Chapter 649

If Lian Chengbi dies, won't Lian Chengzhi's purpose in coming here be ruined?

At once, he transmitted a thread of true qi to preserve Lian Chengbi's life.

"Who are you?"

With Lian Chengzhi's aid, Lian Chengbi finally caught his breath, opened his eyes, and asked the stranger before him.

"Hand over the Lian family's heart scripture and the Soul-Seizing Hand, and I may spare your life."

Lian Chengzhi wasted no words, stating outright his purpose for coming.

Originally, in the White Dragon Creek battle, he lost Xuanwu Jun, a staunch top-tier Heaven's Dao List expert.

Sensing his own strength was insufficient, he began pondering how to enhance it.

He possessed the Crimson Fire Divine Art and the Divine Seizure of Seven Emptinesses, two supreme techniques.

But the highest realm of the Crimson Fire Divine Art has never been achieved by anyone in all these years.

The Divine Seizure of Seven Emptinesses relies primarily on techniques, with intention as secondary—it's impossible to boost combat power quickly.

In the end, he reluctantly sought help from Xuanhua Hao.

After all, he was You Dongying's Heavenly Locust; after losing their Grand Boss Xiao Aoshi, Xuanhua Hao had already bowed its proud head.

Bu Xiangshan used his divination arts to calculate a method for Daoyi Sect to grow strong rapidly.

That method was combining the Lian family's heart scripture with the Soul-Seizing Hand of the Free and Easy Marquis.

Two Wu Gong techniques, neither even reaching Earthly grade, when combined, could produce an extraordinarily terrifying effect.

Upon learning this, Lian Chengzhi immediately set out with his guard unit and Chi Xue, traveling day and night to find Lian Chengbi.

"The Lian family's heart scripture is a secret never passed down by Shanzhuang…"

Lian Chengbi was cruel and ruthless—not only toward others, but even more so toward himself.

He knew that if he handed over what others wanted, he would almost certainly die.

But if he didn't hand it over, there was still a sliver of hope for survival.

"If you don't hand it over…"

Lian Chengzhi was even more cruel and ruthless; he casually struck another human swine.

The man was already near death, having bled too much.

Yet after Lian Chengzhi touched him, he felt as if his heart would burst.

He screamed in agony, his appearance horrific to behold.

"This is your fate!"

"Besides, I am the legitimate heir of the Lian family—you, this impostor, have already stolen the nest, and still aren't satisfied?"

Lian Chengbi didn't even glance at the other man's screams; upon hearing Lian Chengzhi's words, he immediately realized:

"You are You Dongying's Heavenly Locust, Lian Chengzhi?"

Ever since Lian Chengzhi appeared on the Heaven's Dao List, Lian Chengbi had known this day would come—that the legitimate heir would return to seize everything from him.

To preserve what he had, Lian Chengbi accelerated his plans.

First, he struck three birds with one arrow.

He didn't lift a hand himself, yet killed Shen Lao's grandmother.

After Shen Lao's grandmother died, he used his status as the son-in-law of Shen Family Fortress to annex the fortress.

His final step was the trivial matter of sowing discord between Xiao Shiyilang and Shen Bijun.

After succeeding, he immediately found the Free and Easy Marquis's weakness, allied with Shanzhuang and Shen Family Fortress, and finally captured the Free and Easy Marquis alive.

He forced him to speak, obtaining the Free and Easy Marquis's ultimate technique: the Soul-Seizing Hand.

Then, using the Soul-Seizing Hand, he absorbed the Free and Easy Marquis's lifetime of cultivation, and consecutively drained twelve top experts of Shen Family Fortress into dried husks.

In the end, he finally achieved his goal: entering the Earthly Immortal Realm.

All of this was precisely to oppose Lian Chengzhi.

According to his earlier plan's success, he believed that given time, he could certainly oppose Lian Chengzhi.

Who knew, a You Dongying expert showed up, crippled him, and worse—

Then came the greatest trouble: Lian Chengzhi arrived right behind him.

"You're quite clever. Hand over what I want, and I might spare your life."

Lian Chengzhi didn't bother concealing it; he nodded, admitting his identity.

In truth, You Dongying was teeming with experts, its strength comparable to the Three Imperial Dynasties and Yunzhou's imperial court.

Thus, Lian Chengzhi's ambitions were far beyond a mere Shanzhuang.

But the Lian family's heart scripture was something he must obtain.

"Do you know who this man is?"

Seeing Lian Chengzhi admit it, Lian Chengbi suddenly let out a strange laugh, glancing at the other human swine.

"Who?"

"He is your brother! He is the Free and Easy Marquis! He is the true heir of the Lian family.

Because he was born without limbs, the old master of Lian Family Fortress cast him into the wild.

What does it feel like to torture your own brother?"

It turned out the other human swine was none other than the Free and Easy Marquis—the legitimate heir of Lian Family Fortress, Lian Chengzhi's own biological brother?

"Brother?"

Lian Chengzhi gave a strange smile, then used his palm as a blade, slicing through the Free and Easy Marquis's head with true qi.

"Such a waste of flesh isn't worthy to be my brother.

Now, hand over what I want—my patience is extremely limited!"

Seeing Xiao Yao Hou's head separated from his body, Lian Chengbi's heart tightened.

He never imagined Lian Chengzhi could be this ruthless.

He had told him plainly that Xiao Yao Hou was his own elder brother—how could he still strike the killing blow?

Compared to him, I'm almost kind!

But Lian Chengbi now understood: if he didn't hand it over, the patience of You Dongying's Heavenly Locust Your Majesty would be utterly spent.

Then he would be left unable to live, unable to die!

"Fine! Are you certain you'll spare my life?"

Every faction has no shortage of ways to torture people—Lian Chengbi himself has many.

Not to mention You Dongying's—so after seeing Xiao Yao Hou's gruesome death, he immediately surrendered.

"Not only will I spare your life, you may continue to take charge of Lian Family Fortress."

And if you wish, you may secretly join You Dongying—I'll send agents to support you in expanding your influence across Da Song."

Lian Chengzhi's ambitions extend far beyond Yunzhou—he seeks all of Jiuzhou!

Though Da Song is a vassal of the Qinglong Society, there is no corner of the world where You Dongying dares not plant hidden agents.

If possible, Lian Chengzhi would even bribe someone inside the Qinglong Shanzhuang.

"Truly?"

Lian Chengbi was overjoyed—he wouldn't die, wouldn't lose his power or status, and could secretly ally with You Dongying?

As for allying with You Dongying, even if it meant betraying the Central Plains of Jiuzhou,

in Lian Chengbi's heart, what did that matter!

"Enough! Hand it over quickly—my patience is limited!"

Lian Chengzhi was truly exasperated; if not for Bu Xiangshan's divination and his own immense pressure, he would never have dealt with such a worthless fool as Lian Chengbi.

Lian Chengbi also saw that Lian Chengzhi's patience was nearly gone, and immediately revealed where the Lian Family's core technique and Soul-Searching Hand were hidden.

In the end, he added:

"But it's strange—if your only goal was the Lian Family's core technique and Soul-Searching Hand, why did you earlier send a You Dongying expert to confront me?"

He tortured me and Xiao Yao Hou mercilessly—long ago, he extracted Soul-Searching Hand from us!"

Lian Chengzhi knew the person Lian Chengbi spoke of must be Jue Xin, who had arrived earlier.

Jue Xin had also taken Soul-Searching Hand?

It seems he intended to use Soul-Searching Hand to enhance his own cultivation.

But once one reaches the Earthly Immortal Realm, not even a minor realm is merely about accumulating more Qi.