As a roadside robber who killed and looted, he usually never spoke a word once he set his sights on a target—he would simply strike from behind, kill with a single slash, and take everything of value.
But today was different.
This man in black clothes had taken his fatal strike head-on—yet was completely unharmed. Not a drop of blood spilled. There was no flesh or organs in the wound at all—only a strange, illusory black shadow!
What he never expected… was that there wasn't just one such strange thing !
And their sudden appearance, without the slightest warning, gave him an ominous feeling.
"No more games. If I mess up here, the others will laugh their heads off."
Suppressing his curiosity, the man in black's eyes filled with murderous intent as he swung his blade in a savage arc.
Thirteen Clone's head flew into the air.
Headless and covered in wounds, the shadowy figure finally collapsed, dissolving into a puff of black smoke that drifted away… leaving behind only a tattered set of clothes.
"Deal with the last one."
The man in black turned to finish off the other shadow with a single slash.
But the moment he turned, his face froze, pupils shrinking, a chill running down his spine. His expression turned to one of pure horror.
"How… how could there be so many?!"
Before him stood not just Fourteen Clone… but twenty-one of them!
The next instant, twenty-one little clones charged at him, hoes raised—one of them even wielding a dagger infused with a low-grade spirit stone—and rushed in from all directions!
"Damn! Don't think numbers will scare me—it's just a bunch of… Ah!!!"
He still believed he could handle them. The gap between cultivation stages was significant; even against two or three foes, he was confident he could cut them down.
But he had underestimated the clones' sheer killing instinct.
Ordinary fighters might falter in the face of powerful enemy—hesitating, holding back, or failing to close in for fear of death.
But the clones felt none of these emotions.
Even when the front line was struck down or pushed back, the ones behind charged forward without hesitation, each strike aimed to kill.
The man in black could cut down one, two, three, maybe four—but when faced with more than five at once, his rhythm broke. No matter how fast his blade swung, he couldn't clear all twenty-one in a single breath.
Soon, wounds began to appear on his body.
Blood splattered.
His peak condition quickly declined into weakness.
"No… they're not people… they're all monsters!"
"I can't get stuck here—I have to escape!"
With more and more wounds accumulating, the man in black realized he could no longer endure. He turned to flee.
But just as he did—
A dagger, glowing faint blue, darted straight toward his chest!
"Low-grade spiritual weapon!" he realized instinctively.
Dodging in reflex cost him his escape route. The remaining clones swarmed him from behind, hoes smashing into his weapon arm.
The sickening thud of flesh being crushed rang out.
Blood sprayed in the air.
"No! No!!!"
The man in black's head tilted back, blood streaming down his face. His expression twisted in terror, despair, and unwillingness—until a massive black hand grabbed his head and shoved him into the swarm of clones.
He was buried alive under a flurry of blows.
Moments later, when Su Zhan ordered the clones to disperse, there was nothing left of the man in black resembling a human. White and red remains were scattered—organs and bones mangled together—leaving not even a single piece of flesh intact.
"Ahh~ that's satisfying," Su Zhan exhaled, not the least bit nauseated. "Daring to wander around at the third stage, picking easy prey? Too bad for you—this 'soft persimmon' is poisonous enough to take your life."
When it came to enemies, Su Zhan never held back.
Just like when he'd dealt with Li Lichang—once he made a move, it was to kill at all costs.
"Lost six clones this time. The rest have broken arms, broken legs, and plenty of wounds… Taking down someone like that was tough. If not for the advantage of a human-wave tactic, it wouldn't have been possible."
Su Zhan examined the battlefield.
He had to admit—the man in black was formidable for someone at the third stage, just a step away from breaking through to the fourth stage. Without his fearless clones, the enemy might have escaped.
"The black mist around the six destroyed clones has turned pale gray… but it's slowly regenerating. At this rate, they'll be fully restored in about twenty-four hours."
"So… the respawn cooldown for a fallen clone is twenty-four hours."
Previously, Su Zhan had worried the clones might not revive at all, which could affect his low-grade spirit stone earnings. That's why he had never dared to test it until now.
Su Zhan hadn't expected that this time, the fight would actually turn into an opportunity.
And what he discovered next surprised him even more.
"This guy's bag has sixteen low-grade spirit stone ticket, and that dagger is one of the finest among low-grade spiritual weapons. The loot from this fight is worth at least two thousand low-grade spirit stones."
"Six clones… their total output in twenty-four hours is only about twelve hundred Low-grade spirit stone. I thought I'd taken a loss, but it turns out this was pure profit!"
Su Zhan's smile widened.
A spirit stone ticket was similar to a silver note in ancient times—one ticket equaled one hundred low-grade stones. Carrying hundreds of stones in your pocket or bag was troublesome during travel or combat, and more importantly, it made you an easy target. Exchanging them for tickets was far more convenient and safer.
Of course, this spoils wasn't just about material gain.
"The greatest reward… is discovering this hidden ability."
Su Zhan's eyes lit up.
Compared to the spirit stones, this new feature was far more exciting. He didn't know exactly when the ability to dispatch his clones had been unlocked—maybe it came with cultivating them, or perhaps it had been there all along and he simply hadn't noticed.
But one thing was certain—this ability was a game-changer.
With a single thought, he could send a clone into battle the moment another was attacked, unleashing a swarm tactic to overwhelm enemies instantly.
Of course, this wasn't an ability to be used lightly.
Its greatest impact would be when killing enemies outright, or when a clone faced an overwhelming foe—then he could send reinforcements to finish the job.
"The fewer times I use this, the fewer problems I'll attract… Best to keep it hidden unless someone dares to cause trouble. If they do, I'll make sure they regret it."
For now, Su Zhan only wanted to focus on growing stronger in peace.