Chapter 82: I Have a Story to Tell You

Sang Lao was exactly that kind of person—if someone didn't catch his eye, their life or death meant nothing to him.

If he took a liking to you, he would treat you like a precious treasure that no one could take away.

It was like the value he placed on the Jiu Da Zhang Lao and Xu Xiaoshou…

Well, they weren’t even comparable.

Seeing the young man fall silent, the old man adjusted his straw hat and turned to Xiao Qixiu, saying:

“Tonight’s capture plan failed. The masked man’s strength exceeded expectations; he killed two Nei Yuan disciples and retreated calmly.”

He paused, then added:

“Just announce it like that.”

Xiao Qixiu was stunned and looked toward Ye Xiaotian.

Ye Xiaotian stared at Sang Lao in shock, still recovering from his unexpected maneuver.

Sang Lao chuckled slyly:

“If you want this arm reattached, just nod.”

Ye Xiaotian:

“…”

He clutched his severed arm, where the bleeding had already stopped, but without a high-grade lian dan shi, he might be stuck like this forever.

Ye Xiaotian fell into deep thought.

Then, right before Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes, the floating white-haired daoist child nodded slightly.

“Good.”

Xiao Qixiu had no choice but to nod reluctantly as well.

Xu Xiaoshou was completely shocked—the legendary impartial Da Zhang Lao of Ling Fa Ge had been swayed with just a word?

Was this the power of authority and status?

It was almost too exhilarating!

Xu Xiaoshou was over the moon, realizing that his involvement in the killing tonight would likely be swept under the rug.

In truth, if he argued his case, he could stand his ground, but it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

No one wanted to end up on Ling Fa Ge’s execution platform!

Xiao Qixiu didn’t dwell on such minor matters. His gaze toward Sang Lao reignited with the same initial excitement.

“So…”

“That masked man was…”

Sang Lao glanced at the fresh new flesh on his chest and said:

“You’ve already tasted it yourself, haven’t you? You have the answer, so why ask me?”

“Was it really him?”

“Mm.”

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled by their cryptic exchange and asked curiously:

“So, who is it?”

Six pairs of eyes turned on him like knives, making Xu Xiaoshou step back quickly.

“Isn’t it you guys who wanted me here? We’re just gossiping together, but now you’re shutting me out…” he said weakly.

The three of them were puzzled—what gossip?

Sang Lao patted Xu Xiaoshou on the shoulder:

“Focus on your cultivation. These things aren’t for you to deal with yet.”

“Oh.”

But Xu Xiaoshou’s curiosity about the masked man only grew.

This guy was clearly a sword cultivator too, and he had even walked the path of pure sword intent in battle, but…

He recalled their first encounter, when the other’s tone of dissuasion seemed genuine, as if that path was truly unviable.

Yet, if it was unviable, how could he be so strong?

Taking on the entire Tian Sang Ling Gong single-handedly?

Xu Xiaoshou felt an itch like a cat scratching at his heart—the answer was right there, but no one would explain it to him.

How frustrating!

“Alright, everyone scatter.”

Sang Lao shook his head and looked up at the sky, where dawn had broken and the air after the rain was refreshingly clear.

Xiao Qixiu bid farewell and left, but Ye Xiaotian stared at Xu Xiaoshou, making him feel confused.

“You’re the champion of this year’s ‘Feng Yun Zheng Ba’?”

The childlike voice rang out.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded blankly, unsure of his intentions.

“Starting tomorrow, you can enter the Nei Yuan.”

“???”

What was going on?

The Nei Yuan he had fought so hard to get into was now granted with just a word?

Sang Lao rolled his eyes and smacked Ye Xiaotian on the head with a “smack.”

“Nei Yuan? Go back and tell those old fossils that Xu Xiaoshou doesn’t need to enter the Nei Yuan!”

I do need it!

Xu Xiaoshou screamed internally, but he was a bit dazed and decided to wait and see.

Ye Xiaotian glared fiercely at Sang Lao and then left just like that.

It was… over…

Xu Xiaoshou stumbled a bit—so, was he in or not?

Could someone give a straight answer?

This was driving him crazy!

“Ye Xiaotian, from now on, be more decisive—cut off what needs to be cut off. I’ve told you this so many times!” Sang Lao shouted at the slowly departing figure of the white-haired daoist child.

Ye Xiaotian waved his severed arm to remind him not to forget the treatment, then vanished from sight.

Xu Xiaoshou withdrew his gaze and suddenly realized he was alone with Sang Lao.

He started to feel uneasy.

Why was it always E Hu Lake and this old man?

Painful memories surged back.

“Then I’ll head back now?” he asked tentatively.

“You can’t leave yet.”

Sang Lao’s expression turned serious, dropping his usual sly smile. “I have a story to tell you.”

He walked ahead, and Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath to suppress his urge to flee, then followed.

“On the Sheng Shen Da Lu, there are five domains. In the distant Zhong Yu Sheng Shen Tian, there’s a ‘Sheng Gong,’ the holy land in the hearts of all lian ling shi on the continent.”

Sang Lao clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze full of longing.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. He only knew that the land under his feet was Dong Yu Jian Shen Tian, where sword cultivators were predominant.

As for the other four domains, he had only a vague understanding.

And as for ‘Sheng Gong,’ he had never heard of it.

“Inside Sheng Gong, there’s a lake, about the same as the E Hu here but twice as large.”

Sang Lao pointed to the E Hu within the white jade railing, where the water had evaporated by half, and continued slowly: “It’s called ‘Da E Hu.’”

Xu Xiaoshou:

“…”

“By the Da E Hu, there was often a young boy, about your age, who liked to train his body in that peaceful place.”

“Before long, he achieved Xian Tian Rou Shen.”

Xu Xiaoshou paused, glancing at the old man in the straw hat, as if realizing something.

“The boy didn’t enjoy it for long. One night, an old bald monk appeared and forced him to swallow a ‘Jin Zhao Huo Zhong.’”

“Mm, he resisted at the time.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s face darkened—this sounded just like his own story.

Was it possible that the boy was Sang Lao, and now he was getting revenge by doing the same to him?

He kept listening.

“A month later, his Xian Tian Rou Shen was indeed burned away!”

“The old bald monk appeared again, fed him another fire seed, and gave him a cultivation technique.”

“‘Jin Zhao Tian Fen’?”

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists—this guy had it worse than him. His Xian Tian Rou Shen was destroyed, and he still had to take a fire seed? That was a dead end for sure!

“Exactly!” Sang Lao nodded. “The old bald monk told the boy, ‘Do you hate me? If you hate me, cultivate this technique and then defeat me.’”

“The boy had no choice. Filled with resentment, he practiced the technique desperately. In just a year, he stepped back into the realm of Xian Tian Rou Shen.”

“Then, three days later, he achieved the Zong Shi level!”

“At that point, he realized that, without knowing it, he had broken the continent’s rumored shackles that Xian Tian Rou Shen couldn’t surpass Zong Shi.”

“In total, it took just over a year.”

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded—the story’s turn of events was completely beyond his expectations.