Chapter 106: The Death of Cao Shaolin

"You’re the one the Second Young Master is looking for?"

Zheng Qian’s face was filled with doubt; he didn’t seem convinced.

Cao Shaolin frowned and snapped coldly.

"What a stupid question! Who else could it be?"

"What if you’re an impostor? How am I supposed to explain this to the Second Young Master?"

Zheng Qian remained suspicious, his tone growing more wary.

He slowly backed away.

It was clear he had no trust in Cao Shaolin whatsoever.

Cao Shaolin grew impatient and chided, "How did Zheng Lingfeng find an idiot like you?"

As the two were speaking...

In the distance.

The real Li Chang’an quietly appeared.

He took out three Blood Sword Talismans and activated them all at once.

In an instant.

Three streams of crimson Sword Qi appeared.

To avoid letting Cao Shaolin sense anything, Li Chang’an kept his distance and didn’t activate the Talismans while facing him.

Not until the Blood-colored Sword Array took shape did Li Chang’an change its direction and aim it at Cao Shaolin.

"Go!"

With a thought.

The entire Sword Array instantly transformed into a streak of blood-red light, carrying a deadly aura as it shot across the sky toward Cao Shaolin.

And in that very instant.

Cao Shaolin sensed it, and his expression changed drastically.

’This is bad!’

He had been about to snatch Zheng Qian’s Storage Pouch, but now the hair on his arms stood on end as he caught the scent of death.

It was as if a soul-reaping demon was staring intently at him from behind.

Cao Shaolin had no time to turn around. In an instant, he threw out more than ten defensive Tier Two Talismans.

The next instant.

The Sword Array slammed into his back.

"BOOM!"

Violent Sword Qi instantly erupted!

In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so Tier Two Talismans dimmed, turning to ash in mid-air before being obliterated into fine dust by the Sword Qi.

But this bought Cao Shaolin a brief opportunity.

He didn’t dare look back. He immediately used an Escape Technique, his entire body turning into a wisp of green smoke as he fled for his life into the distance.

But his Escape Technique was no match for Li Chang’an’s.

In the blink of an eye,

Li Chang’an caught up.

Following close behind was another Blood-colored Sword Array.

’Damn it!’

Cao Shaolin’s heart pounded with terror as he once again sensed that horrifying aura of death.

Even now.

He still didn’t know who his enemy was.

’To use such a terrifying technique... could it be a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse?’

’I have to block this!’

Gritting his teeth, Cao Shaolin summoned several Quasi-Tier Two Magical Artifacts to block the attack from behind.

An instant later.

A series of deafening explosions rang out.

The terrifying Sword Array plowed through them with irresistible force. Fierce and domineering, it was nearly unstoppable, instantly blasting aside the Quasi-Tier Two Magical Artifacts he controlled.

"PFFT—"

Cao Shaolin’s face was pale as he spat out several mouthfuls of blood.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Just a few breaths later, several more Blood-colored Sword Arrays descended upon him.

Sensing the lethal aura behind him,

Cao Shaolin was on the verge of despair.

’What kind of enemy have I provoked?’

"Senior, spare me! I am Cao Shaolin of the Foundation Establishment Cao Family, and our ancestor, Cao Zhengxiong, is at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!"

At a time like this,

he knew very well.

He couldn’t possibly stop this enemy with his own power.

His only hope was to announce his background, hoping the name of the Cao Family could deter the unknown Foundation Establishment Powerhouse behind him.

Ancestor Cao Zhengxiong was, after all, at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Normally, if there was no prior grudge, a typical Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be willing to give him face.

But Li Chang’an wasn’t about to give him any face.

"Go! Go! Go!"

He showed no mercy, unleashing several astonishing Blood-colored Sword Arrays one after another.

The terrifying crimson light merged into a single stream, forming a torrent of blood in the sky.

RUMBLE!

After several more explosions,

Cao Shaolin’s defensive measures were finally almost depleted.

The following Blood-colored Sword Array, carrying an incomparably terrifying power, struck his back like a Long Spear forged from fresh blood.

"PFFT—"

Cao Shaolin’s whole body trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and he spat out several more mouthfuls of blood.

But he wasn’t dead yet. He had actually managed to endure the Sword Array’s strike!

Moreover,

he still had enough strength left to run!

’This guy is surprisingly tough to kill!’

Li Chang’an thought, secretly alarmed. ’As expected of a Foundation Establishment Seed.’

The Armor Cao Shaolin was wearing was clearly a Tier Two Spiritual Artifact; otherwise, he never could have withstood that attack.

However,

a Spiritual Artifact was, after all, just an external object.

No matter how good a defensive Spiritual Artifact was, it still required enough Magical Power to support it.

Cao Shaolin’s Cultivation was ultimately a bit too weak.

After withstanding two more Sword Arrays, he truly couldn’t hold on any longer. His face was completely drained of color, and his aura was rapidly weakening.

After stumbling away for some distance, he spat out a few more mouthfuls of blood, which seemed to contain fragments of his ruined internal organs.

Finally,

he pitched forward and collapsed to the ground!

"Senior, spare me..."

Cao Shaolin’s expression was miserable. He barely propped himself up and looked back.

Only then,

did he get a clear look at his pursuer.

"Li... Li Chang’an..."

Cao Shaolin was shocked to his core, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Just a moment before,

he had still thought

that his pursuer had to be a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse.

But he never would have imagined it would be Li Chang’an!

After all,

he had never taken Li Chang’an seriously, not from the very beginning.

In his eyes, the real enemy had always been the Zheng Family’s old ancestor; even Zheng Qingqing was nothing more than a whetstone for him to sharpen his skills on.

As for Li Chang’an...

He was a complete nobody!

Even after the failed assassination attempt last time, he still didn’t think Li Chang’an was anything special, simply because all the Puppets had been destroyed by Zheng Qingqing.

But now,

this nobody was about to end his life!

"How can you be so strong? Could you be... a Sect Disciple from a Major Sect hiding your Cultivation, here in Qinghe Marketplace for experience..."

Cao Shaolin’s voice trembled.

He could already feel the powerful aura of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer coming from Li Chang’an.

But before this,

Li Chang’an had clearly only had a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivation!

Such a huge gap could only be explained by him hiding his Cultivation.

’To be at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer at such a young age, and to possess powerful Magic comparable to Foundation Establishment Techniques... he couldn’t possibly be a Loose Cultivator.’

"Li Chang’an... no, Daoist Li, I beg you, please be merciful! I was blind before and failed to recognize your greatness. I didn’t know your true identity..."

Cao Shaolin begged for mercy in agony, his mouth full of blood.

His heart was filled with regret.

’If only I had known, I never would have trusted that idiot Zheng Lingfeng!’

’Zheng Lingfeng had completely screwed me over, and now I’m about to lose my life because of it!’

’If I had known Li Chang’an was this strong,

my first instinct would have been to befriend him, not make him an enemy.’

At this moment,

Li Chang’an walked up to him.

He looked at the man indifferently and said calmly, "Daoist Cao, you’re overthinking it. I’m just a low-level Loose Cultivator, not the Sect Disciple from a Major Sect you imagine me to be."

"What?"

Cao Shaolin was shaken.

Before he could say anything else, a stream of Sword Qi tore open his neck.

In an instant,

fresh blood gushed out like a spring.

"You..."

Cao Shaolin clutched his neck tightly, his expression one of pure agony.

On the verge of death, he still struggled to beg for mercy: "Don’t kill me... My brother is a disciple of the Cyan Cloud Sect. We brothers share a bond; he’ll be able to sense when I die..."

His voice grew fainter and fainter.

Finally,

he collapsed to the ground, his pupils lost focus, and he moved no more.

And so, the Foundation Establishment Seed of the Cao Family, the young Celestial Pride known as the Qilin Child, died at the hands of Li Chang’an.