At odds.

He had lost nearly ninety percent of his strength.

“Damn it… In this condition, how am I supposed to save Guo’er?”

Clenching his fist, he struck the ground, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to stand. His consciousness plunged into the microcosmic ring, searching for anything that could heal his wounds.

All he found were a few energy potions.

Ordinary healing salves were useless. Energy potions could replenish his gene power, which would at least have some effect.

Ignoring the pain, he swallowed all the potions in one go and immediately sat down to meditate and recover.

Pure energy flowed from his mouth into every limb and bone, reviving his cells and flesh that had been drained almost dry.

In just a few minutes, his gene power was restored by more than half.

But his wounds still throbbed with pain.

Li Miao quickly checked his injuries and found that while none were shallow, his robust physique had kept the damage from reaching his vital organs.

There was no time to worry about the rest. He picked up his battle blade and the violet sword, swiftly severed the heads of the thirteen bodies on the ground, tied them together with the silver whip by their hair, and set off.

“Sun Manor of Dragon Tomb!”

A fierce light flashed in his eyes as he strode forward, dragging thirteen heads behind him, covering ten yards with each step as he sped south.

On the way, he took out the floating magnetic cannon, loaded a fist-sized cosmic crystal, and charged it to full capacity.

This time, he had no intention of holding back.

If he was to kill, he would leave no one alive—not even a dog or chicken.

If the Sun family had only targeted him, he would not be so enraged. But they had captured Guo’er, and that he could not tolerate under any circumstances.

To his mind, cultivators should have their own code—even when at a disadvantage, he would never threaten another by using their weaknesses.

For only those who dare to fight openly and honorably are worthy of being called warriors.

Since the Sun family had resorted to attacking a powerless little girl, he would no longer care for fairness.

Even if he had to suffer graver wounds, he would make these cultivators understand that the wrath of a superhuman warrior was not to be taken lightly!

Mountains and rivers flashed by along the roadside.

In no time, the two-hundred-mile journey was left behind as he ran at full speed.

The county city of Dragon Tomb came into view.

Within a radius of seven hundred miles, this was the largest city, teeming with people, merchants, and cultivators passing through in an endless stream.

The north-south main road was broad, filled with travelers.

But as soon as Li Miao appeared at the city gate, panic broke out—the crowd quickly parted, making way for him.

Who wouldn’t be terrified at the sight of a blood-soaked, grievously wounded man carrying a bundle of dripping heads and a battle blade? Any ordinary person would scream and flee in terror.

Li Miao ignored the chaos, stormed into the city, and shouted at the passersby, “Where is Sun Manor?!”

His voice, thick with killing intent, rang in their ears.

No commoner had ever seen such a god of slaughter before; trembling, they pointed in a direction and fled in all directions.

Li Miao dashed toward the southwest corner as indicated, the crowd scrambling to avoid being in his way, fearing he might cut them down.

He sped through streets and alleys, swift as a gust.

Suddenly, a figure clad in white appeared ahead, and rather than dodging, stood firm and blocked his path after seeing his terrifying appearance.

“Li Miao, what’s happened to you?” the man asked.

Li Miao, already fuming at being stopped, looked up to see Liu Xuanfeng, whom he hadn’t seen in days.

“Move!” he barked coldly.

Liu Xuanfeng’s heart tightened, and he shrank back a step, startled by the murderous look in Li Miao’s eyes. “What happened to you? You’re badly hurt. Take some pills first.”

He took out a green jade vial and poured out two fragrant pills.

“These are Clear Dew Pills—excellent for treating external wounds,” he explained.

Li Miao paused, accepted the pills, tossed them into his mouth, and muttered a terse thanks before moving on.

The Clear Dew Pills melted instantly, becoming subtle streams that merged into his blood, circulating throughout his body and repairing damaged flesh and bone.

The pills were indeed effective, though not enough to heal his wounds completely.

But Li Miao didn’t care about that—every bit of recovery helped. If not, so be it; saving Guo’er came first.

Seeing that he wouldn’t stop, Liu Xuanfeng frowned and quickly caught up, asking, “What happened to you? This is the road to Sun Manor. The Sun family is not to be trifled with. If you offend them…”

“It’s the Sun family I’m looking for!” Li Miao’s heart burned with rage.

With Guo’er’s fate uncertain, he had no patience for idle talk and did not slow his pace.

Liu Xuanfeng immediately realized Li Miao’s injuries were the work of the Suns.

Glancing at the bundle of heads, he recognized three as Sun family cultivators of the Condensed Essence level and drew in a sharp breath.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, he hurriedly said, “Wait! Brother Li, don’t be reckless! Sun Manor is guarded by an Origin Return master!”

“I know,” Li Miao replied coldly, unmoved.

Liu Xuanfeng caught up and blocked his way again. “What happened? Why are you at odds with the Sun family, and why have you killed so many of their cultivators?” His gaze was complex—for he recognized Sun Miao and Sun Jun, both as strong as himself, but now reduced to severed heads.

At that moment Li Miao was weighed down with worry and in no mood to explain. “This is none of your concern. Move aside, or don’t blame me for turning on you.”

He had no fondness for Liu Xuanfeng. He’d remember the two pills and repay the favor later. But repeated obstruction, while Guo’er’s life hung in the balance, vexed him greatly.

Liu Xuanfeng realized that if he kept pestering, they’d end up fighting before even reaching Sun Manor. He spoke hurriedly, “Li Miao, I know you’re strong, but the Sun family has an Origin Return master and six Condensed Essence cultivators. Even with three dead, the rest are beyond your ability to handle! And I heard an official from the Thunderclap Sect is visiting Sun Manor to negotiate for spirit stones. If you barge in now, it’s suicide!”

Li Miao’s heart skipped a beat.

“A Thunderclap Sect official at Sun Manor? Are you sure?”

Liu Xuanfeng nodded. “I haven’t seen him myself, but my source is reliable.”

This complicated things.

Li Miao frowned.

He was anxious, but he hadn’t lost his senses. If it were just one Origin Return, three Condensed Essence, and a group of lesser cultivators, he could surprise them, sweep away the rabble with the magnetic cannon, and, by risking his foundation to use the Galactic Saint Body secret art again, he might succeed.

But with a Thunderclap Sect official added to the mix, it was a different matter.

Thunderclap Sect was one of Four Great Sects of Mount Pang, second only to the Scarlet Sky Sword Sect, but still with two Transcendent experts. All its officials were Origin Return or higher, and top-tier within their rank—on par with Chu Yu and Elder Zhemei, and stronger than the likes of Xu Yong or Sun He.

With such a master present, if he charged in recklessly, he might take out some underlings before being killed by two Origin Return experts.

He stopped, brows tightly knit.

Two Origin Return cultivators—his chances were slim.

But if he didn’t go, Guo’er’s fate was grim. With Sun Hong’s notorious character, her life was in grave danger.

He pondered hard. “Are there any enemies of the Sun family near Dragon Tomb City?”

If his own strength was insufficient, perhaps he could rally some allies to confront the Sun family together.

But Liu Xuanfeng’s answer dashed his hopes.

He shook his head. “There are many small sects bullied by the Suns, but none with the power to oppose them. Li Miao, if you tell me what happened, maybe I can help—you’re not as familiar with this place as I am.”

Li Miao sighed inwardly and briefly recounted his conflict with Sun Hong.

After hearing it, Liu Xuanfeng gave a bitter smile. “Of all people, you had to provoke Sun Hong. Sun He is fiercely protective—treats that brat like his own son. Anyone who crosses him faces a fight to the death.”

“So, do you have any ideas?” Li Miao asked.

He had little hope.

In this world, aside from Guo’er, he had no friends. In a crisis, he could only rely on himself.

Now, only one plan remained: use the Sword Immortal’s Sword Essence he’d obtained from Mount Qianyuan as bait, to distract the two Origin Return masters, then take the opportunity to assassinate one and keep the disadvantage to a minimum.

But doing so would expose the Sword Essence’s whereabouts. Even if he rescued Guo’er, he would be hunted relentlessly.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xuanfeng’s eyes brightened. “An idea… I might actually have one. It’s not very reliable, but if you can win over a certain expert, the Sun family would be no problem.”

An expert?

Li Miao’s spirits lifted. For a mid-level Condensed Essence cultivator to call someone an expert, surely it meant someone above Origin Return!

“Where is this expert? I’ll find them at once!” he asked.

Liu Xuanfeng’s expression turned awkward. “I’m not sure—I’ve never met her myself. In fact, she rarely meets anyone. Only those who complete her bounty quests get to see her and ask for what they want in exchange.”

“What do you mean? Don’t beat around the bush—I’m pressed for time!” Li Miao urged, frowning.

With Guo’er’s life in the balance, he was in no mood for idle chatter.

Seeing his urgency, Liu Xuanfeng quickly explained, “This expert arrived in Dragon Tomb a few years ago and is known as Fairy Ji. Since then, she’s stayed on the largest boat at the riverside dock, rarely leaving. Her cultivation is unfathomable, at least two levels above Sun He—unmatched in all Dragon Tomb. She posted ten bounties, offering a wish in exchange for each item. So far, six have been completed, each rewarded handsomely. The greatest was for a blue luan feather, which earned two top-grade spirit treasures.”

“If you can persuade her, or find one of her items, the Sun family will be easy to deal with!”

After hearing this, Li Miao’s frown only deepened.

“What are the four remaining items?” he asked.

He had no hope of persuading anyone through words, knowing his own limitations. All he could do was try to fulfill a bounty.

Liu Xuanfeng thought for a moment. “The ten bounties—what remains are: first, a twenty-thousand-year-old peach blossom petal; second, the Sword that Cuts Karma; fifth, a five-thousand-year-old dragon scale; seventh, a mortal’s magical treasure.”

Li Miao’s eyes lit up.

He had no clue about the first three, but the last—a mortal’s magical treasure—he happened to possess one!

“I’ll go seek her out now!” He turned to leave for the city outskirts.

Liu Xuanfeng, seeing him dragging a string of heads, was alarmed. “If you go like that, her people will throw you out. Leave the heads with me—I’ll go to Sun Manor and try to stall them, to buy time for the little girl’s life.”

Li Miao raised his brow in surprise. “Why help me like this?”

It was no trifling gesture—to carry thirteen Sun family heads to Sun Manor was to court death. Even if he survived, he’d become the Sun family’s mortal enemy.

Li Miao could accept that, but Liu Xuanfeng was a local cultivator with disciples and a brothel to run. If he angered the Suns, he’d be in deep trouble.

Liu Xuanfeng simply smiled. “You spared my life once—this will make us even.”

With that, he took the silver whip from Li Miao, hoisted the thirteen heads, and headed southwest.

Watching him leave, Li Miao felt a strange sensation stir within him.

Perhaps this man was not as annoying as he’d thought—perhaps, even, a worthy friend.

“No matter. First, I must find Fairy Ji,” he murmured, then sped off in the other direction.

The dock lay to the south, not far away.

Li Miao raced through the city, his swift figure startling many townsfolk.

Soon, he reached the banks of the Cangyun River, where boats of all sizes were moored.

Cangyun River was one of the largest rivers in Longquan Prefecture, seventy yards wide, its waters slow but deep and busy with traffic.

Dragon Tomb’s docks were large, with over a dozen merchant vessels, the smallest five to six yards, the largest a full thirty yards long, divided into three decks, carved and painted in the utmost luxury—like a famous river pavilion afloat.

“That must be Fairy Ji’s place.”

With that thought, Li Miao headed straight for the grand ship.

As he arrived, he saw several people ahead of him already making their way to board.