Chapter 88: Rescue

He asked about the location of the battle and quickly flew in that direction.

The Old Beggar used himself as bait, intending to sacrifice himself to achieve the Triple Extreme Realm.

But how could he disregard the Old Beggar?

Approaching the battlefield, he concealed his aura and activated a Concealment Talisman, attaching it to himself.

Once his presence was completely hidden, he continued forward.

After a while, Lu An stopped and frowned slightly.

According to the soldiers, he had arrived at the battlefield, but why was there no sign of fighting?

He looked around and saw that the surrounding mountains and rocks were desolate, clearly having been through a great battle.

"Has the battle already ended?"

His expression darkened. Suddenly, he felt a sense of urgency and flew in a specific direction.

Soon, he saw two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators searching the area.

"Where do you think the Old Beggar could be hiding?"

"It's hard to say, but since that person is seriously injured, he likely hasn't escaped far."

"The county lord is really something, sending us Foundation Establishment cultivators to search. If that person discovers us, he could easily wipe us out."

"I don't think so. That person is clearly at the end of his strength. He probably has no more fighting power left. It's a pity that Brother Ji was too scared to intervene at the time. Otherwise, we could have captured him on the spot."

"Moreover, after this battle, the county lord also suffered greatly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately returned to seclusion to recuperate. If he delays his injuries, it might waste over ten years of hard work to heal."

Lu An used his Extreme Realm divine sense to overhear their conversation word for word, while the two cultivators remained oblivious.

"Master has escaped, and with Brother Ji's help, it seems there should be no problem in the short term."

Hearing this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to search alone, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed to receive some kind of message and displayed great joy.

"Brother Ji has found the person's trace. We should hurry to join him."

"If we can capture this person, the county lord's reward will definitely be substantial!"

Lu An's mind stirred. Brother Ji?

He might know Master's location, so he decided to follow them to find out.

With this thought, he no longer hesitated and trailed behind them from a distance.

In a great mountain two hundred miles southeast of the Extreme Secret Realm, two figures were resting.

One of them, weakened and coughing up blood with each breath, was clearly not long for this world.

"Master, why did you have me bring those patrolling cultivators here? If they hadn't come, you might still have had a chance to escape. Now…"

The Old Beggar paused to catch his breath and then spoke slowly:

"From the moment I unsealed the seal, there was no way out."

"Even if I tried to escape now, I wouldn't last long."

"I don't know whether Lu An has shown up. I need to attract the guards as much as possible for him, so it won't be a wasted effort."

Ji Xidong's eyes were red. His master had treated him like a nephew since he was young, and seeing him in such a state pained him deeply.

"Master, is Lu An really worth all this?"

The Old Beggar sighed helplessly and spoke slowly:

"In this world, what's worth it or not? I've given up countless attachments in my life, only to pursue this Extreme Dao."

"This matter has become my heart's demon. If it ultimately fails, I won't be content!"

"And Lu An is the one most suited to accomplish this. I see hope in him. Whether it's worth it or not, I must help him."

Ji Xidong fell silent.

He knew better than anyone what Master had given up.

His most cherished disciple, his most respected senior brother, and that one person he loved most.

But now, his disciple had turned against him, his senior brother no longer acknowledged him as a junior, and that last person was left alone, crying all day long.

Now, Master probably had only Lu An as his last source of hope.

Ji Xidong thought to himself.

At that moment, the communication jade slip in his hand suddenly lit up.

He immersed his divine sense into it and, after a moment, frowned and looked up.

"Master, the Foundation Establishment cultivators we notified earlier are already not far from here."

"Stay here and rest. I'll delay them."

The Old Beggar's eyes were unperturbed as he spoke slowly:

"Alright. You stall them as long as you can. When you can't hold them off anymore, come here and kill me, then take my head to claim the reward."

Ji Xidong, feeling a lump in his throat, dared not look back. He turned and left.

But the Old Beggar called him back after a moment of hesitation and said:

"Ah… When you return, apologize to Brother and the disciples for me. I've let them down."

"Tell Aunt not to wait for me…"

Ji Xidong's heart trembled. He knew Master had already resigned himself to death. He nodded solemnly and flew away.

After a while, two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators flew towards him.

"Brother Ji, where is the Old Beggar? Have you fought him?"

"He ran into that mountain and disappeared. I wouldn't dare to obstruct a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Ji Xidong said with a serious expression.

"What? Then hurry and pursue him. If we fail, it won't be easy to explain to the county lord."

"Also, why didn't you call for Core Formation cultivators? Wouldn't that be more certain?"

Hearing this, Ji Xidong quickly stopped them.

"Don't blame me for not warning you. If Core Formation cultivators come, will we even have a chance?"

"Although the Old Beggar is at the end of his strength, he still seems to have one last strike left. I advise you both not to be the first to act."

The two were immediately startled. A single strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator could annihilate them, and they hesitated.

Ji Xidong saw this and smiled slightly, slowly guiding:

"Don't rush, you two. I haven't only notified the two of you. Once other Foundation Establishment cultivators arrive, the role of the 'leading bird' will be filled, won't it?"

"You mean…"

Seeing Ji Xidong nod, the two exchanged a glance and said nothing further, clearly acquiescing to this plan.

Not far behind them, Lu An pondered.

What is the purpose of gathering everyone here? Is it to catch them all at once?

No, from the earlier conversation between the two, it's clear that Master is no longer capable of fighting.

Even if everyone were killed, it would not benefit Master and would only create more enemies. So why act this way?

He was quick to understand Master's intentions.

"Still buying time for me?"

"No, I must rescue Master before they are fully gathered."

He glanced towards the mountain behind Ji Xidong and stealthily approached.

Once he was at a distance from the others, he released his divine sense and began to search extensively.

In the past, if Master had wanted to hide his cultivation, Lu An would indeed have been unable to find him.

But now, having emerged from the Extreme Realm and having divine sense in the Extreme Realm, no movement on this mountain could escape his detection.

Soon, he noticed something peculiar.

It wasn't that he had spotted Old Beggar's figure but rather that an area was unusually quiet, out of place with the rest of the mountain. Clearly, a restriction had been placed to block the aura.

He hesitated no longer and flew towards that direction.

Before long, he landed on the ground, where he saw a naturally formed cave.

The cave entrance was pitch black, obscuring the view inside, and the shifting light on the outside clearly indicated a hidden restriction.

Lu An lightly tapped his fingers, and a breaking talisman silently blasted out. The restriction wavered as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

He hesitated no longer and, with a slight exertion of force, tore open the restriction with a tearing sound.

Before he could step into the cave, a voice came from inside.

"I didn't expect to be discovered so quickly. Have you decided whether you have the ability to take my head?"