With only 8 years to live at the start, I'm going all in.

Chapter 196 White Crane Manor

Nestled among a range of mountains, there is a mountain villa.

This mountain villa is called White Crane Villa. It is said that the owner of the villa is so fond of raising cranes that he is obsessed with them to the point of madness.

After the Battle of the Hundred Palaces, the long-disappeared White Crane Manor suddenly reappeared in the public eye one day, and began to recruit many retainers, seemingly indicating an intention to expand.

At this moment, faint screams could be heard from inside the villa.

In the courtyard of the manor, a Taoist priest in blue robes was wiping the blood off his long sword before looking at the terrified fat man beside him.

This fat man is none other than Wu Fengbao, the owner of White Crane Manor.

Wu Fengbao knelt on the ground, repeatedly calling out:

"Please spare me, immortal! Please spare me! I really don't know how they found us!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest immediately revealed a strange smile.

"Master Wu, you have disappointed me greatly."

"Immortal, please let me explain, this... Ahhh!!!"

But then a scream rang out, and Wu Fengbao's right arm was severed cleanly at the root. The gushing blood shot out a full ten feet away, landing in the courtyard filled with severed limbs.

Seeing Wu Fengbao's miserable state, the Taoist's smiling face turned into a weeping one, and he continued:

"Oh dear, I only meant to cut off one of your fingers, but I missed it by a little bit."

"No...it's alright..."

Wu Fengbao's face was contorted with pain. He tore off a piece of his robe and pressed it against his wound while enduring the agony.

Just then, another Taoist priest appeared.

Upon seeing him carrying a member of the Wanxiang Sect, and observing the scene, an angry expression immediately appeared on his face:

"Chen Jiu, why did you kill them all?!"

"Ah, it was an accident."

The Taoist priest then put on a smiling face and continued speaking.

"Humans and animals are already rare, you really are."

The Taoist priest then threw the person he was holding onto the ground and said:

"As expected, this talisman for dispelling evil spirits comes from the same school as the one we encountered last year. They said the person who gave them the talisman was named Li Baozheng."

"Strange, how could a martial artist make the Yin Yang Palace's exorcism talisman?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chenjiu smiled and said:

"It's alright. It seems that the disappearance of Bai Yu and the other two was caused by this so-called Myriad Manifestations Sect?"

Yu Chenwang listened and nodded slightly:

"It's pretty much a done deal. Let Senior Brother Du decide when he gets back!"

...

On the other side, a group of people rode horses at full speed along the official road.

Ding Yi, disguised as Li Baozheng, was the first to be attacked. His face was cold and stern, and his black outfit swayed in the wind, exuding an extraordinary aura.

To Ding Yi's left was a pretty woman.

The woman sat on horseback, her brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.

As for the remaining people, they were all wearing the same uniforms, with a strange symbol tattooed on the chest of their clothes in black lines. It was none other than the Myriad Manifestations Sect's Myriad Manifestations Mark.

Sun Qiao'er still couldn't believe it. Ding Yi had become an elder of the three major sects of Baihe City in such a short time, and it seemed that he not only wielded immense power but also had absolute authority.

At this moment, Sun Qiao'er had put on some makeup to avoid attracting attention, and as Ding Yi had requested, she joined the team as a guest invited by Ding Yi.

This time, Sun Qiao'er cannot make a move in front of these gang members.

Otherwise, given her status as a worshipper, she would expose herself as soon as she made a move.

Ding Yi still wanted to bring her along, because in his view, it was safer to bring someone along to help him face the unknown challenges of worshipping the gods.

After all, the only ones who truly understand worship are those who worship gods.

A day later, the group arrived near Luoxia Mountain, where Baihe Manor was located.

In the distance, Ding Yi and his group stood on the hilltop, gazing down at the villa below, seemingly without noticing anything unusual.

"Elephant Lord, should I go and take a look?"

One of the gang members walked up behind Ding Yi and asked.

"Not urgent."

Ding Yi stood on the hilltop, but spoke with a calm expression.

The more normal something seems, the more problematic it is.

Zhao Zi himself also remembered that young man; he had reached the pinnacle of bone forging and was quite clever.

Moreover, the fact that this group of people, who even carried their own self-drawn talismans for warding off evil, disappeared so silently can only mean that their strength was crushed.

Ding Yi observed for another half hour and found that there were still a few people coming and going on the main road at the entrance of the villa below, which made him a little strange.

Logically speaking, if there is worship of gods here, why are normal people allowed to leave the resort?

"Qiao'er, what do you think?"

Ding Yi suddenly asked.

"My lord, I think that although some people have come out of this manor, the total number of people who have gone in is significantly greater than the number who have come out, which is still a problem."

Sun Qiao'er said calmly.

"interesting."

Ding Yi nodded upon hearing this. Since Sun Qiao'er had said there was a problem, then the probability of it being related to worshipping gods was undeniable.

"Is everything ready?"

After thinking for a while, Ding Yi suddenly asked.

"All right."

The crowd behind him responded in unison.

"Go."

Ding Yi then waved his hand lightly, and the people behind him immediately became serious and began to walk down the hillside.

These members were all handpicked by Wang Lin, the strongest being a master who had achieved minor success in organ refining, and the rest were all at the bone forging realm. It can be said that their overall strength was quite formidable.

Moreover, these people were carrying explosives and evil-repelling talismans enhanced by Ding Yi. If an ordinary Xuanji Realm cultivator encountered them, they would only meet their demise on the spot.

Watching the gang members descend the mountain, Ding Yi turned to Sun Qiao'er beside him and said:

"Walk."

After saying that, the two of them leaped down together, using their lightness skills to descend the mountain from the other side and head towards the other side of the villa.

Ding and Yi were extremely fast. After a few leaps, they arrived at the foot of the mountain and then ran quickly towards the villa.

Since the two were not on the main road, there was no one around.

Before long, the two arrived at the foot of the high wall of the villa. Ding Yi leaped up and soared dozens of meters into the air, grabbing the top of the wall. With a slight push, he clung to the wall like a gecko, sticking his head out to look into the villa.

Inside the villa, there were still quite a few people walking around, and they all had smiles on their faces, seemingly in very good spirits.

"strangeness."

Ding Yi felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing this scene, but couldn't recall where he had seen it before, so he could only lie there and continue watching.

A moment later, these people seemed to hear some noise, and they all looked towards the door. Then they put down what they were holding and hurriedly headed towards the door.

It was obvious that the gang members had arrived at the front gate.

Ding Yi's expression did not change upon seeing this; instead, he continued to peer over the wall.

Just then, a figure appeared in Ding Yi's field of vision.

A fat man dressed in luxurious clothes, whose arm seemed to be missing, with the empty sleeve fluttering in the wind as he walked, caught Ding Yi's attention.

Wu Fengbao.

Ding Yi recalled the portrait Wang Lin had given him and immediately recognized the owner of the White Crane Manor.

However, Wang Lin never mentioned that this person had a missing arm.

Ding Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, but the next moment, his gaze faltered slightly.

A Taoist priest swaggered out, following Wu Fengbao.

The Taoist priest had a strange smile on his face and a long sword on his back, which instantly stirred up a memory in Ding Yi.

"Damn it, could this be the Seven Absolutes Palace's worship ceremony?!"