Su Ji, if you trust me, head north from here.

The dust settled.

The terrifying torrent of spiritual energy in the sky finally receded like a tide pulling back from the shore.

A figure in pure white robes drifted slowly down from the heavens.

Liu Kuanglan’s sleeves billowed, his hands clasped behind his back, his feet stepping on an invisible ladder of clouds. Each step was steady and unhurried, exuding an indescribable grace.

The wind ruffled the hem of his robe, making it snap loudly, yet he somehow remained untainted by the chaos around him.

If you ignored the wreckage and scorched earth, just from his entrance, anyone would have thought a banished immortal had descended to inspect the suffering of the mortal world.

Su Ji propped himself up on his 【Dragonfall Spear】, bearing half his body weight on the shaft as he struggled to straighten his trembling knees.

Compared to Liu Kuanglan, he looked like a beggar who had crawled out of a slum.

Blood-soaked, clothes torn to shreds—the sight was ghastly.

“Hah…”

Su Ji spat out a mouthful of fetid air, the taste of rust in his throat. He watched Liu Kuanglan approach, bitterness stirring in his heart.

They had both fought and risked their lives.

Why could the other man come out of a battle in spotless white robes without a single wrinkle, while he looked like he’d been dragged through a meat grinder?

Was this the prestige of a true immortal?

But no matter how much he grumbled in his head, he had to maintain proper courtesy.

If not for Liu Kuanglan stepping in to stop that old monster, Su Ji figured he would have already been turned to ashes by that scruffy Daoist and used as tribute for Zhao Teng’s funeral.

Suppressing the excruciating pain, as if his bones had been shattered and crudely reassembled, Su Ji cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Liu Kuanglan.

“Today’s kindness…”

“This junior will never forget. If there comes a day…”

“Enough.”

Liu Kuanglan stopped a short distance away, waving his hand with an air of indifference.

“I said before…”

He was about to throw out a few more solemn words to maintain his image as a superior being.

But before the words left his mouth—

“Pwah—!!!”

Liu Kuanglan’s once rosy and radiant face instantly turned paper-white.

He pressed a hand to his lips, and a great spray of blood gushed out as if it cost nothing.

The blood wasn’t fresh red but a strange, purplish-gold, seeping through his fingers. Even as it hit the ground, it sizzled and burned holes into the stone beneath.

“Cough… cough, cough…”

Liu Kuanglan coughed violently, each fit making him hunch further. In an instant, his ethereal immortal aura cracked and shattered into pieces.

“Patriarch?!”

Su Ji was startled and instinctively moved to support him.

“Don’t… don’t move…”

Liu Kuanglan waved him off. His other hand trembled as he tried to wipe the blood from his lips.

But before he could lift it halfway—

“Drip.”

A thick droplet slid down his forehead, rolled over the bridge of his nose, and splashed onto the back of his hand.

Su Ji stared.

On Liu Kuanglan’s smooth brow, a fine crack had suddenly appeared.

At first, it was no thicker than a strand of hair, but now it seemed to come alive, splitting wider and revealing the ghastly white bone beneath.

“Hiss—”

Su Ji sucked in a breath.

“Damn it…”

Liu Kuanglan dropped all pretense, collapsing onto the ground without any dignity left. A crude curse slipped from his lips.

“That old bastard really hits like a coward…”

“That stick looked light, but it was insidious as hell—the force was hidden deep inside.”

“Even blocking it didn’t save me…”

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of pills from his bosom and stuffed them into his mouth without even looking, crunching loudly.

“Only took a third of the power, and it damn near cost me half my life.”

Liu Kuanglan wiped the blood from his face. “This injury has damaged my foundation. It’ll take at least thirty to fifty years to recover.”

Thirty to fifty years?

For a mortal, that was half a lifetime. For a true immortal, it was merely the blink of an eye—but the danger it brought was enormous.

A severely wounded true immortal.

There was no saying that some old enemy wouldn’t catch the scent and take the risk to come knocking.

Su Ji fell silent.

“Su Hao.”

Liu Kuanglan finally caught his breath, looked up at Su Ji, his once-bright eyes now somewhat dim.

“This battle made too much noise.”

“Zhao Teng is dead, that old Daoist’s projection is gone, and the Imperial Court Mountains have already sensed it.”

“Those Zhao family small fries are all dead by your hand, but secrets can’t be kept forever.”

Liu Kuanglan paused, his tone growing somber.

“You’re in a dangerous position now.”

Su Ji nodded.

Of course, he knew.

“I understand, Patriarch.”

Su Ji took a deep breath, as if making a decision.

He looked Liu Kuanglan square in the eye and said, word by word:

“Patriarch.”

“Let me reintroduce myself.”

“This junior’s real name is Su Ji.”

Liu Kuanglan’s hand, wiping blood, froze mid-motion.

“Su Ji?”

He savored the name.

Then, as if unaffected, he returned to normal.

“Alright. Whether you’re Su Hao or Su Ji.”

Liu Kuanglan waved his hand, forced himself up from his knees, and wobbled to his feet.

He glanced at Zhao Teng’s cold, long-dead corpse in the distance.

“Now that you’ve laid your cards on the table, I’ll point you in the right direction.”

“Su Ji, if you trust me, head north from here.”

“There’s a place called the ‘Chaos Star Sea.’”

“That… is your chance to survive.”

He paused, his gaze complicated as it rested on Su Ji.

Su Ji was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Thank you for the guidance, Patriarch.”

He didn’t ask why Liu Kuanglan wouldn’t escort him.

Neither of them was a fool.

Liu Kuanglan could barely take care of himself now. He had to return to the Listen-Wind Pavilion to shut himself in for healing, and somehow cover up today’s events.

Pointing him in a direction was already a kindness beyond measure.

For him to demand a bodyguard would be pure ingratitude.

“Enough, quit stalling.”

Liu Kuanglan waved impatiently, his form beginning to blur.

“Leave now.”

Without waiting for Su Ji’s reply, he vanished instantly.