Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, standing behind Li Meixian, exchanged glances, their faces etched with wry smiles.
It turned out the task assigned by the immortal wasn't difficult at all.
The immortal had directly sent them to Li Meixian's side, instructing them to help him obtain the sacred fire inheritance.
However, because the old man hadn't followed the expected script, concealing his identity, he had inadvertently increased their difficulty, making them search for Li Meixian for a full year, like looking for a needle in a haystack.
In retrospect, it made sense.
After all, if it were them in Li Meixian's position, with two people falling from the sky, crashing into them, and then claiming to be sent by heaven to help them, they wouldn't believe it either.
It was understandable that Li Meixian concealed his identity to protect himself.
But now, the two felt no resentment, only gratitude towards the old man.
Through a year of interaction, they had come to understand the old man's cowardly nature, his tendency to flee from danger.
Despite possessing considerable strength, he was as timid as a mouse, fearing defeat and running away from trouble to preserve himself.
Such a life-fearing individual concealing his identity was perfectly normal.
Yet, it was precisely this timid and weak person who, for their sake, to ensure their survival, resolutely stepped forward, facing the three powerful figures.
Announcing to the world that he was Li Meixian.
Just moments ago, the old man had remarked that Li Meixian should have fled, not confronted the three powerhouses.
But he had still come out.
For these two juniors he had spent a year with.
For these two trustworthy individuals, he had cast his own life and death aside.
The mere decision to do so required immense resolve.
Below, everyone watched the scene above in silence, their gazes focused solely on the old man.
Was this the legendary Li Meixian from the inheritance?
Not a chivalrous warrior in white, wielding a peerless sword;
Not an ancient immortal with white hair and beard, exuding an ethereal aura;
Not a charming and graceful beauty, detached from worldly affairs;
But simply an ordinary, unassuming old man.
Such old men were commonplace; one could grab a farmer from any village and place him next to Li Meixian, and it would be hard to tell them apart.
This was completely contrary to their expectations of one of the four most mysterious powerhouses.
The wandering knights were somewhat disappointed, but more so, they were invigorated.
The three powerhouses belonged to three major factions. Only Li Meixian, elusive and rarely seen, represented them, the wandering knights who roamed the world.
Now, their role model had appeared.
They needed to support Li Meixian; supporting him meant supporting their own kind, the community of wandering knights.
Even if Li Meixian had never considered himself a wandering knight,
Because he only wandered, he had never acted as a true hero.
"Old man, we'll stall them. You go and inherit the sacred fire," Wan Lei transmitted his voice to the old man.
"Impossible. Firstly, you two cannot stall them. Secondly, they won't just stand by and watch me inherit the sacred fire."
"Don't worry, I have a way. At the very least, I can stall them for a moment or two."
"Really?"
"Really."
Hearing this, the old man nodded and looked again at the three powerhouses before him.
Xi Ren Yuan Jun, still exuding an imposing aura, her queenly demeanor amplified since becoming the family head and wielding great authority. Faint blue flames flickered in her eyes as she stared intently at Li Meixian.
She still found it hard to believe.
When she first encountered these three, she knew the young man in blue was powerful, perhaps her equal. She also knew the girl and the old man wouldn't be weak.
But she never imagined that this old man was actually Li Meixian.
The Samadhi True Fire was undeniable.
If she had known then that he was Li Meixian, why would she have tried to recruit the young man in blue? She should have focused on winning over the old man. That would have made her family invincible.
However, it was just a thought. At that time, she had nothing to offer that could impress this towering figure, who was spoken of in the same breath as her father.
Xi Ren Yuan Jun held complex feelings towards them.
Although,
Although you three saved my life, for the greater plan, for the sacred fire inheritance, for my status,
You,
Must still die.
Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu, her eyes filled with allure, a playful smile gracing her lips, appraised the old man from head to toe. At the same time, she felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately, she hadn't killed Xi Ren Yuan Jun under pressure from these three back then. Even if they hadn't interfered, if she had displeased them, Li Meixian might have killed her casually.
After all, at that time, she hadn't inherited the complete family heart fire, her strength hadn't reached the level of one of the four powerhouses, and she was severely injured.
At that moment, if Li Meixian had wanted to kill her, it would have been as easy as a thought.
"Oh, is this the legendary Lord Li Meixian? Truly, appearances can be deceiving. This humble girl was blind earlier and did not recognize your Lordship. I hope you will forgive my ignorance."
Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu opened her fan, covered her mouth, and chuckled. However, her eyes held no coquettishness, only endless killing intent.
"Hmph, you slut, are you trying to offer yourself again?"
Xi Ren Yuan Jun glared at Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu and then looked at the three of Wan Lei.
Human affairs are unpredictable, and friends and foes are difficult to discern.
Previously, she had relied on these three to escape death at Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu's hands. Now, she had to join forces with Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu to kill these three.
Fate truly played tricks on people.
According to the plan, Wan Lei needed to stall these three, allowing Li Meixian to inherit the sacred fire. Therefore, he had to draw their attention to himself.
The best way to do this was undoubtedly to provoke them.
"There's something you might not know."
Wan Lei smiled slightly and looked at the three powerhouses.
Their gazes shifted to him.
He first looked at Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu.
"Your third master, I killed him."
"I know. And because of that, you must die."
Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu's tone was gentle yet filled with killing intent.
Wan Lei then looked at Huo Feng.
"When I killed the chief steward of the Bu Zhi Huo family, I also incidentally killed the third master of the Cao family.
This indirectly led to the collapse of the Cao family and Bu Zhi Huo family's plan, causing your plan to unite with the Bu Zhi Huo family to destroy the Xi Ren family to fail. The subsequent battle among the three factions left no one unscathed."
Flames erupted in Huo Feng's eyes.
It was enraged.
"Insignificant ant!"
Wan Lei then turned to Xi Ren Yuan Jun.
"Don't thank me too soon. Although I saved you and your Xi Ren family...
Your brother and your uncle were both killed by me!"
"What?!"
Xi Ren Yuan Jun's beautiful eyes widened, nearly spitting fire.
Really, it was he who killed my uncle!!!
Hearing Wan Lei's words, the old man gave a wry smile and transmitted his voice,
"I always thought I was invincible, but I never expected someone to be even better at provoking hatred than me. Perhaps we should end our friendship. Otherwise, I don't think I'll have a peaceful old age."
"But you have to live to old age first for that to happen."