The sky was barely light.
Outside the south gate of Daybreak Town, in the crimson-hued branch valley.
Lu Li sat cross-legged under a redwood tree seven to eight feet in diameter, his brows slightly furrowed.
Wu De still hadn't arrived yet; he hoped nothing unexpected had happened.
Now Lu Li wasn't just killing Zhang Song to help Li Xiangyun and Liu Xinyu take revenge. He had suddenly thought of something-Zhang Song had previously been an alchemist, so perhaps he carried an alchemy furnace with him.
If that were truly the case, not only could he take revenge this time, but he could also obtain an alchemy furnace in one fell swoop-truly killing two birds with one stone.
Everything was ready now; all that was missing was Wu De luring Zhang Song in.
"He's here."
Chu Fankong, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide and said in a deep voice.
Lu Li's face lit up with joy, and he sprang to his feet. "Brother Li, Senior, I'll trouble you!"
Li Chenghu and Chu Fankong exchanged glances, nodded, and simultaneously leapt away toward opposite sides.
Meanwhile, Lu Li rushed toward the back of the valley, heading in the direction of the main mountain range. The three formed a triangular formation, each hiding behind a giant tree.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air came from outside the valley.
Lu Li raised his eyes to look.
He saw a gray-robed figure wearing a conical hat charging toward his direction. With each flickering pause, he could see the other's legs trembling. Upon closer inspection, a large patch of blood was visible on the other's chest.
He was clearly quite severely injured.
As soon as Wu De rushed in, an old man with disheveled hair followed closely behind.
Lu Li recognized at a glance that the newcomer was Zhang Song, but he wasn't in a hurry to reveal himself.
Wu De sprinted to a spot five zhang in front of Lu Li, could no longer hold on, and staggered to a stop.
"Run, keep running for me, old man!" Zhang Song was also panting heavily. His face, covered with dark spots, was pale and bloodless, looking similarly drained. However, at this moment, his eyes were filled with light.
Wu De's heart pounded wildly. He stared at Zhang Song while backing away step by step, his pair of small eyes darting around as he whispered into the air, "Psst, psst, I'm back, old man..."
"Old thing, pretending to be mysterious. Prepare to die!" Zhang Song said, about to make his move.
Wu De was terrified out of his wits, cursing Lu Li's ancestors eighteen generations back in his heart, but he didn't want to wait for death either. He turned around and fled in panic.
Only now did Lu Li slowly walk out from behind the tree. "Zhang Song, long time no see."
"Young man, you scared me to death." Seeing Lu Li appear, Wu De finally felt half-relieved. He said, "I'll leave it to you, old man needs to rest for a bit," then immediately sat cross-legged on the ground to recover.
He seemed to trust Lu Li very much.
Of course, even if he didn't trust him, he had no choice. If he didn't recover soon, he wouldn't even have the strength to walk later.
"Young man, who are you?" Zhang Song and Lu Li were separated by more than ten zhang. He squinted, staring at Lu Li.
"Hah, it seems you've forgotten." Lu Li shook his head. "But no matter. In a moment, I'll help you remember." At this point, he clapped his hands a few times. "Kill him!"
As soon as the words fell, the sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out from Zhang Song's left. A huge gray stone carrying overwhelming momentum shot toward him.
"How bold!"
Zhang Song, worthy of being a late-stage eighth-level cultivator, had quite remarkable reaction speed. Instantly, he retreated one zhang, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.
Before he could steady his footing, a golden light thudded and struck his shoulder.
Instantly, Zhang Song's left arm was mangled and bloody.
"Which Fellow Daoist is there? Let's talk things out!"
Zhang Song's face abruptly changed. There were actually experts ambushed in the forest. As he spoke, he turned around and fled.
"You won't escape!"
Chu Fankong flashed past Zhang Song's side and stood in front of him like a ghost. Raising his hand, golden light suddenly appeared, and he struck a palm onto Zhang Song's chest.
Bang!
Zhang Song was blasted back several steps.
Before he could steady himself, another massive stone smashed into his back with a boom. Zhang Song tumbled forward like a leather ball.
"Die!"
Seeing this, Chu Fankong shouted sharply. His palm once again erupted with fierce light, striking toward Zhang Song's crown!
Zhang Song was horrified beyond measure. Instinctively, he ducked down. Simultaneously, several talismans flew toward Chu Fankong, and regardless of the outcome, he desperately charged toward the right.
A series of rumbling explosions directly shook Chu Fankong's True Qi and blood.
Zhang Song, having escaped, was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt the soil under his feet soften. Half his body sank down. "Young man, it's you!"
Zhang Song stared at Lu Li walking out from behind a tree trunk in front of him. Killing intent was undisguised in his eyes. With a violent effort, he tried to break free.
"You won't get out!"
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Li Chenghu's True Qi surged. A massive stone smashed onto Zhang Song's forehead with a boom.
Zhang Song's eyes rolled white, directly knocked senseless. The half of his body exposed above the soil swayed unsteadily. As he slightly regained consciousness, Chu Fankong behind him joined two fingers together. A golden light shot out, whooshing through his body and piercing him through and through, even shattering his Dantian.
At this moment, Zhang Song was truly finished.
He couldn't understand where these two people came from or why they were helping this young man.
Seeing the other's Dantian destroyed, Lu Li also breathed a sigh of relief. They were all experienced veterans, acting decisively and ruthlessly, making Lu Li's heart race with fear.
He slowly approached.
Looking at Zhang Song, whose breathing was as faint as a thread: "You should remember who I am now, right?"
Zhang Song leaned forward with half his body, his voice hoarse and weak: "Old man... misjudged you. Never expected... you could reach this step. Unwilling, so unwilling."
"Haha, yes, I didn't expect it either." Lu Li summoned a pitch-black axe, gesturing at Zhang Song's neck. "Old man, I have to say, I still need to thank you. But unfortunately... my friend really wants you dead."
To be honest, if Zhang Song hadn't kidnapped him and taken him to Qingliang Temple back then, he might have truly remained an ordinary mortal his whole life.
"Your friend?" Zhang Song laughed self-mockingly. "You mean that little kid, right? I remember him... very naive."
Lu Li shook his head: "Not just him. I think you should still remember the Liu family of Qinglei City?"
"The Liu family." Zhang Song seemed to remember something. "Looks like... you've seen that girl. She didn't bring you out even in death; it seems she fell for you, black boy. The world of young people... old man truly doesn't understand..."
"Fell for me." Lu Li was momentarily dazed, then his expression firmed. "Alright, talking so much nonsense with you counts as gratitude for guiding me onto the immortal path. Now... please!"
"Meet your death!"
As the words fell, Lu Li slashed diagonally downward with his axe.
With a thud, Zhang Song's head rolled off. He picked up the head, focused his mind, and stored it into his Storage Bag.
Li Chenghu and Chu Fankong, who had retreated to the side, walked over at the sound. Li Chenghu glanced at the headless body half-buried in the soil and said to Lu Li, "Clean up, let's go back."
It seemed he didn't intend to take anything from Zhang Song's body.