"Li Tang, hand over the item, or don’t blame us for what happens next."
"Even if you don’t care about yourself, shouldn’t you at least consider him?"
At this moment, Li Tang was surrounded by a group of people. The leader pointed coldly at the young man shielded behind Li Tang.
"You traitors."
"I’ve been hiding from you for a hundred years. Why must you still hunt me down?"
"Don’t you fear divine retribution for your actions?" Li Tang roared in fury.
Divine retribution?
What a joke!
"Li Tang, since you’ve endured this life for so long, why not just surrender the item?"
"It’s better for everyone. You’ll be free, and we can return to complete our mission."
"Why make things difficult for yourself and everyone else?"
"Do you really think we enjoy chasing you day and night?" the leader sneered.
Li Tang glared at the surrounding figures, his heart filled with desolation.
How had he fallen to such a state?
"Have you forgotten who took you in back then? Who gave you the cultivation you possess today?"
"You traitors! Aren’t you afraid of karma?"
"I’ve told you countless times—what you seek isn’t in my possession."
"Go back and tell Han Liming—the thing he wants doesn’t even exist!"
Doesn’t exist?
How dare he spout such lies?
"So, you refuse to see reason?"
"Fine. Then don’t blame us for disregarding past ties!"
Past ties?
What ties could remain between us?
Li Tang’s expression hardened as he shielded the young man behind him.
Just as the group prepared to strike, an overwhelming aura suddenly descended, freezing everyone in place.
What’s happening?
Even Li Tang paled at the sensation.
"Is it…?"
"Grandmaster Chang’an?"
"Could it… could it truly be you?"
Trembling with emotion, Li Tang frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for Chen Chang’an’s presence.
Chen Chang’an frowned slightly as he observed Li Tang. The man’s aura felt familiar, but his appearance was harder to recall.
Grandmaster Chang’an?
That title didn’t sit right.
In the next moment, Chen Chang’an materialized before Li Tang, his voice laced with confusion. "Do you know me?"
"Grandmaster Chang’an, it really is you!"
"I’m Li Tang. Do you remember me?"
Li Tang?
Chen Chang’an searched his memories before the name finally surfaced.
"You—the little brat who followed Li Jingyun around?"
"How have you ended up like this?"
"Where is Li Jingyun?" Chen Chang’an demanded, his brow furrowed.
Li Jingyun was someone Chen Chang’an had met over three thousand years ago—a cheerful, kind-hearted man, the epitome of goodness.
Chen Chang’an had never been particularly drawn to such people; they were too rigid, too bound by rules.
Yet Li Jingyun had one passion: to attain the supreme Dao and become a peerless powerhouse, all for the sake of aiding the suffering masses.
Though Chen Chang’an had never formally taken him as a disciple, he had offered guidance, which Li Jingyun had treasured deeply.
Even after Chen Chang’an departed, Li Jingyun continued to regard him as his master—though Chen Chang’an himself remained unaware.
"Grandmaster Chang’an, you must avenge my grandfather!"
"He… he was murdered," Li Tang sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
Murdered?
Chen Chang’an’s expression darkened.
Though he had always found Li Jingyun’s unwavering kindness and moral rigidity exasperating, there was no denying the man’s virtue.
Chen Chang’an might not have understood the source of such selflessness, but he respected it.
Li Jingyun had begun life as a scholar, his compassionate nature leading to a tumultuous early existence.
Only after a tragedy in his forties—leaving him with only his grandson, Li Tang—did he abandon literature for martial arts, seeking to cultivate strength and reform a world steeped in sin.
Lofty ideals, but the path was far from easy.
Despite his hardships, Li Jingyun retained a pure heart, his benevolence unshaken.
Even after witnessing the world’s cruelty, his sole desire remained its betterment.
Chen Chang’an admired such people—but would never choose to be one.
It was exhausting.
Even Da Huang had once remarked that if Li Jingyun ever achieved the Dao, he would become a sage.
Yet now… he was dead?
"Was it these people?" Chen Chang’an asked coldly.
"Grandmaster, spare us! Spare us!"
"We… we were forced into this!"
"We were all disciples of Master Jingyun. We had no choice!"
"Please, have mercy!"
After parting ways with Chen Chang’an, Li Jingyun had toiled for years, eventually achieving success.
His pure heart, combined with Chen Chang’an’s past guidance, allowed his cultivation to flourish.
He established a sanctuary, offering shelter and training to the downtrodden.
Yet he never imagined those he’d saved would one day take his life.
As Li Jingyun closed his eyes for the last time, his gaze held no hatred—only boundless sorrow and confusion.
His final whisper: "Where did I go wrong?"
"Traitors who betrayed their master."
"And you dare beg for mercy?"
Chen Chang’an’s face hardened as he struck, annihilating the wretched group.
"Thank you, Grandmaster Chang’an."
"If not for your arrival today, our Li family… would have been wiped out." Li Tang collapsed to his knees, weeping uncontrollably.
"First—"
Chen Chang’an moved to help Li Tang up, only to find the man had fainted.
A quick examination revealed Li Tang’s body was at its limit—he’d been clinging to consciousness through sheer will.
"Grandmaster, will my great-grandfather be alright?"
"Can he be saved?" The young boy beside them looked up anxiously.
"You’re Li Jingyun’s descendant?"
"Yes," the boy nodded.
"Don’t worry. With me here, he won’t die."
"But from now on, he’ll only live as an ordinary man."
Chen Chang’an could preserve Li Tang’s life, but his body was too damaged. His cultivation days were over—only a quiet, mundane existence remained.
Channeling the vitality in his left hand into Li Tang, Chen Chang’an watched as color gradually returned to the man’s face. Moments later, Li Tang stirred.
"I…"
"My body!"
No one knew his condition better than himself. Yet now, his vitality had partially restored—though his power was a shadow of its former self.
Still, he was alive.
"Thank you, Grandmaster Chang’an, for saving my life."
"Enough. In your state, you shouldn’t push yourself."
"I ask you, what have they been chasing you for? What are they trying to find?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.
Hearing this, Li Tang let out a bitter laugh. What were they looking for?
"Grandmaster, the truth is... this thing is utterly useless to them."
"And... it's not some priceless treasure as they imagine."
"Yet because of it, they killed my grandfather and have been hunting down our Li family ever since."
"The thing... is actually a single character."
"A character you once gave to my grandfather."
A character?
Chen Chang'an suddenly understood. So that was it!
When he had parted ways with Li Jingyun, he had indeed given him a single word.
Chen Chang'an had told him that if Li Jingyun could comprehend its meaning, his path forward might become smoother.
That character was... "Ruthlessness"!