Bandit Cultivators

"Kid, run! Why aren't you running now? Today, I'll avenge that day's grudge."

Lackey bared his teeth like a hyena.

"So there's no way to settle this peacefully today."

"Cut the crap. Go repent below."

Zheng Daoxing was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, while the other two were both at the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer.

Lackey made the first move, immediately activating his magic tool and attacking. Zheng Daoxing and the other man followed close behind.

Fang Xiao had long been prepared. He directly used Spitting Breath into Sword, striking Lackey between the brows before him with astonishing speed. Lackey's eyes filled with terror as he collapsed limply to the ground. Without spiritual power controlling it, his flying sword magic tool fell to the dirt.

His hands did not stop moving. He activated his own Low-grade Flying Sword together with the Sword Nurturing Gourd in his Dantian, unleashing Soaring Sky from the Twenty-Four Rainbow Piercing Swords. This sword carried the intent of standing above the nine heavens and striking down from on high, directly taking the enemy. It was one of the most powerful forms among the twenty-four swords.

The two men reacted swiftly as well. Zheng Daoxing activated a small shield before himself, while the other man rapidly retreated.

Empowered by the Sword Nurturing Gourd and Sword Qi Transforming into Energy, the flying sword knocked the shield away. At the same time, it spun, and the sharp Sword Qi it spat forth directly severed Zheng Daoxing's other arm from the shoulder. Its momentum did not fade, and the other man was sliced diagonally into two from the shoulder.

"Sword Cultivator, spare my life—"

Before Zheng Daoxing could say more, Fang Xiao cut off his head, then conveniently finished off the other cultivator, who had only half his body left and was wailing incessantly.

Looking at the corpses on the ground and the blood sprayed everywhere, Fang Xiao felt his heartbeat accelerate and his blood surge upward. His mind went blank, his thoughts became chaotic, his ears rang, his limbs stiffened slightly, and nausea rose in his throat.

His Sword Heart stirred on its own, cutting away the distracting thoughts in his heart. His mind gradually returned to normal, and as he circulated the spiritual power within his body, he recovered as well.

He gathered the three men's magic tools and Storage Bags from the ground, then directly burned the corpses with the Fireball Technique.

He swiftly left the place. From the beginning of the battle to its end, only a few breaths had passed, and he had left behind no trace.

"My reaction to killing someone for the first time was actually this strong. Good thing I ended it quickly enough. In this Cultivation World where people kill people, I should get used to it eventually."

After finding a secluded spot, he stopped to recover his condition and began inspecting the three Storage Bags.

The three men had contributed over three hundred Spirit Stones, several magic tools, plenty of pills, talismans, materials, and spirit herbs. Among them were even two mid-grade magic tools. Aside from the shield magic tool he had seen before, there was also a Mid-grade Flying Sword, as well as quite a few sect magic robes.

It turned out that the three specifically targeted lone sect disciples. Including the resources they had swindled, they had accumulated quite a fortune. Now, it had all benefited Fang Xiao instead.

He had originally planned to scrimp and save at the Market, but now pills, talismans, food, and drink had all been delivered to him. Once he disposed of what he did not need, he could upgrade his equipment.

After burning the useless items, he headed straight for the Market.

At the Market entrance, he presented his Identity Token and entered directly. Those outside the sect had to pay one Spirit Stone every time. What a rip-off—but now, it was no more than a drizzle to him.

Following the Market map, he headed straight for Myriad Treasures Pavilion. He intended to dispose of the magic tools he did not need and buy a better flying sword.

The magic robes naturally were not included. They were far too recognizable; even if they were taken back, they would need to be processed before being resold, and would not fetch much of a price. More importantly, he still did not know disguise techniques.

Selling Tianlan Sect disciples' magic robes in a Market under Tianlan Sect's jurisdiction? Even with the guts of a leopard, he would not dare do that.

The Myriad Treasures Merchant Association was the largest merchant association in the Taichang Realm. From Markets across the Five Domains and Four Seas to grand immortal cities, Myriad Treasures Pavilions could be found everywhere. Rumor had it that not only did five Spirit Transformation True Lords oversee it, but it also seemed to have countless threads of connection with the upper realm. It did business with virtually every major sect.

After he entered, a woman in a pale green gauze dress rose and approached him. She was actually at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

"I am the manager of this Myriad Treasures Pavilion. What would you like to purchase, Fellow Daoist?"

"I wish to buy a flying sword. Do you have any recommendations?"

"The flying swords are over here. The lower tier consists of Mid-grade Flying Swords. These ten on the middle tier are all exceptional Top-grade Flying Swords, while the upper tier contains the rare Supreme Flying Swords."

"What are the prices?"

"Hehe, Mid-grade Flying Swords are uniformly eighty Spirit Stones. Top-grade Flying Swords start at three hundred Spirit Stones, with the exact price depending on the sword. As for Supreme Flying Swords, they cost no less than eight hundred Spirit Stones."

Those prices were ruthless. Though he greatly coveted the Supreme Flying Swords on the upper tier, his purse was sadly shallow. He could only choose a top-grade one.

"I would like to choose a Top-grade Flying Sword. Could you introduce these to me?"

"Of these ten flying swords, seven possess the five elemental attributes and cost between three hundred and four hundred Spirit Stones. The remaining three have the rare Wind, Thunder, Ice attributes, so they are naturally more expensive. Fellow Daoist may choose according to the attribute of your cultivation method."

"Which ones have the Gold attribute?"

The manager took down two flying swords.

"There are two with the Gold attribute. The Dragon Scale Sword has a sturdy blade and can clash with top-tier magic tools without suffering damage. The Silver Edge Sword is not as durable as the Dragon Scale Sword, but its power and speed exceed those of Top-grade Flying Swords of the same tier. Both are exceptional among top-grade swords, at three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones each."

After considering it, Fang Xiao decided that the Silver Edge Sword suited him better.

"Does Myriad Treasures Pavilion buy back magic tools?"

"We do, though the price will certainly be somewhat below market value."

"No problem. Then please take a look at these items and tell me approximately how many Spirit Stones they are worth."

Other than the mid-grade magic tool called the Earth Element Shield, he brought out all the other magic tools, materials, and miscellaneous items he did not need, including the Mid-grade Flying Sword.

"These items are worth approximately one hundred and ninety Spirit Stones. What does Fellow Daoist think?"

"That works. Here are one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones. I'll take this Silver Edge Sword."

Fang Xiao took out another pile of Spirit Stones and placed them on the table.

The manager swept them with her Spiritual Sense, nodded, and put the Spirit Stones away before handing the Silver Edge Sword to Fang Xiao.

Having obtained the flying sword, he said nothing further and directly took his leave.

His goal achieved, and with time still early, he planned to stroll through the Stall Area to broaden his horizons and see whether he had the fate to strike treasure.

Besides, after leaving Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he seemed to have been watched. He could observe the situation along the way.

When he reached the Stall Area, no cultivators were loudly hawking their wares, but the sounds of haggling rose without end.

He stopped at nearly every stall to take a look, until he paused at this one and picked up a bag from the display.

"This bag contains Spirit Seeds, right? What variety are they?"

The stall owner was a middle-aged cultivator dressed like a Spirit Farmer.

"Oh, these are Golden Corn, a new variety cultivated by Nanhua Sect from Green Jade Corn several years ago. Not much is grown on Tianlan Sect's side yet. Besides benefiting cultivation, long-term consumption can strengthen the physical body."

He intended to buy a bag to plant and try out. After some bargaining, he ultimately spent twenty Spirit Stones to buy a bag of Spirit Seeds from the stall owner, along with a low-grade spell manual needed by Spirit Farmers.

After completing the transaction, he planned to return to the sect. After all, that Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator had been following him all along. Who said Bandit Cultivators had little room to survive? He had encountered two groups of Bandit Cultivators in a single day.

He had already refined the Silver Edge Sword on the way to the Stall Area and was more or less familiar with it by now. Once he left, he planned to take care of that man.

Sure enough, after leaving the Market, that man was still trailing behind him. Fang Xiao followed his wishes and headed directly toward a remote area.

He found an uninhabited Valley and waited there for the man to approach. At that moment, another person came from a different direction. Fang Xiao's expression changed. Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Without daring to hesitate, he immediately activated his flying sword and attacked the Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator. That man had not expected Fang Xiao, at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, not to flee but to dare turn back and launch a proactive attack.

The Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator sped over as well.

With Sword Qi Transforming into Energy combined with the Sword Nurturing Gourd, the Silver Edge Sword became a streak of silver light. That man had been waiting for the two of them to join forces and surround Fang Xiao, so he had no time to activate a magic tool. He only barely managed to place a Golden Light Talisman defense upon himself.

The moment the Golden Light Shield formed by the Golden Light Talisman touched the Silver Edge Sword, it shattered like glass.

The man wanted to twist aside and avoid a vital spot, but the Silver Edge Sword directly pierced through his neck. Blood gushed from his neck and mouth like a fountain, slowly pooling on the ground.

Seeing his companion killed in a single exchange, the Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator's expression changed. He controlled a hammer-shaped magic tool toward Fang Xiao's head while activating a Miniature Bronze Bell with his other hand.

Fang Xiao used the Earth Element Shield to block the hammer-shaped magic tool's blow.

Bang.

His blood and qi churned, and a thread of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. His expression darkened slightly. A top-grade magic tool.

Dong.

Another chime rang out, this one from the bronze bell in that man's hand. Fang Xiao felt his soul become sluggish in an instant, his Spiritual Sense dull and unresponsive. The man once again controlled the hammer-shaped magic tool toward him.

At that moment, his Sword Heart stirred, and the soul in his sea of consciousness regained clarity. The magic tool was about to strike him, and there was no time to defend with a sword form. He immediately used Spitting Breath into Sword to knock it off course, but it still grazed his right shoulder.

A piercing pain tore through his right shoulder. It had merely grazed him, yet his bones had shattered and his flesh turned outward. Had it struck him directly, he would certainly have been smashed into pieces.

His pupils reddened as he activated the Silver Edge Sword with all his strength and used Soaring Sky against the man.

The man had not expected Fang Xiao to recover so quickly after suffering a Mind Attack. Seeing the flying sword strike, he directly used the bronze bell in his hand to block it. With a single blow, the magic tool was heavily damaged and dimmed completely, even flying out of his grasp and falling to the ground.

Terror filled the man's eyes. A Supreme Flying Sword? Yet he did not know that, empowered by the Sword Nurturing Gourd and combined with Sword Qi Transforming into Energy, the Silver Edge Sword's attack power surpassed even that of a Supreme Flying Sword. If not for the bronze bell's special material, it could very well have shattered on the spot.

The man turned and tried to flee, but before a Sword Cultivator, if one could not win, there was simply no escaping.

The Silver Edge Sword stabbed straight through his back and emerged from his chest. Before he had fully died, Fang Xiao directly beheaded him.

Seeing that the enemies were dead, he took out a Rejuvenation Talisman and affixed it to his right shoulder. It could temporarily stop the bleeding. He gathered the spoils of battle and, not daring to linger, rapidly left the scene.

He found a cave, set up Alarm Talismans, killed the Blind Bear inside the cave and placed it into his Storage Bag, then began treating his injuries.