After Mi Lu finished speaking, Qi Wangtian’s expression completely changed.

There was no doubt that this matter was Qi Wangtian’s untouchable reverse scale, even more so than his own son, Qi Heng.

“Who are you?” The long sword in Qi Wangtian’s hand trembled even more violently. His eyes were wide with fury, and his voice was as cold as ice. “Why do you have Ming Deyi’s book?”

Mi Lu glanced at the sword in Qi Wangtian’s hand, then calmly withdrew his gaze. He spoke in a composed manner, “May I know the reason behind this? As far as I am aware, neither the Medical Hall nor the Spirit Pill Sect have much to do with the Hulü family. Did the Hulü family owe you a favor, or do you have some leverage over them?”

The moment these words left his mouth, Qi Wangtian exploded in a fit of rage, as if someone had stepped on his tail, unleashing a thunderous fury. He raised his sword sharply and charged at Mi Lu.

A gust of wind followed in the wake of his sword.

Along with the wind came Qi Wangtian’s voice, spat out through gritted teeth: “Do you, a mere useless child in the Foundation Establishment stage, dare to question me, Qi Wangtian? Insolent!”

Qi Wangtian’s words were fast, but his actions were faster.

Before the words had fully left his mouth, the tip of his sword had already reached Mi Lu’s chest, leaving him no time to dodge. But before Qi Wangtian could exert force, there was a sudden, crisp sound—bang!—and an invisible force deflected the tip of his sword.

The sword shook like a water snake, vibrating so much that Qi Wangtian nearly lost his grip on the hilt.

Hurriedly, he tightened his hold, only to find in the next moment, to his shock, that the spiritual energy attached to the sword seemed to have turned into a venomous snake, biting fiercely into his flesh.

This was a sign of backlash!

Qi Wangtian staggered backward until two subordinates caught him. Clutching his suddenly painful chest, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Sect Master!”

“Sect Master, what’s wrong?!”

Ignoring the blood in his mouth, Qi Wangtian looked at Mi Lu in shock. “That, that is…”

One of the subordinates gravely finished his sentence: “The Vanbei Cloak.”

The other subordinate was equally stunned. “How does he have Ming Deyi’s Vanbei Cloak?”

The Vanbei Cloak was a defensive magical artifact, but from another angle, it was more than just for defense.

It could not only block all external harm but also convert the spiritual energy of the opponent’s attacks into offensive power for the wearer, devouring the opponent’s energy and causing backlash.

However, as powerful as the Vanbei Cloak was, it had a significant downside: it could only be used two or three times before being expended. Crafting a Vanbei Cloak required about a hundred years, with unimaginable costs in manpower, materials, and money.

Thus, Ming Deyi cherished this artifact immensely, never taking it out unless his life was at stake.

Of course, what Qi Wangtian and the others didn’t know was that—

When his life was truly in danger, Ming Deyi never had the chance to use it.

All they knew was that the artifact, which Ming Deyi valued as much as his own life, was now being worn by a young man they had never seen before.

How could Ming Deyi be so generous?

No!

It was absolutely impossible!

That left only one possibility—

“Ming Deyi is dead?” Qi Wangtian gasped in horror.

Although Mi Lu didn’t get a clear answer from Qi Wangtian’s mouth, Qi Wangtian’s extreme reaction made it clear that his guess was eight or nine parts correct.

The Hulü family indeed owed favors to the Medical Hall and Spirit Pill Sect, or they had some leverage against them.

If they dug deeper into this point, would there be an opportunity to negotiate with the Hulü family?

HuLü Xing had taken the other half of Hulü Yan’s heart; there had to be a way to resolve this matter.

If Hulü Yan were to slaughter the entire Hulü family again, just like in the past ten reincarnations, wouldn’t it bring them back to the start of the cycle?

Mi Lu gathered his thoughts and steadied himself before replying, “Yes, he’s dead.”

Qi Wangtian: “…”

No.

What was with that casual tone, as if he were just commenting on the weather being nice today?

“He…” Qi Wangtian barely got a word out before suddenly recalling something. He urgently asked, “What about my son? What did you do to my son?!”

Mi Lu was silent for a moment before explaining, “Your son was enraged after my friend refused Lady Wan, so he barged into the Medical Hall on his own, trying to kill my friend. In the end, he was killed by my friend in self-defense.”

Qi Wangtian swayed, his vision darkening. Overwhelmed by fury, a bitter taste rose in his throat, and more blood spilled from his mouth.

Yet he seemed to feel no pain at all, his gaze filled with hatred so intense that he wished to tear Mi Lu to pieces. His whole body trembled as he stammered, “You, you dare kill my son!”

“I didn’t kill your son; my friend did,” Mi Lu said, tossing the booklet back onto the table. His gaze toward Qi Wangtian and the others was as cold as if he were looking at a group of dead men. “But don’t worry, it won’t be long before you’re reunited with your son.”

Qi Wangtian had not yet recovered from the overwhelming grief of losing his son when a sudden, primal sense of dread crept into his heart. “What… who is your friend?”

At that moment, a cold and hoarse voice softly answered in place of the young man. “It’s me.”

The voice came from behind!

Qi Wangtian froze for a moment, then spun around as if scalded by fire, only to be met with a face all too familiar.

The person had appeared behind them like a ghost, without making a sound!

“You…” Qi Wangtian’s face turned pale, his lips white, and for a moment, it was as if he had seen a ghost. His soul seemed to flee his body. “You’re Hulü Yan?”

“It’s me.”

“How can you be here? Weren’t you already dead? I saw with my own eyes when they threw you into the Cold Soil Abyss…” Qi Wangtian’s words trailed off as realization struck him, his eyes widening. “Did you kill my son and Ming Deyi?”

“Yes,” Hulü Yan admitted openly, “I killed them.”

With that, he tossed something toward Qi Wangtian.

Qi Wangtian caught it and gasped sharply when he saw what it was. His chest filled with unbearable grief, nearly causing him to faint on the spot.

It was his son’s jade pendant, the one he always carried with him!

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Hulü Yan had not died. Not only was he alive, but he was also standing in front of him with all his limbs intact—and had killed his only precious son!

An overwhelming wave of hatred drowned out any earlier guilt and hesitation. Qi Wangtian’s face twisted visibly, and he shoved the jade pendant into his chest pocket, his eyes bulging with rage as his cheeks twitched. “Hulü Yan! You dare kill my son? I will make you pay with your life!”

But Hulü Yan merely raised an eyebrow lightly. “You’re welcome to try.”

Then, his tone abruptly darkened. “But we’ll see whose life is taken in the end.”

“Hulü Yan!” Qi Wangtian roared, crazed, lifting his sword to attack.

Seeing this, Qi Wangtian’s two subordinates immediately joined the battle without hesitation.

Yet, unlike his encounter with Ming Deyi, Hulü Yan didn’t finish off Qi Wangtian and the others in one go. Instead, he dodged their attacks like a cat toying with mice, leaving all their strikes landing in vain.

Spiritual energy filled the room, gusts of wind surged.

Countless books fell from the shelves, fluttering to the ground in a flurry of pages.

Mi Lu hurriedly tucked the most important book into his Qiankun bag, then sought refuge in a relatively safe corner.

As expected, the moment he found his footing, several deafening crashes echoed in quick succession.

Half the house collapsed.

Dust swirled in the sunlight streaming in from the gaping hole in the ceiling.

Qi Wangtian, however, showed no sign of pulling back. He unleashed attack after attack on Hulü Yan, not sparing any strength and even resorting to using high-level magical artifacts.

But Hulü Yan’s evasion was swift. They couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

After a while of this, the house had crumbled, trees were uprooted, and the surrounding scene was one of utter devastation. Dust filled the sky, and Yan Feng, who had been stationed outside the house, had long since fled.

Back on the ground, Qi Wangtian’s rage began to clear enough for him to regain a sliver of reason. He finally noticed something strange—

He couldn’t sense any cultivation from Hulü Yan. Hulü Yan should be an ordinary person without even an entry-level cultivation.

How was it that Hulü Yan could so easily dodge their attacks?

Or was Hulü Yan’s cultivation so far above theirs that it was undetectable?

Impossible!

Hulü Yan was just a boy of ten or so, how could he have reached a stage beyond Golden Core?

A tremor ran through Qi Wangtian’s heart, and he quickly turned to look at his two subordinates.

It was clear that they had also reached the same realization, and their faces showed identical expressions of fear.

They sensed that something was spiraling out of control.

“So this is the true strength of a Golden Core cultivator.” A calm voice came from not far away. “I thought it might be a bit stronger than someone like Ming Deyi, who was raised prematurely. But as it turns out, it’s nothing special.”

Qi Wangtian and the others, panting slightly, followed the voice.

Standing atop the remnants of the house was a figure clad in black. Hulü Yan’s eyes were closed, and his long hair, tied up high behind him, glowed with a faint golden hue under the sunlight. His skin was pale as snow, his thin lips curled into a mocking smile.

Even with his eyes shut, Hulü Yan seemed perfectly aware of the trio’s location, his head facing them unerringly.

Qi Wangtian once again felt that primal, bone-deep fear. Swallowing hard, he tried to bolster his courage by raising his voice. “You were supposed to have died in the Cold Soil Abyss!”

“As you can see, I’m very much alive.” Hulü Yan leisurely pulled out Ming Deyi’s Corpse Transformation Pearl from his Baijin pouch. His five fingers wrapped around it, and immediately, black mist began to rise from the pearl’s surface.

Qi Wangtian recognized the Corpse Transformation Pearl, and his eyes widened in shock once more. He stammered, “That’s… that’s Ming Deyi’s Corpse Transformation Pearl…”

“Indeed, it’s Ming Deyi’s Corpse Transformation Pearl.” One of the subordinates broke out in a cold sweat, a chilling sensation crawling up his spine. His voice trembled as he said, “Sect… Sect Master, he really did kill Ming Deyi, and… and he even took the Corpse Transformation Pearl.”

What was even more terrifying was—

Hulü Yan knew how to use the Corpse Transformation Pearl!

As if to confirm their fears, black water began pouring out of the Corpse Transformation Pearl, seeping through Hulü Yan’s fingers and into the debris.

Before long, withered, blackened arms began to rise from the rubble.

Corpse Puppets!

Hulü Yan was controlling Ming Deyi’s Corpse Puppets!

But how…

How on earth was he doing this…

For the first time in his life, Qi Wangtian felt his legs go weak.

In the sunlight, Hulü Yan opened his empty, black sockets. A rigid and cruel smile stretched across his handsome face as he spoke unhurriedly, “Your performance is over. Now, it’s my turn.”

Soon enough, Mi Lu, hiding behind the rubble, witnessed a scene identical to the one he had seen earlier at the back mountain—

Countless Corpse Puppets emerged from the black water, surging forward like a tide toward Qi Wangtian and his men.

Qi Wangtian’s two subordinates were quickly engulfed by the swarm of Corpse Puppets. Though Qi Wangtian, being the strongest among them, managed to escape for a few steps, he was abruptly stopped by a sharp pain in his chest.

His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, clutching his chest as spasms wracked his body.

What utterly crushed his hope was the realization that his spiritual energy was rapidly draining away. The closer Hulü Yan got, the faster it drained.

Qi Wangtian could only watch helplessly as his spiritual energy, tangible and desperate, flowed into Hulü Yan’s body.

In that moment, no explanation or clarification was needed—he understood everything.

First, it was Ming Deyi. Now, it was him.

And next?

He didn’t even need to guess.

Hulü Yan was alive.

And his only purpose was to seek vengeance, one by one.

Struggling, Qi Wangtian raised his head. He looked up at Hulü Yan, who towered over him like a giant bathed in sunlight. In the depths of those dark, hollow eyes, despite their emptiness, he could vaguely see his own deathly pale face.

Suddenly, a terrifying realization came over him—

He was about to die.

He would die at the hands of Hulü Yan.

An overwhelming desire to live surged in Qi Wangtian’s heart. He remembered the entanglements between himself, the Medical Hall, and the Hulü family, and immediately clutched at his last shred of hope. Forcing himself to bear the pain, he grabbed Hulü Yan’s foot.

“I beg you, spare me. If you let me live, I’ll tell you everything about your mother! Ming Deyi once helped the Hulü family take care of her. The Hulü family gave him your tongue, and I found out about their dirty dealings by accident. I used this information to get hold of your left ear. I’ll give it back to you, and I’ll tell you all the secrets I know. Just spare me, please!”

Hulü Yan’s face remained cold, as if he were listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.

Qi Wangtian grovelled for a long time, and seeing that Hulü Yan didn’t respond, he thought that perhaps Hulü Yan was considering his words. So, he continued, “Actually, your mother, she long ago—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Hulü Yan cut him off coldly, “I don’t want to hear it.”

Qi Wangtian froze.

“And one more thing,” Hulü Yan added, “You must die.”

With those words, the pain in Qi Wangtian’s left ear suddenly overshadowed the pain in his chest. He screamed in agony, instinctively reaching up to feel his ear, only to find… nothing.

His neck was empty—there was nothing there at all.

His severed head rolled a few times on the ground. His wide eyes were filled not only with layers upon layers of pain but also with confusion and disbelief.

It was as if he couldn’t understand how his head had suddenly come off.

His head rolled to Hulü Yan’s feet, but Hulü Yan didn’t move, standing there for a long time before finally calling out, “Mi Lu.”

Mi Lu cautiously emerged from behind the rubble. For some reason, he felt like the scene around him had changed somewhat from before.