I Was the Sun Before I Became an Immortal

The moment Si Chen's words fell, the massive corpse-dragon surged forward on a wave of foul wind, lunging without hesitation toward Lü Ci, Old Mo, and the others!

"Damn it!"

Lü Ci's expression shifted violently. Si Chen had never had any intention of making peace — he wanted them all dead, every last one.

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Save Fang Heng? Join forces with Old Mo? No! Both were too late!

He couldn't afford to wade any deeper into this mess!

Watching the corpse-dragon bear down on him with the force of ten thousand pounds, a vicious gleam flashed through his eyes, and he made a move that left Old Mo's eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.

Rather than defending himself, he seized Fang Heng — whom he'd been holding — and hurled him directly toward the oncoming corpse-dragon, then used the momentum to launch himself in the opposite direction, bolting for the tunnel exit!

What Young Sect Master of the Fang Clan? What future retribution? In the face of life and death, all of that was worthless!

Fang Heng? He could fend for himself!

"Lü Ci! You—!"

Fang Heng was already gravely wounded. Flung by that force, he stumbled directly toward the corpse-dragon's gaping maw, his face a mask of shock and venomous hatred.

He hadn't expected that the very man who'd just saved him could turn him into a stepping stone in the blink of an eye!

"Old scraggly hair! What the fuck are you, a loach?! Stay right there for this bear!"

Heishan reacted with lightning speed, roaring as he slapped a massive paw at Lü Ci's escaping light.

His mind was blunt, but he never hesitated in a fight. This sneaky old bastard wanted to run — had he asked permission?

Chifeng moved without a sound, transforming into a streak of crimson shadow to cut off his retreat.

With two third-rank Demon Beasts blocking him with full force, Lü Ci couldn't advance a single step.

"Damn it all!"

Lü Ci's face darkened, his heart gripped by shock and fury.

He was beginning to regret things now — not regret making a move against Si Chen, but regret that when they'd been outside, he hadn't done everything in his power to eliminate him on the spot!

In that brief moment while Lü Ci was held back, Old Mo made an entirely different choice.

Watching the young master hurled toward the corpse-dragon, his eyes nearly split with rage. Completely disregarding his own injuries, he ignited his blood essence in a blazing surge!

A torrent of spiritual power far beyond his normal limits erupted from his withered body. His speed spiked in an instant, and by the narrowest of margins — just before the corpse-dragon's massive jaws snapped shut — he wrenched Fang Heng back to safety.

"Young Master, run!"

Old Mo rasped the command, ignoring the tearing agony ripping through his Meridians, and charged toward the tunnel entrance he had sealed with his own hands while carrying Fang Heng.

What bitter irony — the escape route he had blocked to silence witnesses had now become his greatest obstacle.

"Open, damn you!"

Old Mo channeled every last drop of power wrung from his burning blood essence into both palms and slammed them against the boulder blocking the passage.

Boom!

The boulder shattered, revealing the narrow tunnel behind it. He shoved Fang Heng through, his voice urgent and resolute: "Go! Leave Wanji Mountain and return to the clan! Don't look back!"

Fang Heng stumbled forward from the push. He glanced back once at Old Mo — drenched in blood, his aura guttering like a candle in the wind — and his lips moved. In the end, he gritted his teeth and dove through the tunnel without looking back.

Seeing Fang Heng escape, Old Mo felt a measure of relief. Once the young master was outside, with no flight-suppression barrier in place, his chances of getting away would be far greater!

It wasn't that Old Mo couldn't flee — but if he ran too, who would hold back Si Chen, the two Demon Beasts, and that terrifyingly powerful corpse-dragon?

It would only be a matter of time before the young master was caught!

He spun around sharply, fixing his gaze on Lü Ci, who was still locked in combat with Heishan and Chifeng. His voice carried the hoarse desperation of a man staring down death: "Lü Ci! Stop thinking only of yourself! If we don't join forces now, neither of us walks out of here today!"

He despised Lü Ci to the bone for what he'd just done, but right now, one more person meant one more chance for the young master to get further away.

Lü Ci heard him, and the expression on his face shifted rapidly.

Join forces? Easy for you to say!

That corpse-dragon clearly obeyed Si Chen's commands, and its power far surpassed any ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Joining forces would only delay death by a few moments!

This old fool was obviously trying to drag him down as a sacrifice so the Fang Clan boy could escape!

There was only one thing on his mind: get out. As for whether Old Mo and Fang Heng lived or died — why should he care?

Old Mo read the wavering in Lü Ci's eyes, and his heart sank completely. He knew — this old fox was useless to him.

Si Chen watched all of this in silence, finding it rather interesting.

Some people, to survive, could betray in an instant.

Others were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their master.

Human behavior was truly complex and difficult to fathom.

But interesting as it was, killing still had to be done.

He waved a hand. The corpse-dragon let out a low, rumbling roar and lunged at Old Mo once more!

"Get back!"

Lü Ci's sword light blazed as he tried to force Heishan and Chifeng away, but the two Demon Beasts were dead set on keeping him there, their assault coming in wave after relentless wave.

On the other side, Old Mo was being driven back step by step by the corpse-dragon, blood pouring from his mouth and nose, yet he kept fighting desperately, refusing to let anyone near the tunnel entrance.

"You old ghost! Are you trying to drag me down with you?!"

Lü Ci cursed furiously. Several times he tried to break away and flee toward the tunnel, but Old Mo seemed to have anticipated his every move, his body always drifting — seemingly by accident — to block his path, forcing him to share the burden of the corpse-dragon's attacks.

"Hmph!" Old Mo paid him no mind whatsoever.

At this point, he had long since set aside all thought of life and death. His only thought was to buy the young master as much time as possible.

Lü Ci wanted to leave? He'd have to walk over Old Mo's corpse first!

Lü Ci began to curse wildly, his words filthy and vile.

Old Mo remained unmoved, spending his last reserves of strength to hold the tunnel entrance.

And so it went — the two of them were already outmatched by the corpse-dragon, and with their conflicting intentions, they couldn't coordinate at all.

Lü Ci wanted to flee but couldn't. Old Mo wanted to stall but couldn't hold on alone.

Pfft—

Old Mo was the first to give out. The backlash from burning his blood essence erupted in full force. A sweep of the corpse-dragon's tail caught him square in the chest, sending him flying backward to crash against the stone wall, where he slid down limply.

The light in his eyes faded rapidly. He cast one last glance toward the tunnel entrance, as if trying to confirm whether the young master had gotten far enough away — then he slumped over and went still, never to move again.

"Old Mo!" Lü Ci cried out in alarm, his heart going cold. With Old Mo dead, every ounce of pressure now fell on him alone!

Heishan's bear paw, Chifeng's wind blades, and the corpse-dragon's utterly unreasonable, battering charges left him scrambling on all sides.

Bang!

In a moment of inattention, the corpse-dragon's tail grazed him. His protective spiritual energy shattered instantly, and he was sent crashing to the ground like a kite with a snapped string, blood spraying wildly.

He stared up at the corpse-dragon and the Demon Beasts closing in on him, and for the first time, his face showed pure, absolute terror.

He struggled to look toward Si Chen, spending his last reserves of strength to shriek: "Don't… don't kill me! Si Chen! I'll swear loyalty to you! I'll give you the Liuyun Sword Sect! I know many secrets…"

Si Chen didn't even blink.

The corpse-dragon's massive head plunged downward, its gaping maw snapping shut.

Crack!

Lü Ci's pleas were cut off abruptly.

The cavern fell silent, leaving only the heavy, ragged breathing of the demons.

The demons all looked at Si Chen, their eyes filled with awe. This little brother of theirs had methods that could shake the heavens!

Yet Si Chen stared at the corpses with a puzzled expression.

He could sense that while the physical bodies of Old Mo and Lü Ci were indeed dead, two strange concentrations of energy were quietly lurking within their remains.

Similar to a soul, yet far more condensed.

As a star that had once looked down upon all living things, he was extraordinarily sensitive to this kind of energy.

Just then —

Whoosh — Whoosh —

Two barely perceptible sounds rang out. Two egg-sized orbs of light shot out from the corpses of Old Mo and Lü Ci like lightning, streaking toward the tunnel exit at a speed that far surpassed anything they had achieved in life!

"Oh?"

Si Chen raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, extending one hand and closing it gently around the empty air.

The two rapidly fleeing points of light slammed into an invisible wall, freezing in midair, then flew back uncontrollably and settled into Si Chen's open palm.

The orbs struggled in his hand, radiating emotions of fear and despair.

Si Chen looked down. The two points of light faintly took the shape of infants — their features blurred. Lü Ci's was so faint it was nearly invisible, while Old Mo's was considerably more distinct.

"These are… Nascent Souls?"

Si Chen recalled records he had read in various texts: when a Cultivator stepped into the Nascent Soul Stage, their soul would condense into this form — a second life.

"You… what kind of monster are you?!"

Lü Ci's Nascent Soul emitted a faint mental tremor, filled with disbelieving horror!

Without their physical bodies, they had almost no power to resist. But a Nascent Soul was intangible and formless — ordinary means could barely even detect one, let alone hold it so casually in the palm of a hand!

Old Mo's Nascent Soul was silent for a moment, then let out a weary sigh: "To the victor go the spoils. I have nothing to say. I only ask that you make it quick."

He could see clearly that begging was useless. Better to preserve the last shred of dignity.

Si Chen gave a slight nod.

Now that he understood what these things were, his curiosity faded.

"Chirp!"

Red Bean, who had been perched quietly on his shoulder all this while, suddenly let out a cry.

Her obsidian eyes fixed on the two Nascent Souls in Si Chen's hand, her small head craning forward eagerly.

Si Chen sensed her emotions and tilted his head to ask: "You want to eat these?"

Red Bean immediately nodded her little head vigorously, her gaze burning with intensity.

Si Chen thought it over. These things were of no use to him, and since Red Bean wanted them, he might as well give them to her.

So he casually held Lü Ci's Nascent Soul — which was shrieking and cursing nonstop — up to Red Bean's beak.

"No—!!!" Lü Ci's Nascent Soul let out one final scream of despair.

Red Bean didn't hesitate. She opened her small beak and swallowed the fading orb of light whole.

"Chirp~"

She let out a satisfied little trill, even giving a small burp, and the crimson feathers covering her body seemed to glow just a touch more brilliantly than before.

Then she settled down contentedly and nuzzled her cheek affectionately against Si Chen's face.

Si Chen could feel it — the flame energy within Red Bean seemed to have grown a fraction stronger.

His gaze shifted to the remaining Nascent Soul in his palm — the one belonging to Old Mo.

This one was far quieter, simply waiting in silence for its final end.

Si Chen thought of how Old Mo had shielded his master just moments ago, and the calm composure with which he had asked for a quick death.

Compared to Lü Ci, this enemy had at least preserved something worthy of a measure of respect at the very end.

Si Chen gave a small nod, honoring the other's choice.

"As you wish."

He closed his five fingers gently.

Pop.

With a soft sound, Old Mo's Nascent Soul dissolved in his palm into specks of pure spiritual light, scattering completely into the world.

A true scattering of the soul — body and spirit gone forever.

Only the process had been spared of suffering, made clean and swift instead.