Following the Blood Evil Qi in the air, Yang Jing raced ahead of his targets to intercept them on a path they were sure to take. He took out a Stealth Talisman, applied it to himself and Iron Head, and hid among the lush vegetation.
The Stealth Talisman could completely conceal one's aura, but after activation, one could not move or circulate Magical Power. It was mostly used for lying in ambush for Demon Beasts. After all, Cultivators couldn't be lured by simple flesh-and-blood bait.
A moment later, three Cultivators approached.
The three men looked similar and were likely brothers. Even though they did their best to restrain it, a sinister aura still clung to them. Among the three, one was at the Late Stage Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, while the other two were at the Middle Stage Qi Cultivation—fourth and fifth layer, respectively.
Yang Jing had estimated that with a sudden, close-range burst of power, any early or middle-stage Qi Cultivator would be utterly unable to block his sword, so long as they didn't have a Defensive Spiritual Artifact constantly active. Even a late-stage one would struggle to survive a single blow if they hadn't also practiced a Body Cultivation Technique.
Their bodies were soft and flabby, showing no sign that they had ever practiced a Body Cultivation Technique. Yang Jing was at least ninety percent confident he could kill the eldest of the three in an instant.
"Big Brother, that Demon that infiltrated the Huangyuan Mountain Range hasn't shown up recently. It looks like it might have already fled back to the Demon Country."
It was common knowledge that Tribulation Cultivators roamed the Huangyuan Mountain Range. The Law Enforcement Team had organized several search parties, but with little success. For beings like Cultivators, whose power resided within themselves, one might be an ordinary Spirit Farmer one moment and a part-time Tribulation Cultivator the next.
"Hmph, it's all that beast's fault. Business has been much worse lately. Big Brother, now that you've obtained that treasure, your Foundation Establishment is within reach. If this delays you, that thing deserves to die ten thousand deaths."
The eldest brother among the three stroked his beard smugly, just about to say something, when a fiercely sharp glint of cold light flashed like lightning and struck him.
As veteran Tribulation Cultivators, the three were naturally not without their defenses in the Huangyuan Mountain Range.
Though startled, the eldest brother was not panicked. He instantly activated a Golden Light Talisman stuck to his palm. A golden light flared up, enveloping his entire body.
With a crisp CRACK, the still-forming golden light was obliterated by the Celestial True Yang pulsing from the sword's blade. The force of the blow sent the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer leader sprawling to the ground. Before he could react, the sharp blade pierced through his throat, and with a twist, tore his entire head off.
'Cultivators have countless, unpredictable techniques. When you get an opening, you have to go for the kill. Don't give them any chance to use some bizarre ability.'
"Big Brother!"
Although the other two Tribulation Cultivators were utterly stunned, their years of experience as plunderers made them instinctively unleash their Magical Artifacts and attack Yang Jing.
One of the Magical Artifacts they used was a Black Banner that could spew billowing black smoke, its poison virulent enough to pierce the heart and corrode bone. The other was a Flying Saber that darted back and forth like a swallow.
"Careful! This person must be a Body Cultivator!"
'Our Ghost Sha Three Heroes have run rampant through the Chen and Cai Kingdoms for over thirty years, yet our boss fell at the hands of some wet-behind-the-ears brat. To shatter a Golden Light Talisman with a single sword strike, one had to be either a Demon in its Transformation stage or an old Body Cultivator who had been immersed in Body Refining Techniques for decades.'
Just then, a vicious gust of wind whipped up from behind them, and a massive, tiger-sized dog slammed its paw against one of their heads.
The light shield from a Golden Light Talisman flickered violently. The Tribulation Cultivator wielding the Black Banner frantically billowed black smoke, trying to dissolve the Dog Demon behind him into a pool of pus and blood.
SHING!
With a sharp ring, the keen Demon-slaying Sword had already pierced the throat of the Black Banner-wielding Tribulation Cultivator. The blade sliced sideways, and a head, its eyes wide with disbelief, slid from the neck like a ripe melon.
'The Black Banner had an area-of-effect attack and posed the greatest threat to me, so I chose to take him out first.'
"Go!"
The remaining Tribulation Cultivator roared. The Flying Saber in mid-air instantly shot forward, letting out a wail like a crying ghost as it slashed toward Yang Jing.
CLANG!
A powerful, well-defined hand firmly caught the descending Flying Saber. The saber, over two feet long, struggled like a thrashing fish, ringing and clattering in his grasp.
The Tribulation Cultivator was dumbfounded. He had never seen such a thing—someone actually catching a Magical Artifact with their bare hands.
This was simply preposterous.
The next moment, he activated an Upper Grade Wind-controlling Talisman and turned to run. Fighting such a powerful enemy to the death was out of the question; a decisive escape might just save his life.
But Iron Head had already locked its eyes on him. How could it give him a chance to escape? It pounced, tackling him to the ground.
"My lord, spare me! My brothers' and my fortune is hidden in a secret location! If you spare my life, my lord, I'll tell you where it is!"
Yang Jing gripped his Demon-slaying Sword and ran it through the man's head.
'The trust between Tribulation Cultivators like these is in the negative. There's no way they'd keep their fortunes in one place. And even if they did, it would almost certainly be riddled with vicious Restrictions. I don't have time to waste on that.'
After using his sword to slice open the three men's chests and draw blood from their hearts, Yang Jing collected the Magical Artifacts and Storage Bags scattered on the ground. He then tore a Red Fire Talisman and incinerated the three bodies to ash.
'If I used my own Magical Power to destroy the evidence, a Void Mirror could easily record its signature. That's why experienced Tribulation Cultivators use Talismans to get rid of bodies.'
The Black Banner and the Flying Saber were both Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts, while the eldest brother had used an Upper Grade Flying Sword and an Upper Grade Eight Trigrams Mirror.
The Flying Sword was about two feet long with a foot-and-a-half blade, making it a short sword. Its body was a vibrant cyan, like a clear pool of spring water. Flying Swords were the most expensive of all Magical Artifacts. A short sword like this would cost over a thousand Spirit Stones, even on the black market. An ordinary Late Stage Qi Cultivation Independent Cultivator would have to save up for over a decade to afford one.
'The power of a Flying Sword lived up to its steep price. If the eldest brother had gotten a chance to fully unleash it, there's no way I could have just caught it like I did that Flying Saber.'
'The Eight Trigrams Mirror must be a Defensive Spiritual Artifact.'
Yang Jing put the four Magical Artifacts into his Storage Bag and, with Iron Head in tow, quickly left the scene of the crime.
After returning to his Cave Mansion, he eagerly pressed the three Storage Bags to his forehead one by one, using his Divine Sense to break the Restrictions on them.
"What a haul!"
Even with Yang Jing's usual composure, he couldn't completely suppress his delight upon seeing the contents of the Storage Bags. Inside the three bags were a total of three hundred eighty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, five slightly damaged Magical Artifacts, fourteen one-hundred-year-old Spirit Medicines, fifteen bottles of various Elixirs, and a foot-long Jade Bottle.
He took out the Jade Bottle and carefully undid its Restriction. After backing away a safe distance, he used a fishing rod to hook open the bottle's cap.
"Profound Water Gang Sha!"
Yang Jing hurriedly resealed the cap, preventing the pure Gang Sha within the Jade Bottle from dissipating.
In extreme environments, such as deep within a Spirit Vein, Spiritual Qi can undergo a transformation and condense into Gang Sha. The quality of Gang Sha is extremely high, surpassing even the Magical Power of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It can be used to practice cultivation techniques or for Artifact Refining, but very few Cultivators would use it so extravagantly.
The primary function of Gang Sha is to refine one's Magical Power, helping a Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator overcome the Qi Barrier—one of the Qi Cultivation Three Gates. However, it lacks the miraculous effect of a Foundation Establishment Pill, which protects one's meridians after a failed attempt at Foundation Establishment, preserving the hope of trying again.
The vast majority of Independent Cultivators could never accumulate enough Spirit Stones in their entire lifetime to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill, making Gang Sha their best alternative.
'This bottle of Profound Water Gang Sha could sell for at least three thousand Spirit Stones. I have no idea where their leader got his hands on it.'
Yang Jing reactivated the Restriction on the Jade Bottle. Once Gang Sha was formed, it was quite stable as long as it was kept in a specialized container. This bottle of Gang Sha could probably be stored for about thirty years.
He let out a sigh. 'To have amassed such wealth... I wonder how many Independent Cultivators died at their hands.'
'Taking out just one group of Tribulation Cultivators yielded such a huge reward. No wonder most Independent Cultivators choose to do a little robbing when the opportunity presents itself.'