Protective Amulet

As he searched Scarface's body, he found a jade pendant the color of emerald green.

What felt strange was that he could sense spiritual energy fluctuations from it.

Unlike the fluctuations of a Spirit Stone, the energy within this jade pendant seemed to circulate according to a certain pattern.

He tried circulating the Breathing and Meditation Technique to absorb it, but he could not draw out the energy inside.

"What is this?"

Jiang Ping An could not figure it out.

He took out a Spirit Stone and compared it with the jade pendant.

The moment the two touched, the Spirit Stone's energy was rapidly drained away, turning it into powder.

Jiang Ping An was so frightened that his face changed drastically, and he instinctively threw the jade pendant away.

Looking at the shattered Spirit Stone, Jiang Ping An's heart ached terribly.

He could only replicate ten a day, and one was gone just like that?

What exactly was this jade pendant?

He squatted beside it and poked it with a wooden stick, but nothing happened.

When he picked it up again, Jiang Ping An discovered that the jade pendant contained much more energy. The energy inside still circulated according to a certain pattern.

"What the hell is this?"

Jiang Ping An wanted to find someone to ask, but there was no one around, only corpses.

At that moment, he noticed three words engraved on the back of the jade pendant: Protective Amulet.

"Could this also be some immortal's treasure, something that protects the body?"

Thinking of the energy fluctuations on it, which were similar to the energy he used, perhaps it truly was some immortal treasure.

Jiang Ping An felt that he had guessed right.

"It couldn't protect Scarface before most likely because the energy inside the Protective Amulet had run out."

Thinking that this thing could protect him, Jiang Ping An gritted his teeth and pressed two more Spirit Stones against it.

The Spirit Stones' energy was exhausted, yet the jade pendant still seemed far from full.

Jiang Ping An did not have many Spirit Stones left, so he began pouring the energy from his own body into the jade pendant.

Yet even after pouring all the energy within his body into it, he still could not fill it.

"What a bottomless pit!"

Jiang Ping An's heart ached terribly.

He would just absorb energy from heaven and earth and slowly fill it. There was no rush anyway.

Just then, movement suddenly came from outside.

Jiang Ping An snatched up his saber and rushed out. A figure was fleeing at top speed.

He quickly raised his saber and chased after him.

It was very likely one of the Bandits' Comrades!

He absolutely could not let him escape!

But after chasing for quite a while, Jiang Ping An still lost him.

He leaned against a tree and panted heavily.

He had poured all his spiritual energy into the jade pendant just now, leaving himself without strength. Otherwise, there was no way he would have lost the man.

No matter what happened in the future, he had to leave himself a way out.

Jiang Ping An silently reflected on his shortcomings and took out a Spirit Stone to restore the energy in his body.

"The person who ran back is very likely a bandit. I killed five of them, so those so-called Great King Mountain bandits definitely won't let me off."

"Then come!"

The only person he worried about, Tiger Girl, had been taken away by an immortal. Jiang Ping An no longer had anything holding him back.

Even if the bandits did not come looking for him, he would go looking for them.

With his current physical condition, even if he could not kill the bandits, he could still escape calmly.

The moment Jiang Ping An returned to the village, he met the gazes of ten Soldiers.

Jiang Ping An's pupils contracted sharply.

There were ten Soldiers, yet eleven horses!

When he saw the appearance of that horse, Jiang Ping An's heart nearly stopped.

That horse was precisely the mount of the Soldier he had killed earlier!

A phrase suddenly surfaced in his mind—An old horse knows the way.

This horse must have found its way here!

At the same time, those ten Soldiers also spotted Jiang Ping An.

Not only that, they saw the Military Saber in his hand and the corpses of five bandits on the ground.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze, as though both sides had been struck by a pause button.

"Neighhh~"

A horse suddenly whinnied, breaking the balance.

Jiang Ping An turned and ran.

He had only recovered a little strength. He could not guarantee that he would survive against ten battle-hardened Soldiers.

"Chase him! He must be the murderer!" the leading Soldier roared.

Though it was hard to believe that a child was the culprit, this was closest to the truth.

Jiang Ping An had little spiritual energy left, while they rode War Horses. He could not possibly outrun them.

In just a few moments, they caught up behind Jiang Ping An. A Soldier swung his saber at Jiang Ping An's head.

When Jiang Ping An caught sight of the blade, it was already too late to dodge.

At that instant, the jade pendant at Jiang Ping An's waist suddenly emitted a green glow. With a sharp clang, the Soldier's saber was knocked flying.

At that moment, both Jiang Ping An and the pursuing Soldiers froze briefly as they stared at the green glow around him.

What was going on?

What was this light?

Jiang Ping An guessed something, but there was no time to verify it now.

Taking advantage of the moment the opponent's saber fell, he leaped high and swung his blade fiercely.

"Pfft~"

A huge head flew into the air.

Clang!

Another Soldier's saber struck the green light around Jiang Ping An, but failed to harm him in the slightest.

Jiang Ping An poured the rest of his spiritual energy into his arm, spun around, and swung his saber.

"Ahh~"

With a scream, the struck Soldier fell from his horse.

Freed from the worry of being attacked, Jiang Ping An wildly swung the saber in his hand, cutting down both Soldiers and their mounts alike.

Blood sprayed everywhere, War Horses shrieked, and that youth who had once lacked even the strength to truss a chicken transformed into a warrior.

"That kid is a cultivator! He has to be a cultivator! The thing on him is a magical treasure! Run!"

One Soldier realized something and shouted in terror before turning to flee.

A boy of fourteen or fifteen could jump higher than a horse. That was simply not normal.

Moreover, there was mysterious green light around his body. It was most likely emitted by a magical treasure.

Hearing this, the Soldiers panicked as well. They stopped attacking Jiang Ping An and began to flee.

Jiang Ping An could not possibly let them leave. He leaped onto a War Horse and rapidly gave chase.

One Soldier after another was cut from his horse.

When only the last Soldier remained, Jiang Ping An violently hurled his saber, piercing straight through the Soldier's body and knocking him off his horse.

Jiang Ping An dismounted and looked down coldly at the Soldier.

The Soldier clutched his wound, his face full of terror and fury.

"You little bastard... you dared raise a hand against Soldiers... Flat Water County's four thousand iron cavalry... will... will never let you go..."

Bang!

Jiang Ping An stomped on the Soldier's neck, snapping it, then turned to check whether any Soldiers were still alive.

He gave every remaining Soldier another slash, then, once he had confirmed they were all dead, searched their bodies for valuables.

This time, he found no treasures, only money and some rations.

Following the mountain road, he used the horses to transport the corpses of the Soldiers and bandits to Wild Wolf Valley, five kilometers away.

It was called Wild Wolf Valley because wild wolves were everywhere there.

People were often killed there by wolf packs.

If these corpses were thrown here, they would soon be eaten by the wolves.

The ten Soldiers had found their way here through the trait of An old horse knows the way. This time, he had killed all the horses. Let them try finding their way here now.

Looking at the horses' corpses, Jiang Ping An felt somewhat upset. If these horses could have been used to plow the fields, his mother would not have worked herself to death.

At the very least, they could have been slaughtered for food.

But these War Horses were too conspicuous. There was nowhere to keep them, and if he kept them at home, they would definitely be discovered.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the Treasure Accumulation Basin suddenly emerged from within his body. A flash of green light swept out, and all the slaughtered horses vanished.

Jiang Ping An's heart shook. What was going on?