Chapter 79: Elder Han, Self-Sacrificing for Others

The person who arrived was an Elder from the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven. His hair was snow-white, his stature short, and he had a gaunt, skeletal appearance. His hands were incredibly withered, skin stretched over bone, looking like the black, clawed feet of a bird.

His gaze turned toward Fang Yu, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, becoming intensely fervent, as if he were appraising his own possessions.

"You seem a bit afraid of me. No need for that; I am very fond of young people, especially those of you full of vitality. Just smelling your scent makes me feel quite comfortable."

This Elder's voice was extremely low and hoarse. "Rest assured, I will not harm you. Although this is your first time meeting me, you will eventually come to know my kindness. I am Elder Han of the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven."

"Elder Han?"

Ye Fan could hardly endure the way this Elder looked at them; it was as if he regarded them as mere objects.

Pang Bo also struggled to contain himself; he was on the verge of calling this Elder an "old bastard."

Indeed, this Elder gave off an extremely dangerous aura, a menacing feeling that he intended to use them for alchemy.

"Elder Han, you came to find us... seeking death?"

Fang Yu looked at the Elder, his expression remaining as calm as an ancient well. However, in the next moment, the Azure Flame Seven-Cultivation Ray true qi within his body transformed into a massive azure-green hand. It arrived in an instant, descending upon the Elder's head and suppressing him fiercely.

"What, you little brat?"

Elder Han’s complexion changed drastically. He actually sensed a life-or-death crisis beneath that massive azure-green hand. Without hesitation, he unleashed twelve rays of green light from his body, which transformed into twelve green wooden swords, attempting to block Fang Yu’s Azure Flame Seven-Cultivation Ray.

"Can you block it?"

Fang Yu’s expression remained unchanged. The terrifying hand pressed down, and an unimaginable force instantly enveloped the area, freezing Elder Han in place.

The power of three hundred and sixty Xuanhuang Fierce Horses filled the void, and Elder Han, along with his wooden swords, were all frozen in mid-air.

Immediately following, a wisp of azure flame true qi pierced through Elder Han’s body, extinguishing all his vitality.

The next moment, the azure flame true qi snatched all the spirit herbs from Elder Han’s body, along with the twelve green wooden swords.

"Cultivating for so many years, neither human nor ghost, yet quite good at scaring people."

Fang Yu reached out again with a beckoning motion. The dozen wooden swords and the spirit herbs Elder Han carried all entered the Seven Killings Gourd. Then, the Azure Flame Seven-Cultivation Ray ignited, completely reducing the Elder to ashes.

In an instant, Elder Han was gone.

Not even a corpse remained.

The Feathered Sect’s Azure Flame Seven-Cultivation Ray, while inferior to the supreme divine ability Vast Heaven True Fire, was still a great divine ability. Burning a person to nothingness was no problem at all.

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

"Well killed. That look in his eyes—it was obvious he wanted to use us for alchemy. Truly detestable."

"But we actually killed an Elder of the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven."

Ye Fan and Pang Bo watched as Fang Yu suddenly struck, killing Elder Han in an instant and seizing all his magic treasures. Their emotions were in turmoil.

They naturally knew this was the right thing to do, but it seemed to be their first time witnessing the "killing for treasure" aspect of the cultivation world, and they were still unaccustomed to it.

Elder Han, an Elder of the Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven, had been killed in a flash, leaving no bones behind.

"Those who kill me, I will always kill in return. The cultivation world is just like this."

Fang Yu’s expression remained unchanged, but when his gaze turned to the spirit herbs inside the Seven Killings Gourd, his mood improved significantly.

This Elder Han was indeed a practitioner of alchemy; even when going out, he carried many spirit herbs. These were his most precious ones, kept with him wherever he went.

Among them was a lotus seed the size of a pigeon egg, black and translucent, as if carved from black jade.

This was a seed from a Black Jade Divine Lotus, produced only once every five hundred years, containing endless life essence.

There was also a green fruit the size of a chicken egg, looking as if carved from emerald, flowing with a soft light. That was the fruit of the Green Jade Snow Lotus, which grew on snow-capped mountains thousands of meters high, also containing powerful life essence.

What interested Fang Yu most, however, was a nine-leaf strange grass. The entire plant looked as if carved from red jade, sparkling and crystalline, emitting a distinct, fragrant scent.

Fang Yu sensed a rich fire-attribute aura from this grass. Of course, it wasn't just fire-attribute, as it was a rare treasure: the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Grass.

Legend says this divine grass only grows on land stained with the blood of a phoenix.

That Elder Han was actually able to find such a divine grass was truly mind-boggling. It even made one wonder if the reason he lacked longevity was because he had sacrificed it while searching for spirit herbs and treasures.

If he had cultivated properly, reaching a higher realm would not have been a difficult task.

Divine Bridge, Other Shore realms—they aren't that hard; you aren't a Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, after all.

Regardless, Elder Han had been slain by him, and all his spirit herbs and treasures were now his.

In an instant, Fang Yu had gained many spirit herbs and grasses, which he could use to cultivate further.

Just then, a ray of light passed overhead; it was Elder Wu Wu Qingfeng.

He stopped abruptly, looking down at Fang Yu, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

"That is... a Fire-Winged Ox? Even I have to be extremely cautious when facing that savage beast, yet you managed to slay it?"

The Elder descended and landed on the ground.

He saw the beef here at a glance and felt the rich life essence within it, causing him great astonishment.

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

Seeing Elder Wu Wu Qingfeng arrive, Fang Yu smiled and spoke.

A look of surprise appeared on Wu Wu Qingfeng’s face. He looked closely at Fang Yu, seemingly trying to discern his secrets, but eventually shook his head.

"This Fire-Winged Ox meat contains very rich life essence. Pang Bo, you should eat less; too much is not good."

Wu Wu Qingfeng took flight again; he had no time to eat the Fire-Winged Ox. "You must be careful. Do not go any deeper. An anomaly has occurred here, and it has even alarmed the Supreme Elders of my Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven."

Just then, a muffled sound suddenly echoed from the depths of the ruins.

Everyone felt as if they had been struck by lightning; their bodies shook violently, and their hearts ached.

Elder Wu Wu Qingfeng’s face also turned pale, and he felt a sense of dread.

"Be careful, do not go deeper. This place may soon become the source of a great calamity."

The Elder took flight again, heading toward the depths.

"What on earth is that thing..."