Chapter 444: A Fifth Rebirth as a Human

That’s right—this man was the so-called Saint Master!

“You killed him? You’re just a Tier Two Bodhisattva Realm Junior Cultivator. How did you do it? How could you possibly have killed him? Impossible!”

The middle-aged man, the so-called Saint Master, stared at Xu Lei in disbelief. “What Secret Technique did you use?” he demanded. “Hand it over, and I might spare your life!”

As he spoke, the Saint Master’s Magical Power surged forth, coalescing into a hand that wrapped directly around Xu Lei’s neck.

He hoisted Xu Lei up as easily as an eagle snatching a chick.

Xu Lei’s entire body was left dangling in the air.

Xu Lei had already sent all his Spatial Talismans away; he didn’t have any on him.

‘A Talisman might let me dodge one attack, but it wouldn’t last long!’

‘The Saint Master must be incredibly strong. Using a Spatial Talisman would just be a waste.’

And since there was no way to leave the Celestial Palace, Xu Lei didn’t even bother to resist.

Xu Lei’s body was covered in wounds.

Both his arms and one of his legs were broken.

Blood dripped from him continuously.

Even his clothes were in tatters. The man was a wretched sight.

“There is no Secret Technique. In truth, when I was in the Mortal World, I received the legacy of an Ancient Immortal. Within it was a Talisman capable of unleashing a terrifying attack. That’s all. Of course, I couldn’t control the attack, which is why I was also severely injured just now.”

Xu Lei looked at the Saint Master and said, “I only ever wanted to serve you, Saint Master. I’ve been cultivating diligently, hoping to pass the assessment. But I never expected that the father and son, Jue Gen and Yuan Kong, would be so intent on killing me. I had no other choice! I beg you to see the truth, Saint Master!”

Xu Lei didn’t dare act arrogantly in front of the Saint Master.

After all, his own death wasn’t a big deal.

But if he angered the Saint Master, it could implicate Zhao Xin and Qing Lian.

Xu Lei didn’t want to drag them down with him.

The reason he hadn’t mentioned the explosives, instead fabricating a story about some so-called Ancient Immortal’s Spirit Talisman, was precisely because he didn’t want the Saint Master to cause trouble for Qing Lian and Zhao Xin.

The Saint Master wasted no time. He snatched a Qiankun Cloth Bag from Xu Lei’s body. This Small Qiankun Cloth Bag was one Xu Lei had intentionally left on himself.

It was for the express purpose of letting his captors search it, should he ever be caught.

Inside were a few ordinary Magical Artifacts and some daily necessities, but nothing of any real value.

The Saint Master, still silent, took a look. Seeing nothing of interest inside, he then circulated his Magical Power and scanned Xu Lei’s entire body, confirming there was truly nothing valuable on him.

‘That makes sense,’ he thought. ‘With his level of Cultivation, it’s unlikely he’d know any world-shaking Secret Technique.’

Finally, the Saint Master muttered to himself, “So he really did get his hands on an Ancient Immortal’s Spirit Talisman. Ah, the Ancient Immortals… The civilization of the Ancient Immortals and Buddhas was truly as powerful as the legends say. Those were the true Immortals and Buddhas.”

As he mused, the large claw of Magical Power tightened with a sharp CRACK, snapping Xu Lei’s neck.

He had killed Xu Lei.

Now that he had confirmed Xu Lei possessed no Secret Technique, and considering Xu Lei had killed both Jue Gen and Yuan Kong…

Yuan Kong, in particular, could have become a great asset. But now that Xu Lei had killed him, Xu Lei could not be allowed to escape punishment.

As for the specific grudges between Xu Lei, Yuan Kong, and Jue Gen, the Saint Master couldn’t be bothered to care.

Besides, Xu Lei was now a cripple with no value left to exploit.

Killing him directly was the natural choice.

He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words.

Seeing this, a flicker of pain crossed the eyes of Zhao Xin and Qing Lian, but they didn’t dare say a word.

At that moment, Xu Lei’s vision went black, and he once again lost consciousness.

Before long, Xu Lei appeared inside the Ten Thousand Lives Book once more.

He looked out from within it. When he saw the Saint Master outside, his heart couldn’t help but lurch.

‘Is it possible for the Saint Master to see my Ten Thousand Lives Book?’

After all, the Saint Master was the nominal master of the Sun Palace, a mysterious and immensely powerful being.

If this man could see the Ten Thousand Lives Book and seize it, Xu Lei would be truly finished.

The Saint Master remained there, addressing the Ascenders below regarding the matter of Liao Chen and Yuan Kong. He made a brief proclamation and gave a short speech to calm everyone down.

But he didn’t notice the existence of the Ten Thousand Lives Book at all.

This put Xu Lei’s mind at ease.

‘My Ten Thousand Lives Book is still the most badass thing ever.’

‘This so-called Saint Master can’t sense a thing!’

Seeing that even the Saint Master couldn’t detect the Ten Thousand Lives Book, Xu Lei finally felt at ease.

He had been killed by Yuan Kong during his first Ascension, using up one life.

Now, being killed by the Saint Master had used up another.

But that was only a total of seven lives used.

Xu Lei still had nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-three lives left.

He could outlast everyone in the Sun Palace and wear them all down to their deaths.

However, there was no need to waste his lives, so Xu Lei didn’t resurrect immediately.

After all, if he revived now, he would still have his current body and appearance, which the Celestial Palace would not tolerate.

Therefore, Xu Lei was determined to reincarnate instead.

But he didn’t reincarnate right away.

He could still linger for a while.

Although he could only stay inside the Ten Thousand Lives Book and watch the outside world, he couldn’t communicate with anyone.

Still, it was a good opportunity to observe the aftermath.

At first, not much changed outside.

Xu Lei saw that Zhao Xin and Qing Lian were both grief-stricken. Even though they knew he could reincarnate, watching him be killed so brutally made it impossible for them to feel anything but sorrow.