Thud—
Sima Xiangtu dropped to his knees, slamming his forehead heavily against the ground.
He kowtowed ten times in succession before he finally dared to speak.
"Lord Taibai, I was secretly observing just now. The interconnected formation that Chu Feng planted inside Young Master Kongping's body is far from simple."
"And it has already fused into Young Master Kongping's soul."
"It truly cannot be broken within a short time."
"That Chu Feng is extremely cunning."
"I absolutely cannot let him think he has me by the throat."
"Otherwise, even if I release the person he wants to save, he will inevitably make other demands."
"So I was merely trying to frighten him, hoping to force him into retreating."
"If he really refused to believe the danger and truly dared to threaten me with his own life…"
"Then I would have chosen to yield. Forget releasing his master—if he wanted my life, I would have given it to him."
"I would never dare gamble with Young Master Kongping's life."
As Sima Xiangtu explained, he did not dare lift his head even once, which spoke volumes about the fear he held for the people of the Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect.
"Bullshit! You were watching me suffer right in front of you, and now you're spouting this nonsense."
"Jiang Taibai, stop wasting words with him—kill this old bastard for me."
"No, that's too easy on him. Use the extreme punishment on him."
Jiang Kongping suddenly sat up, pointing at Sima Xiangtu and unleashing a string of curses.
"Young Master Kongping, please stay calm. We must prioritize breaking this formation first."
Upon hearing this, the members of the Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect all rushed to placate him.
After all, they were currently putting all their effort into helping Jiang Kongping undo the formation.
As long as the formation still lingered on him and Chu Feng had not gone far, his life would remain outside his own control.
This was something the people of the Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect could never allow.
If anything happened to Jiang Kongping, every single one of them would pay the price.
"Sima Xiangtu, you should consider who Young Master Kongping is."
"I may let you off for now, but whether you live or die will be decided when Lord Jingyu returns."
"Go handle the Nine Souls Holy Clan's affairs first."
Lord Taibai waved his hand dismissively.
Sima Xiangtu did not dare delay. He hastily bowed and turned to withdraw.
"Jiang Taibai, why did you let him go?"
"Didn't you just see him leave me in danger without lifting a finger?"
Jiang Kongping, who had been lying down moments ago, sat upright once more. Even toward this Lord Taibai, he showed not the slightest shred of respect.
"Young Master Kongping, you know full well why we are here. This is your father's will."
"And this Sima Xiangtu is the key. If he dies, all our efforts will have been for nothing. I'm afraid even your father, Lord Jingyu, would not permit you to eliminate him right now."
"Really, if you have a grudge against him, once Sima Xiangtu completes his task, how you deal with him will be entirely at your word," Lord Taibai said.
"That's just a legend."
"Even my father couldn't make it happen."
"You people actually believe he can pull it off?"
"If he had that ability, would his cultivation be this low?"
"Would he even need to rely on us?"
"In my opinion, we should just leave this backwater. That legend is nothing but a lie," Jiang Kongping said with undisguised contempt.
"Young Master Kongping, do you still recognize this?"
As he spoke, Lord Taibai produced an object from within his robes.
It was originally palm-sized, but the moment he tossed it outward, it rapidly expanded, transforming into a colossal structure a hundred meters tall.
It was an elevated platform that looked as though it had been carved from pure jade—translucent, crystalline, and strikingly beautiful.
But it was no ordinary jade. It was crafted from an extraordinarily precious and unique material, and within the platform, a strange, visible power flowed and swirled.
"Isn't that the Test Stone our Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect uses to measure talent? How could I not recognize it?"
"I should be asking you—have you already forgotten the scene when I stood before that Test Stone and shook the entire Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect?"
Looking at the stone, Jiang Kongping's face instead lit up with pride.
"Of course we remember. Young Master Kongping's Test Stone result was Eight-layered Immortal Radiance."
"In the entire history of our Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect, fewer than twenty individuals have ever triggered Eight-layered Immortal Radiance."
Lord Taibai said.