"This…" The team leader hesitated. While he was not nominally strong enough to climb even a minor realm in battle, he knew that the situation was not as clear-cut, especially since he survived the ambush.
Not to mention, he was not a nobody. Even though the Market Guards might not care about him, those in his faction would, and they had more than one team in the hunting ground. He had already contacted them using a special token, so the nearest team should be able to rush over to support soon.
Now, he needed to stall for time.
As such, he cupped his fists and said, "Senior, my name is Tan Guwan and I am a member of the Langjue Camp. May I know your esteemed name?"
However, Li Ling sized him up. "Langjue Camp? Those fellows who only hunt using the efforts of others? No wonder your team composition is so weak."
Tan Guwan heard this and felt his heart skip a beat. There was no wariness or reverence in Li Ling's voice despite knowing his faction, which told Tan Guwan all he needed to know.
He has no intention of letting me live…!
Understanding this, he developed the intent to retreat, but he did not dare show his back to the enemy lest he be killed for it. He just had to find a way to stall, no matter what, until his reinforcements arrived.
As such, Tan Guwan immediately took off his void ring and presented it to Li Ling. "Senior, I can offer up all my possessions, including my storage treasure. Please let me off the hook and I will make sure to never pursue this matter again."
However, Li Ling did not move, his face still locked in an amused, knowing smile as if he could see through all of Tan Guwan's tricks. This indubitably put more pressure on the fellow, but at this point, he simply had no choice but to push through.
Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head slightly. "Senior, I—"
"Brother Tan!"
A strong voice called out, revealing itself to be a group of seven cultivators who were set up similar to the previous team, with one leader at the seventh level of Qi Refinement and six others with mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivations.
The leader of this team was a slightly younger man who wore simple hunting gear and had a bow on his back. His eyes scanned the clearing, taking in the short spear, the obsequious Tan Guwan and the arrogant Li Ling.
Immediately, this team leader came to the side of Tan Guwan in a show of support, his six team members coming over to stand behind him with serious expressions.
Tan Guwan himself showed an expression of joy, seemingly having regained his confidence and backbone. "Brother Wu, it's great to see you! I would have been in a pickle without your timely arrival!"
The one called Brother Wu nodded, but never took his eyes off Li Ling. "Fellow cultivator, I am Wu Ke of the Langjue Camp. I don't know what my brother has done to offend you, but surely we can negotiate a preferable way to end this?"
Before Li Ling could speak, there were the sounds of rustling from the thickets, causing everyone to look over. From the bushes came four people, slightly wounded and fatigued, but still alive despite everything.
Tan Guwan saw them and his eyes lit up. "You guys are alive? Great, come over quickly and heal yourselves!"
The four seemed to have received a heavenly missive and rushed over, their allies bringing them into the fold. Now, eleven people stood opposite the singular Li Ling—two at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, three at the sixth level, five at the fifth level and one at the fourth level.
Even though there was a cultivation disparity, the backs of the opposing group stood up straighter as no matter where, numbers gave people courage. They did not exactly become arrogant, but the wariness in their eyes lessened enough that their words became bolder.
Tan Guwan stepped forward and spoke deeply. "Fellow cultivator, you have to give us an explanation as to why you killed two of my teammates. This is not just because I, as their team leader, represent them, but because the Market Guards would also need details."
Li Ling stood there, arms folded in amusement, because he had to wonder if today was his birthday. It was not on his checklist to engage fellow cultivators any time until he secured his cultivation at the highest tier and maxed out his skills on the panel.
But who knew? The chance came and he took it, slaughtering two fellows of Tan Guwan's team, one at the fourth level and one at the fifth level.
And each of them had given him such a boon in Slaughter Points that his heart was set ablaze.
｢System Prompt: You have gained 4 Slaughter Points.｣
｢System Prompt: You have gained 5 Slaughter Points.｣
Looking at the notifications again, Li Ling couldn't help but feel his blood boil. A Qi Refinement level 4 cultivator was worth 4 Slaughter Points and the level 5 fellow had been worth 5, which went to show that really, killing cultivators always had been and always would be the way for him to soar higher.
Just taking down these two gave him 9 Slaughter Points, enough to raise his cultivation to the ninth level, the penultimate level of the Qi Refinement realm. Looking at the wary group before him, Li Ling calculated that they could yield him 61 Slaughter Points, more than enough to perfect his cultivation and even raise some of his skills to the limit.
And this was just the beginning too, as these fellows could continue to call on reinforcements, bringing more and more over to be harvested for him to increase his power.
Even if he ran out of things to upgrade, it would not be a bad thing to stockpile Slaughter Points in case he came across something truly powerful, able to increase his prowess when and where he wanted.
Thinking like this, Li Ling unfurled his arms and began walking forward, his aura rising as his cultivation spontaneously increased by one level, shocking all those arrayed before him.