Li Gong sneered at Su Xiaobai, "When she returns, I'll show her your head. Then maybe she'll smile on us."
Su Xiaobai was taken aback by the absurdity of it all, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "Killing a weak cultivator like me? Is that what you think will win her over?"
Li Gong's face twisted in rage. "Mock me all you want. I'll have your head regardless. Guards, tear him apart!"
Su Xiaobai quickly scanned the group. Two hulking men, one of them Little Blackie, a bald, dark-skinned brute, stood at Foundation Establishment Peak—their strength could crush boulders with a single punch.
The other four were Qi Condensation cultivators, capable of manipulating the elements with ease.
Li Gong himself was at Core Formation Initial Stage—a realm where the true masters begin to emerge, condensing their Qi into a core that grants them immense power.
He was an entire two realms above Su Xiaobai's Qi Refinement Peak.
In the world of cultivation, practitioners(cultivators) like Su Xiaobai trained in the art of harnessing mystical spiritual energy to grow their power, dividing their strength into various realms.
Each realm represented a breakthrough in strength and ability, starting from Qi Awakening, followed by Qi Refinement, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and eventually reaching Core Formation. Beyond that were realms of even greater power like Earthly Rebirth, Nascent Soul, and more.
Each realm had further divisions: Initial, Intermediate, Late, and Peak stages, marking the progress of the cultivator within that level. Su Xiaobai was still stuck at Qi Refinement Peak, one step away from the next breakthrough, but Li Gong was already two entire realms ahead.
Solely considering their cultivation bases, Su Xiaobai was vastly outmatched here.
He groaned inwardly, 'That's the fate of nobodies like me, isn't it? Dumb people like this are stepping stones for protagonists to show off... Shame I'm not him.'
Li Gong barked an order to his men. "Little Blackie! Take his head, and I'll reward you with one hundred spirit stones!"
Little Blackie grinned, cracking his knuckles. "A hundred spirit stones? Heh, easy enough!" His muscles rippled as he stepped forward, eager to crush Su Xiaobai.
The other guards joined in eagerly. "Boss, let us help! We'll make quick work of him."
Li Gong waved dismissively. "Fine, but don't damage the head too much."
Whoosh!
They lunged toward Su Xiaobai, their auras flaring. Blackie led the charge, his fists glowing with energy. The four Qi Condensation guards rushed behind him like a pack of wolves.
"Damn it... Time to gamble!" Su Xiaobai cursed, knowing he was cornered.
But there was only one way out.
With a deep breath, Su Xiaobai activated the forbidden technique he had learned through the Infernal Emperor inheritance.
It involved burning his vital energy aka life essence for a temporary surge of power.
Boom!
His cultivation instantly shot up, from Qi Refinement Peak to Foundation Establishment Peak.
His body rippled with new strength, muscles bulging, veins glowing with fiery power.
The two Foundation Establishment guards, including Blackie, barely had time to react before Su Xiaobai met them head-on.
BAM!
Their fists collided with a force that sent shockwaves through the street.
The impact sent Blackie and the other guard flying backward, crashing into the dirt like broken kites.
"AHHH!" They screamed as their meridians shattered, their cultivation crumbling in one blow.
Su Xiaobai's strength, now rivaling the might of a hundred elephants, had utterly crippled them.
HISS!
The four Qi Condensation guards stared, wide-eyed.
"What... just happened?!" one stammered, unable to comprehend the sudden surge in Su Xiaobai's power.
But Su Xiaobai wasn't done.
Bloodlust surged through him, fueled by the life essence he'd burned. He needed to finish this quickly—the longer he burned his life essence, the worse it would get, and he might even lose control.
He hurled small balls toward their feet that instantly exploded.
Boom!
Thick smoke flew out, enveloping the guards.
They were simple smoke bombs, part of his usual inventory for escaping from wild beasts, but they worked just as well to confuse enemies.
"Where is he?!" one guard shouted, swinging his sword blindly through the smoke.
"AHHH!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as Su Xiaobai emerged from the fog, his hand plunging into a guard's chest.
Splurt!
He ripped the man's heart out in one swift motion, blood spraying everywhere as the lifeless body crumpled.
Another guard, Hu Song, swung wildly through the smoke, his voice trembling. "Come on, you coward! Face me head-on!"
But Su Xiaobai appeared behind him.
Crack!
Su Xiaobai grabbed Hu Song's arm and tore it clean off, the guard's screams filling the square.
"No... no..." Hu Song whimpered, but Su Xiaobai showed no mercy, twisting his neck with a swift motion.
Snap!
Another guard, Chen Liang, backed away in terror, his sword shaking in his hand. But before he could flee, Su Xiaobai grabbed him by the throat and crushed his windpipe.
Snap!
Chen Liang's lifeless body hit the ground.
The last guard, Wang Jin, stood frozen, too terrified to move. But Su Xiaobai was already upon him, ripping his limbs apart brutally, blood splattering like rain.
Puchi! Puchi!
All of them—ripped, torn, and broken in moments.
"You — take care of the small fries!" Su Xiaobai ordered abruptly, his voice colder than before.
The devouring thorny flower wanted to feast?
There was a full banquet here!
"Go and eat all you want!"
Whoosh!
The Devouring Thorny Flower surged forward from his spatial ring, its tendrils lashing out with terrifying speed.
"What the hell is this thing?!" one of the city guards screamed, his face pale as death. "AHHH!"
The tendrils wrapped around the guard, sinking into his skin, draining his blood.
Splurt!
The city guards that had surrounded Su Xiaobai could only watch in horror as the Devouring Thorny Flower moved toward them, its face stained with blood.
"No! Stay back!" one guard screamed, scrambling to flee.
Whoosh!
But the flower's tendrils lashed out, piercing through his chest.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed as the beast drained him dry, his body collapsing into a lifeless husk.
The other guards tried to run, but the Devouring Thorny Flower was too fast, its tendrils latching onto their flesh, ripping them apart.
The crowd recoiled in disgust.
Only one man was left standing.
Li Gong, his once-proud face now pale with fear, stumbled back as Su Xiaobai's bloodied figure emerged from the smoke.
"You... you demonic cultivator!" Li Gong shrieked, trembling as Su Xiaobai advanced.
Su Xiaobai's eyes burned with killing intent. "You wanted my head, right?" His voice was low, almost mocking. "Now, it's your turn."
Li Gong screamed, raising his hands in a feeble attempt to summon his Qi. But his foundation was weak—he had broken through with pills, and now he had no control over his power.
Su Xiaobai was upon him in an instant.
Whoosh!
His hand ignited with Infernal Flames, and he slammed it into Li Gong's head.
"AHHHHHH!"
Li Gong's screams echoed as the flames burned through his skull, his face twisted in agony.
SPLURT! SPLURT! SPLURT!
With one brutal twist, Su Xiaobai tore Li Gong's head apart, blood spraying in wild arcs.
The Devouring Thorny Flower, now twice its size, finished devouring the last city guard, its tendrils twitching in satisfaction as it let out a loud burp.
As the crowd watched, frozen in fear, Su Xiaobai turned to them, his eyes glowing with bloodlust.
The longer he maintained this state, the worse he would get!
"Move." His voice was filled with dangerous bloodlust, aimed at the vast crowd of people. "Or do you want to be refined into blood pills?"
The crowd didn't need to be told twice.
"Run! Run!"
They fled in all directions, screaming in terror as they scattered like rats, desperate to escape the wrath of the blood-soaked Su Xiaobai.
Only when the square was empty did Su Xiaobai stop pretending to be tough and stagger like a broken kite.
The adrenaline faded, and the toll of the forbidden technique hit him like a sledgehammer. His body trembled violently, his vision blurring as blood dripped from his mouth.
"It's painful..." he muttered, clutching his chest. The price for using the forbidden technique was steep—decades of his lifespan burned away in exchange for that brief surge of power.
Now he understood why even the Infernal Emperor rarely used it.
Burning away decades in just a few seconds?
It was too much.
The world around Su Xiaobai blurred as exhaustion hit him like a wave. His legs wobbled, and his vision dimmed, but he managed to steady himself, refusing to fall.
"Dumb people wherever you go..." he thought bitterly.
He glanced above as if staring at the sky, muttering to himself like a madman, "My villain life was better. What's this nonsense where I have to clean up others' messes? It isn't my task to clear these useless pests... At least give me some reward—"