Chapter 28: The Whereabouts of Li Zikun

Knowing that escape was impossible, the man began once more to persuade Bai Feiyu.

Though he knew it was unlikely, he still held onto a sliver of hope. After all, if such an extraordinary talent could be recruited into his sect, his own standing within the sect would soar. Not only would he have turned crisis into safety, but he would also have rendered a great service—a prospect that was enough to make him smile in his sleep.

However, when he saw the cold indifference in Bai Feiyu’s eyes, he instantly understood. There was no way he could convince Bai Feiyu to abandon the Gui Xu Sect.

“I’ll ask you one last time—do you have any information on Li Zikun?” Bai Feiyu’s voice was icy. “If I ask you questions and you answer every one of them, I might spare your life.”

“Your sect will be eradicated sooner or later, and your cultivation is sufficient for you to escape this place.”

“As for those other fellows, I can leave them to you, let you use them to establish your own sect. You could go somewhere and become a local overlord.”

“But if you won’t see reason, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Since he intended to extract useful information, Bai Feiyu knew he could not be too merciless. Otherwise, why would the man answer him at all?

“Really?” The man was taken aback, but quickly sneered. “I suppose the moment I tell you, you’ll kill me anyway!”

With that, he stiffened his neck, as if resigned to his fate.

Bai Feiyu only gave a faint smile, sheathed his sword, and looked at the man. “First, I have always been a man of my word. Second, do you have any other choice?”

This question struck deep into the man’s heart, and for a moment he was racked with hesitation. Cultivation was not easy; no one wished to die here. Now that a glimmer of hope appeared, he naturally wished to grasp it, but he still feared Bai Feiyu would kill him once he had outlived his usefulness.

He was caught in a struggle.

“Tell me about Li Zikun first. Also, I have some interest in your sect.”

At this, Bai Feiyu’s voice sounded again.

“You’ve come around? You want to join our sect?” The man’s eyes lit up and he looked directly at Bai Feiyu.

Bai Feiyu almost laughed. He fixed the man with a look. “What I mean is, I’m rather interested in wiping out your sect.”

“Hurry up and consider. My patience is limited. If you don’t answer me in ten seconds, you can go meet the King of Hell.”

Bai Feiyu issued the final ultimatum. He had already given the man time to think; now, with the man still stalling, Bai Feiyu’s patience was nearly spent. It was time to apply pressure.

After all, this was not an innocent villager—he might not be able to coerce the innocent as a righteous disciple, but forcing a traitorous minor sect disciple was another matter.

Seeing Bai Feiyu’s genuine anger and the desperate faces of the other disciples, the man finally made up his mind and decided to gamble.

“Li Zikun has some connections with the elders of our sect. We know a thing or two about him.”

“As for his current address, I honestly don’t know. The man is as cunning as a fox. However, the elders should know—after all, one of them once did him a great favor.”

“But don’t bother trying to ask our elders. My advice is to quit while you’re ahead.”

“Our sect has quite a few disciples at the Haoqi Realm, and several elders at the higher Lock Realm. You won’t be able to get what you want from them.”

The man appeared flustered as he spoke, pleading for Bai Feiyu’s mercy.

“Immortal, spare me! I’ll tell you everything about Li Zikun. He isn’t telling the truth!”

At that moment, a distant disciple shouted. Of all the disciples, he was the most anxious, desperate to survive.

Hearing this, Bai Feiyu turned his gaze to him. He seemed to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and with his Haoqi Realm cultivation, he would be considered a talent in a minor sect. Yet his behavior was not befitting such status; he was utterly spineless.

“Speak. Tell me everything about Li Zikun and your sect.”

With Bai Feiyu’s command, the disciple’s face lit up with hope, while the other man grew visibly anxious.

“Li Zikun is right in our sect. Though he’s a demonic cultivator, he’s practically one of us now.”

“As for elders at the Lock Realm—figures like that were nearly all wiped out by the Gui Xu Sect years ago. Only one elder managed to break through to the Lock Realm in recent years; the rest are all at the Haoqi Realm.”

“In our sect, there aren’t many at the Haoqi Realm, and as for the ninth level, only two.”

“However, on this point he is correct. As powerful as you are, I’m afraid you really can’t destroy our sect. My advice is to go back.”

The disciple spilled everything in a panic.

From his account, Bai Feiyu learned that there were only about a hundred people left in the sect. But their strength was uneven; after being repeatedly purged, the minor sect was already in tatters. If not for the mountains they called home and their secret hideouts, they would have been annihilated long ago.

Yet, even so, Bai Feiyu could not truly contend with their strength. Three at the ninth level of Haoqi Realm and one at the Lock Realm were enough to spell disaster for him.

Bai Feiyu frowned deeply.

He was now caught in a dilemma. Before coming, he had never imagined Li Zikun would be entangled with a minor sect. This made matters extremely troublesome.

Who would have thought a minor sect would ally with Li Zikun? Though the sect was considered traitorous, it was still a righteous sect; rarely would anyone partner with a demonic cultivator.

Yet the minor sect had done just that.

“Immortal, please spare me! Cultivation is not easy. We have worked so hard to reach our current level—no one wishes to die like this!” the disciple pleaded again.

Bai Feiyu ignored him, lost in thought about what to do next.

After all, given the information he now possessed, as long as he brought this disciple back to Gui Xu Sect and reported everything—especially that Li Zikun had allied with the minor sect—his previous mission would be canceled, and he might even be credited with completing it, since he had uncovered vital intelligence.

He could even help Gui Xu Sect destroy the minor sect in one stroke.

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