Chapter 728 | I Really Don't Want to Cultivate Immortality!

The Spirit Lord was dead, and the source of the Spirit Tower had been severed early by Li Shuhe. Thus, the formation broke easily. However, compared to the Sovereign's violent demolition, Li Shuhe's method was much gentler....

Consequently, the orb of light that resembled a blood-red sun remained, though it had dimmed significantly.

Approaching the orb, Li Shuhe entered it and retrieved the remaining spirit sources.

The others stopped and waited quietly.

"Xu... little friend...."

A raspy, barely audible voice sounded, drawing everyone's attention. Their gazes shifted, and they discovered that the figure bound to the stone pillar by iron chains was a living person, not a mere decoration.

Looking closely, it was an old acquaintance.

"Fang Xiaoyao?"

"How is it him..."

"This is....."

Xu Xian couldn't help but frown. He hadn't noticed the man's presence earlier because his aura was simply too weak—so weak that he was like an ant crawling beneath one's feet, easily overlooked.

The group scrutinized him with expressions identical to Xu Xian's: shock, daze, and confusion. The former saint of Fanzhou, the founder of the Daoist Ancestral Court, Daoist Ancestor Fang Xiaoyao, had actually been reduced to such a state.

His white hair was a tangled mess, and his aura was as precarious as a stack of eggs. His exposed skin was stained with blood, which was partially hidden under the direct glare of the crimson light. Faint grey lines crisscrossed his body, bearing a striking resemblance to Li Shuhe's condition.

Xu Xian approached and looked down at him.

The man didn't open his eyes or lift his head. He only whispered weakly, "Help me..."

His voice was hollow, laced with a desperate plea.

The group's gazes shifted back and forth between Xu Xian and Fang Xiaoyao, seemingly trying to guess what would happen. Would Xu Xian save him? Was there even any saving him?

Xu Xian furrowed his brows and asked, "How can I help?"

Fang Xiaoyao struggled to lift his eyelids. His gaze peered through his messy hair like a dying old man in his final moments, his eyes filled with helplessness and exhaustion...

"Kill... me."

The group froze.

Xu Xian's expression hardened.

A moment later, Li Shuhe returned. Noticing the strange atmosphere, she didn't stop her pace, only glancing at Fang Xiaoyao as she walked. When she passed by Xu Xian's side, she said pointedly, "He won't die. He will turn into one of those monsters. If he's lucky, he'll become a Grey Spirit. If not, he'll be a Death Spirit."

She provided the conclusion, though it was an answer most present had already guessed.

Xu Xian's heart was heavy. After a brief struggle, he waved his hand. A strand of sword qi silently severed the chains.

Fang Xiaoyao crashed heavily to the ground, landing face-down and sprawled out, unable to move. He only let out a muffled groan.

Xu Xian turned to leave. Everyone had their own fate and their own path.

The man had wanted to become an immortal.

Xu Xian had let him ascend to the Heavens.

He had left on his own.

And now he had ended up like this.

Xu Xian didn't want to get involved, nor did he have the power to fix this. He would let the man fend for himself.

"Help... me."

Xu Xian's foot stopped mid-step. Whether it was a moment of soft-heartedness or something else, he found himself asking, "Give me a reason."

Give me a reason sufficient for me to help you—a reason that can convince me to stain my hands with your blood.

Fang Xiaoyao rasped, "I... don't want to become one of those monsters."

Xu Xian turned his head slightly, his gaze dropping. "That has nothing to do with me."

To Xu Xian, being a monster was better than simply dying. Too many of their people had died already; if a few could stay alive, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

In the future, if he himself failed and fell, at least there would still be a Fanzhou being in the Heavens, even if he were a monster. Just like Li Shuhe—she was all that remained of Sword Province.

Fang Xiaoyao confessed repentantly, "I hated your master my whole life. I resented him for ten thousand years. In the end, I finally realized... I was wrong. I was wrong my entire life. I don't want to keep being wrong."

The eight people fell silent. Xu Xian understood. Fang Xiaoyao wasn't afraid of becoming a monster; he was afraid that, as a monster, he would one day point his sword at the mortal realm of Fanzhou.

He had been here. He had experienced it. He knew how powerful the darkness was, just as he was currently unable to even take his own life.

Xu Xian was moved. This reason, at least, was enough to convince him. He thought that if he ever faced such a moment in the future, perhaps he would make the same choice.

Just like in the dream of the heart demon, where he refused to use the five spirits even unto death.

"Fine!"

Xu Xian agreed. He turned back and walked over to the man. With a beckoning gesture, a broken sword flew into his hand. He raised his hand and brought the blade down, pinning Daoist Fang to the ground. Before the man could be completely assimilated by the darkness, a single strike shattered his dantian, sea of consciousness, acupoints, and Saint Soul.

Xu Xian's sword was swift, and it fell instantly. Fang Xiaoyao felt no pain; instead, Xu Xian had brought an end to his suffering.

But because it was so fast, he didn't even have time to say thank you.

Xu Xian let go of the broken sword. With a flick of his wrist, a white cloth appeared in his hand. He tossed it down casually. The white cloth fluttered and drifted, landing perfectly over Fang Xiaoyao, completely covering his battered and broken body.

Consider it a final bit of dignity.

This time, Xu Xian did not look back. He gestured to the group. "Let's go!"

Lu Yuan immediately followed, as did Tu Sisi. The four demon gods and the saint of Ancient Sword Mountain followed next, with Bai Ze being the last.

Bai Ze looked back with every few steps, his deep gaze lingering time and again. Finally, he let out a sigh and a self-deprecating laugh.

These people had fought each other their entire lives in Fanzhou.

For territory,

For fortune,

For immortal opportunities.

They fought in their youth and plotted in their old age. In the end, when there was nothing left to lose, they wanted to dominate the mortal realm and seek the path of immortality.

And now, having reached the Heavens, all that remained was a broken corpse and a sheet of white cloth.

It was truly laughable, tragic, and hateful...

He felt as if he were seeing his own future in that body.

Li Shuhe and Xu Xian led the group out of the city in a hurry, continuing their flight to the east. Along the way, they were either silent or engaged in idle chatter, but strangely, none of them brought up the battle that had just passed.

Even though Xu Xian's performance had been so brilliant.

Instead, their words were all about the old man.

Lu Yuan muttered, "I didn't expect that old man to have such backbone. To say something like that... I guess he counts as half a good person...."

Jin Yu said disdainfully, "Please, he was the ancestor of Daoism after all. Did you really think he was some wicked heretic?"

Huang Chao chimed in, "Wicked heretics aren't necessarily all bad."

Jin Yu said listlessly, "Can there be good people among wicked heretics?"

Jin Qing reminded her, "Aren't we technically demons?"

Jin Yu realized her mistake. "Uh...."

Lu Yuan let out a wild laugh. "Haha!"

Only Tu Sisi, Bai Ze, and the saint of Ancient Sword Mountain remained silent throughout.

During the journey, Li Shuhe suddenly asked, "Friends?"

Xu Xian denied it. "Enemies!"