Chapter 170: Chapter 168: Elder Wen Is Slain

"What a top-grade piece!"

Elder Wen exclaimed in admiration, then said, "You’ve been in the Paradise Celestial Palace for so long, you must know the rules by now. Come on! Do I need to teach you what to do again?"

As he spoke, he lay down on the flattest part of the Rice Mountain. Although only a single layer of his robe was spread beneath him, for a powerhouse like Elder Wen who had reached the Celestial Embracing Realm, even ordinary Treasure Sabers and Treasure Swords would struggle to leave a mark on his body, let alone these tiny grains of rice. Besides, this was his first time performing the Absorption technique on something like this!

He quickly stripped off his clothes and activated the Paradise Celestial Palace’s unique Replenishing Technique. In an instant, he was hard as a pillar reaching for the sky. He then roared with laughter, "Come, little girl! This old man will let you taste the most beautiful flavor in the world! Just once in a lifetime is more than enough!"

Outside, Hai Tongtian heard Elder Wen’s wild laughter from a distance and felt it was terribly unlucky. Annoyed, he couldn’t help but call out, "Take your time, Elder Wen! I’m going to patrol for a bit!"

With that, he soared into the air, his body flying down along the mountain stream.

Elder Wen paid him no mind. ’That brat must still be dealing with that Golden Giant Tiger,’ he thought. ’Hmph, I hope you manage to escape that damned, terrifying tiger and come here. If I don’t torture you for eight or ten years, my surname isn’t Wen!’

"Little girl, what are you still waiting for? Hmm? Get over here!" Elder Wen’s Cultivation Technique was fully active, all his energy gathering in one place. As the saying goes, ’an arrow nocked on the bow must be fired’. Seeing the girl still trembling, too scared to look up, Elder Wen laughed and beckoned. "Come on..."

PSH!

The Unparalleled Divine Sword—the Blood-Drinker—appears once more!

From beneath the rice, not the slightest fluctuation was emitted, yet this strike was incomparably sharp!

With unerring precision, the sword pierced right into Elder Wen’s Dantian!

"Aaaargh! The pain is killing me!"

Elder Wen let out a furious roar, but his body was spasming violently into a ball. The little girl, who moments ago had been terrified, now shot up like a nimble rabbit and sprinted outside. As she ran, she didn’t forget to turn back and spit fiercely at the naked Elder Wen!

"Old bastard!"

After piercing Elder Wen’s Dantian, the Unparalleled Divine Sword twisted viciously!

Instantly, it churned Elder Wen’s Dantian into a complete mess. All his Primordial Power was concentrated in one spot, leaving him no chance to even self-destruct!

This immense Primordial Power, with nowhere to dissipate, gushed out wildly from that spot on Elder Wen, instantly filling the entire massive granary cave with incredibly pure Spiritual Qi!

Within the Dantian of a formidable powerhouse like Elder Wen, a master of the Celestial Embracing Realm, something akin to a Spirit Beast Inner Core, the size of a fist, had even begun to form!

That was the purest Pill Core of a Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist!

And now, it had been pierced through the very center with impossible precision by that Unparalleled Divine Weapon!

In this day and age, besides someone like Qin Li, whose Divine Sense was powerful to the extreme, how many others could accomplish such a feat?

Elder Wen’s entire body was spasming into a ball. With his Pill Core shattered, never mind someone at the Celestial Embracing Realm—even a Supreme Powerhouse would face certain death!

From beginning to end, Elder Wen didn’t even have a chance to scream, let alone self-destruct! If Hai Tongtian had been waiting outside, he might have reacted immediately. Even if he couldn’t save Elder Wen, he would have had no problem escaping.

But the affairs of the world, every sip and every peck, seem to be destined by heaven. Through a thousand coincidences, the Paradise Celestial Palace was fated to be utterly destroyed! 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

This entire thing, from start to finish, was a massive deception! It was a scheme devised by the group of young women, built upon their knowledge of the Paradise Celestial Palace’s Absorption cultivation, and only presented to Qin Li after it had been fully formed.

Although Qin Li didn’t fully approve of the young women taking such a risk, he had to admit it was a brilliant deception!

It was extremely risky; the slightest mistake and the girls would be sacrificing themselves. But to escape, someone had to make that sacrifice! As for who was chosen, it would just be a matter of bad luck.

They all promised one another that after they escaped, they would erect a memorial tablet for the girl who died and pay tribute to her forever!

Ever since they were captured and "trained," these young women had known what happened when the Elders of the Paradise Celestial Palace performed their Absorption. Though they didn’t know the precise details, they were clear about the positions involved.

This, in turn, gave Qin Li a massive opportunity!

First, Qin Li could conceal his aura, making it impossible for Elder Wen and Hai Tongtian to detect his presence. Then, based on human psychology, they would likely choose a place like the granary—a place no one ever visited, with a layer of dust at the entrance—because it’s precisely the kind of place where no one would think to hide!

Finally, with his powerful Divine Sense, Qin Li could pinpoint Hai Tongtian’s exact location, use the Spiritual Power fluctuations from his body to find his Pill Core, and pierce it with a single strike!

Of course, this was the ideal scenario; things might not go so perfectly. For example, after hearing that Qin Li had gone to lure the Golden Giant Tiger, the two old-timers might have been scared out of their wits and fled, never to return.

Another possibility was that the two old men had no interest in the girls and would simply wait here to ambush him. Of course, that was the least likely possibility!

Because all these young women knew that the Celestial Level middle-aged woman from the Paradise Celestial Palace, whom Qin Li had killed, had once said with her own mouth that every Elder in the Paradise Celestial Palace, including the Sect Leader, was a lecherous demon! Not a single one of them wasn’t a pervert!

Furthermore, in private, the female disciples of the Paradise Celestial Palace who guarded the girls would also discuss the Elders’ Absorption process. Most of them had survived the Absorption themselves, so they were naturally very familiar with it.

As for why they were used to guard the captured girls, the reason was even simpler: after surviving the Absorption, nearly all these women had become psychologically twisted and perverted. Torturing people was their greatest pleasure!

Using them to handle the abducted girls was the most fitting method!

It was for this very reason that the young women, under Li Qin’s leadership, had Agreed Upon this scheme. Though it had many flaws, they were not afraid.

If they couldn’t eliminate those two Elders, even more people would die in the future!

Another possibility was that both Elders would perform the Absorption at the same time but neither would enter Qin Li’s cave. In that case, Qin Li would conceal his aura and, at the most critical moment of Elder Wen’s practice, launch a world-shaking strike—a single, fatal blow!

Because that moment was when a person from the Paradise Celestial Palace performing the Absorption was at their most vulnerable!

As for the signal, it was simple. At that moment, the girl undergoing the Absorption would let out a cry of extreme pleasure and then die.

For the girl undergoing the Absorption, this outcome was absolutely the most tragic.

But it came back to the same principle: no sacrifice, no victory!

Being trapped in this place had made nearly all the girls come to terms with their mortality. The one who died could only be said to have had bad luck. Everyone would remember her forever and bring her body back to her hometown.

It was a sorrowful deception, yet everyone had prepared for this day with extreme resolve. When the time came, despite the immense grief in their hearts, not a single girl exposed the plan!

This was originally a scheme that was certain to require a sacrifice. Unexpectedly, their repeated speculation about human nature had finally paid off! Perhaps... they had moved the heavens! Hai Tongtian had not only avoided performing the Absorption with Elder Wen, but had actually moved far away!

And as for Elder Wen, old and cunning as he was, his suspicion had completely sealed his doom! Before he could even begin the Absorption, his Pill Core within his Dantian was pierced by a sword.

A powerhouse of the Celestial Embracing Realm... died a death worse than a common street thug. At least a thug hacked to death in a gang fight might get a chance to take someone down with him!

Qin Li’s body shot up from within the Rice Mountain, covered from head to toe in white grains of rice. His hands and face were also covered in white rice flour.

He had been hiding here for three days! He had used his Lightweight Skill to fly in from the outside, burrowed in behind the Rice Mountain, and finally dug his way under the flat patch of rice. The Blood-Drinking Sword was already unsheathed inside his Storage Ring, ready to be drawn for the fatal blow at any moment!

They had all planned for this day for a whole month!

Now, they had finally achieved the most perfect result.

Qin Li looked at the deceased Elder Wen, whose two cloudy old eyes were wide open, and snorted coldly. "You got off easy, you old bastard! Making me play assassin and hide for three days!"

At that moment, Qin Li’s powerful Divine Sense felt a fluctuation rushing over from the distance. The speed wasn’t very fast; clearly, Hai Tongtian had not yet sensed the abnormality here.

Qin Li buried Elder Wen’s corpse under the mountain of rice, then hid himself quietly within the cave.

After an Elder of the Paradise Celestial Palace performed the Absorption, they would always circulate their Paradise Celestial Palace Replenishing Technique for a period to digest what they had gained from their cultivation.

Therefore, when Hai Tongtian saw no signs of disturbance in the cave, he relaxed and said with a sinister chuckle, "Which of you is ready to serve this Elder?"

As Hai Tongtian spoke, his eyes fell upon Li Qin, who was sitting there in a daze, and the other girls who were weeping silently. His eyes darted around, and he pointed at Li Qin. "Little girl, I can see none of them like you. What’s the point of you staying alive? It’ll be you!"

Li Qin raised her head, her gaze full of venomous hatred as she looked at him and shouted, "The other Elder said he’d spare me! Pick someone else!"

Li Qin’s words provoked a new round of frenzied scorn from the surrounding girls.

"It’s her!"

"Choosing her is the right call!"

"We all hate her!"

"Finish her with the Absorption! If we have to die, don’t you think you’ll get a happy ending!"

"See? It’s what everyone wants. Heh heh."

With that, Hai Tongtian grabbed Li Qin, tucked her under his arm, and strode toward the cave where the girls lived.

Because Elder Wen had already tested the waters, so to speak—if there had been any danger, it would have already happened—Hai Tongtian didn’t give it a second thought.

"Elder Wen, I’m about to start my Absorption too!" Hai Tongtian called out casually, but was suddenly struck by a hair-raising premonition. It was a marvelous instinct possessed by a High Level Martial Artist. He whipped around.

A dazzling bolt of light, like a bolt of white silk, erupted like the scorching sun, radiating in all directions!

A heaven-shattering Sword Qi was already descending upon his head!