At this moment, bloodlust surged atop Dark Cloud Peak, and the bandits surrounding the main stronghold had long since been scared out of their wits.
They had thought a god of wealth had arrived, only to find that it was a god of slaughter!
The corpses in the courtyard had piled into several small hills, yet even so, the god of slaughter inside seemed not to have had his fill!
"No, don't, don't!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Suddenly, someone among the bandits cried out and turned to flee down the mountain.
At the sight of this, the surrounding bandits' expressions changed, and they all hurriedly kept their distance from him.
Sure enough, the next instant, a steel saber whistled through the air and pierced straight through the man's back, even punching through another person behind him.
Sure enough, it was the same again!
The bandits' legs went limp, and they dropped to their knees.
So many people had died. They had long wanted to run, but the god of slaughter before them would not allow it!
If they dared leave on their own, they would be the first to receive the god of slaughter's attention, and even those around them would die alongside them!
Under such circumstances, they did not even dare run. They could only pray that this lord would let them go after venting his fury.
But now, seeing that nearly five hundred people had already been killed in the field—fully half the people on the mountain—they finally realized that this god of slaughter truly intended to kill every last one of them!
"Run! Everyone, run! He never planned to spare us!" More voices rose this time.
"Brothers, run! Let's all run together! How many can he possibly kill?"
"Run! I don't want to die! Run!"
This time, it was no longer one person after another fleeing. Nearly every surviving bandit turned at once and charged down the mountain.
Yet mountain strongholds where bandits made camp were famously rugged and difficult to traverse, built that way to prevent enemy incursions.
Everyone ran downhill like madmen, only to shove and crush one another. Many were directly knocked into the mountain forest, their fates unknown.
Li Yan did not pay much attention to this. Realistically speaking, it was unlikely that he could kill every person present.
Over the course of a day, scattered individuals would inevitably have escaped. News from this place had surely already spread, and before long, other people of the martial world would arrive.
When that happened, his disguise would be exposed.
Moreover, while continually picking up attributes could replenish his physical strength and True Qi, mental exhaustion could not be replenished.
Kill another five hundred people?
He could not do it.
This was perfect. These people were collapsing on their own, and many would die from crushing each other on the road down the mountain. Afterward, they naturally would not amount to much.
With everyone gone, it was time for the most wonderful part: reaping the harvest.
He opened his system panel again after a long time.
Name: Li Yan Realm: First Level of Qi Condensation Strength: 268 Speed: 221 Physique: 255 Spirit: 52 True Qi: 47 Martial Arts: Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture, Fifth Layer (123/1600); Hundred Battles Saber: Return to Truth; Falling Star Spear Fragment, Not Learned (Completion/1000); Tearing Wind Claws, Minor Accomplishment (137/400); Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art, First Layer (257/2000); Wind Chasing Wave Treading, Minor Accomplishment (89/400) Secret Technique: Hundred Blades: Bloodbath, Initial Glimpse (103/500) Remaining Experience Points: 13229
In this battle on the mountain, he had slaughtered nearly five hundred bandits, so the harvest was naturally quite substantial.
Every physical attribute had nearly doubled. This increase in basic attributes rivaled that of someone who cultivated body-tempering methods.
But most important of all were those Experience Points, bright enough to blind the eye.
After confirming that the mountain had been emptied of people, Li Yan returned to the main stronghold. He sat in Long Tonghai's grand seat, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and connected his mind to the system.
"System, upgrade the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art!"
"1743 Experience Points consumed. Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art level increased."
Martial Arts: Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art, Second Layer (0/3000)
The instant the notification sounded, a vigorous surge of True Qi rose from his dantian. Like a rushing flood, it coursed through the meridians of his entire body before dispersing into several major acupoints.
Feeling the internal force surging within him, Li Yan showed no joy. Instead, he frowned slightly.
As the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art advanced to the Second Layer, Li Yan naturally broke through to the Second Level of the Qi Condensation Realm.
However, although the rapidly swelling True Qi inside him continued to surge, Li Yan still felt a faint sense of emptiness in his meridians, as though he had eaten a feast but was only seventy percent full.
After a brief thought, Li Yan understood. It was because of the Attribute Points.
The increase in Attribute Points had rapidly elevated his physique, naturally strengthening the meridians within his body as well.
With every attribute nearly doubling, his meridians had inevitably undergone unimaginable expansion.
Though the massive amount of True Qi brought by his breakthrough was astonishing, it was still difficult to fill the enormous ravines forcibly widened within him.
"System, upgrade the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art!"
"3000 Experience Points consumed. Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art level increased."
Martial Arts: Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art, Third Layer (0/4000)
Boom!
The next moment, nearly twice the previous amount of immense True Qi erupted. Its rolling momentum surged like a mountain flood bursting through its banks, and the already chaotic hall shattered with a muffled crash beneath the turbulent aura.
That aura churned for a long time without ceasing, only gradually settling after the full moon rose high in the sky.
"Huff... Breaking through twice in a row nearly did me in..."
As he muttered to himself, Li Yan looked helplessly at his robes, which had nearly become shredded strips of cloth.
He had known that breaking through with this Cultivation Method brought enormous improvements, but he had never expected this increase to be so immense!
The vigorous True Qi had completely filled his meridians. His meridians had suddenly taken in all that True Qi, which was what caused such a tremendous disturbance.
It was then that Li Yan recalled something Shangguan Liuyun had once mentioned in passing.
"When breaking through, you must first exhaust all your cultivation, empty the True Qi from every major acupoint in your body, and place yourself in a completely empty state."
But because breaking through with this technique required massive resources, Shangguan Liuyun had not thought Li Yan would break through so quickly. He had merely mentioned it in passing, and it had nearly gotten Li Yan killed.
Fortunately, Li Yan's physique, far surpassing that of an ordinary Second Level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, saved his life. But he could not make another breakthrough anytime soon.
Though he could not continue breaking through, he still needed to deal with the mess before him.
There were several hundred corpses in this stronghold. If they were not dealt with, trouble would inevitably arise. Besides, the scattered gold, silver, and jewels could not simply be left here. Once the poison on them was washed away, they could still be used.
Before long, after gathering all the jewels, Li Yan rummaged through the stronghold, searching for wine and other flammable materials.
While searching one of the rooms, he unexpectedly discovered that the floor tile beneath a square table was loose.
After lifting the tile, he found two small chests beneath it.
He took out the chests and opened them. What met his eyes were glittering gold ingots. Looking closely, he found that the gold even bore a steel stamp.
Great Wu
Good heavens, these were actually gold ingots that had flowed out from the Great Wu imperial court!
This was probably Long Tonghai's room. These gold ingots should have been treasures bestowed by Wu Zongren, all secretly hoarded by Long Tonghai.
The other chest contained two booklets.
The first bore the large words Thunderous Strike. It was a fierce saber technique.
Li Yan picked it up and flipped through it briefly, and his eyes could not help but light up slightly.
Unlike the Hundred Battles Saber Technique, which came from the military, Thunderous Strike was a saber technique suited for killing and fighting in the martial world.
The saber technique had nine forms: Strike Thunder Sweep, Break Firmament Chop, Thunder Vortex Part, Lightning Flash Shave, Startling Thunder Sweep, Cloud Thunder Guard, Ten Thousand Jin Slash, Annihilate Strike, and Thunder Silence · Sky Cry.
The first eight saber forms fused with the grand momentum of heavenly lightning, vividly displaying the ultimate limits of the eight methods of the saber. The final move, however, was a technique of mutual destruction that ruined both enemy and self.
Li Yan lacked discernment, but he imagined that throughout the martial world, this saber technique should hold a place of its own. It was only because Long Tonghai had been poisoned and weakened earlier that he had failed to reveal even a fraction of it.
Looking at the other booklet, it bore several large words... Account Book.
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