Cannon Fodder

Jinping Mountain Villa had suffered a great disaster, but Liu Xiaolou had no time to sympathize with them. As a rogue cultivator at the very bottom, it was incredibly difficult to obtain cultivation resources. What right did he have to pity others?

Furthermore, although Jinping Mountain Villa was far away in Xiangnan, he had heard some things about its situation. The Zhang clan was an outer sect force of the Dongyang Sect. With the Dongyang Sect as their backer, they dominated the cultivation world within a hundred-mile radius of Jinping Mountain. Any rare spiritual herbs or exotic beasts that occasionally grew in the forests and ponds were untouchable. Any promising cultivation talents were also claimed by them first. Merchants and traders had to pay them fees and endure any grievances in silence.

If it weren't for this, the widespread issuance of the Hero's Invitation this time wouldn't have attracted the active participation of local powerhouses like Gao Feiyan and Wan Jianxin.

Liu Xiaolou knew his own limits. Although Zhang Xianbai was dead, the Zhang clan still had cultivators guarding them. He wouldn't dare to rush into the fiercest fighting. He planned to stick to the walls as much as possible and search any main halls he came across.

Along the way, he encountered quite a few brave members of the Zhang clan and their household servants. They often wielded sharp weapons and rushed out from corners to block him. Some of them were skilled in martial arts, but they were all common fighters. In front of Liu Xiaolou, they were like clay chickens and pottery dogs, and he subdued them one by one within a few moves.

After searching a few rooms, he found over a dozen taels of loose silver and a few ordinary jade pendants.

Silver and gold were not very useful for cultivation, but they could make life much more convenient. Liu Xiaolou was not a person who sought luxurious living, so he didn't care much about them. He took only a small amount and didn't search for more—taking too much would only be a burden when escaping. Therefore, he focused on searching for spirit stones, spirit elixirs, rare flowers and herbs, magical artifacts, and magic talismans. However, after searching for a long time, he found nothing.

This wouldn't do. He decided to try moving closer to the center of the villa while actively looking for Dai Shenggao.

He didn't find Dai Shenggao, but he saw Longshan the Rogue Cultivator. This fellow was easily recognizable with his stubbled face, so Liu Xiaolou quickly hurried over.

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator glanced back and said, "Xiaolou, keep up!" He continued to rush towards the northwest of the villa.

Liu Xiaolou was grateful and followed desperately. They passed several courtyards and ponds, and a rockery appeared ahead. It was suddenly lively here, with dozens of people crowded together. Various magical artifacts were flying out, attacking forcefully. Someone inside was acting as an informant, pointing out that this was the treasury location, and everyone was working together to break through the magic array.

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator called out and a coiled dragon crutch flew out. Liu Xiaolou followed suit, throwing out his own Three Xuan Sword and joining the fray.

The magic array guarding the treasury was far inferior to the villa protection array outside. Moreover, it was only for defense and had no offensive capabilities. After a long attack, it was finally broken through by everyone, revealing the entrance behind it.

The entrance was small, only allowing one person to enter at a time. So many people couldn't squeeze through, which immediately angered the crowd. The heroes were not concerned with martial ethics and unleashed a flurry of sword light, blade shadows, and magical artifact bombardments. The rockery immediately collapsed.

At this point, it was impossible to distinguish any treasury secret chamber. It was a chaotic mess of rubble, dirt, and ash, along with some broken wooden shelves, chests, gold, silver, and various bottles and jars.

Liu Xiaolou, along with the senior heroes, swarmed forward and searched at their heads in the chaos. The scene became quiet for a moment, without any arguments, only the sounds of rummaging.

Liu Xiaolou found some jars under a row of broken wooden shelves. After breaking them, he discovered they contained spirit wine. Others also found these spirit wines, and the crowd immediately surged over.

Liu Xiaolou tightly clutched a jar and squeezed to the outside. He didn't have a storage magical artifact, nor had he prepared any bottles or jars. It was inconvenient to carry such a large jar of wine. In a hurry, he simply drank it down, taking several large gulps. He felt a warm current flow into his dantian; it was quite potent spiritual energy.

At this moment, Liu Xiaolou was so moved he almost cried.

He wanted to drink more, but he couldn't withstand the potency of the spirit wine. He worried about getting drunk and making a fool of himself. Just then, Longshan the Rogue Cultivator arrived beside him. Liu Xiaolou simply shoved the wine jar towards him, saying, "Senior, spirit wine!"

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator caught it and called out, "Thank you!" He immediately drank it down. His cultivation had reached the tenth level of Qi Refining, which was much stronger than Liu Xiaolou's. After finishing the jar, he showed no signs of drunkenness, only that his face had turned as red as fire.

Liu Xiaolou continued his search and finally found a crystal stone about the size of his thumb.

A spirit stone!

Spirit stones contained the purest spiritual energy and were excellent for converting into true essence, being extremely potent. This single spirit stone was enough for Liu Xiaolou's cultivation for half a month. How could he not be excited?

This trip was worth it!

Liu Xiaolou was overjoyed. He suppressed his excitement and carefully put away the spirit stone. He looked around; everyone was quietly amassing their fortunes. Only they themselves knew what they had found, and no one would blab about it.

He continued to search diligently and found a medicinal herb under a pile of rubble. He couldn't tell what it was in the dark, but it had a strong fragrance. Taking a deep breath, it was refreshing and invigorating. It was most likely a spiritual herb.

Just as he tucked the spiritual herb into his embrace, he saw someone beside him looking at him, their gaze flickering uncertainly. "Brother, it seems you've found a spiritual herb? That herb..." the person said in a low voice.

Liu Xiaolou shook his head. "You must be mistaken."

The person was not convinced. "I'll trade you two spirit stones for it."

Liu Xiaolou's expression changed. He glared fiercely back. "There's no spiritual herb. Don't talk nonsense!"

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator, hearing the commotion, strode over and glared fiercely at the person. After a moment of staring, the person finally withdrew their gaze, stepped back a few paces, and went elsewhere.

Liu Xiaolou softly thanked him, "Thank you for your help, Senior."

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator patted his shoulder. "We're all family, no need for formalities." With that, he turned back to continue his treasure hunt.

Liu Xiaolou breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that no one else was paying attention to him, he buried his head and continued to rummage.

Suddenly, the mournful sound of several flutes was heard, followed by a clear voice shouting, "What thief dares to attack Jinping Mountain Villa? Does the Dongyang Sect have no one?"

The sound had been distant at first, but by the time the voice finished speaking, it had reached outside the villa. The arrival was indeed incredibly swift.

Then, someone shouted from the south: "Gu Zhenqi of the Dongyang Sect is here! Come out and die, you villains!"

The villa erupted in an uproar.

"The Dongyang Sect is here! Run!"

"It's Gu Zhenqi! It's really Gu Zhenqi!"

"Ye Zhenba is here too!"

"It's Su Zhenjiu!"

"The inner sect's seventh, eighth, and ninth disciples are all here!"

Longshan the Rogue Cultivator was not far from Liu Xiaolou, his face grave. "Three Foundation Establishment cultivators have arrived."

Liu Xiaolou's face immediately turned quite grim.

Setting aside the vast gulf between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators, even among cultivators of the same realm, those from prestigious sects like the Dongyang Sect were not something the various heroes could contend with. Their cultivation techniques were extraordinary, their sect had deep foundations, and they had an endless supply of powerful moves and killing techniques. Their magical artifacts were all mid-grade or high-grade, and they usually had spirit elixirs and medicinal pills to protect themselves. How could they fight?

If Old Boss Wang were willing to step forward, and the hundreds of heroes here worked together, then they might have a chance. The problem was that Old Boss Wang had yet to show himself. Did he dare to step forward? Moreover, how could this scattered sand be united?