"Don't kill me..." Wei Hai's voice was weak and slurred as life rapidly drained from his body. Blood continuously seeped from his trembling lips.
Even so, Lin Xiao clearly heard his plea.
Having rushed down the mountain to observe, Liao Pantou noticed that Lin Xiao's sword had yet to strike, and the Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to be begging for mercy. Concern gnawed at him.
He feared that Lin Xiao, with his kind heart, might hesitate to deliver the final blow.
Though Liao Pantou usually admired Lin Xiao's compassion, this was a moment when he hoped Lin Xiao would not let this Nascent Soul cultivator live.
But in the next instant, Liao Pantou exhaled in relief, realizing his worries were unnecessary.
Lin Xiao raised his sword, pointing it directly at Wei Hai. His gaze was calm yet resolute as he said, "While I don't want to kill, I also don't want to see scum like you remain in this world."
Lin Xiao understood that in this world, his sword would inevitably be stained with blood. This was merely the beginning.
If he didn't eliminate this man, he would become a future threat.
There were no laws in this world that could bring this man to justice. Sparing his life would only allow him to seek revenge later on.
Lin Xiao had too many people he cared about. No matter whom this man might target in the future, Lin Xiao couldn't afford to take that risk.
With a sharp thrust, Lin Xiao's sword shattered Wei Hai's Nascent Soul.
Devoid of his Nascent Soul, Wei Hai's cultivation was utterly destroyed. His body, once that of a middle-aged man, quickly withered into that of a frail, elderly figure.
Moments later, with his Nascent Soul gone, Wei Hai's breathing grew weaker, and soon he slumped forward, his eyes closing forever.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao let out a long breath.
He then stepped out of the Two Elements Life-and-Death Formation and turned to Liu Yunian, who had been controlling the formation. "Baldy, erase his soul."
"Got it!" Liu Yunian replied. Just as he was about to activate the formation's final soul-destroying technique, a voice suddenly called out, "Wait!" The one who stopped him was none other than Liao Pantou.
The crowd that had gathered at the foot of the mountain looked at him in confusion.
Liao Pantou quickly entered the formation and thoroughly searched Wei Hai's body, finding several storage rings and bags. Satisfied, he stepped out and nodded to Liu Yunian. "All clear. Go ahead."
With that, Liu Yunian activated the formation's soul-destroying technique. In an instant, all traces of life within the formation were wiped out. Wei Hai's remains disintegrated, leaving not even a speck of dust.
The crowd collectively sighed in relief.
This Nascent Soul cultivator had been terrifying. With just a wave of his hand, he could have wiped out their entire village.
No one present felt any pity for the cultivator's death.
However, Aunt Lin couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "We've killed a cultivator... Will the authorities come after us for this?"
Hearing this, Liao Pantou and Liu Chun, both from the cultivation world, were momentarily stunned. It had never crossed their minds that the government would intervene in a cultivator's death. Lin Xiao smiled reassuringly and explained, "Aunt, don't worry. He deserved to die. The authorities won't interfere."
Hearing that, Aunt Lin and several other elders who had been silently concerned also breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Yunian added, "Auntie, don't worry. If the authorities do try to make trouble, I'll personally throw them out of Xiushui Village."
Aunt Lin quickly waved her hands, about to say something when a frail voice from nearby spoke, "Please, everyone, rest assured. The authorities won't meddle in the affairs of cultivators, nor will they trouble common folk over the death of a cultivator who came looking for trouble."
The crowd turned to see an unassuming old man slowly approaching.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Jiang Youfu tugged on Mo Yuanjiao's sleeve and whispered, "Yuanjiao, why didn't you use our teleportation talisman earlier?"
Mo Yuanjiao leaned in, responding regretfully, "I forgot to give one to my dad beforehand! When everything happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to teach him how to use it."
Each teleportation talisman could only transport one person, and since they had tested it before, Mo Yuanjiao realized immediately that he wouldn't have time to activate one for his father. He couldn't just leave him behind while he and Mo Que escaped.
He had never expected that returning to the sect would mean encountering a Nascent Soul cultivator blocking the village entrance.
But as he thought about it, Mo Yuanjiao felt a surge of pride as he looked at Lin Xiao standing among the crowd.
His sect master senior brother had dealt with the Nascent Soul cultivator as soon as he emerged from seclusion!
Their sect was truly powerful. Even without a Nascent Soul cultivator in their ranks, they had managed to kill one!
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao observed the approaching old man, unsure of who he was. Liao Pantou quickly transmitted a message to him, "Based on his conversation with that Nascent Soul cultivator, this man is the ancestor of the Pusi Kingdom's royal family, and he's also at the Nascent Soul stage."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao understood. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I am Lin Xiao, the master of Lingxian Sect. May I ask what brings Senior here?"
Seeing Lin Xiao's polite demeanor, Li Zhanying felt a favorable impression. With a kindly expression, he replied, "No need for such formalities. I've heard of a new sect recently established in the kingdom, and my curiosity led me to take a look."
He then glanced at the villagers gathered on the Heart-Testing Path and asked, "When will these people awaken? Earlier, there were many tourists heading towards the village. I temporarily cast a barrier to hold them back, but I wonder what plans Sect Master Lin has for them?"
Although Li Zhanying couldn't interfere in the conflicts between cultivators, he wouldn't stand idly by while his kingdom's citizens were endangered.
So, when he noticed the commotion and the presence of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Zhanying had quickly set up a barrier two miles outside the village to prevent any tourists from entering.