Supreme Alchemist-Chapter 2427 - 2417: A Different Kind of Time Power

The Old Madman cast an appreciative gaze upon Long Yan. While he didn’t entirely admire such reckless bravery, the strength behind Long Yan’s actions stirred something in his memory, causing the image of another person to overlap with Long Yan’s figure in his mind.

"Where have I seen this shadow before?"

The Old Madman felt a splitting headache as he struggled to recall, his mind wracked with pain as if torn apart. He ignored Long Yan, crouched on the ground, and began howling in agony—a sound so eerie that it sent shivers down Long Yan’s spine.

"Where on earth is it?"

The Old Madman, half-crouched, blood-red eyes glinting, came to a realization. Was this not the apprentice he had been searching for? How long had he been sealed away?

"Long Yan!"

Long Qingli’s voice echoed from within the Blood Mist. It seemed she had not heeded Long Yan’s advice to take the others and leave the Bamboo Forest. Instead, she had ventured deeper in, searching for him.

Long Yan clenched his teeth tightly. Faced with the Old Madman howling beside him, he didn’t know what to do.

"Should I take this chance to escape?"

The thought had only just crossed Long Yan’s mind before he firmly dismissed it. Unless fighting was truly impossible, he would never choose to run away.

Long Qingli’s voice grew fainter with each passing moment. Strangely, the Old Madman’s gaze began to clear up. Although Long Yan briefly considered launching a surprise attack on the crouched figure, the faintly guarded posture of the Old Madman’s right hand deterred him.

Long Yan had no doubt that if he struck now, the Old Madman would kill him instantly. Fighting a maddened Old Madman in this unfavorable environment would leave him no chance of victory. For now, the Old Madman seemed somewhat wary of Long Yan, restrained in his actions.

Time passed in intervals. As the Old Madman remained crouched, the density of the Blood Mist in the air seemed to diminish. Long Yan surmised that the mist’s intensity might fluctuate based on its master’s intent.

If the Old Madman’s murderous intent surged, then logically, the Blood Mist would grow thicker. The mist not only blocked True Qi but also obstructed Mystic abilities. Long Yan couldn’t fathom anyone else capable of battling the Old Madman within this ominous haze.

And so, the two stood in awkward silence, as the Blood Mist gradually dispersed to a certain degree. Long Yan could now clearly make out the bamboo around him.

This was an undeniably good sign. Long Yan wouldn’t have to fight constrained and stifled by the mist after all.

The scene shifted to Long Qingli. Despite noticing that the Blood Mist had thinned considerably, she was still somewhat disoriented. The metallic scent lingering in the air irritated her nose.

"I need to hurry..."

There was a vague familiarity in her memory, an image of this Old Madman captured within her Clan’s records. Yet Long Qingli couldn’t be certain of his identity—after all, hundreds of years had passed, and a cultivator’s appearance could change dramatically over time.

According to the book she had read, this Old Madman had once fought alongside his apprentice against the Four Sacred Places, achieving a legendary feat of leaving bodies strewn across a Thousand Miles. Yet he vanished afterward, and none knew what became of him. Some speculated he had ascended the Immortal Path, while others believed he’d perished in obscurity.

Theories swirled, but even within the Long Clan, there was no record of the Old Madman’s origins. Or perhaps his cultivation path and background were intentionally obscured, shrouded in mystery. The man seemed to have vanished from the Human World itself.

"Heh heh..."

As Long Qingli moved deeper into the Blood Mist’s depths, an eerie laugh echoed from the heart of the Bamboo Forest, prompting her to halt and gaze toward the direction of the sound.

"Isn’t this the Little Beauty who follows Long Yan around? What are you doing out here alone?"

A black figure emerged slowly from the Bamboo Forest’s shadows. Under the moonlight, Long Qingli recognized the intruder: Thunder Leopard, someone who had clashed with Long Yan before.

"So you were the one who led him here," she said coldly.

Long Qingli’s delicate face gleamed with icy frost. Toward someone who used deceitful schemes in the dark, she saw no reason to show any courtesy.

"Don’t say it like that. Sure, Long Yan has his merits, but wouldn’t I be a better fit for you? I’d take good care of you. In any case, that kid Long Yan will die here today."

Thunder Leopard sneered sinisterly, rubbing his hands with an unsettling thrill. Long Qingli’s otherworldly beauty stirred something sordid in him. Originally, he had thought all of them would meet their end in Huang Quan, but the Old Madman wasn’t as ruthless as he’d imagined. To his surprise, he stumbled upon this lone beauty.

Since luring the Old Madman to this place, Thunder Leopard had hidden himself within the Bamboo Forest, shielded by the Blood Mist, which blocked True Qi and Mystic abilities. None had detected his presence. However, as the Blood Mist thickened, even he felt some fear, prompting his decision to flee.

The mist’s sudden thinning delighted him. It was then he encountered Long Qingli. Overcome by lustful thoughts, Thunder Leopard ignored the looming danger around them, certain that Long Yan was doomed.

"Do you even know who that Old Madman is?"

Though furious, Long Qingli asked coldly. Her Clan’s records lacked information about him, but perhaps Thunder Leopard might know something.

Thunder Leopard hesitated upon hearing the question, rubbing the back of his head. "Why the hell would I need to know that? I don’t care who he is—as long as he kills for me, that’s all that matters."

Long Qingli stared into his eyes, confirming he was telling the truth. If even her Clan didn’t know, then how could a small sect like Ten Thousand Beasts Sect possibly know?

While the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect held some renown within the Cultivation World, it was nothing significant in Long Qingli’s eyes compared to her standards of a First-Class Sect.

"Then you can die now."

Long Qingli’s declaration elicited a burst of laughter from Thunder Leopard. What? This girl actually thought she could kill him? Did she really believe in such childish dreams?

"Oh? Are you planning to let Long Yan kill me after he somehow beats that Old Madman?"

Thunder Leopard’s voice carried mocking disdain. Yet when his eyes met Long Qingli’s—those cold, emotionless, gem-like irises—an inexplicable fury arose within him.

"You bitch! Stop spouting such naïve nonsense."

But as Thunder Leopard moved, he suddenly noticed pale white arms stretching forth from the ground. When had they appeared?

Thunder Leopard tried to shout, to call for help from his doglegs waiting outside the Bamboo Forest. But a ghastly pale hand clamped around his throat, instantly silencing his cry.

"Do you realize? Time can be used as an attack. Countless people see time only as an extraordinary auxiliary ability. But when molded into a weapon, time can rival any other power."

The last sight Thunder Leopard saw was Long Qingli’s unfeeling gaze, devoid of compassion, as his vision faded into eternal darkness.

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