Chapter 11: The Immortal's Mark!

The palm strike arrived in an instant, yet Pei Su remained unhurried, lowering both hands as a ray of celestial light suddenly blazed from the center of his brow, piercing through the divine radiance at the edge of the sky.

Though he was only at the Profound Origin realm, the overwhelming pressure it emanated was so immense that even Xiao Lin — a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator — felt an irresistible urge to prostrate himself in reverence.

The Immortal's Mark between Pei Su's brows was the most mysterious and supreme Dharma Manifestation talent known to mankind since ancient times.

It was said to be connected to a mythological legend concerning the origins of the human race, known as the [Immortal Mark Divine Eye].

Even across the entire history of humanity, those who bore the Immortal's Mark could be counted on one hand — yet every single one of them had reached the absolute pinnacle of the mortal world, leaving an indelible mark upon the annals of history.

The last time the Immortal's Mark had appeared was six thousand years ago, on the First Emperor — the one who ended the chaos of the Spring and Autumn era, unified the divine land, stood half a step into immortality, and gathered the royal fortune of all under heaven unto himself.

Celestial mist swirled around Pei Su's entire body, heavenly light blazing brilliantly, as a scorching aura rose silently from him. The Heavenly Palace palm strike was no ordinary force either — it seemed to carry the radiance of white gold metal, compressing the surrounding space until it was sharp as a blade.

Boom!

A tremendous thunderclap reverberated across heaven and earth.

Xiao Lin dared not linger. Carrying Zhao Lan, he soared up to the clouds.

In the next moment, even as he fled at full speed, his eyes went wide and a mouthful of blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth. He snarled under his breath:

"The Nine Mystic Divine Flowing Armor!"

He furiously suppressed the backlash from that divine armor and shot skyward, his heart filled with both shock and bitter dismay.

In the moment after that palm strike, he had glanced back — and to his astonishment, Pei Su was wearing a divine armor Magical Artifact. His Heavenly Palace palm force had been entirely reflected back upon himself by the divine flowing armor on Pei Su's body.

And Pei Su had merely stepped back a few paces. Not only was he not gravely injured — his wounds were so minor they were barely worth mentioning.

What frightened Xiao Lin most of all, however, was the Immortal's Mark divine ability Pei Su had revealed in that instant.

Merely at the Profound Origin realm, yet capable of unleashing such terrifyingly powerful immortal arts — it was nothing short of world-shaking.

He had once served as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army and had seen no shortage of brilliant young talents from the Imperial Capital — including sons of generals and scions of kings and marquises, the finest prodigies Great Jin had to offer.

Yet among all of them, no matter how heaven-defying their techniques, not one could compare to the celestial brilliance of that single fleeting moment.

Xiao Lin suddenly recalled that during his twenty years in hiding, he had countless times heard wandering cultivators and roaming heroes boast about how monstrous the Heir of the Northern Marquis, Pei Jiumu, truly was — and how utterly unrivaled the Immortal's Mark between his brows was said to be.

Though very few had ever witnessed the Heir of the Northern Marquis actually make a move, no one had ever doubted Pei Su's talent and strength.

All of it — because of the single Immortal's Mark he had been born with.

He had never taken it seriously before. Now, it had left a profound impression upon his heart.

But even as that sigh of admiration rose within him, a surge of dread came flooding after it.

A once-in-a-millennium prodigy like this — and he just had to be born into the Pei Clan, which was already incomparably powerful and dominant. How were the great noble houses and sects of the world supposed to live with that? How were they supposed to make peace with it?

And the people of the Pei Clan...

Xiao Lin ground his teeth bitterly.

Every last one of them — ruthless, scheming overlords!

* * *

Pei Su gazed into the distance in the direction Xiao Lin had fled, suppressing the churning of qi and blood within him.

A single palm from a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator — even one struck hastily while gravely injured — was not something a Profound Origin realm cultivator should have been able to receive.

"At least I've had a taste of a Heavenly Palace palm strike. I just wonder how many percent of his peak power that was..."

Pei Su made a rough internal assessment, then gazed into the distance and sensed Elder Wu's presence.

A dozen or so breaths later, a black-robed elder came streaking toward him at tremendous speed. The force with which he halted caused the ground to crack faintly in a web of fractures, sending dust billowing into the air.

He dropped straight to his knees and bowed his head deeply —

"Young Master, Xiao Lin had a poison seal secretly planted on him by this old servant. It was I who deliberately let him escape — yet I never expected Xiao Lin to injure the Young Master! This old servant is gravely at fault! I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

Pei Su laughed inwardly. He had taken Xiao Lin's palm strike partly to test his own Immortal's Mark divine ability, partly to experience the might of the Heavenly Palace realm firsthand — and partly to give this old fellow a good scare.

Seeing that Pei Su's aura was in disarray and that he appeared to have been wounded by Xiao Lin, the black-robed elder's body trembled slightly, and a thick killing intent seeped from his eyes.

"Once this matter is concluded, this old servant will turn that Xiao clan member into a human swine and steep them in poison water, subjecting them to the cruelest torments under heaven — never to be reborn or reincarnated for all eternity!"

Pei Su let out a cold snort.

"You told me earlier that you wanted to arrange a scene of mortal farewell between Xiao Lin and Zhao Lan. Tell me — what exactly were you hoping to learn from Xiao Lin's mouth?"

"This..."

The black-robed elder hesitated for a moment.

"Young Master, this matter involves the reasons behind the upheaval at court twenty years ago. As the Master instructed, it should be disclosed to the Young Master only after Xiao Lin has been captured."

The Master, the Master!

Pei Su was at a loss for words inwardly, and suddenly thought of that old man who always looked upon him with kind eyes.

That man —

The Chancellor of the Great Jin Dynasty, the lord of Duke Pei's Manor, Pei Su's grandfather.

He doted on Pei Su even more than his own father Pei Jun did, covering for Pei Su no matter how freely and recklessly he lived in the Imperial Capital, never once speaking a harsh word to him from childhood to now — let alone striking or scolding him.

Yet in the eyes of the Pei Clan's servants and all the court officials, Pei Su knew full well — Pei Zhao was a Yama, a lord of death.

"Captured Xiao Lin?" Pei Su let out a cold laugh. "Don't tell me you still haven't captured him?!"

"Xiao Lin already has your poison seal planted on him. His whereabouts are under your control, and you can hunt him down and kill him at any moment. Does that not count as capturing him?"

"That Xiao Lin is nothing more than a dog with its tail cut off. You deliberately held back and let him drag his leash forward, straining and struggling for a few more steps — does that not count as being captured by us? Or are you saying you don't have the confidence to take him?"

Pei Su's words fell, and silence followed for a moment.

The black-robed elder suddenly raised his eyes and stared directly at Pei Su.

"I will now tell the Young Master the full story of how Dragon-Sparrow came to the north — the causes and consequences. It is a wide-ranging matter, and there is much to say..."

Only then did Pei Su allow a faint smile to show. He raised a hand to stop the black-robed elder.

"Then we'll discuss it in detail when we return. For now, accompany me to take care of something first."

"What matter does the Young Master still have?"

Pei Su turned his head and glanced toward the dark valley, as if his gaze pierced through space itself to see that peach blossom grove beyond.

"I've noticed that Banxia has been frequently exhausted lately. Understandable, really — serving a Young Lord as impossibly pampered as myself has left her somewhat overwhelmed."

The black-robed elder: "......"

"What does the Young Master mean?"

"Even the most mediocre and worthless scions of the great noble houses in the Imperial Capital each have no fewer than ten obedient handmaidens taking turns to serve them. I, the illustrious Heir of the Northern Marquis, have had only Banxia as my sole handmaiden all this time. I never thought much of it before, but thinking carefully about it today — it really is quite improper."

The black-robed elder's smile stiffened —

Young Master, if you were willing to take on handmaidens, what woman in the world wouldn't come rushing to attach herself to you?

But the cautious old man still obediently smiled and nodded in agreement.

Thereupon, Pei Su stepped into the dark valley, navigating the twists and turns with remarkable familiarity.

The black-robed elder followed behind him in concealment, sensing the peculiar aura ahead and the increasingly brilliant light. His expression shifted with faint astonishment as he said:

"Young Master, what manner of person is hidden in here?"

Hmph! The Jiang Clan of the Xia Dynasty's imperial bloodline.

Pei Su was just about to reveal it — to give this old fellow a good shock as well — but then he recalled that ever since arriving in Bingzhou, the elder had been concealing secrets from him regarding Dragon-Sparrow and Xiao Lin. He let out a cold laugh instead.

"A secret."