water, then followed the forest for what must have been more than a thousand miles before reaching another lake.
"Where am I?" Ren blinked, looking utterly bewildered.
There was another lake here, and lotus flowers grew along its banks, but the person he wanted to find was nowhere to be seen!
Where was the Water-Fire Lotus? Where was the future ruler of the Chaos Universe?
As he looked around, he suddenly sensed an aura.
He turned toward a grown man dressed in white standing behind him.
"My name is Ji Yichuan, and I'm the leader of the Ji clan of Mount Yan. May I ask why you've come to Winged Serpent Lake, fellow Daoist?" Ji Yichuan asked cautiously.
Although the person before him looked like a ten-year-old child, anyone who reached the Xiantian lifeform level would hardly change in appearance for the rest of their life. There was no telling whether the child standing before him was truly a child or an old monster who had lived for countless years.
"You're Ji Yichuan?!" Ren's face lit up.
He hadn't found Ji Ning, but he'd found Ji Ning's father instead!
Seeing that Ren seemed to recognize him, Ji Yichuan's heart tightened. Had someone he'd offended years ago come looking for revenge?
While Ji Yichuan was still trying to figure out what was happening, Ren suddenly smiled.
"I've heard a great deal about you, Chief. I just didn't expect to meet you here!"
"My name is Zhang Shan. I grew up in the mountains, and I only came here today by chance. I didn't mean to disturb you."
"Grew up in the mountains?" Ji Yichuan was utterly astonished.
He asked cautiously, "May I ask how old you are?"
"I'm ten."
"Hiss!"
Ji Yichuan felt his scalp go numb.
This really was a ten-year-old Xiantian lifeform! And from what the boy had said, he didn't even belong to a clan. He'd relied entirely on his own talent to reach the Xiantian level at ten years old!
What's more, Ji Yichuan had sensed a threat from him when they'd first met.
He, a former Zifu cultivator, had actually felt threatened by this boy!
A rogue cultivator with such monstrous combat strength was a genius they absolutely had to win over!
As the two were talking, the surface of the lake behind Ren suddenly erupted. A gigantic black serpent emerged from the water, its vertical pupils fixed on Ren's back.
"Hm?"
Ren turned around, annoyed. As far as he could sense, this enormous serpent was pitifully weak!
Something doesn't add up. Ever since my breakthrough yesterday, why have I become invincible among those of the same level?
Ren was thoroughly puzzled. He didn't think he should be this strong. He'd cultivated without any proper guidance. How could he possibly be so powerful?
Was this normal?
Actually, it makes perfect sense. I'm just that awesome!
Ren accepted this explanation.
He spun around, summoned his bow, and used both hands and feet to draw it to its fullest.
A golden arrow appeared on the bowstring.
"Die!"
Whoosh!
The golden arrow pierced the Winged Serpent's head the instant it left the bowstring!
The enormous serpent's body stiffened before crashing to the ground.
"What?!"
Ji Yichuan instinctively clenched his fists, his eyes wide with disbelief.
That was a Winged Serpent, a dominant monster in the surrounding region! And this child had killed it in a single shot!
Ji Yichuan's feelings quickly became complicated.
A genius like this was beyond the ability of his small Ji clan to retain.
I wonder how Ning'er is doing with his cultivation now.
After dealing with the giant serpent, Ren turned around and smiled.
"Chief, that big snake wasn't your pet, was it?"
"Uh… no," Ji Yichuan replied, shaking his head.
Recruit him? Forget it. We've only just met. It's enough to leave each other with a favorable impression.
"Good! That snake seemed intent on killing me, so I killed it," Ren explained.
He glanced toward the center of Winged Serpent Lake. One of the entrances to the Water Manor lay there.
With my current strength, perhaps I could explore it.
In the end, however, he abandoned the idea. The Water Manor wasn't particularly useful to him. The only thing of value might be that talking old ox.
It had taught Ji Ning the first move of the Minor Thousand Swords Formation.
Ren turned to Ji Yichuan.
"Chief, I've spent all these years cultivating on my own, without any proper guidance. I don't even know what level I've reached. Would you be willing to give me some advice?"
Ren was completely sincere. Although he'd somehow managed to become a Xiantian lifeform through a series of coincidences, he was still utterly clueless about cultivation. He didn't even know the correct way to practice.
If he kept fumbling around on his own, he might never reach the Zifu level in his entire life.
This was a trivial request for Ji Yichuan. He'd already intended to establish a good relationship with Ren, so since the boy had asked for help himself, Ji Yichuan was more than happy to oblige.
"Of course. Please wait here for a moment, young master. I'll explain the cultivation system to you, and I'll have my clansmen bring you some books on cultivation to study…"
He paused, then asked, "By the way, can you read?"
"I can't read!" Ren answered directly.
The old man who had raised him had been an elderly hunter who couldn't read himself, let alone teach Ren.
"I see. In that case, shall I teach you to read first? Given your level as a Xiantian lifeform, you should be able to learn all the characters quite quickly," Ji Yichuan suggested.
"Thank you. I'll trouble you with that!"
Over the next day, Ji Yichuan taught Ren, who managed to learn nearly all the characters used in this world. He also gained a clear understanding of its cultivation system.
For example, his current cultivation had reached the Xiantian level in both Qi Refining and Body Refining. Within Mount Yan, that was enough to let him go wherever he pleased without fear.
As for the strange light that appeared whenever Ren attacked, Ji Yichuan couldn't identify it either. He could only guess that it might be the legendary heartforce.
Ren finally understood.
So the reason he was so powerful was that he'd embarked on the path of heartforce cultivation.
Heartforce was one of the most difficult and powerful paths of cultivation in this world.
Those who comprehended heartforce could instantly kill opponents who hadn't. Their enemies wouldn't even have a chance to fight back!
After learning about the world from Ji Yichuan, Ren thanked him and asked, "Chief, do you know how to get to the Riverside Tribe?"
"I do," Ji Yichuan replied with a smile.
After spending a day with Ren, he'd discovered that the boy was polite and well-mannered, nothing like what one might expect from someone who'd grown up without guidance. He'd come to assume Ren's earlier explanation was simply a convenient cover story.
Ji Yichuan took out a map of Mount Yan and handed it to him.
"We're currently at Winged Serpent Lake. The Riverside Tribe you're looking for is…"
Holding the map, Ren darted through the forest.
After Ren left, another person appeared beside Ji Yichuan.
"Chief, are you really going to let such a genius leave? What if he eventually…"
"Enough!" Ji Yichuan interrupted with a frown. "He killed the Winged Serpent with a single arrow. I'm only slightly stronger than that beast. Do you really think he couldn't kill me just as easily? He killed the Winged Serpent to show me how powerful he was and discourage me from trying anything underhanded! Tell our people to keep themselves in check. I won't have the Ji clan inviting unnecessary trouble!"
"Yes!" Sweat beaded on the man's forehead.
He hadn't realized there was so much going on beneath the surface. Thankfully, he hadn't acted rashly!
"Oh, and with the Winged Serpent dead, tell the tribes of Mount Yan they can finally rest easy."
"Yes!"
As for Ren, he was heading to the Riverside Tribe because he wanted to wait for Ji Ning.
If he remembered correctly, one of Ji Ning's maids had died at the Riverside Tribe. If Ren arrived in time, he might be able to save her and earn some goodwill.
I just wonder where Ji Ning is right now…
He raced along the way, and five days later, finally reached the vicinity of the Riverside Tribe.
"Hahaha! Our young master has acquired another plaything! I hear she's a maid who used to serve Young Master Ji Ning. Too bad the young master of the Ji clan thought she was too old and didn't want her anymore!"
"Bah! She's just a maid, and a discarded one at that. Who does she think she is? The fact that our young master wants her is a blessing!"
Two men dressed in animal hides spoke disdainfully.
Ren's eyes lit up when he heard them.
Talk about finding what you need without even looking for it!
Holding his wooden spear, he walked straight toward the caravan.
There were around thirty people in the group, most of them ordinary people who had never cultivated. The moment they spotted Ren, they became alert.
"Who are you?"
"Do you know who's sitting in that carriage? If you don't want to die, get lost!"
Ren swung his wooden spear and sent every one of the men blocking his way flying into the trees, where they hung from the branches, groaning in pain.
His expression never changed. He remained calm and composed throughout.
He'd survived alone in the primeval forest for five years. The law of the jungle had practically become part of his bones. These weaklings had actually dared to point weapons at him. The fact that he hadn't killed them outright was already an act of mercy.
He walked up to the wooden carriage and swung his arm.
The carriage exploded in front of him.
Inside, Jiang He was trembling with fear.
Beside him sat a woman whose face was filled with terror.
"Are you the little maid who used to serve Ji Ning?" Ren asked her.
The woman's lifeless eyes suddenly lit up with hope.
"My lord! I'm Chun Cao, Young Master Ji Ning's former maid!" she replied respectfully, dropping to her knees before Ren.
"Good. You haven't done anything to him, have you?" Ren asked, looking at Jiang He.
Jiang He hurriedly answered for her.
"No, no! My lord, I haven't had the chance to do anything yet!"
He'd wanted to indulge himself, but this wasn't the right place. Jiang He had suppressed his urges and planned to have his way with Chun Cao after returning home.
He never imagined that this small habit would end up saving his life!
Thud!
Ren's spear pierced straight through Jiang He's head.
"Go back," Ren told Chun Cao. "I'll wipe out the Jiang He Tribe and be back shortly."