Chapter 129: Elder Han Who Sacrifices Himself for Others

The newcomer was an Elder from Lingxu Cave Heaven; his hair was snow-white, his stature unimposing, with a gaunt, bony frame, his hands withered and dry, skin clinging to bone like blackened bird talons.

His gaze fixed on Fang Yu, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, burning with intensity—as if sizing up his own possessions.

"You seem afraid of me. No need. I adore the young, especially those brimming with vitality—just smelling you makes me feel comfortable."

The Elder's voice was deep and hoarse. "Rest easy—I won't harm you. Though this is your first time meeting me, you'll come to know my worth. I am Elder Han of Lingxu Cave Heaven."

"Elder Han?"

Ye Fan could no longer bear the way Elder Han stared at them—his gaze treated them like objects.

Pang Bo also struggled to hold back; he nearly called Elder Han "old bastard."

Indeed, this Elder Han radiated extreme danger—a feeling that they were about to be turned into pills.

"Elder Han, you came looking for us… to die?"

Fang Yu's expression remained impassive as he looked at Elder Han—then in an instant, his Jade Flame Seven-Repair Radiance true qi coalesced into a massive emerald hand, shooting forward to crush down upon Elder Han's head.

"What? You little brat?"

Elder Han's face turned ashen—he felt the threat of death from that emerald hand. Without hesitation, twelve green lights erupted from his body, transforming into twelve green wooden swords to block Fang Yu's Jade Flame Seven-Repair Radiance.

"Can you block it?"

Fang Yu's expression didn't change. The terrifying hand descended, unleashing an unimaginable force that instantly immobilized Elder Han.

Three hundred and sixty Xuan Huang Fierce Horse Powers flooded the void—Elder Han's wooden swords and his very body were frozen midair.

A wisp of Jade Flame true qi pierced through Elder Han's body, extinguishing all his life force.

In the next instant, the Jade Flame true qi seized all the medicinal herbs inside Elder Han's body, along with the twelve green wooden swords.

"After all these years of cultivation, you're neither man nor ghost—but you sure know how to scare people."

Fang Yu waved his hand again; the dozen wooden swords and Elder Han's medicinal herbs vanished into the Seven Fiend Gourd. Then the Jade Flame Seven-Repair Radiance ignited, reducing Elder Han to ashes.

In an instant, Elder Han was gone.

Not even a corpse remained.

The Yuhua Sect's Jade Flame Seven-Repair Radiance, though inferior to the Supreme Divine Art of Haozhen Flame, was still a Great Divine Art—reducing a person to ash was no challenge.

"Fang Brother, you just killed that old bastard?"

"Good riddance. That look of his? Clearly wanted to turn us into pills. Disgusting."

"But we just killed an Elder of Lingxu Cave Heaven."

Ye Fan and Pang Bo stared at Fang Yu, stunned—he had struck instantly, killed Elder Han, and seized all his magic treasures. Their emotions churned.

They knew it was necessary—but this was the first time they'd witnessed someone in the Cultivation World being killed and robbed of treasures. They were unaccustomed.

Elder Han, an Elder of Lingxu Cave Heaven, had been obliterated in an instant, his bones and flesh erased.

"Who kills me, I kill in return. That's the Cultivation World."

Fang Yu's expression didn't change—but when his gaze fell upon the medicinal herbs inside the Seven Fiend Gourd, his mood lifted considerably.

Elder Han, clearly a master of pill-making, carried many medicinal herbs even on a simple outing—these were his most precious, always with him wherever he went.

Among them was a lotus seed the size of a pigeon's egg, pitch-black and lustrous, as if carved from obsidian jade.

It was a seed from the Black Jade Divine Lotus, producing only one such seed every five hundred years, brimming with boundless life essence.

Another was a green fruit the size of an egg, carved from emerald jade, glowing with soft radiance—the fruit of the Azure Jade Snow Lotus, growing atop snow-capped peaks tens of thousands of meters high, rich in potent life essence.

Most intriguing to Fang Yu was a nine-leaf rare herb, its entire body like red jade carved to brilliance, shimmering, exuding a unique herbal fragrance.

Fang Yu sensed intense fire-element energy from this herb—but not only fire, for this was a divine rarity: the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Herb.

Legend said only soil touched by Phoenix blood could grow this divine herb.

That Elder Han had found such a herb was inconceivable—some even speculated his dwindling lifespan stemmed from exhausting his years searching for such treasures.

With proper cultivation, reaching the next realm wouldn't be difficult.

Spirit Bridge, Other Shore Realm—how hard could they be? You're not a Primordial Ancient Sacred Body.

But regardless, now that Elder Han was dead, all his herbs and treasures were his.

Fang Yu had instantly gained many medicinal herbs and grasses—he could cultivate further, deeply.

At that moment, a flash of light passed overhead—it was Elder Wu Qingfeng.

He halted instantly, gazing down at Fang Yu, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, his face filled with surprise.

"That's… Firewing Ox? Even I must tread carefully against that beast—and you killed it?"

The Elder landed on the ground.

His eyes fell upon the beef, sensing its dense life essence—he was stunned.

"Yes, Elder. Why not join us for some beef?"

Fang Yu smiled as Elder Wu Qingfeng arrived.

Elder Wu Qingfeng's face showed astonishment as he studied Fang Yu closely, as if trying to uncover his secret—but finally shook his head.

"The Firewing Ox's meat holds intense life essence. Pang Bo, eat less—it's bad for you if you overindulge."

Elder Wu Qingfeng took to the air again. He had no time to eat the Firewing Ox. "Be careful. Don't go deeper. Something strange has happened here—it's even stirred our Lingxu Cave Heaven's Supreme Elders."

At that moment, a muffled boom echoed from the ruins' depths.

Everyone felt as if struck by lightning—their bodies jolted, hearts clenched in pain.

Elder Wu Qingfeng's face turned pale, fear flickering in his eyes.

"Be careful. Don't go deeper. This place will soon become a source of calamity."

The Elder took flight again, heading deeper.

"What exactly is it…?"