As long as thereâs no more agony from Destiny Retribution.
Iâll be able to unleash the full power of my Land Immortal cultivation without any reservations.
When that time comes, even if Ye Liuyun harbors ulterior motives, even if others are up to something else, it wonât matter to me anymore.
At worst, Iâll just kill them all and get a new batch.
Anyway, as long as I, this Land Immortal, still live, Great Qian cannot fall.
...
Although Lingdan City wasnât far from the Great Qian Imperial City, even hurrying at full speed, it would still take until the next day to reach Lingdan City.
At this moment, Lingdan City still appeared tranquil and harmonious.
Most inhabitants of Lingdan City were alchemy masters, and their usual conversations were mainly discussions about alchemy techniques.
Even their competitions were contests of alchemy skills.
Compared to other places,
Lingdan Cityâs atmosphere was a lot more peaceful, and signs of conflict were rarely seen.
And within Lingdan City, the Zhao familyâ
was one of the most prestigious alchemist clans, respected wherever they went.
However,
the mood in the Zhao family right now was far from pleasant.
Sitting at the head of the table was the patriarch of the Zhao family, Zhao Xingjin.
He was also the Zhao familyâs only Grandmaster Realm martial artist.
The Zhao familyâs rise to the top tier of Lingdan Cityâs alchemy clans was inseparable from the presence of this Grandmaster Realm patriarch.
Besides Zhao Xingjin, the others present were all senior Zhao family members, his brothers or uncles.
But none of those uncles dared to put on any airs before Zhao Xingjin.
So submissive and humble were they,
that anyone looking in might have thought Zhao Xingjin was their elder.
"I just donât get it. Lingdan City is only so bigâhow can we search so many days and still not find a single person?"
Even Feng Feiyi has already been injured.
And yet, after all these days, they still havenât caught a glimpse of the guy.
Itâs like heâs got wings and vanished from the face of the earth.
"So what if we canât find him? All the other Embroidered Uniform Guard were killed by us anyway. Even if one slips away, whatâs the big deal?"
Feng Feiyi originally brought a dozen or so Embroidered Uniform Guard.
And all of them have already been killed by the Zhao familyâs people.
"Exactly. So what if one escapes back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard? You think theyâd really go to war with our Zhao family over a couple of their lackeys? As if they donât want us to keep making pills for them?"
"Besides, as long as the patriarch is here, how could those Embroidered Uniform Guard dare cause trouble for our Zhao family!"
By the end,
everyoneâs expression had grown dismissive.
They seemed to thinkâ
after all, it was just a few ordinary Embroidered Uniform Guard.
And they were the Zhao familyâthe Zhao family that could refine top-grade pills. As long as the Embroidered Uniform Guard needed their supply, they would never risk making trouble.
Let alone a few Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Even if there were several more,
at worst, they could just offer up more pills, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard side wouldnât press them, right?
In these peopleâs eyes,
thatâs just how the world worked. Human life was worth less than grass; profit was everything.
By the end,
everyoneâs gaze couldnât help but settle on Zhao Xingjin, the man at the head.
After all,
in the end, the final decision had to rest with the patriarch, Zhao Xingjin.
"..."
Zhao Xingjin did not speak, only fiddled his walnuts in his hands ever faster.
A martial artistâs senses are sharpâthe stronger the martial artist, the sharper they become.
In fact, these peopleâs views were exactly Zhao Xingjinâs view too. It was just a few lives, what did it matter to hand over a few more pills in the end?
But for some reason,
For days now, Zhao Xingjin had been feeling restless.
His heart couldnât find any peace, as though something momentous was about to happen.
"Hoo..."
He slowly regulated his breath, hands pausing mid-motion.
Zhao Xingjin spoke sharply,
"Keep searching. I want him dead or alive!"
Though he still didnât know the cause of his unrest,
he felt certain it had to do with that Embroidered Uniform Guard who escaped.
Which was why Zhao Xingjin was so determined to find him and get to the bottom of it.
"Y-yes, Patriarch!"
Although they couldnât understand why the patriarch was so insistent on catching that Embroidered Uniform Guard,
there was no choice.
The order had been given, so all they could do was nod in compliance.
They then began to arrange for more men to head out and continue the search.
Except!
Just then, a servant rushed in urgently.
"Patriarch! Itâs the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"Found him?"
Zhao Xingjinâs eyes lit up, thinking they had caught their man.
Butâ
"N-no, thatâs not it! Itâs a lot of Embroidered Uniform Guard! There are loads of Embroidered Uniform Guard outside the city, theyâll be entering soon!"
As one of Lingdan Cityâs top alchemist clans, the Zhao family had eyes and ears everywhere, and Ye Liuyunâs group made no effort to conceal their arrival.
So even before they reached Lingdan City, the Zhao family had already gotten word.
"Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
The moment those words dropped, everyoneâZhao Xingjin includedâinstinctively frowned.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard arriving at this timeâ
made it impossible not to connect the dots to the Embroidered Uniform Guard they had just killed some time ago.
Could it beâ
word has gotten out, and theyâre here for revenge?
No, that canât be right.
They still hadnât caught the guy, but they had people stationed at every city gate. If any strangers tried to enter or leave Lingdan City, thereâs no way theyâd have missed it.