Facing the forced smile of Liu Xiaoxiao.
Xia Li didn't offer any insincere platitudes, saying things like "it's all my fault" or "I'll definitely avenge you."
"The Xuan Dan Sect people left in Wind Crane City... I've killed them all."
"Three Golden Core, ten Foundation Establishment, twenty-five Qi Refining."
Xia Li simply and calmly reported his battle results.
Liu Xiaoxiao was extremely surprised to hear this. She widened her eyes. Xuan Dan Sect was a true upper sect—any single Foundation Establishment disciple among them probably had more wealth than the entire Liu family.
Not to mention three Golden Core disciples.
So many people buried alongside the Liu family—that was more than enough.
She didn't cry or throw a tantrum, nor did she say that killing more people still couldn't bring back the Liu family's lives.
She simply raised her head to gaze at the pitch-black ceiling of the dungeon. After hesitating for a moment, she let out a long sigh.
"Our Liu family wasn't the first family exterminated by Xuan Dan Sect, and we won't be the last."
"Compared to families destroyed before, the Liu family was pitifully weak, laughably weak."
Liu Xiaoxiao stood up and patted the dust off her dirty skirt.
"The Xuan Dan Sect people found a pill furnace in my room. They coveted the alchemy techniques you gave me and tried to soul-search me multiple times. Fortunately, our Liu family has a secret technique called Soul Seed. Our ancestor planted a Soul Seed in me, which would kill me the instant someone tried to soul-search me, preventing them from succeeding."
"They told me... if I handed it over, they would spare the Liu family. But we didn't believe them. The Liu family didn't believe them."
"So the Xuan Dan Sect people killed all my family members right before my eyes."
Liu Xiaoxiao's tone was calm, but beneath that calm tone lay murderous intent so cold it made the already low temperature of the dungeon feel even more frigid.
"Senior... I want to use the alchemy techniques you taught me to join a sect opposing Xuan Dan Sect. May I?"
The only thing Liu Xiaoxiao could offer now was the alchemy techniques Xia Li had given her.
"You may."
Xia Li nodded. Those pill formulas only went up to Foundation Establishment anyway. Consider it his humanitarian gesture toward the Liu family.
After all...
The Liu family had indeed been exterminated because of him.
"Thank you, Senior..."
"Let's go. Quickly collect your family's remains. If a Nascent Soul from Xuan Dan Sect comes, I won't be able to fight them."
There was an essential gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul. According to Earth's detailed explanation of cultivation realms, once one achieved Nascent Soul, it was equivalent to transforming from postnatal to innate.
In contemporary scientific terminology, it meant completing an evolution of life's essence—from a flesh-and-blood being to an energy being.
Therefore, when facing Nascent Soul enemies, even the Heaven Chip wouldn't constantly aim for headshots. Instead, it would target the dantian with various attacks, seeking to directly strike the energy infant heavily protected within the flesh shell.
Nascent Soul...
Was the infant true self after rebirth, becoming an energy being.
"Mm..."
Liu Xiaoxiao nodded and followed Xia Li out of the dungeon. The sunlight outside made her eyes sting.
Before long.
The ruins of the Xia Manor.
Liu Xiaoxiao held back tears, putting on a strong front as she lowered the wooden stakes and used her hands to close her family members' eyes that had died without peace.
"Take these to collect your family's remains. The road ahead is still long."
"I won't accompany you further. Leave quickly on your own."
With that, Xia Li tossed two storage rings to Liu Xiaoxiao. He currently had three storage rings—one the Liu family had bought for him, one he'd obtained after killing Song Yu in the secret realm.
And Myriad Treasures Pavilion Master Wan Hui's.
He gave her the one the Liu family had paid for and Song Yu's.
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Song Yu's storage ring had already had all identifying auras erased, and it wasn't a custom model, so Liu Xiaoxiao could use it without worrying about being recognized.
The reason for giving two was that a storage ring that had contained family remains might not be suitable for storing other things afterward...
Storage rings couldn't hold living people, but they could contain corpses.
"Thank you..."
Liu Xiaoxiao thanked him softly. The two storage rings alone were quite valuable, and she also discovered that Xia Li had left ten thousand spirit stones in one of them.
Xia Li then walked out of the ruins. Outside the ruins, many rogue cultivators had gathered.
"Everyone, is something the matter?"
Xia Li looked at this crowd of feeble rogue cultivators and suddenly recalled the scavengers he'd seen in the garbage dump of Lower City.
The two were no different—weak, lowly.
But both were trying their best to survive.
"Senior, we came to tell you some news. Those Xuan Dan Sect disciples' belongings were taken by some people!"
"I know them. Give me a few spirit stones, Senior, and I can definitely track them down!"
"Daring to steal Senior's spoils—they must have a death wish!"
The rogue cultivators had come merely to earn some reward from Xia Li. Upon hearing this, Xia Li paused, but it was probably too late to chase them now anyway.
But it didn't matter.
Those rogue cultivators had touched Xuan Dan Sect's belongings. Xuan Dan Sect would naturally send people to hunt them down.
How laughable that those self-satisfied rogue cultivators thought they'd seized an opportunity, not knowing it was their own death sentence. Even if they got the items, could they break the spiritual seals?
If they planned to slowly wear down the seals, who knows how many years or decades that would take.
But they probably understood this and still chose to act, risking being hunted by both him and Xuan Dan Sect.
This kind of struggle from the bottom class was something Xia Li appreciated. Hadn't he once been one of them?
Since that was the case, he'd let them have it.
He'd see how many of these rogue cultivators who stole his spoils could survive in the end.
"No matter. Consider it my granting them an opportunity. As for you all..."
"I also have opportunities to bestow."
At this moment, Xia Li's mind stirred.
A thought to do something. Xuan Dan Sect's cautious attitude toward Foundation Establishment Pills showed they wanted to control the lower classes, preventing anyone who could overthrow them from emerging.
Just like those lofty gods, appreciating fragile mortals freezing to death in snowstorms, occasionally bestowing a wisp of flame and watching with amusement as mortals devoutly kowtowed.
Let there be fire...
Steal the fire!!
Xia Li now thought of the Heaven Chip. The Heaven Chip technology that benefited the masses was all because his sister Xia Shu had made a choice, becoming the Prometheus who stole divine fire.
And now...
He would also steal fire.
Steal the divine fire from the distant other side of the stars!
"Everyone, open your consciousness seas!"
Xia Li fully released his divine sense, then transmitted a special spiritual energy fluctuation.
It was the fluctuation for public transmission.
Within a range of ten thousand li, any cultivator with a transmission jade slip would feel their jade slip respond.
Then...
Xia Li began to transmit the Dao publicly.
"Supreme Foundation Establishment Pill, the formula is as follows..."
"Thirty-two special methods to establish foundation without needing Foundation Establishment Pills..."
"I hope everyone will spread this far and wide!"
Xia Li wanted to make what those powers considered precious become commonplace.
Xuan Dan Sect had used Foundation Establishment Pills to choke countless people and powers. This strategy was truly pulling the rug from under them, striking at the snake's vital point, hitting the fatal weakness!
