"Sai Gao?"
The one-eyed burly man frowned, vaguely feeling the name sounded familiar. Then, after a moment's thought, his face changed drastically, and large beads of sweat seeped out like a spring.
"Lian Yao?"
Kidney harvesting!
His heart constricted violently, and he realized what a terrifying existence he had encountered.
Sai Gao, the legendary man, the bone-breaker, the kidney harvester who struck fear into all hearts.
With a wave of his sleeve, he could easily take away a kidney.
Rumor had it that no one who fell into his hands ever escaped intact.
"Sai... Lord Sai Gao, please forgive my blindness. My kidneys are not good, not worth harvesting."
The one-eyed burly man's legs trembled uncontrollably, wishing he could slap himself hard.
He should have abandoned evil and embraced good after meeting Ji Mo last time, vowing to be an enemy of sin forever. Why did he return to his old ways?
Now, his retribution had finally come.
At the same time, he was very confused. This person, who was always active in the north, why had he appeared here?
"In my eyes, every kidney is incredibly precious."
Sai Gao's smile was very憨厚 (hān hòu - honest and sincere), but his words were chillingly cold, with no emotion in his eyes.
His gaze swept up and down the one-eyed burly man, showing satisfaction. Clearly, he felt that such a robust and strong body must possess kidneys of superior quality.
"Sai Gao, I advise you not to have any wicked thoughts about me. I'm not a pushover either. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. If you push me too far, you won't get away with it."
Sensing that Sai Gao had no intention of letting him go, the one-eyed burly man adopted a tough stance.
His body was aglow with immortal light, and the nine-ringed great saber in his hand flowed with sharp and domineering saber intent, as if he were ready to fight to the death.
"I'm always the one who threatens others; no one dares to threaten me. Your courage is immense, but I wonder if your kidneys are as well-endowed?"
Sai Gao sneered, and in the next second, his figure vanished from the spot.
The one-eyed burly man's pupils dilated as he tried to track Sai Gao's movement, waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.
Did he really think he was a soft persimmon to be easily squeezed?
"Die."
The one-eyed burly man locked onto Sai Gao's moving form and grinned menacingly as he slashed at him from the waist.
However, it was just an afterimage.
The saber strike missed.
Immediately after, a figure brushed past him.
The one-eyed burly man's movements froze, feeling his body hollowed out.
He looked down, his face filled with despair.
Blood gushed from his waist, a terrifying gash was horrifyingly visible, and his internal organs were clearly exposed.
And his most important kidneys had already been harvested.
In just the time it took to sidestep, Sai Gao had sliced open the one-eyed burly man's belly and taken his kidneys.
The action was fluid and swift, incredibly fast. Who knew how many kidneys this fellow had harvested to be so skilled!
The gap in strength between them was too vast. The one-eyed burly man didn't even have a chance to react, and he lost completely.
"Your kidneys really aren't good, all dry and shriveled, a waste of such a large body."
Sai Gao's figure reappeared, holding a pair of bloody kidneys in his hand.
Although he was disgusted, he immediately took out a blue jade box, placed them inside, and stored them properly.
Even though the quality of the kidneys was poor, they still belonged to a Golden Immortal realm expert, and could fetch a good price.
"Sai Gao, I curse you to die a terrible death! One day, your kidneys will also be harvested..."
After uttering these words, the one-eyed burly man tilted his head and fell into a pool of blood, ending his sinful life.
Sai Gao naturally paid no mind to these curses. The number of living beings whose kidneys he had harvested was easily in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. He had heard countless curses but was still living well.
"Other parts are also money, don't waste them."
Sai Gao had no intention of letting the corpse in front of him go easily. The body of a Golden Immortal was quite valuable.
Just as he was about to act, his feet suddenly shook, and deafening explosions echoed.
Something unexpected had happened.
In a nearby mining pit, someone had dug up something that triggered a massive explosion.
That area collapsed, and terrifying energy surged, blasting nearby creatures into bloody mist.
Simultaneously, a dazzling light shot up from underground, and an immensely powerful life aura erupted, nourishing the surrounding flora and fauna, causing them to grow wildly.
Even some ordinary flowers and grasses evolved into spiritual herbs and immortal medicines in the blink of an eye.
The commotion was significant, and everyone nearby noticed it, rushing towards the area despite the danger.
Sai Gao, unable to deal with the corpse, rushed over immediately.
Such an anomaly suggested that something extraordinary had appeared.
Perhaps it was an ancient treasure or divine artifact, and obtaining it would make him rich!
The dazzling light did not last long; it soon disappeared, and the violent energy and life aura also vanished like a receding tide.
The mining pit suffered a large-scale collapse, revealing a bottomless dark pit at its base.
Sai Gao appeared at the edge of the pit, cautiously refraining from approaching.
He observed carefully, his face filled with shock.
Because he discovered that the revealed pit was not purely natural; there were traces of artificial carving, and it was incredibly ancient, suspected to be a product of ancient civilization!
"No way, an ancient mine vein actually hides an incredibly ancient cave. What exactly is hidden inside?"
"Based on my years of tomb raiding... archaeological experience, this might be the ruins of an ancient civilization, hidden beneath a precious blue jade mine vein. It must be astonishing!"
...
There were many capable individuals present, and more or less they saw some clues.
Several well-informed old seniors judged that this was an ancient ruin, very likely belonging to an ancient civilization.
Once this deduction was made, everyone present became restless.
Even the usually calm Sai Gao almost couldn't resist rushing into the ancient cave to see what was inside.
If he could get his hands on one or two rare treasures, wouldn't that be more profitable than harvesting kidneys?
"There was divine light shooting into the sky just now, and a large amount of life aura emerged. Perhaps this is a treasure cave, containing various ancient immortal treasures and divine artifacts. Everyone charge! Ownerless objects go to the fated!"
Although Sai Gao's heart itched, he did not act. Instead, he spoke loudly, instigating others.
The situation in the ancient cave was unclear, so it was natural to trick some fools into scouting the way.
As expected, greed moved people.
Dozens of people immediately became hot-headed, and without a second thought, they leaped directly into the mining pit, their figures quickly rushing into the ancient cave.
"Wow, so much high-quality blue jade ore with good luster. We're rich."
"Oh my god, what is this? A Dragon Blood Grass, why is it sealed inside the ore?"
Soon, various exclamations of surprise came from within the ancient cave.
The cave seemed to be a treasure trove. These people had all reaped substantial rewards and obtained many good things.
And this was only the area near the entrance. If they went deeper, perhaps even more extraordinary things were hidden.
Some people who had been hesitant could no longer hold back and rushed into the mining pit one after another.
Sai Gao felt that there should be no more danger, and with a leap, he jumped into the mine pit, intending to enter the ancient cave to seize opportunities.
However, halfway down, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly turned back to retreat.
"Ah..."
From within the ancient cave, a shrill scream echoed.