Chapter 331 - 328: The Biggest Secret
Chapter 331 - 328: The Biggest Secret
"How could this happen?" Jiang Qilong's face was filled with shock, "My cultivation is clearly higher than yours, so why can't I beat you?"
"My foundation is steadier than yours! The True Qi inside my body is purer than yours! Even if your cultivation is higher, I can easily defeat you," Gao Fei said indifferently.
"It seems I misjudged you," Jiang Qilong struggled to get up from the ground, his face flitting between light and shadow, "You are very strong! In a one-on-one fight, I'm no match for you!
But, I have reinforcements!" With that, Jiang Qilong pointed to the men in black standing on both sides, "Their strength is not weak, a joint attack on you will definitely defeat you!" Having said that, Jiang Qilong led a gang of men in black and charged toward Gao Fei.
Can sheer numbers really win?
The answer is no.
It didn't take long for the victor to be decided.
Jiang Qilong and his subordinates were all sprawled on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, in agony.
Looking at Gao Fei again, his face wasn't red, he wasn't panting, and not even a speck of dust marred his clothing.
"Buddy! I admit defeat!" Jiang Qilong climbed up from the ground, a forced smile on his face, "Well, it's my mistake for not recognizing a great man, for offending you, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me." This fellow Jiang Qilong really had a thick skin; as soon as he saw the tide turning, he immediately gave in.
"I just heard you say... you're a bandit?" Gao Fei asked indifferently.
"Eh... Yes... I've been a bandit since I was ten..."
"Over the years, you must have looted a lot of valuable things, right?"
"Not at all! Not much!"
"You're not telling the truth, are you?"
"No no no! I'm telling the truth... Being a bandit may seem glorious on the outside, but it's actually exhausting. Not to mention living in constant fear every day, having to sleep with one eye open. I did loot some things over the years, but I've spent them all; hardly anything is left..."
"Spent it all?"
"Right, spent it all. From the day we became bandits, we were prepared to meet our end on the streets at any moment, uncertain of when we would die. Therefore, we treasure life, we treasure every day – eat the best, drink the best, live in the best places, indulge in the best pleasures. No matter how much we loot, it can't withstand our squandering."
"You're nothing but a bunch of prodigals."
"Yes yes yes, we are prodigals! You are a dazzling star in the sky, we are mere dust on the ground. The difference between us is immeasurable. You will surely become a remarkable person in the future, while we're far from it. Whether we can die peacefully is a concern. Buddy, please show some mercy and let us go.
Once I get back, I'll set up a shrine for you, worshipping you day and night."
"Empty your possessions."
"Ah?"
"Ah what? Didn't you understand what I just said?"
"We understand, we understand." To save their lives, Jiang Qilong and the others could only take out their possessions. The other men in black followed suit, laying out their belongings on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the ground was filled with storage bags.
Gao Fei casually picked up a storage bag, opened it, and checked, "That's all?" Next, Gao Fei opened a few other storage bags, and the items inside were all meager, "You are just a bunch of paupers."
"Yes yes yes, we are paupers!" Jiang Qilong hurriedly nodded.
"I've beaten you and taken your belongings; you must hold a deep grudge against me. If I let you go, you're bound to seek revenge by any means necessary."
"We won't! We definitely won't do that! We can swear it!"
"The best solution is to kill all of you; that way there will be no threats left."
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"No! Don't do this!" Jiang Qilong was terrified: "We truly won't hold a grudge against you! Really!"
"It won't work!" Gao Fei shook his head: "I still can't let you go; I can't leave myself a hidden danger." Having said that, Gao Fei added another sentence: "You bandits have done much evil and brought harm to many people, killing you would be ridding the people of a scourge." Gao Fei was moved to kill.
"I'll exchange our lives for a secret!" Jiang Qilong said anxiously.
"A secret?" Gao Fei raised an eyebrow: "What secret?"
"You first promise not to kill us, then I'll tell you what the secret is." Jiang Qilong began to bargain.
Gao Fei stared at Jiang Qilong for a while, then nodded: "Fine, I'll give you a chance, but let me make it clear—if the secret you reveal isn't appealing to me, I'll still kill you."
"You won't be! You'll definitely be interested!" Jiang Qilong said confidently.
Gao Fei turned around to face Elder Guo and the others: "I took your thousand-year-old wild ginseng, and now I've saved your lives, so we're even." Having said this, Gao Fei paused: "Now you can leave."
"I will remember you," Elder Guo stood up, leading the disciples of the Floating Cloud Sect away.
"I will remember you too!" Elder Song stood up, leading the disciples of the Iron Sword Sect away.
"Alright." Gao Fei turned back around and beckoned to Jiang Qilong: "Now we can talk in detail, go on, what's the secret?"
"That what... After I tell you the secret, you really won't kill us?"
"I'm a man of my word!"
"Alright! I'll tell you, I discovered an Immortal Palace."
"What?" Gao Fei's eyes widened sharply: "What did you say? Immortal Palace?"
"Yes." Jiang Qilong nodded emphatically: "Exactly, the Immortal Palace!"
"Give me more details."
"It's like this..."
In the time that followed, Jiang Qilong revealed an astounding secret...
Three months prior, Jiang Qilong had been pursued by enemies, fleeing in sheer panic, until he arrived in a forest. In his frantic escape, he stumbled into a cave, and deep inside the cave, he found a palace, exquisitely magnificent, emitting a blinding halo.
A plaque hung over the palace's main entrance, with two dazzling golden characters inscribed on it in ancient text. Jiang Qilong didn't recognize them at all. He wanted to enter the palace to have a look but couldn't find a way in, no matter how hard he tried, and ultimately, he had no choice but to leave.
Before leaving, Jiang Qilong etched the two characters from the palace's plaque deep into his memory. Once out, he began searching through classical secret manuals to translate them, and with persistence, he eventually found their meaning.
The two characters meant "Immortal Palace!"
Jiang Qilong was ecstatic, this was the Immortal Palace! Anything related to the word "immortal" was nothing ordinary.
After making thorough preparations, Jiang Qilong returned to the cave, hoping to open the gates of the Immortal Palace and search for treasures inside, but unfortunately, he still failed in the end. Every time he approached the Immortal Palace, he would be repelled by a tremendous force, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get close to the Immortal Palace.
He stayed in the cave for a long time before leaving reluctantly.
In the days that followed, Jiang Qilong made several more attempts but returned empty-handed each time.
As time went on, the Immortal Palace became a constant thorn in Jiang Qilong's side, leaving him in utter dejection every day.
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