Jinping Mountain Villa had suffered a great calamity, but Liu Xiaolou had no mind to sympathize with them. As a rogue cultivator at the very bottom, obtaining cultivation resources was a thousand hardships and ten thousand difficulties. What right did he have to pity others?
Besides, although Jinping Mountain Villa lay far away in Xiangnan, he had heard a little of its circumstances. The Zhang clan was an outer branch force of the Dongyang Sect, with the Dongyang Sect as its backing. It monopolized the Cultivation World within a hundred li of Jinping Mountain. No one dared lay a finger on the rare spirit herbs or Exotic Beasts that occasionally grew in the forests, hills, ponds, and marshes. Any promising cultivation seedlings were claimed by their family first, and traveling merchants had to pay them fees as well. Even if they suffered humiliation, they could only swallow it.
Had it not been so, even local Great Heroes like Gao Feiyan and Wan Jianxin would not have eagerly joined in after the Hero's Invitation had been widely sent out.
Liu Xiaolou knew his own limits. Though Zhang Xianbai was dead, the Zhang clan still had cultivators holding the fort. He absolutely did not dare rashly charge toward wherever the fighting was fiercest. He kept close to the walls as much as possible, entering every main hall he saw to search through it.
Along the way, he encountered quite a few fierce and valiant Zhang clansmen and household servants. They often rushed out from some corner with sharp weapons in hand to bar his path. Some possessed martial arts, but they were all mere mundane fighters. Before Liu Xiaolou, they were nothing but clay chickens and porcelain dogs, each one knocked down within a few moves.
After searching several rooms, he obtained a dozen or so taels of loose gold and silver, along with several ordinary Jade Pendants.
Gold and silver were of little use in cultivation, though they could make life much more convenient. Liu Xiaolou was not one to crave luxurious living, so he did not care much for them. After taking a small amount, he stopped taking more—too much would only become dead weight, a burden when fleeing. Thus, he searched bitterly for spirit stones, spirit pills, rare flowers and herbs, magical artifacts, talismans, and the like, but after searching for a long while, he found nothing.
This could not go on, so he began edging closer toward the center of the manor while doing his best to find Dai Shenggao.
He did not find Dai Shenggao, but he spotted Longshan the Rogue Cultivator instead. That man was easy to recognize with his face full of stubble, so Liu Xiaolou hurried after him.
Longshan the Rogue Cultivator glanced back and called, "Xiaolou, keep up!" Then he continued rushing toward the northwest of the manor.
Liu Xiaolou was deeply grateful and followed with all his might. After crossing several courtyards and ponds, they came upon an artificial hill. The place had suddenly become lively, with dozens of people crowded there, sending all manner of magical artifacts flying forth in a fierce attack. Someone had informed from within that this was the storage site, and everyone was working together to break the formation.
Longshan the Rogue Cultivator called out and sent forth a coiling-dragon crutch. Liu Xiaolou followed suit, tossing out his Three Xuan Sword to join the assault.
The formation guarding the storage was far inferior to the great formation protecting the manor outside. Moreover, it could only defend and had no means of counterattack. After they attacked for some time, the crowd finally broke it, revealing the entrance behind it.
The entrance was small, barely enough for one person to pass through. With so many people, no one could squeeze inside, instantly provoking public outrage. The heroes no longer bothered with martial virtue. Another storm of flashing blades and flying shadows followed, with all kinds of magical artifacts smashing into it. The artificial hill promptly collapsed.
At that point, no one could tell where the storage chamber had been. The place was a chaotic mess of broken rocks and dust, along with remnants of wooden shelves, chests, gold and silver, and jars and bottles.
Liu Xiaolou surged forward with the senior heroes, lowering his head to search amid the chaos. For a time, the area fell quiet. The arguing ceased, leaving only the sounds of rummaging and turning things over rising and falling one after another.
Beneath a row of broken wooden shelves, Liu Xiaolou found several jars. After breaking them open, he discovered they contained Spirit Wine. Others found the Spirit Wine too, and the crowd immediately pressed in.
Liu Xiaolou clutched one jar tightly and squeezed his way outside. He had no storage artifact and had not brought any bottles or jars, so he could not conveniently carry away a whole jar of wine. In his haste, he simply hugged the jar and drank deeply. After several large gulps, he felt a warm current pour into his dantian—it was remarkably rich spiritual power.
At that moment, Liu Xiaolou was so moved he nearly wanted to cry.
He wanted to drink a few more mouthfuls, but he could not bear the potency of the Spirit Wine. He feared getting drunk and collapsing here; that would make him the laughingstock of the world. Just then, Longshan the Rogue Cultivator came over, and Liu Xiaolou simply shoved the wine jar into his hands. "Senior, Spirit Wine!"
Longshan the Rogue Cultivator caught it and called, "Many thanks!" He immediately hugged the jar and drank heartily. His cultivation had already reached the Qi Refining tenth layer, far surpassing Liu Xiaolou's. After finishing the entire jar, he showed no sign of drunkenness, though his face had turned crimson as fire.
Liu Xiaolou continued searching and finally found a crystal the size of his thumb.
A spirit stone!
Spirit stones contained the purest spiritual power. They were extremely effective for transforming into true essence and were exceptionally concentrated. This single spirit stone was enough for Liu Xiaolou to cultivate for half a month. How could he not be excited?
This trip had truly been worthwhile!
Liu Xiaolou was beside himself with joy. Suppressing his excitement, he carefully put away the spirit stone, then looked around. Everyone was silently making a fortune. Only they themselves knew what they had gained—who would blabber about it everywhere?
He lowered his head and continued fighting through the rubble. Beneath another pile of shattered stones, he found a medicinal herb. He could not tell what it was in the night, but its fragrance rushed to his nostrils. One deep breath made his heart and spleen feel refreshed. It was most likely a spirit herb.
He had just tucked the spirit herb into his robes when someone beside him looked over, his gaze flickering uncertainly. "Younger brother, did you seem to find a spirit herb? That grass..." the man asked in a low voice.
Liu Xiaolou shook his head. "You saw wrong."
The man would not give up. "I'll trade you two spirit stones for it."
Liu Xiaolou's expression changed. He glared back viciously. "There's no spirit herb. Don't talk nonsense!"
Hearing the commotion, Longshan the Rogue Cultivator came over in several strides and glared viciously at the man. The two stared at each other for a moment before the man finally withdrew his gaze, backed away several steps, and went elsewhere.
Liu Xiaolou thanked him softly. "Thank you for your help, Senior."
Longshan the Rogue Cultivator patted his shoulder. "Between our own people, there's no need for such formality." With that, he turned around and went back to continue searching for treasure.
Liu Xiaolou let out a breath of relief. Seeing that no one else was watching him, he lowered his head and continued rummaging.
Suddenly, several mournful notes from a vertical flute sounded out, followed by a clear, ringing voice shouting, "What band of petty thieves dares attack Jinping Mountain Villa? Do you take the Dongyang Sect for empty?"
When the voice first rose, it was still far away. By the time the words ended, its owner had already arrived outside the manor, moving with truly astonishing speed.
Another person shouted from directly south, "Gu Zhenqi of the Dongyang Sect is here! Thieves, come out and receive death!"
An uproar broke out throughout the manor.
"The Dongyang Sect is here! Run!"
"It's Gu Zhenqi—it really is Gu Zhenqi!"
"Ye Zhenba has come too!"
"It's Su Zhenjiu!"
"The inner sect's Seven, Eight, and Nine are all here!"
Longshan the Rogue Cultivator was not far from Liu Xiaolou's side. With a grave expression, he said, "Three Foundation Establishment cultivators have come."
Liu Xiaolou's face immediately turned extremely grim.
Setting aside the vast gulf between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators, even cultivators of the same realm could not be matched by the various heroes when facing people from a famous great sect like the Dongyang Sect. Their cultivation methods were already extraordinary, their sect's foundations deep, and the great techniques and killing moves passed down through their lineage emerged one after another. Their magical artifacts were all mid-grade or high-grade, and they usually carried spirit pills and wondrous medicines for protection as well. How could they fight?
If Old Boss Wang were willing to step forward, then the hundred or so heroes here could join forces and put up a fight. The key was that Old Boss Wang had yet to show himself. Would he dare take the lead? Besides, this rabble was like a plate of loose sand—how could they possibly unite their strength?