In the air, the black-clad figure sped toward the village, his sharp, hawk-like gaze coldly surveying the entire area.
Moments later, the black-clad figure came to a halt directly above the village.
Shrouded in swirling black mist, his clothes fluttered despite the absence of wind, creating an eerie gust of chilling air. His entire being exuded a sinister and ominous aura.
"Who is Su Mingren?!"
His cold, raspy voice cut through the silence, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
Is this what an immortal looks like? Terrifying!
And he's here looking for Su Mingren? When did the village chief get involved with an immortal?
Hearing the commotion, many curious villagers poked their heads out, glancing warily at the black-clad figure hovering in the sky.
In the open square, Su Mingren looked up at the man in the sky, his heart tightening with a strong sense of foreboding.
So they've come for me… Could it really be because of the alchemy furnace?
As he hesitated, unsure whether to respond—
"Hmph! What's this? No one wants to speak?"
The black-clad figure let out a low growl when he noticed the silence.
At that moment, a dense wave of sinister energy radiated from his body, enveloping the entire village in its chilling grasp.
In the blink of an eye, everyone felt as though they had been plunged into an icy abyss, their bodies trembling from the cold.
Sensing the man's growing anger, Su Mingren hurriedly called out, "Esteemed Immortal, I am Su Mingren. May I ask why you're looking for me?"
Hearing the voice, the black-clad figure's form flickered, transforming into a streak of light that landed directly in front of Su Mingren.
The figure examined Su Mingren with his icy gaze, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "Hand over the treasure furnace, or die!"
Su Mingren shuddered, his heart leaping into his throat as he maintained a facade of calm. "Treasure furnace? What treasure furnace? Esteemed Immortal, I… I don't understand what you're talking about."
The black-clad figure's gaze grew colder. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a surge of true energy, sending Su Mingren flying backward.
Looking at Su Mingren as if he were nothing more than an ant, the black-clad figure sneered, "Old man, do you think I'd come here without knowing anything?
"If you hand over your family's ancestral treasure furnace now, we can settle this peacefully.
"But if you refuse, you won't be the only one to die today—every single person in this village will perish!"
As he spoke, he began approaching Su Mingren, his killing intent spreading and blanketing the village like a suffocating fog.
The villagers watching from afar felt as though the sky itself was collapsing. Terrified, they shouted anxiously at Su Mingren:
"Chief, if you really have this so-called furnace, just give it to the immortal!"
"Exactly! No point angering an immortal over something like this!"
"Esteemed Immortal, please don't be angry! We've lived here for years and never heard of any treasure furnace in the chief's house!"
Su Mingren landed heavily on the ground. Already frail with age, the impact broke several of his ribs, causing his face to contort in pain.
Hidden in the haystack nearby, Su Twelve witnessed the entire scene.
Seeing his grandfather injured, Su Twelve's heart clenched. Gripping the alchemy furnace in his hands, he prepared to rush out and save him.
To him, no treasure was more important than his grandfather's life.
But just as he was about to reveal himself and hand over the furnace, his grandfather's earlier warning echoed in his mind:
No matter what happens, you must not come out!
Remembering those words, Su Twelve hesitated.
Lying on the ground, Su Mingren noticed movement in the haystack and, despite his pain, forced himself to speak again. "Esteemed Immortal, I… I truly don't know anything about a treasure furnace!"
Su Mingren was an experienced man. From the moment he understood the intruder's purpose, he knew that whether or not he handed over the furnace, death was inevitable for both himself and the villagers.
His only hope now was to protect his grandson.
Hearing Su Mingren's denial, the black-clad figure's eyes gleamed with malice. He let out a sinister laugh. "Heh heh… Old man, so you've chosen death? How unfortunate… I guess I'll have to find it myself!"
His tone turned cruel, and he activated the true energy within his body. Forming a sword seal with his fingers, a jet-black flying sword shot out from his back, spinning in midair.
In an instant, countless streaks of sword light filled the sky. Each streak transformed into a skeletal figure, diving toward the villagers like harbingers of death.
The villagers froze in terror. A few reacted quickly and turned to flee, but most simply stood there, paralyzed with fear.
"No… please, no!"
"Immortal, have mercy!"
"Please spare us! We don't know anything!"
Faced with the overwhelming power of the black-clad cultivator, the villagers were as helpless as ants. Under the onslaught of the sinister sword energy, death came in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Xiaoshi Village was drenched in blood, the air thick with the stench of iron and despair.
Lying on the ground, Su Mingren's eyes burned with fury and despair.
Although he had prepared himself for death, witnessing the massacre of his fellow villagers filled him with inconsolable sorrow.
Hidden in the haystack, Su Twelve was paralyzed with fear. His body felt cold and numb, as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
This isn't an immortal… this is a bloodthirsty demon!
The black-clad figure approached Su Mingren, his voice dripping with mockery. "Old man, do you see this? All of them died because of you!"
"I'll give you one last chance: hand over the treasure furnace!"
Grabbing his flying sword from midair, he pointed its tip at Su Mingren. Surrounded by rolling black mist, an oppressive aura radiated from his figure.
The weight of the pressure alone made it difficult for Su Mingren to breathe. But his face remained resolute as he shook his head and said firmly, "I don't have it!"
The black-clad figure's gaze turned icy. Activating his sword energy, he unleashed a skeletal blade that severed Su Mingren's arm in one swift motion.
"What about now?!" he demanded.
Writhing in agony, Su Mingren gritted his teeth and shouted, "I… I truly don't know anything about a treasure furnace!"
"Hmph! Then you have no reason to live."
With a cold sneer, the black-clad figure unleashed another skeletal sword strike, this time aiming directly for Su Mingren's heart.
"No… stop!"
Hidden in the haystack, Su Twelve wanted to scream, but no sound came from his throat.
Gripping the alchemy furnace tightly, he wanted to rush out and save his grandfather. But fear and the immense pressure emanating from the black-clad figure pinned him to the ground, rendering him immobile.
"Thud!"
A muffled sound echoed as the skeletal blade pierced Su Mingren's chest, leaving a gaping hole the size of a fist.
Su Mingren's head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last.
Seeing his grandfather lying lifeless in a pool of blood, Su Twelve's pupils contracted sharply. Grief overwhelmed him, and he fainted on the spot.
The black-clad figure didn't notice the haystack. Instead, he began methodically searching each house in the village courtyard.
To the black-clad figure, slaughtering the entire village was as insignificant as completing a mundane task.
From dusk until deep into the night, he searched every corner of the village. He left no place unchecked—searching the rafters, scouring the cellars—but his efforts were in vain.
Two hours later, the black-clad figure returned to Su Mingren's corpse. After confirming that Su Mingren had nothing on him, his expression turned grim with frustration.
"Damn it! Could the intel have been wrong? Or was someone else one step ahead of me?"
He muttered to himself, his annoyance apparent.
"Forget it. It seems I'll have to look for another lead."
With that, the black-clad figure leapt into the air, transforming into a streak of light that disappeared into the sky.
Su Twelve remained unconscious for the two hours that passed. It wasn't until the first light of dawn that he suddenly twitched and woke up, drenched in cold sweat.
In his dreams, the horrifying images of skeletal figures and the moment his grandfather was killed replayed endlessly in his mind.
The first thing Su Twelve did upon waking was look outside, hoping desperately that everything that had happened was just a nightmare.
But reality was cruel.
Through his teary vision, he saw his grandfather lying lifeless in a pool of blood.
Su Twelve's entire body trembled. Crawling and stumbling, he scrambled out of the haystack and rushed to Su Mingren's side.
"Grandpa… Grandpa… wake up! I… I'll stop calling you 'old man,' okay?"
"Please, wake up! I'm begging you… say something to me!"
He hugged Su Mingren tightly, calling out to him over and over again, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face like broken pearls.
But no matter how much he cried, the man on the ground remained completely unresponsive.
Su Twelve clung to his grandfather's body, crying until the sun rose, until his tears dried up, until blood streaked down his cheeks in place of tears.
He fainted several times from exhaustion, and when his voice finally became hoarse and could no longer produce a sound, he lowered his head to look at the alchemy furnace in his hands.
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Grandpa wouldn't have died, and neither would everyone else!"
In his anger, Su Twelve gripped the furnace tightly. To him, it was the root cause of everything—if not for this cursed object, none of this tragedy would have happened.
If there were a way to bring his grandfather back to life by giving it up, he would do so without hesitation.
Seething with rage, Su Twelve hurled the furnace onto the ground with all his might.
But as he watched the furnace roll a short distance away, he hesitated. After a brief pause, he walked over and picked it up again.
"This furnace is the last thing Grandpa left me. I can't lose it."
"Besides, if even immortals are after it, it must be some kind of treasure. If I want to avenge Grandpa and everyone else, this is probably the only thing I can rely on. I just don't know how to use it yet."
"Maybe… once I learn immortal arts, I'll figure out how to use it."
Taking a deep breath, Su Twelve tucked the furnace back into his chest.
Suppressing his grief, Su Twelve found a shovel and began digging large pits in the village square. He buried his grandfather and every villager, one by one.
By evening, a modest mass grave stood in the middle of the village, marking the resting place of over a hundred people.
Kneeling in front of the graves, Su Twelve wept silently once again.
But this time, he forced himself to hold back the tears. In his heart, he made a solemn vow: this would be the last time he ever cried.
From now on, he had only one purpose: revenge. No matter how much suffering or hardship he encountered, he would not shed another tear.
"Grandpa, that black-clad man is incredibly powerful. The only way to defeat him is to join an immortal sect and learn immortal arts. Perhaps by mastering those arts, I can also uncover the secret of this furnace."
"I overheard Little Fatty say that tomorrow, an immortal will be coming to Huilong Town to accept disciples. I've decided to go and see for myself!"
"No matter what it takes, I'll avenge you and everyone else in the village!"
Speaking softly, Su Twelve glanced at the alchemy furnace in his arms. Then, he knelt down and kowtowed four times in front of his grandfather's grave.
Resolving himself, he stood up with determination, grit his teeth, and ran toward the direction of Huilong Town.
[--------------------------------------------]
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