Xie Guannan seemed to think of something else and sneered, "Even a pig couldn't root me out. You wouldn't be any different even if you turned into one. Forget it! You wouldn't even make the cut in line!"
The leering man was beside himself with anger.
The exquisitely beautiful woman bit her lower lip with a look of unease and murmured, "Can you really beat him?"
"Watch closely, learn well. If you fail to learn, you'll be going straight to hell!" Xie Guannan taunted the leering man.
"Such a narcissistic jerk!" The woman stomped her foot, a grievance flashing across her expression.
"Where do you get the nerve to be so arrogant? Prepare to die!" With that, the leering man immediately drew a precious long spear from his storage ring and slammed it hard against the ground.
Naturally, its quality was inferior to the mysterious weapon in Xie Guannan's hand.
Weapons were divided into mortal weapons, precious weapons, mysterious weapons, spiritual weapons, half-immortal weapons, immortal weapons, holy weapons, and divine weapons.
Fighting five against one, Xie Guannan felt not the slightest bit of fear. When facing Zhao Yang, hadn't it also been four or five against one? With a weapon in hand, he was even more at ease.
Now that he had cultivation, spiritual energy poured into the Xuan Sword, causing multicolored black light to bloom across the blade.
The leering man released his cultivation base—Peak Level 5 Qi Condensation, on the verge of stepping into mid-stage Qi Condensation.
Wielding his long spear, he dashed swiftly toward Xie Guannan. Spear against sword—the spear's advantage went without saying, completely crushing Xie Guannan in terms of reach.
Just as the leering man thrust his spear toward Xie Guannan, the latter did not sit and wait for death. He charged forward to meet him, and the two closed in until they were inches apart.
Xie Guannan suddenly leaped into the air. The leering man switched his thrust into a horizontal sweep just as the spear was about to touch Xie Guannan.
A triumphant smile broke out across everyone's faces. This cocky punk was finally going to pay for showing off today!
－015 Rescue!
Ci's Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
"Hurry and invite the divine doctor over." Ci Qianluo's tone was clearly filled with extreme urgency.
After giving the order to a servant, she immediately laid the old man flat on the bed.
Xie Guannan walked aside and sat cross-legged, as if recovering his Spiritual Power. Of course, Ci Qianluo cast a grateful look at him—after all, he had consumed a lot along the journey.
Before long.
An old man dressed in simple yet dignified attire strode in quickly.
"Divine Doctor Li, please save my grandfather." Ci Qianluo said anxiously to the newcomer.
Seeing old man Ci lying on the bed, Divine Doctor Li felt his heart sink by half.
"Miss Ci, what has he done?"
"My grandfather clashed with a scaly viper and was severely injured by its natal venom."
"Rest assured, I will do my utmost."
Divine Doctor Li concentrated his Spiritual Power at his fingertips and placed them between old man Ci's brows, his expression gradually sagging.
Half a quarter of an hour later.
"Miss Ci, this poison has already invaded his heart meridian, and his Dantian is on the verge of shattering!"
Hearing this, Ci Qianluo felt her heartbeat skip a beat.
Her voice carried a crying lath: "How could this be? Divine Doctor Li, is truly nothing to be done?"
"This is practically death. Although I am known as a divine doctor, I am not a god. I do not have the power to reverse yin and yang!"
"Ci lass, you'd better invite someone else more capable. This old man is at his wits' end. I take my leave."
Ci Qianluo completely broke down.
Unbidden tears dropped from her beautiful eyes.
She collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Don't cry, let me do it!" Xie Guannan said faintly from the corner.
Divine Doctor Li's foot, just about to step out the door, paused.
He turned his head and said to Ci Qianluo, "Even a renowned divine doctor like me is helpless. What could a brat not even twenty years old possibly do?"
Xie Guannan kept his gaze fixed on Ci Qianluo's beautiful eyes.
Completely ignored by Xie Guannan, the latter simply spoke slowly: "I wasn't asking you! You can get out!"
Being ignored in such a manner caused fury to surge up in Divine Doctor Li: "You unfilial brat, showing no respect for your elders! Today I'd like to see how you plan to save this old fellow whose body is already half buried in the dirt."
"I am practicing medicine, would unrelated people please leave!" Xie Guannan said pointedly.
Anyone with eyes knew he was talking about Divine Doctor Li.
Divine Doctor Li felt extremely aggrieved and wanted to say something more.
Ci Qianluo interrupted, "Senior Li, please return."
Since the master of the place had spoken, what reason did he have to stay any longer?
.......
After Divine Doctor Li left.
Ci Qianluo looked at Xie Guannan with red, tear-filled eyes, full of expectation: "Can you really save my great-grandfather?"
"I'm not entirely certain, but I should be able to give it a try," Xie Guannan reminded her.
"Regardless of success or failure, I am deeply grateful to you."
Xie Guannan stepped closer to Ci Qianluo, stared into her eyes, and teased, "If it succeeds, how will you thank me?"
Ci Qianluo darted her eyes away and said somewhat awkwardly, "If you can cure him, I'll do whatever you want."
Xie Guannan smiled mischievously: "Whatever I want? Be my maid, then!"
Ci Qianluo's face instantly flashed with anger, but she didn't dare to retort.
She hadn't expected Xie Guannan to say that, but he was the only one in front of her who could save her great-grandfather.
"Besides, my life was given by him. It's just... this is so embarrassing," Ci Qianluo weighed in her heart, her expression troubled.
Just as Xie Guannan was about to get up and leave,
Ci Qianluo gritted her teeth, speaking impulsively without thinking: "If you cure him, let alone being a maid, signing a deed of servitude is fine!"
The air suddenly fell silent. Xie Guannan had never expected her to say such a thing.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. What on earth had she just said?! How utterly humiliating!
Xie Guannan wasn't someone who would easily trust others.
"Since you can go this far, make an oath!"
Ci Qianluo hadn't expected Xie Guannan to be serious, but her great-grandfather's condition left her no room for hesitation.
Ci Qianluo wiped the tears from her face, raised three fingers to the sky, and spoke in a solemn voice:
"I, Ci Qianluo, hereby swear an oath: if the person before me cures my great-grandfather, then I, Ci Qianluo, will obey Xie Guannan's every command and submit entirely to his disposal. Should I violate this, may my body and soul be destroyed and I never find reincarnation for all eternity!"
As if the heavens had heard, a bolt of purple-gold divine lightning descended from the sky, striking the center of Ci Qianluo's brows.
The divine lightning of a Great Dao oath was different from ordinary lightning; the former caused no harm and was not equivalent to a heavenly punishment.
Xie Guannan was somewhat stunned, not expecting Ci Qianluo to gain the recognition of the Great Dao, and a purple-gold lightning bolt at that.
This was the highest form of recognition from the Heavenly Dao.
The consequences of violating this Great Dao oath were countless times more severe than a slave mark or soul blood.
Xie Guannan hurriedly sat upright and circulated his Spiritual Power. He couldn't delay too long, or the situation would only grow worse.
Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, Xie Guannan circulated the spiritual energy within his body.
He placed both hands on the old man's wrists. Beside them, Ci Qianluo furrowed her brows slightly, her small hands tightly clenched, her lips pressed together.
Half an hour later, Xie Guannan suddenly leaned sideways and began to topple over. Ci Qianluo hurriedly stepped forward to catch him, supporting him to the edge of the bed.
The two sat side by side.
"Are you alright?" Ci Qianluo asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. Doing this with such low cultivation is still a bit too straining," Xie Guannan said, rubbing his temples.
"Then... how is my grandfather's condition?" Ci Qianluo asked about her grandfather, her demeanor somewhat anxious.
At the same time, a bolt of purple-gold thunder descended from the sky, striking the center of Ci Qianluo's brows once more.
A trace of joy welled up in Ci Qianluo's heart, crystalline light shimmering in her beautiful eyes. This second bolt of purple lightning was the verification that the Great Dao oath had taken effect!
It meant her great-grandfather's life was saved.
"Benefactor, how did you manage it?"
Xie Guannan said, "Miss Ci, actually, you can just call me Xie Guannan!"
"Understood. Then can't I call you Benefactor?" Ci Qianluo retorted.
"As you like," Xie Guannan said, speechless.
"The Great Dao oath has taken effect, and you must now obey my every command. Don't you regret it?!" Xie Guannan stared into Ci Qianluo's eyes and asked seriously.
"Do you have a regret pill? I'd like to buy one," Ci Qianluo said with a mournful face.
"Accept your fate, it's all destiny!" Xie Guannan teased.
Ci Qianluo snorted coldly: "My life is extremely precious!"
Xie Guannan didn't bother to entertain her further.
"Elder Ci's condition hasn't fully recovered yet. My cultivation is too low, so executing the Five Elements Technique was still too strenuous. I merely performed a simple adjustment of the five elements to pull him back from the brink of death; he is not yet fully healed."
"What on earth did you guys go through? Why was the old man injured like this?"
Ci Qianluo's little mouth hung slightly open, as if she had heard something incredible. Simply adjusting the five elements?
How many people in this Boundless Xuan Continent could use the adjustment of the five elements to drag someone back from the edge of life and death?
But upon hearing the latter half of the sentence, she instantly lowered her head, her gaze dimming, her voice choking up: "It's all my fault for acting recklessly. Otherwise, grandfather wouldn't have..."
"Without you, your great-grandfather wouldn't have returned either, would he? It's fine," Xie Guannan comforted.
－016 Deep Within the Monster Forest
Ci Qianluo fell silent, as if deep in thought.
"So what happened next?" Xie Guannan waited a moment before asking again.
"Grandfather went to look for the Snake Saliva Fruit, and that thing was guarded by a great demon, the scaly viper."
"After multiple clashes, the scaly viper was no match for grandfather and shifted its target to me."
"Later, grandfather blocked the scaly viper's natal poison for me. Originally, the scaly viper was already heavily wounded and on the verge of death, but me... it's all my fault, I dragged grandfather down."
Ci Qianluo was already sobbing uncontrollably. These memories filled her with self-blame and sorrow.
Pouring her heart out to Xie Guannan, her psychological defenses had long since lowered considerably toward him.
Xie Guannan rested his hand on Ci Qianluo's shoulder, stroking it gently.
Ci Qianluo shivered symbolically for a moment, then stopped resisting.
A fragile girl needed a sense of security, and the simplest way to find it was by the side of someone she trusted!
.......
Listening to the even breathing coming from his embrace, Xie Guannan let out a helpless sigh.
Immediately after, Xie Guannan picked up Ci Qianluo, a faint fragrance lingering in his arms.
Xie Guannan couldn't help taking a few extra sniffs.
Ahem!
He was a proper male lead! After inquiring with the housekeeper, he walked slowly toward Ci Qianluo's boudoir.
The door pushed open.
The room was exceptionally large, yet contained very few items.
"This really is desolate," Xie Guannan couldn't help sighing. Holding Ci Qianluo, he walked straight inside, gently laid the beauty in his arms down, and tucked her in.
Turning to leave, Xie Guannan had his own matters to attend to.
"Severely wounded and dying?"
In Xie Guannan's memories, there seemed to be a black-armored giant bear wreaking havoc in the Monster Forest, but what did that have to do with this?!
Xie Guannan's eyes suddenly lit up. "How could I forget? Serpent demons and bears are natural enemies! If the bear demon killed the serpent demon and snatched the Snake Saliva Fruit, it would be entirely reasonable for it to evolve into a black-armored giant bear."
With that thought, Xie Guannan dashed straight out the door.
........
Dusk.
A bright and cold beauty slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her sleepy eyes, which were still somewhat red.
Looking at her surroundings, her bright eyes held a hint of confusion.
"How did I end up in my room?"
"Ah—!"
Aches all over her body made it difficult for Ci Qianluo to get up!
"Could he have done something to me?" Disregarding the pain, Ci Qianluo sat up abruptly, checking her clothes. There wasn't the slightest trace of them having been disturbed.
She instantly heaved a sigh of relief.
"Maybe I was just too tired from the journey back yesterday! I wronged him."
Following that,
her lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug little expression.
She murmured softly to herself: "I'm yours now, so aren't you likewise mine?" Finished speaking, Ci Qianluo felt a sudden wave of embarrassment, her face flushed red as she buried her head straight into the quilt.
Pampered since childhood, Ci Qianluo had always been the apple of her family's eye. Given her family's formidable strength, she had never needed to worry about political marriages.
Suitors who came to propose marriage had all been turned away by her family, and she had never interacted with men from the outside world.
Xie Guannan, all things considered, was the very first. Yet Xie Guannan didn't hold much emotional attachment toward her.
.......
Xie Guannan returned to the Monster Forest, retracing his steps!
At the same time, deep in the forest, a figure slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air after absorbing and refining a Tier 2 pig demon's beast core.
His cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation period, Level 6.
Deep within the Monster Forest.
The roars of demonic beasts echoed continuously, cries of agony and furious growls following one after another.
Xie Guannan stopped.
He patted the scattered leaves off his body.
"A-achoo—!"
"Who's thinking of me?" Xie Guannan rubbed his nose.
He felt a baffling sense of bewilderment. He had practically been hunted all the way here.
Just as he had managed to evade them, a sudden sneeze made him feel like his little life was about to be surrendered right here.
Fortunately, no demonic beasts had noticed him.
Night fell!
The deep night did not affect Xie Guannan's vision.
The scene that came into view made Xie Guannan's heart leap with joy.
The rocks were shattered beyond recognition.
Trees had been snapped in half.
These traces clearly indicated that a heaven-shaking battle had taken place here.
Ahead was a cave.
Puddles of blood stained the cave entrance.
"Indeed, the scaly viper's lair," Xie Guannan muttered to himself.
A severely wounded scaly viper—rather than letting someone else reap the benefits, it was better to find a way to claim it for himself.
Such a high-tier demonic beast was bound to have a beast core, and the Snake Saliva Fruit was also inside this scaly viper's cave.
The value was incalculable!
The most crucial thing was that his own cultivation truly wasn't enough. He had planned to pick soft persimmons, but look at the situation now!
A Tier 1 Qi Condensation cultivator going after a Rank 4 scaly viper!
With his current mid-stage Qi Condensation Level 6 cultivation, there was simply nothing he could do against this scaly viper.
Although his mouth watered, he still had a clear grasp of his own strength.
Going up there would just turn him into a snake-to-be-eaten delicacy. But just as Xie Guannan was pondering this,
the ground suddenly trembled, and a figure resembling a small mountain came into his field of vision.
He looked up.
It turned out to be a Rank 4 advanced demonic beast, the Black Rock Bear.
"Just as I guessed, these two fellows are sworn enemies to begin with," Xie Guannan rejoiced.
"Could this Black Rock Bear have sensed the scaly viper's unstable aura?"
Before he could even figure out a solution, nature had solved the problem for him.
A fierce battle between the two was inevitable.
Xie Guannan retreated several hundred meters away, holding a bow and arrow along with the Xuan Sword, preparing to sit back and watch the tigers fight.
He watched as the Black Rock Bear gradually approached the cave.
Inside the cave.
A pair of vertical pupils snapped open.
As if realizing something, the snake flicked its forked tongue, its gaze sharp.
......
The Black Rock Bear drew close to the cave entrance.
The next instant, the Black Rock Bear was sent flying backward.
Where it landed, trees instantly collapsed, crushed to pieces beneath the mountain-like bear demon.
Xie Guannan hadn't expected the scaly viper to be of such massive size, and he lamented, "Could this thing be Tier 5?!"
The Black Rock Bear's head was only as large as the scaly viper's mouth, meaning the disparity in size between the two wasn't actually that great.
Rank 4 demonic beasts possessed an intelligence no lower than humans; it understood that if it chose to leave, once the scaly viper healed its injuries, there was no guarantee it wouldn't become the next prey.
The scaly viper let out a series of angry roars toward the Black Rock Bear before it.
It was warning the Black Rock Bear.
You've crossed the line!
Looking at the scaly viper covered in wounds, the Black Rock Bear opened its massive maw and charged forward to tear at the scaly viper's injuries.
The serpent's body wriggled, pain shooting through every inch of its frame as it let out a miserable roar.
The scaly viper whipped around to bite back.
The Black Rock Bear slapped a massive paw down, and a massive black boulder suddenly rose from the ground.
Before the scaly viper could brake, it crashed headfirst into it. The rock shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere, with quite a few fragments flying toward Xie Guannan's side.
The piercing pain from the bites on its body, combined with the obstruction of the boulder,
flared its wrath to the extreme.
It spat a mouthful of venom straight at the Black Rock Bear.
Realizing the situation was grim, the Black Rock Bear summoned another boulder.
The boulder sizzled upon contact with the venom.
－017 Watching the Tigers Fight
The boulder instantly melted into pus, scattering all over the ground.
The scaly viper viciously bit down on the Black Rock Bear's shoulder.
The Black Rock Bear roared, but it had no way out.
At this moment, it could no longer afford to mind the agony from its shoulder, quickly turning its arm to rock to halt the spread of the poison.
Immediately after, the Black Rock Bear's right paw hardened into black stone and slammed down onto the scaly viper's head.
The scaly viper was smashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
It was evident that despite its Tier 5 cultivation, the scaly viper had been through previous battles and might not necessarily be a match for the Black Rock Bear right now.
The next moment, a mist erupted from the scaly viper's body, instantly boiling.
Sensing something was amiss, the Black Rock Bear directly backed away.
"Could this scaly viper be burning its bloodline?"
"Dragon Transformation!"
Xie Guannan's mouth fell open as he stood frozen in place, muttering to himself: "In a place like this, a scaly viper's bloodline actually has the potential to transform into a dragon."
"Roar—roar—roar—"
A single horn grew from the scaly viper's head, and two claws sprouted from its forebody.
The scales on its body emitted a faint silver glow.
The Black Rock Bear showed not the slightest hint of fear; its entire body underwent rock-transformation, turning its skin into a black rock armor.
The two engaged in a chaotic brawl once more.
"Burning its bloodline for a dragon transformation—it shouldn't be able to hold out for long," Xie Guannan calculated inwardly.
With a thud, the half-dragonized scaly viper collapsed to the ground.
The Black Rock Bear withdrew its rock-transformation.
It seemed to tell the scaly viper with a look of disdain: I have won!
Yet the next instant, the scaly viper lunged forward, thrusting its dragon horn straight at the Black Rock Bear.
The Black Rock Bear instantly initiated its rock-transformation, but the scaly viper was too fast; the black rock armor hadn't completely coalesced.
The hard and sharp dragon horn directly pierced the Black Rock Bear's stone armor, impaling its heart.
Blood poured endlessly from the wound in its chest. Enraged, the Black Rock Bear went berserk, its entire body completely hardening into black stone.
Gripping the dragon horn with both hands, it forcefully wrenched the horn out and drove it straight into the scaly viper's eyes.
The scaly viper, which already lacked vital energy, completely breathed its last.
Its heart pierced, the poison within the dragon horn rapidly spread, while the Black Rock Bear's rock-transformation continued to fade.
The Black Rock Bear seemed to gather every ounce of black rock power left in its body toward its heart, its flesh returning to normal.
Staggering unsteadily, it began to walk toward the cave!
"Good opportunity!" Xie Guannan shouted, drawing his sword and rushing in for the kill. The Black Rock Bear's perceptual abilities were far worse than before, and Xie Guannan was completely ignored, treated like a mere ant.
Xie Guannan rushed forward with his sword, thrusting it into the back of the beast's neck before flicking the blade aside.
The Black Rock Bear collapsed to the ground, dead with everlasting regret as a streak of red appeared across its neck.