The black-robed Cultivator next to him, the one surnamed Mo, also had a grave look on his face as he narrowed his eyes.
The old man Li Tian calmly glanced over the two of them and then smiled. It was a sinister smile, filled with coldness.
“So Fellow Daoist Wang and Fellow Daoist Li are here. When we last parted, years ago, the both of you were already so intimate. Now it seems you’ve gotten even closer? When will I be able to toast you at your wedding feast?” His voice was grating, and his eyes radiated condescension.
When they heard his words, the two men’s faces didn’t change in the slightest. It seemed they were used to the man speaking in such a fashion.
“You have always paled in comparison to us, Fellow Daoist Li,” responded the Cultivator named Wang. “Throughout your years of Cultivation, it’s hard to say how many female disciples from various Sects you’ve ruined. You don’t even dare to step half a foot into the Southern Domain nowadays. You’re like a stray dog, constantly on the run. I guess you must enjoy that type of life, Fellow Daoist Li.” He feared Li Tian in his heart, but his words were incisive nonetheless.
Li Tian’s eyes glittered with coldness. He gave a gruff laugh but said nothing more.
Seeing that the three of them would speak no more, Yan Song cleared his throat.
“Fellow Daoist Li is a trustworthy person,” he said with a laugh, clasping hands. “On this journey into the Western Desert, all Fellow Daoists must work together.”
“Very well,” said Li Tian in a jarring voice that sounded like iron rubbing on stone.
Yan Song smiled and was about to say something else when suddenly, old man Li Tian’s face flickered and he turned his head.
“Who’s that?”
Even as his voice was sounding out, a beam of blood-colored light streaked through the forest toward them. Within an instant, it was a dozen or so meters away from the group.
The appearance of this newcomer was too sudden. Yan Song, Wang, and Mo didn’t even sense anything until Li Tian said something. It was at that point that suddenly they realized something was amiss.
Almost the same instant that the newcomer appeared, Li Tian gave a cold snort. He immediately lifted his right hand to perform an incantation. Black strands of Qi swirled out to form a black crane. Emitting a piercing cry, it shot directly toward the blood-colored figure.
“Without a face,” said the blood-colored figure, waving its right hand. Instantly, an enormous face appeared. The face was indistinct but emanated shocking power. When the black crane slammed into it, it suddenly looked angry, and a booming sound echoed out.
The roaring sound caused Li Tian’s face to twist. Coldness still radiated out of his eyes, but now, within that coldness existed fear.
—–