Counter-Kill

Xu Chunniang had spent a total of nine Spirit Stones for this trial, so she at least needed to break even.

The next morning, Xu Chunniang left the market and headed straight for the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range.

Along the way, she encountered many rogue cultivators. The way they looked at her was undisguised, as if they saw a piece of fat meat.

Xu Chunniang showed no emotion on her face, but she inwardly became vigilant and quickened her pace, heading in one direction.

The place she was going to today was called "Rabbit Slope." Rabbit Slope was considered the outer perimeter of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range, and it was inhabited by only one type of demonic beast: the Lair Rabbit.

Lair Rabbits were earth-attribute demonic beasts that were not only fast but also skilled at burrowing underground, making them excellent at escaping.

Therefore, even though Lair Rabbits' cultivation rarely exceeded the third level of Qi Condensation, capturing one was not easy.

Besides their speed and ability to burrow, Lair Rabbits also possessed surprising strength. Getting kicked by them would be quite unpleasant.

However, Lair Rabbits were generally solitary creatures, with no more than two inhabiting a single burrow.

The meat of a Lair Rabbit was edible, but their fur was useless.

A dead Lair Rabbit was worth only half a Spirit Stone, while a live one could fetch two Spirit Stones.

Xu Chunniang considered this. It was her first time entering the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range, so it was better to be cautious. The Lair Rabbits posed little danger and were perfect for testing her sorcery.

As she was nearing Rabbit Slope, Xu Chunniang could sense that someone was still following her.

Recalling the gazes of those people earlier, her heart sank. She immediately used her Spirit Void Steps and rushed towards the interior of Rabbit Slope.

Not long after Xu Chunniang disappeared, two exasperated cultivators arrived.

"Damn it, we finally found a fat sheep, and she got away."

The tall, thin cultivator was furious.

A hint of darkness flashed in the round-faced, short cultivator's eyes as he spoke shrewdly.

"That person is a disciple of the Carefree Sect. Her cultivation is only at the third level of Qi Condensation, about the same as ours. Since she chose to come to Rabbit Slope, it's clear her combat ability isn't strong. Why don't we just wait here for her to come out?"

The tall, thin cultivator weighed the options for a moment before agreeing to the short, round-faced cultivator's suggestion.

After all, the two of them risked their lives fighting demonic beasts in the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range all day, earning only a few Spirit Stones. How could that compare to the speed of robbing a fat sheep!

"Haha, that's the spirit! It's good that you thought of this, brother. After we kill that girl, we'll split everything fifty-fifty!"

After using her Spirit Void Steps to enter Rabbit Slope, Xu Chunniang didn't go deep. Instead, she took a turn, concealed her presence, and quietly approached again.

Hearing their conversation, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. These two were indeed plotting against her.

There was only one path down from Rabbit Slope. As long as Xu Chunniang left, she would have to pass this way.

The two of them deliberately guarded this path, unwilling to let go of Xu Chunniang, this "fat sheep." If she had been caught off guard, she would have fallen victim to their ambush today.

Xu Chunniang remained silent as she watched the two plan her assassination.

Before coming, she had prepared herself mentally, knowing that the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range had many rogue cultivators, including some with malicious intent who specialized in robbing passing cultivators. She hadn't expected to encounter them on the very first day.

They actually took her for a sheep ready to be slaughtered. Fine, she would use these two scoundrels to test her skills first.

If they wanted her dead, she would strike first!

Water Bind Technique!

With a thought, she directly channeled her Spiritual Qi and launched an attack.

Two giant water spheres enveloped the two cultivators, forming a space of confinement with her Spiritual Qi.

The two cultivators were caught off guard by the sudden attack and fumbled to escape the water spheres.

How could Xu Chunniang give them such an opportunity?

The next second, she unleashed the Spirit Blast Technique. Eight balls of Spiritual Qi, after three splits, flew towards the two. Each water sphere was surrounded by four balls of Spiritual Qi.

Spirit Blast Technique, Blast!

As Xu Chunniang controlled them, the Spiritual Qi balls surged into the cultivators within the water spheres and detonated.

"Bang, bang!"

With two loud explosions, the water spheres burst, and two figures collapsed to the ground, their life force extinguished!

Xu Chunniang's heart pounded as she looked at the two corpses not far away. She had killed someone!

Before coming to the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range, she had imagined such a situation might occur, but when it actually happened, she felt a sense of dizziness.

Was this the path of cultivation? Just moments ago, they were two living beings, and now they were two corpses. It was truly brutal.

If she hadn't been prepared and struck first, and if these two had ambushed her instead, she would likely be the one lying here.

After a while, Xu Chunniang slowly calmed her emotions.

It was these two who had intended to kill her first, so she had no psychological burden in killing them in self-defense; it was merely a moment of reflection.

Xu Chunniang stood up and searched them. She only found a Storage Bag on the short, plump cultivator, containing very little.

Besides some worthless low-grade herbs, three low-grade Talismans, and some miscellaneous items, there were only six Spirit Stones.

Xu Chunniang thought for a moment, then moved the two bodies together. She took out a "Fireball Talisman" from the Talismans and used it to burn the bodies, sending them off on their final journey.

After cleaning up the scene, Xu Chunniang used the Spiritual Rain Technique to wash her hands. She then drank two bottles of Spiritual Dew to replenish her Spiritual Qi before finally entering Rabbit Slope.

Rabbit Slope had quite a few Lair Rabbits. It didn't take Xu Chunniang long to spot several of them, but they were naturally timid and very alert. As soon as they sensed someone approaching from a distance, they would flee.

Xu Chunniang used her Spirit Void Steps to catch up to the Lair Rabbit closest to her.

This unlucky Lair Rabbit only had a cultivation base of Qi Condensation second layer. No matter how fast it ran, it couldn't compare to Xu Chunniang, who was at the fourth layer.

Soon, the gap between the woman and the rabbit rapidly closed.

Just as the Lair Rabbit was about to be caught, it suddenly stopped moving and forcefully kicked backward with its hind legs!

Xu Chunniang quickly adjusted the direction of her steps, veering to the right to dodge the kick.

At the same time, a miniaturized Water Bind Technique was cast, covering the Lair Rabbit from head to toe.

The Lair Rabbit was trapped within the water sphere, its limbs struggling ceaselessly but unable to break free.

Xu Chunniang smiled slightly, looking at the Lair Rabbit beneath her feet. If she hadn't reacted quickly, it really would have kicked her. Fortunately, she had been guarding against that possibility all along.

A live Lair Rabbit was worth two Spirit Stones, but a dead one was greatly discounted, only worth half a Spirit Stone. Naturally, Xu Chunniang wanted to capture it alive.

She took out a large cloth bag, retrieved a rope from the Storage Bag she had just acquired, and tightly bound the Lair Rabbit before throwing it into the cloth bag and securing it.

Living creatures could not be placed in Storage Bags, so Xu Chunniang had to carry the bag on her back herself.

Fortunately, the Lair Rabbit was small and not heavy, so she didn't feel burdened by it.

A gleam appeared in Xu Chunniang's eyes as she looked at Rabbit Slope, as if she were gazing upon a Spirit Stone mine.

"Who says not updating two thousand words daily doesn't make you a hero," she mused, currently accumulating drafts!!