82: Chapter 82 The Substitute Death Technique

Xiang Tian galloped all the way.

His figure transformed into a streak of light, weaving through the clouds.

"Damn, the speed of the Martial King Realm is truly extraordinary!" he felt the surging spiritual power within his body.

He couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Just as he was about to activate the Cultivation Technique 'Dragon Travels Ten Thousand Miles' to further increase his speed...

A cold, sinister voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Xiang Tian, I hope you've been well!"

Xiang Tian, who was flying at high speed, suddenly frowned.

This voice was incredibly familiar.

He turned his head sharply and saw a figure in green robes stepping on a Flying Sword.

Following him like a shadow.

"Senior Brother Liu Jian?!" Xiang Tian's pupils constricted, his face full of disbelief.

This person was none other than the Outer Sect's Eldest Senior Brother Liu Jian, who was supposed to have died long ago in the Haotian Sect's Secret Realm!

"It is indeed I!" A fierce light gleamed in Senior Brother Liu Jian's eyes.

His tone was venomous, "Xiang Tian, today is the day you die. Give me your life!"

As the words fell...

He impatiently drew his long sword. A sharp Sword Qi pierced directly toward Xiang Tian's face.

The wind from the sword whistled, unstoppable as it broke through the air.

*Clang—*

At the critical moment.

Xiang Tian reacted extremely quickly.

He drew the qingling sword with a backhand and held it horizontally to parry.

The two swords collided, sending out dazzling sparks.

A massive force traveled through the blade, numbing Xiang Tian's arm.

"Hmm? You only have the strength of the second level of the Martial King Realm, yet you can actually take a hit from me?" Senior Brother Liu Jian's eyebrows knitted tightly together.

Xiang Tian was shaken several steps back by the blow.

He simply used the rebounding force to dive downward.

Landing steadily in the mountain forest below.

He looked up at Senior Brother Liu Jian, who was following closely behind.

He asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Liu Jian, you clearly died. Why have you come back to life?"

"What? Are you disappointed to see me alive?" Senior Brother Liu Jian hovered in mid-air and gave a cold snort.

"A hypocrite like you... failing to completely kill you back then was my biggest mistake!" Killing intent blazed in Xiang Tian's eyes.

"Killing you is only the first step!" Senior Brother Liu Jian's gaze grew increasingly sinister.

"And that androgynous thing Jin Yuan—sooner or later, I will tear him into ten thousand pieces!"

As his words fell, he attacked with his sword once more.

The sword light was like lightning, closing in on Xiang Tian's vitals.

*Clang!*

Xiang Tian hurriedly raised his sword to defend, but Senior Brother Liu Jian's strength far exceeded his own.

Every strike carried a terrifying pressure, forcing him back step by step.

The rubble beneath his feet was shattered and sent flying in all directions.

"We are quite a distance from the Haotian Sect, and this place is deserted. I'll see who can save you today!" Senior Brother Liu Jian grinned hideously.

His sword techniques became increasingly sharp, every move aimed at killing.

Xiang Tian gritted his teeth as he defended, feeling secretly surprised.

Senior Brother Liu Jian's swordsmanship used to be strong but orderly.

Now, his fighting style had no technique to speak of, relying only on brute force and malice.

"My life, Xiang Tian's life, has never been controlled by others, and I certainly don't need to rely on the Sect for protection!" Xiang Tian shouted coldly.

"Stubborn! Just die quietly!" Senior Brother Liu Jian snorted disdainfully, his long sword dancing even faster.

Streaks of Sword Qi poured down like a rainstorm.

"You really think this is all the strength I have?" A cold light flashed in the depths of Xiang Tian's eyes.

His true trump card had never been sword techniques.

"Phoenix Slash!"

With his loud shout, the phoenix blood in his body suddenly boiled.

A massive red crescent condensed above his head.

Wrapped in raging flames, it slashed fiercely toward Senior Brother Liu Jian.

Senior Brother Liu Jian's expression changed; he didn't dare take it head-on.

He quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding the strike in a pathetic manner.

The red crescent landed on a nearby rock face.

*Boom~*

The rock face was instantly split in two, with debris flying everywhere.

"It seems the rumors that the Sect Master gave you the phoenix blood are true." Senior Brother Liu Jian steadied himself.

His eyes were full of jealousy, "I really can't understand why he would give such a supreme treasure to a piece of trash like you!"

He had long heard news of the phoenix blood; such an Opportunity should have belonged to him.

After all, he had always been the image of the number one Genius in the Outer Sect and had long been secretly watched by several Elders.

But in the end...

The phoenix blood had fallen into the hands of this 'trash' Xiang Tian.

How could he ever accept this?

"I'm trash? Then you're even worse than trash!" Xiang Tian sneered.

The flames around him suddenly surged, and the raging Phoenix Flame surrounded his body.

Seeing this...

Senior Brother Liu Jian's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly dodged backward.

"You actually controlled the Phoenix Flame too?!" Senior Brother Liu Jian's eyes were nearly splitting from rage.

He gritted his teeth and hissed, "Why is the Heavenly Dao so unfair! Such an Opportunity should have been mine!"

Xiang Tian's brow furrowed slightly.

Senior Brother Liu Jian's swordsmanship was still sharp and his speed was extremely fast.

He couldn't get close at all, and completing the 'face-slapping' mission was harder than climbing to heaven.

He was currently short on funds, with only 620 face-slapping points left.

If an emergency occurred, he would have no room to maneuver.

"I can't keep defending passively!" Xiang Tian steeled his heart.

He shouted in a low voice: "Short swords, out!"

As soon as he spoke, the Nine Short Swords, colored gold and red, suddenly condensed and hovered around him.

*Swish swish swish—*

With a thought from Xiang Tian...

The Nine Short Swords were like nine meteors, carrying a sharp whistling sound through the air.

They shot toward Senior Brother Liu Jian together, sealing off all directions he could dodge.

*Clang clang clang!*

Senior Brother Liu Jian's expression changed significantly.

He hurriedly brandished his long sword to defend, sword shadows flying everywhere.

He barely managed to block the attack of the short swords.

But the massive impact still forced him back repeatedly.

"Senior Brother Liu Jian, what do you think of my strength now?" Xiang Tian's eyes held a hint of a smile.

"Hmph! Mere tricks!" Senior Brother Liu Jian snorted coldly.

Though he spoke disdainfully, his movements became increasingly frantic.

He put all his effort into defending against the repeated attacks of the short swords.

He was originally a master of the sword, but now he was being forced into a pathetic state by a bunch of short swords.

He felt extremely stifled in his heart, and his malice grew even thicker.

"Since the short swords can't finish you, let me show you the power of this blade!" A cold light flashed in Xiang Tian's eyes.

He reached back and pulled the Demon Blood Blade from his storage space.

The blade felt heavy in his hand, and the black-red blade light suddenly surged.

Xiang Tian slashed out violently, and a condensed black-red Saber Qi whistled forth.

Senior Brother Liu Jian's pupils constricted, and he hurriedly leaned to the side to dodge.

He avoided the strike by a hair's breadth.

But just as he steadied himself, he felt a chill on his shoulder.

*Squelch—*

Although he had dodged the Saber Qi, he failed to avoid one of the short swords that followed closely behind.

A wound deep enough to see the bone was sliced into his shoulder.

"Now!" Xiang Tian seized this fleeting Opportunity.

His figure suddenly teleported, appearing behind Senior Brother Liu Jian like a ghost.

The Demon Blood Blade slashed down!

*Thud!*

With a dull, heavy sound, the Demon Blood Blade landed squarely on Senior Brother Liu Jian's back.

Senior Brother Liu Jian screamed, and his body flew out like a kite with a broken string.

A hideous, deep-to-the-bone wound was carved into his back.

"Hmm? No blood?" Xiang Tian's pupils constricted slightly.

Looking at the wound on Senior Brother Liu Jian's back, his brow instantly tightened.

There was definitely something wrong with this Senior Brother Liu Jian!

Xiang Tian suppressed the confusion in his heart, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

With a flash of his figure, he quickly chased after him.

He slashed down with the Demon Blood Blade again, delivering a finishing blow!

*Thud!*

This strike was full of power, directly splitting Senior Brother Liu Jian's body in half!

"What a pity, I still couldn't complete the face-slapping..." Xiang Tian looked at Senior Brother Liu Jian, who had been split in two.

He shook his head helplessly, feeling a bit of regret in his heart.

...

At the same time.

Inside a dark, lightless space.

A masked woman in black was holding a Puppet that looked exactly like Senior Brother Liu Jian.

Suddenly...

With a 'crack,' a fissure opened up in the Puppet's body.

"Useless! He couldn't even handle such a small matter and actually died just like that!" The woman's voice was bone-chillingly cold.

Dense black mist instantly swirled around her body.

She raised her other hand, pure black energy swirling around her fingertips.

She slowly injected it into the Puppet.

As the black energy flowed in...

The cracks on the Puppet's body slowly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

...

On the other side.

In the mountain forest.

Senior Brother Liu Jian's body, which had been split in two by Xiang Tian, actually began to wriggle slowly.

Then, like magnets, the pieces were attracted to each other and merged back together.

The wound on his back also vanished instantly without a trace.

It was as if he had never been injured at all.

"Damn! What kind of ghost thing is this?!" Xiang Tian watched this eerie scene.

His hair stood on end, and waves of shock crashed through his heart.

"Have another blade!" After the shock passed...

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Xiang Tian's eyes, and he charged again with the Demon Blood Blade.

Preparing to completely shatter Senior Brother Liu Jian.

But just as his blade was about to fall...

A spatial rift suddenly appeared beside Senior Brother Liu Jian.

A powerful suction instantly sucked Senior Brother Liu Jian's body inside.

Immediately after...

The spatial rift quickly closed and disappeared.

"Shit!" Xiang Tian cursed loudly.

Looking at the empty ground, his face was incredibly grim.

"Senior, what exactly is going on?" Xiang Tian was full of confusion.

He hurriedly asked You Lingqing in his Sea of Consciousness.

"It's just some unorthodox methods, no need to make a fuss." You Lingqing waved her hand casually.

"That is the 'Substitute Death Technique'."

"Substitute Death Technique?" Xiang Tian frowned.

"Yes," You Lingqing nodded and explained.

"The life of someone who has been implanted with the Substitute Death Technique is no longer in their own control. As long as the person performing the technique does not die, the controlled person will never truly die. No matter how severe the injury, they can recover as before."

"That's just cheating!" Xiang Tian rolled his eyes, feeling utterly speechless.

This was simply an unkillable cockroach!

"Then is the controlled person dead or alive?" Xiang Tian pressed further.

"In a sense, they can no longer be considered a real human," You Lingqing said slowly.

"They are more like a Puppet creature created by the practitioner."

Xiang Tian rubbed his chin.

He asked again, "Senior, then why can Senior Brother Liu Jian still remember things from when he was alive? That's not quite the same as the Puppets you mentioned."

"Having memories is normal," You Lingqing explained.

"Senior Brother Liu Jian's memories are mostly stored in his brain. The practitioner only needs to activate them slightly, and these memories will naturally manifest. It doesn't conflict with the Puppet itself."

You Lingqing's words made Xiang Tian's pupils constrict slightly.

This explanation...

...actually coincided perfectly with the principles of brain cells and the cerebral cortex storing memories that he knew from his past life.

He didn't expect...

...that this kind of modern scientific theory...

...would be spoken by You Lingqing in such a way.

"Then if I completely shatter him and grind him into powder, can he still be resurrected?" Xiang Tian asked unwillingly.

"Even if he's blown into dust, as long as the practitioner is still there, he can slowly aggregate and recover." You Lingqing lay on the lounge chair in the Sea of Consciousness.

She spoke in a lazy tone.

Xiang Tian was completely stunned.

This wasn't just cheating; it was practically breaking the rules!

"If I encounter him again next time, I'll just lock him up so he can't do any evil!" Xiang Tian pondered.

This might be the only way for now.

"You should stop wasting your energy." You Lingqing poured cold water on his idea.

"The Substitute Death Technique is not that simple. Once the controlled person cannot be recalled by the practitioner, they will turn into a wooden Puppet."

Hearing this...

Xiang Tian took a deep breath, his heart growing increasingly heavy.

This Substitute Death Technique was even more eerie and terrifying than he had imagined.

He suppressed his thoughts and stopped dwelling on Senior Brother Liu Jian's matter.

He turned and continued his journey toward the Imperial City.

The rest of the journey was fairly peaceful, with no further accidents.

Just fifteen days later...

The Imperial City appeared on the distant horizon.

With the Grand Elder's previous introduction, Xiang Tian had a general understanding of the power distribution in the Imperial City.

To quickly increase his cultivation...

...the only way was to constantly 'slap the faces' of various experts in the Imperial City.

His goal was very clear.

Not long after...

Xiang Tian arrived at the entrance of the Ouyang Family's residence.

But just as he stepped through the main gate, he was stopped by a group of people.

The members of the Ouyang Family had already been waiting here.

Men and women, young and old, all were present with varying expressions.