Chapter 89: Recovery of Strength

Lu An's heart ached. Even in his final moments, Master was still buying time for him. How could he not be moved?

His voice was a bit hoarse as he slowly spoke:

"Master, it's me."

Silence, deathly silence.

After a while, a furious voice came from inside.

"Lu An, why did you come back? Was all my previous effort in vain?"

Lu An stepped into the cave and came before the Old Beggar.

The Old Beggar was now covered in blood and barely recognizable.

If it were an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, they could still escape by having their Nascent Soul leave the body, find a new host, and be reborn.

But Old Beggar's Nascent Soul was bound by chains and could not leave the body.

Even if unbound, it would only allow him to utilize his Nascent Soul strength; rebirth was utterly impossible.

His mid-stage Nascent Soul strength was now entirely diminished, resembling a dying mortal.

Lu An knelt before Old Beggar with a thud and kowtowed nine times, then said:

"Master, I will take you away."

The Old Beggar's expression softened, and after a long time, he sighed.

"Alas… foolish child, foolish child."

"Forget it. I won't seek the Extreme Dao anymore. To have such a beloved disciple before I die, I have no regrets."

Seeing Lu An's appearance, it seemed he suddenly understood many things, and he finally let go of his long-standing obsession.

"Disciple, while those cultivators haven't arrived yet, leave quickly. Perhaps you can still escape."

"Even if I could escape, I wouldn't last long. I will hold off the last wave of danger here for you, helping you to soar into the depths!"

Lu An, however, did not move. Instead, he looked up at Old Beggar with a gleam in his eyes.

"Master, why must you escape?"

"Hmm?"

The Old Beggar was puzzled, but Lu An raised one hand and pointed to his dantian.

The Old Beggar's face changed in shock, but out of trust in Lu An, he did not act rashly.

Lu An withdrew his finger and pointed to various other places.

If one looked closely, they would see that these points were all on the roots of Old Beggar's Nascent Soul chains.

"Disciple, are you going to remove the chains for me?"

"These chains suppress my Extreme energy. If they are removed, I fear that my body will explode and die in no time."

Lu An's method was fundamentally different from the one Old Beggar used to unseal the restrictions.

The Old Beggar's technique merely created a temporary opening in the chains, allowing partial use of his cultivation.

Otherwise, with his mid-stage Nascent Soul strength, he could easily deal with the early-stage county lord.

But Lu An's method was clearly different. He intended to fundamentally solve the issue of the soul-binding chains.

Once removed entirely, the suppression of the "Extreme" would have catastrophic consequences.

However, Lu An did not stop, clearly having considered this.

He pointed at the last chain, and the many chains seemed to trigger a chain reaction, clattering and falling away.

A white substance rapidly generated inside Old Beggar's body, surging like a tidal wave.

Lu An's forehead beaded with sweat, but he remained calm.

He raised his hands, his fingers aligned, and tapped on the two meridians, Shenque and Tiantu.

Next, streams of white substance entered them, perfectly matching the "Extreme" generated in the soul, achieving a temporary balance.

Suddenly, a powerful true qi erupted from Old Beggar, his aura climbing steadily, and his injuries continued to heal.

From the third layer of Qi Refining, to the eighth layer, to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and then to the late stage of Foundation Establishment...

Until his aura reached its peak, his cultivation ultimately stabilized at the pinnacle of early-stage Nascent Soul, and the severe injuries vanished without a trace.

Though not as strong as before, achieving this level of recovery was still quite remarkable.

"You… you have mastered the Extreme True Intent!"

"Yes, it's indeed the Extreme True Intent, I can't be mistaken!"

Old Beggar's face was filled with joy, his behavior almost manic.

His excitement was not due to the recovery of his own cultivation but because Lu An's method of healing had revealed the existence of the Extreme True Intent to him.

Lu An, puzzled, asked:

"Master, what is the Extreme True Intent?"

Old Beggar glared at him and huffed:

"True Intent cannot be named or described. You will naturally understand it in the future."

With that, he clenched his fist, his eyes flashing with brilliance.

"Indeed, the Extreme True Intent is so powerful that it can even adjust someone like me, who has been out of balance for years."

Then, he looked at Lu An seriously:

"Disciple, remember, do not mention this to anyone, not even the closest person. If it's leaked, it could cause a catastrophe."

"At that time, even if I recover my cultivation, I won't be able to protect you!"

Lu An's heart tightened, and he silently made a vow to never reveal this to anyone.

Seeing that Lu An understood the gravity of the situation, Old Beggar finally showed a satisfied expression, then clenched his fist.

"This feeling of having such power, it's been a long time since I experienced it."

He extended his divine sense outward, clearly seeing the scene outside the mountain, and a hint of battle intent rose in his eyes.

Lu An's forehead twitched with three black lines, and he couldn't help but remind:

"Master, you've just recovered your cultivation. It's better not to act just yet."

"The Extreme I infused into you only maintains temporary balance. If you want to fight without issues, you need to practice the Soul Refinement Method day and night, transferring the Extreme from your divine sense to your physical body and magical power."

"Otherwise, if the balance is disrupted again, you might fall into the previous situation."

Old Beggar had not yet entered the Extreme Realm due to Lu An's healing. His current state was similar to Lu An's previous condition.

He only needed to use the Soul Refinement Method to convert the Extreme within him, and he would be fine in the future.

Though he understood this principle, he did not agree with Lu An's caution:

"Disciple, do you think that with my cultivation level, dealing with those Foundation Establishment cultivators would break the balance within me?"

With his Nascent Soul strength, he could easily subdue those outside, without expending much effort.

Lu An shook his head and continued to persuade:

"It's true that dealing with those cultivators is effortless for you. However, it conflicts with my plan."

"Oh? Do explain."

Lu An took a breath and asked about something else.

"Master, now that your cultivation is restored, do you have any plans to return to the capital of the Great Qi Kingdom?"

He knew that the people Old Beggar cared about the most were there, so he asked this question.

Old Beggar pondered for a moment and then sighed slightly.

"Things have changed. I can't go back. I have no face to meet them."

Lu An nodded, as he had expected this answer.

"In that case, Master, why not join my Three Talismans Sect as a Grand Elder? Wouldn't you enjoy yourself there?"

Old Beggar was slightly taken aback, then laughed.

"You brat, you were waiting for me here. Even if I go to the Three Talismans Sect, how does it relate to whether or not I kill these people?"

"No, no, my Three Talismans Sect can't remain in a single county for long. Moreover, with your joining, our sect will become much stronger, and the Yongning County should have a place for our sect."

"And these people could be valuable new recruits. If we can recruit them into the sect in the future…"

Old Beggar looked at Lu An with surprise and fell into contemplation.

Since he had nowhere else to go, staying in the Three Talismans Sect seemed like a good choice.

The sect had just been established, and he was the highest in strength with no one to constrain his freedom. Joining now was just right.

Moreover, Lu An was also in the sect, making it ideal for careful teaching.

With this in mind, he nodded in agreement.

"Since you want to spare these people, I will scare them off with my own power. It will save you from having to explain to your senior brother."

With that, he was about to take action.

At this moment, a paper crane glowing with a faint light flew from afar and landed in Lu An's hand.

Who is sending me a message at this time?

Lu An, puzzled, touched the paper crane with a finger, and Gu Chuanfei's voice came from it.

"The Fang family attacked our Three Talismans Sect, suffered a great defeat, the Fang family patriarch perished, and the second elder is missing!"