Where Is Your Master Now

The man in black barked sharply.

His divine sense swept over the other, only to discover that he was merely a Golden Core stage cultivator.

Yet, for some reason, looking at this man, an inexplicable chill surged through his heart.

Especially because...

He did not see Liu Yishou’s figure anywhere.

“Me?”

Su Ji stopped in his tracks, tilting his head as he pondered.

“I’m just a passerby... a fake...”

“Forget it, you probably wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“...Just think of me as a well-meaning cultivator.”

Before he finished speaking,

The silver blade in his hand suddenly shot forward!

Boom!

A dark red streak of light, like a meteor tearing through the night sky, charged with unstoppable momentum straight at the man in black’s face!

“Seeking death!”

The man in black sneered furiously.

Just a mere Golden Core stage cultivator, and he dared to make a move against him?

He raised his hand, slashing out with his blade, intending to shatter that silver blade.

But at the very moment their blades clashed,

His expression changed.

Crack!

A sharp, crisp sound.

The silver blade he had wielded for hundreds of years suddenly chipped under the impact!

The immense force numbed his tiger’s mouth, and he was uncontrollably pushed back several steps.

“What... what kind of power is this?!”

The man in black was horrified beyond belief.

Su Ji said nothing.

He slowly extended his hand and gently clenched it towards the man in black.

“When your junior brother died just now, he asked the same question.”

“Want to know the answer?”

The man in black—Liu Sandao—cold sweat trickled down his temple, sliding past his hairline, dripping onto the scorched earth cracked by thunder, instantly evaporating into a wisp of white smoke.

He didn’t immediately respond to Su Ji’s question.

Instead, his divine sense spread wildly like a rising tide, searching frantically in all directions.

He was looking for someone.

Liu Yishou.

But...

Nothing.

Not a trace.

Liu Yishou’s aura had vanished completely, as if he had never appeared in this world at all.

Liu Sandao’s heart sank bit by bit.

His gaze fell upon the silver blade on the ground, still dripping blood.

That was Liu Yishou’s blade.

The Dao of Blades’ rule: where the blade lives, the wielder lives; if the blade dies, the wielder dies.

Moreover, with their master’s suspicious nature, even if Liu Yishou had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare to neglect his duties before the mission was complete.

The only possible conclusion was clear.

Liu Yishou...

Was dead.

Killed by this... Golden Core cultivator right before his eyes.

Liu Sandao’s eyes sharpened again as he fixed his gaze on Su Ji.

He scrutinized him carefully.

The other’s aura was calm and steady; though his face showed signs of fatigue, there were no obvious injuries on his body.

Especially those eyes—so tranquil that it was impossible to gauge their depth.

Recalling the strange scene from moments ago,

How could such a monster exist in this world?!

Two possibilities flashed through Liu Sandao’s mind in an instant.

The first: this kid was a madman with a few bizarre tricks up his sleeve, brazen enough to spout nonsense before a Refining Void stage cultivator like himself, reckless and ignorant.

The second...

His pupils suddenly contracted, and an absurd thought sprouted wildly in his mind.

Playing the fool to hide his strength!

This man was definitely not a Golden Core stage cultivator!

He must be carrying some incredibly advanced concealment artifact, capable of fooling even a Refining Void cultivator’s divine sense!

His true cultivation level was probably far beyond his own!

That was why he could so casually kill Liu Yishou and take his blade.

That was also why he now dared to stand here so arrogantly, looking at him with eyes that seemed to see death itself!

Realizing this, Liu Sandao felt a chill surge up his spine, as if his scalp was about to burst.

His hand gripping the knife trembled violently with fear.

Run!

That was the only thought racing through his mind.

But he didn’t dare.

He could only freeze on the spot, watching helplessly as that man took slow, deliberate steps toward him.

Su Ji walked very slowly.

He stopped less than thirty feet away from Liu Sandao.

He said nothing, just quietly stared at him.

To Liu Sandao, this demeanor only cemented the suspicion in his heart.

This was the disdain of a strong man toward a weak one, utterly unmasked!

At that moment, Liu Sandao’s mental defenses completely collapsed.

“Thud!”

Under Su Ji’s stunned gaze,

this so-called proud Refining Void Realm expert

went weak in the knees and dropped straight to his knees.

The silver blade in his hand clattered to the ground.

“Se-senior!”

Liu Sandao’s voice trembled, and when he looked up, his gaunt face no longer held an ounce of arrogance. Instead, it was replaced by an almost sycophantic humility.

“I, junior Liu Sandao, failed to recognize a great mountain and offended you, senior. I beg you to show mercy and spare this dog’s life!”

Su Ji: “……”

No, dude, you’re switching gears way too fast.

I haven’t even thought up my lines yet, and you’re already kneeling?

Watching Liu Sandao banging his head on the ground while kneeling, Su Ji couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

He had originally been thinking about how to scare this old geezer away with as little effort as possible.

After all, restoring spiritual energy took time.

If a fight broke out, he’d probably have to shatter a pill again.

That wasn’t something he wanted to see.

So he had taken Liu Yishou’s blade.

The result was unexpectedly effective…

The guy scared himself into submission.

“Oh?”

Su Ji raised an eyebrow, playing the part of someone inscrutably profound.

“Well then, tell me—how exactly should I spare you?”

Hearing this, Liu Sandao’s heart leapt with hope.

He hurriedly got up, still kneeling, and crawled on his knees to Su Ji’s feet, his attitude more deferential than the lowliest servant.

“Senior!”

Liu Sandao looked up, forcing a smile.

“My master is an inner disciple officer of the Blade Sect and holds some influence in the Canghuang Realm.”

“Today’s incident is all a misunderstanding! It was my incompetent junior brother, blinded by greed, who provoked you first. He deserves to die! Truly deserves it!”

As he spoke, he slapped his own face.

“Smack! Smack!”

The crisp sounds rang out clearly, no hesitation.

“It’s all my fault! I failed to discipline him properly, allowing him to cause such trouble!”

“Rest assured, senior! I will keep this matter strictly confidential and won’t reveal a single word to anyone!”

"Please... please, Senior, have mercy on me and spare my life!"

His words were heartfelt and desperate, dripping with tears.

He threw all the blame onto Liu Yishou, who was already dead beyond recovery.

He even brought up his master and sect, trying to intimidate with his background.

And at the end, he didn’t forget to pledge his loyalty.

This whole combination of tactics perfectly revealed the true nature of a cowardly, two-faced little man.

Su Ji listened as if he understood everything.

So Liu Yishou left a backdoor in his dealings, but you, Liu Sandao, are two-faced in your dealings with people, huh?

Liu Sandao bent his waist very low, his head almost touching the ground.

Waiting for that one word from the "senior."

Sweat trickled down from his temples.

He didn’t dare to look up, nor did he dare to use his divine sense to peek at the other’s expression.

Although Liu Yishou was useless, he was still at the Refining Void Realm.

If he had to fight him to the death, it would take at least several hours to kill him...

For him to vanish completely in such a short time without even sending out a distress signal...

What Golden Core?

What a joke!

What’s wrong with these big shots nowadays?

They have to disguise themselves as rookies and watch others foolishly charge into the firing line just to satisfy some twisted pleasure?

Liu Sandao cursed Su Ji’s ancestors a dozen times in his heart, but his expression grew even more respectful, even a little sycophantic.

“Senior?”

Seeing Su Ji remain silent for a long moment, Liu Sandao grew more anxious and cautiously called out again.

Finally, Su Ji spoke.

“Mercy?”

“Is your mercy made of gold, or inlaid with spirit stones?”

Liu Sandao’s body stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh.

“Senior, you jest. My mercy isn’t worth much, but my master does carry some weight...”

“Oh, an elder of the Dao Sect, huh?”

Su Ji nodded, feigning sudden realization.

Liu Sandao’s heart leapt with joy.

Looks like there’s hope!

As long as the other party still fears the Dao Sect’s name, there’s room to maneuver.

After all, a strong dragon doesn’t oppress the local snake; everyone’s in the cultivation world together, seeing each other every day—no need to make things irreparable.

“Since you’re a top disciple of the Dao Sect, I suppose your family background must be quite substantial?”

Su Ji suddenly changed the subject, smiling warmly at him.

Liu Sandao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded instinctively.

“Not bad... I guess?”

“That’s good.”

Su Ji casually picked up Liu Sandao’s silver knife and stabbed it into the ground with a sharp “clang.”

He clapped his hands slowly and said, “Someone else just tried to talk to me about mercy.”

“I told him his mercy was too thin to buy his life.”

“But he didn’t believe me and wanted to test it.”

Su Ji sighed, full of regret.

“In the end, you saw what happened.”

Although he had guessed the outcome long ago, hearing the other party casually admit to killing Liu Yishou still sent chills down his spine.

Killing someone is as easy as nodding your head.

This man killed a disciple of the Dao Sect, yet could still chat and joke with the dead man’s senior brother so calmly?

Such arrogance!

Such utter disregard for others!

“You…”

Then he swallowed down his anger.

“Senior, please spare me! Please spare me!”

“I... I don’t want to die!”

“I still have a bright future ahead! I haven’t lived long enough yet!”

He knelt down, trembling as he took off the storage ring from his hand, holding it high above his head with both hands.

“Junior… junior has gathered some belongings over the years. Though they may not be worthy in the eyes of the senior, but… but consider this as compensation for my offenses!”

Su Ji sighed deeply. He didn’t reach out to take the storage pouch. Instead, he leisurely walked over to a relatively clean stone on the ruins and sat down.

His gaze drifted toward the distant darkness shrouded by wind and snow, his eyes growing distant, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

“Back in the day… I drank and debated the Dao with him by the shores of the Eastern Sea. From sunrise to sunset, we battled—truly a case of ‘no quarrel, no acquaintance.’”

Liu Sandao’s mind went blank with a buzzing noise.

His master had indeed fought a mysterious sword cultivator for three days and nights by the Eastern Sea in his youth, ultimately losing by half a move!

This was something only the inner disciples of the Blade Sect truly knew.

Could it be…

An utterly absurd thought wildly sprouted in his mind.

Liu Sandao suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed tightly on Su Ji, his voice trembling.

“You… you are that very person…”

“Ah…” Su Ji sighed again, the sound heavy with the weight of years and the sorrow of things changed beyond recognition.

He didn’t turn around, speaking to himself.

“Back then, he and I were close friends.”

“But later, due to differences in cultivation philosophies, we parted ways and never met again.”

Su Ji’s voice faltered slightly, carrying a trace of self-mockery.

“I once thought I would never have any dealings with the Blade Sect again in this lifetime.”

“But I never expected… to meet his disciple here today.”

“Even more unexpected…” Su Ji slowly turned his head, and in those eyes that should have been calm, a faint, lingering sadness appeared—one that could not be dispelled.

“His disciple would be of such… character.”

Liu Sandao’s face instantly drained of color.

What on earth was going on here?!

“Se… Senior…”

Liu Sandao knelt again with a loud thud, this time kowtowing even more fervently.

“Junior… junior has failed to recognize a great man! Junior is truly deserving of death!”

“I didn’t know you were my master’s old friend!”

He no longer dared to mention any ‘shamelessness’ now.

Seeing him like this, a barely noticeable smile flickered in Su Ji’s eyes.

Just casually saying it… and it turned out to be true?

He had initially thought Liu Sandao wouldn’t dare to ask further.

“Rise.”

Su Ji waved his hand, his voice tinged with the desolation of a hero in his twilight years.

“Your junior brother’s death is unjust, but he was still one of your Blade Sect. I will settle this score with your master.”

“As for you…”

Su Ji’s gaze swept over him.

“My time is nearly up. I have little patience left to argue with a junior like you.”

“Time running out?”

Hearing this, the heavy stone that had been weighing on Liu Sandao’s heart didn’t fall—it was lifted even higher.

A powerful cultivator nearing the end of their life span was often the most terrifying of all.

Because they no longer had anything to hold back for, they acted entirely on their whims. Disagreements could easily lead to dragging the entire sect down with them—such things had happened before.

“Senior…”

Liu Sandao’s voice grew increasingly humble.

“Enough.” Su Ji seemed somewhat tired. He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

“You may leave.”

“Ah?” Liu Sandao froze, doubting if he had heard correctly.

Just like that... he was letting him go?

“What’s the matter? You want me to keep you here for a cup of tea?” Su Ji glanced at him.

“No, no, no! I wouldn’t dare! I’ll leave right now! Right away!”

Liu Sandao felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He scrambled up from the ground and turned to run.

But he had only taken a couple of steps before Su Ji’s voice drifted lazily from behind.

“Wait.”

Liu Sandao’s body stiffened abruptly, and with a mournful expression, he turned back.

“Senior… any further instructions?”

“I haven’t seen your master for many years. I came to this chaotic star sea hoping he would show up for a final severance of ties, wanting to see him one last time before death, to reminisce.”

Su Ji paused, then casually asked,

“Who would have thought fate wouldn’t cooperate? I heard from your incompetent junior disciple that your master was invited by the Imperial Court Mountain to search for something... the fallen place of an Immortal Sovereign?”

“Where is your master now?”