Chapter 184: The Bootlicking Immortal Lord Who Wants to Live Off a Woman.50

At least, that’s what everyone present was thinking.

From their perspective, Ruan Xi’er hadn’t committed any major crime, yet her Master and Senior Brother were ready to destroy her Immortal Bone.

Wasn’t that a bit too heartless and cold?

They’d never noticed it before, but now it was clear—these two were ruthless to the core.

People like that had to be kept at a distance. Who knew when they might stab you in the back?

In an instant, a vacuum formed around the Second Elder and Chu Suxing.

The two of them looked utterly awkward.

Xinluo frowned in displeasure. “Still got time to gossip? You should be thinking about how to save your pathetic lives. I heard Xian Yue is gone. I’d love to see what you can do to stop me now.”

His eyes narrowed, a crimson glow flashing within them, radiating a murderous intent to slaughter everyone present.

The atmosphere shifted. Everyone felt as if fate itself had grabbed them by the throat.

Ruan Xi’er smiled at Xinluo, her expression twisted and eerie. “Kill them. Kill them all.”

“As you wish.” The moment the words left her lips, Xinluo surged forward.

Sect Master Xia shouted, “Form the array!”

At his command, the high-ranking elders and sect leaders charged forward, while those with lower cultivation levels protected the disciples and retreated.

But despite their numbers, they couldn’t gain the upper hand.

After all, this Demonic Cultivator had once stood shoulder to shoulder with Xian Yue. Naturally, these people weren’t enough to restrain him.

Each stage of cultivation might seem close in name, but the actual power gap was vast.

One by one, people were sent flying. Finally, it was Sect Master Xia’s turn.

He collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest as he coughed up blood.

Were they really going to die here?

Was this the end of the Cultivation World?

Was there no one who could save them?

Wait—wasn’t there still the Ancestral Master?

Where had he gone? Ever since the disciples entered the Secret Realm, he had vanished.

Sect Master Xia threw his head back and howled, “Ancestral Master! The disciples of Wu Nian Sect are in danger! Please save us!”

His cry seemed to jolt everyone awake.

Right! There was still the Ancestral Master!

Where was he?

One after another, voices rang out: “Ancestral Master, save us!”

Shen Xiuyan stood silently at the back, expressionless.

Useless fools. Can’t even handle a single Demonic Cultivator. The Cultivation World really is doomed.

And now they were forcing him out of seclusion.

If this got him exposed, he’d make them pay.

Was this how the original protagonist in the novel died?

Sect Master Xia’s cries went unanswered. As Xinluo charged toward him, he shut his eyes in despair.

But the searing pain never came.

He peeked open one eye—and saw Shen Xiuyan standing before him, dressed in white, cold and aloof, blocking the attack.

In that moment, Sect Master Xia felt like a god had descended.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “Ancestral Master…”

He lunged forward and hugged Shen Xiuyan’s leg. “You’re finally here…”

Shen Xiuyan glanced down at him with disdain. “Go cry somewhere else.”

“Yes, sir.” Sect Master Xia quickly scurried to the side.

Xinluo stared at the man before him, still in disbelief.

He had blocked his full-force strike.

“Who are you?”

“Shen Xiuyan.”

“Shen Xiuyan?” Xinluo ran through every powerful figure he knew in his mind, but couldn’t recall anyone by that name.

Not that it was surprising—when Xian Yue had sealed him away, Shen Xiuyan hadn’t even become his disciple yet. Back then, Shen Xiuyan was just an up-and-comer, not even on the radar of the great powers.

Who would’ve thought that he’d rise to become the number one cultivator in the world?

Sect Master Xia noticed Xinluo’s confusion and placed his hands on his hips proudly. “This is none other than the disciple of Xian Yue himself! The current number one in the Cultivation World! Hahaha, scared now?”

“Oh?” Xinluo smirked. “Xian Yue’s disciple?”

Shen Xiuyan’s heart sank. Great. Now he’d dragged his Master’s grudge into this.

Old hatred plus new vengeance—this was how villains powered up in stories.

Sect Master Xia really knew how to draw aggro. Was he trying to get him killed?

Was this how the original Shen Xiuyan died in the book?

Before Xinluo could make another move, Shen Xiuyan turned his gaze on Sect Master Xia.

His eyes were icy and filled with warning. Sect Master Xia flinched and shut his mouth.

He had the distinct feeling that the Ancestral Master’s look said, “If I’m going down, I’m taking someone with me.”

And that someone… was him.

A voice, low and seething with suppressed fury, cut through the tension. “So you’re Xian Yue’s disciple? Perfect. I’ll start the blood sacrifice with you. Blame your Master for being too good.”

“…”

Damn it. He really called it.

Xinluo vanished and reappeared in a flash, his movements sleek and lethal like a panther, eyes burning with murderous madness.

The two clashed in a flurry of over a hundred strikes. Their speed and power surpassed what most of the onlookers could even perceive.

Xinluo quickly realized his opponent wasn’t weak—in fact, he had fully inherited Xian Yue’s strength.

His expression turned grim.

Had he known someone like this still existed, he wouldn’t have made his move today.

But it was too late for regrets.

This was a battle of life and death. Beads of sweat began to form on both of them.

Xinluo knew he couldn’t drag this out any longer. He summoned all his power for one final, desperate strike.

As long as he took down this brat, the rest were nothing.

Shen Xiuyan hadn’t expected Xinluo’s power to spike so suddenly. He was caught off guard and thrown back, barely managing to stabilize himself.

Xinluo laughed wildly. “Haha! What’s the matter? Can’t keep up? Take this!”

The two clashed once more.

Everyone could clearly see that Shen Xiuyan seemed to be losing to Xinluo.

Sect Master Xia wore an expression of utter disbelief—this couldn’t possibly be the true strength of the Ancestral Master.

After all, the Ancestral Master had already possessed this level of power several centuries ago. There’s no way that after all this time, he hadn’t improved at all.

Though Sect Master Xia didn’t know the full extent of the Ancestral Master’s true strength, he was certain it was unfathomable. There was no way someone like Xinluo could handle him so easily.

No, something wasn’t right.

Where had things gone wrong?

The tension was so overwhelming that he could barely think straight.

Frantically, he looked around, hoping to find someone who could help him make sense of the situation.

And then he saw it—squatting behind Elder Su was that young man.

Wait a minute…

Why was the Ancestral Master’s alternate identity still pretending to be there?!

You’re seriously hiding behind a Soul Transformation Stage elder at a time like this? Have you no shame???

And then it clicked. He finally understood.

Of course! There was no way the Ancestral Master’s strength was only at that level.

In such a critical moment, it was time to merge the two back together.

That wisp of divine sense he’d sent out—it must have severely limited his power.

And yet, even with just a fragment of his consciousness, he could still fight Xinluo to a standstill. If that wasn’t worthy of admiration, what was?

Truly, the student had surpassed the master. The Ancestral Master’s strength had already far outstripped that of Xian Yue Zunshi.