Chapter 9: 007~008: Trade Between Mortals and Immortals _1
Even when Grandmasters of the Innate level cross hands in combat, it usually never leads to life or death. The fights tend to stop as soon as one party submits, so as to avoid mutual destruction, unless there is a clear disparity in the power levels.
However, in the case of Chen Dengming, who is in the Seventh Heavenly Layer of Innate, and Nangong Shuo, who is in the Eighth Heavenly Layer of Innate, Nangong Shuo has an evident upper hand.
Even if they were fighting to the death, chances of victory leaned towards Nangong Shuo.
But the outcome now was the inverse.
Astonishingly, even Hu Lei, who attacked Chen Dengming simultaneously, is dead.
The results of this battle have truly shocked everyone, as the decisive factor in victory was actually Chen Dengming's Gu poison.
If Nangong Shuo and his crew had not been pushing him step by step, Chen Dengming would have been reluctant to play this trump card.
But the two insisted on pursuing a path to their own death, refusing any attempts to dissuade them. Chen Dengming had no choice but to kill them, ending the threat once and for all.
He always preferred to avoid trouble if he could, but if constant hassles were hell-bent on coming his way, he only had one solution — to act swiftly and decisively, eliminate any hint of threat completely, leaving no troubles behind. This had been his guiding principle in over eighty years of living in this world of martial arts since crossing over.
Any misguided kindness would only bring trouble for himself and those around him.
Therefore, Nangong Shuo and Hu Lei had to die. As Chen Dengming was preparing to go to the Cultivation World, he needed to eliminate these two to prevent them from targeting his family left behind.
Without these two, his family would survive in peace for at least a hundred years with the help of the Snake Gu and the Dead Man's hand he had left behind.
However, Nangong Shuo and Hu Lei's death have left the biggest impact on Shaoyu Feng.
Chen Dengming's power has shattered his perceptual world, making him inexplicably feel scared and threatened.
Hence, when he heard the immortals in midair discussing about the Stay Young Pill, Shaoyu Feng immediately seized the opportunity to reply humbly and respectfully to the five hovering immortals.
"Respected Immortal Masters, please accept this young man's bow.
This humble one dares to answer the doubts of Immortal Masters. Chen Dengming managed to remain youthful because he had an Immortal's Shed Skin earlier in his life, which contained a Stay Young Pill. I don't know if there was anything else..."
"Oh?"
The five cultivators, who were engaged in a secret conversation, all looked at Shaoyu Feng upon hearing his words.
For a moment, Shaoyu Feng felt as if all of his thoughts and secrets had been laid bare.
Under the penetrating gazes of the five cultivators, his body felt as if it had been dissected, leaving no room for concealment.
At the height of his fear, one of the female cultivators surnamed Luo said indifferently, "So he actually got a Stay Young Pill... That would make sense. It's a pity though. Such a precious elixir was wasted on a mortal. I wonder if he has more."
Shaoyu Feng let out a sigh of relief as he experienced a momentary joy.
Yet, in the next instant, the gaze of the female cultivator surnamed Luo became suddenly sharp. She glanced at Shaoyu Feng and sneered, "But... how dare a mere mortal eavesdrop on our conversation and butt in? You're ignorant!"
Shaoyu Feng instantly turned pale. The woman's sneer and lightning-fast gaze felt like a thousand-pound hammer pounding into his heart, leaving him trembling and incapable of resisting. Within a split second, he was injured, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as he staggered backward.
The other four cultivators either showed cold indifference or smirked.
They easily saw through Shaoyu Feng's intention to use them to deal with Chen Dengming.
Although they were willing to listen to the explanation of this mortal, that didn't mean they were willing to be used by him.
They felt insulted by this foolish act of the mortal, deserving of punishment.
Seeing Shaoyu Feng get his just desserts, it seemed the five immortals were not as approachable as they appeared, with moods as whimsical as the wind.
The other eight individuals all kept their mouths shut. Even the young members of the Nangong Family stopped their grieving, fearing that they might incite the immortals' wrath.
Right at that moment, aided by the summoning card, Chen Dengming finally flew up and landed on the large transport platform.
First, he looked up at the five cultivators floating high above. Feeling the indifferent gazes and immense pressure coming from them, he quickly lowered his eyes, and paid his respects with a bow.
"Junior Chen Dengming is here to pay respects to the five Immortal Masters!"
After he spoke and received no response, he immediately became more alert in his heart, and started to observe the other people around him.
After glancing over at the resentful Nangong family members, his gaze lingered for a moment on a few old freaks who reeked of death. This took him by surprise.
He had already guessed the identities of these old freaks, and was equally surprised that they were still alive. The oldest among them probably lived close to his upper life limit.
But his long life was due to cultivation, which extended his lifespan.
These old freaks probably lived this long through some unholy methods like Turtle's Breath, freezing themselves, or some form of magical way to leech life force from others. Their auras were dark and terrifying
However, not everyone's lifespan is the same, some people might live to be seventy at the most, while others can live up to a hundred and ten, it varies from person to person.
Aside from that, Chen Dengming also noticed Shaoyu Feng with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Connecting this to the tense atmosphere at the scene, he had a rough guess and became even more alert.
Just then, the female cultivator surnamed Luo spoke, looking at Chen Dengming calmly, "I heard that you encountered an Immortal's Shed Skin in your earlier years and obtained a Stay Young Pill. Is this true?"
Chen Dengming didn't have to look up to feel the sharp gazes of the five above him. They were peering into his soul, ready to see if he was withholding anything. Any deceit would likely lead to an unpredictable end.
However, he had anticipated such a situation and prepared for it.