Half an hour later…
Sima Gao stood at the bus door, looking up in silence at the pair, one big and one small, remaining inside.
"You get off first."
"Big Brother, you get off first."
"Your big brother has always respected the elderly and cherished the young. Be good, you go down first."
"Big Brother, my admiration for you is like a surging river running without end, like the Yellow River overflowing uncontrollably. It's better if Big Brother goes first."
"Actually, the bus door is pretty wide. Why don't you get off together?"
Sima Gao's mouth twitched, the faces on his cheeks swelling and shrinking, until he finally couldn't help but offer a suggestion.
"Get off together?"
Yu Xian sighed upon hearing that and looked at Little Nora.
Little Nora also knew that continuing this standoff was getting them nowhere, so she could only nod in agreement.
Moving in unison, the two slowly stepped off the bus. Fortunately, the smell of urine they had imagined was nonexistent, and both breathed a sigh of relief.
Even so, the thought that this island hovered directly over Feng Laixian's ancient, aged urine made them feel thoroughly uncomfortable all over, without the slightest sense of security.
"Duckie, we finally meet," Sima Gao said the moment they stepped down, staring intently at Little Nora with a fanatical look on his face.
Shining Duckie was Little Nora's online handle. In truth, many veteran viewers knew her name, just not her family name, but everyone was still accustomed to calling her Duckie.
"Yeah, we finally meet, Sima Vendetta," Little Nora smiled at Sima Gao.
Because Sima Gao's online screen name was too long, Little Nora and several viewers who knew him simply shortened it, turning it into "Sima Vendetta."
"Your body is in terrible shape. Let me treat you first," Yu Xian spoke up at this moment.
Just as Sima Gao was about to say something, Yu Xian pulled out a stick and introduced it. "This is a treasure I obtained from a certain vault, named the Violent Healing Stick. It can violently beat out every single disease, curse, and toxin from a person's body. The process is just a bit painful, so bear with it."
"..."
Sima Gao desperately wanted to ask if there was a more civilized method.
Yu Xian, however, clearly had no intention of giving him the chance to speak. The instant he finished his introduction, he raised his hand and smashed the stick squarely into Sima Gao's cheek. In an instant, his face deformed under the blow, his mouth knocked crooked.
Next, Yu Xian gripped the stick with both hands and began violently beating Sima Gao. Little Nora couldn't bear to watch and backed away in terror.
After several dozen strikes, Yu Xian suddenly swung the stick onto Sima Gao's other cheek. The human face growing on the opposite side instantly bulged outward, as if being pushed from the inside out by an invisible force, before finally detaching completely from Sima Gao's face.
"Pain, pain, pain…"
"It hurts, it hurts, I'm dying of pain!"
The face twisted and shrieked wildly, finally letting out a bloodcurdling scream before dissolving into red mist and scattering away.
Yu Xian did not stop. He continued beating Sima Gao relentlessly. Sima Gao was already woozy from the agony, but the tumors on his body, his crippled leg, his rotting internal organs, his diseases, pains, and toxins were all battered out one after another by Yu Xian's stick, each dissolving into mists of various colors before dissipating into thin air.
"Phew, finally done."
Having beaten every last ailment out of Sima Gao, Yu Xian wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and smiled with immense satisfaction.
Sima Gao was still rolling around on the ground. Only after feeling no pain for quite some time did he stop, filled with shock and suspicion.
He first glanced at Yu Xian, who was holding the stick, and then touched his own face. His eyes widened instantly. Next, he felt his abdomen and looked down at his leg.
The next moment, his entire body began to tremble. No one knew better than him just how tormenting that body full of ailments had been.
Now, all the illness and agony in his body were gone. Even the voice in his mind that had clouded his sanity and threatened to turn him into a monster had vanished without a trace.
"Thank you, Benefactor! I can never repay this debt of saving my life. If you ever have need of me in the future, even through mountains of daggers and seas of fire, if I, Sima Gao, so much as furrow a brow, may five thunderbolts strike me dead, may I die horribly and plunge forever into Avici Hell!" Sima Gao scrambled up and immediately fell to his knees before Yu Xian, speaking with overwhelming emotion.
In truth, he had already been declared as facing a slow, incurable death. Even Abyss doctors who examined his condition could only state that he had ten years left at most and should just wait to die.
He had long given up any hope of living, wanting only to avenge his compatriots before he died.
Who would have guessed that the moment he met Yu Xian, his afflictions would be completely cured?
"All right, all right, get up."
Yu Xian stowed the stick, using telekinesis to lift Sima Gao straight off the ground.
Lingering in the Death Calamity Sea made him feel thoroughly uncomfortable, so he urged, "Let's finish our business quickly. Lead us to the Black Lotus Sect."
"Yes, Benefactor, Duckie, please follow me," Sima Gao immediately nodded in response.
He had previously carried a deep, bitter feud, every single movement fraught with agony. But now, he turned around and skipped forward along the path; not breaking into cheers was already his version of showing great composure.
"Little Nora, look. Living in this world, one must strive to find happiness. If you don't feel happy somewhere, you've definitely picked the wrong place—hurry up and run!" Yu Xian said to Little Nora, catching up with a smile.
Little Nora gave an acknowledging chirp and followed Yu Xian's footsteps. She was very happy every single day now, so she knew that following Big Brother was the right choice.
The three of them made their way through the dense forest, and a village appeared ahead.
It was a small settlement called Guyao Village, home to perhaps only fifty-odd households. Sima Gao lived here in seclusion because it was only a few days' journey on foot from the Black Lotus Sect, making it convenient for him to keep watch on them.
Standing on the high ground of the village, Yu Xian and the others could see three steep peaks more than a hundred kilometers away in the distance.
From the mountainsides upward, the peaks were shrouded in mist and clouds like an immortal paradise. Judging by appearance alone, hardly anyone would guess that these three mountain peaks were actually the seat of the demonic Black Lotus Sect.
"The three peaks of the Black Lotus Sect are Black Lotus Peak, Blood Lotus Peak, and White Lotus Peak.
"Let's start with Blood Lotus Peak. The disciples of this peak specialize in absorbing human essence and blood to cultivate, condensing a blood lotus within their dantian. The more blood they absorb, the more petals the blood lotus possesses, and the greater their strength.
"Back when I was still in Nanli Heaven, I heard of Li Tianhao, the chief disciple of Blood Lotus Peak. The blood lotus petals in his body numbered in the hundreds of thousands; one can only imagine how many people he slaughtered and how much blood he drained. The Peak Master of Blood Lotus Peak is also one of the three great experts of the Black Lotus Sect. He was among the ambushers back then. It is said that when he strikes, blood blossoms fill the sky, and anyone who touches them dies instantly.
"Next is White Lotus Peak. The disciples of this peak specialize in corpse refining and bone manipulation. They can manipulate their own bones at will and possess the art of bone shrinking. They love hiding inside the corpses they refine to launch surprise attacks on their targets.
"The more powerful the corpse, the more they covet it. Back in Nanli Heaven, this peak was despised and guarded against by all sects, because they genuinely loved digging up other people's ancestral graves. If their Peak Master hadn't been an elusive and formidable figure, they would have been annihilated long ago.
"Finally, there is Black Lotus Peak, the core of the Black Lotus Sect. This peak has the fewest disciples, but the greatest strength. Every one of them is adept at soul-capturing, soul-refining, and soul-controlling arts.
"The Peak Master of Black Lotus Peak is also the Sect Master of the Black Lotus Sect. It is said he has already reached the Nine-revolution Loose Immortal realm, and one more breakthrough will put him at Star Rank. In fact… I suspect he might already be a Star-rank powerhouse."
Looking at the three distant peaks, Sima Gao spoke with a somber expression, his tone utterly solemn.
Chapter 388