Translator: CinderTL
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"Whoosh!"
Li Chunjun's figure retreated rapidly.
He wanted to avoid the possibility that Zhang Qing might have some talisman that could trigger a violent explosion, dragging him down to perish together.
The distance between the two was instantly widened by more than ten meters.
"I... I..."
Zhang Qing felt the emptiness and disarray in his chest, and an uncontrollable fear surged in his eyes.
He frantically tried to pick up the spilled organs and stuff them back into his abdomen, but no matter how quickly he moved, more organs continued to slip out.
Yet, even so, he didn't dare to stop. His trembling hands kept repeating the motions of picking up the organs and shoving them back inside.
The instinct for survival constantly reminded and urged him that if he didn't do this, he would die.
He was going to die.
Death!
In the face of death, no matter how high and mighty a person usually is, as if standing above the clouds, their behavior is no different from that of an ordinary person.
They would feel fear.
They would feel terror.
They would panic.
They would tremble.
Thus...
In the face of death, all beings are equal.
"Save me... I have the most advanced emergency medical equipment from the Central Continent... I can still be saved... Save me... I can give you the Flaming Phoenix Blood! I can give you the Flaming Phoenix Blood..."
"Whoosh!"
A sword light tore through the air!
A short sword instantly pierced through the void, striking Zhang Qing's forehead and penetrating straight through.
"Shhhk!"
The tip of the sword protruded from the back of his head.
His nervous system was destroyed.
The words he had been about to say were abruptly cut off.
It was Li Chunjun, who, while retreating, had accurately picked up the Wolf Fang Short Sword. Before even landing, he had decisively thrown the sword in his hand.
Swift as lightning!
Gutting him clearly wasn't enough!
If not for the fear of mutual destruction, Li Chunjun should have swung his sword again the moment he retreated, decapitating his enemy!
Only then could he ensure the enemy's true death!
Because...
Li Chunjun knew!
With the extraordinary vitality granted by his life level of 13, such injuries...
Could indeed still be treated!
Decapitation or piercing the skull—these were the truly cautious and thorough methods.
As for the so-called "Flaming Phoenix Blood" that Zhang Qing mentioned?
Sorry.
At eighteen years old, having only been on the martial path for a month, Li Chunjun had no idea what that was.
The effects of adrenaline gradually faded.
Weakness and pain flooded his entire body.
Shoulder, waist, chest...
Three bloody holes.
Injuries like these would have long turned an ordinary person into a corpse.
Even for him, they were serious.
But he endured, ignoring them.
Until...
…
"Killed a level 13 creature, experience +2158!"
...
[Life Level: 13 (2461/3000)]
...
Only at this moment did he truly relax.
Then, he simply sat down on the ground and began to tend to his injuries.
After a while, he stood up again.
It was too rough.
He didn't even know how to do basic bandaging.
The fact that he hadn't passed out despite such severe injuries...
Was entirely due to his body's resilience.
"Medical equipment."
Dragging his heavily injured body, he walked deeper into the alchemy room.
This area had long been transformed by Zhang Qing into his secret base, with more than just the alchemy room.
Well, perhaps not a secret base.
But from the fact that Zhang Qing hadn't let Shi Jiang Long or Shi Fuhu lead the way when he entered, it was clear that even his two most trusted subordinates weren't qualified to enter this area.
So, he wasn't in a hurry.
Besides, when it came to alchemy, it was normal for a single session to last three to five days.
Li Chunjun searched room by room.
Inside, there were bedrooms, lounges, meditation rooms, bathrooms, and medical rooms—everything one could need.
When he arrived at the medical room, the first thing he noticed was...
A futuristic-looking medical pod.
"Whether energy infusion succeeds or fails, it places an enormous burden on the body. Even with body-refining elixirs to preserve life, recovery is still necessary. Zhang Qing failed three times in a row, so it makes sense that he prepared top-tier medical equipment."
Li Chunjun stepped forward and glanced at the device.
Thanks to the abolition of various national scripts thirty years ago and the unification of the immortal sect's script, he had no trouble understanding the device's controls.
However, just as he was about to operate the machine, he keenly sensed something.
A life force!
He detected a faint...
But unmistakable life force!
Li Chunjun's expression turned serious.
He didn't know if the medical pod would administer anesthesia during treatment, but...
The presence of a third party in this secret base would undoubtedly pose a significant risk during his treatment.
Following the sensation of the life force, Li Chunjun soon stopped in front of a mirror.
After some searching, he found an electronic lock that required fingerprints and iris recognition.
It was obvious who could unlock it.
Considering that Zhang Qing had just died and the sphincter muscles of his iris wouldn't relax that quickly, Li Chunjun went outside and dragged the corpse of "Master Qing" back inside.
After some verification...
"Beep!"
The door opened.
A room resembling a biological laboratory appeared before him.
Almost as soon as the door opened, Li Chunjun's gaze locked onto the source of the life force.
But when he saw the figure clearly, he was visibly stunned.
At the same time, the figure also turned its gaze toward Li Chunjun.
A moment later, its eyes fell on the corpse of Zhang Qing at the door.
This man, who appeared to be in his early twenties but looked emaciated, was momentarily stunned. Then, he opened his mouth.
"Haha, dead! Haha, you old bastard, you're finally dead! Hahahaha..."
Laughter!
He couldn't contain the wild joy in his heart, laughing uncontrollably, even maniacally.
"Hahahaha..."
His laughter was filled with a mix of ecstasy, madness, sorrow, and pain.
He laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face, his mouth unable to close for a long time.
The entire biological laboratory was filled with his insane laughter.
But...
Li Chunjun could understand.
Because the person before him...
Could no longer be considered a person.
He had no lower body.
No arms.
His entire body was kept alive in a nutrient tank, with only his head protruding.
Dozens of tubes of unknown purpose were connected to his body, delivering nutrients and sustaining his life.
Perhaps...
Something was also being extracted from him to maintain the experiments.
And the culprit behind all this, without a doubt, was Master Qing.
It was no wonder that when he saw Master Qing's corpse, he laughed so maniacally.
No one knew how long he had been in this state.
"Hahaha... dead... wuwuwu..."
The maniacal laughter lasted for nearly a minute before gradually turning into sobs.
Tears of pain, resentment, and despair.
This went on for a little while longer before it finally stopped.
He looked at Li Chunjun, his eyes filled with deep longing, and said resolutely, "Kill me."
Li Chunjun looked at him...
For a long moment, before finally saying, "A cultivator? Perhaps... still capable of regenerating from a drop of blood?"
"The Flaming Phoenix bloodline in my body has been extracted. I can no longer cultivate."
After alternating between laughter and tears, there seemed to be little emotion left in his eyes.
Having been in despair for so long, his emotions had long since numbed. The only thing that had kept him going was the obsession of seeing Zhang Qing dead.
Now...
Finally seeing Zhang Qing's corpse, that last bit of willpower had completely dissipated.
His heart was already dead.
"Please, kill me."
He looked at Li Chunjun. "As thanks, I'll tell you the true method to refine the Flaming Phoenix Blood."
(End of the Chapter)
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