Chapter Twenty: The Death of Thunder Mountain

Situ Jian was utterly stunned by the blow. Not only had his own attack been blocked, but he had also been gravely wounded and thrown aside. Such strength was undoubtedly that of an immortal—no, a powerful immortal at that. While Qin Shuang was tending to Lei Shan without paying him heed, Situ Jian’s first thought was not to escape, but to send a message, reaching out to his father, the deputy lord of the city. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to run; it was just that the newcomer’s immortal sense was locked onto him at all times. He knew that the slightest movement would mean instant death.

Lei Shan’s injuries were dire. His internal organs were utterly shattered. Without the support of Qin Shuang’s immortal elixirs, he likely would have already stopped breathing.

Looking at the five slain Kuya warriors, then at Lei Shan, whose wounds were nearly beyond hope, Qin Shuang felt a sudden sharp pain in his heart.

“Don’t worry. Since I have promised you all, I will see this through. I will bring them back to you—whole and unharmed!”

The promise made to the Kuya people still rang in his ears, yet in just a few short days, five squad leaders had perished, and Lei Shan was grievously wounded. A mighty seventh-tier Immortal Emperor, an invincible force in the lower realms, had been slain so soon after his own departure…

“Brother Qin, you… you’ve returned!” Lei Shan’s eyes opened, a smile appearing on his face. From that expression, one would never guess he was gravely wounded and near death.

“Lei Shan, don’t speak. Let me heal you first!” Qin Shuang said softly, but his heart grew heavier. Lei Shan’s physique was different from that of ordinary mortals; though Qin Shuang could repair his organs, he could not seamlessly reconnect them to his body. In truth, what Qin Shuang restored were merely organs that could no longer function.

“Brother, don’t trouble yourself. I know my own condition. I never imagined that among cultivators who soar through the skies, there would be someone so formidable!” Lei Shan forced a bitter smile.

“Lei Shan, don’t talk—let me heal you first!” Lei Shan’s words agitated his wounds further. Qin Shuang called out anxiously; Lei Shan’s internal injuries were so severe, he could die at any moment.

“Brother Qin—no, let me speak. All my brothers are dead; how could I ever go back?” Lei Shan shook his head. With trembling hands, he drew from his robe a brocade scroll, stained with his own blood.

“Brother, I have one last request. This map shows the homeland of our Kuya people. I know you possess great abilities. If, in the future, you come upon this place… please…” Lei Shan struggled to draw breath, his voice quivering. “Please give word… to our people… tell them…”

Forcing out these final words, Lei Shan’s condition worsened further. Qin Shuang had managed to repair his organs, but they had not integrated with Lei Shan’s body. Now, Lei Shan clung to life solely by the strength of Qin Shuang’s immortal energy.

Qin Shuang’s eyes grew wet. Though he had not spent long with Lei Shan, never having been an elder brother himself, Qin Shuang had come to see Lei Shan as a younger sibling. He had never imagined that, upon arriving in this unfamiliar land, his own error would lead to such calamity for Lei Shan.

“Brother, if it’s… inconvenient—if it’s too much to ask, then never mind!” Seeing Qin Shuang silent, Lei Shan’s voice trembled again.

“No, Brother, I promise you. No matter where this place is, I will find it, and I will take you there!” Choking back his sorrow, Qin Shuang gave his word at once. Yet the effect of his immortal energy on Lei Shan was growing weaker by the moment; Lei Shan’s unique constitution left Qin Shuang helpless.

“Thank you, Brother. I believe… I believe you will help us…” A faint smile touched Lei Shan’s lips. Suddenly, the light in his eyes dimmed. His arm, draped over Qin Shuang’s shoulder, slid limply away, leaving the bloodstained scroll clutched in Qin Shuang’s hand.

No matter how much immortal energy Qin Shuang poured forth, he could not bring Lei Shan back from death.

“Lei Shan!”

Qin Shuang could no longer hold back his tears. Never in his life had he known such grief. In Misty City, no matter how lacking he had seemed, he had always had a powerful father, and others treated him with respect. Yet, for all that, he had never known a true friend.

Since his descent to the lower realms, Lei Shan had been the only one he truly admired, the only one to whom he had opened his heart, the only one he had already accepted as a brother. And now, his only friend, his only brother, had died before his very eyes—because of his own carelessness and mistakes. The pain was enough to drive him mad.

Qin Shuang laid all the blame for Lei Shan’s death upon himself. Had he not left them to investigate, Lei Shan would not have died, would not have been ruthlessly slain by a mere cultivator of the Grand Ascension stage.

“Ahhh—!”

A furious roar tore through the forest. For a hundred miles around, every tree was shattered, countless beasts fleeing in terror. Even distant Lotus City was shaken by the cry.

Situ Jian was dumbstruck. Now, he was filled with deep regret. He had never imagined that those mere mortals would have such a powerful protector. With Qin Shuang’s fury fully unleashed, the strength of a seventh-tier Immortal Emperor bore down upon him, leaving Situ Jian utterly powerless—he could only pray for his father’s swift arrival, or he was surely doomed.

Unbeknownst to Situ Jian, his father, Situ Haonan, deputy lord of Lotus City, was already at the edge of the forest. Upon receiving his son’s message, he had rushed over, but Qin Shuang’s roar stopped him in his tracks. Such overwhelming might—he had never witnessed its equal. Even the most formidable expert he had ever seen, a sixth-tier Golden Immortal, could not unleash such power through presence alone.

Within Lotus City, all cultivators and dozens of immortals stood frozen in shock. The killing intent in Qin Shuang’s roar sent shudders through every immortal’s heart, while mortals merely heard a distant sound, unaffected.

For someone so powerful to be enraged nearby was a dire omen for Lotus City. The one most shaken was the city lord, Bai Wan, himself a second-tier Golden Immortal. The killing aura in the roar left him drenched in cold sweat. As soon as the roar faded, Bai Wan gathered every immortal in the city and led them toward the forest.

“It was you—you killed my brother!” After venting his rage, Qin Shuang’s eyes blazed with murderous light. Lei Shan’s death had struck him hard; long sheltered from the world, Qin Shuang was now confronted with the harsh reality of life.

“Senior, I—I didn’t mean to!” Situ Jian was terrified by Qin Shuang’s demeanor. Being closest to Qin Shuang, he felt the full force of that killing intent. If not for the immortal sense binding him, he would have collapsed on the spot.